Date: Fri, 05 May 2000 21:37:37 EDT
From: Carter C <nicksxtacy@hotmail.com>
Subject: Open Arms 3

Open Arms 3
by Carter nicksxtacy@hotmail.com
m/m CELEBRITY/Boy-Bands

Disclaimer: This story is a work of Fiction. It is not meant to reflect the
true sexuality of anyone mentioned within, especially not NICK CARTER or any
member of the Backstreet Boys and is strictly taken from the author's
over-active imagination.  If you are too young or it is illegel for you to
continue, DON'T. The author takes NO responsibility whatsoever for any harm
that is caused to anyone by reading this etc. so if you're not supposed to
be here, GO AWAY, please.

Author's Note: Look, this is my first attempt at this kind of story, I hope
someone out there likes it. Any comments, suggestions or criticisms would be
appreciated, any flames will be fed to my email's trash can. Input and
comments are ALWAYS welcome.

A special thanks to L.T., the author of "Because I Loved You" it's a kick
@ss story, and the boy has talent, thanxs for encouraging me to try this and
for your inspiration. You are forever the KING.

And thanks to you know who for the ultimate inspiration, you make my life
worth living. Now on to the story.

OPEN ARMS- CHAPTER 3
by Carter ( nicksxtacy@hotmail.com )



	Nick awoke sleepily to the sound of Brian's voice coming from the bathroom.
A quick glance around, confirmed that Brian was in the shower and that
LeighAnn was still sound asleep in Brian's bed.  Just as Nick was about to
try to get a few more minutes of sleep, he heard Brian emerge from the
shower, still singing softly but as perfectly as ever. Nick watched as Brian
walked over to his bed, dripping wet, with nothing but a white towel hugging
his waist and kissed LeighAnn on the cheek.

	"Lee, honey it's time to wake up...Baby, you gotta get ready now so that we
can have breakfast together before we leave." Brian wrapped his arms around
her sleeping body and gently rocked her out of her slumber, his tender
fingers and voice pulling her from the haven of sleep and bringing her into
reality. Nick cringed in jealousy as he saw the caring and loving way that
Brian would do everything for LeighAnn, even though she never deserved any
of it. Brian was so gentle and patient with her, he put up with so much more
than he should have had to from anyone, but he always did it with  a smile
on his face.

	Nick let himself drift back to sleep because he knew with LeighAnn being
waken up, she'd hog the bathroom for at least another hour. `She spends so
much time on herself, and yet she still looks hideous,' Nick smiled to
himself as he thought of the way AJ and Howie would bash LeighAnn behind her
back. Not one of them, apart from Brian, could really stand her but of
course, Nick and Kevin had to pretend to love her,  in order to maintain
their respective relationships with Brian. But from some of their talks,
Nick knew that Kevin was hoping, no, it was more like praying, that Brian
would see LeighAnn for the gold digger that she was before he made the fatal
mistake of marrying her.  Being as religious as he was, Brian would never
agree to divorce, no matter what she did, so if he did go through with his
marriage to LeighAnn, he was doomed to living his life forever being
controlled by her. In Nick's mind, he also had to deal with the issue that
not only could he not bare to see Brian with her, he knew that once they
were married he would  see a lot less of Brian, which would be even worse.
For almost 7 years, Nick had waken up beside Brian, fallen asleep next to
him. They'd been closer than twin brothers, and in their own way, more
intimate than some of the most romantic couples of all time.  No, Brian
wasn't gay, but there was always a chemistry behind their relationship; a
special bond that was deeper than anything Nick had ever known. There was a
special way that Brian had when dealing with Nick. It was the little things
that meant the most to him.

	Nick drifted into a dream, one that was clearer than ever because it had
really happened. He unconsciously sighed as he relived the moments in his
sleep.

