Previously...
"Well, wait til Mike hear's this, won't he be relieved." Burc winked at John and dashed off staggering from his laughter all the way to Mike's makeshift office.
"Yeah that makes one of us..." John muttered under his breath. The fact is, he did get into a fight as he had told Burc, what he didn't tell the latter was how he got blindsided with a beer bottle and knocked unconcious for God know's how long. John punched the cement wall behind him angry at himself for letting Jane get to him so much: not to mention not knowing if he really did give it away last night.
"Don't worry 'bout it." The other young man interupted him. "Help me up, won't ya?" The other man extended his hand out to Nick and smiled. "My name's Bryan, by the way."
"Yeah, you too." Nick watched the other disappear behind a corner before going back to picking up his things.
"Leighanne," Brian's eyes sparkled with joy -- like a tired scientist finally breaking the riddle of a formula he has been working on. "Leighanne, let's get married next week?" Brian gripped Leighanne's hands in his gently, He gazed deeply into Leighanne's eyes and reaction, his own searching for an answer.
"Brian...I...I.." Leighanne was overcomed with a rush of emotion. "Yes, I will." They kissed.
After a long, deep, and passionate merging of their beings, Brian hugged Leighanne to him dearly.
End of Part 7
------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimers: This is entirely a work of fiction and should only be taken an such. The series of events in this story does not necessarily reflect the lives of all those involved. Other than the Backstreet Boys and their relatives, all other characters are fictional, therefore any resemblances or similarities to real people or events is highly coincidental. Please enjoy this PG - 13 Story. Well 14 now with some of the coarse language involved. Thank you and don't forget to voice your opinions to me after you read this. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------
BSBHAB2 - Harmony Part 8 "Schemes"
In Mike's room/office...
"Mike, I am really sorry, but this situation is starting to get out of hand. You have been in charge for a while, and have done a great job, however, the current state of the Backstreet Boys, with this morning's news headlines added to that, have reached the already uneasy attention of the Board of Directors of Jive Sponsors." The Rep turned walked behind a small breakfast table and sat behind his already opened briefcase. "Now, with our sponsors being uneasy, naturally, that also makes management uneasy."
With a flourish, the Rep whipped out a small packet of papers and tossed them infront of Mike.
"Are you firing me?!" Mike's voice squeeked with disbelief. He flipped through the pages frantically, turning each page after the other in a mad frenzy.
"No, Mike. At least, not yet."
Mike turned his frantic eyes to gaze down at the Rep. He sat behind the breakfast table, sitting comfortably as though it were his own desk. His gnarly white -- almost talon like hands -- rested infront of him taping tapering fingers nonchalantly on the cool table top. His wrist disappeared behind a dark blue suit that was obviously hand made just for his own comfort.
The type of suit that cost enough money that should make even elephants look comfortable in it. His collar was cinched in tight around his neck sealed by a blaring red power tie. His old skinny neck grew from the paleness of his white shirt collar to end up on a stolid, strong face of a man of strict business. Staring into the elder man's cool, calculating, pale grey eyes, Mike knew immediately that had he been fired, he would have known it by now.
"No Mike, that is up to you." The Rep carefully closed his crocodile skin briefcase infront of him, making deliberate clicks as he ran his thumbs over the locks. "I have known you for a long time, and I know you will figure out a way out of this mess. That - "
"But sir, I..." Mike tried to get on the defensive -- a natural instict, nothing more -- but the sudden chill from The Rep's gaze shut him up emphatically.
"That is why I have convinced the higher ups to give you at least ten weeks to settle the troubles and figure out a way to get things rolling again. If you don't, I will have to settle to being wrong infront of the other Board members -- a situation I highly despise to be placed, if you catch where I am going with this of course? That is why you will do only your best and more to get things done, otherwise..." The elder man narrowed his eyes and chuckled before continuing. "...otherwise, my friend, you will know how cutthroat and devious this business really is." With that, the Rep picked up his case, and slowly made for the door where his own assistant was already there holding the door open as though summoned.
Mike took another pained look at the stack of papers in his hands and slumped to his chair as the door quietly closed, however still able to echo the words of the Rep. "Ten weeks..." Mike sighed and immediately hopped to work. ******************************************************
At the Hotel where the BSB Entourage are staying...
"Brian, do we have time? I mean to get things ready? The invitations, the cake, the - the - my dress?!" Leighanne was a hundred miles a second in her excitement when Brian cut her off.
"Yes, we'll have plenty of time sweetie. Now you should get onto the invitations, and have our hall taken care off by the end of the day. Oh and darling, let's try to keep this a little simple -- maybe?" Brian kissed Leighanne lightly on the cheek, before she rushed out of his arms uncharacteristically, muttering "invitations, dresses, flowers..." over and over again and until she was completely out the door.
