Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 19:35:49 -0800 (PST)
From: John D <zachstack@yahoo.com>
Subject: BSB Hearts Assunder Book 3: Promises Part 1

******************************************************************
Note from the Author:  Hello all.  Thank you for
reading this story once again and I hope that I have
made the time you have spent worth your while.  It has
been a while since I wrote something new for this
story, but something suddenly came up -- college --
that really took away my time from this story.  As
many of you have, I had grown too much attached to my
characters and my story that I was not ready to not
give it my all.  So now, that I have a little time and
need a little release, I have retracted the original
first parts of Book 3 and fixed it enough to fit the
brand new ending I have for this trilogy.  I hope you
all keep tuning in for the story as it will once again
be an incredible pleasure writing for Nick, Brandon,
Scott, and the rest of them.  Thank you.
******************************************************************

Previously  The end of Hearts in Harmony...

BSBHAB2: Harmony Part 13b
"Final Revelations II"

[Police II:  Leighanne's place]

"Sorry, ma'am but we have tried reaching your son at
his home phone, and his phone has apparently been
disconnected."  Officer Chang raised his hand to
stiffle any interruptions from those gathered.  "We
have already made contact with the local Tampa police
and have them send a uniform patrol to see if he is
okay."

*******************************************************
[Tampa, a hour later]

Together Scott and Dan headed towards Scott's door
where they were suddenly met with an astounding sight.


"YOU?!"  Scott and Dan blurted out together.
*******************************************************
[Miles and hours away at a crumbling old mansion]

"Nick...."  John's voice was suddenly soft again,
without any traces of guile or malice.  "I love
you..."  Came his last words squeezed out in a whisper
before he finally fell over the over hanging edge of
the balcony to go crashing down 50 feet below onto the
rocks of the steep cliff.

"John!"  Nick came crashing back to reality in an
attempt to grab the other before falling.  But it was
too late.  John already disappeared underneath the
foam and the surface as Nick looked down over the edge
at his one time friend.

"John..."  Nick groaned.  Again his world was sent
crashing down around him.  In the last three months,
he has lost everything.  His love, his life, and his
heart...

But Nick put his fingers lightly across Brian's lips
and said, "No, Brian, you're wrong.  Nick Carter is
nothing without the Backstreet Boys."  Nick flashed
Brian a brilliant smile of old and they hugged like
there was no tomorrow.
*******************************************************
[Epilogue]  A few weeks after the wedding..

The four Backstreet Boys took to the stage for their
final song of the evening...

The crowd erupted once more as the five boys reunited
and embraced on stage after almost an entire lifetime
of being apart.  For now, they were once again
together. And this time they knew in their hearts that
it will be forever.

'Forever...'  A lone dark shadowy man stood amidst the
roaring crowd.  He too had a glint in his eye.  But
unlike the others, there was a leviathan of dangerous
spark underneath his.  'That is what you told me once,
have you forgotten me so soon, Nicky?'

~The End of Book 2~

And now for the final Book of the BSB Assunder
Trilogy...

-------------------------------------------------------
**Disclaimers:  This is a work of fiction and should
not be taken into any other levels past that.  The
Backstreet Boys, Jane and Aaron Carter, Leighanne
Littrell, are their own people.  The trademarks of the
Backstreet Boys belong to Jive Records.  All of the
events and places and people involved in the following
story aside from the forementioned are only
ficticious.  In short, people, it's only a story, it's
not real.  It's PG so please, sit back, and enjoy the
ride.  Thank you**
-------------------------------------------------------

BSB Hearts Assunder Book 3: Hearts Promises Part 1
"Looking Back: Old Smiles, New Faces"


[Flashback: Brandon and Nick]

Nick cozily lay in the warm embrace of Brandon's arms.
 It had been his first night in the arms of another
man except for Brian.  In the many long moments of the
throes of their passion, Brandon had made Nick forget
Brian and the world.  Brandon had made him feel the
very center of existence itself.  The joy in his heart
throbbed in unison with his body.  His heart beamed up
with the warmth of their love that has culminated for
these past two months.  It had been magnificent.
Never in his life had he ever felt so loved and known
it with each steamy breath he took in these past
couple hours of the waning night.