	 It was January 28th, his 20th Birthday  and Nick had been really stressed.
His mind was in turmoil as he dealt with all of his issues of being a
celebrity; being in love, lonely, alone, and gay. It had also been the time
when the media had been harassing Nick about his weight. All of a sudden,
allegations had come flying out from everywhere, of Nick being anorexic,
then boulemic just because of his fluctuating weight. Then on top of it all,
Nick has witnessed Brian's proposal to LeighAnn, just a few weeks earlier on
New Years' eve. For the past few years, Nick dreamt of his twentieth
Birthday. He had prayed that by some miracle, him and Brian would have been
together by then. He thought that the five guys would go out for a nice
meal, where he and Brian would have confessed their undying love for each
other. It would have been all he wanted, to have Brian by his side and have
the whole group know and accept that he was gay. But without Brian, there
was no way he'd ever have the strength to let his sexuality be known, to
anyone. So needless to say, Nickolas Carter had been miserable and turned
down any plans for a birthday celebration.

	That night, as Nick was in the den of the new home he bought himself,
feeling more lonely than ever in the huge mansion by himself, he shed a few
tears, as a " I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston blasted through all
four floors of the house. Every verse, every line, spoke the emotions that
Nick's heart was feeling. He closed his eyes and let the music consume him
before hearing the sound of the front door shutting. Nick swiftly lowered
the volume and looked around for something to defend himself with. Great, he
thought, I'm gonna be killed in my house on my twentieth birthday. He knew
he hadn't left the front door open, and his family was miles away in their
new house in Los Angeles.  Nick blindly grabbed the first thing that he
could, it turned out to be a big teddy bear but Nick was too terrified to
even realize what it was. As the footsteps approached, Nick lunged around
the corner and began to pound the intruder with the bear. When he finally
realized that rather than falling in pain, the "criminal" was rolling on the
floor in laughter, Nick looked down and saw the love of his life on the
floor.

	"Brian, what the FUCK are you doing, you scared the shit out of me!" Nick
screamed as he sat down on Brian, straddling Brian's thin waist. As Brian
struggled to recover from his laughter, Nick gazed upon the angel. He could
still remember what Brian was wearing; loose fitting light blue jeans, and a
white fleece Hilfiger sweatshirt. The sweatshirt's material was the softest
thing Nick had ever felt and the sensations of being in contact with Brian
and seeing that gorgeous face just inches away started to take their toll on
Nick as his boxers suddenly felt  a little bit fuller. Was it just his
imagination or did he feel something hard beneath him. A spark of hope had
ignited within Nick as he felt Brian's dick rub against his clothed ass.
Nick got up off of Brian and pulled Brian up with him. Brian pulled Nick
into a tight hug and then backed away just slightly so that he could look
into Nick's grayish blue eyes. Nick would remember the look in Brian's eyes
for all of eternity. Brian had placed his hands at the back of Nick's head
and refused to break the stare between them. Nick was in heaven yet he was
more confused than ever as Brian didn't let go of him. The classic words
from Romeo and Juliet came to Nick's mind and he spoke,

	"Speak again my fair Angel..."  Nick held his breath. Would Brian notice
what he had said, or would Brian take it as a joke?

	"Happy Birthday Nicky. I'm so sorry for scaring you, but I wanted to
surprise you and since I had a key, I came in. Did you really think that I
would let you spend your Birthday alone in this house? No way, not my Frack.
So I brought some pizza, and some videos.Nicky, you're my best friend, and
even if you don't want to go out for your birthday, you and I are still
gonna have a good time. I just need to go call LeighAnn and see how she's
doing" Brian's voice melted it's way into the depths of Nick's soul.

	Nick had been disappointed that nothing had come of that moment. He
couldn't understand just how Brian could ignore the strong feelings that
were shared during their embrace. And there was no denying that Brian had
been erect. Nevertheless, it would be a night that Nick would cherish
forever. They had spent the night in Nick's room just watching movies all
night; Frick and Frack-together again. In the early hours of the morning,
Brian had fallen asleep and leaned against Nick's shoulder. Nick had stroked
his soft hair until he himself fell asleep.

	"Nick....Nickolas.....NICK....it's time to wake up." Nick stirred as Brian
pulled him from his sleep. He moaned slightly as he remembered the dream.

