Title: Set Adrift Author: Jezebel the Temptress Feedback: eh_oh_po@yahoo.com
Disclaimers: This story is fiction and it is not intended to imply anything about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or any personal knowledge about their private lives. If you are underage for your area or if it is illegal for you to look at this why not go somewhere else, if you don't like the thought of two men together in a loving, sexual way this isn't for you either.
Summary: Nick finds out that one small act can have severe repercussions for a long time to come. Who would have thought that one kiss could cause so much pain?
Notes: This is my first story to the archive, I've written a little before but no real slash in this arena. Please send feedback so I know if you like it and where you think this ought to go. I know that sex isn't the be all and end all of a relationship so it might not feature too strongly in the main story but there will be some of it along the way.
The dates might be a little messed up but I wanted this to fit into a specific timeline and all of the major events will still happen, just in a shorter space of time.
Check out the following stories by the authors that inspire me: On the Streets (BSB - Kevin) Under Management (Nsync - Lance) Brian and Me (BSB) JC's Hitchhiker (Nsync) Double Take (BSB) My New Life (Nsync)
It had been two days since the realisation that the contract that Sully had signed was a fake. The three men had met back in the bar to discuss the consequences of their discovery, although no real discussion was taking place.
It was difficult to get a lawyer to look over the contract without being able to confide in them what it was for but the terms were pretty straight forward and Joey was surprised to see that Nick had been right. To all intents and purposes the contract was null and void thanks to the two large court cases that they had taken out against Pearlman and Transcon.
As Joey looked over the report in front of him he could see that there was no reason why Sully should not be in their lives, the fact that it would also mean that he could reunite with AJ was less appealing, Joey knew that Steve would end up getting hurt in all of this but he could not help but feel that maybe this was fate. AJ and Sully had been separated for a long time and they deserved a chance, maybe Steve would be there to catch Sully if it didn't work out. At least his older brother could stay friends with the club owner who was rapidly growing on Joe. He had wanted to hate Alexander Sullivan for what he had done to his brother, even though Steve was older he was less wordly wise than Joey was and his younger brother felt the need to protect him. In doing so Joe was pretty sure that he had found a new friend.
Nick too was over the moon with the results, he had hoped that it would give him the chance to reunite Alex and Sully and now he was also glad that he had been right. It was rare that some problem or other was solved because of him and when he was right he would record the moment for prosperity, after all when you were young, blonde and in a boy band people didn't believe that you had a brain. At least on this occasion he could prove them wrong.
The person that seemed least pleased with the findings was Sully himself, the fact that the contract was to all intents and purposes null and void raised more questions than it answered and posed more problems than he thought he could cope with. Sully had rebuilt his life after the bombshell of having to leave AJ, he was not sure that he wanted to go back. He loved Alex but it was clear before he left that the other man would never feel the same, Nick's being there did not make any difference and neither did the fact that he was now able to make contact. It had broken his heart the first time that he had had to leave Alex behind, he didn't think that he could go through that again and he knew that eventually he would have to. Maybe Lou Pearlman had done him a favour in giving him that contract, if nothing else he had been forced to move on.
The three men were sitting at the bar, each nursing a drink and lost in their own thoughts. The bar was only just opening, it was only seven o'clock and it would be a while before the place began to fill up so they all noticed when a young looking man walked in and stopped in his tracks as he saw the three of them gathered at the bar.
"Oh." Ben said distractedly as he saw the two men he had been going between at the bar together, Nick had been looking for Sully and Xander had been avoiding Nick, but it appeared that they had found each other. Thankfully it did not look as if anyone had lost a life or a limb so that had to be good, but there was a melancholy feel to the place that made Ben wonder what he had missed.
"It's okay Ben, this is Nick Carter and Joey Fatone, we're all friends." Sully said by way of breaking the ice, the air in the room was tight and could easily have been cut with the proverbial knife. "Did you want something in particular?"
"I was looking for you." Ben said, deciding not to tell him whatever it was with Nick around.
"Well, you've found me." Sully said with an amiable smile. "What seems to be the problem?"
Ben looked shocked, he had a business matter to discuss and he wasn't sure that he could say it in front of these others. He knew Nick, not only from their own night together but of his reputation and Joey Fatone was as much as womaniser as Nick was a lover of men, what he didn't understand was why they were here.
"It's about the club." Ben said. Sully raised an eyebrow but gestured for Ben to carry on. "Drew said...He said that 'they' weren't allowed in here."
This time it was Sully's turn to be shocked, he had not expected that. He knew that his lover had been protective but he didn't think that it was that bad.
"He knew that it was Nick that hurt you, boy did I hear about that, but he didn't want you to break your oath or whatever." Ben said. "I thought you would want to know that."
Sully nodded thankful for the news but uncertain what he was supposed to do with it. Drew was dead and was no longer there to protect him and Nick, and he supposed the others, knew where he was.
"It's been a weird few days, I think I've got some stuff to think over." Sully said as he headed for the door, Joey put out a hand to stop him, grabbing his arm, but Sully shook it off. "I just need to think. Tell Stevey I'll be in touch."
Joey nodded and seemed happy with that but Nick was not. It was only Ben's presence that made him falter. As much as he wanted to find out what Sully was doing and wanted to keep the other man in his sight he could also see the advantage of having Ben on side. He could find out about the last five years from someone that had been there and that would give him possible ammunition in the second half of his mission. He had Alexander Sullivan in his sights, now he had to try and get the man to visit AJ and come back to the Sunshine state. With Ben on his team he was sure that they would win, all he had to do was find a way to get the information he wanted.
The problem with having a small apartment was that there was no real room to pace, Sully was not patient and when the answers did not come immediately he usually liked to roam. In a small apartment you just didn't have the freedom to do that.
