DISCLAIMER: I don't know O-town or the Backstreet Boys and am not implying anything. This is just fantasy and if homosexual content offends you or is illegal for you to read, please leave. I am not affiliated with them, J records, Jive records, MTV, ABC or anything.
The only thing I have remotely in common with these boys is that Ashley Parker Angel and I were born on the exact same day-August 1, 1981.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Thanks to all the readers because without them writers would have no motivation.
http://jcv.5u.com/all/worldofslash/ --Jayson Vascardi's website that features my story and many other slash fiction stories. Go check it out.
Pytn18@hotmail.com for suggestions and comments
Nick and Ashley-Chapter Eighteen
Dan and Devon stood in the Orlando airport in a corner where they wouldn't be seen. Dan had his hands on Devon's hips and Devon had his arms around Dan's neck. Both men were leaning against the wall as Ashley and Jacob stood a few feet in front of them not only to shield people from seeing them but also to distract any watchers.
Dan leaned in and kissed his boyfriend on the lips. He pulled out with a tear in his eye.
"I'm gonna miss you Dev." Dan said.
"Me too Danny." Devon replied.
"I don't know how I'm gonna deal." Dan said.
"Well maybe this will help." Devon said as he pulled out a cd that had no label, obviously meaning it was a copy of something.
"What's this?" Dan asked.
"Just listen to it whenever you miss me but you can't start until you get in the air." Devon said.
"Ok." Dan said with a questioning smile.
"I love you Danny." Devon said.
"I love you too Dev." Dan said as he kissed Devon for one last time before he had to catch his flight. After he was done he walked towards Ashley and Jacob and told them he was ready.
"You ok bud?" Ashley asked his friend
"Yeah I'm fine let's just get going." Dan said.
Dan was the only one out of the 3 friends that had to experience this, well for now at least. Ashley and Jacob were with men from the same tour as them, but Dan had an actor for a boyfriend and he knew eventually that they would have to part ways every now and then as Devon has to do movie stuff and Dan has to do music stuff. He knew it but it didn't mean he had to like it. Devon had some promotional things to finish up in Orlando and then had a meeting with a big director in New York. Dan was very happy that the movie did well and would support his boyfriend to the end, as he knew Devon would for him. This meant, however that they had to be apart at times. Whoever said absence makes the heart grow fonder obviously was never too far away from someone they love.
The 10 members of the "Passing the Torch" tour boarded the plane and took their respective seats. Ashley made sure that he had a seat near Dan's and Nick completely understood why, knowing that he would have his chance to be with his boyfriend on tour. Dan needed Ashley more right now.
Before they knew it, the plane was in the air heading towards Indianapolis. He looked out the window and tried to take his mind off of Devon. That was easier said than done. All he could think about was him, the way his blond hair fell over his face, the way his deep blue eyes were like a window to his soul, the way his firm chest would rise up and down when Dan's head was sleeping on it. It was the little things that Dan would miss the most.
Dan looked at the cd that Devon gave him and curiously put it in his yellow Discman. He pushed the play button and saw that there was only one track on the entire cd. The music came through the headphones and Dan's ears recognized it as a Lonestar song that he had heard only once or twice. Dan decided to truly listen to the words of the song this time however as he knew Devon went out of his way for this.
"He called her on the road From a lonely cold hotel room Just to hear her say I love you one more time And when he heard the sound Of the kids laughing in the background He had to wipe away a tear from his eye A little voice came on the phone And said "Daddy when you coming home" He said the first thing that came to his mind
I'm already there Take a look around I'm the sunshine in your hair I'm the shadow on the ground I'm the whisper in the wind I'm your imaginary friend And I know I'm in your prayers Oh I'm already there
She got back on the phone Said I really miss you darling Don't worry about the kids they'll be alright Wish I was in your arms Lying right there beside you But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight And I'll gently kiss your lips Touch you with my fingertips So turn out the light and close your eyes
I'm already there Don't make a sound I'm the beat in your heart I'm the moonlight shining down I'm the whisper in the wind And I'll be there until the end Can you feel the love that we share? Oh I'm already there
We may be a thousand miles apart But I'll be with you wherever you are
I'm already there Take a look around I'm the sunshine in your hair I'm the shadow on the ground I'm the whisper in the wind And I'll be there until the end Can you feel the love that we share? Oh I'm already there Oh I'm already There"
Dan began to cry as the music subsided through the headphones. That was a truly beautiful song that Dan knew Devon had searched for to remind him of their love when he was gone. Dan treasured the gift. Even though he was crying, he felt a smile push through his lips. He took his headphones off and put them in his backpack and saw Ashley come over and sit down next to him.
"Everything ok Danny?" Ashley asked concerned for his friend.
"Yeah Ash everything is...." Dan started as he looked up at his friend "Everything is perfect." Dan said with a smile on his face.
The plane touched down in Indianapolis and all of the guys stepped off the plane and headed for the limos, which immediately escorted them to the hotel. Before they all split up to their individual rooms, Kevin said dinner was in his room tonight as he was ordering Italian and wanted to take orders from everyone now so it could get here quicker.
