Kevin sighed and shook his head, putting two slices of bread in the toaster. After pushing the lever down, he rested an arm on the counter and watched the morning show, starring AJ McLean and Howie Dorough.
"AJ!" hissed Howie, glaring at the grinning rebel who opened the bus' fridge. "Keep your fool voice down! Nick and Brian are still asleep!"
"Aw, relax, Howie," toned AJ, grabbing the milk and a mini Sunny Delight from the fridge. He set them on the table before opening the cupboard above him, grabbing a box of Corn Flakes, "They're sleepin' like the dead. I don't think I could even manage to wake 'em this morning."
"Yeah, well," started Howie, sprinkling some salt and pepper over the steaming scrambled eggs he had just dumped into a bowl. "You don't have to work overtime to prove yourself wrong, 'J. Just tone it down a bit, 'kay?"
"No problemo!" smirked AJ, though not as loud as before. He took the bowl Kevin handed him and then reached across for a spoon from the drawer. As Kevin set two plates and glasses on the table for he and Howie, AJ sat down and ate his cereal.
The toast popped up and Kevin snatched it up, placing it on a plate and then sitting in the booth opposite AJ. Howie set the last few things on the table and then sat beside Kevin. The aroma of eggs, sausage, pancakes, and toast filled the small room and then drifted to the small bunk area.
Brian stirred. He turned his head in his half awake state and breathed in the enticing aroma from the kitchen. His eyelids fluttered and with one more deep breath, Brian was awake and convinced that he was absolutely famished. His stomach growled loudly in confirmation.
With a groan, he pushed his covers off his chest and yawned, stretching as much as he could in the cramped bunk. Sighing, Brian relaxed back in his bed and simply laid there for a few minutes, choosing to savor the comfortable warmth of the covers and soft pillow a little bit longer before leaving it.
Finally he moved, sliding his legs from the blankets and touching his feet to the cold floor as he sat up. He yawned again, raising one hand to rub his face and mussed up hair as he got used to the idea of consciousness. Catching another whiff of the food in the kitchen, Brian decided he liked the idea of waking up and proceeded to get dressed.
Several minutes later, Brian emerged from the bus' bathroom refreshed and ready for a new day. He stopped at his bunk to kick his bag back beneath the bed when he heard a sound. Pausing, Brian curiously listened and frowned when the sound came again, and from the place he suspected. Nick's still closed off bunk.
Approaching cautiously, remembering the last time he had awakened the blond, Brian reached out and opened the curtain slowly and quietly. He froze when what he saw was Nick tightly huddled in a ball, his arms firmly clutching his head and effectively hiding his face. The only sound was Nick talking in his sleep, his voice small and low.
"No... Get away..."
That's all Brian could understand. Concern clouded his face as Brian crouched down, hesitantly reaching a hand out to wake Nick from his nightmare. He didn't know how Nick would react, so he was prepared for anything. Brian had known he was right that something was up with Nick.
Brian tried his voice first, "Nick? ...Hey, c'mon. Wake up, Frack... Hey... Nick?"
Nick didn't hear him. Brian sighed and braced himself for the unknown as he gently grasped Nick's shoulder, which he was surprised to feel trembling. Nick's reaction was quick and much like the night before. His blue eyes snapped open and he recoiled back from Brian's hold, one arm blindly striking out and almost knocking Brian to the floor as it connected with his chest.
As Brian regained his balance, Nick sat back and away from him, panting in obvious fear as he slowly shook off the last of the nightmare and finally saw what, and who, was around him.
When Brian saw recognition in Nick's wide eyes, he nodded his head at the blond, "Good morning, Frack."
"Brian?" breathed Nick, blinking. He wiped a hand down his face, which he found damp with cold sweat. He grimaced, remembering, "Bad dream."
"That would be the conclusion I came to, Nicky," toned Brian quietly, studying his best friend who tried to get his composure up and running. Shaking his head, Brian asked, "What's up with you?"
"Huh?" blurted Nick at the blunt question, staring at Brian's concerned face. Then Nick sighed, looking away to study his blankets. He refused to look back up at that worried expression on Brian's face, "Nothing is up, Bri'. Just some bad dream. Everybody gets 'em sometimes. They're no big deal."
"They are when you have them two nights in a row," stated Brian firmly, not so easily satisfied with Nick's explanation. "What's goin' on, Nick? I mean, even at the concert last night... something was up. C'mon... Tell me."
