Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 02:43:50 GMT From: Allan B Subject: Backstreet Bet 2 Backstreet Bet 2 by Allan Once again, thank you for choosing to read this story. I haven't heard from many of you so I'm not sure if you guys are reading and enjoying this story. Please send me an email on ab4ngc@hotmail.com to let me know what you all think. I realy wanna make this a great story so I'd appreciate all your feedback. Thank you to all the talented writers out there for sharing your work with all of us and thank you also to NIFTY for providing us with an outlet for releasing our creavtivity. You are all the inspiration for this story (along with the BSB of course). :-) Onto the legal disclaimers; This story contains sexual relationships between males, if you are under age or if this sort of material is illegal where you live, please leave and do not read this story. This story is purely fictional and also does not imply that any of the Backstreet Boys are gay. All other characters are the figment of my imagination. PART 2: Rebuilding Bridges It had been eight months now since he told Nick to never speak to him again and Lachlan wanted to convince himself that he was over him. He tried his best to forget his feelings for Nick but how could he? Even if he wanted to forget Nick Carter, there was no way to do that because after their tour, the Backstreet Boys were the hottest band in Australia - more popular than local acts like Savage Garden, Bachelor Girl and Silverchair. Radio stations continuously played songs from their latest CD "Millennium". There was no escape. Lachlan spent the first few weeks (after Nick had left) in his room. It was his safe place. No one could hurt him there and it was peaceful. His mum was worried that her son had become a recluse but she knew him better than that and figured that he would come out of hiding in his own good time. That's not to say she wasn't worried though. He hardly ate a thing those first few weeks and she had noticed he was starting to look thin. Lachlan also noticed that he was shedding some weight. He wondered if people would pay more attention to him now that he wasn't that chubby kid. He spent the hours in his room playing video games, reading books and of course writing songs. For some reason, song writing came easier when he was depressed and he came up with lyrics to a song that expressed the way he felt. He titled it "You've made me stronger". He had a good feeling about this new song and sent it to a family friend who was a producer in the music industry. His name was Tarquin Riley and he was so close to the family, almost like an Uncle to Lachlan. Tarquin was a very busy man though, so Lachlan didn't hear from him for weeks. Eventually, Lachlan started dealing with his feelings and became comfortable going out with his friends again. He never told them about Nick and even if he did, they wouldn't believe him. His friends hadn't heard from him in weeks and were absolutely amazed when they saw the slimmer Lachlan - although they made it clear to him that they liked him for the person he was, not for what he looked like. They spent lots of time doing the stuff that regular 19 year olds do; going to the beach, swimming, movies and going to clubs. Lachlan's new found confidence also lead him to start going to the gym to work out. He had been working out for almost six months now and was shaping himself into a fine male specimen - ok, he wasn't Adonis or David but he definately wasn't the same chubby Lachlan anymore - people often commented on how much he looked like Ryan Philippe and they couldn't be more right. Things were starting to look up for him again and then one night he got a call. It was those once in a life time moments where you don't realize how much your life is about to change. "Hello Locky, it's your Uncle Tarq here, how's it going?" "Fine thanks sir. Did you want to talk to mum?" "Locky you don't have to call me sir and it's you that I want to talk to. I'm calling you about those lyrics that you sent a couple of weeks ago." It had been a while since he sent the lyrics. "Oh that's right, I nearly forgot about them. What do you think?" "What do you mean 'what do you think'?" Uncle Tarquin asked sarcastically, "I think they're brilliant! Who wrote them?" "Um, it was me." "Wow, I'm really impressed! Now all we have to do is find the right singer who can carry these lyrics and I think we will have a hit on our hands." "Well look no further sir, I'm your man" Lachlan stated proudly and confidently. "What? But you can't sing can you?" "Of course I can. In fact mum even let me take lessons a couple of months ago to improve my vocal control." "Well, let's hear it - how good are you?" "Let me give you a little demo then..." Lachlan said in a cheeky manner. He couldn't believe this was all happening and he knew that this was his chance to impress Tarquin. He was thrilled that Tarquin liked the song but he also wanted to be the one to sing it. He wanted to sing "You've Made Me Stronger" but he was still fine tuning