Crash with Fame

Legal Formalities-Do not read this story if you are below the age of 18 or offended by m/m relationships. Also I have no idea about the sexuality about any members of the Backstreet Boys and this is purely fantasy, not meant to imply anything about their sexuality.

Note: Hey, long one ain't it. There is no authors note at the end of this one and you will soon realize why. They are actually going to have sex. I know that it is long awaited and the time is finally here. As always if you have any questions or comments e-mail me at matrix3311@aol.com, ICQ me at 33110864, or YAHOO PAGE me at matrix3311. I hope you like it sorry it took so long. Now on for the story. Crash with fame-6 Written by Neo

I just stared at Brian for a minute. I was about to say something when I turned and walked out the door. I started to look around the yard for Howie. The gates were not open so I hoped that he was somewhere in the yard. I quickly looked around the front yard and did not see him. I knew that he had to be in the backyard. I walked around the side of the house and stopped dead in my tracks. There was an entire forest behind Howie's house. I looked and saw that a gate leading to them was open. I did not know how far it went back but I could see no end to it. I ran towards the woods and started to walk in. I yelled out Howie's name but got no answer. I continued deeper into the woods. I looked up, down, to the left, and to the right. I was about to give up when I thought that I saw Howie run to the side of me. I started off after where I thought that I saw him. I ran yelling his name. I did not see any sign of him, or where he could have run. It was starting to get dark so I decided to turn back but that was when it hit me. I did not know where back was. I started to stumble around haphazardly. It was really starting to get dark. I continued to stumble around when I heard a noise that sounded like city traffic. I headed for the noise and soon came out to the side of a highway. I still had no idea where I was at but I knew that it had to be better than being stuck in the woods. I started to walk down the side of the road looking for signs when I saw two headlights swerve off the road and head directly for me. I was glued to the ground. I just kept staring at the headlights as they came closer and closer. They were about fifty feet from me when I realized what was happening and jumped out of the way into a ditch. The car stopped and I heard doors slam shut. I looked up from where I was laying and saw Kevin and AJ standing above me.

"Chris," Kevin yelled.

"Kevin," I answered back.

"Chris, Howie is looking for you," AJ yelled at me.

"I know, but I got lost in the woods," I said standing up.

"Come on, we will take you home," AJ said extending his hand as I stepped out of the ditch.

"One question, were you trying to run me over?" I asked.

"Sorry about that, I just could not tell if it was you or not," AJ said looking down.

"Don't worry about it. Where is Howie?" I asked.

"He is back at the house, he was in the woods but came out when it started to get dark. Then he told us that he was going to find you but instead we went out. He is waiting at the house in case you call," Kevin said.

"That would work, except for one thing, I do not know the phone number," I laughed.

"That would be a reason for it not to work," AJ laughed pulling up to the gates and pressing his access code. The gates slowly opened and AJ pulled in. He stopped again and closed the gates. He then pulled up to the house and I jumped out. I ran up to the house and threw the door open. I saw Howie pacing up and down the living room. I ran over to him and threw myself around him.

"Chris," Howie yelled.

"Howie, where the hell did you go?" I asked letting go of him.

"I was in the woods, you should not have followed me, it is easy to get lost in them," Howie said.

"Baby, I would follow you anywhere, I need to talk to you," I said lovingly.

"I am just glad that you did not get lost," Howie said lovingly.

"I did, Kevin and AJ picked me up, I came out onto the highway," I said looking for Kevin and AJ, but they were not there.

"I am so sorry babe," Howie said kissing me.

"Howie, we need to talk," I told him pushing him down to the couch.

"About what?" he asked.

"Brian told me everything," I said softly. Howie just stared at me. He looked like he was going to cry.

"It's true," he said softly. I saw a single tear run down his cheek.

"What happened, am I a way for you to get even with him or something?" I asked.

"No, it is nothing like that, I love you, that is why I broke it off with Brian. He blames you for it but I do not, I could not keep up the charade anymore and I knew that if it came out I was going to hurt Nick and more than likely cause a big problem with everyone," Howie said sighing.

"Oh," was all that I was able to say.

"You are the only one for me," Howie said kissing me on the cheek.

"Then why did you tell Nick about Brian cheating on him with an unknown stranger," I asked.

"Because then I thought that Brian and I were right for each other, but then Nick had the accident and I saw how much Brian really cared for him, so I thought," Howie answered.

"I knew that there had to be an answer," I said kissing him deeply.

"But now that it is out I just feel so bad about everything," he said sighing.

"Don't worry about it baby, Nick is the only one that you have to worry about, and if you tell him what you just told me I am sure that he will understand," I told him.

"Is Brian okay?" he asked.

"I don't know, you did quite a job on him," I said.

"I know, it is just that he has been trying to piss you off but he succeeded in pissing me off, I just snapped," he said starting to cry.

"Cheer up baby," I said taking his hand. "Let's go to bed.

We headed out of the living room, turning off the lights, and up the stairs. We went into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. I started to kiss him on the neck and pull his shirt up. He did the same to me and we were soon lying there half-naked. Howie reached down and grabbed my belt. He undid it and pulled it right off of me. He then reached for the button to my pants and had just undid it when we heard the front door slam shut. Howie jumped up and ran to the doorway. I jumped up too and ran next to him. We slowly crept out of the room and looked down the stairs. We saw that the door was closed and started to venture down the stairs. We were just going around the first turn when I saw someone walk past a door.

"Chris, go to the hallway and press the emergency button on the alarm box," Howie whispered to me. I did as I was told and headed up the stairs. I got to the alarm box and pressed the big red panic button. The LCD flashed and I walked back down to Howie who was still standing on the stairs.

"Okay, what now?" I asked.

"We are going down there," Howie said stepping down another step. We slowly continued our way down the steps we had just gotten to the last step when we heard a large clap of thunder. I jumped and looked at Howie. He had his finger on his lip telling me not to say anything. We had just stepped onto the main floor when lightning flashed and the power went out.

"Shit," Howie said under his breath. We stood there listening for a minute until we heard a noise in the living room; it sounded like something had broke. We slowly crept into the living room. Just when we got to the doorway Howie grabbed a candlestick from a pedestal on his side. I grabbed the other one and walked into the living room. We saw a figure with their back turned towards us. Howie walked to one side and I walked to the other. The figure was turning towards Howie. I leapt on him and tackled him to the ground. The person put up a good fight but I managed to keep them down. I heard sirens from a distance and the pitter-patter of rain on the windows. Then I heard the person speak.

"Chris, get off of me," the person yelled.

I was shocked. "Nick? Is that you?" I asked.

"Yes, now will you please get off of me?" he asked.

I stood up and helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" I asked taking a step back.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nick said standing.

"A little conceded?" I asked.

"Everybody, freeze," a voice bellowed from the door. We all jumped then saw that two police officers were standing in the doorway.

"No, it's okay, it was a false alarm," Howie said walking towards the door.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"Howie Dorough, I live here," Howie said reaching for his wallet. He showed the man his id.

"So everything is okay?" the man asked.

"Yeah, it was just a false alarm," Howie said. The guy looked around for a minute then headed out the door. Howie walked back to Nick and me.

"It's getting chilly in here," I said to him.

"Maybe if you guys were fully dressed..." Nick started. I looked at Howie and he looked at me. Howie got up and went to the fireplace. He grabbed a match from the holder on the mantle then reached in and turned on the gas. When he finished he came and sat back down next to me.

"What the hell were you doing here anyway Nick?" Howie asked. Nick sighed and looked at the ground.

"I saw from the gate that all the lights were off so I actually entered my code, then I came in and was just about to lay down on the couch when the power went out was going to light a fire to jetsam light when I got pounced on," he stated.

"That explains how you got here, but now why are you here?" Howie asked again.

"Well to tell you the truth, I left Brian," he said flatly. I gasped.

"Nick, I am so sorry, I did not want any of this to happen," Howie said apologetically.

"Howie don't worry about it, we have been having problems for a long time now," Nick said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well after tonight, on our way home, we had a fight about how he has been treating you, and when we got home I packed my bags and left," Nick said.

"I am so sorry, this is all my fault," I said sitting upright.

"No, it is not, I am better off now, Brian did not love me like I did him," Nick sighed.

"You can stay here all you want," Howie said.

"Thanks, I hope that you do not mind me coming over tonight," Nick said.

"Not at all," Howie replied modestly. I started to yawn and a chain reaction started.

"I think that we need to get some sleep," Howie said walking over to the fireplace and turning it off. I stood next to him and grabbed his hand. We were just walking out of the room when I heard Nick collapse on the couch. I turned and looked at him.

"There are extra rooms upstairs," I said. "I know, I just do not want to int..impose," he said.

"Nick get your skinny white ass upstairs," Howie commanded. Nick jumped up off of the couch and bolted for the stairs. I looked over at Howie and he just gave me a dopey grin.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said pulling me up the stairs. We went up the stairs and headed for the bedroom. Howie set the alarm and we stumbled through the darkness to the bedroom. We got into the bedroom it was remarkably bright in there. I figured that the mirror had something to do with it. Howie walked over to the window and looked out. "Shit." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"The gates are still open. They won't shut until the power comes back." He said.

"Don't worry, the alarm is set," I reassured him. He looked at me and I blew him a kiss. I quickly got out of my clothes and Howie did the same. We practically jumped into the bed. I grabbed him around the waist and started to kiss him on the neck. I heard the wind outside scream through the trees out back. I had m hands working down Howie's back when we suddenly heard a thunderous crash come from the hallway. We both bolted up and Howie threw the door open just as Nick was coming out of his room.

