Date: Wed, 23 May 2001 20:04:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: John D <zachstack@yahoo.com>
Subject: Hearts Assunder Book 2: Harmony 5

Previously...
[Flashback]

Lou's house...

Nick's mind was reeling, never did he expect that any
of the other guys were...were...were like him at all.
They had all sat around checking out women dancers all
day long, but Brian...Brian was like a beacon of
warmth and comfort, he had never felt this close to
anyone at all before this.  Being the oldest of his
siblings, he had always been the strongest and the one
to turn to.  Now, now he had someone too.

[End of Flashback]

Nick sat on the edge of his bed and sighed.  The last
2 weeks since John had dropped him off had been
different, eventless and bleak, but hey, he was free!

"Let's see what's up for today?"  Nick leaned over to
his itinerary for the day while wrapping his silk robe
carefully around his naked body.  "Oh yeah, I got that
school thing today."  Nick turned to his dog with a
big smile on his face, "Hey Daddy's never been this
happy for school in his life!"  Nick winked at his dog
and ran over to the shower.

End of Part 4
-------------------------------------------------------
**Disclaimers:  Thank you very much for sticking with
this story this long.  This is still PG-13.  The
events of the story are pure fiction, the events of
the story does not necessarily reflect the live of
those parties involved.  Enjoy.**
-------------------------------------------------------

BSB Hearts Assunder Book 2: Hearts in Harmony 5
"Fresh Slate"


[Flashback]

Skip forward years later to 1999...

Nick sighed content with his life.  He made tons and
tons of money doing something he loved to do, he had a
great family, and best of all Brian was there at his
side to love and to hold.  Hopefully, til death do
they part.  Nick couldn't help but smile at the
thought of marriage.  He always seemed to end up in
this scenario every time he thought about his life.
Maybe soon it will come true, but...he wondered who
will have to put on the wedding gown?

[End of Flashback]
*******************************************************

At a community college enrollment desk...

"Carter, Gene?"  The yound woman's voice came out
mechanically over the P.A. System.

"Right here," Nick smiled and hopped up off his seat.

"Sign right here please, sir."  The young lady behind
the desk handed him his papers.  "This is your ID and
your schedule.  And there's also a map in there to
help you get around campus."  Her cheerful smile gave
a hint of something extra special.

"And this?"  Nick smiled back hinting at the starred
number on the map.

"That is my number.  Call me sometime."  The other
smiled broadly back up at Nick.

"Thanks."  Nick beamed back at the young woman before
making his way back to his seat.

"I think that chick has the hots for you man."  The
guy next to him leaned in and whispered with a hint of
some accent.

"Nah,"  Nick modestly tried to deny the facts.

"Of course she does, hell, look at her dude, she can't
even keep her eyes off of you.  Way to go, man!"  The
other slapped him on the back as he made his way to
the desk, it was his turn.

Nick shook his head and walked out the door.  He look
at the map one more time, smiled and carefully
deposited it in the nearby disposal unit.

Nick was on the way to English 101.  Boy was his day
looking up!

Three jovial hours later, Nick made his way to his car
adrenaline pumped wildly in his veins.

'Man, this is the life!'  Nick hopped behind the
steering wheel and started drumming on the dashboard
with one hand while turning the ignition on with the
other.  Nick took a shuddering breath and pulled out
of the parking lot.

Nick switched on his car radio.

[click]

"...so what's up with the Backstreet Bo..."

[click]

"It's been almost three weeks since Nick..."

[click]

Nick reconsidered and switched the radio off.  Maybe
some peace and quiet is what he needed right now.
Nick turned the curb and headed for the wrought gates
of serenity.
*******************************************************

Moments later...

"Hey baby."  Nick kissed his beloved's cold visage.
"I had a great day today."  Nick's voice never failed
to waver whenever he stood where he was now.  Nick sat
down with a heavy sigh next to the cold slab.  "So
this is what life is like without the media, huh?"
Nick's eyes gently succumbed to the imaginary comfort
of Brandon's strong arms....

