DISCLAIMER: O-town, Backstreet Boys and N'Sync are all bands that I don't know. I am not implying anything here. This is strictly created in my fantasies. I wish it was actually happening but I highly doubt it. I am in no way affiliated with Jive or J records, MTV or any other way with these bands. If homosexual content offends you or is illegal for you to read then please leave.
The only thing I have remotely in common with these guys is that Ashley Parker Angel and I were born on the same exact day-August 1, 1981.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Hello everyone. I am very sorry to say but this will be the final chapter of the Nick and Ashley saga. I used to be extremely dedicated to this story and spend hours upon hours on it but I find myself straying more and more away from it and the Nifty community. It would not be fair for me to continue the story and dangle my fans in the distance while I fail to update. I will finish the story tonight on a sad and happy note. Read on and you'll understand.
There are so many of you that I could thank and I won't drag it out by saying every one of you but I want all of you that are reading this to know that each of you have a place in my heart. Without your support this story would have never gone anywhere and it would still be a dream in my head instead of something that people can read. If people think otherwise of me leaving you are welcome to tell me but it will most likely take a lot to bring me back. It's not that I want to stop the story but I've lost that loving feeling (for all you Top Gun fans) so to speak. I love all my fans and I truly am sorry but there is always another author right behind me so check out all of the other Nifty stories, especially Writerboy69's. He is an amazing writer and an excellent person. He never let the success go to his head and I hope he's around for many more stories. Much love to everyone at Nifty for pulling me out of slumps when I need it. You are all amazing.
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.
All I Need Is You- Chapter Twelve
Many people say that the life of a pop star was all bubble gum and autographs and would be the easiest profession in the world to have but of course those are people that didn't have to deal with screaming fans every day. They were unaware of how little privacy was actually given to these boys and how they struggled each day a little more to gain more popularity in a very competitive field. Going from tour stop to tour stop and barely ever having time to see your family or even sleep in your own bed was the hardest.
Ashley Angel knew this so every opportunity he had to spend in his and Nick's house in Tampa was taken. Right now though all of that was on his mind again as they both left for opposite tours the next day. The blond heartthrob laid on the bed passed out from exhaustion of getting ready for touring all over again.
It had been an amazing ride so far and Ashley used to look forward to touring but now he actually had something to leave behind and something to come home to. This was actually the reason that he was stirring from his sleep. A little figure crawled up onto the bed, with a little help from someone else, and began to shake him.
"Daddy" Johnny spoke the first word that ever came out of his mouth.
Ashley slowly opened his eyes and looked at Nick who had an astonished look on his face. He looked down in front of him and saw his son Johnny staring back at him with eyes just as blue as his own, if not more.
"Did I hear that right?" Ashley asked.
"Johnny spoke his first word." Nick said as he picked up his son.
Ashley got up off the bed and looked at his son.
"Johnny who am I?" Ashley asked again.
"Daddy." Johnny responded as if knowing all along.
"And who am I?" Nick asked
"Daddy." Johnny said with a smile.
"Did you hear that Ash?" Nick asked elated while hugging his son.
Ashley stood back and watched his husband and son practically dance around the room both laughing and smiling. It was the most beautiful Ashley had ever seen. This is what he had always wanted, someone to share his life with and the pass it on to someone of his own. No words in the world could describe it.
Nick brought Johnny over and Ashley pulled them into a big hug. They were a family no matter what people said. They took the road less traveled and it made all the difference in the world.
O-town's first headlining tour rolled on through the U.S. and the guys were loving it. The fans truly accepted them as one of the best in the business now. They could sell out wherever they went and felt as if they belonged. They fought extremely hard to get this far and although they would never forget the break BSB gave them they knew that they had earned this.
The crowd went crazy as Ashley stepped to the front of the stage preparing for the last song. Stools were set up behind him and an acoustic guitar was strapped around his back.
"We just want to take the chance to thank each and every one of you. We want you all to know that each of you has a place in our hearts and we will never forget the people that got us here. People looked at us as a joke when we first started but to see how far we've come blows even our minds. We could not have done it without our fans' support and you will never be forgotten. This next song is one that we learned from our friends Nsync on the Pop Odyssey Tour. It was one of the songs that they covered that made them known in the business so we wanna play it for you as a sort of tribute." Ashley said to the crowd.
Boston's "More than a Feeling" came through the speakers but the band seemed to slow it down a bit and go for a more acoustic feeling as Ashley turned his guitar around and played with them. Each of the five members put their mouths to the microphone and began to cover the classic song.
"I looked out this morning and the sun was gone Turned on some music to start my day I lost myself in a familiar song I closed my eyes and I slipped away It's more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling) I begin dreaming (more than a feeling) 'till I see Marianne walk away I see my Marianne walkin' away So many people have come and gone Their faces fade as the years go by Yet I still recall as I wander on as clear as the sun in the summer sky It's more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling) I begin dreaming (more than a feeling) 'till I see Marianne walk away I see my Marianne walkin' away When I'm tired and thinking cold I hide in my music, forget the day and dream of a girl I used to know I closed my eyes and she slipped away She slipped away. She slipped away. It's more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling) I begin dreaming (more than a feeling) 'till I see Marianne walk away I see my Marianne walkin' away."
It may have been an 80's song but the crowd reacted to it as if it had just been released. They loved it and with a wave, bow and a god bless, O-town was off the stage.
Ashley was the last one off the stage and he was greeted by each of his band members in a circle along with Nick, Donna and Johnny. Everyone had a sad look on their face.
"What's going on here guys?" Ashley asked as he looked at Nick who just shook his head. Dan came over to him and put his arm on his shoulder. Dan has been there for him from the very beginning. He was there when Ashley wanted support for dating Nick, he was there when his parents didn't accept him, he was there when he was about to commit suicide and he was there now.