the melody for it so he chose to sing "This is the Moment" from the musical, Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. There were two reasons for his choice. Firstly, it would demonstrate his vocal power and range and secondly, it had some meaning to it because at that very moment he felt like everything was finally coming together in his life. "This is the moment, this is the day, When I send all my doubts and demons on their way. Every endeavour I have made ever, Is coming in to play, is here and now today... ...and when I look back, I will always recall, moment for moment, This is the moment, The greatest moment of them all" He held that last note for almost 20 seconds without faltering. Uncle Tarquin was blown away and speechless. "Hello? Uncle Tarquin? Are you still there?" "Oh... my... god!!! I never knew that you could sing like that" Tarquin was impressed to say the least. "Yeah, I've always been able to sing. I just didn't advertise it much because I used to be embarrased singing in front of people but now things are different." "That's what I want to hear because I think you are about to be a star!" Tarquin stated with a gleam in his eye. The days that followed seemed like a blur. Before he had time to get excited or nervous, Lachlan was in a huge sound studio recording his first single. 'At last!!!' he thought to himself in relief, 'my dreams are finally coming true.' Uncle Tarquin couldn't be more right when he said that Lachlan's song was going to be a hit. It was released in Australia a couple of months before Locky's 20th Birthday and he couldn't have asked for a better early present. Over night success stories usually have years of unseen hard work behind them but in Lachlan's case it was as though he literally went from being an unknown to singing and writing the top selling single in Australia. He had no idea or grasp of his fame until he started hearing his single played on the radio and school girls would stop him on the street to ask for his autograph. Overnight (it seemed) he had become Australia newest and most promising music prospect. His song stayed at the number one position on the charts for 6 weeks straight - it didn't break the record held by Bryan Adams (Everything I Do, I Do For You) but it was a fine effort for a first attempt. Lachlan hired Uncle Tarquin to be his manager and they both agreed that they would release his song in the US. Lachlan was thrilled to say the least. "Do you think the Americans will like the song Uncle Tarq?" he asked innocently "Locky, this is your passport song. They'll love it and they'll love you mate." "I hope so" Lachlan said with so much hope and expectation in his voice. And so, Tarquin organized a promotional visit to the US. Apart from doing promotions, Lachlan would spend a few weeks in the US to collaborate with some up and coming song writers and hopefully have enough songs to start recording his first album. On the day of his departure to the US, Lachlan spoke with his close friends and they wished him luck. They were so proud of him, he had come a long way. There were tears but they were tears of happiness. As the plane took of Lachlan thought to himself, 'Is this really happening?'. He asked the flight attendant to pinch him on the arm and got a strange look from her. She obliged to his request and after she pinched him he said, "Just wanted to check that I'm not dreaming and I guess I'm not." He smiled and then just laid back and enjoyed the rest of the flight. Two weeks after Lachlan had arrived in the US, he found that he continually pinched himself to see whether he was dreaming or not. He spent a few days in LA, Memphis, and New York and collaborated with the song writers his manager had lined up for him. There were so many highlights to his trip and what blew him away was that he'd be in the US for at least one more month. The most exciting moment of his trip so far was when he caught a taxi from the Four Seasons Hotel in New York to JFK airport. What could be so exciting about a taxi ride in New York you wonder? Well, it wasn't the actual taxi ride but more so what happened while he was in the taxi. The taxi driver had his radio on and sure enough, they played Locky's song. "OH My God!!!" he screamed in disbelief, "they're playing my song! That's me singing!!" he said to the taxi driver. The taxi driver just turned around and said, "Yeah sure, whatever buddy!" They finally reached JFK airport and Locky couldn't be more excited about his next destination, Orlando, Florida - home of the happiest place on earth, Disney World. It was also the birthplace of the Backstreet Boys but at that moment it was the farthest thing from his mind - may be he was finally getting over Nick and may be he was finally ready to move on. MEANWHILE BACK IN FLORIDA... "Good morning and what another fine day we have. It's currently 7am and you're listeing to the best mix of the 80's and 90's; 96.5fm Florida's favourite radio station. Now here's the latest from our favourite group, the Backstreet Boys with I Want It That Way" the radio DJ announced as the song started to play. 