Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 19:48:37 EST
From: DJs Tale <djs_tale@hotmail.com>
Subject: Forever 65-67

Author's Notes
--------------
	Nothing really to say today.  Hope y'all enjoy the story.

Disclaimer
----------
	The story in these pages is entirely in the mind of the author
and in no way reflect the true orientation of the Backstreet Boys.
Remember the difference between make believe and reality, kids.

	If you're too young to read this, leave.  If it's illegal
where you live, move.



And now...'Forever'...



Chapter 65

	When we got to our room, I had a message waiting for me.  I was
surprised, especially since I hadn't told anyone where I was staying.
I was even more surprised when I saw that the message was from Anna.

	"Trouble, D?" Kev asked when he saw the look on my face.

	"I'm not sure, Kevin.  It's from my boss, although I have no clue how
she found out where I was," I filled him in.

	"Well, I'm gonna walk down and talk to Allen for a bit.  Why don't you
give her a call, and I'll find you later?"

	"That sounds fine, hon," I replied, giving him a little kiss on the
cheek before he wandered out of our room.

	I picked up the phone and dialed.  I had to dial twice, cause I was
nervous and misdialed my phone card number the first time.  She
answered after only two rings.

	"Hello?" her voice came through the line.

	"Hi, Anna.  It's Dylan.  I got your message," I replied, going right to
the point.

	"Hey, Dylan.  I'm glad I caught you.  How's the trip?"  She was
apparently feeling chattier than I was.

	"It's fine so far.  I'm a little bummed about having to come home
already, of course," I said, a touch of humor in my voice.

	"Well, you coming home is kind of why I called," she answered.  There
was something about the way she said it that made me nervous.

	"Oh?" was all I replied.

	"I received a rather strange phone call this morning," she said.
"Actually, TWO rather strange phone calls.  And the fact I got them
both in the same hour makes it even more bizarre."

	"Who were the calls from?" I asked.

	"Well, one was from someone named Howard or Howie.  I didn't catch his
last name.  He just said that he worked with the Backstreet Boys, and
he was wondering if it was possible for you to take a leave of
absence," she said.

	"What?"

	"Yeah.  He said something had come up that made it kind of important
for you to travel with the group for a bit, and he wondered if you
could have some time off," she continued.

	"Anna, I'm sorry he did that.  The guys and I were just talking about
some problems going on last night and," I started.

	"Dylan, I understand.  I know you've been having a rough road of it
lately.  But the fact is that I can't let you just disappear from work
for an indefinite period of time.  I need every hand I can get on this
project if we're gonna make it on schedule," she said.

	"I know, Anna.  And I'll be back on Monday to start back to work," I
said.

	"Well, no, actually you won't."

	"What?" I was shocked.  "Anna, please, I know my work hasn't been up to
par the last week or two, but please give me a chance.  I can get back
up to speed, I promise," I was practically begging.

	"No, Dylan, you misunderstood me.  You WILL be working on Monday, but
you won't be HERE to do it."

	"Huh?" was my rather witty reply.  She chuckled.

	"I'm sorry, Dylan.  Let me explain the whole thing, ok?" she asked.  I
nodded stupidly, which she couldn't see, of course.  She continued
anyway.

	"Your friend and I talked, and we came to an agreement.  You will
continue to work, but you will be allowed to do it on the road.  I'm
shipping you a company laptop.  You can use your own cell phone if you
need to and just charge any business related calls back to your
expenses."

	"You will be required to check in with me at least once a day, and you
will have to provide regular progress updates so that I can prove to
anyone who might ask that you are in fact working."  She paused a
moment here.  "There are two catches, though," she said.

	"Go on," I said.

	"If I find that you are not pulling your weight, then I will have to
ask that you return to Tampa.  If you choose not to return, then I will
have to terminate your employment," she said, her voice very formal.
She shifted to a more friendly tone before she continued.

	"I realize that this is a highly unusual set of circumstances, Dylan,
and you're a valuable enough worker that I'm willing to take this
chance, but it's MY butt on the line if you're not performing.  I'm the
one who'll have to justify all of this to upper management."

	"I understand.  And I have no problem with that.  I won't let you down,
Anna.  I know the risk you're taking," I replied.  And I did.  While
the company allowed telecommuting, and even had a good modem and
networking setup to handle it, they didn't normally let people
telecommute 100% of their time.  She WAS taking a risk allowing this.

