Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 14:42:20 GMT
From: Allan B <ab4ngc@hotmail.com>
Subject: Backstreet Bet 7

Backstreet Bet 7

by Allan :)

At last!!! Here's part seven of Backstreet Bet.  I hope people are still
reading this and all I ask is that you bear with me.  I hold this story
very dear to my heart and have every intention of finishing it.

I hate singling people out but I wanna say thanks to Matthew V P, and Tonny
S - you guys have always taken the time to write and I want you to know
that your continued support is much appreciated.  Thanks also to Zac (great
pictures hahaha) and my mate in Florida, Brently :) You guys didn't know I
was gonna mention you in this did you? :) Thanks!  Your friendship is
valued :)

I also wanna say thanks to DLS; author of "Brian and me".  D, you got a
gift and I don't know if you have time to read my stories anymore but it
doesn't matter - just get the next part of YOUR story out!!! hahaha :)

Many thanks to those of you who have taken the time to write and provide
many kind words of encouragement.  It really means so much to me.  Thanks
also to those of you who read this story but haven't had the chance to
write yet; I am waiting to hear from you :).  My email is
ab4ngc@hotmail.com so please feel free to send me your comments or just to
say G'Day.

Thanks also to Nifty for allowing writers such as myself to share our work
with the whole world!

This story is completely pure fiction and depicts relationships and love between males.  If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, please leave now.  This story does not imply that any celebrities are gay.

Seeing as it's been a while since the last installment of Backstreet Bet,
here is a quick recap of Part 6...

After successfully completing his press conference, Locky headed with Nick
to Tampa to spend some time with Nick's family.  Nick found out that it was
Locky's birthday and cooked him a surprise breakfast.  After breakfast the
two lovers spent a day sailing at sea.  When they got home later that
evening, Jane and Aaron Carter had cooked a wonderful dinner for them and
left them to have some privacy.  During dinner, Nick noticed Locky
clutching at his stomach.  This concerned him but Locky passed it off as
stomach cramps.  After dinner Nick and Locky got intimate and although they
did not have sex, they made love and shared themselves with each other.
The very next morning, Nick awoke to an empty bed and found a note on the
dining table that read:

Nick,
This will never work. I am sorry.
Locky

Now, onto the next part.  Enjoy!


Part 7: Lost love

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though there here to stay,
Oh I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be.
There's a shadow hanging over me,
Oh yesterday came suddenly.
Why, he had to go I don't know,
He didn't say.
He said something's wrong now I long for yesterday."

As Nick put down the note, he found it difficult to breath.  It felt as
though someone had taken a hold of his throat and squeezed it for every
ounce of air that travelled through it.  To make matters worse, he felt a
deep pain from within his chest - it was similiar to the same pain he felt
that night he saw Locky at Planet Hollywood but this was worse.

A single tear escaped his right eye and as it trickled down his cheek, he
was surprised at the emotions he was feeling.  In his state of shock he
thought that all he would feel would be sadness.  He was wrong.  Suddenly
his body was filled with uncontrollable anger.  How could someone that
claimed they loved him do this without explanation?  Had he been lied to?
Was this Locky's sick way of getting him back for that stupid bet?

In a surge of rage, Nick swung his right arm and struck the vase that
decorated their dining room table, shattering it into pieces.  As the
broken crystal covered the floor the tears started to flow and he collapsed
in a heap in the corner of the room.

Moments later, the remainder of the Carter family returned to find Nick
huddled in the corner, shaking and crying.  He was obviously in a state of
shock.  They found the note that Locky had left and left Jane to comfort
him.  She held him closely and wiped his tears just like she used to do
when he was a little boy and he had scraped his knee while playing in the
backyard.

"Honey, I know it doesn't seem like it right now but trust me, everything
will be fine.  We'll work this out."  Jane tried to comfort Nick.  It was
difficult for her to see him like this and although she wasn't exactly
convinced that everything would be fine, she had to say something to help
him through this.  Afterall she was his mom and moms were always there to
nurture and protect their children from the sometimes cold, cruel world.
Her words made it easy for Nick to let out all the tears.  He hugged her
even tighter and cried so hard.

"M... m... mom, h... how did this happen?"  He sobbed.  "I can't believe
this is happening right now you know?  I am so confused mom, what did I do
wrong?"