'Oh man, is it time to wake up already?' Nick thought to himself. He had set his radio to wake him up at exactly 7am today because he and the guys had practice for their upcoming US summer tour. Eight months had passed since he left Australia in tears. The guys finished the Australian tour without him and now they were all back to where it had all began, Florida. In the eight months that had passed, there was not one day where Nick did not think about the pain he put Lachlan through - not to mention the pain that he caused himself. It took him weeks before he was himself again but he knew that things would never be the same. He spent many days just lounging at home and playing video games. His family was very supportive but they also let him have his space. In the end though it was his Backstreet brothers that helped him get back on track; they spent a lot of time with him just hanging out and it helped him get his mind off the pain. 'Those guys will never understand how much they really mean to me' he thought. Although he wasn't completely ok, he understood that life had to go on and that may be one day, if he was lucky enough, love would find him again. Rehearsals were at 8am so that gave him exactly one hour to have a shower, shave, get dressed, and have breakfast. Plenty of time. As he got in the shower he heard the last verse of 'I Want It That Way' and the DJ introduced a new song by some up and coming singer - he didn't hear who it was though because he hopped into the bathroom to take his shower. As Nick finished his quick shower, he caught the last few verses of that new song that the announcer introduced, the singer's voice was rich and powerful: "You taught me every thing from falling in love to letting go of a lie. You made me stronger baby by saying good bye." As the song faded, Nick couldn't figure out why, but he was sure he had heard those words before. May be it was one of those songs that he and the guys passed up or may be he was just imagining things. Oh well he thought, I better hurry up or the guys will never forgive me for being late. The day went according to plan and rehearsals were over before the guys knew it. This concert was going to be bigger and better than anything they had ever done before. There was going to be more dance sequences and even more interaction and participation from the audience. The guys knew this tour was going to be huge and they could feel it in their aching muscles. It was 6:30pm now and the guys had been practising for almost ten hours. "OK fellas, let's call it day. We've got the day off tomorrow so I'll see you guys in two days" Kevin explained "Hooray!" the others jokingly cheered. "Hey Bri is it ok if I get a lift home with you? My car went in for repairs this morning and it won't be ready until tomorrow" Nick asked "Sure Nick but I gotta go to the Mall and pick up some stuff first ok?" "Hey no problem!" As the two friends drove to the mall, they didn't say much to each other because they were so tired. The silence was driving Brian nuts so he turned the radio on. As coincidence would have it, the radio announcer was introducing the same song Nick had heard earlier that morning. "OK listeners, here's something new from a singer from the land Down Under. It's called "You've Made Me Stronger" The song started to play... "Is it hard to believe I'm OK, Afterall, it's been a while since you walked away. I'm way passed crying over your hurtful ways. You turned my days into nights, But now I've seen the light. And this may be a big suprise to you. You've made me stronger by breaking my heart, You ended my life and made a better one start. You taught me every thing from falling in love to letting go of a lie. You made me stronger baby by saying good bye." As the song continued to play Brian commented on how cool he thought it was - he really liked the beat and it had that "hook" that all catchy songs had these days. What he liked most about it was the fact that it dealt with being hurt by love but it had a positive spin to it. Suddenly it hit Nick where he had heard those words before - they were the words Locky said to him when they last spoke! The realization triggered all the memories of Australia and he felt a sudden sense of sadness. The song continued... "If you'd rather believe I'm not over you, Go ahead, there's nothing wrong with making believe. I know cause I used to pretend that you'd never hurt me. But time has been such a friend, It brought me to my senses again. And I have you to thank for setting me free, 'Cause you've made me stronger by breaking my heart, You ended my life and made a better one start. You taught me every thing from falling in love to letting go of a lie. You made me stronger baby by saying good bye." Brian turned to Nick and said, "WOW, that was a pretty cool song huh?" He saw tears flowing out of Nick's eyes and was surprised at how much the song had affected Nick. "Hey Nick are you alright?" Brian was worried and Nick just sat there in complete disbelief. As