	"Bri...do you remember when you came over for my birthday and I thought you
were a robber..." Nick hesitantly asked.

	"..and then you beat the crap out of me with a teddy bear?  How could I
forget?  What about it?"

	"I dunno...I was just remembering, I guess, I mean....yeah, I, I.....I
guess I just wanted to say thank you. It meant a lot to me. Not beating you
up, I mean everything you did for me." Nick stuttered.

	"Don't worry about it Nicky, I did it because you're my best friend and I
wanted you to have a good birthday." Brian said seriously.

	"Well, I did, it was the best birthday ever,"

	"Good, I'm glad. Well, you'd better get up and get ready, we have to leave
for the airport in a couple of hours. I'm gonna head down to the restaurant
downstairs, Lee is waiting for me at the table. Why don't you hurry up and
then you can join us?"

	"No that's okay Bri, I'll meet you in the limo when it's time to go. You
and LeighAnn should have a private breakfast since you won't see her for a
month, I'm sure you're going to miss her, and want to spend as much time
with her as you can right now." Nick said the words he knew he should say,
as a good best friend, even though he wished he could just open up and pour
all of his feelings  out to Brian.

	"Yeah Nick you're right,, thanks for understanding. Don't be late, ok
buddy? See ya." Brian didn't know why he was so disappointed that Nick
wouldn't' join him and Leighann but he knew it was for the best. If Nick
came it would just set Leighann on edge and she'd probably just insult Nick
as usual. He knew it was wrong, but for some reason he didn't particularly
want to be around LeighAnn that much anymore, but he figured it was just his
male-instinct fear of commitment kicking in. `PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER BRIAN!
YOU ARE MARRYING LEIGHANN WALLACE, YOU WANT THIS, NOW GO DOWNSTAIRS AND FALL
IN LOVE WITH HER ALL OVER AGAIN' Brian counseled himself before leaving the
hotel room and joining Leighann for their last meal together for a month.

	*****Later on at Laguardia International Airport****

	"All passengers boarding flight number 642 to Paris, France, please be
advised that this is your final boarding call....That's all passengers for
Paris, France flight 643, this is your last call."

	"That's us Nick.  Leigh, I love you and don't forget, when I get back it'll
only be a matter of hours before we're Mr. And Mrs. Brian Littrell!" Brian
first made sure Nick had boarded the plane and then pulled Leighann into an
embrace. He kissed her making sure to give her something to remember or
maybe he was trying to convince himself that he really loved her and this
was something that he wanted to come back home to everyday for the rest of
his life.

	No tears were shed as Brian boarded the plane leaving Leighann behind.
`Maybe this month apart is what we both need. When I come back, everything
will be fine and we'll live happily ever after.' Brian told himself as he
searched for his seat. Brian was pleasantly surprised to find that although
it wasn't a private flight, there was no one else in the first class section
of the plane, but his bandmates, so they were assured a calm and uneventful
flight.

	Brian saw that Nick had already confined himself in a corner and was
plugged into his discman as usual. Brian chose a seat far enough to give
Nick his space but close enough to be there if Nick decided he wanted to
talk. Brian pulled out his laptop and opened a word pad document. He began
to compile a list of girls that he would consider to set Nick up with. He
was sure that's exactly what Nick needed to cheer him up, to find a nice
girl. Brian decided that it wasn't going to be an easy task finding a girl
that he believed to be good enough for Nick. Once he did, then he'd deal
with the problem of getting Nick to actually agree to the date.

	Nick was being engulfed by the song as Brandy's words spoke the thoughts in
Nick's head. He was amazed at how accurately the lyrics portrayed the
longing that he felt. Nothing else penetrated his thoughts but the image of
Brian's angelic face smiling at him and the sweet sounds of Brandy's "Have
You Ever".