The other problem was that the last time he had been this het up about something he had wandered aimlessly around the city and ended up with a new friend, someone that he had literally bumped into. The last thing that he needed now was to meet another Steve. The elder Fatone had caused as many problems as his friendship had fixed, not that he could blame Steve for his parentage but he could blame him for not telling him. There was also the problem of Nick, AJ and the Nick and AJ fiasco of five years ago - just because the contract was void it did not mean that the problem would just go away.
Alexander Sullivan found that he was at a loss as to what he should do, on the one hand it was good that he was no longer confined to certain places and that he could see his family in Florida again, on the other hand was the problem of avoiding Alex, Nick and the plethora of people connected with the Backstreet Boys, without telling them what the problem was he could hardly stay away.
For the second time in his lifetime he was alone and left having to make decisions that he did not want to make. No one wanted to change their life dramatically and yet he was faced with it for a second time, as far as he could see it he had two options to face up to things and to run. He had run last time and it had worked for a short time but just as with his love for Alex all those years ago he never really was one for facing up to things.
Sully sighed as he reached the wall and was forced to turn again. He was pacing until something better came along, he could not come up with an answer and he was not sure that he wanted one just yet. Maybe if he left it a few days someone else would solve it for him. Either way he was still in the same predicament, unsure of what to do and uncertain of the future.
"I won't betray a trust." Ben asserted as Nick asked him to tell him more about Drew and Sully.
Nick sighed, he had bought Ben a coffee and they had been skirting around the issue for a few minutes, he did not know how much the other man knew but maybe it was time to tell Ben a few truths of his own. Kevin had told him once that to get a secret you have to share a secret, he hoped that it would work on this occasion too.
"Can I tell you something?" Nick asked hesitantly.
"Sure." Ben replied.
"This is about more than reuniting two friends. I fucked up, Sully is more than a friend to the band, he was kinda seeing one of the others and I screwed that up. I came on to him, wouldn't take no for an answer, and when he pushed me away he felt as if he had to leave." Nick said.
"So you're doing this out of guilt?" Ben asked plainly, Nick could see that he was not happy with Nick's admission.
"No. I'm doing this out of friendship." Nick replied. "And hopefully so that I can make up for some of what I've done."
Nick was open and honest, he knew that this was the only way that he was likely to get Ben to open up himself. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a truth for a truth.
"And when did Nick 'fuck-em-and-leave-em' Carter develop a conscience?"
Nick blushed, that was not a truth that he was ready to share.
"I just want to help." Nick said. Ben snorted.
"Nicky, Nicky, Nicky, that isn't how it works. A leopard can't change his spots and as the songs says, them players, they gonna play and you Nicky my lad are a player." Ben said with a smirk. "Now, do you want to try again and tell me why it is that you're so desperate to find out about Sully and Drew. What is really in it for you?"
Nick looked at Ben, not sure if he could take the other man's arrogance. Then he saw the uncertainty in Ben's eyes, it was well hidden but then he was used to that look, he had seen it in his reflection in the mirror every day since he had been shaving. Even after he had given up his one nighter lifestyle the view was still there. Ben was insecure and Nick knew how that felt.
"Okay." Nick said. "The truth is that I want to change, and this is my first step in doing so."
Ben faltered for a moment, as if waiting for the punchline for some unuttered joke, when none came he looked away before looking back up at Nick with a look of agreement.
"Well, I can only tell you what I know but..."
And as Nick began to hear the tale of the bar owner and the sad man that drank alone he could almost feel as if he was there, he knew the club, he knew Sully and it was not really a stretch of his imagination to invent an image of Drew as Ben described him.
Ben told a story of how a sad and lonely Sully had wheedled his way into Drew's heart, the older man was known as a bit of a playboy but as soon as he had met Sully he had reformed. Ben said that Drew was known to say that all it took was meeting the right man to amend his ways. As he spoke the words tehre was a far away, almost dreamy look in Ben's eyes.
"Do you ever think you'll meet the right man to get you to settle down?" Nick asked, his tone almost hopeful seeing as Ben had been that man for him, or had at least been the man that had made him take a long hard look at his own life. He wondered if it were possible for him to do the same for Ben.
"There are three types of people in this world Nick, the lovers, the players and the haters. The lovers, they're like swans, mating for life and believing in soul mates and that crap. The haters, well they either don't have sex or just criticise everyone else for their practices, mostly while they partake in a little action of there own. The players, well, we're a different breed - we have sex, have fun and don't get tied down."
Nick looked at Ben as if he were mad, but he truly seemed to believe this. He looked over at Nick as if he was sharing the secrets of the world and then continued.
"I'm a player. I don't believe in love."
And as Nick heard the words the look in Ben's eyes were back. It sounded odd but Nick wondered if the other man was just playing at being a player, he had the soul of a lover and whatever had made him believe that he was not worthy of that love made Nick feel ill. He knew that his own experience was early on in life, his family was hardly the most conventional as far as love and cherishing went but he had realised that he was capable of love, he just hadn't found it yet. It hurt to see someone else so obviously jaded.
"But Sully, he's a lover?" Nick asked. Ben smiled.
"Yeah, he's a lover. According to Drew, the best lover." Ben said with a leer. Nick rolled his eyes but he remembered that first kiss, Sully was probably a good lover but he was not Nick's. He was a lover too, because Nick Carter believed in soulmates and he saw that Alex and Sully were destined to be together. He only hoped that he would be able to undo the damage that he had done and bring the two back together again. After all what good is a soul mate if you can't be with them?
To Be Continued.
Just a short update as I am working on the transition, but wanted to keep the updates regular...
Hope that this works for you, let me know what you thought and thanks for the response so far.