"Nick, what happened?" Howie asked.

"I don't know, I was just falling asleep when I heard a crash of glass," Nick explained. We squinted around in the dim moonlight to see what broke.

"Holy shit," Howie yelled pointing to the stair well. My eyes followed his arm to the window and I saw what had broke. A tree branch had smashed in the entire window.

"Looks like we are having quite a storm," Nick said.

"Yeah, shit it is pouring out there," Howie said looking out the opening where the window was. "There is a tarp down in the basement."

"Where at?" I asked.

"It is sitting under the pool table," he answered. I walked back into the room and grabbed a pair of Howie's shoes and I realized that they were the perfect size. I then realized that I was in my boxer-briefs. I grabbed my pants and threw them on. I then threw on the shoes and headed for the door. I grabbed Howie's pants on the way.

"Here," I said throwing his pants at him. He looked down and blushed. I laughed at him and headed down the stairs. I kept spiraling and was afraid that I was going to get dizzy. I walked over to the pool table and grabbed the tarp out from under it. I walked back upstairs. I got to the first level and saw that Howie and Nick were pushing the tree branch back out the window. I walked under the stairs and over to them.

"So how are we going to get to the top of the window?" Nick asked looking up.

"Well there is a ladder in the garage," Howie said.

"Where is the garage?" I asked him.

"It is in back, you have to go outside to get to it," he answered.

"Someone give me a shirt and I will go get it," I said.

"No, I will get it, I know where everything is at," Howie said heading out under the stairs. He opened the door and it nearly ripped his arm off. "Damn the wind is blowing," He then crouched over and headed out the door. I looked back towards Nick who was picking up large pieces of broken glass. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed the broom and headed back to the stairs. I started to sweep the glass when I saw Howie run into the garage. He quickly came out carrying a ladder. I could tell that he was struggling with the wind. I went back to work and soon he came in carrying the ladder.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that wind is hell," he said panting.

"Howie, your side is bleeding," Nick said to him.

"Yeah, I know, a tree branch came lying at me," he said.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is nothing bad," he said, "Now lets get this window fixed and go to bed." He set up the ladder and I climbed it. He handed me a couple nails and a hammer. I tacked up the corner and to the center as far as I could reach. I got down and moved the ladder over. I soon had the whole top nailed up. I then got off the ladder and started in down at the bottom. Nick came over with another hammer and we quickly finished tacking the sides and bottom to the wall. I set the hammer down on the stairs and grabbed the broom. I swept all the glass into one pile on the floor. I just left it for the night. I had realized that Howie was not there.

"Where is Howie?" I asked Nick.

"He said that he had to go to the bathroom," he said leaning against the stairs.

"Oh," I said leaning next to him. Howie soon came back to the room.

"Let's all get to bed," Howie said grabbing my hand and heading up the stairs. I followed after him and Nick followed me. Nick went into his bedroom and Howie and I into ours. We quickly got undressed again. This time we were too tired and snuggled up next to each other and fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning to screaming. "Howie, wake up, someone is screaming," I said shaking him on the side he bolted upright in bed. He looked at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"There is screaming from outside," I said standing up. Howie jumped out of bed and went to the window. It was cracked and I was surprised that it had shattered.

"The gates never closed," he said sighing.

"So that means..." I started.

"Yeah, they have been here for about an hour," Nick said walking in the room. "Kevin and the guys called, the storm we had last night, is making everyone evacuate their building. I told them to come over," he said flopping down on the bed.

"Make yourself comfortable," Howie said.

"I will, by the way. You have four windows broken out, three cracked, the French doors to the porch in my room, and the skylight in the kitchen are gone." He said.

"Four cracked windows," Howie said pointing towards the window in our room. "What about water damage?" "Basement is flooded and the living room and kitchen are wet," he said.

"Great, looks like that the guys are not staying here," he said.

"Nope, my parents have invited us to stay with them. They were far enough inland, and away from trees, to survive the storm," he joked. Suddenly there was a large deafening scream coming from outside.

"The guys are here," Howie noted.

"I think that we are going to have to sign if they want to get out of the car," Nick joked.

"Obviously power is still out too," I noted.

"Guess so, a lot of lines must be down, anyway, Nick could you please excuse us?" Howie asked.

"What for?" he asked.

"So that we can get changed," he bellowed.

"Fine, I see how you are, won't share your toys," Nick said punching me on the arm. I just gave him a dark stare. He took the hint and walked out of the room.

"Babe, my clothes are still out in the car," I sighed.

"Shit, well find a shirt and then just throw on your pants from yesterday," he said kissing me.

"Okay," I said. I grabbed my pants and then headed for the closet. I opened and jumped back. "The closet is as big as this room."

"Half the size. It used to be a bedroom but as you can see I needed the space," Howie corrected.

"Still, damn," I said. I walked into the closet and started to look for a shirt. I noticed that the pants were on top and the shirts were on the bottom. I got down to my knees and started to look for a shirt. I came across a baby blue pullover shirt and threw it on. I started to look for a shirt to accent it. I turned my back to the door and found a dark blue sweater vest. I was turning around to stand up when someone's crotch was right in my face.

"While your down there," AJ said grinning down at me.

I jumped to my feet and looked him straight in the eye. "Find me a microscope first," I told him. He stared at me for a minute thinking.

"I owe you one," he said turning and walking out of the closet. I was following behind him. I had just stepped out of the closet when AJ said something to Kevin.

"Hey Kev, look he is out of the closet," AJ laughed. Everyone just looked at him and rolled their eyes.

"You still owe me one," I said walking over to Howie.

"How did you guys get past the girls?" Nick asked.

"Security followed us and kicked them out. The gates are shut now but power is not back on yet." Kevin answered.

"That is good to know, so how bad did you guys get hit?" Howie asked.

"Pretty bad, they evacuated the building, something about structural damage," AJ answered.

"Hey, where is Brian?" Nick asked.

"He is downstairs, maybe you should go talk to him," Kevin advised.

"Yeah, I have a few things to say to him." Nick said leaving the room.

"Can we all go downstairs?" Howie asked.

"Yeah, I don't enjoy meeting in the middle of a bedroom." AJ complained. We all headed downstairs, Nick and Brian were in the middle of the dining room so we all went into the living room and sat down. I looked around and noticed that the rear and front window were smashed in.

"Jeez, what a mess," I said heading for the stairs to get the broom. I grabbed in and headed back to the living room. I started to sweep the glass up.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kevin asked. I shook my head no but Howie intervened.

"Yeah, go to the garage and get about 6 sheets of plywood. They are up in the rafters." He said. Kevin and AJ stood and headed out the door. Howie walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his head on my shoulder.

"I love you," I whispered in his ear.

"I love you," he said kissing me on the cheek. I had just about finished sweeping the glass up when Kevin and AJ came back with the plywood. They were both drenched in sweat. "You did not have to bring them all at once."

"His bright idea," Kevin said thumbing AJ. AJ just smiled.

"Okay, now go get the nails and hammer from behind the stairs," Howie directed. I had just finished sweeping the glass and sat down in a chair. AJ jumped up and ran for the nails and hammer. He quickly returned and thrust them in my face. I took them and headed towards the window. Howie and Kevin followed me with a sheet of plywood. They set it up against the window and I put a nail in each corner. We continued like this until we had all the broken windows on the ground floor boarded up. Meanwhile AJ was sweeping the broken glass and Nick and Brian were "talking" in the kitchen.

"Shit, were there any windows that we did not cover?" Howie asked.

"Yeah, the ones upstairs," I breathed sitting down on the couch. Howie sat next to me.

"Where are Brian and Nick?" Kevin asked.

"They are talking in the kitchen, we chased them from room to room so they hid out in there," I answered. AJ had picked up all the broken glass and soon sat down next to us.

"Man Howie, I filled up an entire trash can with your windows," he sighed,

"Thanks for the comfort, anyway, we can not stay here tonight in case it storms again. The Carter's have invited us to stay with them," Howie replied.

"Cool," AJ replied. We sat around talking about the storm last night when Brian and Nick finally emerged from the kitchen hand in hand. Kevin, AJ, Howie, and I just stared at them waiting for them to say something.

"Chris, I am sorry, I know that I have been giving you an extremely rough time and I know that I was wrong," Brian said to me.

I did not know what to say so I just looked at him. He continued on.

"Nick and I have gotten back together and are well..." he paused.

"Engaged," Nick suddenly yelled out. Kevin jumped up and threw himself around Brian; the rest of just stared. Finally AJ broke the silence.

"Congratulations, he said shaking Nick's hand.

"Yeah, congratulations," I said shaking his hand. Howie just stared at Brian.

"Howie, wake up," Nick said waving his hand in front of Howie's face. Howie snapped out of it,

""Brian...what...why...what about...?" he stammered in a hurt tone. It was my turn to stare.

"Because Nick and I are in love," he said flatly. I kept staring at Howie. He looked at me and I turned my back on him. I headed up the stairs to our room. I got in the room and threw myself on the bed. I felt like crying but couldn't. I was pissed off. It seemed to me that Howie still had feelings for Brian. I lay there staring at myself when Howie walked in the room.

"Chris?" he asked softly. He knew that he fucked up.

"What?" I bellowed.

"Chris, baby, what's wrong?" he asked.