"Shhhhhh Nick. It's okay" she whispered.

"Mom I know that we only knew each other for a short time but I had gotten
so used to having him there by my side.  This sounds so stupid mom but he
was like the air that I breathe and now that he's gone, it's so much harder
to breathe" he let out with a sigh.

"Shhhhhhhh, Nick this isn't your fault honey!  He is the one that that left
and hurt you.  You didn't do anything wrong."

"No mom, I think I did.  I never told you how Locky and I really met..."

And so Nick clamed himself down and forced himself to re-live the day he
met Lachlan Nash.  He told Jane all about the bet and how terrible he felt
when he hurt Locky the way he did.  As he told her all about it the phone
rang.

Mr. Carter picked it up.

"Hello, Bob speaking."

"Hi Mr. Carter, it's Bri calling, is that lazy ass friend of mine there?"
It was Brian calling from Orlando Airport.  Nick and the other Backstreet
Boys were supposed to meet there an hour ago.  When he didn't show up, the
others just thought he was running late as usual but when an hour had
passed, they figured that Nick and Locky had decided to spend some extra
time with each other.

"Oh, hi Brian.  Listen, I'm not sure how much I can say right now but we
got home about half an hour ago and found Nick collapsed in the corner of
the living room."  Bob stated in a confused and helpless manner.

"Oh my god what's wrong?  What happened?"  Brian frantically asked,
although he already had some idea that this was about Locky.  In the time
that Brian had known Nick, he had never seen him go through the extremes of
hurt and love, but when Locky came along that all changed.  Locky was
Nick's world and from what Brian had seen, the reverse was also true, 'so
why would Nick be upset right now?' Brian thought to himself.

"To tell you the truth I don't know myself.  Jane's in there right now
trying to find out what's going on."

"Ok.  Here's what we'll do.  I'll tell the rest of the guys to fly to New
York while I drive to your place.  It sounds like Nick could use a friend
right now.  I should be there in a couple of hours."  Brian explained

"Thanks, Brian, you're a really good friend to my son.  He's very lucky to
have someone like you."

"It's no problem sir, I've always thought of him as my little brother and
I'll always be around for him."

"That's good to hear because right now he really looks like he could use
your friendship."  As those words escaped Bob's mouth, he recalled the
image of Nick huddled in the corner slowly rocking back and forth.  He'd
never seen Nick like that before.

"I'll see you soon sir."

"Thanks again Brian and please drive carefully."

"I will.  See you soon."

Brian hang up the phone and walked over to where the rest of the Backstreet
Boys were waiting.

"So where the hell is he?"  Kevin asked in a half frustrated tone.  He had
reason to be frustrated.  Their plane was due to board any minute now and
with no sign of Nick, it was looking like they were gonna miss their
flight.

"Calm down cuz, let me explain" Brian reasoned.

'This is gonna be good' AJ and Howie thought to themselves with a little
smirk.

"I've just spoken to Mr. Carter and it seems that Locky and Nick had a bit
of a misunderstanding and they found Nick huddeled in a corner and crying.
He's apparently in shock and very upset."  Brian explained.

Suddenly AJ and Howie felt a little bad for thinking that Brian would have
something funny to tell them.

"I knew that something like this was gonna happen.  Great!  First Nick
leaves the Australian tour early because of Locky.  Now it looks like he's
gonna miss the rest of our US tour... again, because of that Locky!"  Kevin
was getting really angry now.  All he could think of was show business.  In
his haste he forgot that real people's lives were involved here and
although Nick was a performer, he also had his ups and downs.

"Kevin, I don't want to go into this with you right now.  You of all people
should understand that we have personal lives too and that sometimes things
go wrong!"  Brian defended.  Suddenly Kevin stopped for a minute to think
about what he had said and felt bad.

"I'm sorry cuz, I wasn't thinking."

"Don't be sorry Kev, it sounds like Nick needs our support.  I know we have
a concert to prepare for in New York so we all can't be there for him but
why don't you guys go ahead and fly to New York."  Brian ordered.

