As I slink out of my Hotel room, I look around making sure that no one is in the hall and those who are, I make sure aren’t watching me. I know if I’m caught doing what I’m about to do, I’ll be as good as dead. I stealthily make my way down the hall to my eldest band mate’s room. Little does Kevin know I’m…

Oh, you’re wondering who Kevin is, right? Well, he’s the eldest in the Backstreet Boys, the group I’m in. Anyway, back to my own little spy movie like idea. Hey, shut-up. Just because I’m fourteen doesn’t mean I still can’t use my imagination and play silly little old spy games. I mean, it’s not like I get Nick, the youngest of the group, to tag along and play it with me. What? You really think I’m that crazy? Yeesh.

I finally reach my destination and take one last look around to be sure no one is watching. Once I’m sure no one has spotted me, I use my spy skills to unlock (or in your lingo, pick) the door, and slip in unnoticed.

I was just coming out of the stairway leading up to our floor, when I spotted Alex, whom we call A.J., our second youngest in the group, sneaking down the hallway.

“What is he up to now?” I wonder.

I remain hidden by the door as I silently watch him slink down the hall, and look about nervously, before picking the lock on my Hotel room door.

“Why’s he sneaking into my room?” I ask myself. “He’d better not be pulling some prank.”

Kevin’s view:

I try not to laugh as I notice him eyeing my pocket instead of what I’ve laid out on the counter. I wave my hand in front of his face.

“Hello? Space control center to Alex, Alex it’s time to come back to planet Earth,” I tease.

He gives me a weird look, but smiles all the same. “Alex reporting back to Earth, Sir,” he answers cheekily.

For once, I don’t care to wipe the cheeky grin off his face. I show him what I’ve bought, and explain what each is for. Obviously he knew what the razors and shaving cream were for, but as for the toilet paper and toothpaste, well, let’s just say he thought I was right down crazy.

We shave together, and amazingly, he only nicks himself twice.

“You know, you’re doing a whole lot better than I did at your age,” I tell him.

He looks up at me with a look of surprise on his face. “Really? You bled more than I am right now?”

I give a nod and a laugh. “Yep,” I say. “My brother’s got a good kick out of it too. They teased me for weeks.”

Now, another thing you need to know about A.J., is that he’s an only child. He’s never had any siblings, and the closest he’s come to them is us four guys and his best friend Skylar Ross. And trust me, she’s a doll, that Skylar is. A keeper too. Oh, and also, normally A.J. doesn’t like to be called ‘Alex’, as it usually means he’s in trouble. But, obviously, at times like right now, he doesn’t mind so much.

“You don’t think the other guys will tease me, do you?” He interrogates.

“Nah,” I shrug. “And if they do, so what? They’ve been in your shoes, well, minus Nick.”

“If Nick bugs me, I’ll just rub it in and tell him he’s jealous,” he affirms. “I’ll remind him that he hasn’t hit puberty yet too. That always gets him going.”

I shake my head at him. Yep. A.J. is becoming his crazy self once more. But, before he makes the complete transformation back, there’s something I want to do real quick.

“I think it’s time for that surprise now, don’t you?”

I see his eyes glow with interest and excitement, and want desperately to laugh at his child-like eagerness.

A.J.’s view:

I watch almost impatiently as Kevin removes the surprise from his pocket. I feel my eyes go huge when I see a shiny silver cross hanging right before my own two eyes.

“Wow,” I breathe softly.

“You like it?” he asks.

I nod, not daring to ask where he found such a beautiful cross. For some strange reason it happens to look like the one I was eyeing the other day at the mall.

“It’s yours then,” he says.

I stare at him in utter shock. The man can’t be serious. But, by the look on his face, I can tell he is. Still, best confirm it, now hadn’t I?

“Seriously?” I manage to choke out. “You mean it?”

I nod smiling, feeling proud for some odd reason, as I see his glowing face. I bet the kid’s never had something as nice as this given to him before. Not by anyone. Well, maybe his grandmother, but she spoils him rotten, though you know she loves him to death. And she does make sure he’ll treat her gifts with the utmost respect.

“Yep,” I answer finally, moving to place it over his head, then let it drop so it’s hanging around his neck. “It’s all yours Alex.”

I watch as he picks it up carefully, eyeing it like a little kid would when totally awed by something. I try not to beam too much when he reads the inscription I had put on it.

“Whenever you need a friend, I’ll be there Bro,” he reads aloud. “Love, Kevin.”

He looks up at me all teary-eyed again, and I know I’ve gotten the not-so-tough A.J. back again.

“Thanks Kev,” he whispers, before hugging me for the second time. “This means a whole lot to me.”

I hug him back just as tight, now trying to will myself not to cry along with him. I don’t know why, but I feel the need to protect my new ‘little brothers’, him and Nick especially seeing as they’re so young.