"First let me ask you a question. What you told me last night. Was it true?" I asked.

"Yes, of course," he said walking over to me. He sat down on the bed and I got up. I looked him straight in the eye.

"Then why did Nick and Brian's engagement seem to hurt you so much?" I asked. Howie was stumped. He thought for a long while before he answered.

"Because, it was a surprise," he said.

"That is bullshit and you know it, I could tell that you still have feelings for him." I screamed at him.

"Chris, baby, you are the only one for me," he said standing up.

"Then what the hell were you going to ask when you said what about?" I demanded. Howie just stared at me. He thought for a minute then looked at me again. "That is what I thought." I turned and headed for the door. I grabbed my keys off of the dresser.

"Chris," Howie started. I stopped and faced him.

"Look, it is obvious that Brian does not like me, and it is obvious that you do not want me anymore so goodbye," I said turning and heading out the door. I had just stepped into the hallway when I felt Howie grab my shoulder. I stopped again and pushed his chest to get him off of me. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor. I kept walking. I walked down the stairs and Kevin, Nick, Brian, and AJ were standing at the foot of the stairs looking up. I stopped and they moved. I looked at each one of their puzzled glances. Brian started to ask something when I looked him in the eye and punched him square in the nose. He grabbed it and fell to the floor.

"Chris," I heard Howie yell from the top of the stairs just as I was opening the front door.

"Have fun with Brian," I said slamming the door. I jumped the stairs and headed straight for my Durango. I got in started it and pulled up to the gates. I punched the open button in the bush and waited for the gates to open. They had just finished opening when I saw the guys come running out of the house. Howie and Brian were not with them. I stepped on the gas and pulled onto the street. They continued to chase me for about a block. I kept looking back but never stopped. When I got to a red light in the shopping district I started to think about what had just happened. I started to cry and slammed my head down on the steering wheel. I continued to cry long after the light had turned green and was suddenly snapped back to life by the blare of a horn behind me. I jumped and quickly stepped on the gas. I started off when the car behind me honked again. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw that it was Kevin and AJ behind me. They were signaling for me to pull over. I ignored them and kept on driving. I drove around until I lost them and by then was pretty well lost myself. I stopped at a gas station and asked where I was. I realized that it was turning out to be one of those days because all the guy at the counter could say was 'amehicah'. I fought with him for a while before finally giving up. I went back to my car and headed back the way I came. I just drove and drove for what seemed like hours when for some reason I came back to Howie's house. I was contemplating pulling in or not when I noticed that there was an ambulance parked in the driveway. I gasped and stopped right in front of the gates. I continued to watch until the two paramedics came out, got into he ambulance and started it up. I pulled away from the gates and drove down the rode a bit. I parked my car on the side and got out. I walked back towards Howie's house. I had just got there as the ambulance was coming out. I flagged it down and it came to an abrupt stop.

"Is Howie okay?" I pleaded.

"We can not tell you," the driver said to me.

"Please, I lived there, I am the one that punched Brian," I cried to them. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Since you could be the only one that new Brian got punched we will tell you, Howie is okay. He had quite a shock and fell down the stairs. He will be fine as long as he gets some rest," the driver told me.

"Thank you very much," I said then ran in the gates before they could close. The ambulance pulled away and I walked up to the house. I had just gotten to the front door as it opened. Brian walked out alone. He looked back then quickly shut the door. He looked pathetic. He had red streaks all down his face and his shirt was covered in blood. A bandage covered his whole nose.

"What are you doing here?" he asked my snidely.

"Last I checked I lived here," I replied coldly.

"Not anymore, you left little boy and you ain't coming back," he retorted.

"I believe that that is up to Howie and myself to decide," I told him.

"Howie has already decided. He said 'I do not want to see that little bitch again' so I believe that you are trespassing." He said. His voice sounded funny.

"Brian, if your nose was not already broke I would break it," I said. "Now let me in and see Howie."

"I am afraid that Howie does not want to see you," he replied. This pissed me off.

"I am going to see Howie now step aside," I bellowed.

"You will have to go through me first," he said in a holier than thou tone.

"Don't make promises that you are too chicken to keep," I said.

"Leave now or I am going to have to call the police," he said.

"I am not leaving with out seeing Howie," I said getting up in his face. Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open and dialed the police. I knocked the phone out of his hand. It hit the pavement with a thud. I was about to ht Brian when he grabbed me around the throat. He put me into a headlock and whispered into my ear.

"Leave now, all you are is a cheap piece of white trash ass. Howie only picked you up for the weekend. He threw you out like a Kleenex. He only had you to get back at me," Brian said smugly. He let go of me and pushed me down to the ground. I got onto my hands and knees starting to get up. I quickly felt Brian's foot come up into my stomach. I fell back to the ground with my head hitting the pavement. I quickly regained composure and jumped to my feet. I was met by a punch right to the jaw. "Now GET OUT!" He yelled pushing me down the front steps. I stood up and turned at him. I was about to retaliate when he walked back into the house. I turned and headed for the gates. They were closed and I punched the button to open them. The weather plastic smashed under the power of my hand. The gates opened. I had just stepped out when I heard shouts coming from inside the house. I was just turning as the gates were closing. I slowly limped back to my car. I got in and pulled down the visor mirror. I looked at myself. My whole jaw was swollen and black and blue. My lip was bleeding and my stomach felt like it was tied in a knot. I lay down on the seat and reached into the glove box. I found some Kleenex and came back up. I dabbed at the blood on my lip and crumpled up the Kleenex. I shoved it in my pocket. I put up the mirror and threw my back against the seat. I slumped down and started to cry. Howie really did not want me. He wanted Brian. What about Nick? These thoughts kept coming into my head. I finally regained composure and sat up. I started the car and looked in the rearview mirror. My lip was bleeding again so I got the tissue out. I wiped off the blood and threw the tissue on the floor. I was about to pull away when someone ran behind my car. I turned in my seat and started to yell something when I saw that the person was sitting on my back bumper. I turned and looked forward and saw Nick sitting on my hood. I reached for the door handle and saw Kevin standing there. I put down the window.

"What?" I yelled.

"Chris, Kevin wants you," he said to me.

"He sure did not sound like it," I said.

"I don't know, but all I know is that he keeps asking for you," Kevin explained.

"Not what Brian said," I said to him.

"Fuck Brian, Howie needs you, please come back," Kevin begged. He looked like he was close to tears.

"Fine, but I can not promise that I will stay," I said.

"Thank you," Kevin said hugging me through the window. He said something to AJ and Nick and they soon jumped off my car. Kevin jumped in the passenger seat and Nick and jumped in back. I drove to the house. Kevin told me his number and it opened the gates. I drove in and pulled up to the house. I slowly got out and headed up the steps. I walked into the house and saw Brian sitting on the couch in the living room. He was just staring into space. I walked up the stairs and into Howie's room. He was lying on the bed. I could tell that he had been crying.

"Howie?" I whispered.

"Chris?" he asked trying to sit up.

"Yeah, don't sit keep laying," I said walking over to him.

"Chris, I am so sorry, I love you more than life itself," he said to me.

"I am sorry too, I should not have doubted you," I said to him. I lay down on the bed next to him.

"No, it is my fault. I thought that I still wanted Brian, but I was wrong. The instant you left I knew that I could not live without you," he said starting to cry. He snuggled up against me and rested his head on my chest.

"I think that we have gone through this before," I laughed.

"I know..." he sighed.

"Howie, I think that we need to get away from everyone and everything," I said. Howie did not say anything. He had fallen asleep. I lifted his head from my chest and laid it on the pillow. I slid out of the bed and started to head downstairs. I got about halfway down when I heard shouts coming from the living room. I continued to walk down.

"Brian, I don't give a fuck. What you did was inexcusable. Chris has done nothing to you and you keep giving him a hard time. Then you try to get between him and Howie. You have fucked up again and for the last time. I do not give a fuck what the Firm says. You are gone." Kevin yelled at Brian. Brian stared up at him, hell everyone stared at him. Brian thought about what he was going to say and finally spoke.

"You are going to kick your own cousin out of the group, why don't you do the smart thing and kick that damn wetback out?" Brian yelled back. AJ jumped to his feet but Nick stopped him.

"Brian, if it were not for Nick and Kevin being here I would kick your fucking ass right now. No one talks about Howie like that and worst of all he is not even here, and if you say one more thing about Latinos' I will kill you," AJ yelled at Brian.

"Fuck you AJ, you guys are nothing without me and Nick..." Brian started.

"What do you mean without me?" Nick asked.

"You're going to leave too," Brian said in more of an order than a question.

"No I am not, Brian, after today we are through permanently," Nick yelled at him. I finally decided to walk into the living room. They continued to fight.

"Brian, I suggest that you leave now." Kevin yelled at him.

"Fuck you, Kevin, I am not leaving," Brian yelled at him.

"Yes you are, I don't give a shit about you anymore and I couldn't care less if I ever see you again. Now leave," Kevin yelled. Brian jumped up and looked like he was going to pounce. Instead he just stomped out of the house. I heard the door slam open and shut. The guys finally noticed that I was in the room.

"Chris, how is Howie?" Kevin asked.

"He just fell asleep, I am going up to check if he is awake after all that," I said jumping up and heading for the stairs. I ran all the way up and into the bedroom. When I got in there Howie was awake.

"What happened?" Howie asked.

"Kevin just kicked Brian out of the group," I said solemnly.

