Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 11:18:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: NCfan <ngclle@yahoo.com>
Subject: Boy-bands/Calming Waters 2

Hi, this is ngcfan again.  And this is my second installment of Calming
Waters. I just wanted to say that the quality of so many of the stories on
Nifty are excellent, even though I didn't get the chance to email everyone
I had hoped to.

Well, this is my fourth attempt at writing a story, but my first attempt in
writing a story dealing with homosexuality.  I hope you enjoy.  My email is
ngclle@yahoo.com so feel free to drop me a message anytime.

Disclaimer: I do not know the orientation of any of the BSB or Nsync guys.
This story is completely fiction and in no way represents their actual
orientation!

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

The waves crackled as they hit the sandy beach.  The turquoise water was
lukewarm to Brian's bare skin as it sifted the sand underneath him.  He let
out a moan as he moved his hand to massage his aching temples.

After a few struggles, he managed to part his eyelids and let the light
seep in.  Brian groaned in pain once again.  'Nick', Brian remembered. Ever
since he had met Nick, that name was always at the tip of his tongue.  He
had fallen bad for his blond friend to the point that he cherished
everything that Nick gave him, especially his friendship.

"Nick," Brian whispered as the cool breezes brushed lightly against his
face.  It was evening by now and the sun was slowly fading into the
horizon.  The sky was now a lovely hue of orange as Brian's eyes were wide
open, searching for his blond crush.  Using all his will, Brian forced
himself up and adjusted to his sudden dizziness.  His hands roamed the
sands nearby to get a feel of where he was.

To his dismay, he felt wet sand.  Had they been pulled back onto shore?
What happened to Nick?  What happened to the teenager that he had so
desperately loved?  With a sudden burst of energy, he scanned the entire
area, only to find its contours strange and foreign.  He could not
recognize anything on this newfound beach except for a few figures further
down the sandy shore.

Brian recognized Lance right away.  And further down were two bodies, one
which he thought was Nick's.  Brian's heart fluttered in fear.  He
immediately got to his feet and wobbled down to where Lance lay, hoping to
get Lance awake first.  Then he would deal with Nick and that mysterious
guy that attempted to kidnap him.

Once close enough to Lance, Brian realized that Lance was also regaining
consciousness.  "Lance," Brian called out to his friend whose eyes suddenly
fluttered.  Before Brian could say anything, Lance jumped to his feet,
shocking Brian.

"Where is Nick?" Lance cried out worried.  Brian sighed.  When he first
realized that Lance had a crush on Nick, he had hoped and prayed that what
Lance felt was not really strong.  But as time passed by, Brian realized
that Lance's feelings were just as true as Brian's.  And that sometimes got
Brian worried.  The more they both fell for Nick, the greater the
likelihood that one of them, or maybe both, would be really hurt.

But there was no backing up.  They had sunk their feet too deep.  Neither
wanted to pull their feet out.  They both wanted their chance at Nick.  And
in a way, both felt confident in their attractiveness.

When Brian realized that Lance was waiting for his reply, he quickly pulled
away from his reverie.  "Nick's over there, I think," Brian said, pointing
at two dark figures further down on the beach.  "And there's that guy who
kidnapped him!"  Brian's voice became tense at the thought that they nearly
lost Nick.

Lance also felt his blood begin to boil from hatred of this man.  "Let's
get Nick safe.  If something were to happen to him, that man is as good as
dead!" Lance gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, letting out a little
steam.  With that said, both men trotted to the area where Nick's body lay,
pale and lifeless.

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

Lance was the first to hover over Nick's still body.  He immediately saw
the rope that loosely clung to Nick's waist and he traced it back to the
kidnappers hands.  Lance looked at Brian in shock.  Apparently, this man
was trying to save Nick's life.  They saw the life jacket tightly tied
around Nick's upper body.  Lance gave out a sigh of relief.  Thank goodness
for that.

Quickly, Lance began to remove the knot that secured the rope around Nick's
body.  As he worked, he felt his hand shaking from fear, not knowing how
badly injured Nick was.  But Nick's handsome face was as lifeless as ever.
Lance looked to Brian, who was now cradling Nick's head in his lap while
trying to remove the life jacket with his arms.

Both worked in silence, never giving a second thought to the kidnapper who
lay unconscious beside Nick's wet body.  Finally, both Lance and Brian were
able to relieve Nick of the life jacket and rope.  Brian gently placed
Nick's head down while Lance slowly listened for breathing.