{Dream}

"Hey baby,"  Brandon smiled at Nick.

Nick smiled remembering this very moment so long ago
as though it was just yesterday.

"Hey,"  Nick kissed Brandon lovingly despite the
overwhelming gust of morning breath.

"I love you."  Brandon whispered as he gazed lovingly
and contentedly into Nick's pale blue windows to his
soul.

Nick knew then and now that there was never a moment
when neither he nor Brandon meant what they said.  As
he gazed into Brandon's warm soulful brown eyes, Nick
felt like wrapping that warmth around him for the
rest of their lives...unfortunately he knew in his
heart that could not be.

"Brandon, I..."  Nick couldn't help himself but try to
warn his beloved of what was to become of them.

"I think someone's at the door babe."  Brandon winked
lovingly down at him and smiled.

"Oh...oh!"  Nick shook his ethereal head his
intentions completely forgotten.

"I don't think they are gonna go away, babe."  Brandon
kissed Nick on the lips again.

"Brandon, I..."  Nick attempted to get up, but the
world around him began to swirl and collapse even as
he spoke.

Abruptly everything stopped.  Nick found himself
trapped in the gaping jaws of pitch black.

"B-Brandon...?"  Nick trembled, shaking at the sudden
cold temperature.

Just as sudden as everything stopped, the mist once
again whirled into shapes.  This time Nick couldn't
see anything...just darkness.  "No peeking now."
Brandon's happy voice echoed in the darkness.

"Where...where am I?"  Nick gulped still reeling from
the shock.

"It's a surprise.  Now, no cheating."  Brandon giggled
and kissed Nick on the lips.

He could smell the soft and tender aroma of the rose
petals around him, the savoury sweet scented candles
filled his very being.  Nick cried underneath the
blindfold, finally he knew where he was.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now...."  Brandon's
voice suddenly became distant, almost hollow...

"Brandon...?"  Nick slowly raised his eye lids afraid
of what he was going to see next...

"OPEN YOUR EYES!"

Nick gasped in a huge gulp of air.  He opened his eyes
and sat up, he was back on the grass lying next to
Brandon's grave: he had dozed off. It had gotten dark.
 Everything around him whispered with the chill
cool breeze of the Florida twilight.

Fresh tears streamed down his face.  He looked around
still feeling the pains from the dream, not knowing
what to do.  Nick turned and kissed the cold, and
getting colder, gravestone and then stood up and ran
for his car.

"UMPH!"  Nick's eyes were blurred with tears and
freshened wounds, he did not see the other man who too
was making his way to his car.

"I'm s..sorry,"  Nick hurriedly apologized before
running out of the cemetary.

"Um...no problem?"  The other man looked astonished,
but he held no grudge.  It was his fault anyways, he
had bent down to tie his shoelaces.

Nick cried all the way to his blazer and got behind
the wheel.  There his emotions got the best of him and
there was nothing left to do but let his tears flow
free once again.
*******************************************************
In a hotel private room somewhere in the nation...

"So, let's go over the notes real quick..."  Mike
flipped through his yellow pad.  "It's been a hard few
weeks adjusting to Nick's departure, but you guys have
made some great progress."  He scanned the room to
check on the other guys.

Aj was his usual, leaning back cozily in his padded
lazy-boy with his silver glasses hiding his eyes --
the fact that they were closed.  Brian was slumped
where he sat, his face a rag tag canvas of splotches
of paint splattered this way and that to convey his
tortured and agonized existence.  Leighanne was there
by his side, kneading his back, trying to comfort him.
 Howie fidgetted with a throw pillow, his attention
darting back and forth from Mike, to the suffering
Brian, and back again.  Kevin sat stolid and straight
in his seat by the bar, drinking cooly from a small
glass of cold soda.  The other people in the room were
the two bodyguards, John and Burk, and two members of
the Carter family:  Aaron who was now a permanent
opener for the band, and Jane who had her own agenda
for the meeting today.  Anticipation shone on her face
like fire.