"Oh,' is all that Howie said.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said as I was coming to lie down next to him.

"Get some sleep," I said to him. He snuggled up next to me and I started to rub his back. I heard his breathing slow and knew that he was asleep. I was too tired to move and just lay there. I knew that the guys would let themselves out. I laid my head down on Howie's shoulder and was soon fast asleep. I awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon. I sat up in bed a noticed that Howie was just walking in the room. He had two trays stacked upon each other. He came over and set one tray down in my lap. He then jumped in next to me and set his tray down on his lap. He snuggled up next to me and kissed me on the lips. Without words we started to eat breakfast. I was just so happy to be there with him. The instant we finished breakfast Howie jumped out of bed and threw me my clothes. I put them on and walked up next to Howie.

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"Well, you said last night that we need to get away so that is what we are doing. For the next to days were will be staying on a small uninhabited island of off the keys." He gloated kissing me. I stared at him.

"I love you, how long were you awake last night?" I asked.

"I heard the whole fight downstairs, by the way, Nick called, Kevin relented and let Brian back in." Howie said.

"I figured that he would," we walked downstairs and out the door. My suitcases were still in the car and Howie's were too. Howie got into the driver's seat and we took off. We got to the airport and found the terminal for our plane. It was a small 10-passenger plane. We had it all to ourselves. We sat in the very back and I immediately latched onto Howie's hand. The plane started up and took off. I was scared. I felt Howie's hand push my head down on his shoulder. I looked up at him. He just smiled at me. I buried my head deep into his neck enjoying his scent. I do not know how long the plane ride was but we soon landed. When we got out I saw a small cabin in the distance and nothing else. We grabbed our luggage and hiked up to the cabin. I heard the plane take off. I was about to say something when Howie started.

"There are no phones or any other disturbances. All we have is the radio and my cell phone and all the people who have my number know not to call me. We got to the cabin and it was as small as it looked from the airstrip. Howie produced a key and opened the door. Inside the main room there was a couch, love seat, chair, and a couple tables two of which adorned radios. The kitchen opened right up from the living room and then there was a small hall with two doors. One door for the bathroom and one for the bedroom. I set my luggage down by the door and hugged Howie. He kissed me and I felt his tongue push on my lips.

"Tonight," I said to him walking away.

"We have the whole island to ourselves. The closest person is 38 miles inland," Howie gloated.

"Perfect," I said kissing him. I looked at my watch. It was 2:30 already. "I am going to make some lunch," I told him.

"I'll help," he said hugging my waist. He let go of me and went to the fridge. He pulled out some bread. Mayo, and meat.

"Just sandwiches?" I asked.

"For now," he said. He brought the stuff over to the counter and started to make a couple of sandwiches. I kept getting pushed farther and farther into the corner. He finally put everything away I started to step out of the corner when Howie came directly towards me. He pushed me back into the corner and pinned me back. He started to kiss my neck and bite it. I was in too awkward of a position to do anything so I just relaxed. He started to unbutton my shirt while he was kissing my neck. He got the last button undone and spread it open. He then started to kiss down the center of my chest. He got to my bellybutton and twirled his tongue around in it. He then continued to move down lower. As soon as he got to the top of my pants he jumped up. He kissed my lips and stuck his tongue in. I eagerly met it with mine. Our tongues battled and neither lost. My hands were roaming all over Howie's muscular back. My hands had just slipped down to his ass when he jumped back. "So lets eat." He grinned.

"But...yeah, okay," I said. I had a raging hard-on and did not want to be left with it all day long. We grabbed our sandwiches and sat down at the two-person kitchen table. "How did you find something like this?" I asked. "Umm, well never mind," Howie said swiftly. I let it go at that. I did not want to get into another fight. "I love you baby," he said to me.

"I love you too, this is the best," I said. We finished our lunch and went out to the beach. My shirt was still open and the breeze felt good. We sat down on a bench under a tree. We took off our shoes and shirts. We took each other's hands and walked down the beach. We did not speak we just enjoyed each other's company. We walked all around the island in about half an hour.

"Small Island," Howie said.

"Yeah, also completely empty," I added knocking him down to the ground. He landed on his back and propped himself up on his arms. He looked up at me and I fell next to him. I rolled over on top of him and started to kiss him deeply. He returned the kisses and we were soon starting to sweat.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Howie asked pushing me off of him.

"You want me to go all the way back to the house and change?" I asked.

"Nope, I want you to take off your shorts and jump in the water," he smiled unbuttoning my shorts. I helped him get me out of them and did the same to him. We stood up and quickly discarded our boxer-briefs. I looked at him and saw that he had a small cut going around his rib cage. We ran, nude, to the water and dived in. I surfaced and saw no sign of Howie, I was about to dive down and look for him when I felt a hand grab my ass. I turned and was face to face with Howie. He put his finger to my lips telling me to be quiet. I did as I was told and he soon replaced his finger with his lips. I felt his tongue push against my lips and I let it in. We stood in the water kissing. I felt Howie start to lean on me. I knew that I was starting to slip. I fell backwards into the water and felt Howie's body press down against mine. We were still kissing. He broke long enough to surface. The sun was setting and Howie ran out of the water. He plopped down on the beach and I followed. We lay there staring at the sunset. It was soon dark but there was a full moon. The moonlight glistened off of the water and reflected onto Howie. He looked gorgeous under the moonlight. I leaned over for a kiss. Howie leaned to me and pushed me down on the sand. He climbed on top of me and started to kiss me. He kissed from my forehead down to my neck. He gently bit and nuzzled at my neck then continued to move farther down. He followed my chest down placing gentle kisses everywhere on my chest. He went to my nipples and started to flick them with his tongue. Once he got them soaking wet he gently blew on them making them hard as rock. He then continued down my body until he got to my waist. He then rolled me over and limbed onto my back. I could feel his dick rest on my ass cheeks. He brushed the sand off of me and started to massage my back. It felt so great that I started to moan. He worked my entire back before flipping me back over. He brushed the sand off of me again and lay down on top of me. Our cocks mashed together and Howie kissed me deeply on the lips. He then stood up and grabbed my hand. He pulled me into the water and started to kiss me. He ran his hands all over my body slowly planting kisses in a straight line down to my cock. He got to my waist and dove under water. I lost sight of him and heard a splash out in the deeper water. I swam out to him and he dove under water again. I was about to swim down to the shallower water when I felt a hand grab my leg. I then saw Howie surface just long enough to kiss me. He then dove underwater. The next thing I felt was great warmth around my cock. I felt Howie's head go back and forth on my shaft. I was in total ecstasy. All too soon Howie had to come up for air. He cradled me in his arms and carried me to the beach. My hard cock stood straight up and Howie leaned down and kissed it on the head.

He set me down on my back on the sand. He kissed me once then went down to my cock. He took it in his mouth and started to suck on it while moving his head up and down the shaft. He pushed my legs part with his and I felt a finger trace my ass crack. I was afraid that I was going to come too soon. Howie continued to suck my cock and play with my ass. I brought my hands up and grabbed the back of his head. I knew I was about to cum and Howie sensed it too. He released my cock and squeezed the swollen purple mushroom shaped head. He then moved back up to my mouth and kissed me.

I took this as my chance. I grabbed his shoulders and flipped him over. I kissed him and then went down to his crotch. His cock was rock hard and straining for attention. I started to tease it by kissing the head and kicking the shaft. Howie was moaning. In one quick movement I had his cock in my mouth. I started to suck on it while moving up and down. I decided to do to Howie what he did to me. I spread his legs and started to rub his ass crack. He grabbed my head and started to move it for me. I continued to rub his crack before I took it one step further. I shoved my hand up in Howie's face and he started to suck on my fingers. I waited until they were nice and wet. I then took them back and took my middle finger back to his crack. I found his whole and shoved my finger into his ass. He jumped at first but soon calmed down. I continued to suck his cock and finger fuck him. It was all too soon that I felt something hot hit the back of my throat. I could tell by the moans from Howie that he was enjoying it. His ass had clenched around my finger and I could barely manage to keep it moving. He shot load after load of cum into my mouth. I tried to swallow it all but some came dribbling out of the corners of my mouth. Howie's stream soon subsided. I did not swallow the last load and moved up to his mouth. I kissed him open mouth and he eagerly accepted. His tongue swirled around mine and took the last load of his cum from me. He took his tongue back from my mouth and closed his lips. He gently pushed me off of him and ran into the cabin. His cock bounced between his legs as he ran. I lay back down on the sand staring at the moon. Howie soon returned with a box and a jar.

"I want you in me," he whispered handing me the box and jar. I threw the box to the side and opened the jar. Howie lay on his stomach in the spread eagle position. I quickly dipped my finger in the jar and started to finger fuck Howie. I easily got on finger in so I added a second. Once I got his ass nice and slick I did the same to my cock. I lay on top of him and maneuvered my cock to his hole. I rested the head of my cock on his hole and put my hands on his for arms pinning him down. I slowly laid into him and felt the head of my dick enter his tight hole. He winced in pain on entry so I stopped.

"Okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. I continued to push on him. I slowly got the entire length of my cock in his ass. I felt his hole clamp down around my cock.