Brian was about to repeat his question, the announcer came back on, "And that was Lachlan Nash with our most requested song of the day 'You've Made Me Stronger'. Lachlan is from Australia and already critics are calling him the next big thing. But this talented kid not only sings, he also writes his own lyrics." Before Brian said anything, he thought about how that name sounded familiar and then it hit him and suddenly it made sense why Nick was in tears. "Nick, it's just a coincidence and besides that guy you met in Australia wasn't a songwriter was he?" Brian asked "Yes Bri, he was. He wrote a song for me while we were there. It was called 'You are my song' and it was brilliant. I am almost 100 percent sure that the guy we just heard on the radio was the Locky that I... that I..." Nick couldn't finish his sentence, he broke down into tears. How could this happen? Just when he thought he was ok about the whole Lachlan situation it had come back to plague him. "Look Nick, we don't have to go to the mall right now. Let's just get you home ok" Brian knew that Nick's wellbeing was more important than anything else. When they reached the driveway to Nick's house, Nick had calmed down considerably. "Do you want me to keep you company and hang out at your place tonight buddy?" "Thanks Bri, that would be nice. I'd really like that and I want you to know that I will be ok. I've accepted that I hurt Locky very much and there's nothing I can do about it right now." "Yeah that's fine Nick, but if that was Locky, he didn't have to write about it and tell the whole world you know." Brian said in an angry tone. "Brian, please don't be mad at him. He probably wrote that song as a way of dealing with his pain and besides, it's not like he comes out and says my name. Like you said before, it's a good song and I hope it does well for him." "WOW, who are you and what have you done with Nicky?" Brian said in amazement. He couldn't believe the words that had just come out of Nick's mouth. Nick had really grown as a person these past few months and what he had just said proved it. "Nah" Nick said smiling, "it's still me Brian. Let's just say that you guys have helped me get through a tough time and I'm a stronger and better person because of it." Brian gave Nick a big hug and they both went inside and watched video's for the rest of the night. ONE WEEK LATER - on the eve of the Backstreet Boys Orlando concert... The members of the Backstreet Boys were having a celebratory dinner at Planet Hollywood in Orlando. They were all glad that all the hard practising hours were finally over and they would get the chance to do what they enjoyed most - performing in front of their home crowd. "OK fellas, I just wanna say that I am proud of us all for the hard work we've been doing these past few weeks. I am sure that our first concert tomorrow night will be bigger and better because of it," Kevin stated in a congratulatory manner. "Yeah, it's gonna be awesome, I can't wait!" AJ expressed. "I can't wait to feel that adreanalin rush we all get right before we get out on stage" Howie added. The guys continued to laugh and joke and enjoyed each other's company. The best thing about being in Florida was that people left them alone and they could generally go out to eat with minimal fuss. Then suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by an announcement... "Ladies and Gentleman, it seems we have a special guest with us tonight" the announcer stated. "Oh great, I thought we asked management to respect our privacy!" As Nick said this, the announcer continued... "Please give a big Planet Hollywood welcome to..." "Get ready guys, here it comes" Brian said in a "gee great" kind of tone. "the new sensation from Down Under... Lachlan Nash!" As soon as the announcer said those words, all of the Backstreet Boys looked at each other in complete and utter shock. Everyone in Planet Hollywood clapped but the boys just sat there, completely stunned. A spotlight shone on Locky's table and he stood and acknowledged the applause and turned a few shades of red with embarassment - if there was one thing he still had to adjust to, it was the attention. Then Nick slowly turned to the direction of Locky's table and could not believe his eyes. Just when he thought he was finally getting over his pain, all the hurt and love came flooding back at the same time. He also had to do a double take because he couldn't believe how diferent Locky looked - he had lost so much weight, but it wasn't the weight loss that got his attention... it was the guy sitting next to Locky that caused tears to start flowing. To be continued??? Thank you for reading, this part was just as fun to write as the first. Again, there was no sex in this story but I really wanna develop the characters first before they get intimate. Like I said before, I would love to hear from all of you so please feel free to send me an email on ab4ngc@hotmail.com "You've Made Me Stronger" is another song that was originally recorded by "Regine Velasquez", so the credit goes to her.