Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2001 01:41:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: John D <zachstack@yahoo.com>
Subject: BSB Hearts Assunder Book 2:  Harmony Pt 8

Previously...

"Well, wait til Mike hear's this, won't he be
relieved."  Burc winked at John and dashed off
staggering from his laughter all the way to Mike's
makeshift office.

"Yeah that makes one of us..."  John muttered under
his breath.  The fact is, he did get into a fight as
he had told Burc, what he didn't tell the latter was
how he got blindsided with a beer bottle and knocked
unconcious for God know's how long.  John punched the
cement wall behind him angry at himself for letting
Jane get to him so much: not to mention not knowing if
he really did give it away last night.

"Don't worry 'bout it."  The other young man
interupted him.  "Help me up, won't ya?"  The other
man extended his hand out to Nick and smiled.  "My
name's Bryan, by the way."

"Yeah, you too."  Nick watched the other disappear
behind a corner before going back to picking up his
things.

"Leighanne,"  Brian's eyes sparkled with joy -- like a
tired scientist finally breaking the riddle of a
formula he has been working on.  "Leighanne, let's get
married next week?"  Brian gripped Leighanne's hands
in his gently,  He gazed deeply into Leighanne's eyes
and reaction, his own searching for an answer.

"Brian...I...I.."  Leighanne was overcomed with a rush
of emotion.  "Yes, I will."  They kissed.

After a long, deep, and passionate merging of their
beings, Brian hugged Leighanne to him dearly.

End of Part 7

-------------------------------------------------------
**Disclaimers:  This is entirely a work of fiction and
should only be taken an such.  The series of events in
this story does not necessarily reflect the lives of
all those involved.  Other than the Backstreet Boys
and their relatives, all other characters are
fictional, therefore any resemblances or similarities
to real people or events is highly coincidental.
Please enjoy this PG - 13 Story.  Well 14 now with
some of the coarse language involved.  Thank you and
don't forget to voice your opinions to me after you
read this.  Enjoy!**
-------------------------------------------------------

BSBHAB2 - Harmony Part 8
"Schemes"

In Mike's room/office...

"Mike, I am really sorry, but this situation is
starting to get out of hand.  You have been in charge
for a while, and have done a great job, however, the
current state of the Backstreet Boys, with this
morning's news headlines added to that, have reached
the already uneasy attention of the Board of Directors
of Jive Sponsors."  The Rep turned walked behind a
small breakfast table and sat behind his already
opened briefcase.  "Now, with our sponsors being
uneasy, naturally, that also makes management uneasy."
 With a flourish, the Rep whipped out a small packet
of papers and tossed them infront of Mike.

"Are you firing me?!"  Mike's voice squeeked with
disbelief.  He flipped through the pages frantically,
turning each page after the other in a mad frenzy.

"No, Mike.  At least, not yet."

Mike turned his frantic eyes to gaze down at the Rep.
He sat behind the breakfast table, sitting comfortably
as though it were his own desk.  His gnarly white --
almost talon like hands -- rested infront of him
taping tapering fingers nonchalantly on the cool table
top.  His wrist disappeared behind a dark blue suit
that was obviously hand made just for his own comfort.
 The type of suit that cost enough money that should
make even elephants look comfortable in it.  His
collar was cinched in tight around his neck sealed by
a blaring red power tie.  His old skinny neck grew
from the paleness of his white shirt collar to end up
on a stolid, strong face of a man of strict business.
Staring into the elder man's cool, calculating, pale
grey eyes, Mike knew immediately that had he been
fired, he would have known it by now.

"No Mike, that is up to you."  The Rep carefully
closed his crocodile skin briefcase infront of him,
making deliberate clicks as he ran his thumbs over the
locks.  "I have known you for a long time, and I know
you will figure out a way out of this mess.  That - "

"But sir, I..."  Mike tried to get on the defensive --
a natural instict, nothing more -- but the sudden
chill from The Rep's gaze shut him up emphatically.

