Previously...
BSBHAB3: Heart's Promises Pt. 1 "Looking Back: New smiles, Old Faces"
[Mike's office]
"Do you really think that John had an accomplice?" Mike commented, stopping his recent rumaging of papers.
"I don't really know, but the Detective said it fit the profile perfectly. All I know is, he was usually on a phone when he was on brake." Burc shrugged, taking a sip at his hot coffee.
"hmm," Was all Mike could mutter. The truth was, they had really not bothered to look beyond John's references which were mostly -- if not all -- former employers that were very high on his services. Other than those, John had never really seemed to have any sort of friends other than other bodyguards and former employers. But even those were few in number. John had always been professional with his work and found it unthinkable to socialize with his superiors.
End of Part 1 *******************************************************
BSB Hearts Assunder Book 3: Hearts Promises Part 1 "Relationship Hazards"
Previously...
[At the Cemetery]
"Aight, thanks." Nick turned just in time to see what he thought was a look that went between Bryan and Seth, but he shrugged it off as Bryan feeling sorry for the other guy. "Scott, please calm down. I'm sure Seth over there has tried his best to give us all he could that he is allowed to." Seth was making inaudible agreement noises behind them while Nick was feeling somewhat relieved in a weird and guilty way.
"Don't you ever tell me what to do boy, I still haven't forgotten your place in all this." Scott turned his violent and shinning dark eyes down at Nick and spoke through gritted teeth. Scott gave Seth a disgusted look before pushing past Bryan and into his car. He gave Nick and Seth one last glare before speeding off into the distance. *********************************************************** [After Rob's party got broken up by cops]
"Hang on," Slade smirked through his helmet's open visor as he revved the machine into blaring life.
The motorcycle vibrated wildly with its awesome power between both their legs, Nick was thankful that he was wearing briefs and not boxers tonight, as his arms linked together around Slade's slim and lean waist.
Unfortunately, as they pulled away, a certain small small blue Accord pulled into Rob's driveway. The driver was not very happy as he saw Nick and Slade speed off into the silver streamed night.
End of part 2 ****************************************************************** Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction and should not be taken into any other levels past that. The Backstreet Boys, Jane and Aaron Carter, Leighanne Littrell, are their own people. The trademarks of the Backstreet Boys belong to Jive Records. All of the events and places and people involved in the following story aside from the forementioned are only ficticious. In short, people, it's only a story, it's not real. It's PG so please, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Thank you -------------------------------------------------------
BSBHAB3: Heart's Promises Pt. 3 "Hot Nights, Cold Days"
[Some few hours after the party]
Nick laid in bed thinking about what had happened after the cops arrived. Slade was like some rebel straight out of a James Dean movie. His sly catlike movements, his long sensual strides. It was like Slade was a drug to him. He just can't seem to get him out of his mind.
Scott, the dog, watched his owner with affection. >From time to time Scott would close his eyes in a semblance of sleep, but there was no movement Nick made or change in the air currents that he did not notice. It has been quite a while since Nick's mind was not plagued with worries over his mending heart. Over the course of the past year, he has lost so much.
His true love. The one guy who he thought understood him turned out to be a psychopathic
Nick sat up on his bed, still desperate to rid himself of the images of Slade, the motorcycle ride...among other things. Subcontiously, Nick's hand found Scott's head and started to scratch the dog behind the ear. His thoughts continued to wander this way and that through the images of his earlier experience. A thought crossed Nick's mind. A gentle smile parted on his delicate pink lips. Nick sighed contentedly and fell asleep. ***************************************************************** [Detective Chang's Office] 2:30 a.m.
"Chalking up some over time there detective?" Officer Jimmy Dugan walked in for his shift.
"Nah, Jimmy. Just getting ready to call it a night." Detective William Chang finished the last sip of his coffee and started to put his papers into his brief case.
"That Mason Case still bothering you, huh?" Jimmy set his jacket to the side and grabbed a cup of coffee for himself.
"There's just something I'm missing here, something that is just off about this case, Jimmy." Chang looked at Jimmy Dugan. The other man was a black man in his late 40's. He has a rather bushy mustache above his lip that sometimes obscured the other's man's upper lip when he talked. Jimmy was a nice guy.
He had been Chang's friend since Chang first moved to the sunshine state. Dugan was starting to show his age: he had a paunch that protruded out front, and his voice was starting to take on that deeper tone that seems to be common among black men of his age. "Anyways, how're the kids, Jim?" Chang smiled wearily as his friend turned around from the coffee counter. Jimmy was a loving father to his kids. He was always there for them, that's why he usually works the late shifts. "The day is for family," is what he always says when asked why he works so late at night.