"Relax," I said soothingly. He did and soon relaxed the grip on my cock. I then slowly started to push in and out. I sped up as I went. I did not pull back until I felt my balls slap his ass then I yanked out and shoved in all over again. Howie was moaning and grunting the entire time. I soon felt my body tremble and shot load after load of cum into Howie's ass. He let out a scream. I collapsed down on him with my dick still in his ass. I soon fell fast asleep. I awoke the next morning on the beach. Howie was lying next to me in a spoon position. I kissed him on the neck causing him to wake up. He looked back at me and turned to face me. We lay on the beach holding and kissing each other.

"I love you," he said to me.

"I love you too," I said kissing him on the cheek.

"You were right, we needed this," he said to me.

"We also need to get out of the sun before I am as dark as you," I laughed.

"And the problem with that is?" he asked.

I stood up and pulled Howie to his feet he wrapped one arm around my waist and I did the same to him. We grabbed our clothes and headed for the cabin. We broke to walk through the door and immediatley wrapped ourselves up in each other again. We walked to the bedroom and got out or clothes. We both decided that me did not need shirts so we just threw on a pair of shorts. Free-balling. We headed back out to the main area and headed into the kitchen. I got out some eggs and bacon. Howie got out two frying pans and set them on the stove. He then got out two table settings and set the table. In the mean time I started to cook the bacon. I let it sizzle and started the eggs. Howie soon came to join me and the two of us quickly finished cooking. I filled our plates and we set down to eat. Howie turned on the radio in the living room and "Spanish eyes" soon came filtering into the room. Howie looked at me and blushed.

"Perfect timing," I said leaning over and giving him a kiss.

"I had no idea that it was on," he blushed again.

"Sure you didn't," I kidded. Howie leaned across the table and punched me in the arm. I was about to retaliate when an 'urgent message' came across the radio.

"...A violent storm is predicted to hit the southern Florida coastal area. It will not hit severely inland and should stay about 50-60 miles away from the main land. Please be advised that this storm may travel further inland. Please stay tuned for further updates," the radio spewed. Howie and I looked at each other.

"Umm, baby, isn't that where we are?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is," he stuttered. I just looked at him.

"Call the plane," I said to him.

"Good idea, I'm sorry babe," he said.

"Don't be, bad luck just seems to follow us," I sighed. Howie pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the number for the airport. I heard one side of the conversation.

"Yes, I need to get plane number 753 to pick us up early," Howie started. There was a pause. "Yes I understand but," he continued then paused again. "I know that there is a storm heading this way, that is why we need to get out of here," Howie continued pausing again. "Yes well thank you," he said hanging up the phone. He threw it down on the table and yelling at it.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The plane will not come out tonight," Howie said.

"What?" I asked. "You mean that we are stuck here?" I asked.

"Looks that way, but it is not so bad, The basement is a storm cellar and if we stay there when the storm comes we should be alright," he said to me.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, trust me," he said. There was something in the tone of his voice that made me nervous. "But I am going to call Kevin and tell him our situation," he added. He picked up the phone and dialed. He waited for a long time without saying anything. He finally hung up and threw down the phone.

"No answer?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

"Don't worry about it, like you said we should be fine.' I said. Howie started to cheer up and I grabbed his plate and put it in the sink. I turned on the water and started to wash the dishes when he came up behind me.

"Leave them," he said pulling me away. I did as he was told and allowed him to take me where he wanted. He lead me back out to the beach and sat me down on the bench under the tree. He sat down next to me and lay out on the bench resting his head on my lap. I looked down at him and started to stroke his hair. He pointed out to the water and I followed his arm.

"I think it will be here about lunchtime,' I said.

"That is what I thought too," he replied.

"Cheer up baby," I said to him. He looked up at me and tried to smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. He jumped up off of me and ran towards the water. I ran after him. He had just go to the waters edge when he stopped. I tried to stop but failed. I ran smack into him and knocked us both into the water. I ended up lying right on top of him. He pushed me off and stood up. He looked down at me, dripping wet. "Eager?"

"You smiled," I said. He dove down on top of me and started to tackle me. I stopped him by kissing him deeply on the lips. We rolled around in the shallow water kissing for quite a while until a loud boom interrupted us. We jumped and looked towards the sky. It was complete darkness.

"I think that we should get out of the water," he said standing up. I agreed and got up to. The wind was really blowing and it was starting to drizzle. We ran to the cabin and just as we got to the door it started to pour. We had just stepped in the door when lightning struck a tree by the beach.

"Now I see why you were worried," I said kissing him.

"Well lets see how bad it gets," Howie said. He had just finished speaking when the window in the living room blew out. "Never mind, let's go down to the storm cellar now." He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the bedroom. He went into the closet and lifted a trap door in the floor. He held it open for me and I headed down. He followed me down and shut the door latching it on all four sides.

"What was with the great urgency?" I asked.

"That window blew out, not in, there had to have been a cyclone," he said.

"You guys must go through this a lot," I said.

"We live in Florida, ya think?" he asked kissing me. He turned on a single bare bulb. I took notice of the room. It was no bigger than five foot square. I looked all around and obviously there were no windows. The sound of the storm outside was greatly magnified. I turned white and sank to the ground. Howie ran over next to me and jumped down beside me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. He gently kissed me on the head. "I forgot."

"Don't worry about it, you had no idea the storm was coming," I said. I buried my head in is neck. I started to feel better being there with Howie. I stretched out on the floor pulling Howie down with me. He wrapped his arms around me and I buried my head in his chest. Howie started to stroke my hair while we listened to the storm outside. It went on for what seemed like hours. At one point I had fallen asleep listening to Howie's breathing. I was suddenly awoken by a loud crash directly above us. I started to jump up but Howie pulled me back down. He totally intertwined our bodies and started to kiss me. He pushed my lips apart with his tongue and started to massage my tongue with his. I eagerly accepted it and lay there kissing.

"Listen," Howie said finally breaking our kiss.

"What, I don't hear anything," I said.

"My point exactly," he said.

"The storm has stopped!" I yelled.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Howie said jumping up and running for the trap door. He undid the latches and threw all of his strength into it. He soon hit the floor after the door rose only an inch.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just was not expecting that," he replied. "There is something on the door."

"You mean that we can not get out of here?" I asked starting to panic.

"Calm down, it is going to be okay," he said wrapping himself around me.

"But we are stuck," I cried.

"Yeah we are, but everything is going to be okay," he said kissing me. I did not return the kiss. I knew that I was white and I felt dizzy. Howie let go of me and reached into his coat pocket. The ground came up pretty fast.

"One more minute and we will have you out of there," a voice bellowed from above. I looked around and everything seemed to have a red tint to it. I sat up and got extremely dizzy. I felt as if I was going to fall again when I felt strong hands grab me under my arms.

"Baby, get up," Howie said picking me up. I stood up and Howie continued to hold onto me. He led me to the stairs just as the door was being ripped up. I looked up through the opening and saw a guy reaching his hand down the hole. I took it and he helped me up. Howie gently pushed me up when I got out of the hole I stood in what once was the bedroom. The frame of the house was all that was left standing. Howie soon came out of the cellar. I looked around and saw four men in blue uniforms.

"Everyone all right?" one of the men asked.

"Yeah, just a little shaken," I replied.

"Just the two of you?" a different man asked.

"Yeah," Howie said sheepishly.

"The chopper is outside, we will airlift you out of here," the same guy said leading us out the window. Well where the window, wall, once was. The chopper was just starting up as we headed out. We ducked down and ran to the door. The guy opened it and we jumped in. We were handed parachutes and told to put them on. That really made me feel good. The last man got in and the helicopter started to fly up.

"Aren't you going to shut the door?" I yelled to one of the men.

"No," was all he answered. I sat next to Howie watching out the door. One side was dark and the other the sun was shining. I had no idea where we were. We continued to circle from island to island until one of the men gave a signal to the pilot. He asked Howie where we needed to go. Howie told him where at then changed his mind and told him the Carter address. The man told the pilot what Howie said and the pilot headed in that direction. When he got close Howie watched out the door for the Carter place. I saw it before him and told the pilot to set down in the field. The helicopter slowly began its descent and when we got close to landing we could make out the bodies of about 10 figures coming running out the door. The pilot set down and we got out. The instant that we were out they took up to the air again.

"What the..." Kevin started.

"Hi," Howie and I said in unison smiling.

"Howie, I never took you for one that likes grand entrances," mom said. Howie and I looked at each other then smiled.

"Guys, the cabin is gone," Howie said solemnly.

"What happened," AJ asked.

"Howie, look, they are too far inland," I commented.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"I mean that there was a killer storm out by the island and a twister ate the cabin," Howie said. "The coast guard was nice enough to take us home." Howie said,

"Wow, I guess that you guys had quite a vacation," Nick laughed.

"Bad luck seems to follow us," I commented.

"So it seems," Kevin answered.

"Well come on, let's get you guys into the house," mom said. We followed everyone into the house.

"So how was your trip?" Bob asked. Everyone just looked at him and laughed. "Never mind," bob continued blushing.

"Are you guys hungry? Tired?" mom asked.

"A little of both," Howie said.

"Then you guys go up to your rooms...err room, and I will bring you guys up something to eat, and some shirts," mom said pushing up us the stairs. I looked at Howie and realized that we only had shorts on. I blushed and so did Howie. We climbed up the stairs and went down the hall to Howie's room. We went in and we each jumped on the bed knocking the other off. We both hit the floor with a thud.

"Howie?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"I call the bed," I yelled jumping up. I just lay on the bed as Howie was trying to do the same. This time I won, so I thought. Howie picked me up and set me down on the floor. Next he took the blanket and pillows off and set them on the floor. He then curled up next to me. "This works too," I said kissing him deeply. We continued to lie on the floor kissing. My hands roamed Howie's back and ass. I started grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt and was just pulling it over his head when the door opened. Aaron came into the room carrying two trays.