"That is why I have convinced the higher ups to give
you at least ten weeks to settle the troubles and
figure out a way to get things rolling again.  If you
don't, I will have to settle to being wrong infront of
the other Board members -- a situation I highly
despise to be placed, if you catch where I am going
with this of course?  That is why you will do only
your best and more to get things done, otherwise..."
The elder man narrowed his eyes and chuckled before
continuing.  "...otherwise, my friend, you will know
how cutthroat and devious this business really is."
With that, the Rep picked up his case, and slowly made
for the door where his own assistant was already there
holding the door open as though summoned.

Mike took another pained look at the stack of papers
in his hands and slumped to his chair as the door
quietly closed, however still able to echo the words
of the Rep.  "Ten weeks..."  Mike sighed and
immediately hopped to work.
******************************************************

At the Hotel where the BSB Entourage are staying...

"Brian, do we have time?  I mean to get things ready?
The invitations, the cake, the - the - my dress?!"
Leighanne was a hundred miles a second in her
excitement when Brian cut her off.

"Yes, we'll have plenty of time sweetie.  Now you
should get onto the invitations, and have our hall
taken care off by the end of the day.  Oh and darling,
let's try to keep this a little simple -- maybe?"
Brian kissed Leighanne lightly on the cheek, before
she rushed out of his arms uncharacteristically,
muttering "invitations, dresses, flowers..." over and
over again and until she was completely out the door.

"..a little simple..."  Brian echoed himself, before
delving back into his plan.  "The best man!  Surely he
will return for this.  He has to, I'm getting
married!"  Brian couldn't contain his own devious
delight barely able to control himself while he wrote
down the script to his personal invitations to be made
later on and sent to their respective recepients.
*******************************************************

Somewhere in the same city as the boys...

"Man, that was a bust."  The same trenchcoated man
from the club only the night before sulked onto the
dusty couch of his partner -- a hard feat, granted he
first had to find his way through all the old pizza
boxes, newspapers (entertainment section of course),
and clippings.  "I thought you said your source was
going to pull through?  Obviously you were wrong."

"No, obviously there is something amis with the
current situation of the Backstreet Boys.  And I will
be the one to figure it out.  Imagine, us, exposing
one of the biggest secrets behind Pop's greatest boy
bands ever.  We'd make a ton of doe man.  Just think
about it now the headlines -- OUR headlines  'Nick
Carter:  Leaves the Backstreet Boys for unknown
reasons no longer.'"  The other removed his long coat
and hat exposing a clean shaven, clean cut, young man
who himself would have made a Pop posterboy had the
opportunity come knocking his way.  His purple eyes
burned with intensity out his fair and pretty face.
His excitement enveloped his parter as he started to
play on the older man's imaginations, and greed.  "I
can see it now, 'Dan Sullivan -- no, no, David
Calloway & partner Dan Sullivan discovers truth behind
Boy-band break up.'"  His deliberate placement of the
older man's name worked hook, line, and sinker.  Dan
knew now, staring at his older partner's face, that he
had him in his grasps.

Moments later, David Calloway stumbled out of Dan's
messy bachelor's appartment still drooling from Dan's
plans and aspirations.

The truth was, Dan could care less about the truth
behind why Nick Carter had left the band.  As he
watched his old parter round the corner and out of
sight, he knew that his own intensions were to prove
his own theories to be correct.  His source had indeed
delivered last night, despite what his partner had
thought.

[Flashback]  Back at the bar just as the fight started
to spill all over the tables...

"You better get this punk away from me, boys and
girls, before somebody gets hurt."  Dan had heard the
tall bodyguard's voice warningly echo over the hushed
lull of the crowd.  His partner was in the thick of
it.  David had scrambled over to the tall man when Dan
had said he resembled the tall bodyguard that was with
the Backstreet Boys.  He shook his head.

