Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 03:51:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Jay Chords <chords4@yahoo.com> Subject: Deceiving Secrets - 16 Hide-e Ho!!!!! I'm back sooner than expected. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter :):):) Disclaimer: come on over...come on over baby...come on over...come on over baby (sorry the videos on vh1) STORY TO GO AND READ: End of Innocence in the bisexual/celebrity archive. It's REALLY good! (it's an nsync story *nudge nudge*) Plus the author's, Mirage and Rowan, are sooo nice!! THANKS TO: John, Neto, & Fred (my editors) *hugs to you guys* You're the greatest! And also to everyone whose been writing to me about the story :) I really appreciate it. Although, one can never get to many e-mails (HINT HINT) Well, I hope you like. Lemme know what'cha think. :0) Have a smashing day! http://virtue.nu/frustration -Jay Send any comments, questions, or hateful letters to : chords4@yahoo.com Chapter 16 A figure walked into the dimly lit cafe, where she and her companion in crime were to meet. She spotted the over 40, balding man in a dark corner. She took the seat across from him. "Miss Diflippo." "Mr. Harris." "You have the goods?" She nodded and slid the manila envelope in his direction. He opened it and dumped the contents onto the table. He examined the two photos closely. "I assure you, they're authentic." "I have no doubt, Miss Diflippo, but if you want this plan of yours to work, then we must be careful of the material we release to the public. "Fine," Lisa huffed. "Do you think we've got a story?" "From the lips of Nick Carter's girlfriend, I would say so." Lisa beamed. "Have you contacted the media for tomorrow's press conference?" "Absolutely. It's going to be held in the conference room of my building tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I suggest you come around 7:30 so we can discuss what exactly you'll be saying." "What does it matter? As long as I out them, everything should go deliciously according to plan. I get my man and you get the exclusive, million dollar photos." "Very well. Until tomorrow then. I suggest you go home and prepare." They bid their farewells and left the cafe. "Stupid girl," Ed Harris chuckled under his breath as they parted ways. Back In Ohio... Chad knocked loudly on Jeremy's front door. Impatiently, he rang the bell repeatedly. No luck. He fished through his key ring and found the key to the lock. Jeremy hadn't thought of changing the locks on the door after Chad had left, nor would he have had the time. He let himself into the house. "Jeremy?" he called. The answering machine light was blinking. He scouted through the entire house searching for his ex- lover or any sign of where he was. Finding no clues, Chad offered himself a Dr. Pepper from the fridge and made himself quite comfortable on the couch. There was only one thing left to do. Wait. Jeremy woke up the next morning feeling extremely disoriented. He yawned, suddenly aware he wasn't wearing anything. Somehow, during the night he had thrown off his garments. He was so used to sleep naked. To his relief, Howie was still sound asleep. Jeremy slid out of the bed and quickly dressed. His heart was still beating rapidly, from the slight panic attack. The bed looked so inviting, as did Howie's arms, closed rightly around his torso. He knew the possible consequences, though, and was not willing to take the chance. He sighed and walked out onto the balcony. It overlooked the pool, the water rippling in the Florida wind. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?" he whispered to the wind. Silently he wished for an answer. "Jay?" Jeremy turned around. Howie was standing in the doorway, a blanket around his shoulders. Jeremy had to admit, Howie looked pretty adorable first thing in the morning. "Go back to bed, babe." "Only if you come, too." Jeremy took one last look at the scenery and pulled Howie into his arms. "Okay," he kissed his forehead and led him back to the bed. Mica and Brian woke up the sound of the phone ringing. Brian kissed her cheek. "Go back to sleep, baby. I got it." Mica nodded her thanks and sank back into her dream. Brian stumbled out of the bed and picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Hi, can I speak to Mica, please?" "Who's this?" Brian asked. "Marcy." "Oh, sure, let me wake her up." "If she's sleeping, I can talk to you, too. It concerns you anyway." "What's up?" "I need Daisy to come down and stay with you. Evan and I have to go away for a few weeks." "Awesome, we'd love to have her. When should she be flying in?" "Around 9 tonight." Brian wrote down the terminal number and other information. "Okay, I'll pass it along." "Thanks