The Body Switch With Nick Carter Series

DISCLAIMER: This is fiction. I don't know the Backstreet Boys, I am not one of them, and I don't know their sexuality. If you're under 18 or homophobic, leave now.

AUTHOR NOTE: This one is for David, the lovely Nifty Archivist- who without pests like me, would have a peaceful duration of online time! :::enter round of applause and champagne toasts here for David::: Ahem... and also for the Old-School boy-band authors :::wink to Sophie::: Then we have Paul and JR for the new plot revelations. Sup Bettina! Love you "Dennie" Racine! Spotlight for the day is on ::digs around in ballot box:: Kenitra! Author of several great titles you can find a website near you (does "Millennium Love" sound familiar, or the steamy "Ten Guy's One Night"?). Take a bow girl! Now go and write more drool-worthy literature for us! :::scoots Kenitra off stage and takes her place, ducks at flying objects::: HEY! Okay, Chapter 2. Difficulty rating = 10. My patience level = 0. Sorry if I came off as a brat in the first author-note but I had some peeves to get out :::sheepish grin::: Overall, I'm just your average friendly nifty author. Ask Dennis! Now, I had so many responses of people suggesting what should happen next, that I was at a loss. There was no *one* way to go without disappointing several others, so here you have it! PS: this is going to kill me. Comments can be sent to VillainNo1@aol.com ^.^

"True love never ends happily ever after. True love never ends." - film, unknown

W A R N I N G * P L E A S E * R E A D * W A R N I N G

After Chapter 1 this became a sort of "Choose Your Own Adventure" story.
There are 3 storylines to choose from: Reclaim, Live, and Die. One path for the 3 ways this story could go based upon the end of Chapter 1.
It is NOT advised to read both "Reclaim" and "Die" until the series ends. They are VERY similar and might get confusing.
Scroll down to find the bold title breaks to read storyline 1, 2 or 3.

The Body Switch With Nick Carter - Ch. 2

STORYLINE ONE: Reclaim...

An insistent phone ringing can shatter even the deepest dreams.

Tyler sat bolt upright in bed, heart pumping blood at a dangerous pace. He had to stop that noise. Throwing off his side of the blankets, he arched his body over Brian to reach the evil phone. His fingers brushed it enough to pull it closer, and once in his grasp, the receiver was lifted and then dropped. Damn wakeup calls. Sighing in sweet relief, Tyler fell into a cross-legged heap on his side of the bed, lazily looking at the sleeping Backstreet Boy.

"I can't believe this." He whispered to himself, for what had to be the hundredth time. Brian was buried under folds of pink blanket and some of his hair stuck out the top. Tyler put his hand on what he figured was a hip and gave it a shake. "Brian? We got our wakeup call, so, wakeup." There was a dreadful moan, and something that loosely resembled human speech.

"Can't talk. Sleeping."

Tyler was shocked that he felt himself actually laughing. "Brian?"

"Nick?"

Tyler paused, the last syllable of laughter being murdered in his throat. "Um, no, it's... Tyler."

"Oh my god." Brian shed the blankets, instantly awake, and looked questioningly up into the blonde's face. "It wasn't a dream afterall."

"I'm afraid not. For a split second, I thought I had imagined it too." He shrugged apologetically, not sure of what to say next, and his eyes were really bothering him. Brian sighed heavily and crawled out of bed, rummaging through his luggage for clothes.

"This is the most depressing day of my life." He deadpanned. "Not being able to go to college, no biggie. Surviving heart surgery, no problem. Living out of hotels, piece of cake. Having Nick say 'I need to think about it' when I proposed, nothing. I thought THAT was bad." He pulled on a jersey and black jeans and used the reflection in the mirror to look at Tyler who was respectively and quietly sitting on the bed. "I would live all that bullshit over and over to have Nick back."

"So would I."

Tyler and Brian both jumped as Kevin spoke from the doorway, where his head was poking in. "Hi Kev." Brian said unenthusiastically.

"Good morning Kevin, again." Tyler greeted in a similar, yet more respective tone. Kevin walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. He was fully dressed and his hair was damp from his shower and styling gel.

"Hey guys. D and Bone are getting dressed. I thought I would come in and see how you both were feeling." Kevin made his way to the blinds and twisted the rod until the pre-noon sunlight knifed through the darkness.

"I feel like I'm dead." Brian quietly growled. He sat on the end of the bed and lay backwards, letting his legs hang over at the knees. Kevin shifted his sympathetic gaze from Brian to Tyler.

"I'm doing okay, considering." Tyler confessed. "Except my eyes feel really weird."

Kevin made a face. "Ah shit, I think Nick went to bed with his contacts on again. He does it ALL the time. Come here." Tyler eased off the bed and stood, letting Kevin take a good look at him. Kevin drew in close to the blue eyes and saw the clear lens outlining the iris. "Yup, he sure did. Do you think you can remove them yourself?"