"Hey, you the kid I was supposed to meet here?"  Dan
heard the hushed male's voice behind him.  "No, don't
turn around.  Stay the way you are, this won't take
long."  The other continued, placing a large gloved
hand on his shoulder.  "I was told to give you this
envelope, so here it is."

"Is it...?"  Dan took it under his arm.  He didn't
really know what it was.

"No."  The secret man heard Dan sigh.  "No, it's not
opened and I don't know what's inside, so don't bother
asking."  The gloved paw released his shoulder, the
absense of the weight that huge hand had carried was
not lost to Dan -- now he really didn't want to upset
this guy, whoever he is.  "Oh and one more thing,
don't tell you partner about what's inside.  It's just
for your eyes only, ya understand me boy?"  He didn't
give Dan a chance to barely nod his head before he
continued.  "Good.  Now, don't turn around until I am
gone.  Count to a hundred.  If I catch you peeking,
I'll give you a black eye that would make what that
kid's gonna wake up with in the morning look like a
hickey.  Now count!"  The hushed voice barked as the
trouble on the other end of the bar escalated.

Naturally, by the time Dan reached 50 the other was
gone.  Even then, Dan hadn't want to risk the other's
anger and so counted fully to a hundred -- although
hurriedly, before trying to at least catch any clues
as to who the other guy had been.  But somehow he knew
that even if he had turned at the time he had reached
ten that it wouldn't have mattered.  The other was
gone and will stay that way until he wanted to be seen
again.

[End of flashback]

He opened the envelope knowing already what he was
going to find.  There was absolutely nothing truly
incriminating inside except a small photograph of a
muscled man, he now knew to be Scott McGill, the
estranged brother of Brandon McGill, the homosexual
young man that had been killed by his insane step
mother after he had decided to make his choice of a
lifestyle known.  With the picture came a short typed
letter that said that the answer laid with these
people and told him to be patient, as the truth will
soon be laid out for him to expose.

Despite his diggings, all he found was the address of
the cemetary where Brandon McGill had been buried.
That was his first stop.  The truth is out there, and
he will be damned before he is going to just sit
around and let it fall into his lap.  He hadn't been
number one of his class for following the rules.  Dan
tossed the pictures aside, and chuckled.  He never was
one to follow the 'norm'- as it were - but right now,
he needed to catch a couple winks of sleep before
starting up on his quest.
*******************************************************
Back at the Cemetary...

Nick sighed, his body trembled once again -- he never
seemed to ever be able to shake it off since he was
first brought here weeks ago by Scott.  Everytime he
comes here opens his wounds afresh, wounds he knew
deep within him that will never ever heal.

He slumped down next to Brandon's familiar gravestone,
slumping in onto himself, resting his chin on one
knee.  "Hey, guess what was on the paper this
morning?"  Nick gave a small giggle, resting himself
more comfortably against the gravestone.  "'New
Backstreet Boy to replace Nick Carter in the Mix'"
Nick read the headline nostalgic of his own days with
his best friends.  "People think Aaron is taking my
place."  Nick gave a squeal of a laugh, forced from
his pained heart.

"Hmm, I miss them, Brandon but I just don't know if I
can handle being with them again, you know?  It's like
right now I am finally free.  IT feels amazing!"
Nick's forced smile broadened a little, small happy
sparks ignited a little while in his eyes before dying
out just as sudden as they had appeared.  "But it
feels so empty without...without..."  Nick fell to his
knees, sniffling a little.  "It just feels so empty,
without you with me anymore."  Nick sighed, a stray
tear rolling down his cheek to fall alone down onto
the white marble of the beacon to his love.

"What feels so empty?"  Nick recognized the familiar
voice behind him.

"Bryan!"  Nick gasped and turned around, he brushed
his tear away calmly and started to walk away from the
gravesite.  "H-h-hey, what you up to?"  Nick tried to
talk conversationally as though it was just another
day for him.