To his dismay, Lance couldn't see Nick's chest rise or feel Nick's hot
breath on his cheeks.  He looked to Brian who had a worry-stricken
expression on his face.  "He needs air into his lungs, Brian," Lance called
out worriedly.

Brian sat up, ready to deliver some air himself, but Lance had beaten him
to it.  Quickly, Lance placed his lips around Nick's mouth and began to
blow.  He had never been physically intimate with Nick before, let alone
feel the gentle touch of Nick's lips on his own.  He started getting
butterflies in his stomach as he began to savor the feeling.  He didn't
know when or if he would ever experience it again.  He was soon lost in the
act until he felt Brian's hand on his head, pushing his mouth off of
Nick's.

"Careful, Lance," Brian called out worriedly.  "I think you only give two
breaths at a time, not the handful that were giving him.  You gotta see if
he can breath.  And we might want to give him some abdominal thrusts to get
the water out of his lungs."  At first, Lance thought Brian said that out
of envy, but when he looked at Brian's face, he simply saw genuine concern.
He nodded in agreement at Brian's statement.

With that, Brian straddled Nick and gazed down at Nick's body.  Since
Nick's clothes were wet, they clung pretty tightly to his lean form and
Brian could make out his belly button.  Before erotic images started to
flood his mind, Brian placed the palm of his hand above Nick's belly button
and began to thrust firmly.  His mind was clouded with worry, hoping that
Nick would wake up soon.

After about five thrusts, he paused as Lance tilted Nick's head further.
Brian looked with envy as Lance waited for Nick to vomit water out.  And
when no water came out of Nick's mouth, Brian watched with a little
jealousy as Lance once again placed his lips of Nick's and gave him more
breaths.

When Lance's breaths still didn't help, Brian once again gave Nick five
more abdominal thrusts, all the while, feeling a tingling, pleasant
sensation as his groins rubbed against Nick's.  This time, the water popped
out of Nick's mouth as Nick struggled to regain consciousness.  Lance and
Brian gave a yelp of happiness when they saw Nick's head move.

Both moved to either side of Nick and tried to help him sit up slowly,
supporting his back with their arms.  "Umph," Nick mumbled while keeping
his eyes shut.  He began to lean a little towards his right, his balance
still off.

"Careful Nick," Lance called out as Nick's body leaned towards him.  Lance
aided Nick closer to him and looked at Brian.  Both sighed in relief, happy
that Nick was okay.

"You okay, Nick?" Brian said sweetly into Nick's ears while cushioning that
blond youth's head with his arms.  Nick shook his head lightly, but his
eyes remained shut.  All three stayed in their positions for a while.

Lance smiled smugly, never wanting that moment to end.  He loved the feel
of Nick's body as Nick leaned into him.  True, Nick was semi-unconscious,
but nevertheless, Nick's body felt so alluring.  He loved the touch and
feel of Nick's skin rubbing against his.

And just when he had hoped to hold Nick for a few more seconds, Lance felt
Nick pull back.  Nick placed a hand on his forehead to ease away the
intense headache he had.  "Uggh, guys?  My head hurts," Nick called out,
not knowing where he really was.

Brian gazed at Nick's face.  "Sorry, Nick," he said apologetically, but I
don't think there's anything we can do.  It seems like we're stranded on
some sort of island."

"Island?" Nick's eyes immediately popped open and Lance and Brian both
began to admire their beautiful, deep blue color.  "Why are we on an
island?" Nick's head began to clear a little.

"Umm," Lance began, but found himself at a lost for words.  How were they
going to explain this one to Nick?

"Well," Brian tried to add.  "We were at my party when . . . "  Brian's
sentence drifted off as he didn't know how to explain this either.

Nick stared at both Lance and Brian.  "And?"  His eyes had regained their
lively flare as he started to picture what was going on.  He was greeted
with silence for a while.

"Well, we kinda gave you a little alcohol to drink," Lance admitted.

"And you were out like a light," Brian continued, feeling a little silly
for spiking Nick's drink.

"So while you were drunk, that man over there," Lance pointed at the man
who lay unconscious next to Nick, "kidnapped you."

"We tried to follow him and ended up here on this island."  Brian gulped,
not knowing how Nick would react.  He gazed at Nick's beautiful face only
to see a dazed expression on the teen's face.