"Ash, I'm sorry...Randy's dead" Dan said
The funeral didn't have many people. BSB, O-town and friends of the bands were there for support. Randy really didn't know anyone else. He had no one else to mourn him except his new friends and his long lost brother and brother-in-law. Donna came for a few minutes only to pay her dues but then waited outside in the lobby with Johnny. It would be too traumatic for the young child to see his real father lying in a coffin. People walked by the casket saying their final goodbyes and prayers for a happy afterlife. There were two people left to do this, Nick and Ashley.
Nick removed his hand from Ashley's knee, which had been there since they got in as a sign of support and walked up to the casket. Randy's dark hair was slicked back and he was dressed in the nicest suit he had ever seen. In all of the years that Nick was in this business he never understood why people had to die so young. Why did bad things happen to good people?
The best advice ever given to him was that everything happens for a reason. He thought of Johnny and felt as though Randy would live on forever in his son. Nick knelt before the casket and said a silent prayer and then began to whisper as if he and Randy were having a conversation no one else could hear.
"Randy, you came into our lives in a heartbeat and left just as quickly but no one in this world has taught me more. No matter what happened to you, you just kept going. You knew what you had to do and what you did for Johnny was heroic. We will take excellent care of him and I will always treat him as if he was my own son. I can never thank you enough for giving us exactly what we needed as a couple. You were like an angel from heaven giving us strength and now you are in heaven looking down on us. Thank you so much." Nick said as he took a step back.
Nick made the sign of the cross and went back to his seat and put his hand back on Ashley's knee. Some time went by and after most of the mass was over Nick looked over at his husband who could barely keep it together.
"Are you gonna be ok to do this?" Nick asked him.
"I'm gonna have to. I need to have closure on this." Ashley said as he walked up to the podium to begin the eulogy.
He pulled the microphone up to his height and began to address the crowd.
"Randy was the brother that I always wanted and always had but never knew about it. We were robbed of our childhood together and although sometimes I feel as if I should have been there for him to get him out of all this trouble he would just smile and tell me to not even think about things like that. He told me that as long as I was here to say goodbye to him and that Johnny had a safe place to live then that's all that mattered to him." Ashley said as he began to cry. He turned towards the casket.
"Randy, every time I look at him I see you and it makes it harder and harder. I know that this was your wish though and I will never forget the lessons you taught me. I will take Johnny as my son and raise him as my own. I was never good with emotional speeches but one song came to my mind when I thought of this entire situation. I would like to sing it to everyone here today." Ashley said as he grabbed the microphone and walked next to the casket.
"Sorry I never told you All I wanted to say And now it's too late to hold you 'Cause you've flown away So far away"
Ashley began to sing the words to "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boys II Men but the words failed him. He began to cry uncontrollably and seemed as if he couldn't go on with the song. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his husband there with a microphone in his hand. "Never had I imagined Living without your smile Feeling and knowing you hear me It keeps me alive Alive" Nick sang the second part and Ashley found strength in his husband that he had never found before. It was enlightening to know that he truly had someone to fall back on in tough times. No matter they would get through everything together. The two finished the song together. "And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven Like so many friends we've lost along the way And I know eventually we'll be together One sweet day I never showed you Assumed you'd always be there I took your presence for granted But I always cared And I miss the love we shared And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven Like so many friends we've lost along the way And I know eventually we'll be together One sweet day Although the sun will never shine the same I'll always look to a brighter day Lord I know when I lay me down to sleep You will always listen as I pray And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven Like so many friends we've lost along the way And I know eventually we'll be together One sweet day And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven Like so many friends we've lost along the way And I know eventually we'll be together One sweet day Sorry I never told you All I wanted to say" Nick put his arm around Ashley and the two walked out of the room, which was practically in tears. They went out to the lobby and motioned for Donna and Johnny to follow them. It was a sad day but each of them found strength in each other and knew that no matter what happened there was always someone that they could fall back on.
SO WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE-------(10 years later)
The boy band craze eventually calmed down about five years after and each of the bands split on good terms to continue on with their lives. The life of a star would be missed but everyone was happy to regain a normal life. Their music was never forgotten however and the impressions it made on people will stick forever.
Dan and Devon got married later that year after the funeral on May 4th. Nick and Ashley were their best men and also the godparents to their first adopted child, a boy, two years later. They named him Sean.
Jacob and AJ decided that marriage wasn't really for them after all but that doesn't mean that they couldn't be together. They didn't need any labels or titles. They simply knew that they would find comfort in each other.
Lance and Trevor eventually broke up but remained best friends. They actually opened up a recording studio together where they sign the hottest new acts. They also took over J records when Clive Davis passed away.
Erik and Mandy eventually got married and had kids. Mandy Moore is still singing to this day and has become somewhat of a diva in this business. They still go to coffee shops and drink hot chocolate late at night remembering Nick's 22nd birthday where they first met.
Brian and Kevin moved back to Lexington with their families. Cody Littrell and Johnny Carter may have been cousins but they have been best friends since the day that they were introduced to each other.
JC eventually told Josh everything and it definitely wasn't taken well. After Josh stormed out, JC found comfort in Justin and eventually got together with him and after a few years married him. JC wasn't sure if it was right but losing Justin was too much for him to handle and he felt as if he had nothing else to fall back on. At the chapel when he was marrying Justin he looked in the back and could have sworn he saw a green-eyed figure watch him take the vows and then leave.
Nick and Ashley eventually came out to the world after their careers as musicians was over. They also adopted two other kids to give Johnny a brother and a sister. The other boy was named Randy. The family of five now lives happily in Tampa, Florida knowing that they've always got each other in case something goes wrong. THE END <<<>>> ---ND---