Millennium Love Scott 40

Before we could say anything else, the phone rang. I reached behind me to grab it and hand it to Brian. He spoke quietly and I knew our discussion time was over for now. It was Kevin on the phone. The rest of the day would be a whirlwind. But it was okay. I could see that Brian was serious about his plans, and about me.

Chapter 40 - Scott

I brushed my fingers down his cheek. "I know. That's okay," I said truthfully.

He smiled. "I'd like you to spend as much of it with me as you can. If you want?" he added.

I grinned and pulled him to me for a brief kiss. "Of course. Where else would I be?" I swung my legs around and stood up, turning to pull him to his feet. "So what is first?"

"We have a sound check and a run through of the concert. That will take us to a late lunch. After lunch we have an hour-long fan session, a short break then a press conference. The concert is starting earlier than normal so we'll just hang out at the stadium, have a light dinner before the show," he explained. "Kevin needs us downstairs in forty-five minutes."

Forty-five minutes. I could work with that! A sly grin crossed my face and Brian noticed. He grinned broadly. "First in the shower gets to choose!" With that he was off running down the hall. I chased after him but didn't try to beat him. Either way we both won!

We actually made it downstairs only five minutes late, despite the fact that I was moving a little cautiously! Kevin noticed though and smirked. I stuck out my tongue at him and he laughed. Someone slapped the side of my head. I turned to glare at Sheri.

"I saw that, Scott! Behave or I'll tell!" she said with a laugh.

I gave up, knowing I couldn't win. Brian wrapped his arms around me in sympathy. "Poor baby," he said softly. He kissed my nose before letting me go.

The four of us headed out to the waiting car. As we settled into the seats I realized that I hadn't heard about the other guys. "So where's D these days anyway? And how are AJ and Blondie?"

"D thought he'd go stay with Melissa for a while," Brian said from beside me. I'd have to remember to thank Howie for giving us some privacy.

"Nick is Nick and AJ is doing okay, although he is missing Drew," Kevin answered my second question. I glanced over at Kevin and Sheri. Sheri was pressed tightly against Kevin's side, with his arm around her shoulders. They looked comfortable and happy together and I was happy for both of them.

"So Sis, how'd you end up here?" I asked curiously.

Sheri smiled. "I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago from this cute blond guy. He asked me if I could come down for a few days." Sheri shrugged. "I rearranged my schedule and caught the flight he'd booked me on." She paused. "I mean what girl in her right mind would turn down and invitation from Nick Carter!" Then she squealed like one of the millions of thirteen-year-old girls. We all laughed.

I shook my head. Nick certainly had gotten good at meddling. The thought made me smile.

The four of us chatted about nothing in particular until we pulled up to the entrance at the stadium. It was a blocked off section so none of the fans who were already waiting at the main entrances could get in. As we climbed out of the car I noticed the large man approaching us.

I smiled and walked over to shake his hand. "Hey Marcus, good to see you."

He smiled. "Nice to see you back where you belong Scott," he said, then looked at me intently. "You staying this time?"

I knew he was very protective of Brian. I was always relieved Brian had someone so loyal watching out for him. I looked Marcus right in the eyes. "Yes, I'm staying!" I promised.

Marcus accepted my word and nodded. He escorted us into the building, leading us through a maze of hallways until we came out on the ground floor at one end. The stage was in the middle of the floor, with seating all around it. We walked through the rows of floor seats as we approached the stage. I could see a flurry of activity as people were running around checking the set and the stage. I noticed three men on one of the ramps leading up to the stage. That was where I was going.

They didn't see me approach. I was about twenty feet away before I spoke. "Hey, you, Blondie! I'm gonna whip your ass if you're messing with my sister!" I said loudly, trying to sound angry. I grinned as Nick jumped and spun around. When he saw me, he smiled tentatively. I walked right up to him and stared at him. "So? You got something to say for yourself?" I demanded.

Nick stared back for a moment then shocked me by grabbing my face and kissing both my cheeks. "Yeah. I'm glad you're here," he said when he moved back.

I couldn't help but laugh and soon the others were laughing too. It felt great to be back with these guys. I pulled Nick back in for a quick hug. "Thanks Nick," I whispered before turning my attention to the others. I walked over to Howie. "Thanks for letting Bri and I have some time alone, D," I said sincerely as I gave him a hug.

"No problem man," Howie replied.

Then I turned to AJ. We smiled at each other. "How's it going AJ?" I asked. He looked a little sad and I knew why. Drew. Drew had been called overseas on business two days before the Backstreet Toronto concert and his flight back had been delayed by a storm. They hadn't seen each other in months. No matter how much they wanted the relationship to work, it was made extremely difficult when they never saw each other.