Brian, you're a lifesaver." "No problem. Bye Marcy." "Bye Brian." He hung up the phone and snuggled back under the bed covers. "Who was that?" Mica asked, subconsciously. "Marcy. She needs us to look after Daisy for a few weeks." "Great, night Bri Bri." "Night Micas." The two drifted off into cotton candy dreams. Jeremy watched as Howie slept. One of his long brown curls fell across his face. Jeremy softly tucked it back into place. He let his fingers mingle on his soft skin. It felt like glass under his finger tips. He knew, at that moment, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man who lay peacefully before his eyes. There was a quiet knock on the bedroom door. "Come in," he called. Howie stirred as Mica poked her head in. "Hey, guess whose going to be staying with us?" "Who?" Howie asked in a groggy voice. "Princess Daisy," she beamed. Jeremy and Howie grinned at each other. "When?" "We pick her majesty up tonight at 9." "Cool," Jeremy yawned and stretched. "Hey, Jay, since when do you sleep in clothes?" He froze. 'Quick! Answer!' Jeremy shrugged. "I felt self conscious." "You're not self conscious." "There's a first time for everything," he replied. "Now I'm gonna go get me some coffee." He got up and made a quick exit. 'That was too close,' he thought. "Something's up with him," Mica thought out loud once Jeremy was out of ear shot. "What do you mean?" Howie asked. "Jeremy always sleeps in his boxers or naked. Never have I known him to wear clothes." "People change." "Maybe." Mica and Jeremy stood in the airport, yet again. They both anxiously waited for Daisy's plane to arrive. "Are you sure we have the right gate?" Jeremy asked for the thousandth time. Mica checked the piece of paper and nodded. "We still have a few minutes before we should worry." "There it is!" Jeremy pointed emphatically. They pushed through the cluster of people, getting dirty looks from their fellow airport-goers. They watched as passengers walked out and found their loved ones. "Where's Daisy?" Jeremy asked. "Uncle Jay! Aunt Mica!" they heard a shriek as the little girl ran up to them. Jeremy scooped up the little girl and swung her around. "How was the trip, Daisy Flower?" "Long but that's okay," she beamed. "Let's get you home," Mica said, taking her hand. The two adults led her to baggage claim and out to the car. "I love it here," Daisy giggled from the back seat. "It's so beautiful." "It's night time, Daisy Flower," Jeremy pointed out. "That's half the beauty." The SUV pulled up into the driveway. The door flew open as Brian, Howie, and AJ came tripping out and up to the car. Daisy opened her car door and was quickly pulled into a three-way bear hug. "We missed you, Daisy," Brian laughed. "I missed you guys, too. Thanks for letting me stay with you." "Hon, you're part of the family, now," AJ told her. "Come on, let's go in and get our Princess a room." Mica laughed as Howie bent down. "You're majesty," he smiled and tossed her onto his back. She giggled and latched her arms around his neck. Jeremy watched as the two galloped inside the house, as Daisy squealed with delight. A smile spread across Jeremy's lips. "You love him a lot, huh?" Brian appeared by his side. "I don't know." "Yeah, you do. You're just afraid of being hurt again." "Can you blame me?" He said flatly and walked into the house. He sauntered up the stairs and saw Howie playing with Daisy and getting her room set up. Atchika scurried under their feet, barking enthusiastically. He suddenly felt very tired. "I'm gonna head to bed, you two." "Good night Uncle Jay!" Daisy hugged and kissed him. "Night, baby," Howie smiled. "Good night, honey." Daisy looked confused for a second before it clicked. "You guys are together?" She asked. They nodded. She squealed and jumped into Howie's arms. "That's great! How I have another Uncle," she beamed. Jeremy laughed and hugged them both before entering his room, still chuckling. He stripped to his boxers and fell into his bed. Jeremy's stomach churned as he woke up. He knew that feeling. "Something is going to go wrong today," he whispered, his lips dry and barely moving. He just wanted to curl up and stay in bed, hoping he could hid behind those four walls. There was a loud knock on his door. "Come in," Mica walked in and closed the door. "Something's gonna happen," he told her. She sighed. "Okay," she trusted his intuition. She to, could feel the wrong doing. They could only brace themselves for the blast. "Baby, where are you going?" Nick asked as Lisa ran around, trying to get ready. "Just meeting an old friend for breakfast," she kissed him and dashed out the door. She peeled out of the driveway. The drive to Ed Harris' office didn't take very long. Soon she was