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“Take me to 34560 Apopka Vineland Road,” Lizz requested to the foreign cab driver.

She stared out the window at the brownish colored grass along the highway. Florida had been going through a terrible drought and everything looked dead and dying. Just like the way her heart felt at the moment....dead and dying out. Her thoughts drifted back to Oklahoma and the hospital where Nick and Brian were at. She worried that Nick would be scared and confused at what was going on and she prayed that what she needed to get done would be done fast. She had called her contacts earlier before the press conference so they could get the preliminaries set up.

“There you are miss, that’s going to be $26.90,” the cabbie stated in broken English as he stopped the car in front of a small house.

Handing him $30 she mumbled a thank you and quickly exited the cab. After walking up the tiny sidewalk, Lizz stood for a moment staring at the once-white screen door. Within seconds of knocking at the door, she was greeted by a woman who introduced herself as Amy.

“I’m Lizz, I.. I um called you yesterday,” Lizz stammered.

The woman’s face brightened. “Oh yeah I remember you now. You needed a complete ID retool, right?”

Lizz nodded nervously as she silently wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into.

“Okay, come with me.”

Lizz followed the woman into a room that looked like a miniature beauty parlor. “Take a seat there.”

Lizz did as she was ordered and worried about what this woman was going to do with her.

“Okay, I talked with your partner and he told me that we had to do some drastic changes. If I could change the color of your skin I would but I will have to do the next best thing love.”

Talked with my partner? Lizz quickly surmized that she had talked to Kevin. Next she worried about what the hell he had planned for her.

“Okay, you might as well relax, cause this will take me a couple of hours,” Amy directed as she flipped on a television set.


~*~*~*~*~


Shifting nervously in the chair waiting for the flight to be called for boarding, Lizz glanced around the waiting area, wondering if Marcus was there stalking and waiting for the guys to arrive. She knew that they weren’t flying in until early morning, but Marcus didn’t know that.

“Flight 438, Oklahoma City, now boarding at gate 131.”

Standing up quickly, Lizz flung the carryon duffle bag over her shoulders. Glancing at her reflection in the window, she could have sworn she was looking at someone else. Amy had done an excellent job in changing her looks, her own mother wouldn’t have recognized her.

Besides dying her once light reddish colored hair into a golden blond and cropping it short, she was now wearing blue tinted contact lenses. An added effect to her looks was a body suit that she had to wear under her clothes that added an additional 25 pounds to her tiny frame. Because of that, she was no longer able to wear any of her own clothes and had to go shopping right after she left Amy’s. The suit wasn’t bulky, she just hated how she looked with the extra weight.

“Thank you Ms. Allen, enjoy your flight,” the stewardess said as she handed the ticket stub back to Lizz.

‘Ms. Allen, god that sounded weird,’ Lizz thought to herself as she eased herself into her seat. Her new name was Katie Allen, 23 years old from Portland Oregon. She prayed this would work. The test would be when she saw Nick.

I knew there would be no sleeping on this flight like there was last time. Pure exhaustion had given me the chance before, but now I was wired. My hand kept unconsciously traveling to the back of my head, through my new haircut. I needed to stop that because it attracted attention that I was obviously unfamiliar with this style and I wanted to blend in as much as possible. It was probably shorter than I had ever had it before, but I was used to going from long hair to short hair, seeing as how every time it got long, I chopped it all off. Just not this much. Nor had I ever dyed it except for when I was ten years old. I dyed it hot pink while in the hospital one time. About 20 straight washings and a very pissed off mother later, I swore I wouldn’t do it again. My new “body” was the weirdest. I felt bulky, but Amy insisted that I looked fine and I “needed some meat on my bones anyway.” According to one of her many books I was my ideal weight now for someone my age and height. I forced myself to sit still and not fidget while I reviewed everything in my head. When the plane arrived in OKC, my first stop was to a car rental agency. Kevin had already had it all set up, all I had to do was pick up the car and the envelope that I was told would be waiting for me at the desk. All of my personal stuff, my old clothes, purse, drivers license was destroyed and everything I carried now was new. Duffel bag, a pair of jeans, shirt and jacket stuffed inside, plus the black pants I was wearing with the dark green blouse. My new black purse contained my new license. My new face with Katie Allen and a fake address next to it. I also had a social security card and some other odds and ends to make my wallet look natural. Nick’s new license and S.S. card was in there too. Buried deep in the duffel was the sweatshirt Nick had given me before the first press conference. I refused to throw that away too, it bringing me an odd comfort through all this.

The flight was over too soon. As soon as I stepped off this plane I would have to play the greatest roll in my life. I smiled sardonically at how the acting I had done in high school was finally coming into use. I ran my hand through my hair again and filed in line with everyone else that was exiting the plane. My heart skipped a beat as I watched so many people around me get greeted by excited family and friends. I felt really alone all of a sudden. I could pretty much disappear off the face of the earth and I would be almost impossible to track down. Nice thought.


The rental place wasn’t very busy, so far so good. I had just barely made it in before closing time. I can’t believe how close we were cutting it time-wise. We wanted to get me back to Oklahoma as soon as possible so it was nonstop from the press conference all the way back here again. I stepped up to the counter and a guy looked up from some papers.