"Howie, Chris, mom told me..." he started but stopped the instant he saw us. Howie quickly jumped off of me and pulled his shirt back down. I jumped up too. We were both trying to hide the erections that we were sporting.

"Aaron..." Howie started.

"Sorry," Aaron stumbled setting the trays down on the dresser and running out of the room.

"Think we scared him for life?" I asked.

"Uh-huh," Howie said leaning in for a kiss.

"Should we go talk to him?" I asked.

"Uh-uh." He said.

"Then what are we going to do?" I asked.

"This..." Howie said grabbing me and throwing me on the bed. He jumped on top of me, pinning me down and started to kiss me passionately. He started to work on my shirt when the door opened again. We both jumped up again.

"Is there no privacy here?" Howie demanded.

"Nope," the guys said coming into the room.

"My little bro is scared for life," Nick said punching Howie gently on the arm.

"Do y'all mind?" Howie asked impatiently.

"Nope, not at all," AJ said. Howie picked up a pillow and threw it at him. It missed and hit Kevin instead.

"Thanks, I needed that," Kevin said throwing the pillow to the floor.

"No prob, now we were in the middle of catching on our vacation," Howie said.

"Go right ahead, just make sure that no more little kids come in," Kevin joked. Brian was in the room but he was sitting in a chair by the dresser not speaking.

"Brian still mad?" Howie asked softly. Nick nodded his head yes.

"So anyway, I guess that we will leave you guys alone," Kevin chuckled standing up.

"Just get out," Howie said pushing the guys out the door. They all quickly left and Howie and I laid back down on the bed. He started to nuzzle on my neck and I pushed him off. I jumped up and locked the door. I came back and laid down on the bed. "Good idea," Howie said kissing my chest. He slowly liked a line from nipple to nipple and then down to my belly button. He got to the top of my shorts and came back up to my mouth. He planted a short soft kiss on my lips then stood up.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm hungry," he said walking over to the dresser.

"Babe, you realized that I have no clothes?" I asked.

"Not until now, we'll tell AJ later and he can take you shopping," Howie smiled.

"Umm, I think that I would rather go with you, I do not want to end up looking like AJ," I laughed. Howie brought the trays over to us. They contained steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

"Good point, I don't think we could handle another AJ," I said kissing me on the neck. We laid next to each other and quickly ate our meals. I took the trays and set them down on the floor. Howie was laying out on the bed. I snuggled up next to him and laid my head on his shoulder. He kissed my head and rubbed my chest. I slid my hand under his back and pulled him close to me. He rested his shoulder in the crook of my neck and was soon fast asleep. I laid there looking down at him when a knock came on the door. I gently slid out from under Howie and answered the door. When I opened it Brian was standing there. I stepped out the door and closed it behind me.

"Hi," I said.

"Hello," he said coldly. I stared at him for a minute waiting for him to say something. He just stared at me so I made the first move.

"What?" I asked.

"I just wanted to say, well, I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Déjà vu," I said.

"I know, I have said this before, but after the other night, and Kevin and everything, I am just so sorry about everything," Brian started to cry. I gave him a hug and he cried on my shoulder.

"Calm down, Brian," I whispered. He continued to sob on my shoulder.

"It's just that, I've lost my friends and Nick and everything is just going so wrong," he sobbed. I stroked his hair while he sobbed.

"Brian, everything is going to be okay if you just give it time," I whispered.

"I know, but I feel so bad," he continued.

"Brian, get a good nights sleep and we can talk to everyone in the morning," I said.

"Good idea," he sobbed lifting his head from my shoulder. His eyes were all red and puffy. He turned and walked to his bedroom. I watched until the door shut, then I went back into my room and slid back in under Howie. I laid there for about an hour thinking about what Brian said. I would talk to Kevin early tomorrow so that Brian could talk to everyone. I was just falling asleep when the door slammed open. Kevin stood there panting.

"When was the last time you saw Brian?" Kevin yelled waking Howie.

"About an hour ago he apologized," I said.

"What happened after that?" he urged.

"He went to bed, then I went to bed," I said sitting up. I was starting to get worried.

"Shit," Kevin yelled.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he is missing," Kevin answered urgently. Howie and I jumped out of bed at the same time.

"What can we do?" Howie asked.

"Help me find him. He is not in the house the others are searching the yard." Kevin answered.

"Okay," we replied running after Kevin. We ran down the stairs and out the front door. I heard the guys calling for Brian.

"Did he drive here?" I asked Kevin.

"No, he came with AJ and myself," Kevin answered.

"Where is Nick," I asked when an idea popped in my head.

"I think that he is in back," Kevin answered. I took off towards the back yard. I felt the grass on my bare feet. I quickly found Nick looking in a patch of shrubs.

"Nick," I yelled to him.

"What?" he yelled back.

"Nick, is there anyplace that you would go to think or get away?" I asked.

"Umm, yeah, back in the woods there is an old tree house, and come to think of it I took Brian there once," Nick said straightening up.

"Take me there," I said. He nodded and ran off towards the woods. I yelled for the rest of the guys to follow us. I followed Nick as he ran. We ran about half way into the woods. I felt every twig and branch cut into my feet. I kept going because I felt responsible for what happened. We got to a tall tree with boards nailed into the side going into the leaves. "Stay here, I am not sure he wants to see you right now," I said to Nick. He nodded and I took off up the make shift ladder. I started to climb when I heard the guys finally catch up with us. Mom and Bob were there also. I got to the tree house and pushed open the small door. I crouched down to get in and when I did I saw Brian laying slumped against the wall. I quickly ran over to him. The boards in the tree house were old and weak and I heard them crack under the weight of Brian and I. I got over to him and saw a bottle of pills by his side. I quickly shook him. He did not respond. I shook him again. He still did not respond. I crawled back over to the door and yelled down. "Call 911," I then crawled back over to Brian. I pulled him down so that he was laying on the floor. I checked for a pulse. He had one but it was weak. He was not breathing. I tilted his head back and pinched his nose. I brought my mouth to his and breathed in. I then went down to his chest and beat on it. I continued to administer CPR. I heard an ambulance wail in the background. I kept giving Brian CPR. He finally coughed and opened his eyes. He looked at me and started to cry. I heard voices directly below us. Brian started to sit up but I kept him pinned down. Soon two paramedics were starting to come in the door. "Stop," I yelled to them.

"What?" they asked not stopping.

"The floor is weak," I yelled at them. They were right at my side and it was too late. I soon heard the floor cracking. The paramedics jumped out of the way but I did not have a chance. The boards broke and I fell. I grabbed wildly for something to grab on to. I caught the floor and held on. I heard screams below. I looked down and saw mom gasping in fear. I felt something land on my hand. I instinctively jerked it back and realized that that was a big mistake. I was holding on by one hand. I saw the paramedic's hand shoot down towards me.

"Grab my hand," he yelled at me.

"I can't," I cried at him.

"Come on, take it," he cried.

"I can't reach it," I told him grabbing for it. He grabbed my other wrist and started to pull me up. His hand was sweaty and I felt it start to slip. "I'm slipping," I cried to him. Then I felt it, the air rushing past me as I plummeted to the earth. I felt myself hit. I landed on my side by my whole body was hurting. I let myself fall onto my back and saw Howie kneeling down next to me. He leaned down and kissed me on the head and everything went black. Suddenly there was a bright white light. I opened my eyes and felt as if I was going to go blind from the light. I started to sit up but could not. I laid there for a minute taking in where I was. I soon heard something slam open and saw two men leaning down over me.

"Mr. Sams?" one man asked. I tried to speak but could not; I did my best and mumbled yes. It came out totally inaudible.

"Get Mr. Dorough," the one man said to the other. I saw the other man take off out of the room.

"Can you here what I am saying?" the man shouted at me. I nodded my head as best as I could but I felt something around my neck. The man was about to ask me something else when I saw him get pushed out of the way and saw Howie standing over me.

"Chris," he yelled. I looked up at him and tried to smile. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. He started to cry. I felt a tear hit me on the head. The first man soon leaned over me again. Howie turned and looked at him. "Let him up," Howie said. The man thought for a minute then reached down to my side and did something; he then leaned across me and did it again.

"Can you lift your arm?" he asked. I tried my best and got it up about three inches before I let it fall. I then did the same with the other one. "How about your legs?" he yelled again. I then successfully lifted both of my legs. The guy smiled broadly and looked at Howie.

"Well?" Howie urged.

"I think that he is going to be fine," the guy said to Howie. Howie smiled and wrapped the guy in a hug.

"I think that I will leave you two alone for a minute," he said walking out of the room. I finally realized that I was in a hospital room. Howie sat down in the chair next to my bed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his head fall to his hands and heard him start to cry. I slowly reached over and dropped my hand on his leg. He looked up at me, still crying.

"I'm love you," he said quietly. I gave him a look telling him the same. He took my hand off of his leg and wrapped it in his. He was smiling but was still crying. "I almost lost you, when you fell, I thought I lost you," he cried. I gave him a puzzled look. "The tree house, the floor gave out and you fell," he answered my look. It all suddenly came back to me. I remembered finding Brian and the paramedics not listening to me then the floor giving out. I winced in pain at the thought of it. Howie just continued to cry and hold my hand. The doctor soon came back in but Howie did not let go.