	"Second, if for any reason anyone else in the office registers a
complaint or feels that they should be allowed to do the same thing,
then I'll have to pull you back, as well.  It's not totally fair to let
you do this and not your coworkers, but I also can't run a development
shop with everyone at home.  I've tried it before and it just doesn't
work.  So, your ability to stay on the road will be contingent on your
coworkers.  Try not to piss `em off," she finished with a chuckle.

	"Got it.  I'll try to butter `em all up as much as I can," I replied,
also chuckling.  I remembered her other statement.  "Who was the other
phone call from."

	"Well, this one was strange, especially since I got it like an hour
after I finished talking to the first guy," she paused, as if gathering
her thoughts.

	"This second call comes in and the guy says that he's also affiliated
with the Backstreet Boys, and that it was important to the continued
success and stability of the group if I made sure you were NOT with
them come Monday."

	"What?"

	"Yeah.  He said that he wanted to make sure that I wouldn't grant you
the time off to stay with the group.  Something about him kind of
rubbed me the wrong way, so I just told him that I wasn't going to give
you time off.  I told him that, come Monday, you'd be back working
again.  I just didn't mention that you would still be with the group
when you were working."

	"I don't suppose you got his name, did you?" I asked, already knowing
what she was about to say.

	"Actually, I did.  He said his name was Allen.  He also requested that
we keep the conversation confidential, as it could be misconstrued if
certain people got wind of it.  He intimated the media, but I'd imagine
that it wasn't reporters he was worried about, was it?" she said.

	"No, it probably wasn't," I sighed.  He'd done it again.  Kev was going
to have a fit.  "Listen, Anna, I want to thank you for all of this.
And, I want to apologize," I said.

	"Why?"

	"It was totally unprofessional for EITHER of them to call you.  While
I'm personally glad that you decided to let me stay here, I'm frankly a
little embarrassed that people are going to you behind my back like
that."

	"Don't worry about it, Dylan.  Normally, this would probably reflect
badly on you.  But, the fact of the matter is that, since that
announcement a few weeks back, nothing that happens around you is
really normal," she said that last with a smile in her voice.

	"Thanks," I paused, "I think, anyway."  We both chuckled a moment.
"Seriously, though, I do appreciate you doing all of this for me.  I
can't really imagine what I've done to deserve it, but I'll do my best
not to let you down."

	"See that you don't, Dylan, and we'll be just fine," she replied.  She
still sounded like she was laughing, but I knew she was very serious.

	We hung up then, and I sighed.  I was going to get to stay with the
guys.  With Kevin.  I was relieved beyond words.  But, Howie and I were
definitely due for a little talk.  As much as I appreciated his
concern, it wasn't right for him to go to her like that.  Especially
without talking to me first.

	And then there was Allen.  I had no idea what I was going to do about
him.  Obviously, he didn't approve, either of my relationship with
Kevin or of me personally.  Or perhaps it was both.

	I momentarily debated not telling Kevin, keeping it to myself.  But,
I'd already had enough of trying to go it alone.  Kevin was in for the
long haul, and I guess he deserved to know how his management was
working me over.



	I walked down the hall to Howie's room.  I figured I'd chat with him
first.  After all, I wasn't really all that mad at him.  I just wanted
to set a few things straight.

	He answered quickly after I knocked.  He seemed a little surprised to
see me, but invited me in.  We walked inside his room, and I sat down
in a chair.  He sat across from me on the edge of his bed.

	"So, what's up?" he asked.

	"Well," I said, "I just got off the phone with my boss."

	"Oh," he said.

	"Yeah, `Oh'," I replied.  "Look, Howie, I appreciate you doing that and
all, but," he interrupted he there.

	"Dylan, I know."  He sighed.  "I shouldn't have gone behind your back
and called her.  But, I thought maybe it'd make a stronger impression
on her if someone besides you was asking."

	"Well, you made an impression on her, I guess.  She agreed to let me
stay.  It's just," I stopped, trying to find the right words.  "It
comes across as a little...unprofessional.  Like I'm back in high
school sending my best friend to find out if someone likes me or not,
ya know?"  He nodded.

	"I get it, DJ.  And I'm sorry.  I was just trying to help.  You seemed
so miserable last night.  And I knew that if you had to go back to
Tampa, Kevin would've wanted to go with you.  That would've caused
problems for him with management, and you'd have gotten caught in the
middle there. So, I tried to fix things before they blew up again."

	"I understand, Howie.  Just, next time you decide to rearrange my
career, please tell me.  When Anna told me that I wasn't going to be
coming back to work, I nearly had a heart attack.  I thought I'd been
fired or something," I told him, smiling.  He chuckled.

	"Alright, I promise, man.  I'll give you a heads up when I decide to
play God in your life again," he said.  I nodded in satisfaction.