"Well," Nick sighed.  "We're sure messed up!" Lance and Brian smiled in
relief.  That was what Nick always said when he was flustered.  Judging
from the tone of his voice, there seemed to be more wonder than anger.

Just then, Nick felt a chill run through his wet body.  Immediately, Brian
and Lance reached around to hug him warm.  Nick looked at both of them and
laughed.  "I'm not that fragile you know.  Don't worry.  I was a little
cold."  But his statement did not comfort them.  They began to pull him up
from the cold sand and away from the kidnapper.

Nick was supported on either side by Brian and Lance.  But before the three
could move anywhere, Lance suddenly felt a blow on his head and he toppled
forward in pain, pulling Nick down with him.  Brian was the only one who
maintained his balance.  To his horror, when he turned his head, he saw the
kidnapper standing upright, fists drawn and ready for a second blow.
Somehow, Brian managed to dodge the blow, but fell back from imbalance.
The kidnapper was relentless though and he tried to punch Brian again.

But before the kidnapper could land that second blow on Brian, something
got in the way, dampening the impact of the blow.  Brian suddenly realized
in shock that Nick had flung his body in between him and the kidnapper.
The next thing he knew, Nick had cried out in pain.

Lance, too, saw what happened and screamed.  "Are you crazy, you
bastard?!!!  What are you trying to do, kill him?"

But the attacker ignored Lance's screams and grabbed Nick's arms, pulling
Nick away from Brian and eased him onto the ground gently.  To Brian's and
Lance's surprise, the kidnapper began to gently massage Nick's back while
saying something that neither understood.  "Izci kalla rotu niki."  The man
repeated over and over.

Nick stared in awe at the man whose large hands were now caressing his
back, trying to ease away his pain.  He finally had a good look at his
kidnapper.  The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties with dark blond hair
and emerald green eyes.  The man turned his gaze away from Nick for a while
to glare at Brian and Lance.

Brian was the first to react.  "Don't look at us you big oaf.  You're the
one who did this to Nick.  You should be ashamed!"  Brian's face contorted
into a grimace.

Lance followed Brian's lead.  "Yeah, you monster.  How dare you.  Take your
ugly hands off of Nick."  Lance started forward towards the kidnapper in an
attempt to separate the kidnapper from Nick himself.  But he was met with
hostility as the kidnapper snarled at him, all the while, pulling Nick into
a protective embrace.

Nick began to smirk as Brian, Lance and the kidnapper exchanged harsh words
and icy glares.  The three were so heated in their argument that they soon
forgot about Nick's condition.  Nick didn't know how long they were
flinging dirty words at each other, but he had noticed that the sky was a
dark hue of purple now.  He tried to release himself from his kidnapper's
grip only to draw his kidnapper's attention back to him.

The kidnapper gazed into Nick's face with concern.  "Niki, ogota?"

Nick stared dumbly at the tall handsome stranger, not really caring about
what his kidnapper was asking.  "I'm cold," he complained.  "Let's find a
warm place to sleep."

Following Nick's cue, Brian and Lance got up and reached their hands to
grab Nick.  "Let's go then," Lance said, trying to tug on Nick.
Unfortunately, Nick's kidnapper stood a good 6 feet 6 inches tall and
shoved Lance aside.  Brian saw how Lance's form dwarfed in comparison to
the kidnapper and decided, using his better judgment, to let the man
support Nick.  Besides, it seemed like the kidnapper was also concerned
about Nick's well-being.

Nick stood up and began to walk when he suddenly felt a pair of hands
grabbing under his knees and back.  Before he knew what was going on, his
feet were in the air and he held on to the kidnapper for dear life.  "What
the . . ."  Nick was about to curse when he realized that the kidnapper was
literally carrying him off the shore.

Lance had, by now, recovered from the fall and chased Brian who was
following the kidnapper.  He lowered his voice so that only Brian could
hear.  "Looks like we have a little competition with that ogre!"  Lance's
sweet face was taut with worry.

Brian sighed.  "Wasn't it already complicated with just the two of us?  Now
this . . . thing . . . happens," Brian said as he pointed at the kidnapper.

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

After 30 minutes, the kidnapper placed Nick's body gently on the firm
ground in a nice, secluded area that blocked the cold winds.  He quickly
rubbed Nick's arms to generate some heat for Nick before grabbing a few dry
twigs to start a fire.