Have you ever loved somebody so much
It makes you cry
Have you ever needed something so bad
You can't sleep at night
Have you ever tried to find the words
But they don't come out right
Have you ever, have you ever

Have you ever been in love,
Been in love so bad,
You'd do anything to make them understand
Have you ever had someone steal your heart away
You'd give anything, to make them feel the same
Have you ever searched for words to get you in their heart
But you don't know what to say
And you don't know where to start

Have you ever loved somebody so much
It makes you cry
Have you ever needed something so bad
You can't sleep at night
Have you ever tried to find the words
But they don't come out right
Have you ever, have you ever

Have you ever found the one
You've dreamed of all your life
You'd do anything to look into their eyes
Have you finally found the one you've given your heart to
Only to find that one won't give their heart to you
Have you ever closed your eyes and
Dreamed that they were there
And all you can do is hope for the day when they will care...

	Brian couldn't help but keep glancing in Nick's direction, wondering what
exactly was going through Nick's mind all those times when he sat there
alone, seemingly engrossed in his own little world. Brian returned his
attention to the computer screen in front of him hoping to somehow come up
with the perfect girl to set Nick up with. Mandy Moore was a possibility,
she was a couple years younger than Nick, and seemed to be pretty pure and
innocent but she didn't seem capable of the mature relationship that Nick
needed; Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were both dismissed, there was
no way Brian was going to hook Nick up with someone who was known to be not
only a slut, but also someone who was quite likely to break his heart.
Jessica Simpson is taken, Mariah Carey is too old; Aaliyah is too tough. Try
as he might Brian couldn't  come up with someone perfect enough for Nick. He
decided to try another approach. Instead of setting Nick up with a date,
Brian could try to encourage Nick to get out, and try to help Nick meet new
people. If he was left to himself, Brian knew that Nick wouldn't venture far
from his hotel room, but with Brian dragging him out he'd have no choice.
Well, having settled that, Brian turned off his laptop and settled back in
his chair, and hoped to get some sleep.

	Across the aisle, Nick was squirming in his seat. Unbeknownst to Brian,
Nick had been watching him the entire time. Nick wondered what Brian had
been so concentrated on. He figured Brian had probably been writing some
song lyrics or working on his wedding vows for LeighAnn. Those were the only
times Nick would ever see Brian stressed enough to pass up a chance to
sleep. Nick's hormones were raging and his cock strained against the
waistband of his boxers. Nick had been willing his erection to go away for
the past half an hour and it was not working. He cursed himself for wearing
tearaways, knowing that even if he tried to go to the bathroom, his
"problem" would be visible for Brian to see. Once Brian closed his laptop
and settled back to sleep, Nick almost jumped at the opportunity to relieve
himself in the airplane lavatory.

	 Nick eased himself up from his seat, so as to not wake anyone and within a
couple seconds he was in the lavatory with the door locked. Nick looked at
himself in the mirror and saw just how flushed he had become. `God, I need a
man to get me off...'he told the reflection and then he sat down on the
closed toilet seat with his tearaways and boxers around his ankles. He
softly brushed the tips of his fingers against the tip of his cock and
gathered the precum that had gathered there as he brought it up to his lips.
Each time, the taste amazed him, and he couldn't help but wonder what Brian
tasted like. Nick then wrapped his fingers around his erect cock and started
slowly pumping his large cock.  Within seconds, a light glistening of sweat
covered Nick's body as he became more and more desperate to release the
orgasm that was building within him. He brought his right hand to his mouth
and sucked on his index and middle fingers as his left hand continued to
pump away at his cock at a mad pace. Had it not been for the bathroom fan,
the others would have surely heard Nick as skin slapped against skin and
Nick rocked back and forth on the toilet seat. Nick removed his fingers from
his mouth and rubbed the wet tips against his sensitive cockhead. He closed
his eyes and could almost imagine the image of Brian straddling him as he
had seen Leighann do to Brian the night before. Nick longed to see Brian
riding up and down on his hard pole and crying out his name. Nick stopped
pulling on his cock and just rubbed the huge head of his cock with the palm
of his head. This sent Nick past the point of no return and he bit his lip
as he came into the palm of his hand. He wasted no time in licking his hand
clean as he made sure not to miss a drop. Nick pulled up his pants
reluctantly, wondering when the time would come when he wouldn't have to
rely on himself for sexual release. Nick took his time as he splashed cold
water on his face and then returned to his seat.