"Ok but what about you and Nick?" Kevin asked

Brian explained to the rest of the band that he would talk to Nick and try
to convince him to join them on the tour if he was up to it.  They had two
more days before their first New York concert.  Those two days were to be
spent practising and rehearsing but Brian convinced Kevin that both he and
Nick knew the sets and dance moves like the back of their hands and they
didn't need to practise. Kevin, Howie and AJ however, needed the two days
to rehearse so they all agreed that Brian would drive to the Carter
household to sort Nick out while the others rehearsed in New York.

As soon as he reached the Carter home, Brian pulled up into the drive way
and bolted out of his rental car, almost forgetting to turn the engine off.
He was so concerned but before knocking on the door he took a moment to
calm himself down - afterall, the last thing that Nick needed right now was
seeing him worried.  He had to be strong for Nick and show him that he was
there to support him.

Before he could even knock on the door, it was opened by Jane and she
greeted him with a loving hug.

"Brian, thank you for being here." she said in a concerned tone

"It's not a problem at all ma'am.  The kid's got me worried so I had to be
here for him and if not for him, for my own peace of mind.  Where is he?"
Brian asked

"He's in his bed room sleeping right now.  I think all this emotional
stress has taken a toll on him."  Jane explained

"Yeah who could blame him?  Can you tell me what happened?" Brian
questioned

"Well all I can tell you is that Locky left without explanation - except
for this note..."  As she said this, she handed him the note.  He studied
it intently trying to make sense of why Locky had written those words but
nothing came to mind. "... the rest I think should be upto Nick to tell
you."

"Yeah, would it be ok if I just sit in the lounge and wait for him to wake
up?" Brian asked innocently not realizing how sweet he sounded.  Jane
realized though, and without saying a word she gave him another warm hug
and whispered, "Thank you! You're my son's angel."

An hour later, Nick came out of his room.  He still looked like he was in
shock but felt a sense of relief to see Brian sitting there.  He really
needed his best friend now more than ever.  Sitting next to Brian, Nick
started to talk about the wonderful weekend that he and Locky had just had.
He told him all about the breakfast, the singing at the piano, and the day
sailing with the dolphins.  As he recalled those beautiful memories, he
forgot about the pain - but only briefly.

Nick then told Brian about how Locky was gone when he woke up and there was
nothing to explain it expect for the note that his mom had shown Brian.
Brian just sat there and listened closely.  Nick could tell that Brian was
really concerned but there was nothing he or anybody could do about it.

"Nick, I don't know what to say.  I wanna make it all better 'cause I hate
seeing you like this but I don't know how I can."  Brian helplessly sighed.

"Bri, you don't have to do or say anything.  Just by being here you are
doing plenty - trust me." Nick tried to convince Brian that he was gonna be
ok.

"Just know that we're all here for you - me, your parents, your brother and
sisters and of course Kevin, Howie and AJ." Brian assured him.

Brian and Nick sat on that couch and talked some more.  Brian explained
that he and the rest of the guys had decided that it was best for Nick and
himself to stay home for two days and then join the rest of the group in
New York in time for their first concert there.  At first Nick agreed, he
needed sometime to be brave again, but after giving it a little thought,
Nick surprised himself and Brian.

Nick explained that he wanted to fly out to New York with Brian on the next
available flight.  It didn't make sense for him to stay home and mope
around.  Right now, what he needed was to stay busy and keep his mind off
of all the drama.

When Nick told his parents of his intentions to immediately join the rest
of the group on tour, his parents were quite surprised to say the least.
In the last few hours their son had gone from near breaking point to
"normal", whatever that meant.  Jane was naturally concerned.  She sensed
that Nick was surpressing his feelings and she didn't like it one bit.  She
insisted that she join the guys on tour but Nick convinced her that he
would be fine with the support of his band mates and besides, he reasoned
that she and the family were only a phone call away.  Against her better
judgement she agreed to let Nick go without her.  It was difficult but she
took solace in the fact that he would be with Brian and that if Nick was
going to learn to fly in life, he had to learn to stand on his own feet
first.

Nick was relieved that Jane agreed to let him go without her.  He loved her
dearly and all, but the last thing he needed was his mom on tour constantly
asking him if he was ok.  He understood that that was her duty and in her
kind nature but sometimes it got a bit too much.