"..a little simple..." Brian echoed himself, before delving back into his plan. "The best man! Surely he will return for this. He has to, I'm getting married!" Brian couldn't contain his own devious delight barely able to control himself while he wrote down the script to his personal invitations to be made later on and sent to their respective recepients. *******************************************************
Somewhere in the same city as the boys...
"Man, that was a bust." The same trenchcoated man from the club only the night before sulked onto the dusty couch of his partner -- a hard feat, granted he first had to find his way through all the old pizza boxes, newspapers (entertainment section of course), and clippings. "I thought you said your source was going to pull through? Obviously you were wrong."
"No, obviously there is something amis with the current situation of the Backstreet Boys. And I will be the one to figure it out. Imagine, us, exposing one of the biggest secrets behind Pop's greatest boy bands ever. We'd make a ton of doe man. Just think about it now the headlines -- OUR headlines 'Nick Carter: Leaves the Backstreet Boys for unknown reasons no longer.'" The other removed his long coat and hat exposing a clean shaven, clean cut, young man who himself would have made a Pop posterboy had the opportunity come knocking his way. His purple eyes burned with intensity out his fair and pretty face. His excitement enveloped his parter as he started to play on the older man's imaginations, and greed. "I can see it now, 'Dan Sullivan -- no, no, David Calloway & partner Dan Sullivan discovers truth behind Boy-band break up.'" His deliberate placement of the older man's name worked hook, line, and sinker. Dan knew now, staring at his older partner's face, that he had him in his grasps.
Moments later, David Calloway stumbled out of Dan's messy bachelor's appartment still drooling from Dan's plans and aspirations.
The truth was, Dan could care less about the truth behind why Nick Carter had left the band. As he watched his old parter round the corner and out of sight, he knew that his own intensions were to prove his own theories to be correct. His source had indeed delivered last night, despite what his partner had thought.
[Flashback] Back at the bar just as the fight started to spill all over the tables...
"You better get this punk away from me, boys and girls, before somebody gets hurt." Dan had heard the tall bodyguard's voice warningly echo over the hushed lull of the crowd. His partner was in the thick of it. David had scrambled over to the tall man when Dan had said he resembled the tall bodyguard that was with the Backstreet Boys. He shook his head.
"Hey, you the kid I was supposed to meet here?" Dan heard the hushed male's voice behind him. "No, don't turn around. Stay the way you are, this won't take long." The other continued, placing a large gloved hand on his shoulder. "I was told to give you this envelope, so here it is."
"Is it...?" Dan took it under his arm. He didn't really know what it was.
"No." The secret man heard Dan sigh. "No, it's not opened and I don't know what's inside, so don't bother asking." The gloved paw released his shoulder, the absense of the weight that huge hand had carried was not lost to Dan -- now he really didn't want to upset this guy, whoever he is. "Oh and one more thing, don't tell you partner about what's inside. It's just for your eyes only, ya understand me boy?" He didn't give Dan a chance to barely nod his head before he continued. "Good. Now, don't turn around until I am gone. Count to a hundred. If I catch you peeking, I'll give you a black eye that would make what that kid's gonna wake up with in the morning look like a hickey. Now count!" The hushed voice barked as the trouble on the other end of the bar escalated.
Naturally, by the time Dan reached 50 the other was gone. Even then, Dan hadn't want to risk the other's anger and so counted fully to a hundred -- although hurriedly, before trying to at least catch any clues as to who the other guy had been. But somehow he knew that even if he had turned at the time he had reached ten that it wouldn't have mattered. The other was gone and will stay that way until he wanted to be seen again.
[End of flashback]
He opened the envelope knowing already what he was going to find. There was absolutely nothing truly incriminating inside except a small photograph of a muscled man, he now knew to be Scott McGill, the estranged brother of Brandon McGill, the homosexual young man that had been killed by his insane step mother after he had decided to make his choice of a lifestyle known. With the picture came a short typed letter that said that the answer laid with these people and told him to be patient, as the truth will soon be laid out for him to expose.
Despite his diggings, all he found was the address of the cemetary where Brandon McGill had been buried. That was his first stop. The truth is out there, and he will be damned before he is going to just sit around and let it fall into his lap. He hadn't been number one of his class for following the rules. Dan tossed the pictures aside, and chuckled. He never was one to follow the 'norm'- as it were - but right now, he needed to catch a couple winks of sleep before starting up on his quest. ******************************************************* Back at the Cemetary...
Nick sighed, his body trembled once again -- he never seemed to ever be able to shake it off since he was first brought here weeks ago by Scott. Everytime he comes here opens his wounds afresh, wounds he knew deep within him that will never ever heal.