Nick looked at Brian. He looked for a very long time, but eventually he just shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and low, "I can't, Brian. Atleast... I can't right now, okay?"
Relenting at the forlorn expression on Nick's face, Brian sighed, "Then when? You've got to tell someone about this, Nick. Whatever it is, it's eating at you enough to cause nightmares. You have to talk about it, man. So, when?"
Nick leaned his head back and closed his eyes, biting his lower lip. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, "Soon, Frick. Soon... I promise."
Brian stared at Nick, then nodded his head as he raised his hands to rub at his forehead. Pausing to rest his face in his hands, Brian took a moment to think. Coming to a decision, he raised his head and locked his blue eyes with Nick's, "And I promise I'll be here when you want to talk, but remember... Soon means it's going to happen in the near future, Nick. So, as soon as possible. Okay?"
"Okay," agreed Nick, his voice quiet as he watched Brian stand from his crouched position.
"Good," Brian managed to smile, then tilted his head toward the kitchen. "Well, since you're up now, you might as well get dressed and have some breakfast. Smells like Howie cooked again." Brian sniffed, "Mmm, pancakes. Ya know, I believe Howie is the undeclared King of Cookin'."
A laugh escaped Nick's lips as he smiled, "Yeah, I think Howie missed his calling as a gourmet chef."
"I wouldn't tell him that, he'd probably start his own catering company or something," grinned Brian as he looked toward the kitchen. Shaking his head, he looked back at Nick, "Well, I'll let you get up. I'm gonna go get some of that food before they eat it all. Better hurry if ya want any, Nick."
"Yeah, I'm comin'," nodded Nick, beginning to scoot to the edge of his bunk as Brian finally left him alone.
When Brian was out of sight, Nick let his feet drop over the bunk's edge and then let out a sigh, his head falling into his hands. His hands soon gripped at his hair when the aftermath of the dream finally caught up to him, causing the intense fear and emotion to hit him all at once. A couple tears of frustration managed to escape his clenched eyes as he released one hand from his hair, only to slam it against his bunk with a muted thump. He forced his voice to work, the strained tone carrying all his anger, fear, and confusion.
"Damn it! Damn it all to hell..."
"Well, guys, it was awesome havin' ya, as always," gushed the DJ of 102.9 FM, grinning brightly across at the five Backstreet Boys. "Be sure to stop by again the next time yer in the neighborhood, all right?"
"Sure thing," smiled Brian, "We've had a great time."
"Okay, how 'bout givin' our listeners one last good-bye and then we're off the air," concluded the DJ, gesturing to the guys to do their closings.
"Peace and love to y'all!" gushed AJ, straightening in his chair. "AJ is outta here!"
"We'll see ya at the concert tomorrow night!" said Howie, smiling. "Howie D, signing off."
"To all the fans, we can't thank you enough for what you've done," toned Kevin. "This is Kevin sayin' see ya!"
"We love you all and can't wait to see ya," added Brian. "This is the B-rok, still rockin' down the backstreets!"
There was a silence as the last of their band failed to speak. Brian looked beside him and his eyes widened at seeing Nick slumped over the small counter, asleep. Not knowing what else to do, Brian elbowed Nick hard in the side.
"Ow!" Nick exclaimed as he was abruptly awakened, snapping straight in his chair. He blinked around at his surroundings with his large headphones half falling off of his head and then froze, realizing what he was supposed to be doing. He hastily straightened the large headphones over his ears and cleared his throat, "Uh, hey! This is Nick and I want to thank you all for listenin'. Keep the Backstreet Pride alive and we'll be seein' you next time."
"Uh--okay!" covered the DJ, surprised but leaving it out of his voice. "That was the Backstreet Boys and you only heard them here, on the station that plays your best music, EZ 102.9 FM. Here's Backstreet's latest, 'More Than That'."
"Nick, what the hell was that?!" sputtered Kevin as they walked out of the station room and down the hallway to the back exit.
Nick's countenance was meek as he replied, "I'm sorry. I just fell asleep."
"Just fell asleep," quoted Kevin, perhaps even more angry. "Nick, you fell asleep at the end of a radio interview, when we were still on the air! It wasn't that boring and besides the point, you got to sleep in this morning!"
"I- I know..." managed Nick, then Brian stepped in.
Grasping Kevin's tense shoulder, Brian tried to calm the storm he saw building in the green eyes, "Take it easy, Kevin. It wasn't that bad. It did happen at the end of the interview and then, it was just for a minute. Cut him some slack, Kev. We've been workin' hard lately."