"Jamie just found out that they're going to be having a boy today," Jimmy Dugan's eyes glinted with sincere joy -- as it always does when talking about his family.
"That's great, Jim. Congratulations," Chang reached over his desk and congratulated his friend. "So gonna be a grandpa, eh buddy?"
Just as Jim was going to respond, the fax machine jumped to life.
"This late?" Jimmy Dugan walked over to the machine as Charlie was still busy getting his crime photos stacked up and into his brief case. "It's from that reporter friend of yours, Billy. That, uh...Dan Sullivan guy from the local paper?" Officer Dugan handed the papers over to Chang.
"Shit! This is what I've been looking for, thanks Jimmy and give Jamie a kiss for me would ya?" Chang didn't even bother waiting for a response, he grabbed his brief case and bolted out the door like a bat out of hell. ****************************************************************** {Nick's Bedroom: Dream}
It had been a night that Nick would never ever forget.
Tonight was the night he and Brandon had consumated their love. He had been in heaven while Brandon's arms were wrapped around him.
"Brandon, promise me that you will love me forever," Nick nuzzled his face into Brandon's loving arms. He could feel the other man's loving warmth where was spooned against Nick's back.
(suddenly Nick could hear a faint barking just barely over the rustle of his sheets)
"I promise...I'll love you forever...Nicky," Brandon's voice seemed different to Nick.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Nick tried to turn, but a wavy mass of long black hair spilled over him just before fear struck him cold.
(faint barking continues to grow louder)
The dream had suddenly changed. It was no longer in this selfsame room that Nick and Brandon spent their few nights together; Nick was suddenly back in that rotten old mansion, his arms and legs bound tightly against the wall. "What's wrong Nicky? Don't you love me anymore?!"
{End dream}
"BRANDON!" Nick sat up from his bed, his body beady with sweat. Scott had been barking wildly at the window before Nick had sat up screaming. Scott jumped into Nick's bed, his body still hot and trembling from the fit of barking. Nick's breathing rasped loudly as he wrapped his shaking arms around Scott, who now had started to whine, concerned for his beloved master's health. ****************************************************************** [Outside on Nick's Lawn]
'Shit!' A slim dark figure scrambled out of the bushes under Nick Carter's window where he had fallen after being frightened out of his hiding spot by Scott's barking. The shadowy stranger scampered out from under the window and towards the exit before his presence could further be detected. ****************************************************************** [Next day, Kevin's house...]
"I'm really glad Nick's back with us," Howie mumbled into his drink.
"Yeah, I think it's great for both him and Brian to finally get to work together again," Kevin added. "At least this way they can start the healing process that they both really need after the Bradon and John ordeal."
"Shh, I hear Brian coming," AJ sipped at his own drink, resting nonchalantly on the leather couch.
"Hey guys," Brian walked in with a big smile on his face.
"Wassup cuz?" Kevin shuffled through the lyrics they had been working on in the past few weeks.
"Ah, nothing really. I'm just excited to have Nick around with us again," Brian's eyes sparkled with his anticipation. But his voice almost faltered knowing that he still feels guilty about what had happened to Brandon.
"Yeah, we were just saying the same thing, Bri." Howie commented, smiling gently over his drink from the breakfast bar as the door bell rang. "Speak of the devil, I think that'd be him now."
"I got it," Kevin winked at Brian as he walked past to get to the door. "There's some soda and juices at the bar, Brian if you want any."
"Hey Mr. Richardson," Nick smiled sheepishly from the doorstep when Kevin opened the door. "I'm not interrupting anything important I hope?" Nick smiled jokingly at Kevin before the other one pulled him into the house. ***************************************************************** [Flashback to Hours into the dawn with Detective Chang]
'This better be something, Dan...' Chang thought to himself as he drove his car slowly next to the other man's.
"Goodmorning, Detective," Dan Sullivan walked up to Chang in his usual cream colored slacks, white dress shirt and the trenchcoat.
"Well you said this was urgent in your fax. Here I am. What do you have to show me?" Detective Chang was a nice guy. He had grown to appreciate the young man's enthusiasm for this case. But just as any detective in the world, he will never really like working with anyone with a 'Press' badge even if they weren't wearing one at the moment.