	Looking around and seeing the rest of the group fast asleep, Nick took the
unspoken suggestion and decided to have a nap himself. Nick glanced over and
saw Brian's neck hanging to the side in an uncomfortable position. Not
seeing a stewardess near by, Nick got up and found two pillows and blankets
and took them over to Brian. He gently lifted Brian's head and placed a
pillow on either side of Brian's head to keep it in place and then he
covered Brian with one of the blankets.  Nick then made a quick check to
make sure everyone else was comfortable and not seeing anyone else in need
of his help, he settled into the seat next to Brian and turned his discman
on once more. He settled on the soothing sounds of Brian's voice singing
"Darlin'" and set the song on repeat. He looked over to watch Brian's
sleeping figure. He loved the way Brian's chest rose and fell with each
breath that he took. His glance went lower for just a second as he admired
the bulge in Brian's jeans that housed his gorgeous manhood. Nick then
returned his gaze to Brian's well defined face. His soft, perfect skin. The
well-shaped eyebrows, the cute little nose. Everyone always made fun of
Brian's `large' nostrils, but Nick loved them and thought they were
adorable. Nick then let his glance fall onto Brian's gorgeous lips. They
formed a half-smile and Nick wondered what Brian was dreaming about and then
frowned as he thought it would most probably be thoughts of Leighann that
filled Brian's mind. Nick shut his eyes and decided to let Brian's sweet
voice serenade him to sleep.

	Brian awoke with a start. He was having a dream but now he couldn't
remember what it was about. He looked to his side and saw Nick fast asleep.
As he snapped out of his dream-like state, he realized that someone had
propped his head between two pillows and covered him with a blanket. Brian
thought to himself, `Whoever said that a dog was man's best friend obviously
never met Nick Carter'. Brian noticed that although Nick was asleep, his
discman was still playing and was set to repeat the same song over and over
again and the headphones had fallen from Nick's head. Brian carefully
reached down and lifted the headphones from Nick's lap and placed them on
his own ears. He was slightly surprised to hear not the sounds of some
alternative band but Brian's own voice singing "Darling", off the Backstreet
Boys' first album. Brian smiled as he thought about how long ago that was
and he wondered what had pushed Nick to listen to such a sad song.
Everywhere he looked, Nick was crying for help and Brian couldn't figure out
how to `save' Nick from the pain that was being inflicted upon him. Brian
noticed a shiver come from Nick's body and he desperately looked around for
a stewardess to tell her to turn down the air conditioning. He didn't see
one around and realized that the airline had probably been instructed not to
bother them during the long international flight. He placed his arm around
Nick's shoulder and hugged Nick closer to his own shoulder, hoping to keep
Nick a bit warmer. Brian let his head lean back and went back to sleep. He
wanted to talk to Nick but refused to wake him. There would be lots of time
to talk in Europe. He promised himself that he wouldn't let Nick be unhappy
anymore.