Although Brandon himself was untried with another man.
 Yet it had come to him like a natural instict in his
loving and caressing of Nick's beautiful golden body.
He poured his whole being, his very essence, his whole
existence, he poured it out onto and into the
intertwining of their love making.

Nick sighed where he lay exhausted spooned inside the
curve of Brandon's body.  He nuzzled against Brandon's
arms and planted a soft kiss at the bend of the arm.
He closed his eyes, content for the first time in a
very long time.  A soft loving smile slowly parted on
his delicate features.

"Brandon, don't leave me..."  Nick softly murmured in
his half sleep, opening his eyes to bore deep into
Brandon's with his burning blue fire.

Brandon kissed him lightly on the forehead, smiling
down happily at him.  "Nick, I will never leave you.
I love you more than life itself, Nick."  He chuckled
softly and leaned down kissing Nick softly on the
lips.  "To coin Jerry McGuire, 'you complete me'."

"You're so corny," Nick giggled under Brandon's soft
kiss, leaning up a little to give Brandon one of his
own.  Nick laid back down grinning happily up at
Brandon.

"Will you settle for 'I love you' then?"  Brandon
smiled down at him.  "Or am I just a good lay?"
Brandon pouted jokingly.

Nick pulled Brandon down for a deep probing kiss.
"Not that good,"  Nick tried to keep a straight face,
but failed.  "I'll settle for 'I love you' then."  He
laughed full heartedly as he rested his head
comfortably against Brandon's chest.

Brandon settled back down behind Nick and kissed his
neck gently as a summer's breeze.

"Brandon?"  After a few minutes of contented sighs,
Nick quietly whispered half expecting the other to be
asleep.

"Yeah, baby?"  Brandon loosened his arms around Nick's
chest so the other could turn on his back to look up
at him.

"Did you mean it when you said you wouldn't ever leave
me?"  Nick seemed to be awaiting some sort of
rejection.  The pain on his face was all too clear for
Brandon to see.

"Of course I did, hon.  I love you,"  Brandon kissed
Nick on his fluttering eyelids.  "I will always love
you even after you grow tired of me."  Brandon smiled
and rested his face on Nick's shoulder.

"Then love me, Brandon.  Love me forever, as I always
will,"  Nick turned to fully face Brandon and together
they consumated their private vows many more times
that night before falling happily asleep in each
others' arms.

[End of flashback]

Nick turned to the otherside of his bed, his eyes
teary from the memory of his past.  He loved Brandon,
but did he really love Bryan?  Last night had been a
first between Nick and Bryan, but it had been cold;
withdrawn.  No, they had not had sex.  They had slept
together for the first time, but that is what it was.
Bryan had slept over last night and they had spent the
night cuddling in each other's arms.  Nick was not
ready for another relationship as deeply committed as
the last, and right after Brandon, he had grown to
understand that sex should really mean something more
than just casual pleasure.

"Morning baby,"  Bryan calmly leaned over to Nick and
kissed him softly on the lips.  He had woken to the
feeling of Nick's hot and heavy gaze.

"We should get ready soon, school starts in a couple
hours,"  Nick tried to get up, but Bryan's hand was
holding firm against his elbow.  For a fleeting moment
it wasn't Bryan whom he saw on the bed that beckoned
for him to rejoin him now.  For one fleeting moment,
he saw the image of the man that had long since made
many of his dreams a nightmare.  That same man who now
was somewhere with his new bride.

"Couple hours yet..."  Bryan pulled Nick back into bed
and the covers around him...
*******************************************************

A few miles away...

"John.  I still can't believe he turned out to be a
psychopath."  Leighanne gently kissed Brian's naked
muscular shoulder, her fingers drummed lovingly
against his strong pecs.  "He was such a sweet and
caring guy for Nick."

"You just never really 'know' someone you think you
know, I guess,"  Brian shrugged as he moved from the
circle of her arms to sit up on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, but don't you remember how he was always so
caring about Nick during those months -- heck, years
even -- before and after he lost Brandon."  Leighanne
whispered the last statement, feeling a touch guilty
of what it had all been for Nick.

"Leighanne, do you think--"  Brian's face crumpled at
once and his breath came out in ragged sighs.