As Nick was packing some clothes, he noticed the back pack that Locky had
left behind.  It just lay there in the corner with a few clothes hanging
out of them.  As he looked at the bag, he began to feel his rage return but
he did well to calm himself down.  He reasoned that there were reasons for
Locky's unforseen departure and there was nothing he could do about it.
Sounded simple enough, but boy was he hurting right now.  He picked up the
back pack and decided that he would send it back to Locky's home address -
there were probably things in there that Locky would need.  Despite the
hurt and anger he felt right now, there was still no denying that he loved
Locky very much.  As he picked up the bag a small medicine bottle fell out
of it.  He had seen Locky taking some pills from it last night before
dinner.  He looked at it carefully and studied the label.

He walked out into the kitchen, where Brian was still assuring Jane that he
would look after her son, and asked them "What's Plastrexomine?"  Both Jane
and Brian had a completely blank look on their face indicating that they
had never heard of the drug before.  Nick made a mental note to ask the
tour doctor about the pills as soon as they arrived in New York, got his
things together and drove to the airport with Brian.

They left the rental car and proceeded to head for the ticketing counter.
As they approached the desk they were greeted by a friendly ticketing
agent.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, how can I help you today?" she asked

Brian politely requested, "Two first class tickets for the next available
flight to New York please."  The sales agent began to search for the next
available flight on her computer.  Nick spoke up and interuppted, "Ma'am,
my friend meant to say Memphis not New York."

Brian was about to say something.  He didn't think this was such a good
idea but he understood how Nick felt and he knew that he would do the same
thing if he was in the same situation so he remained silent.

"Oh ok, let me see what we have available sir" she responded not
recognising her famous customers.  After entering some codes into her
computer she found two seats available on the next flight which was
departing in 30 minutes.

They got their tickets and before they knew it, they were on a plane bound
for Memphis.

As they sat in their seats, Brian commented on how Kevin and the rest of
the guys wouldn't like this.  Nick reminded him that they still had two
days before their first New York concert and he need to find Locky so that
he could work things out.

  = = = = = = = = = = =

EARLIER THAT DAY...

On a plane bound for Memphis, Lachlan Nash sat in his Business Class seat
feeling so confused, empty but most of all alone.  He had no choice, he had
to leave Nick before things got too close and out of hand.

'There was no way Nick could find out about my secret.  It was better that
things turned out this way, at least he'll get over me.' Locky reasoned to
himself but no matter how convincing he thought he was, he couldn't help
but feel like he had made the biggest mistake of his life.

Leaving Nick wasn't the mistake, it was meeting him in the first place.  If
he had just been a little bit stronger and told Nick that he only wanted to
be friends then maybe he wouldn't be in this predicament. But no!!!  He
loved Nick and there was no denying that although he questioned his actions
now, deep down he knew that he would not change one thing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in preparation for landing please enure your seat
belts are fastened, seats are in the upright position and your tray tables
and foot rests are stowed.  We trust that you enjoyed the flight and thank
you for choosing to fly American" the flight attendant announced in a perky
tone.

As Locky disembarked, he picked up his carry on luggage from the over head
compartment and realised that one of his back packs were missing but the
way he felt right now he didn't care.  He just somberly walked off the
plane and into the airport.  'I just hope no one recognises me' he thought
to himself, 'I'm definitely not up to it today!'

As these thoughts went through his mind he heard some one whispert his
name, loud enough for only him to hear it.

'Oh great, this fan is really gonna think I'm such a jerk' he thought.  But
it didn't matter.  Right now he was upset and depressed and he wasn't the
type of person that would pretend to be happy.  He told himself that he
would just sign an autograph and get the hell out of there, record some
songs at the studio and then head for home.  Home.  It had been 2 months
since he had been home, it wasn't a long time to be away but it was long
enough to miss his mum.

As he turned to see who this whispering fan was, Locky almost lost his
footing at the surprise.  It was Justin Timberlake!

"Oh my god!!!" Locky said half yelling with delight and briefly forgetting
his sadness. "What the hell are you doing here mate? Shouldn't you be in
Sweeden or something?"  Suddenly it made sense why his "fan" whispered out
his name.  Justin didn't want to draw any attention to Locky and just as
importantly, he didn't want to draw any attention on to himself.

"Surprise!" was all Justin said.

"So what's the story?  What are you doing here?"  Locky asked again, this
time more impatiently.