"Mr. Sams, your mother would like to see you," the doctor told me. I went white. Howie jumped up dropping my hand.

"Tell her no," Howie said.

"I think that he should decide that," the doctor said sternly. Howie looked at me and repeated himself. The doctor looked at me. "I'll bring her in," he said coldly. Howie took my hand back and I squeezed it as tight as I could. I saw Howie turn and realized that my mother must have walked in. I soon saw my mother leaning over me.

"Chris?" she asked calmly. I just looked at her. "Are you okay?" she asked. I turned my head. She reached over Howie and grabbed the control for the bed. She brought the head of the bed up nearly straight. I winced in pain and Howie took notice of it. He took the control from her and put the bed into a more comfortable position. My mother gave him a dirty look. He let the control fall back to its position. He still had not let go of my hand.

"I told you that you would be sorry for running off with him," my mom said gesturing towards Howie. I stared at her. Howie started to say something but my mom cut him off. "This is all your fault," she said to Howie. I looked at her again.

"No, this is your fault," Howie said to her.

"MY fault?" mom asked.

"Yes, perhaps Chris would not have left at all if it were not for you, perhaps Chris would still be at home if it were not for you," Howie told her coldly. She looked at him then turned back to me.

"I told you that you would pay for running off with this fag," she told me. I just kept staring at her. "Aren't you going to answer me?" she demanded.

"He is too tired and weak to talk," Howie said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, so now he needs his little girlfriend to defend him?" mom asked coldly.

"Only when you have him too scared to talk to you," Howie told her. She turned to from Howie and looked at me.

"Are you really happy here? I want an answer from you," she demanded from me. I thought for a minute trying to find the strength to tell her off. I finally managed to speak.

"Yes," I whispered. It was barely audible and raspy but she heard it.

"Tell me one thing, how can you be happy with someone who tried to kill you?" she asked. "You being here is all his fault," she continued. I looked at her and immediatley spoke.

"Fuck you mother," I said. This time I made sure that it was clear. She looked at me and I saw her eyes go red. I saw her hand raise in the air and felt Howie's drop mine. Mom's hand was coming down when it stopped. I saw Howie's hand grab hers and stop it. She turned and looked at him. He still held her hand back. She broke free from Howie's grasp and pushed him sharply in the chest. He winced in pain and fell backward right on top of me. Suddenly it felt like my whole body was on fire. I winced in pain and felt myself getting dizzy. Howie realized where he was at and jumped off of me. The pain was still there and just as intense. I saw Howie grab something from the wall and drop it again. He then walked over to my mother and stared her straight in the eye.

"You can push me around all you want, but when you cause me to hurt Chris that is when you go too far. Look at him there, he was feeling fine until you came in. Now he is in pain. If you ever do anything to remotely hurt him again I will make sure that you do not live long enough to enjoy it." Howie told her in a deep voice backing her towards the wall opposite from me. She stared at Howie before getting up and walking out of the room in a huff. Howie ran over to me and took my hand in his again.

"Are you alright?" he asked urgently. I looked up at him and forced a smile. He kissed me on the forehead as a nurse came running into the room.

"What," she asked. She then walked over to me and saw the look on my face. She walked out into the hall and called for the doctor. The doctor came back in and walked over to me. Howie explained what happened.

"Do you feel anything different?" he asked.

"My body...feels...fire..." I choked out. The doctor started examining me before he whispered something to the nurse. She ran out in the hall and soon two men in white uniforms came in the room with a stretcher. The lifted me up and set me on the stretcher.

"What's wrong?" Howie asked.

"Nothing, we are just going to have to do a C.A.T. scan," the doctor told Howie. Howie let go of my hand as the men started to wheel me out of the room. We had just started when my mother and a police officer came into the room. Mom pointed at Howie and the cop walked over to him. The doctor stopped and told the two orderlies to stop also.

"Sir, did you threaten this lady?" the cop asked Howie. Howie paused for a minute then spoke.

"Yes, I guess I did," he answered solemnly.

"Sir, threatening bodily harm upon another is a serious offense. Now you are sure that you threatened this lady?" he asked. I was expecting him to say no but he did not.

"Yes, I did," Howie said quietly.

"Then I am afraid that I am going to have to arrest you," the cop said sighing.

"No," I tried to yell while sitting up. It barely came out and the cop paid no attention to me. He reached into his holster and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He took Howie's hands and placed the handcuffs on him. Howie looked at me the entire time with a don't worry about it look. I knew that my face showed the panic I was feeling. The cop took Howie by one arm and led him past me. I tried to reach out but was too weak.

"Don't worry Chris," Howie yelled to me as my mother was walking past me. She paused for a second by me and smiled evilly at me. I started to cry. The orderlies wheeled me out into the hall and I saw Howie, the cop, and my mother, enter the elevator. My mother still had that evil grin on her face. Time seemed to slow down. I went in for the C.A.T. scan and was soon wheeled back to my room. I laid there for awhile thinking and crying. At some point Kevin came into my room. I saw him walk in but continued to stare at the ceiling. He sat down in the chair. I finally decided to say something to him.

"Kevin," I choked out. He stood up and walked over to me. He leaned down over top of me.

"Chris, Howie told me to come stay with you," Kevin said. "Is...he," I tried.

"Yeah, your mother wants to press charges though," Kevin sighed.

"News," I asked.

"They do not know yet, but if they do find out..." Kevin stopped. I looked up at him and started to cry. I felt as if this was all my fault. I could be the downfall of the Backstreet Boys. Howie was in jail because of my mother. I knew what I had to do. As soon as I got to go home I would do it.

"Home...?" I asked.

"I'll have to talk to the doctor. I gave him a will you look. He took notice of it and walked out of the room. He soon returned with the doctor.

"Mr. Sams," he started. I looked up at him.

"I believe that you will be able to go home in about two days. We need you to stay here for a little while for observation, but all should be fine." He smiled then walked out of the room. Kevin had sat back down in the chair next to my bed. I rested my head deeply into the pillow and cried myself to sleep. The next two days went slowly. The doctor kept making me do all these tests and I was able to walk on crutches, my leg was fractured so I could not walk on it. I was also able to talk better. Finally my last day there came. Nick, AJ, Kevin, and Brian were all there. This was the first time I had seen Brian since the accident.

"Chris, I am so sorry, I do not know how to thank you," Brian said to me.

"Glad to help," I laughed. "How is Howie?" I asked changing the subject.

"He is fine, your mother is going to press charges of harassment with intent to cause harm," Kevin sighed. I threw myself deep into the bed.

"Mr. Sams, if you will sign these forms, you can leave," the doctor told me handing me a clipboard. I signed everything that had an x by it. I soon handed it back to him. I started to get up. "Stay there and I will get a wheel chair," the doctor told me.

"I can walk," I told him.

"Hospital procedure," he said walking out to the hall. He quickly returned with a wheel chair and I got into it. AJ get behind it and grabbed the handles. He started to push me out. We got to the elevator and Nick pressed the door button. We waited for a minute then the doors opened. AJ pushed me in and let go of me to hold the door for the rest of the guys. I rolled right into the rear wall. I hit it with a thud. AJ turned and grabbed the wheel chair again.

"Sorry," AJ said blushing.

"Hey, I just got out, I do not want to get back in," I said laughing. He turned me around so that I faced the doors. The rest of the guys piled in and we headed down. Nick had my crutches. We got to the main floor and headed for the doors. I started to stand and Nick handed me my crutches. I got up and headed out the door. The guys lead me to a car and I got in the front seat. The rest of the guys got in the back except for AJ who got in the driver's seat. We took off towards the guys building. We had already discussed that I would be staying at Kevin's place. We quickly got to the apartment building and into the elevator. The ride up to the guy's floor was a fast one and I soon hobbled out of the elevator and followed Kevin to his apartment. I sat down on the couch and set my crutches next to me.

"Do you need anything?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, do you mind if I use the phone?" I asked.

"No, go ahead, he said handing me a cordless phone. I put it in my pocket and stood up grabbing my crutches. I headed down a small hall and into an extra bedroom that I would be using. I plopped down on the bed and pulled the phone out of my pocket. I dialed the number and let it ring. I knew that someone was going to be home, at least I prayed. Finally someone picked up the phone. I knew that the person I was looking for was not there so I got the number of where I could find them. I then dialed the new number. It was picked up after the third ring.

"Marriott Hotel, what room please?" the voice asked.

"716," I replied.

"One minute and your call will be transferred," the voice said. I waited and soon the phone began to ring again.

"Hello," someone asked picking up the phone.

"Hello," I spoke into the phone.

"Who is this?" the person asked.

"Chris," I replied.

"I knew that you would call, what do you want?" the person asked.

"Mom, drop the charges and I will come home," I said into the phone. I started to cry. I heard a soft chuckle from the other end.

"Okay," my mother said happily hanging up the phone. I hung it up on my end and hobbled back out to the living area. I was in a very solemn mood. I sat back down on the couch and tossed Kevin the phone. He had just hung it up when it started to ring. Kevin picked it up. I heard parts of the conversation but I knew what it was going to be about. Kevin soon hung up the phone.

"Chris, guess what?" he asked.