He eventually pulls back and grins at me, letting me know the old rebellious A.J. is back once more.

“Do you think the other guys are still up?” He asks, his eyes still shining, despite his tries to hide his happiness.

“They’re probably still in Frick ‘n’ Frack’s room playing Nintendo,” I say. “C’mon. We can go check it out for ourselves.”

Oh, in case you’re wondering, Brian and Nick are Frick ‘n’ Frack. We dubbed them those nicknames as they’re like bookends; never seen without the other, and when they are, it’s very rare.

We go into the room across the hall uninvited, but knowing the others won’t care, as Kevin’s allowed to barge in on anyone he wants. Let’s just say, if he’s in a good mood, it’s great being with him, because then you can barge in too. If he’s in a bad mood though, well, I’d advise you to turn and run the other way. Hehe. But don’t tell him I said that.

Once we’re inside the room, the other looks up. Thankfully, I’ve remembered to remove the toilet paper from my face before coming over.

“Hey, where were you guys?” Nick asks, his eyes never leaving the screen. “We were waiting on you. We’re supposed to be having the Nintendo match we talked about earlier.”

I saw Kevin glance at me before responding. “We had other matters to deal with first Frack.”

Brian eyes us suspiciously when he looks away from the game, but nods and smiles when he spots my cross, somehow seeming to know some of what had gone on.

I notice Howie eyeing the cross too, but I just smile at him. Even if he is my best friend, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell him all of what went on between Kevin and I in my Hotel bathroom. I do need to keep something private, don’t I? I mean, not everybody needs to know every little aspect of my life. No Sir. They don’t.

Nick soon loses to Brian, and in the midst of his complaining, finally notices my cross, and comes to stand before me.

“Where’d you get that?” He questions. “And who’d you rob to get it?”

“None of your damn business, and no one,” I snap.

I feel anger surge through me as he picks it up and reads the inscription on the back of it.

“Kevin?” He chokes out through his laughter. “You mean he can actually be nice?”

I yank my cross back, and hold it close to my chest, even though it’s still around my neck.

“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth.

I see him take a closer look at me then. “Hey, look whose shaving!” He exclaims, then mocks me in a girly voice. “Oh, Alex, you look sooo handsome! So manly, so lovely. Aww.”

“Shut-up,” I growl. “Least I’ve hit puberty and have something to shave, unlike you.”

“Well, at least I don’t have some stupid cross that says ‘love Kevin' on the back of it!” He retorts.

Okay, that was it. The shaving thing I could handle, but making fun of my cross is going way too low, even for him.

“Leave me the Hell alone!” I yell, shoving him to the ground, before turning and storming out. Actually, I sort of ran out like a wuss, but if anyone asks, I stormed out, okay?

I headed back to my room and threw myself on my bed, burying my face in my pillow.

Kevin’s view:

“Nickolas Carter,” I snarl somewhat. “Don’t you ever again make fun of that cross, young man! You hear me?”

I’ve moved so that I’m now looming over the small boy, and glaring down at him sternly.

Nick looks up at me fearfully and nods, too scared to say anything. I watch as he scampers over to the protectiveness of my cousin Brian’s embrace. I give him one last stern look before leaving the room to go find A.J.

I head straight across the hall to A.J.’s room, knock once, then walk in. I spot him lying face down on his bed and went over to sit down. Once I was seated I began to rub his back.

“Don’t worry about it Alex,” I tell him. “Nick’s just jealous because he didn’t get a gift. You know how he is.”

I watch him sit up and turn to face me. Without saying a word I pull him into a big bear hug, knowing that’s what he needed at the moment.

“He won’t make fun of the cross anymore,” I state. “Nor your blankie. And if he does make fun of your blankie, well, bug him about his fear of the dark then. Though, I will tell you this Alex. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

He looks up at me and smiles softly. “Where were you when I needed someone to chase away the monsters in my closet?” He jokes ever so slightly, knowing I’d know what he meant.

“At home scaring them out of Brian’s closet,” I joke back. “But I’m here to scare them now. Out of everybody’s closets.”

“And they’ll be sure to run too,” he laughs. “The monsters I mean.”

“Sure you do,” I chuckle.

A.J.’s view:

I never imagined it could be so great having a big brother to look out for you. More or less three. Okay, sure it’s not always as wonderful as that day was, but hey, nothing’s ever perfect. Trust me on that. On the bright side, I do have a little brother to pick on though - which is quite fun to do, unless the kid cries, then it's not so fun 'cause then Momma gets all angry with me. And an angry Momma is no fun - it's even worse when my big 'brothers' are angry with me for it too - trust me, that's never a good thing. They know how to make you pay - which I've learned the hard way a few times. Heh.

Oh, and if you’re wondering, yes, I still do have that cross. Wherever I go, it goes. Well, peace out!

~A.J.~