"I did some scouring after your department found the pieces of John Mason's clothing from the incident night," Dan Sullivan motioned for the Detective to follow him as he headed down to the beach area.
"And?" Chang was getting annoyed with all the suspense.
"And, detective, I found this." Dan moved slightly to the side and shined his flashlight into a small cave into the side of a rocky outcrop on a segregated spot on the beach.
Detective Chang scanned the cave with his own flashlight seeing nothing really important until...
"You can see now what I meant by 'urgent'"
"Son-of-a-bitch..." Chang whispered to himself as he moved towards a small area of the sand where there were some clear signs that something...or someone had been on there for quite some time before being dragged off somewhere. Chang ran carefully checked into the sand seeing if the spots were what he thought they were.
"Blood," Chang said barely audible. It did not matter, Dan already knew what it had been when he first found it a few hours ago. ***************************************************************** [A few yards away]
A man stood in the shadows of the leering rock outcrops, hiding behind the jutting stone formation that resembed bone shards of a long dead animal.
'So you found my little hideaway I see...' The shadowed man chuckled. 'I guess I should've been more careful with my whereabouts eh, Detective Chang?' The shadowed man laughed internally before slinking into the shadows.
[End of flashback] ****************************************************************** [Back at Kevin's house a few hours into their writing session]
Out on the patio...
{Flashback}
To a few years ago...back to the sandy beaches of Nick's estate and his ever rising wave of affection for Brandon...
"ewwww!" Aaron ran up and tackled Nick off of Brandon. "Tag team! Tag team!" Aaron squeeled as he knocked Nick into the sea.
Brandon was quick to join the Carter brothers, and soon the trio were wrestling around in the water, while Aaron's dog Simba barked in excitement.
"Pin! PIN!" Aaron squeeled as he threw himself bodily onto Nick. He giggled happily as he struggled in his beloved older brother's arms. "No fair double teaming!" Aaron screamed out in glee as Brandon collided with both Carter brothers sending them both reeling into the waters.
"Gotcha now," Brandon laughed heartily as he grabbed Aaron by the waist and started tickling the young man...
That was hours ago...
Nick turned and kissed Brandon lightly on the lips. In the light of the flickering camp fire, Nick's hair gleamed a golden hue. His hair slowly flowed in the gentle summer night's breeze.
"You look so beautiful right now, Nick, I keep thinking that I'm stuck in some neverending dream," Brandon looked Nick deep in the eyes and smiled. "I can see now why you like water so much."
"Why is that?" Nick cocked his head sideways and grinned boyishly at Brandon faking a look of confusion.
"Well..." Brandon turned slightly so his upper body was directly over Nick and he could see more of his beloved's beautiful angelic face. "On such a perfect night like tonight, the waves of the sea are almost as soft, as warm and as caressing as you are." Brandon let a gentle smile show on his face seeing how Nick had blushed clearly even in the flickering light of the fire.
'Sniff, sniff' "I think I'm going to cry," Aaron grinned mischievously at the two lovers locked in the embrace. "I think I'm in love....
{Flashback ends when familiar voice interrupts Nick's thoughts}
"Hey Nick," Howie slid his slender body next to Nick Carter. "How are you?" Howie's smile was soft, gentle...comfortingly warm.
"Oh, hey Howie," Nick looked up from his deep reverie.
He had phased out staring into the sparkling surface of the pool. "G-good, how are you?" Nick quickly turned away to wipe away stray tears from his eyes.
"Good, good. Better now actually," Howie smiled at Nick again. His smile hinted of a warmth that Nick never saw before...But just as sudden as it appeared, it was gone. All that was there was a warm welcoming smile of a concerned friend. "I just wanted to say how..." Howie blushed and cleared his throat. "You and I never really got any chance to talk since you got back...well...I just...well I just wanted to say how happy I am to see you back with us again." Howie's eyebrows raised in resignment. His smile trembled a little but seemed to smooth out as he gave Nick a pat on the shoulder. "It's been quiet here without you," Howie turned away and looked into the pool. "It was like there was a part of us was missing, you know? Like the sea without the waves or something..." Howie turned to look Nick in the eyes and smiled gently.
Nick felt a tinged when he heard the statement. But before either of them could say anything more Kevin bursted out of the patio doors.
"We have a problem!" Kevin panted, as he unwittingly interrupted Nick and Howie's conversation.
End of Part 3 ----------------------------------------------- Feedback's always best. Helps build self-esteem is what I read in one of my research papers? <=) Hate mail even!
Thanks for reading!
~J