"Oh nothing really, I just finished visiting an old
friend."  Bryan looked away to stare towards the
cemetary gates.   "My father actually.  You know, he
was like my best friend.  I could've told him anything
and he would be there to support me no matter what."

"Yeah...I know what you mean.  It was the same with
my...old friend too."  Nick sighed, whiping away
another stray tear.

Together the two walked in a mutual silence up until
they reached the gate, where finally Bryan decided to
break their silence.

"I don't think I caught your name?"  Bryan asked, he
shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

"Oh, sorry, you were in a rush.  I'm..I'm Gene."  Nick
extended a delicate hand.  "Nice to meet you, finally,
eh?"  Nick smiled sweetly at Bryan.

"Yeah, we seem to run into each other a lot."  Bryan
commented with a smile.  He didn't really expect much,
but something seemed to him that it was at least worth
a try.

"Yeah, I guess so."  Nick replied a little absent
mindedly, taking a moment to take in a deep breath and
to finally look around him in the parking lot.

"Gene, would you like to go grab some lunch with me
sometime?"  Bryan cocked his head to the side finally
taking the chance that he had been thinking about
since he saw Gene's suffering by that gravesight that
he seems to be a regular visitor to.  He remembered
the first time he saw Gene in the cemetary, it was
fairly obvious to see that whoever laid under there
really meant something to him and there was no hiding
it.

Nick was taken aback by the question.  He hadn't known
what to say.  Here they were now practically on the
verge of a date when only minutes ago he had been with
his one and only love.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take a raincheck on that one
for now."  Nick smiled regretfully at Bryan.  "I'm
kinda bit in the middle of something right now, ya
know what I'm saying?"  Nick gave a helpless shrug and
smiled a half cocked smile at Bryan.

"Oh, one of those huh."  Bryan was crestfallen.  But
if his past relationship with Mike taught him
anything, it was to take things with more faith, and
time.  "Well, in case you change your mind, here's my
number."  Bryan scribbled his phone number quickly on
a scrap of torn notebook paper and handed it to Nick.
"Well, don't get me wrong, but if just you wanna talk
or whatnot, drop me a line sometime."

"I will."  Nick took the phone number and fidgetted
with it in his hands.  In the last few weeks, all the
phone numbers he had received have all met a similar
fate: the trash can.  "Sure, I'll give ya a buzz
sometime.  But I'll see you later?"  Nick raised his
eyebrow unsure of how the other was going to reply.

"Sure,"  Bryan nodded graciously with a cheerful smile
when Nick stuffed the number -- almost gingerly, he
noted -- into his pocket.

"Great!  But I got to get going, I have some homework
to take care of."  Nick made helpless little pout.

"Ah,"  Bryan couldn't help himself from smiling
warmly.  Gene had looked too adorable when he pouted.
"Well, I should get going too.  I got some grading to
do."  Bryan laughed light heartedly -- a first time in
a while -- and nudged Nick gently in the ribs.  "Well,
I'll see you later."  Bryan winked at Nick and climbed
quietly into his Accord.  He waved goodbye behind his
lightly tinted windows and slowly sped away scattering
gravel underneath.
*******************************************************

Back in New York...

"Jane, I think we should just give it a rest.  I don't
think Mike buys the whole thing with John.  Even if he
does, he will eventually find out that we were the
ones who did it."

"I know, dear.  I have thought about that already.  I
have already taken care of these things."  Jane calmly
continued to pack her things.  "Besides, even if Mike
did find out about it, what will he do?"

"I--I..."  Her shadowed partner was speechless.

"Exactly, nothing.  Now calm down, and get something
to drink from the bar.  After all, being about to be
married must be making your throat a bit parched,
darling."  Jane's full lips parted in a small sinister
smile as finally Brian steps out into the light and
walks over to the bar to take her suggestion.

End of Part 8


*******************************************************
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