Orders were shouted out from all directions and Kevin took out a pencil and paper from the clipboard he held and wrote it down quicker then they could get them out it seemed.
"He's good huh?" Ashley asked Nick.
"Years of practice." Nick said with a laugh.
"What are you in the mood for tonight?" Ashley asked.
"Besides you inside of me?" Nick whispered in his ear.
"For dinner hornball, dessert isn't here yet." Ashley said hitting him in the chest.
"Oh ok, how about Chicken Parm then?" Nick suggested with a laugh
"Sounds good to me. Kev! Two chicken parms." Ashley screamed over to Kevin.
"You got it Ash." Kevin said as he finished taking orders and went inside the room to call the Italian restaurant that management had scouted for them.
After about 40 minutes they figured the food was ready so Kevin and Brian went to go pick it up. The car ride was a semi-quick one but it gave these two cousins a chance to talk, which was rare these days.
"Can you believe it's been almost 8 years since we started doing this cuz?" Kevin asked him.
"Yeah." Brian said looking out the window.
"What's the matter?" Kevin said snapping Brian out of his trance.
"Huh? Oh sorry." Brian started. "I don't know, it's just weird seeing Nick grow up, that's all." Brian admitted
"Ah, I see. Well we knew little Nicky was gonna grow up eventually Bri." Kevin said.
"I know but he's gonna be 22 next week. He was 14 or 15 when this whole thing started. I just feel really old." Brian said with a laugh.
"C'mon Bri, I'm 30, so I don't wanna hear about old. Besides, we're both married to beautiful women and Nick is in love with a great guy." Kevin said.
"I know I know, but me and Nick were always tight, Frick and Frack and all that." Brian said.
"Brian, I know for a fact that Nick still loves you as a brother. He looks up to you and one day wants the same thing you have with Leigh Ann. I know when we first started you two were inseparable and all that but he's in good hands with Ashley now." Kevin stated.
"Yeah I know." Brian said as they pulled up to the restaurant and got the food.
Once it was brought back to the room, Kevin made the necessary phone calls and within minutes everyone piled into the room. With plates of food in front of them, they scattered around the room and dug into their dinner.
"How is it babe?" Nick asked his boyfriend.
"Really good, how about yours?" Ashley replied
"The same as yours." Nick said with a laugh, as Ashley blushed remembering that they got the same thing for dinner.
"Couples." Howie said with a laugh as he watched on. He turned over to Erik and Trevor who were talking to each other. "What are you two doing tonight?" Howie asked them
"Nothing really. Why, what's up man?" Erik said as he took a bite out of his baked ziti.
"Well, seeing as we're the only 3 people in this room that are single, I say we go and find us some women." Howie said.
"Sounds great to me man, let's hit up a club." Trevor said as he finished chewing on his grilled chicken ceaser salad and taking a swig of his Snapple.
"Let's show Indy how it's done." Howie said as the three of them got up and headed out the door.
Everyone just kinda stood there in silence and looked at each other after watching 3 very desperate, sexually frustrated men go on a wild search for ass. After about 20 seconds or so everyone started cracking up.
"Those three are now known as 'The Singles' cuz they're never gonna learn." Kevin said as everyone continued to laugh, everyone except Dan. Ashley noticed this and he also knew why. Dan and Devon had never been this far away from each other. It hurt Ashley to see his friend hurting so much. He decided he needed to do something about this and got up and pulled out his cell phone and told Nick he would be right back as he walked out of the room into the hallway.
He perused through his phone book in his Nokia phone and came upon the one he was looking for. The phone began to ring as he hit the send button and after about 2 or 3 rings a "Hello" came from the other side.
"Hey Dev it's Ashley." Ashley said.
"Hey Ash, how's Indy?" Devon asked.
"It's great but there's something I need to talk to you about." Ashley said.
The fact that the tour stopped in Indy didn't seem special for any standards but it was. It was special because it was one of the only stops along the tour where they had sold out an entire stadium instead of just a normal arena. In this case, it was the RCA Dome. Usually home to the Indianapolis Colts, tonight it was owned by O-town and the Backstreet Boys. To sell out a stadium meant that you truly had arrived in the business. There were only a few acts out there that could sell out a stadium, which could hold around 70,000 people.
The five members of O-town stepped out on the stage to begin the show. The crowd went crazy seeing an opening act that might have been able to sell out the stadium by themselves. Ashley stepped to the front with a microphone as the other four boys stepped off to the side. Ashley looked out over the crowd and gave a wave, which sent most of the teenage girls over the edge as they began to cry.
"What's up Indy!" Ashley screamed into the microphone.
The crowd responded as if the president had just given a speech about fighting for you country.