“Hey there, what can I do for ya?” He grinned at me. His name tag read Chris.


I swallowed nervously. “I’m uh Katie Allen, here to pick up a car I had reserved.”


He thumbed through a stack of papers then opened a small door in the wall that revealed tons of tagged keys hanging on tiny hooks. He selected two copies of the same hook and dropped them into my hands. “You boyfriend said you needed two sets and he had this dropped off for you.” The guy pulled a sealed manila envelope out from a drawer. My cheeks flushed when he said “boyfriend.” I almost said, “nope, not my type,” but thought better of it. I couldn’t keep from snickering at the thought of me almost saying it out loud. Poor Kevin, I’d drive him to the funny farm. That thought made it even worse and now I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from busting up. Thankfully Chris didn’t even notice.


“Follow me, I’ll take you to your car.” He grinned again and I followed behind him. My walk still felt funny, but I was starting to get used to the bodysuit. To my shock and delight he led me to a black 2001 Jeep Cherokee. I almost died on the spot. My dream car! Kevin was definitely on my good list now.


“Um, how long do I have it again?” I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from the shiny beauty in front of me.


“You’ve got it for the next two weeks. If you need it longer, swing on by and we will hook ya up.” Chris grinned again. “Have fun sight-seeing.”


I thanked him and climbed into the car, shaking my head. Sightseeing in Oklahoma. Riiight. I folded the manila envelope into my purse and followed the arrows that led to the main road. Once again I relished in being able to drive. Especially in this car. I pulled on my new dark sunglasses and checked myself in the rearview mirror. Different, but kinda cool I guess. The drive to the hospital was too short, but on the other hand I was anxious to get to Nick. I pulled into the parking lot, noticing immediately the crowd. It was the same as before, except maybe even bigger now. This time almost everyone held a lit candle. My eyes threatened to well up into tears, but I forced it back. I didn’t need mascara all over my face. Plus I had to play it cool.


I left the duffel on the back seat floor, knowing the tinted windows would keep it pretty much out of view. Slinging my purse over my shoulder I hastily walked inside. I guess I was still paranoid that someone would recognize me. No one gave me a second glance though. As I stepped onto the elevator I had an urge to push the button to Brian’s floor. I wanted to make sure everything was okay and maybe get a little encouragement, but there was no way. I went right on past and up to Nick’s floor. When I stepped off the elevator my stomach knotted up in nerves again. Was he okay? What would he say when he saw me? Was this all going to work? I ducked into the one room restroom and locked the door behind me. Leaning against the wall, I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths. I needed to look cool, calm and collected. Everything I wasn’t. I stole one more look in the mirror. Even my makeup was different. I usually wore only a little eye make-up and lipstick. Natural looking brown and my favorite lipstick. Now my eyebrows were dyed dark brown, I was wearing black liner, a shimmery silver colored eyeshadow, a touch of blush and a darker shade of lipstick. It looked kinda cool, but again, I had to get used to it. My eyes really stood out to me. I was used to seeing an almost turquoisey shade of green, but now they were blue as could be. I pulled my contact away from my eye and sure enough, the green was still there. I don’t know why, but it made me feel better. Maybe a reassurance that there was at least a little of me hidden away. still. Okay, enough stalling...


I left the small area that held the elevators and public restrooms and walked brusquely down the hall to the nurses station. I recognized the same nurse, Georgia Shell, that I talked to when I had snuck into to see Nick in the middle of the night. She looked up at me as I approached and my heart jumped.


“Can I help you?” She asked politely.


I let out the breath I was holding. She didn’t recognize me! “Uh yes, I am here to see Jack Carpenter. I’m expected.”


She nodded. “Room 430 to your left.”


I thanked her and headed towards the room. I knew she knew that it was really Nick, but my guess was that no one told her who I was. I paused at the door the pushed it open softly. There wasn’t any point in knocking since Nick wasn’t supposed to be talking. It was pretty late by now and technically visiting hours were over, but that was going to be the last thing to stop me.


The room was dim, but not completely dark. As soon as he heard movement, Nick turned his head towards me. Even in the poor light I could see, plain as day, the toll this had taken on him. He looked like a wreck. Dark, lost eyes. Guarded look on his face. Definitely shot nerves. I wanted to break down right there, but again, pushed it away. He didn’t say anything, just watched me warily.


I walked closer to the bed until I was right up next to him. Neither of us spoke and then he raised his eyebrows questioningly. Not trusting my voice, I whispered. “It’s me.”


He stared at me blankly, obvious frustration building. “I don’t know you.”


I stifled a gasp at his voice. It sounded worse than mine after waking up in the morning. “You aren’t supposed to be talking.” I admonished automatically, still whispering.


He glared at me and started to respond to that, but I cut him off before he could. “Nick, it’s me, Lizz.”


His eyes widened at being called by his own name for the first time since he had woken up. I started to relax, thinking we were on the same level now. I didn’t expect his reaction.