"Well we were supposed to be in Sweeden for two weeks but recording went so
well that we got our stuff done in like 5 days!  Management couldn't
believe it.  Heck WE couldn't believe it.  So as a little reward, they let
us have the rest of the time off so here I am."  Justin said with that cute
smile beaming from his face.  He felt so pleased with himself; he had
managed to find Locky so easily.

"Oh ok, but that still doesn't explain what you are doing _here_"

"Ahhhhh that" Justin said again with a smile.

"Yes that!!!" Locky repeated

"Well as soon as we found out we would have some free time on our hands, we
all decided to go home for a bit.  We hardly spend time at home these days
and I remebered that you told JC and I that you were gonna be in Memphis to
do some recording so I called up your Management, introduced myself and
then asked them when you would be here.  Of course, they didn't believe me
at first though, so I had to get them to call Transcontinental Records who
forwarded their call to me." Justin explained still feeling proud.

"Oh" was all Locky could say.  Although he was very happy to see his
friend, he just didn't feel like saying much right now.  At the same time
though, he marvelled at how talkative Justin was.

"Yeah so that's how I knew you'd be here.  By the way I have something for
you..." as he said this Justin reached into to his bag and pulled out the
cutest Teddy Bear.  Locky adored Teddy Bears and instantly he gasped and
smiled.

"Oh wow, what's this for?"  Locky asked now sounding a little suspicious.
He knew that Justin was a very sweet guy, (in fact when he told Justin that
he was gay, all Justin said was, "Ok, so what movie do you wanna see?") but
he couldn't help but wonder what was going on?  Could Justin possibly be
interested in him.  He laughed at the thought, 'Nah, even if he was gay, he
wouldn't even consider me.'

"Well while I was talking to your Management's receptionist, Jessica, nice
girl by the way, she just happened to mention that it was your birthday
yesterday!  She also mentioned that you love Teddy Bears so I just had to
get that one for you.  So what did you get up to on your birthday any way?"
Justin asked

Suddenly thoughts of yesterday filled Locky's mind.  It was the best day of
his life and now it was gone.

"Um, I don't really wanna go into it right now Just, we'll talk about it
some other time ok?"  Locky defended

"Sure - If it's something bad, you know you can trust me ok.  I am your
friend and I'll do all I can to help."

"Thanks Justin!  And thank you for being here - it's so much nicer arriving
to a new place with a familiar face waiting for me"

"The pleasure was all mine!" Justin remarked

And so Justin drove Locky to the Holiday Inn hotel.  He insisted that Locky
should stay at his house but Locky politely declined because he needed some
time on his own right now.  Seeing as Justin was on vacation he had the
whole day to spend with Locky.  Locky enjoyed his company and it helped him
take his mind off his problems.

After Locky had checked in, Justin drove him around and showed him the
sights and sounds of Memphis.  Locky was pleasantly surprised by its
beauty.  If there was a definite plus about travelling, it was having the
opportunity to visit lots of new places.  Throughout the day, the two
friends spoke about what they had done in the past week.  Justin seemed to
do most of the talking until the topic of Locky's birthday came up again.

Before Locky got into the details of his past week, the two friends decided
that it was a good idea to get something to eat seeing as it was way past
lunchtime.  They decided on eating at the local McDonalds.  Both Locky and
Justin loved going to McDonalds.  Maybe it was because it both reminded
them of their chilhood when their respective parents would take them there;
or maybe it was because they hated being wined and dined in fancy
restaurants and going to McDonalds made them feel like regular teenagers.

Justin was a little hesitant at the idea of going to McDonalds at first -
most of their fans probably ate there, but after some convincing from his
Aussie friend, he agreed that it might be fun.  As they parked, Justin put
on a baseball cap in an attempt to disguise himself.

"Oh, you might wanna put a cap or some shades on too buddy." Justin wisely
advised Locky

"Nah, I'll be alright.  It's not like I am as famous as YOU am I?"  Locky
teased, letting out a little chuckle.  Justin gave him a friendly tap on
the shoulder.

"Ok, don't say I didn't warn you" Justin retaliated.

The restaurant was packed with lots of teenagers, both guys and girls.
This made Justin a little nervous.  Locky on the other hand was relatively
confident that he wouldn't be recognised.  Maybe if they were in Australia
this would be a different story but no one would recognise him here in
Memphis, TN.