Brian and Lance looked around.  It appeared that they had set camp right
next to a small lake.  Both stared, mesmerized as the 'ogre' started fixing
a fire right next to Nick.  As soon as the flames started to light up the
area, the kidnapper walked back to Nick to see if Nick was warm.

Brian and Lance jumped at the chance to be close to the fire, absorbing its
warmth.  As they bathed in the heat, they both watched with envy as the
kidnapper knelt down next to Nick and placed his hands on Nick's bare skin
to assess whether Nick was warm enough.  When satisfied, he stood up and
glared at Brian and Lance.

Lance quickly swallowed the lump in his throat and began.  "I'm kinda
hungry.  We should go out and get some food."

The kidnapper once again glared at Lance.  Lance, undaunted, retorts, "You
know, that face of yours, as ugly as it is now, will not make me hover in
intimidation."  The kidnapper slowly stepped forward, making Lance back up
a few steps.  "Don't think you're scaring me!" Lance continued defiantly.

"Uh, Lance, I don't think that's wise," Brian called out to Lance as the
kidnapper was now one foot from the 21-year-old blond.  With a wave of
courage, Brian continued.  "I got an idea.  Why don't you two go out and
search for food while Nick and I stay here and make this place all warm and
cozy!"

The kidnapper stoppd in his tracks and snarled at Brian.  "Ogul itchi
somatu irq niki."

Lance looked at the kidnapper with a sarcastic expression on his face while
directing his statement at Brian.  "Brian, does it seem like the only word
we understand in his gibberish is niki?"  Lance's expression suddenly
changed as he remembered Brian's idea.  "And why do I have to go with
'Ogre' here.  If anyone should go, it should be you, Brian!"  Lance glared
at Brian.

Nick, feeling a little awkward from the whole argument started, "Well, you
guys shouldn't worry over this.  I can go," he said while trying to get on
his feet, but the moment he got up, he started to feel light-headed and
fell back down.  Lance, Brian and the kidnapper immediately jumped at him
to prevent him from falling hard.

Lance was the first to get to Nick.  He grabbed Nick's arms with all his
strength and eased Nick down onto the ground.  "Are you okay, Nick?" Lance
cried out worriedly.  Brian went behind Nick and tried to support his back.
Nick leaned back when he knew that Brian was behind him.

"You're not going anywhere, Nick!" Brian warned the 20-year-old.  "You're
staying here and resting."  Nick replied by rubbing his hands against his
temples and moaning.

The kidnapper, at this moment, tried to get to Nick, but Brian and Lance
stood their ground, refusing to step away from Nick.  The two looked at
each other, each willing the other to go.  Finally, Brian gave in.  "Fine,
I'll go, you selfish . . . "

Brian stood up and glared at the kidnapper.  "Shall we?" His voice was flat
as he headed for the clearing behind the trees.  The kidnapper stared
doubtfully at Nick, but realizing that food was important, he walked
towards Brian and the two disappeared behind the trees.

Lance sighed in relief when they left, overwhelmed at being left alone with
Nick.  "Nick?" he whispered softly.  "Are you okay?"

Nick moaned, drifting in and out of consciousness.  Quickly, Lance placed
an arm around Nick's back and lowered him to the ground again.  He felt
Nick's chest for a heartbeat and was relieved to find Nick's heart pumping
strong.  But he also felt how cold the wet shirt was around Nick's body.
It needed to be dried.  And his pants, too, Lance thought as he felt how
cold the slacks were as well.

He looked at Nick with a little shame.  'Forgive me, Nick,' he thought as
he slowly slid the shirt of Nick's body, being as gallant as he could by
refusing to stare at Nick's flesh.  Once he freed Nick of the shirt, he
felt for the buttons and zipper on Nick's pants, making sure his eyes were
closed.  But that was not a good idea as his hand felt things that they
shouldn't have felt.

Lance's heart skipped a beat as his fingers finally latched on to the
zipper and pulled it down.  When he removed the restraints on the pants, he
slowly slipped them off Nick.  Once done, Lance sighed in relief.  Still,
his eyes tried to avoid Nick's body.  It just didn't seem right for him to
take advantage of Nick while he was almost unconscious.

Lance picked up Nick's clothes and decided to dry them over the fire.  When
he finally was able to hang them above the fire, he decided to look around
for something that he could cover Nick's body with in the meantime to keep
him warm.