They all stopped walking when they reached the doors that would lead them out to their bus, the lot already packed with fans, most of them wearing raincoats or carrying umbrellas in case the dark skies above them decided to open up. Kevin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his green eyes scanning the small group. They all did seem to show signs of stress and tiredness, even after the long night's sleep they'd had. He also knew that was the main reason he himself was reacting the way he was. He felt like crap.
"I know," he breathed finally, shaking his head. "The tour is almost over, so we won't have long to wait for time off, but we can't be fallin' asleep in the middle of interviews."
"Hey, Kev," AJ stepped in. "C'mon, the kid's sorry. It won't happen again, right Nick?"
"Yeah," nodded Nick, looking across at Kevin. He was, after all, the only one in their group that could look Kevin straight in the eyes without the aid of a chair. He now used that height to be more level with Kevin, to show that he understood what Kevin was telling him, "I really am sorry, Kev. I don't know what came over me, but that DJ's voice just seemed to knock me out."
Kevin smiled, "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, Nicky. It just won't happen again, right?"
"Right," smiled Nick, relieved. Kevin didn't get mad at any of them often, but when he did, you felt like you had just let your dad down when he had needed you the most. It was just the effect Kevin had on them. The man was way too protective.
"All right," spoke Howie, catching their attention. "The bodyguards are here, and there's a path to the bus. Let's go!"
Each one of them was surrounded by several large bodyguards and lead quickly through the crowd of screaming fans to the bus, the experience taking their breath away. It didn't matter how many times they had to do it, the actual sight of so many fans always took them for a loop.
"Whoo-ee!" whooped AJ, plopping into the kitchen booth and then scooting to the window to look out. "I ain't never gonna get used to that! Damn."
The others also went to the windows to look out, to look at as many different faces as they could. Brian waved to several as he spoke, "The day we get used to it, is the day we take it for granted. Then, the next day it won't be there."
AJ turned to look at Brian's back, "That's exactly why I'm not gonna get used to it. The rush is just like, 'Whoa!" Why would I wanna not feel that anymore?"
Brian turned, "That's not what I meant, AJ. I was sayin' that we shouldn't ever get used to it. If we do, then it will go away."
AJ opened his mouth to reply when Howie held up a hand, "Quit talkin' in circles. Let's just enjoy it while it lasts, 'kay?"
AJ thought for a bit, then nodded, "That sounds good."
Then AJ went back to looking out the window, even as the bus pulled away to take them back to the hotel.
It took thirty minutes for the bus to arrive at their hotel, long enough for Nick to again find a comfortable place and sleep. This time it was Howie who had to wake him up instead of Brian.
Howie stopped beside the couch and reached for Nick's arm, giving it a slight shake to wake him, "Hey, Nick. C'mon, we're at the hotel."
"Huh?" Nick mumbled, blearily looking up at Howie as he sat up. He ran a hand through his spiked hair as he yawned.
"Jeez, Nick," voiced Howie, staring at the half awake blond. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
Nick shrugged, "Woke up a few times."
"I'll say," agreed Howie, giving Nick an arm up from the couch. "Did you get back to sleep right away each time you woke up?"
"Kinda," Nick responded, keeping his answers simple and vague.
"Kinda, huh?" Howie smiled knowingly. "So, in other words, you got about half as much sleep as everybody else. Right?"
"I guess," Nick again shrugged. "Just one of those nights ya can't find a comfortable spot, no matter how much ya toss."
"I know how that feels," Howie grinned as they headed to the front of the bus. He nodded to Brian as the southerner gave him a silent question, who, after receiving Howie's nod and seeing Nick, smiled and continued his way down the steps and off the bus.
"We got anything else planned today?" asked Nick as he followed Howie to the front of the bus, ducking down slightly to look out of the tinted windows at the dark, cloudy sky that promised rain.
"Yeah," nodded Howie as he stepped down from the bus and into the hot wind that had increased from its earlier breeze. He clutched his light wind breaker closed as the wind tugged at it, squinting up at Nick behind him, "We got a fundraiser to go to. It's to help raise money to save this old, centennial house from the Civil War years. We have to promote it, make a donation, and take a tour of the place."
Nick only nodded as he stepped outside beside Howie, stuffing his hands into his pants' pockets as the wind hit his figure. He squinted up at the dark clouds and then looked around at the dismal gray landscape. He could already smell the rain, "Cruddy weather."
Howie gave him a wry grin, "Yeah, but what can ya expect? We finally have a media event that is outdoors, and it's gonna storm. Don't ya love the irony that is our lives?"