AJ shrugged. "It's going." I pulled him into a tight hug, and was pleased when he returned the embrace. As I began to release him, I glanced up and froze. There was a tall redhead walking up the ramp towards us. I grinned and pulled back from AJ. "You know, you guys really need to do something to occupy Nick's free time," I said. I spun AJ around so he could see the man approaching us. AJ didn't move and Drew came to a stop a couple of feet away.

"Hey Alex," Drew said softly. I could see the sheen in his eyes and knew how emotional he was feeling.

AJ raised his arms and Drew stepped forward into a crushing embrace. The rest of us gathered around them, trying to give them some privacy from the rest of the people in the stadium. My eyes met Brian's and we shared a secret smile. It was great to see everyone so happy. After a few minutes of quiet whispers and frantic kisses, the two finally moved slightly apart. AJ kept one arm wrapped around Drew's waist.

I watched as AJ sought out Nick's gaze. "Thank you, li'l bro," he said intently. Nick just smiled and shrugged.

Our little gathering was broken up when the stage manager came along and asked the singers to go up on stage. Marcus, Sheri, Drew and I, walked back down the ramp to find seats so we could watch. The five singers moved onto the main stage and found their headsets. Just as we sat down I cuffed Drew in the head.

"And you couldn't tell me you were coming?" I asked.

Drew grinned. "Hey, what can I say, the boy likes to surprise people." Drew leaned around me to see Sheri. "Hi Sher how are you?" he asked my sister.

Sheri smiled. "Good Drew. Nice to see you again."

We sat back and watched the guys on stage. "This reminds me of the first time I watched them rehearse," I commented.

Drew nodded. "Yeah, but this time there is no Ray." Thank God for that.

The rehearsal went by quickly. The singers moved around the stage, and sang a few lines from every song. At one point they stopped and had a group discussion with the band, but then continued on. Because the stage is central, hidden doors and elevators were used to get the guys off stage and to costume changes. All the exits and entrances had to be checked and alternative routes planned in case an elevator stuck.

Once everything had been checked, the guys broke for lunch. Kevin waved us up onto the stage. Once Drew, Sheri and I were there we started to discuss where we would eat.

Before a debate could begin, Nick spoke up. "Um, guys…and Sheri, I made reservations for us!" he said. Everyone turned to look at him. "What? I knew there would be a group of us so I thought it would be simpler."

I put my arm around Nick's shoulders. "Nicky, don't let anyone ever call you a dumb blond, okay," I said seriously. The others agreed.

The ten of us, including Marcus and Tom walked out to find a huge stretch limo waiting. Some turned to look at Nick, but I just shook my head and stepped into the car. Once everyone was piled in, and even for a limo, it was cozy with ten of us, the car pulled away.

Conversations were all over the place. The two security men knew all the relationships in the group so no one had to be careful of their actions. We left Drew and AJ alone in their little corner, knowing they had a lot of catching up to do.

The trip was short and soon we were stepping out of the car and walking into a small restaurant. It became apparent that Nick had reserved the entire restaurant, not that it could seat more than maybe thirty people at any time. Brian nudged me and I turned to see two girls sitting at a long table in the center of the restaurant. I just smiled, no longer surprised by anything Nick arranged. We walked over to greet Melissa and Nora.

It was really nice to see Nora. She was looking good and had obviously recovered, at least physically, from her attack. I said hello to Melissa before walking to Nora. I bent down and kissed her cheek.

"Hey Nora, you're looking good," I said sincerely.

She smiled and blushed. "Thanks Scott. I'm feeling good too." I was relieved.

Brian kissed her cheek too, before we took seats across from her. I wasn't at all surprised when Nick sat down beside, and very close to, Nora. Things had obviously been going on while I was away.

"So Nick, something you'd like to tell us?" Brian asked.

I watched as Nick blushed and picked up Nora's hand. "No, not really." He looked at Nora. "Anything you can think of sweetie?" I laughed and Brian threw his napkin at Nick. Nick grinned, then became serious. "Really, it just kinda happened," he admitted. "Nothing against you guys, but things have been really weird lately and I needed someone to talk to, that knew all the people involved. Nora and I had been emailing each other all along, so I started to talk to her." He looked at her again and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "We have a lot of similar interests and have fun together."

Nora spoke up. "Nick has been a big help, talking to me when I was getting depressed or angry about what happened. He's been a real sweetheart and we're taking things slowly."

"I'm really happy for you, both of you," Brian said honestly. I definitely agreed with him.