***********************************************
	"Attention all passengers, We are approaching our final destination, please
secure all loose articles and fasten your seat belts." the voice echoed
through the plane's cabins and ended Kevin's peaceful sleep. He gently
tapped the two men sitting in front of him and told them to wake up and
fasten their seat belts. AJ and Howie did as they were told and then Kevin
turned around to give the same message to Brian and Nick. What Kevin saw was
a sight that took his breath away and put a smile on his face at the same
time. There was his cousin, Brian with his right arm wrapped around Nick's
shoulder and Nick's head resting against Brian. What was most important to
Kevin was the fact that both of them were smiling in their sleep. Kevin
breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that it still was possible for Nick
to smile and he reminded himself to ask Brian what he had done to cheer Nick
up. Even Brian had a sweeter smile on his face than Kevin had seen in a long
time; ever since Brian had proposed to LeighAnn at least. Kevin really
didn't want to wake them. Nick, especially, was so stressed lately and Kevin
couldn't even guess what was bothering him, so Kevin refused to have to
break up the situation that had actually made Nick smile.  Kevin quickly
unbuckled his seat belt and went back one row to where Nick and Brian were
siting. He lifted the blankets that were covering Nick and Brian's bodies,
so that he could attempt to buckle their seat belts. The sight that revealed
itself to Kevin was so unexpected that Kevin actually gasped out loud, and
then clasped his hand over his mouth in fear of waking the two men. When
Kevin looked down, Nick and Brian were holding hands. Kevin was amazed that
after months of watching Nick suffer, Brian must have moved mountains to
make Nick that happy and receptive once again. The thought popped into
Kevin's head and he almost said it outloud, "They would make the cutest
couple, and they'd make each other so happy. If only they were gay." Kevin
was thrilled beyond belief to see Nick and Brian so close again and he just
stood there looking at them for a while; like a father watching his newborn
child sleep for the first time. Kevin quickly buckled Nick and Brian's seat
belts and recovered them with the blankets. He then rushed back to his own
seat and did the same. His thoughts were consumed with the images of Nick
and Brian smiling and once again demonstrating the Frick and Frack
friendship that everyone had grown to know and love.
	Having spent the last 7 years with the four men around him, Kevin had grown
to love them all in their own ways and while they nagged him for always
being the father-figure, what he wanted the most was to see them happy. AJ
and Howie were pretty easy: Let AJ do whatever he wants to his own body and
let Howie have a close up in every video and the two of them were set.
Brian, however was a deeper person  and longed for years to find someone
that he could love and have children with. While AJ, Kevin and Howie were
enjoying the single life and were not in a rush to settle down, both Nick
and Brian had spent countless days together discussing their dreams, all of
which included happy marriages and several kids. For someone so young, Nick
had a very mature outlook on life, and wanted only happiness as opposed to
the riches that so many people strive for. Kevin knew that more than anyone
else in the group, money wasn't what was keeping Nick a Backstreet Boy. Nick
really didn't care whether he was making a hundred million a year or 50
thousand a year, as long as he could eventually have a happy family, that's
all he wanted. Brian was similar, wanting family and happiness, but Brian
had lived as a poor farm boy for long enough and was sick of it and wanted
to be able to establish himself and his family so that his kids could have
anything and everything that they wanted.

	The plane began is landing and as the two front wheels first made contact
with the runway, Nick and Brian were jolted awake. Nick looked to his left,
and noticed that his head was lying on Brian's shoulder and Brian's arm was
around him. He also felt his hand clutched within Brian's beneath the
covers. Nick smiled and snuggled closer to Brian, waiting for Brian to be
the one to end the embrace and let go of his hand. Instead of feeling Brian
withdraw, Nick heard Brian whispering softly in his ear. He couldn't make it
out and strained to hear what Brian was saying.

	"I'll be the one, to hold you, and make sure that you'll be alright Nicky"
sang his version of their newest single, ever so softly and quietly into
Nick's ear. Nick looked up, his eyes instantly locking with Brian's. Brian
was amazed at the look in Nick's eyes, it wasn't one of happiness like he
expected but one of confusion and uncertainty.

	"Brian, what?" Nick asked as his brain sent a million different questions
to his mouth, none of them seeming the right thing to say.

	"Nicky, i just want you to know that I know that something is wrong. I know
you're hurting inside and that you're in pain. I don't know what I could
have done to make you stop confiding in me, but I need you to know that, I
love you. You're my best friend and always will be  and whatever's bothering
you, I don't want to lose you to it and I am always here for you, no matter
what." Brian let it all out before Nick could break their eye contact and
Brian squeezed Nick's hand even tighter.

	Instead of responding as Brian would have expected, Nick just said, "Thanks
Bri." and then gathered his stuff and got up. Brian wasn't expecting Nick to
open up there in the plane,  but he was confused at Nick's reaction all the
same. It's almost as if he had said the wrong thing than what Nick had
expected him to say. Brian got up and began to gather his stuff,  more
determined than ever to get through to Nick.