	"Just one question, Howie," I said.

	"What's that?"

	"How the hell did you get in touch with her?" I wondered.  He kind of
blushed and looked away.

	"Well, Dylan, I sort of snuck in your room this morning and borrowed
your cell phone and checked through the programmed numbers.  You had
one that was `Anna Rodriquez', so I took a chance and got her," he
replied.

	"My, my, aren't you just a regular Ethan Hunt?" I said, referring to
the main character in the `Mission Impossible' movie.  Howie just
laughed and started humming the theme to the show.

	We talked for a while longer, mostly me giving him a dose about going
to my boss.  But, he knew I was only kidding, and took it all in
stride.  Eventually, I stood and headed for the door.  I knew that I
still had one stop to make.

	I walked further down the hall after saying bye to Howie.  I wasn't
really looking forward to the next meeting.  But, my anger was growing
as I thought more about it.  Not only had Allen decided he was going to
keep us apart, he'd also gone to my BOSS to try to arrange it.  Tacky.

	I came to Allen's door just as Kevin was walking out.  He didn't seem
upset at all, so I guessed that his meeting had been productive.  I
hated to spoil that, but I really needed to get this worked out, so I
just pushed him back inside and shut the door before turning to the two
of them.

	"We need to talk."



Chapter 66

	"Dylan, what's up?" Kevin asked.  I glanced at him a moment before
turning to Allen.

	"Where exactly do you get off calling my boss to discuss whether or not
I am able to stay here?" I asked, not even bothering to say hello
first.

	"He did what?" Kev asked me, turning to Allen with a shocked look.

	"He called Anna this morning and requested that she not allow me any
time off.  Said it would be better for the `continued success and well
being' of the group if I wasn't with you."  I was starting to build up
a good head of steam, now.

	"Allen, is this true?" Kev asked.  I was a little hurt that he'd think
I was lying, but I quickly realized that he was thinking of Anna.
Whoever it was might've lied to her.  Fortunately, Allen didn't bother
to deny it.

	"Yes, it is, Kevin," he said calmly.

	"What the hell were you," Kev started to ask.  I put a hand on his arm,
interrupting him.  This was my fight, at least for now.

	"Allen, I don't know what it is that you have against me.  I don't know
if you hate me personally or if you're one of those ignorant asses who
thinks that I `converted'," I laid on the sarcasm here, "Kevin to the
gay side.  Frankly, I don't give a shit."

	"You have NO RIGHT to interfere with my life like that.  The fact is
that I have absolutely NO connection with you or with the Firm.  I
actually don't even have a legal connection of any kind with the
Backstreet Boys, unless you consider sleeping with one of the singers
to be a legal connection.  But understand this."

	"If you EVER pull something like this again, I will slap you personally
and the Firm as a corporation with a lawsuit so fast it'll blow the
shorts off that scrawny little thing you call an ass," I said.  Allen
opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand to stop him.

	"And before you tell me that I have no legal basis for it, keep in mind
that this is the age of the frivolous lawsuit.  I could probably sue
you for scratching your crotch with the wrong hand and still win a
million dollars.  And even if I lose, it's publicity you don't need."
I stopped and took a breath.

	"Are you finished, yet?" Allen asked.  Kevin jumped in here.

	"No, but you are, Allen," he said quietly.

	"I don't actually think so, Kevin," Allen replied, a trifle smug.  "You
see, I was told to take action by my superiors at the Firm.  So, any
problems you have with me will have to go through them."

	"And did your superiors also know exactly what type of action you were
going to be taking?"  Kevin's voice was that quiet-but-deadly tone.
"Or that your actions would probably result in the defection of at
least one and possibly all of the group you were managing?"  Allen
looked a little less smug when he said that.

	"No, I didn't think so.  I'd imagine that they probably told you to get
Dylan to sign a contract or agreement of some form so that they could
get some control over him.  I'd also imagine that they would much
rather keep him with us where they can keep an eye on him than send him
back to Tampa where he can do or say anything he wants without them
knowing a thing about it."

	"So, I'm thinking that those superiors of yours would much rather just
accept my relationship with Dylan and work with the group to keep us
all happy.  I'm guessing that, if I went to them to discuss your rather
questionable decision to approach Dylan's employer in an official
capacity as a representative of the Firm, they'd probably have quite a
bit to say.  And none of it would be good."

	Allen looked like he was about to explode.  I guessed from the look on
his face that Kevin had probably hit home with almost everything he'd
said.