“No! What the hell is this?! I want to know what the fuck is going on and who the hell are you?!” His voice cracked and started to give out, but the emotion behind the words hit me full force.


“Nick, it’s me. Look close.” I raised my voice slightly. I knew if he could hear my voice, he would know it was me. My voice was really distinct, being sort of the female version of AJ’s voice. I held my breath as Nick studied me. Then his face broke out into a smile.


“Oh my god...”


I let the breath out with a whoosh and threw my arms around him, hugging him tight. “You scared me there for a second.” I dropped back to a whisper.


He pulled back and held me at arm’s length. “Whoa...” He looked me over, his eyes wide as saucers.


“Shhhh, you aren’t supposed to talk!” I reminded him again.


“I can a little bit. Please explain!”


I nodded. “This is going to take awhile so bear with me. As for the time being, Nick Carter is dead. According to the whole world, you died due to complications from the surgery. According to Marcus, he killed you.” I explained everything starting from where Marcus tampered with his oxygen supply and cornered Brian and I in with him. I explained how Brian said to let him die and how I almost flipped out. I told him about how AJ and Howie didn’t know the real truth and only his parents, Kevin, Brian, and the hospital staff involved knew. I tried to remember every detail about Marcus showing up at the viewing and his plans to continue the stalking at least for now.


I quieted a moment and let Nick digest everything. He looked a little overwhelmed by it all, but he was taking it pretty well. Then he screwed up his face and gestured to me. “But wait, that still doesn’t explain you.”


I let out a sigh. “There was no way I was going to let you go through this on your own. You obviously can’t keep in contact with anyone and this is going to be really rough. There was no way you could be totally alone through this.”


He shook his head slowly. “But, you...your life...you can’t just...” He stammered.


“I can and I did. Nick, we’ve gotten this far together, we gotta stay that way. What else was I going to do anyway? I am out of a job, flunked out of school, I am going to have to leave here anyway. Everyone knows now. Besides, I felt kinda lost.” I spoke the last part really soft. Since knowing him, we had rarely gone more than a couple days without talking each other’s ears off. We had only gotten into a few fights, but it was the same thing. I would feel totally lost until we fixed it. He had said the same before too. “This is going to stay like this until Marcus and anyone he is working with is caught. That could take days or it could take months. I don’t want to go that long without contact with you. The only way around it was to assume a new identity. So, basically, you are stuck with me.” I said quietly, hoping he was okay with this and suddenly afraid he wouldn’t be.


I needn’t have worried. He practically crushed me into a tight hug. “Thank you.”


“Yeah, you say that now, wait till you are so sick of me in a few days that you are ready to ship me off to Siberia.” I joked.


He grinned. “Ditto. Okay, now how did you gain an extra 20 pounds cause I know you haven’t been eating.”


“It’s a body suit under my clothes. I feel fat.” I almost laughed because those weren’t words I had ever said before. “Trust me, you don’t look fat. You need the weight.” Nick assured me. I rolled my eyes at that one. He was always on my case about being too skinny. “At least I have a butt now.” I joked. He laughed too. “Women...” “Now we gotta work on you. Mista Jack, we gotta make you look different now. According to your new license, you have brown hair, brown eyes and a mustache.” I grinned.


Nick’s eyes widened. “How...?”


“I got a recent pic of you and the lady that fixed me up, did it. She doctored the picture, changed all the info, and fitted it all together on an Ohio license.. The hair oughta be easy enough and the contacts will be Fed Exed in a nondescript package here in the morning. She had to get ahold of your prescription so it took more time. By the time you are released you oughta have somewhat of a mustache right?” The shocked look on his face was hilarious. “Oh, we gotta cut your hair too.” I added as I pulled his new license out of my wallet.


“Damn...“ He muttered as he looked it over.


“Oh, I about forgot about this!” I pulled Kevin’s second envelope from my purse and tore it open. I opened the note first, holding it so we could both read it.


Dear both of you,
Everything should be set now. If there are any problems, you will to figure it out yourselves. If there is an emergency, you know how to get ahold of me. There should be plenty of money in the account, but I will try to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too low. Hang in there and stay out of trouble. Both of you lay low and don’t get involved in anything. We won’t be able to talk again until this is all over, but we are thinking about you both. Brian sends his love and prayers. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Good luck!
Kevin


Next was a blue checkbook. I opened it up and did a double take. Cute, Kevin. He had Nick’s alias on top with mine underneath. Then a fake address underneath. I didn’t even think to check if the addresses on our licenses were the same. We had some serious figuring out to do. This was going to be interesting.


“How did he do that?“ Nick pointed to our names on the checks. Normally checks had to be sent away for and they took about a week to get made.


“The man’s been pulling strings like you wouldn’t believe.” I opened the register and my jaw hit the floor. “We’re loaded!” I exclaimed.


Nick snickered, not fazed by the zeros. “Dork.”


“Shuddup. Um...about the laying low part...” I fidgeted, unsure of how to finish what I was aiming at.


“Hell no, we’re going to have some fun with this!” Nick gave me that knowing look.


I returned the look. He had a mischievous glint in his eye and I am sure mine wasn’t any different. This was definitely going to be interesting...