"I have never had the pleasure of handling a contact lens in my life. I think I can manage, but, I don't think I can wear them on a daily basis, I'm not thrilled by the idea of poking into my eyes everyday." Tyler blinked excessively a few times, trying to work in some moisture.

" He doesn't always wear the contacts though. Nick has glasses too. Just wear those until..." Kevin trailed off abruptly. He never thought a person could talk faster than they could think.

"Exactly." Brian snapped from his spot on the bed, where he was burning a hole into the ceiling with his glare. "Until when? Shit! What if it's NEVER!"

"Brian don't start giving up now, please? We had enough traumas last night. Let's try to stay calm now, focused. For Nick." Kevin could feel his voice flirting with an emotional waver but quelled it. "Okay?"

Brian turned his head and faced his cousin. Kevin, always the strong one, he thought. Well, at least one of us is.

The two cousins communicated silently within the held stare until Kevin broke it to move to Brian's side, pulling him up from the bed and hugging him tightly. There was no indication of them breaking it up any time soon, and Tyler took this time to slip into the bathroom, giving them privacy while they missed their friend.

When Tyler turned on the light and heard the door click shut and the lock fit into place, he got suddenly anxious. He didn't know if he could face himself in the mirror again. The last time he tried this he had passed out from shock. Suddenly Tyler got angry. He had to accept this. He was in someone else's body and had no control over it, he might as well get used to that. He tilted his head up towards the large bathroom mirror and stepped in front of it, and there he was. He waited for the anxiety to melt away as he slowly studied his features. Nick had the gentle spark of a tan, but he wasn't dark at all. His thick blonde hair cut short enough to just barely stand without completely falling over the sides of his head. He had a strong thick build with broad shoulders, and each arm was adorned with a tattoo, a shark on one side and a band on the other. Tyler scoffed silently. Who the hell would get a shark tattoo? His face was flawless, with a pink lipped mouth, which seemed to naturally befall the look of a sad smile. Tyler finally looked into the foreign blue eyes.

They were borderline bloodshot and Tyler remembered the task of taking out Nick's contact lens. He ran the water while unwrapping one of the hotel soaps, and washed his hands thoroughly. He saw the bottle of liquid and the contact lens case sitting off to the side and he opened it up. Taking a deep breath and holding it to help steady him, Tyler leaned in close to the mirror.

Being nose to nose with a face he didn't know was scary and fascinating at the same time. He couldn't make his mind shake the inner denial, to make it see that he was looking at himself, rather than face to face with another person. Tyler touched his fingertip to the mirror's surface, expecting to meet the flesh of the reflected finger, expecting to touch Nick so he could pull him through it and save him, but he was met with nothing but the cold glass. Tyler sighed, and then felt stupid for being disappointed with his imagination. It was only trying to help him.

Getting back to the initial problem, he took in another breath as he got close to the mirror. He could see the lens, and reached up tentatively with an index finger and tried to remove it. Having to probe into his eyes with them open was unnerving and he tried to quickly remove both of the contacts before he started to feel nauseous.

As they were taken off the surface of his eye, he dropped them into their respective side of their holder, which he promptly snapped shut. His vision was strange, there was fuzziness to some things, and he, being used to 20/20 vision, felt like he was on some kind of acid trip.

Tyler gathered up the contact case and its accessories and left the bathroom, shutting off the light. Kevin had left, and Brian was sitting alone one the bed with his chin resting on a fist.

"You where in there for a while, did you get the contacts out?" Brian asked.

"Yeah." Tyler held up the little case. "I got them out. I don't think I ever want to do that again."

"I hear you. I'm not a big fan of anything in my eyes like that. Here, I'll get Nick's glasses for you." He held out his hand to take the items Tyler carried and Tyler handed them over. Brian pulled out Nick's suitcase and shoveled around until he found the case that the glasses were kept in. He then unzipped a side compartment where he placed the contact lens case and the bottle of moisturizer. Brian got up and handed the glasses' case to Tyler.

"Thanks. I was starting to get kinda dizzy. I'm used to perfect vision."

"I couldn't even imagine."

"Couldn't imagine what? Perfect vision?"

"No, being in a different body." Brian clarified.

"Ah. Well neither could I until last night. It's very surreal. Last night, I was too panicked to notice I was taller, my skin was paler, or my voice was different. None of it registered. Nothing became real until I saw myself in the bathroom mirror." Tyler sat on the bed next to Brian, absently toying with the case he held in his hands. "By the way, I'm sorry about the way I flipped out on you last night. I thought I had been kidnapped or something."

"Please don't apologize. It's not like you had any idea. I thought Nick had a nightmare, but then I saw you didn't know me at all. I think it was scary for all of us. I almost blame myself for this."

Tyler looked at Brian sharply. "How do you figure?"