	Nick didn't know why he was so frustrated, it had been so magical and
special feeling Brian next to him like that, and he knew that Brian had only
the best intentions at heart but when he woke up with Brian in that
position, for some reason, he expected more than just a `pep-talk' about
friendship. Brian could offer to be there for him a million times again, but
that didn't mean that he could just admit his homosexuality and feeling to
Brian. Unless Brian showed some sign of acceptance or a return of Nick's
feelings, Nick wouldn't be able to tell Brian just how his world revolved
around Brian and that he couldn't see his life without him. Nick was so
frustrated that he didn't notice that his necklace had gotten caught on one
of the handles of his seat. As Nick hurriedly got up, he felt something jerk
against his neck and then watched as his necklace broke into what seemed
like a million pieces. Nick was so frustrated, sad, happy, excited,
depressed, so absolutely confused that the only thing he could do was run
out of the plane.

	 Luckily, there were no fans waiting in the airport since they had been
wise enough to choose to arrive in Paris,a week before their first show.
They all hopped into the limo and were silent as they could see that Nick
looked horrible. They were afraid to even breathe out loud because they
could see that the smallest thing might trigger Nick. Having all seen what
happened in the plane, they had no doubt as to what had Nick so upset. They
all knew how much the chain meant to Nick. It had been a 16th birthday gift
from Brian, it was a cross with a music note wrapped around it. On the back,
there was an inscription from Brian. Nick had never taken it off since the
day he got it and had refused to let anyone read the inscription. Knowing
the sentimental value that Nick had attached to the chain, Brian had honored
Nick's wish and had never revealed what the inscription on Nick's chain said
and everyone else had respected Nick's privacy, realizing that the chain
meant more to him than anything else.  As they all looked at Nick, they
could see his face buried in the cushions of the limo. They didn't know if
he was about to flip out and scream or cry but they could see that despite
their collective reservations someone had to do something. It was painfully
obvious that Nick was in desperate need and someone had to reach out and
help him. The chain breaking had just been the last straw in a chain of
events that had sent Nick further and further into his spiraling depression.
AJ and Howie looked at Kevin who in turn looked at Brian, no one knowing
what to do. Then suddenly before anyone could say something, the Eiffel
Tower came in to view.

	Despite the fact that the BSB had been to France countless times before,
Nick had always wanted to travel to the top of the Eiffel tower but due to
safety reasons the boys had never been able to make a trip. Brian picked up
the phone that connected them to the driver and tried to make out the right
words in French.

	"Tower Eiffel, s'il vous plait, Monsieur, now." Brian spoke, trying to
remember the few words of French that he knew.

	The driver obviously got the hint and swung the limo in the direction of
the world-famous landmark. Everyone looked at Brian in shock, but before
they could say anything they were skidding to a halt outside of the tower.
As everyone looked at Brian, he told them all, in a tone that even Kevin
wouldn't argue with,

	"Ok, Nick n' I are getting out now. We'll find our way back to the hotel.
Go ahead and have dinner, and if y'all want to go out, go ahead,but don't
wait on us."

	Nick was the only one to object,

	"What? Huh? I just want to go back to the hotel Brian, what are you doing?"
Nick spat the words out almost aggressively.

	Rather than answering, Brian grabbed Nick's hand and half pulled, half
dragged the blond out of the limo. As Brian leaned in to grab his and Nick's
coats, Kevin patted him on the shoulder,

	"We're counting on you `cuz.  He needs you."

	"I know Kev , I know" Brian affirmed as he shut the door and watched as the
limo sped away. Nick took his coat from Brian and put it on, clutching it to
his body, almost as if it was a child's safety blanket. Nick wanted to turn
to Brian and yell at him, but Brian spoke before he could open his mouth.

	"Come on Nick, let's go." Brian said abruptly as he glanced nervously at
the Eiffel Tower.