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

Brian's eyes were red with annoyance as he cursed himself for giving in to
Lance.  He had wanted to spend that time with Nick.  But then again, he'd
rather have Lance look after Nick than that big ogre.  He felt less secure
with that man around Nick.  Even though in his mind, Brian had called the
kidnapper an ogre, the kidnapper was actually far from it.

He had very sensuous light blue eyes, perhaps no where as stunning as
Nick's cool blues, but not unattractive.  And the man had a heap of blond
hair with a very large, well-built body that was lined with nothing but
muscles.  His fair skin betrayed his physically adept body.  And the man
looked exceptionally handsome.  Brian was beginning to worry about this
competitor.

It was obvious that this man was attracted to Nick.  Brian could see it in
the way his eyes widened every time he gazed at Nick.  Brian was starting
to worry.  Perhaps with Lance, Brian could fight very easily.  But with a
sudden, mysterious handsome man appearing out of the blue, he was afraid
that Nick might fall for the stranger.  He knew how adventurous Nick could
be.

Brian sighed.  Yeah, better Lance than this ogre.  Plus, Lance could be
very gentle and thoughtful when he dealt with those he loved.  Feeling a
little more confidence, Brian focused back on the path.  A few times, he
would sneak glances at the ogre, only to see a calm, focused face
concentrating very hard on something.  Brian decided not to disrupt the
ogre's thoughts.

Suddenly, Brian could hear something--water.  They had come across a stream
a clear blue running water.  The sounds were breathtaking.  And the winds
were so cool, brushing against his face and sifting through his hair.
However, it was too dark to really see.  Brian frowned.  He hoped the ogre
knew his way back to Nick and Lance because Brian sure as hell couldn't
remember in which direction they were.

Brian looked to see the ogre taking some rocks and placing them to create
sort of a damn.  He went up to the ogre.  "What are we doing?  Are we
catching fish?  Because if we are, I think that's just plain crazy.  We
don't even have a fishing line.  Plus, this stream is big and cold.  It
will take us forever to create your damn!"  Brian started speaking
manically.

The ogre ignored him and continued making his damn.  He worked so fast,
Brian found it hard to believe.  Before Brian could fit in another word,
the ogre grabbed something nearby.  Brian stared hard, suddenly realizing
that it was a sharp pole.  The ogre had made a sharpened pole out of wood
while Brian was busy thinking about Nick!  Brian suddenly felt a little
useless.

Worse, the ogre completely ignored him.  He looked defiantly at the ogre
and stepped aside, letting the ogre work for himself.  But to his surprise,
the ogre spent 30 minutes with little success.  He hadn't caught any fish.
Not that he couldn't find some, but they sort of sifted through his little
damn and continued downstream.

In the meantime, Brian had been weaving a little net with the long strands
of grass that he had found nearby.  He figured that if the ogre kept it up,
they wouldn't have any food that night.  So the ogre wasn't as brilliant as
he thought, Brian thought contentedly.

When done with the little net, Brian pulled at it to see how sturdy it was.
He smiled.  He knew that all his hours spent with his mother wasn't for
nothing.  She taught him well.  The little net he made was sturdy and
skillfully crafted.  He picked himself up and headed for the ogre.  Without
saying a word, he placed the net down across the stream and stretched it
out.  Within minutes, four fish had been caught.  Carefully, Brian wrapped
the net around the fish and pulled them out of the waters.

The ogre stared at Brian in surprise and a little respect.  He flung his
sharp rod aside and walked up to Brian, mumbling something that Brian
didn't understand, but that still had the word 'niki' in it.  Brian had
given up on trying to figure out this ogre.

Without another word, both headed back to where Nick and Lance lay.  This
was when Brian cursed himself.  He didn't know how to get back.  His
fleeting feelings of triumph were soon replaced with disappointment as he
realized his ignorance.  To his joy, the ogre seemed to have memorized the
path.  This was the one time Brian was glad to see the ogre knowing what he
was doing.

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

Lance waited patiently while Nick slept soundly on the ground.  A few
times, Lance would feel an urge to look at Nick's near naked body since it
was so easily accessible.  But his conscience, for some reason, prevented
him from doing so.  So he sat in a way that his face was looking anywhere
but Nick's body.

Lance jumped as he heard a sound.

"Geez, Lance, you're so jittery," Nick's soft voice called out.  Lance let
out a breath as he recognized Nick's voice.

