Nick Carter and Gabriella Tate meet at club Alliance in New York City the day after he and the rest of BSB begin their well deserved break. They spend the night getting to know one another; they both feel a connection but leave the club without exchanging anything more than a ‘goodbye.’
Years later as BSB is recording their first studio album together in five years, the memory of Gabriella pops into Nick’s head and refuses to leave.
Finally the album, now titled ‘Never Gone’ is finished and BSB is getting ready to celebrate its release and to embark on their first tour in five years.
On opening night Nick thinks his mind and eyes are playing tricks on him when, in the middle of ‘Just Want You To Know’ he spies Gabriella in the front row of the audience.
In the five years since she met him, Gabriella hasn’t been able to get Nick Carter out of her head. Her family and friends think the cause of that is because she finally got to meet one of her idols, the FAMOUS Nick Carter, but they’re wrong.
When she hears the news that BSB is back with a new album and tour, the first thing she does is run out and buy tickets to a few concerts including the one on opening night.
The night of the concert their eyes meet and she’s sure that he doesn’t recognize her. He surprises both of them when he walks down into the pit in front of the audience and stops when they’re face-to-face. When the song ends she hands him a card that she should have given him a long time ago.

“We’ll get together soon,” Kevin told the men who had become brothers to him. “This isn’t the end.”

The other four mumbled their replies as the plane touched down at JFK in New York City. They filed off, shook hands, made plans to “get together soon” and went their separate ways for the first time in years.

Nick hailed a cab and rode to his hotel, Edison Towers Times Square, in silence. As soon as he checked in he went up to his room and crashed.
~*~*~*~*~

Despite being tired from the flight home from Japan he awoke at ten am the next morning.

He called room service and ordered breakfast then called down for a newspaper.

His breakfast arrived first and he was more than half done with it before he got his newspaper.

He scanned the paper rather quickly, but stopped to spend more time on the parts that interested him than on what he called the ‘fluff’ which consisted of the ‘Home and Garden’ like sections. For some odd reason he really liked the sales adverts, he always had and that was something Aj had teased him mercilessly over.

He pulled out a flaming pink flyer. It was an advertisement for the grand opening of a new club called Alliance. Since he didn’t have any plans ‘til the next week when he caught his flight back to Florida and Brian and Howie weren’t around to annoy it didn’t take him long to decide to go.
~*~*~*~*~

“Gabs! You have to go!” Natalya whined. “It won’t be the same without you.”

“”Natalya, stop begging,” She told her baby sister. “You know why I don’t want to go.” Gabriella was still coming to terms with her recent loss and wasn’t in the mood to go anywhere or do anything.

“But Gaby! It’s my first show here in NYC; my big sister has to be there!”

Gabriella couldn’t honestly deny that; Natt had been there for her when she graduated medical school after their own parents had told her she never would. “Okay, okay, I’ll go, but you’ve got to stop bugging me about going out.”

“I will, but you do need to go out more.”

“I know I just don’t want to yet. I haven’t really felt like doing anything since Malachi died,” her heart skipped a beat and her voice caught; she hated talking about her son’s death.
~*~*~*~*~

About two hours after the club actually opened Nick got out of his cab and walked up to the bouncer. He showed his ID and was let in immediately.

He walked up to the bar and ordered an Apple Martini and watched the woman next to him as she walked up to the bar.

She had wavy waist-length chestnut colored hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail; she noticed him looking and she smiled at him. Her eyes were greener than an emerald sparkling in the sun light.

He had bright blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. His blondish hair was short and spiky. “I’m Nick,” he said.

“Gabriella,” she responded. She turned toward the bar when her name was called and took her drink; ironically it was the same thing Nick had ordered.

There was an open booth so she said, “Let’s go sit in the booth.”

He picked up his glass and followed her. “So why are you here?”

“My sister is performing; well her band is anyway.”

“Really?” one of the reasons he loved going to clubs that hired bands to perform is because he loved hearing new talent. “What’s the name of the band?”

“Woven.”

“Interesting.”

“That’s Natalya for you,” they both laughed. “So why are you here,” she countered.

He looked pained for a moment and then answered, “I’m in a band too. Well not so much a band, none of us really play instruments very much. We sing. Anyway, we just got back from a tour in Japan and decided while we were over there to take a break when we got home. We landed in NYC yesterday and I don’t go home until next week. I was looking for something to do and saw a flyer for tonight and decided to come.”

“I see,” she said just as her twenty-three year old sister took the stage and signaled her band to begin.

As the first song ended and the next began Nick said, “They’re good. Your sister’s got an amazing voice.”

“Thanks, I’ll be sure to tell them and her. What kind of music do you sing?”

“Our last album was titled Black and Blue,” he answered quietly; most girls he met in clubs hated the fact that he was a Backstreet Boy.

A big smile crossed her face, “I love that one. ‘How Did I Fall In Love With You?’ is my favorite.”

“Thanks.”
~*~*~*~*~

Before they knew it, it was nearing two am, the club’s closing time. “Well,” he said. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“Yeah,” she laughed something she hadn’t really done lately. “Technically, it’s ‘hellogoobye’ for me because I don’t remember ever saying ‘hello’.”