	"Don't you get it?  Haven't you figured it out, yet?"  Allen said,
looking at Kevin.  "I was doing it for the good of the group.  None of
you understands what he," he pointed a finger at me, "means to you.
What he represents."

	"Allen, I do understand what he represents.  Far more than you
apparently do.  He represents happiness.  He represents a chance for me
to live something approaching a normal life.  And I'm not giving that
chance up for you or for anyone."

	"Now, either you get that through your head, or you give up management
of the Backstreet Boys for someone who can understand what we want.
Someone who can understand that all of this is a job.  It may be a job
that we love, but it isn't our entire life.  It can't be.  I'll give
you until tomorrow to make the decision.  If you don't, then the guys
and I will make it for you."

	He turned then, taking my hand and pulling me out the door.  I was
frankly a little surprised that he hadn't fired him on the spot.  So, I
asked him.

	"Why didn't you fire him?"

	"Because, Dylan," he replied with a sigh, "for one thing, I don't have
the power to do that myself.  And, for another, I didn't want to stir
up a lot of resentment with him."

	"The fact is that he has an influence in our lives.  If he wanted to,
he could make some trouble for us.  If he decides to leave on his own,
that's one thing.  If he decides to stay, then he makes that choice
knowing that you're part of the package now.  And, he makes that choice
himself.  Either way, it gives him at least a semblance of control over
his future."

	"I'm sorry about all this, Kev," I said quietly.

	"It's not your fault, D," he replied.  "It's just frustrating, is all.
I can understand having to deal with this from outsiders.  But, he's
one of our own.  We should be able to rely on him like we do on
everyone else."

	I didn't say anything else as we walked the rest of the way to our
room.  He turned to me when he went to unlock the door, the corner of
his mouth tilted up.

	"Dylan?" he asked.

	"Yeah?"

	"Suing him for scratching his crotch with the wrong hand?" he asked.

	"Hey, gimme a break," I said, lightly hitting his upper arm.  I was
under the gun, and it just popped into my head," I replied, smiling
back.  He just shook his head at me, leaning in to give me a quick
kiss.

	"Love ya, sweetie," he said.

	"Love ya back, hon," I whispered back.



Chapter 67

	I leaned back in my chair, stretching to work out the kinks.  I felt a
few joints popping and wondered to myself if I could get Kev's
management to spring for a decent chair for me.  These hotel chairs
were killing me.

	I'd been on the road with the guys for a week now.  Memorial Day
weekend was coming up, but the guys weren't getting much of a break.
We'd be in Minneapolis doing interviews and signings through Tuesday
night.  Then, we were off to Chicago for a few days, then one last stop
in New York before finally heading home.

	We were currently in my former hometown of Denver.  We were due to fly
out tomorrow afternoon for Minneapolis.  I was a little sad to be
moving on.  I hadn't had much chance to take a look around the area.
We'd been really busy the entire time we were here.

	Actually, we'd been busy the entire time I was with the guys.  It
seemed to be a never-ending parade of public appearances and
interviews.  My time in between was filled with work.  As promised, I'd
gotten my company laptop on Monday morning, and I'd been working since.

	Anna had commented to me this morning during our status call that she
was very pleased with what I'd accomplished.  I'd managed to get
through a couple of problem areas that had been plaguing me up until
this point.  It made me feel good that I was living up to my end of our
bargain.

	The interviews were different than I'd expected.  Most of the
interviews involving BSB that I'd ever read or seen were pretty
lightweight.  "What's your ideal girl like?"  "What do you miss the
most when you tour?"  "Are you currently dating?"

	But, the interviews that I was involved with tended to be a little
tougher.  They got into the issue of Kevin's deception.  What it was
like for him to have lived in secret for so long.  Why it was that he'd
finally decided to come out.  Questions about growing up gay.  How the
guys felt about the whole thing.

	Occasionally, fans were brought in if the studio could accommodate
them.  Generally, they were either supportive of Kevin or really didn't
care much.  There were very few who were outright hostile, and even
they eventually settled down after being around us for a bit.

	On the whole, the interviews and public appearances were very positive
experiences, both for me and for the group.  It really helped me see
that I wasn't as hated as I'd thought.  That was definitely a plus.

	Unfortunately, all the scheduled `group activities' and my own work
during my free hours pretty much eliminated the concept of `fun time'.
And, even worse, it basically cancelled any time that Kev and I might
spend together.

	The only time that we spent alone was in bed at night, and by that
time, we were both so tired that we couldn't do much more than drop a
peck on each other's cheek before slipping into unconsciousness.

	But, at least it was time together.  While it might not've been ideal,
it was far better than the alternative of going through all of this by
myself.