"Oh, yeah," chuckled Nick, smiling back at Howie as they made their way to the hotel doors, all the while inwardly cringing at the thought of a storm. "Never a dull moment."
A storm, Nick thought as he entered the hotel, briefly shutting his eyes with a muted groan. Great... I really don't need this now. Nick shivered as he heard the muffled rumble of thunder, sparing the glass doors a glance as the first drops of rain hit the glass. God, give me a break here. Please?
The wind howled through the towering old trees that closely surrounded the mansion, causing them to sway and creak ominously. Fat droplets of rain fell from the sky of solid clouds, all bursting with the dense precipitation that drenched the land. Night had come early as the late afternoon sun was totally concealed by the massive thunderheads, cutting off all light save for the flashes of lightning which were almost immediately followed by rumbling, and at times, ear-splitting thunder.
Nick stood huddled in his long raincoat, a grimace on his face as his blue eyes squinted against the wind and rain. He was standing on the porch of the old mansion, behind the podium to which Kevin now stood, giving a short speech. Nick was standing so close to Brian that they were almost touching. He somehow found a semblance of safety being close to his best friend, and Brian didn't seem to notice. Either that or the southerner pretended not to notice Nick's nervousness.
Looking out at the front lawn, Nick was surprised that the people had even showed up. It was getting ridiculous, standing out in the rain like they were, the speakers having to shout to be heard over the noise of the storm. Thank God they were cutting the ceremony short, or Nick would have gone insane. They all had no idea how hard it was to not jump at every flash of lightning, to not run to someplace that was familiar and hide away from it all.
The yard lights and electric lamps in and outside of the house staved off the darkness enough to curb his fear, but not make it disappear completely. The storm was just too familiar to ignore and Nick prayed for the whole event to end soon.
Finally, Kevin stepped away from the podium and let the spokesman for the fundraiser close the ceremony. Kevin looked miserable when his stage face fell away, no longer facing the small crowd. All in all, it really wasn't that big of a fundraiser. The crowd consisted of around one hundred people, one forth of which was media.
"This is nuts!" Nick heard AJ complain on the other side of Brian. "It's friggin' stormin' out! Can we get this over with already? I think I'm shrinking I'm so wet and miserable."
"Well, we can't have that," smiled Howie's voice. "You get any smaller than what you already are and we'll be shoppin' in the kiddies' section for your clothes."
"Oh, ha ha," replied AJ sarcastically, giving Howie a bored look.
"Hey," Kevin broke in with a sniff, then a cough. "We're almost done, just have to tour the house as soon as he gets done speaking."
"Yeah," muttered Brian to Nick. "Watch out for the stampede those people'll make to get in the house to escape the rain. They don't really care what kind of house it is. Right now, they all just wanna get dry."
"Uh-huh," smiled Nick, grasping onto the familiar banter his friends spoke and holding onto it as if it were his lifeline. Anything, to just take his mind off of the storm and the darkness it brought.
A flash of lightning illuminated the countryside, too close for Nick's comfort as he couldn't hold back his reaction, jumping so much as to bump into Brian. The snap of deafening thunder almost immediately after it attested to the lightning's closeness. Nick almost jumped out of his skin at the thunder strike, his right hand leaving his pocket to latch onto Brian's arm.
"Holy-" Brian spooked at the grip, already a bit uneasy after the too close lightning. He turned to look at a pale Nick, "Hey... Nick, you okay?"
Nick couldn't hold back his fear any longer. He fixed wide, frightened blue eyes on Brian and fairly pleaded with the southerner, "I wanna go in the house, now. Please."
Brian stared at Nick, stunned at the unconcealed fear he saw in his friend's blue eyes. When he finally spoke, his words were slow to move past his lips, "Sure. We're goin in right now, Nick. Okay? Is that okay?"
Not releasing his grip on Brian's forearm, Nick nodded. He had the worst feeling, deep within his chest, that his nightmare was starting all over again. Only this time, it was for real. No dreams. No waking up.
They were moving into the house now, out of the storm. Within a few minutes the entire crowd had filled the house, the vast majority of the people staying on the first floor. With the motion of the crowd, Nick and Brian were jostled away from Kevin, Howie, and AJ. The only reason they stayed together was Nick's iron grip on Brian's arm.
"When can we leave this place?" Nick whispered to Brian, all the strange people and the even stranger setting adding to his growing fear.