rushing through the hallway to the conference room. She burst in, Ed Harris was sitting at the long table. "What the hell took so long?" he fumed. "I slept late." "Well, we only have half an hour before the media shows up." "Alright." "Do you even know how you're going to disguise yourself," he asked. Lisa rolled her eyes and pulled out a blonde wig and make-up products from a plastic bag. "Meet Lady." "Lady?" he chuckled. "Look, you keep your mouth shut. I know what I'm doing." "How many lives have you destroyed before?" he asked. She grinned. "Plenty." The next half an hour was preparation for what Lisa was going to say. She stood nervously behind the curtain as the media arrived. She situated her wig and grinned at her master plan. Ed came up to her. "Go ahead," he told her. She walked out as flashes went off in a blinding manner. She stood behind the podium and took a deep breath. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press. . ." Jeremy paced back and forth in the plush living room. His brain seemed to be processing a thousand thoughts every second. "Jay, calm down," Mica pleaded. "Something's going to go wrong," he repeated. "I feel it too but please stop pacing." Howie was watching all this take place. He was worried about what kind of mishap was about to occur that day. Brian entered the room with Daisy following behind as the door bell rang rapidly, three times. Brian ran and threw it open. Kevin stood on the doorstep, out of breath. "T-turn on....Tu...T-turn on M-Mtv, now!" "What are you doing here?" Brian demanded. AJ turned on the TV before he could reply. "A press conference was held this morning by Ed Harris. Editor of the National Enquirer. A women, who disguised herself as 'Lady', has outed three of the Backstreet Boys. She said, and I quote, "Kevin Richardson and Alexander McLean had a three year relation while Howard Dorough is currently involved with a man named Jeremy." She continued to show the following pictures as proof of her announcement..." Jeremy froze when he saw the picture of himself and Howie in a passionate kiss in the kitchen. "Oh my god," he whispered. A tear slid down AJ's face, Brian stood with his mouth hanging open, Kevin stared at his ands, Howie got up , ran up the stairs and slammed his door. Jeremy winced as the bang echoed through the silent house. "This isn't happening," AJ choked out as Jeremy sprinted up the stairs to Howie's room. Finding it unlocked, he stepped inside. Howie stood on the balcony, leaning over the railing, his shoulders shaking with his silent sobs. "Babe," Jeremy whispered. "Don't," Howie choked out. He walked out and slid his arms around Howie's slim waist. He turned and stared longingly into Jeremy's eyes. Jeremy could see the confusion and aggrivation in Howie's eyes. "Why is this happening?" Howie asked. "I don't know, babe. I really don't know." "Promise me something." "Anything." "Promise me you won't leave." "I promise." The two embraced, tears sliding down both of their faces. "I love you." Jeremy took Howie's face in his hands. He let his fingers stroke Howie's smooth skin. Howie's eyes were pleading for an answer. "I love you too," Jeremy smiled. Howie grinned and threw his arms around Jeremy's neck as they exchanged a passionate kiss. AJ, stood, dumbfounded in the living room. "What are we gonna do?" Nick asked. He had just arrived minutes after Howie and Jeremy had gone upstairs. "We're going to hold a press conference and talk to management," Kevin said, taking out his cell phone and dialing Jive. "Who is this 'Lady' person. If you ask me, she's no Lady at all," Brian said with disgust. "Something about her seems familiar," Nick pondered a loud. Daisy sat in Mica's lap. Her arms around her neck. "Where are Uncle Jay and Uncle Howie?" she asked. "Upstairs, talking." Kevin hung up. "We have a press conference in half an hour. They're sending a limo to pick us up." Howie and Jeremy sauntered down the stairs. "I'll stay here," Jeremy announced. "No, I want you to be there and that's final," Howie said with authority. Jeremy was defeated. Everyone got ready for the press conference and soon the limousine driver was ringing the door bell. They bid farewell to Mica and Daisy. Jeremy nervously sat between Howie and Brian. Howie entwined their fingers together. Jeremy looked at him gratefully. The descent was extremely quiet. The air wreaked of tension and fear. "What's going to happen to the Backstreet Boys?" AJ asked himself as they pulled up to the building. Howie gave Jeremy's hand one last squeeze. The door opened as thousands of cameras held their future. Da da da DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Hehe. I hope you liked it! Don't shoot me! :0) chords4@yahoo.com