"Honey, what? Tell me,"  Leighanne sat up and hugged
Brian's head to her bossum.

"It's just-it's just--"  Brian sobbed.  "I think Nick
still hates me..."  Brian cried finally letting
himself be lost in the warm comforts of his new
bride's
embrace.

"Shhh, it's alright.  You know that Nick loves you
dearly, you know that.  He loves you and he has never
hated you, Brian.  How could he?  You two were like
brothers for so long!"  Leighanne cooed.

"Yeah, brothers..."  Brian whispered morosely and
clutched at his heart knowing full well how he had
decieved Leighanne about his relationship with Nick.
*******************************************************
[Mike's office]

"Yes, detective, that is everything that we have on
John."  Mike handed the Detective Chang a complete
copy of John's resume and files regarding family and
story that he had given upon acquiring the job as
bodyguard for the Backstreet Boys.

"Thank you, I am confident that this should be
completely helpful in wrapping up this whole case.
Mr. Murdoch, Mr. Kenth."  Detective Chang nodded to
both Mike and Burchard before heading out of the door.

"What did they say about the body?"  Mike turned to
Burc after a few moments of silence.

"They think it might have been washed away to sea,"
Burc went over to the side table and poured
himself a cup of coffee.  "They are still looking for
it, but Chang said they might not pursue if it
continues to elude them by the end of the week.  He
said too many witnesses saw him crash into the rocks
and gets sucked into the ocean to doubt that he is
dead."

"And?"  Mike went back to his desk, ruffling through
papers and files.

"Well, they said that they found what they thought was
remnants of the clothes he had on.  Splattered against
some jagged rocks over cliffside."  Burc dropped a
couple of sugar cubes into his coffee; black just like
his current mood.  "John's dead.  I'm fairly sure.  I
saw him sink into the waves after Nick shoved him out
the window."

"Well I guess that ensures no Micheal Myers or Jason
type of return don't ya think?"  Mike sighed jokingly,
trying to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah, right."  Burc slumped into the chair infront of
Mike's desk.  There was still some business they
needed to take care of.  "Let's hope not.  John was
crazy enough apparently before falling off the cliff.
Imagine how he would be after a near death
experience." Burc mumbled as he took a sip of his
coffee.

"Do you really think that John had an accomplice?"
Mike commented, stopping his recent rumaging of
papers.

"I don't really know, but the Detective said it fits
the profile perfectly.  All I know is, he was usually
on a phone when he was on brake."  Burc shrugged,
taking a sip at his hot coffee.

"hmm,"  Was all Mike could mutter.  The truth was,
they had really not bothered to look beyond John's
references which were mostly -- if not all -- former
employers that were very high on his services.  Other
than those, John had never really seemed to have any
sort of friends other than other bodyguards and former
employers.  But even those were few in number.  John
had always been professional with his work and found
it unthinkable to socialize with his superiors.
*******************************************************
[Community College after one class]

Nick hurried out of his class after he finished his
test.  He had felt great and very confident that he
aced it.  Heck, he'd felt this way all morning even
after some musing during and after his "morning
excercise" with Bryan.  He stopped by the boys'
bathroom for a moment to check on the way he looked.
Today was the day he was actually going to bring Bryan
to the cemetary to meet Brandon.  They've been going
out for a for weeks now, but he never really thought
it appropriate to bring his current lover to meet his
once soul mate.  But somehow, today was different.
Somehow, he felt that something was really going to
happen today.

Nick looked at his watch and quickly made to meet
Bryan at his class.  He shuffled out the door with a
purpose and hurried down the relatively empty hallways
except for the occasional student rushing to get to
class.

Nick stopped a few feet from the door to Bryan's class
and watched as students started to pile out.  He
leaned casually against the wall and waited for Bryan
patiently.  But when the other finally came out, he
was striken on the spot.  Bryan had come out of class
with somebody else.  All Nick could think about was
how happy he was that he took his time changing this
morning after the second bout and stopping at the
bathroom to check on himself.  He was happy that he
chose to were his new pair of creme coloured slacks,
he was all the more happy that he decided to dress up
for the occassion indeed.

"Bryan!"  Nick called cheerfully as he excitedly made
his way to the other two boys.