He slumped down next to Brandon's familiar gravestone, slumping in onto himself, resting his chin on one knee. "Hey, guess what was on the paper this morning?" Nick gave a small giggle, resting himself more comfortably against the gravestone. "'New Backstreet Boy to replace Nick Carter in the Mix'" Nick read the headline nostalgic of his own days with his best friends. "People think Aaron is taking my place." Nick gave a squeal of a laugh, forced from his pained heart.
"Hmm, I miss them, Brandon but I just don't know if I can handle being with them again, you know? It's like right now I am finally free. IT feels amazing!" Nick's forced smile broadened a little, small happy sparks ignited a little while in his eyes before dying out just as sudden as they had appeared. "But it feels so empty without...without..." Nick fell to his knees, sniffling a little. "It just feels so empty, without you with me anymore." Nick sighed, a stray tear rolling down his cheek to fall alone down onto the white marble of the beacon to his love.
"What feels so empty?" Nick recognized the familiar voice behind him.
"Bryan!" Nick gasped and turned around, he brushed his tear away calmly and started to walk away from the gravesite. "H-h-hey, what you up to?" Nick tried to talk conversationally as though it was just another day for him.
"Oh nothing really, I just finished visiting an old friend." Bryan looked away to stare towards the cemetary gates. "My father actually. You know, he was like my best friend. I could've told him anything and he would be there to support me no matter what."
"Yeah...I know what you mean. It was the same with my...old friend too." Nick sighed, whiping away another stray tear.
Together the two walked in a mutual silence up until they reached the gate, where finally Bryan decided to break their silence.
"I don't think I caught your name?" Bryan asked, he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.
"Oh, sorry, you were in a rush. I'm..I'm Gene." Nick extended a delicate hand. "Nice to meet you, finally, eh?" Nick smiled sweetly at Bryan.
"Yeah, we seem to run into each other a lot." Bryan commented with a smile. He didn't really expect much, but something seemed to him that it was at least worth a try.
"Yeah, I guess so." Nick replied a little absent mindedly, taking a moment to take in a deep breath and to finally look around him in the parking lot.
"Gene, would you like to go grab some lunch with me sometime?" Bryan cocked his head to the side finally taking the chance that he had been thinking about since he saw Gene's suffering by that gravesight that he seems to be a regular visitor to. He remembered the first time he saw Gene in the cemetary, it was fairly obvious to see that whoever laid under there really meant something to him and there was no hiding it.
Nick was taken aback by the question. He hadn't known what to say. Here they were now practically on the verge of a date when only minutes ago he had been with his one and only love.
"I'm sorry, but I have to take a raincheck on that one for now." Nick smiled regretfully at Bryan. "I'm kinda bit in the middle of something right now, ya know what I'm saying?" Nick gave a helpless shrug and smiled a half cocked smile at Bryan.
"Oh, one of those huh." Bryan was crestfallen. But if his past relationship with Mike taught him anything, it was to take things with more faith, and time. "Well, in case you change your mind, here's my number." Bryan scribbled his phone number quickly on a scrap of torn notebook paper and handed it to Nick. "Well, don't get me wrong, but if just you wanna talk or whatnot, drop me a line sometime."
"I will." Nick took the phone number and fidgetted with it in his hands. In the last few weeks, all the phone numbers he had received have all met a similar fate: the trash can. "Sure, I'll give ya a buzz sometime. But I'll see you later?" Nick raised his eyebrow unsure of how the other was going to reply.
"Sure," Bryan nodded graciously with a cheerful smile when Nick stuffed the number -- almost gingerly, he noted -- into his pocket.
"Great! But I got to get going, I have some homework to take care of." Nick made helpless little pout.
"Ah," Bryan couldn't help himself from smiling warmly. Gene had looked too adorable when he pouted. "Well, I should get going too. I got some grading to do." Bryan laughed light heartedly -- a first time in a while -- and nudged Nick gently in the ribs. "Well, I'll see you later." Bryan winked at Nick and climbed quietly into his Accord. He waved goodbye behind his lightly tinted windows and slowly sped away scattering gravel underneath. *******************************************************
Back in New York...
"Jane, I think we should just give it a rest. I don't think Mike buys the whole thing with John. Even if he does, he will eventually find out that we were the ones who did it."
"I know, dear. I have thought about that already. I have already taken care of these things." Jane calmly continued to pack her things. "Besides, even if Mike did find out about it, what will he do?"
"I--I..." Her shadowed partner was speechless.
"Exactly, nothing. Now calm down, and get something to drink from the bar. After all, being about to be married must be making your throat a bit parched, darling." Jane's full lips parted in a small sinister smile as finally Brian steps out into the light and walks over to the bar to take her suggestion.
End of Part 8
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