The twelve of us enjoyed a delicious and leisurely lunch, and good company, before we had to go back to the stadium.

The stadium had a large room set aside for the group with a number of sections. One corner had a table full of drinks and snacks; another area had a large screen TV and some comfortable couches. A third section had a couple of video games and a pinball machine. The fourth section had four couches around a square coffee table. On the table were a variety of board games and card games. A wall of windows overlooked the floor of the stadium. A couple of doors leading out of the room went to bathrooms and a smaller quiet room that only the singers were allowed into. It was quite cozy and we all relaxed in the safety of the room.

It wasn't planned, but each of the five couples moved to a secluded area for a few of minutes of personal time, before separating. The singers only had a few minutes before they had to take the elevator down to a conference room for the fan meet.

Brian took my hand and we walked over next to the windows. "I'm going to miss you Angel," he whispered as he kissed the hollow of my throat. I pulled him into my arms.

"I'll miss you too. I always do anytime we are apart. But I'll be here when you get back," I promised.

Brian smiled. "I know." He looked around at the other couples. "This is perfect you know. All of us together." I had to agree. We kissed again and before I knew it, a PR was there to take the guys to the fan meet. Us 'significant others' decided to hang out in the room while the guys dealt with their fans.

After they left, there were only five of us in the room. We all looked at each other, then I began to laugh. "How sad is it that we're all lost without our men around?" I asked. The others started to laugh too. We congregated on the couches around the coffee table. I took the opportunity to get to know Melissa and Nora a little better. We all talked and some of us told funny stories about the guys on tour. Melissa had been with Howie for a number of years so it was nice hearing about their early years.

Before we knew it the ninety minutes were up and the door opened, admitting our guys. Again we all separated into pairs and found a quiet place to sit. I watched Brian pause to talk to AJ. He whispered something, making AJ smile and blush. AJ nodded and walked over to Drew before pulling him into the quiet room, closing the door behind them. Brian then joined me on the couch. Sheri and Kevin were on a couch by the TV while the other four were at the video machines.

We sat close together looking out the window at the stadium. Brian pulled my arm around his shoulders and snuggled against my side, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I missed you," he whispered.

I smiled and kissed his forehead. "I missed you too Love. So how were the fans?" I asked.

I could feel him shrug. "The usual. I'll be glad when this concert is over. We only have a few more before we're taking six weeks off," he said softly.

That was news to me. "Six weeks? Why?"

Brian sighed. "Basically we're all tired. Although AJ is planning his own little mini tour. You know that persona he puts on sometimes…Johnny Suede? Well he's doing a few concerts as Johnny. Except he has to change the name for copyright reasons, so he's going as Johnny NoName," Brian explained and then sat up. "But I was thinking that we could use the time for us. Whatever you want Scott. We can take a trip, or just spend time at home together. What do you think?"

I thought about it. "What if…" I trailed off. I didn't want to force Brian into anything. "What if we went public before the break, or at the beginning of it? Then we could spend time talking to reputable media…if there is such a thing. Give them our story…then take a holiday for a bit and let the frenzy die down," I suggested.

Brian looked at me, and nodded. "That might work. If we feed the media our truth, so that they aren't making up the main facts…then maybe things will die down a little. It could work. Lets talk about that later okay? We'll have to talk it over with one of our PR people. They usually have a good sense of the media."

I leaned in to kiss him again. "Sounds good to me," I said before claiming his mouth again. We couldn't get too worked up, unfortunately. Until we went public I didn't want the media to see Brian with a 'just fucked' or 'nearly fucked' expression, such as glazed eyes and swollen lips. No need to feed the rumor mill yet. Instead we cuddled close and entwined our fingers together. It felt wonderful just to be holding him again. I think we both dozed while we sat there, because suddenly Kevin was gently shaking Brian awake.

"Come on guys," he said quietly. Brian and I both sat up and stretched. "We need to go in about five minutes Bri," Kevin added. Brian nodded. He turned back to me for a quick kiss.

"We won't have much time after the press conference. I'll have to get dressed, stretch and do vocal warm-ups for the concert. But we have a section reserved for you guys right down front, okay?"

I smiled and returned the kiss. "Sounds good Bri. Then we'll have more time after the concert for," I paused and licked my lips, "other things."

Brian groaned, and I grinned. "Bastard," he murmured as he stood up. He went to the bathroom to brush his hair and wash his face. I walked over to the section with the TV and put it on. Maybe we couldn't be at the conference, but we could watch it!

A couple of minutes later the guys left, and the girls, Drew and I sat down to watch them on TV.