"Uh, I don't know, Frack," answered Brian unsteadily, becoming unnerved at Nick's behavior. "I guess we can leave as soon as we hook back up with Kevin and the others."
"Where are they?" Nick urgently questioned, his bright eyes roving over the people.
"I- um, I thought I saw Kevin going upstairs, but I could be wro-"
Brian was cut off as Nick bee lined it for the stairway, dragging Brian behind him by the arm. Another extremely close flash of lightning brightened the dimly lit house and Brian felt Nick's hand tense. Then, when the thunder cracked loudly, he felt Nick jerk. My God, thought Brian, stumbling after Nick as he was pulled up the stairs. He's scared to death, but... of what? The storm? Brian shook his head, No, he never had been before. Then... What?
They had reached the top of the stairs and had just turned into the first room to the right when the lights went out. Like flipping a switch, total blackness consumed the house and those within it.
Brian gasped as a sudden pain shot up his arm. Nick was holding on so tightly it felt as if he were going to break Brian's arm. Brian's face twisted in pain, his voice strained and urgent when he spoke, "Nick... Nick, c'mon. Let go of my arm. Nick, please. Let go... ...Nick?!"
Brian's voice must have snapped Nick out of his frozen state, because suddenly he began to shake, tremble as his grip on Brian's arm did not lessen, but tightened still more. Brian barely held back a cry as Nick pulled him forward as he backed up. Brian could now hear his friends voice, soft and trembling in obvious fear, Nick's breathing changing to gasps.
"Oh, my God... Oh, God... No, it's happening again... ...God, no... No!"
"Nick!" cried Brian, suddenly being jerked forward by the arm as Nick stumbled backwards.
Brian heard and felt Nick slam into the wall, but instead of this stopping the frantic blond as Brian had thought it would, it caused Nick to recoil away from the wall. His sudden change of direction in the darkness snapped Brian around and he almost fell to the hard wood floor as his foot tripped over a rug of some sort.
Brian fiercely tried to reach his distressed and frightened friend, "Nick! It's okay! ...Nick, I'm here! Brian is here! ...NICK!!"
Nick must have stumbled into something, because Brian was now being pulled back towards the wall again. Brian could have tried to release his arm from Nick's grip, but he didn't want to lose Nick in the dark... not when he was like this.
Suddenly, a blinding white flash filled the room with light from the double window to their right. Seemingly simultaneously, a deafening explosion of noise shook the very house. The things Brian saw in those short seconds of time would be forever engraved into his mind. He saw Nick, absolutely terrified, almost wild with stark fear. He saw the sparks and fire as the lightning instantly petrified the bark around its strike to the base of the old tree. He saw, as well as heard in the fading echo of the thunder, the tree's base breaking and the tree falling...
Brian heard the branches snapping and the breaking of the mansion's roof. Brian felt the entire house tremble beneath his feet and barely had time to breathe as he tried to warn his best friend.
"NICK! LOOK OUT!"
Brian tried to move Nick--tried to do something--as he felt, heard, and saw the tree falling into the house. It fell almost right on top of them as the room broke apart, the floor seeming to buckle and sway beneath their feet.
"Nick!" Brian shouted again, desperate to get a response even as heavy wooden beams crashed down around them, debris raining down on top of them. "NICK!"
Finally, after what had seemed like hours but was only a couple seconds, Nick answered.
"Brian!?" Nick's voice was breathless, horrified. "Oh, God... BRIAN!!"
As the sound of Nick screaming his name shot through Brian, he also heard his friend cry out in pain. Then... then Brian felt Nick's hand release his arm, falling limply away.
Brian's heart leapt to his throat, the sound of the tree snapping through the house only dimly registering as he reached out to try and find his friend, "Nick? ...Nick? Answer me... ...Nick!!"
Brian heard nothing but the tree finally settling and the storm that continued to assault the countryside. Brian didn't get a response from his best friend. The need to find Nick overrode all else as Brian fell to his hands and knees, crawling forward on the still shaking floor trying to find his best friend.
"Nick!" he called, the room seeming to shudder around him as the gaping hole in the roof allowed the wind and rain to enter the house. Rain soaked Brian's hair and face, causing him to blink in the total blackness. A flash of lightning in the distance gave him a second of sight, to which he saw Nick sprawled on the floor a few feet in front of him. He wasn't moving.
"Oh, God... Nick!" Brian cried again, moving forward even as the room gave a sudden crack. Something gave way above them. Then, something hit Brian hard. That was the last thing Brian knew, then nothing.