	"Go where, Brian?" Nick asked, knowing Brian couldn't possibly mean that
they were going to the top of the tower, since Brian had a severe and almost
paralyzing fear of heights.

	"Well, you've wanted to go to the top of the Eiffel tower, here's your
chance. We've got to go now, before any fans realize that we're here in
France." Brian said quickly as he grabbed Nick's hand and paid the admission
fee. Before Nick knew exactly what was going on, he and Brian were heading
up the side of the Eiffel Tower alone in an elevator. In order to avoid
looking out the windows at the ground that was distancing from them at
ridiculously rapid speeds, Brian turned to face Nick and took Nick's hands
in his.

		"Nick, I really need to know what's going on with you. I'm really worried
about you and this isn't healthy. If there's something that's bothering you
to the point where it's affecting you 24 hours a day for months, it's only
going to get worse if you don't tell me." Brian was completely honest with
Nick, using the strategy that he believed in-speaking from the heart. Before
Nick could respond, the elevator door opened and Nick and Brian stepped out
onto the first level of the tower. Brian gasped and clutched Nick's hand as
he looked at the world below. It was a long way down and Brian felt faint
and had difficulty breathing.

	"Ok, Nick, let's go get to the top before someone figures out who we are."
Brian said quickly almost as if he was saying it before he could change his
mind as he turned away from the sight of the world passing beneath him and
looked into Nick's eyes.

	"Brian, I don't think this is a good idea. It was nice of you to bring me
up here, and I appreciate what you're trying to do, but are you sure you can
handle the height. You look like you've seen a ghost and you're only a third
of the way up." Nick concealed his want to go further as he considered
Brian's phobia. Instead of responding, Brian once again clutched Nick's hand
tightly and dragged Nick  into the waiting elevator. By now the sun had set
and Paris was a beautiful sight. Lights illuminated and mapped out the city
and the two friends stared in awe at the beauty before them. As they emerged
from the elevator on the top level even Nick's breath was taken away at the
sight. Brian was afraid yet felt the adrenaline pumping through his body.

	"I can't believe you'd come up here Brian. God, you don't even go on ferris
wheels, let alone venture to the top of the Eiffel Tower."

	"NICK, why don't you understand? I did this for YOU. I would do anything
for you. You're so damn important to me, yet all I do is watch you suffer.
I'm begging you Nickolas, from the button if my heart, please, please tell
me what's wrong, let me help you. I can't bare to see you in pain, because
it hurts me too. For seven years we've spent all of our time together and
it's hard enough for me to know that we'll see a lot less of each other once
I marry Leighann, how can you possibly expect me to leave you alone when you
seem like you're about to have a nervous breakdown at any time." Brian
pleaded with Nick to cooperate. A million thoughts rushed through Nick's
mind but nothing was as clear as three simple words in his mind, `I love
Brian'. Nick was caught. He didn't want to make things worse by confessing
his love to Brian and then having to deal with the repercussions of making
that admission to Brian but there was no way he could lie to Brian. As he
looked into the gorgeous blue eyes before him and saw the love in them, Nick
couldn't see anything but complete devotion and love. `Maybe I  have to be
the one to make the first move. Maybe I can't wait on him anymore, maybe
this is my chance.' Nick fought with himself as he struggled to decide what
to do, never breaking his eye contact with Brian. `Here we go' thought Nick
as he made up his mind. He clutched both of Brian's hands and brought them
to his chest, right above where his heart would be. A single tear slipped
down his delicate cheek, as his beautiful blond hair flowed in the wind.

	"Brian..."



TO BE CONTINUED.

	Well I hope I didn't bore anyone to tears and I hope I didn't disappoint
anyone. I just wanna say thank you to everyone who emailed me after the
first installments of OPEN ARMS. Thank you so much for the kind words and
encouragement and I hope you all liked this one. Please let me know, because
I'm so worried that this one sucked. After spending hours writing something,
you have no real ability to distinguish whether it's good or bad, so you
need others' input. Hey, at least I know I was true to Nick.

Carter