As they ate lunch, Locky decided that he could trust Justin and so he
opened up to him.  Right now he really needed a friend and some one to
share his problems with.  Justin was a little shocked to hear that Nick was
gay, afterall, they had known the Backstreet Boys for a while now and he
thought that something like that would have been obvious.  After the
initial shock though he was comfortable with the fact and suddenly put two
and two together.  He asked Locky if there was anything going on between he
and Nick.  Locky hesitated at first and said that there _was_ something but
it was over now.

Justin couldn't understand.  He could tell from the way Locky spoke about
Nick that he was still deeply in love with the youngest Backstreet Boy.
But why did he leave him?  All that Locky could say was that he was afraid
and confused - he lied to Justin in order to protect his secret.  Justin
accepted his explanation though, and comforted him.

When they had finished eating, Justin commented on how good it was that
they weren't interrupted by any fans.  As they headed for Justin's car a
voice called out, "Excuse me!"

Justin grabbed Locky by the elbow and motioned for him to walk faster.  He
leaned closely towards Locky and commented, "I thought this was too good to
be true - quick get in the car before we get mobbed."

But it was too late.  Before they could reach the car, the girl had caught
up to them.

"Excuse me," she said again, "are you Locky Nash?"

The two friends turned to face each other in surprise before looking at the
girl.  The girl had recognised Locky but didn't realise that he was
accompanied by one of the hottest members of 'N SYNC.  Locky was
speechless.  He had gotten accustomed to being recognised back home but
being stopped and recognised in the USA was something he was still getting
used to.

"Yep, that's me" Locky responded, a smile breaking in the corners of his
lips.  Justin just stood aside and watched in amusement.  This was a real
novelty for him and he loved every minute of it.

"Can I please have your autograph?"  The young girl politely asked Locky,
handing him a napkin and black pen.

"Sure you can" he happily commented

After a short chat the girl left and Locky and Justin got into the car.

"Don't say I didn't warn you mate!"  Justin remarked in his best Australian
accent.

"Ok, ok Mr. Wise-ass, you were right!"  Locky sheepily replied, "...but
that was fun."

"Hey, I'm always right."  Justin said in his cocky tone of voice and drove
to Locky back to the hotel.

  = = = = = = = = = = =

MEANWHILE...

Brian and Nick arrived in Memphis late in the afternoon, wearing their
"disguises".  Nick volunteered to wait for their luggage at the baggage
claim area while Brian organised their transportation and accomodation.

"Ok Nick, I've got good and bad news."  Brian remarked

"Give me the good news first Bri, I don't think I can handle anymore bad
news without hearing some good news first."  Nick replied

"Well maybe I exaggerated," Brian stated seeing the sad look on Nick's face
"the bad news isn't really THAT bad." he said smiling, trying to get a
smile ot of Nick - it worked.

"Ok Bri just tell me."

"Well the good news is that we have a rental car and the bad news is that
all the fancy hotels are all booked out - seems like there is some big
convention here this week."

"So we are gonna be staying on the streets then?"  Nick sarcastically asked
thinking 'Great what else can go wrong today' at the same time.

"No," Brian answered half laughing "I got us some rooms at the Holiday Inn.
It's not the Drake but we didn't come here for a vacation so the Holiday
Inn should be fine right?"

"Yes, Brian and thanks I really appreciate you being here for me"

"You're more than welcome Nick!"

When they reached the Holiday Inn, Brian parked the car out front and
handed the valet the keys and a very generous tip.

Brian walked in front of Nick and as he entered the lobby, he couldn't
believe his eyes when he saw Locky and Justin standing in front of the
elevators waiting for the next lift.  Brian's first instinct was to
distract Nick and try to convince him that they should get something to eat
before checking in, but it was too late.  Nick had already seen them.


To be continued.

Thanks once again for reading!  To be honest, this part was difficult to
write.  I hit a bit of writer's block a few weeks ago but thankfully I am
over it :) The ideas are flowing again and writing this was so much fun.
My hope is that you will continue to enjoy it.  Here are my details if any
of you would like to contact me...

email: ab4ngc@hotmail.com

AOL Instant Messenger: ab4ngc

ICQ: ab4ngc

Do you see the pattern? :) hehe

See you next time and take care!