'This is going to be something' Mike thought to
himself after he noticed Jane's burning attention
rivetted upon him. "Jane you have anything to add?"

"Well, I was just thinking how the band looked awesome
out there tonight, as you guys always do."  She added
the last with a nod and smile at Kevin.  "But I
thought that there was a certain component that was
missing out there."

'Yeah, Nick's gone.'  Kevin grunted to himself.

'It's all my fault.'  Brian's conscience wailed within
him.

"Um...yeah, I see what you mean, Jane.  But for now
the object of the group is to rebuild our strengths
while Nick -- your son -- is still out contemplating
his own career.  I am sure that you, of all the people
present, wouldn't want us and management, to start
looking for a replacement."  Mike's shoulders were
almost folded down the middle around his face.  He had
already been through this discussion with her once
more, and was really not too keen on having it again.

The thought of a new replacement for Nick brought the
guys, and John, erect in their places.

"Wait, wait, hold on a second now.  We have agreed
that we would never replace Nick in the Backstreet
Boys."  Kevin spoke up.  Aside from being Nick's mom,
Kevin had never thought much about her before.

"I'm not saying permanent, Kev, just a temporary one.
Besides it wouldn't be finding a new person, the one I
have in mind, you all know quite well already."  Jane
smiled, her face parted in a small -- almost sinister
looking -- smile.

"Yeah, but we owe it enough to Nick to at least give
him some time to heal.  Jane, he's had the worst
experience in his life, how can you possibly even
think that for your son?"  Kevin was getting heated.
Aj was now fully awake.  Howie almost resembled a
small frightened animal being cornered by a predator
while he watched the debacle unfold between Kevin, the
band's older brother and father over the years, and
Jane Carter, Nick's outspoken and spotlight hungry
mother.

"I know exactly what I want from my sons, Kevin.
Don't you dare question me on how to raise my
children.  I know what's good for them, and I know
that it is good now to allow Aaron to step up where
Nick had been."  Jane remained composed throughout,
almost like a serenity came over her face -- as it
would with a volcano before it erupts.

"Mom, I'm not sure..."  Aaron was cut short.

"Furthermore, what better way to keep the Backstreet
Boys back on its feet and in the race with N Sync than
another member of the Carter line to hop in?  Aaron
would make the perfect temporary replacement for Nick.
 Nick started with the Backstreet Boys around the same
age as Aaron is right now, that's one thing you have
to consider also."  Jane felt a small victory grow
inside of her chest.  She knows that Kevin wouldn't
say or do anything that would hurt any of his 'little
brothers' not even Aaron.

"Wait, hold on a second Jane.  You and I have had this
conversation before and Management really doesn't want
to deal with this right now.  They are still trying to
regain their footing from Nick's decision, putting
Aaron in Nick's place, nothing against Aaron as he is
a very talented young man, will be jeopardizing our
contracts and deals with Nick and therefore hinder any
possibility of future returns.  So the short answer
for this is 'No, Aaron can't replace Nick until
everything is ironed out.'"  Mike couldn't bare it any
longer,  Jane had always been too scheming even for
him.  "Now anybody else?"  Mike turned to the other
guys.  "Alright then, meeting adjourned.  Don't you
guys forget about your spots tomorrow morning.  The
publicity guys will brief you later on that one
tonight."

Mike's final resolution brought a collective sigh
amongst the boys, including Aaron, and John -- the
latter came a surprise to the others while not going
unnoticed by the angry matriarch of the Carter family.

Jane showed composure, but she was livid.  "Aaron,
hun, you wanna go get your stuff real quick before you
and I go grab some dinner?"  Her smile was a thin
bloodless scratch on her face.  She was not going to
let this issue die off.  One way or another, she will
have one of her sons with the Backstreet Boys, even if
it meant sacrificing the other's career in the
process.
*******************************************************
Later that night...