	I stood up from my chair and took a look out the window.  We were in a
hotel in downtown Denver.  We weren't high enough to have much of a
view, but it helped to get a look outside.  Actually, it gave me a
great idea.

	I turned and grabbed my coat, walking towards the door.  Even though it
was May, the evenings were still chilly.  I figured it was better safe
than sorry.

	I walked out into the hall.  I thought about stopping by Tom's room to
grab him, but decided against it.  In the week since I'd been with the
guys, I hadn't had any more harassing e-mails or phone calls.  I'd
pretty much decided that the guy had given up.

	I stepped out of the hotel and onto the street.  There was a crowd of
fans outside the door, as there always was wherever the guys stayed.
No one seemed to recognize me, though, which was good since I wanted
some privacy.

	I started wandering down the street, not heading in any particular
direction.  I just felt like taking in the evening air and stretching
my legs.  I didn't have any special destination in mind.

	Kevin and the other guys were out tonight.  I couldn't remember where.
The schedule was starting to blend together.  The only thing I knew was
that I didn't have to be with them, so I could stay at the hotel and
get some work done.

	"Got any change, mister?" a scratchy voice interrupted my wandering
thoughts.

	"No, sorry," I absently shook my head, not even looking up.  I'd gotten
used to panhandlers in the city a long time ago.  I didn't even
register them all that much anymore.

	"Too bad, Dylan," the voice said.  That DID get my attention.

	I turned to see a strange man standing there.  There was nothing
remarkable about him.  He was...average.  Brown hair and eyes, average
build, about 5'10".  The only unusual thing about him was his voice.
It sounded almost like he was missing part of his vocal cords or
something.  It was very dry, very scratchy.

	"Do I know you?" I asked.

	"No, but I know you," he said.  There was something in his eyes that
was starting to make me uncomfortable.

	I took a moment to look around.  I didn't see anyone else on the street
around us.  I wasn't too surprised.  I was away from the main `party
area' of downtown, and it was a Thursday night.  Downtown Denver didn't
have much in the way of a night crowd on a Thursday when you weren't in
LoDo.

	"No one's around, Dylan.  No one to help you out," he said.  He paused
then, staring into my eyes.  "I told you that you'd burn."

	I sucked in a breath, realizing finally who he was.  My own personal
stalker.  The man who, until a week ago, had been sending me hate mail
and threatening to make sure I took a trip to hell, very soon.

	"Ah, figured out who I am, huh?  I told you that you'd burn.  I told
you that you'd suffer for your sins.  You've corrupted the innocent
with your filth.  You've made a mockery of God's law with your
perversion.  And now, you shall face judgement."

	I started to take a step back when I saw him pull something from his
pocket.  It was black, but it reflected the glow of the streetlight
enough for me to see that it was a gun.  I immediately stopped, not
wanting to tempt this guy into taking a shot.

	"Come on, man," I said, trying to persuade him not to shoot me.  "Think
about what you're doing.  If you do this, you're gonna end up in jail."

	"No I won't.  God protects his own.  I am his right hand, come to wreak
his vengeance on you," he said.  There was a wild look coming into his
eyes.  I could tell he was starting to get into his role as `God's
judge'.  I was in trouble.

	"Look, how do you know that this is God's will.  Maybe he doesn't want
me dead.  Maybe he wants me alive to use as an example for," I started,
but he cut me off.

	"Oh, you'll be an example all right.  You'll be an example to all who
would go against God's will.  He has spoken to me.  He has told me to
strike you down in His name, so all who sin would know His will."  He
raised the gun then.

	My mind was in a frenzy.  I had no idea what I should do.  Do I run and
hope he's a really bad aim?  Do I stand my ground and just let him
shoot me?  I could feel myself starting to panic, to lose control.

	`Kev, I love you,' I thought.  `I wish I could see you again to tell
you!'

	"Drop the gun, now," a voice rang out from across the street.

	I looked to my right to see a police officer standing there, his own
gun drawn and pointed at my would-be killer.  The man holding a gun on
me glanced at the officer but did not lower his gun.

	"I can't do that, officer.  I have my mission, and I must see it
through.  God has told me," he said.

	"I don't care what God's told you.  I want you to drop that gun.  NOW!"
the officer shouted back.

	I breathed a sigh of relief as the gun started to slowly lower.  Then,
the world shifted into slow motion.  `God's assassin' turned his head
back towards me, and started to raise the gun again.  I spun around,
hoping to move enough to throw off his aim.

	The next thing I knew I heard gunshots, followed quickly by a lance of
fire as everything went dark.


To be continued???