"I just wanted to thank you all for giving me the proper time I needed to heal and the support that I needed to get better. It was a scary day when I got injured but we pulled out of it strong and we're ready to get back to giving you fans what you deserve-a great show!" Ashley said as the fans cheered. As Ashley ended his opening thanks the music to "All For Love" came through the speakers and the 4 other boys took their positions behind Ashley.
"All for love Baby Girl what I do, I do it for you All for love Baby Baby my love is all for you"
As all of them sang the intro the crowd cheered wildly and the boys began the dance routine. Ashley stepped up the very front of the stage and grabbed a few girls' hands as he began to sing the first verse.
"Girl you're the only one I'd ever love and need Cause when you're here with me You make me feel complete Girl it's too hard to swallow To know there's no tomorrow Without you baby
So I'll do anything or go anywhere"
Ashley belted out the lyrics as Erik came up next to him and the two of them lead the dance choreography in perfect tempo as they both finish the verse.
"To tell the whole wide world that I care Yeah With all my power I'll give you the real cause that is How I feel when it's
All for love Baby Girl what I do, I do it for you All for love Baby Baby my love is all for you"
Jacob stepped up through Ashley and Erik as the two men took a step back letting Jacob take care of the second verse.
"I'm gonna show you I can really be your every man And that's time and time again Love will never end
So I'll go anywhere and do anything (to tell the whole world that I care girl) I'll be your king cause you are my queen Life's a living dream Because it's
All for love Baby Girl what I do, I do it for you All for love Baby Baby my love is all for you"
The boys finished up the song and stood there for a few seconds just letting the crowd go nuts. It felt so good to hear them cheer for their work, that it was ok to savor it for a few seconds. O-town continued to pump up the crowd preparing them for the intense Backstreet performance. This truly was one of the better tours in the past few years. It featured two generations of pop and two very different yet very similar sounds. Backstreet truly was passing the torch to their younger rivals, as they were happy to give it to 5 men that they knew they could trust it with.
O-town finished up their set and made way for BSB as the decibel level in the RCA Dome rose to deafening. "The Call" immediately came through the speakers. The high paced song demanded a very high paced dance, which the boys had no trouble pulling out, except for halfway through the song when it stopped for the breakdown and then pulled back into an even faster part of the song. It truly showed the range of what it took to be the best and Backstreet's been doing it for years. People emulated them and people quite frankly used them as examples of what to do. It all started eight years ago and they were still doing it and doing it well.
The song was soon over and the concert continued as Backstreet showed off their skills. By the end of the night the boys were drenched in sweat, which was nothing new to them. They truly gave their all out there on stage.
Nick walked to the front of the stage and sat down on a stool with a standing microphone mouth level with him. The four other boys also stood on stools but well behind him. He wiped himself off with a towel and then threw it into the crowd giving a lucky fan a souvenir. He took a swig of water from the Poland Spring bottle and placed it down next to the chair.
"Hey, everyone having a good time tonight?" Nick asked an obvious question to the already crazy crowd. "That's good to hear." Nick said as the crowd cheered wildly.
"This is our last song tonight. It goes out to someone special in my life and I'd like to dedicate it to special people in everyone's life. Love is something that shouldn't be taken for granted and you never know when you're going to lose it so treasure it...please." Nick said into the microphone as a smooth piano riff came from the band in the background behind them. Nick put his mouth to the mic and began to sing a ballad that Ashley knew was for him as he watched from backstage.
"Open up your heart to me And say what's on your mind, oh yes I know that we have been through so much pain But I still need you in my life this time, and..."
Nick started the first verse of "I Need You Tonight". It was a beautiful song that was one of Ashley's favorites. Ashley was touched immensely that Nick would pick such a powerful song for their love. It truly showed the power of a word.
"I need you tonight I need you right now I know deep within my heart It doesn't matter if it's wrong or right I really need you tonight
I figured out what to say to you But sometimes the words they, they come out so wrong, oh yes they do And I know in time that you will understand That what we have is so right this time, and
I need you tonight I need you right now I know deep within my heart It doesn't matter if it's wrong or right"
The 4 other members of BSB joined in and harmonized as Nick began the bridge.
"All those endless times We tried to make it last forever more And baby I know I need you I know deep within my heart It doesn't matter if it's wrong or right I really need you, oh
I need you tonight - I need you, oh I need you baby I need you right now - It's gotta be this, it's gotta be this I know deep within my heart No, it doesn't matter if it's wrong or it's right All I know is baby I really need you tonight"
Nick was crying by the end of the song but that was ok because half the crowd was crying too, along with Ashley from backstage. All of BSB ran off stage waving thank yous into the crowd and Nick ran straight to where Ashley was and pulled him into a deep kiss that seemed to seal the impact of the powerful song. No one was watching them that didn't already know how much they loved each other. They were an amazing couple, perfect in many eyes and especially in the eyes of Nick and Ashley. Nothing could come between them and they knew it. They knew what they had was special and as long as they kept the love strong than this would never fade.
TO BE CONTINUED...
<<<<Easily my longest chapter yet...email me at pytn18@hotmail.com for comments and suggestions...>>>>