John whistled along to the muffled hum of music that
emanated from Aj's room while he packed his bags.
There was always a neverending flow of interesting
music from Aj's domains.  Tonight had been
interesting, indeed.  He hadn't really been with the
boys for too long.  Definitely not as long as his
cohort Burc, who had been with them practically from
the time they could afford a professional bodyguard.
No.  John was one of the newer ones that came with the
sudden influx of rabid fans for the boys.  His
predecessor had been injured on the job by a group of
rabid girls that had trampled over the man when he
slipped while attempting to stall the fans for the
boys.  He had been one of the fortunate upstarts of
his time, the Boys had always seem to take good care
of him since he first joined some few odd years ago.

He always enjoyed being with the boys, how could he
not?  The only hazzardous aspect of his job was the
rabid teenyboppers that often times would do anything
to get to any of the boys.  Especially Nick, back
then.  A smile parted on his face.  He remembered the
first time he was assigned with the group.  It was
also the first time he actually had to do anything
physical to get the group out of harm's way.  The
selfsame actions that had practically made him Nick's
personal bodyguard then on.

It had been a bright summer day and the boys were just
arriving to the airport.  The perimeter seemed clear
when suddenly the loud thunder of the stampeding fans
erupted around them in the terminal.  Some of the fans
had broken through security!  The guys had scrambled
to get out of the terminal and get into the VIP exit,
but that had been where the fans had seemed to have
come from.  They had been forced to run for their
lives.  Despite Kevin's endless efforts at keeping his
group together, Burc had hoisted him on his shoulder,
picked up his carry on and ran for the safety of the
exit to the runway.  While Kevin had fallen behind
purposefully for his bandmates to catch up, Howie and
the rest had already taken the helm out the terminal.
Nick and John were the only ones left.  Nick wasn't a
very fast runner at all.  Added to that was the fact
that his pants were very baggy, it hindered him even
more.  John had already taken the load of Nick's carry
ons, but he was still forced to keep his long strides
to match Nick's as to not leave the boy alone.

[Flashback]

"Shit!"  Nick panted hiking up his baggy pant legs and
running for his dear life.  "Shit!"  He cursed again
under his labouring breath.

"HURRY!"  Mike had yelled from a few yards away
holding the door open and ready for the remaining part
of their party.

"We're comin'!"  John replied calmly before turning to
Nick.  "You up for the last rush kiddo?"

"yeah..."  Nick gasped, pain shot across his side.
"Dammit!"  Nick cringed in the pain.  "How...how far
are we?"  Nick had completely stopped.  He was doubled
over grasping his sides.

"Not too far come on.  I'll help ya."  John had been
quick to put a stop to his gallop when Nick had
stopped.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"  The frenzied fans had blood in their
eyes, their lips dripped with drool and opportunity of
finally cathing their prey.

'Aw, shit!'  John slung on the bands of Nick's carry
on over one shoulder and picked Nick up into his arms
like a groom would his bride on their wedding night.
"Sorry kid, but we are running out of options."  John
turned, his eyes widened.  "And fast!"  He ran.

[End of flashback]

John snickered when he found out later that Nick had
requested him to be his personal guard.  Since then,
he and Nick had practically been inseparable...well
not counting the countless times Nick and Brandon had
outwit him and evaded him.

He couldn't possible grasp the idea of being anyone
else's bodyguard.  True that was quite unprofessional
of him, but hey, he had practically seen Nick grow
from an awkward youth to an even more awkward youth in
love in the 3 - 4 years of his service.  Nick's mom,
he thought, had been too pushy, he couldn't even
believe what she was trying to do these last few
days...

"John."  Jane's rigid voice sliced through the quite
throb of Aj's music.

"Mrs. Carter!"  John shot to his feet.  "I-I...can I
help you with anything madame?"  John risked a glance
at his watch.  He was right, it was past the witching
hour.

"Oh I'm fine, hun.   Sit down, I just want to chat a
bit."  Jane had her cold smile plastered on her face.

This wasn't going to be good....

End of Part 5