"Well, you weren't too subtle there, were you?" Lance answered.  Forgetting
that Nick was only wearing his boxers, Lance turned around and gasped at
the sight.  Nick was still lying on the ground with his hands trying to
push his upper body up in a sitting position.  It was as if Lance were
hypnotized, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the beautiful sight.

He stared dumbly for at least 20 seconds, when Nick looked up.  Realizing
that Lance was staring at him, Nick's cheeks became slightly flushed.  He
was about to say something when he heard a hissing sound behind him.  Nick
stopped breathing.

Lance immediately pulled out of his reverie at the sound.  His muscles
tensed as he realized that that was a sound of a snake.  And the sound came
from behind Nick.

"Lance?" Nick called out weakly.  "It's only a foot away from me."

Lance didn't know what to do.  He was scared to death of snakes.  Without
thinking he grabbed for the nearest twig, which happened to be the one that
was used to hang Nick's clothes above the flames.  As Lance pulled the
twig, Nick's clothes fell into a heap on the flames.  Soon, they were
consumed in the fire, but that was the last thing on Nick's and Lance's
minds.

Lance slowly made a big circle around Nick to get a good look at the snake,
but the more he saw of it, the more fear raced through his heart.  "Umm,
Nick, it's big."

"How big?" Nick asked anxiously.

"Umm, about 10 feet. But probably 10 inches in diameter."

Nick gulped at the description.  Nick remained very still, but he could
hear the snake moving closer.  Lance made a noise, and for a moment, the
snake diverted its attention towards Lance.  Still, it was about five feet
away from Lance whereas it was very near to Nick, almost touching his skin.

Nick closed his eyes, willing himself to stay calm while Lance tried to
make more noise to distract the snake.  But for some odd reason, the snake
remained focused on Nick.

"Nick, I'm going to throw the twig out at him and you run, okay?"

Nick didn't reply, but Lance knew that he really couldn't.  So Lance
started, "One, two, three!" With that, Lance flung the twig head on at the
snake's head.  As if on cue, Nick slid out under the snake while turning
around to gauge the distance between him and the slithering animal.  Nick's
eyes widened as he saw the size of the reptile.

To his fear, the snake continued heading towards him at a furious pace.
Nick had to use all his energy to avert the powerful, evil-looking boa.
Lance, all this time, was frozen stiff in his spot, not knowing what to do.

Nick quickly grabbed maneuvered so that he was near the boa's tail and
grabbed it with all his energy.  The thing had to weigh at least 150
pounds!  Nick pulled hard and began to walk in the direction to where he
thought was the ocean.  Lance was still glued to his spot as he stared at
Nick, afraid to go even close to the disgusting cold-blooded creature.

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

Brian and the kidnapper were almost back to the place where they had left
Nick and Lance when both heard Lance's shrilling scream.  Brian's heart
clenched as he absorbed the fear.  However, the ogre was first to act and
immediately ran towards Lance's voice.  Before he actually got there
though, he saw the bare back of a near naked blond man lunging at him.

When the kidnapper was close enough to recognize Nick, it was too late.
Nick crashed into the kidnapper and the two nearly toppled over, but
fortunately, the kidnapper maintained enough balance to grab under the
crook of Nick's arms and hold him up.  That was when he saw the boa
constrictor.

The kidnapper grabbed Nick's hands to secure the snake before it had the
chance to leave.  With that done, he pulled Nick and the snake, making sure
that the snake had no opportunity to snap at Nick.

At first, Nick jumped and nearly released the snake when he felt someone
behind him.  But when he recognized the kidnapper, he eased a bit and let
the kidnapper control the situation.  Together, both of them pulled the boa
into the woods and threw the reptile into a a big ditch.

When done, Nick could barely stand upright.  The kidnapper smiled slightly
and held out his hands to give Nick some support.  Nick stood and gazed
into his kidnapper's eyes to gauge his thoughts, but the kidnapper's face
only showed concern and some emotion Nick couldn't really tell.

But his kidnapper's eyes were so intent on him that Nick had to look away.
"Thank you," Nick said softly as he turned around and started back to where
Brian and Lance stood.  Before he had the chance to step away, the
kidnapper yanked Nick by the arms and turned him around.  The next thing
Nick knew was that the kidnapper had pulled him close so that their bodies
were glued.  And then, to Nick's surprise, the kidnapper's lips were on his
own, pushing forcefully to access Nick's mouth.