Bryan and the other boy stopped their conversation and
with almost a look of anger on his face, Bryan turned
around to see who had called.  Upon seeing Nick, his
face quickly became a bright image of smiles and
sparkling teeth.  "Well, I'll see you later."  Bryan
murmured quickly to the other guy as Nick finally made
his way to them.

Nick eyed the other guy closely.  He was tall; taller
than Bryan even, which would mean that he was either
as tall as or an inch taller than Nick himself.  He
wore a bright blue coloured buttoned down long sleeved
shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows,
exposing a nice dark tan on his muscled forearms.  The
shirt disappeared into a tight pair of dark coloured
jeans that hugged his slim legs and waist like a
second skin.  To finish the look, he wore boots
that all the more added to his height.  His body, from
what Nick could see, was lean and strong judging by
the forearms and the slightly bulging upper arms.
When he moved, shy signs of abs showed with the effort
under the silk shirt.  But while the body was amazing,
the face was all the more incredible.  His face was
clean shaven, cool, and dreadfully handsome.  His
short dark brown hair was gelled to short spikes in
the front and went in a clean cut in the back.  Nick
saw the perfect bow of his healthy looking lips, to
his strong square chin, his perfect nose, and his
incredibly amazing green eyes.

"Come on, let's go."  Bryan tugged on Nick's forearm
gently trying to goad him into leaving, but this was
to no avail.  The stranger, although been given his
hint to leave by Bryan, was not having any of it
either.

As for Nick, when Bryan showed no inkling of
introducing him to this tanned god, he quickly took
the initiative and extended his hand with a big bright
and cheerful smile, "Hi, I'm Nick."

Nick was terribly wrong when he thought that the other
boy couldn't get anymore beautific.  Upon taking the
extended arm, the other had smiled broadly with a
winsome smile that was accentuated with amazing
dimples as his brown eyes sparkled with a deep and
promising undercurrent.

"Slade."  His voice was enough to melt
the coldest icebergs of the arctics.

"C'mon Nick we're gonna be late."  Bryan, annoyed,
finally was able to pull Nick away from Slade.  But
his eyes were still drowning in the lovely pool of the
living adonis that was Slade.  To Slane, "Slade, I'll
-- we'll see you later."

To which the other only smiled even deeper and uttered
a low, almost whispering, almost sultry, "I take that
as a promise..."  His smile only wilted a little to
take more of a wicked image that was full of forbidden
promises.

"Nick.  NICK!"  Bryan pulled Nick back into reality
after he had steered the other enough to walk him a
few yards away from Slade.

"Wha...oh Hey Bryan!"  Nick shook off his reverie and
smiled broadly at Bryan as though it was the first he
saw the other in the last few minutes.

"Are we going to grab some lunch or are you just going
to stare at Slade all day?"  Bryan vexedly frowned at
Nick.

"Oh, haha, I'm sorry."  Nick braved a quick glance at
Slade.  The other hadn't seemed to move, he was still
looking at the pair with that same promising smile on
his gorgeous face.

"Nick!"  Bryan yelled again.

"Oh I'm sorry, it's just I've never seen Slade around
here before."  Nick answered feebly, feeling a little
guilty.

"Nick if you are going to behave like some stricken
schoolgirl, fine, but at least you could pretend to
still be my boyfriend when I'm around."  Bryan pouted
as he finally managed to pull Nick around the corner.
"Besides, Slade's trouble."

Nick looked at Bryan curiously.

"Yeah, that's right.  The guy is gorgeous and he
knows it.  He thinks he's god's gift to women, er and,
gays."  Bryan looked suddenly uncomfortable.  "You
shouldn't see him anymore."

"Oh, if it means that much to you, then I won't see
him anymore."  Nick smiled at him kindly and hugged
him for a minute or two.  "Let's grab some lunch, I'm
starving!"  Nick grinned happily and pulled Bryan into
the cafeteria.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you..."  Bryan
sighed exhasperated as he stumbled behind Nick into
the cafeteria.
*******************************************************
[A few yards away just as Nick and Bryan rounded the
corner]

Slade chuckled deep in his throat and shook his head.
He turned and nodded a greeting to another guy who
materialized from the shadows before he too headed out
the corridor.

End of Part 1