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"Well Mr. Carter? You are keeping us in suspense" AJ said as he continued to circle around me with the camcorder in hand. I looked at the camera and smiled.

"Because that's the way it is" AJ had a confused look on his face but Brian smiled. He knew how much those words had meant to me.

"Okay, I'll buy that" J said, now moving on to bug Howie D

"You okay?" Brian asked me as I continued to smile.

"Yes I am"

"Good, glad to hear it" He said patting me on the back. We joined the other three boys in the hallway of my hotel room as we waited for the call to tell us to come downstairs.

We had come such a long way, it was hard to believe we had made it to the ten year mark. I never thought it would happen. There were so many times that one or the other of us, would storm out of a rehearsal and say that's it, I quit! And then last year, ugh, who could forget last year, but still we had survived.

"Do you guys remember the time when Lou came in to tell us about our first magazine cover?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, when my nose was bleeding and Kevin looked like he wet his pants?" Howie said making them all laugh.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Did you ever think we would go this far?" I didn't answer, I was just having fun watching them laugh and talk, just like the old days. Days that despite all the bad, there was still so much good. I loved these guys. I was these guys.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Nick are you packed and ready to go?"

"Yes, Kevin how many times are you gonna ask me that?" I said as Kevin surveyed my hotel room. AJ's stuff was still thrown all over the place but mine was now packed, for the most part and ready to go. Kevin picked up one of AJ's shirts from the floor.

"This kid is a serious slob!" He said throwing it back down disgusted, then he turned his attention back to me, "So, you sure you have everything?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes, Kevin I have everything"

"Hey I missed seeing that eye roll. I feel like I haven't seen that in a while" I laughed.

"Okay well if you are sure you have everything, than I'll meet you downstairs in an hour, okay little man?" He asked me as he tousled my hair.

"Yeah yeah okay!"

"And I mean an hour kiddo"

"God I know what you mean. I understand english you know"

"Okay, and I'm gonna send AJ up to pack."

"Fine, see you in a little while" I sat on my bed, he was still nagging me, "Just humor me again, how long is a little while?" Oh my God

"An hour!"

"Bravo!" He said finally leaving me alone.

I was finally going home. I couldn't wait. There was so much I wanted to tell my family and friends about this trip. There was so much I would NEVER tell my family and friends about this trip. A knock on the door brought me to my feet, "An hour!" I yelled as I opened it up expecting to see Chihuahua Kevin but there was Brian all smiles meeting me instead.

"An hour until what?" He asked as I let him in and closed the door.

"It's nothing, just your stupid anal cousin driving me crazy again"

"Oh I see" He said sitting on AJ's bed.

"Hey Nick"

"Yeah?"

"AJ told me about the conversation you had with your dad a few days ago. Are you really that unhappy with us?" I was thrown by the question, mostly because I had no idea that AJ was listening in.

"No, it's not like that Brian" I said as I took a seat next to him

"Then what is it like then?"

"It's just that, I don't think I can do this sometimes"

"Me either" He confessed to me, "But you know what? That's why we all need to lean on each other. We are a team now"

"I guess we are" I said putting my arm on his shoulder.

"We will help you get through it little guy, I promise"

"I know, I'll help you get through it too short stuff" I answered

"Who you calling short stuff?" I laughed at him. He stood up to leave, "Nick"

"Yeah Brian?"

"I'm glad you decided to stay"

"Me too"

And I was. I mean after I talked to my dad, I had second thoughts, but then I met up with the guys again, played some games, and hung out. Not as a band, but as friends, because when it came right down to it, that's what we were. Friends.

AJ came trudging in the room hissing insults about Kevin the whole way, I just laughed at him.

"What's so funny?"

"You"

"Oh, glad you find me so humorous, now help me pack!" I helped AJ throw his things in his suitcase, and I mean throw them. There was no folding or anything, he took them and flung them in until they all fit. I have to try that some time. My Mom would kill me when she saw them, but it saves so much time, it would almost be worth it.