"The charges have been dropped?" I asked. Kevin looked at me in amazement.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Well then lets go get him," I said. Kevin got up and headed for the door. I got back up and hobbled after him. I had just got into the hall as Brian and AJ were coming out of their rooms. We all piled into the elevator. The ride down was as fast as the one up. We went out to the car and headed for the police station. When we got there everyone jumped out of the car and headed in. I was in the lead and pressed the button for the handicapped doors. They opened and I headed in. Howie was sitting in a chair by the door. He saw me come and jumped up. I stopped and smiled at him. He walked over to me and went to give me a hug but I stopped him. The rest of the guys were stopped behind me and we soon headed back out to the car. We all piled in and I still took the front seat for the legroom. Howie sat directly in the middle and took my hand as soon as the doors shut. It was uncomfortable but I did not want to let go of him. It would be all too soon that I would leave him for good. We pulled away from the police station and this time headed for Howie and my house. It was not that far from the police station and we soon got there. Kevin punched the bush and the gates opened. He pulled up to the house and we all got out. I struggled to get up the front steps. Howie was leading me from behind the entire way. I was just about up when I put my crutch too close to the edge of the step and fell backwards. Howie caught me as my crutches fell out from under me. He took me in his arms and carried me up the steps. AJ grabbed my crutches and brought them in. We walked into the house and into the living room. Howie set me down on the couch and propped my leg up on the coffee table.

"So why did she do it?" Kevin asked.

"Who do what?" I asked.

"Your mom, why did she suddenly drop the charges, I know that phone call you made had something to do with it," Kevin said.

"I just told her something that made her change her mind," I said avoiding the subject.

"What did you tell her?" Howie asked.

"Don't worry about it, everyone will find out soon enough," I said solemnly. We sat around talking for awhile longer. At one point the guys went into the kitchen and made us all sandwiches. Finally the guys all agreed that they had to go.

"Howie, don't forget that we have that P.C. tomorrow," Kevin said walking out the door.

"I know, I just hope management didn't say anything about jail," he replied. The guys finally left and Howie sat down next to me. He started to kiss me softly on the neck. I wrapped my arm around his body. Howie got off of me and laid me out on the couch. He let my leg hang off of the couch. He soon climbed on top off me and started to kiss my neck. I wrapped my arms around his body and pulled him close to me. I had one more phone call to make but I was going to let that wait. Howie's body was pressing down on top of mine and he started to kiss my neck. He kissed and bit it gently sometimes moving up and sometimes moving down. He kissed me right behind my ear and it caused my whole body to quiver. It felt great. I did not realize how sensitive it was. Howie took notice of it and continued to kiss and bite me there. I instantly got a major erection. Howie had one too and our erections ground into each other. He started to tug at my shirt and pulled it over my head. I did the same to him. Howie started to tug at my shorts and soon had the button undone. He started to pull them down and soon had them at the top of my cast. He got off of me to get it off of my cast. He pulled off my shoes and then my shorts. I laid there in my boxer-briefs waiting for Howie to come back. He didn't instead he picked me up and we headed upstairs. He walked into the bedroom and laid me down on the bed. He made sure to avoid my leg and climbed back on top of me. I tugged at the button on his shorts and soon had them undone. I pushed them down as far as I could get them. Howie got up and took them off the rest of the way. He then got back on top of me and kissed me deeply on the lips. He then kissed me on the chin and all the way down my chest. He stopped at my nipples and kissed each one tenderly. He then continued down to my crotch. He pulled my boxer-briefs down and got them off. He then took my erect cock in his hand. He teased it with his tongue then took it into his mouth. He sucked on my cock as he bobbed up and down. My hands reached down for his head and I rested them on the back of it. I guided his head with my hands. I felt my body start to tense up.

"I'm close...," I cried out. Howie did not respond. Instead he just took more of my cock into his mouth. I soon felt a surge of pleasure run through my body. I shot load after load of cum into Howie's mouth. He was able to get it all into his mouth. I felt the added suction as he swallowed. He reluctantly let my cock slide out of his mouth and he slid up my body. Our mouths met and our tongues did as well. I could taste my cum on his tongue and took some of it into my mouth. We kissed for a minute before Howie rolled off of me onto the bed. I turned myself over and started to nuzzle Howie's neck.

"Chris, you do not have to," he said.

"I want to," I replied biting his neck.

"But your leg," he started.

"I want to," I said moving down his chest. I straddled him the best that I could. I was trying to get into a better position when I hit my leg on the foot of the bed. I cried out in pain and Howie pushed me off of him.

"You are not going to hurt yourself any more for me," he said sternly. He stood up and pulled on his shorts. I laid there looking at him. "I love you baby, that is why I do not want to see you hurt," he said. I smiled at him. "Now, I am going down to start dinner." He said walking out the door. I took this as my chance. As soon as he was out of earshot I picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Marriott hotel, what room please," a voice answered on the first ring.

"716," I replied.

"One minute and your call will be connected," the voice said. Soon the phone was ringing again. It was also soon picked up.

"Hello," my mother asked.

"Mom," I replied.

"Chris, so good of you to call," she said pleasantly.

"Cut the crap mother. Tomorrow they have a press conference. Come and get me then," I said giving her the address.

"Then tomorrow it is," she said hanging up the phone. I hung up my end and started to cry. I heard sounds downstairs and knew that Howie was making dinner. I threw myself against the pillow and started to sob. I pulled the blanket over myself and pulled it to my chin. I continued to cry until I heard Howie coming up the steps. I quickly dried my eyes and tried my best to conceal the fact that I was crying. Howie laid down next to me and I rested my head on his shoulder. He rested his head on mine.

"Dinner is in the oven," he said softly.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he replied. We laid there for a little while until he had to check on dinner. He got up and walked out of the room. He got to the door and shook his ass a little. I laughed out loud and he walked out of the room. I laid down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to my chin. I soon fell asleep. I awoke the next morning to find Howie hugging me tightly. We were in a spoon position and I never wanted to leave his arms. They felt so strong and safe. I had to go to the bathroom so I slipped out from under his arms and looked for my crutches. I did not see them and realized that they were still downstairs. I got out of bed and supported myself on the wall. I jumped step by step to the bathroom. I got in, did my business and headed back out to the bedroom. I staggered to the bed and wrapped myself back in Howie. I stared at him sleeping. He looked so cute and young. I kissed him gently on the forehead and rested my head on his. I was just about to fall asleep when the alarm went off. Howie started to sit up and pushed my head off of his. It hit the pillow with a soft thud. He looked down at me and I smiled up at him. "We have that P.C. today," he reminded me.

"I know, I am just going to stay here though," I told him.

"Why are you going to stay home?" he asked me.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I do not fell like hobbling around a studio all day," I told him lovingly.

"I understand, come on, let's go down and get breakfast," he said.

"I would like to but my crutches are downstairs," I told him.

"I'll go get them," he told me jumping out of the bed.

"Hey, throw me my clothes," I told him. He went into the closet and came out with some clothes. He tossed them to me and helped me put them on. They fit perfectly. "Whose are these?" I asked.

"Yours, the guys went shopping for you," he told me.

"Oh," I answered back. I laid back down on the bed as Howie ran downstairs to get my crutches. He got to the doorway and stopped.

"Why am I going downstairs to get your crutches just to bring them back up, take you back down, and come back up for your crutches and take them back down?" he asked.

"Because neither of us thought of that," I laughed as Howie picked me up. He cradled me in his arms and I kissed him on the cheek. We went downstairs and Howie set me on the couch in the living room. I grabbed my crutches and stood up. I followed him into the kitchen. He made me sit down at the table as he made breakfast. I was starved after skipping dinner last night, but I knew that I would not be able to eat. Howie soon had scrambled eggs and sausage made and brought two servings over and set them down. He sat next to me and we ate breakfast in silence. We had just finished when the door opened. The guys all walked in and made themselves at home. I hobbled into the living room and sat down on the chair since Nick and Brian had the couch. I looked at them and then at Kevin inquisitively. He nodded his head yes. Howie soon came and joined us sitting on my lap. I kissed him on the cheek and he did the same. We all sat around talking when Kevin finally killed the moment.

"We have to get going, the P.C. is in half an hour," Kevin said. This got a group of groans from everyone. They all stood and Howie helped me up. I grabbed my crutches and followed everyone to the door. Everyone else walked out as I said goodbye to Howie.

"Good bye baby," I sighed.

"You make that sound long term," he stated.

"Well the lord only knows when we shall meet again," I said.

"Romeo and Juliet, you ain't gonna die on me are you," Howie asked,

"No, just being silly," I laughed. He pulled me into an embrace and kissed me deeply on the lips. Our tongues fought for a minute until we both needed to break for air. We finished our good-byes and I shut the door after them. I hobbled over to the window and watched them pull out of the gates and watched the gates slowly close. I had just sat down on the couch and reached for the TV remote when the gate buzzer sounded. I went to the door and pressed the open button. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my keys. I took my key to Howie's house off and set it on the table behind the couch. I then made my way to the door. "It is better this way, no long good-byes, no one trying to stop me, and no more problems for the band," I kept thinking to myself. I hobbled down the steps into my mothers waiting car. I opened the backdoor and threw my crutches in. Next I hobbled to the passenger side door and got in. I did not say anything to my mother. Instead I leaned my head on the window. She pulled out of the driveway without saying anything. We pulled out of the gates and my mom kept going.

"Stop," I commanded. She did.

"Press the red button in the bush," I told her. She did it. I was amazed that she would listen to me. She then continued on her way out. We pulled onto the road and sped away. I watched the house slowly get smaller and smaller in the side mirror. There was a single tear running down my cheek...