The next thing you knew, we were downstairs in the lobby waiting for Kevin of all people. He was late, actually fifteen minutes late. I could only smirk as the minutes ticked by.

"He's never late" Howie said staring at his watch.

"Maybe it's finally happened"

"What AJ?"

"Maybe his head finally exploded!" I laughed, but now I was actually beginning to worry myself. It was very unlike him to be late. He was always early. All the time.

"I'll go check on him" I said volunteering and before anyone could stop me, I was pressing the button to the elevator. We were lucky that no fans had gathered waiting for us in the lobby. We did a good job of checking in unnoticed I suppose.

I ran to Kev's door and knocked, a little nervous when there was no answer.

"Um...Kevin, you're late!" I said knocking a little harder. I started to bite my lip, now very nervous, what if he was dead or something. Maybe he finally gave himself a heart attack! Okay now I had worked myself into a full fledged panic!

"KEVIN!!!!! ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?" I said now pounding with both fists against his door bringing attention to myself.

"Is everything okay young man?" A nice lady asked me as she passed by me as I pounded.

"I'm not sure, Kevin's not answering, he might have had a heart attack" I said stupidly.

"Oh my! Hold on I will call the front desk" She said running back to her room.

"Kevin, please answer the door, you are scaring me, please!" I shouted again.

"What the hell are you doing?" I heard someone exclaim from behind me. I turned around to see Kevin standing there looking angry. I grabbed him and gave him a hug.

"Thank God you're alive" I said, He had his hands away from his body as he stood there with me wrapped around him, not knowing what was going on.

The nice lady came running out of her room, "Young man I called the front desk and they said they would be right up"

"Nick what's going on?" Kevin asked me, now concerned that this woman was going to get help.

"I thought something had happened to you"

"You what?"

"You were late and I banged on your door but you didn't answer" The woman now relieved smiled, "Oh so this is the man you were so worried about?" She asked. Nick nodded.

"He is much to young to have had a heart attack"

"Heart attack?" Kevin shouted as he pushed Nick away from him.

"Yes, he was under the impression that you were having a heart attack. I called down to the front desk, you better call them before they get an ambulance"

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for putting you through that, I certainly will. Thank you" Kevin reached out his hand to thank the woman, she gently accepted it and then walked back towards the elevator.

Kevin began to walk away, "Wait Kev, we have to call the front desk, where are you going?"

"Back to my room to make the call, where did you think I was going?"

"But wait a minute" Nick said pointing to the room he was pounding on, "Isn't this your room?" Kevin shook his head and smiled.

"No, that is Howie and Brian's room, mine is down the hall"

"Oh" I said as I followed him to his room. He called the front desk and straightened the situation out.

"Nick, why on earth would you think I had a heart attack?" He asked while he brushed his hair. Boy that was a good question. Wish I had an answer.

"Because you were late"

"I was late so you thought I had a heart attack?"

"You're never late for anything EVER! I just thought that maybe..I don't know...that all the panicking you do finally caught up with you"

"Let me get this straight, you think I panic so much that I was gonna have a heart attack?"

"Well...yeah" Kevin laughed.

"I just took a nap and overslept" He admitted to me, wow did Kevin just admit he was human? Amazing

"Is everybody mad?" I could have fun with this

"Yes, Lou is pacing back and forth swearing about you"

"So he sent YOU to come and get me?"

"Yeah, hell someone has to be responsible" He smiled.

"Now we are both late so we better get going" Kevin grabbed my arm and shooed me out into the hallway making sure he had everything he needed.

"Well, time to go back to our little mundane lives in the states" Kev said as the elevator dinged letting us out into the lobby.

"Yeah and I can't wait"

"Me either"

We met up with the guys who had a good laugh at my expense for thinking Kevin was dying. Before boarding the van I took a look back at the hotel and took a big whiff of Germany. You know, just in case we never made our way back here again.