"If I had been more tuned to what was going inside Nick's head, he wouldn't have been so miserable. He wouldn't have been staring over the city wishing he could trade places with another person. I feel like I let him down, or that I wasn't there for him. I don't know."

"Brian you have really got to stop that. None of this is your fault. I'm sure you didn't know about what Nick was thinking because he didn't want you to know. You would be amazed what people can hide. Then again, maybe not." Tyler gave Brian an even thoughtful look. "You have had first hand at hiding something. No matter how many jokes about you guys I heard, I honestly never figured two of you would be gay, and on top of that, engaged." Brian grew silent for a moment, and Tyler opened up the case and pulled out the glasses. They were really nice, and were small and fashionable. He carefully put them on and his fuzzy world went back into focus. Much better, Tyler thought.

"You're right." Brian finally said. "But still, I don't know why he didn't talk to me."

Tyler frowned. "Brian, people have thoughts. They would never stop talking if they vocalized every single one of them. I'm sure he had a good reason not to tell you, possibly looking out for your feelings. And anyways, who the hell thought anything he mumbled in the middle of the night would actually come true?" He shrugged exaggeratedly to emphasize his hypothetical query and Brian gave him a small smile.

"You have got an answer for everything don't you."

"Nah, I just try to make sense of things. Theorizing is what I do best. Ash used to say I think too much. She's probably right, but it is what I'm good at, and I love it, it keeps me sane, grounded. Besides, I'm trying to cheer you up." Tyler said matter-of-factly.

"Why? Well I mean I know WHY, but you have enough reason not to care and take care of your own, you know. Afterall it was you who pretty much lost everything. So why bother with anyone else?"

"I don't like to see people depressed or sad, or any other synonym you can throw in there. It bothers me. Aside from any of the BS I had to put up with with Hunter, I was a really happy person. It takes a lot to get me down. As far as my current situation, I try not to dwell on things I can't change. I have a marvelous ability to accept things really fast. Nothing can hurt or shock me very easily, or for very long. I'm not saying I LIKE what's happened to me, but I accept it. So since there is no point worrying myself to tears about me when there's more important things to think about."

Brian had a blank but comprehensive look on his face before he set free another smile. "Thanks Tyler." He looked like he wanted to say much more, but Tyler let it go. Sometimes thoughts weren't meant to be vocalized, and Tyler was fine with that.

"Anytime. With that said, I think I should get dressed."

Brian gestured to the huge open suitcase before them. "Help yourself. I'm gonna get our stuff ready."

Tyler kneeled down and began digging through Nick's clothes. There was a lot of nice stuff. After a minute of searching, he found something. Khaki pants and a dark blue button-up front shirt.

Brian was packing up his stuff and stacked his bags near the door as Tyler got dressed. After pulling an arm through the second sleeve he helped Brian pack and added Nick's belongings to the pile. When the room was more or less straightened, Brian went to check on the missing Backstreet Boys, leaving Tyler with the promise of bringing them food.

"Alone again." Tyler muttered as he watched Brian leave. He cast a glance over at the phone, shaking off a chill. He had to call Ash and see how Nick was doing. He mentally scolded himself for not calling as soon as he woke up. Taking an unsteady breath, he reached over and pulled the phone next to him on the bed, it was now or never. Tyler dialed Ash's number and waited for the phone to be answered.

"Hello?"

"Ash, it's me Tyler. Did you hear anything yet?"

"I have." Her voice was shaken and unsteady, it set off Tyler's alarms immediately.

"Ash, what's wrong. What happened to Nick, my body?"

"Tyler, I got a call, a few minutes ago actually. About Nick..."

Tyler's stomach dropped to the floor. "He didn't make it, did he?"

"No."

"Oh no." How am I going to tell the guys this, Tyler thought.

"I'm so sorry Tyler, oh god I am so, so sorry."

"There's nothing you can do Ash."

"But it's my fault about Hunter, and-"

"ASH! Hunter is the one who is fucked up not you, and he is arrested. When the police find out about Nick, he will be charged for murder. I wish everyone would stop with the blame game. Listen I have to go, I need to find the others and tell them what's happened. I'm going to call you later all right? Just calm down, and get me all the information about funeral arrangements."

"How can you be so calm Tyler? Do you even know what you're going to do?"

"I have to be calm Ash, it's all I have left. What else CAN I do?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Well, I guess so... It's so strange. You're dead but your not."

"Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. But if anything, don't worry about me, I'm the one who's still fucking alive."

"I know."

"Well, you will hear from me soon, take care Ash."

"I will Tyler, goodbye."

"Bye." SHIT! Tyler put the phone down and kicked the side of the bed. He was not looking forward to telling Brian, to his face, that Nick just died alone in a hospital, in someone else's body. Tyler never drank, but was really itching to start.

He went into the bathroom again and found Nick's toothbrush. He had forgotten to pack it with the contact lens materials. He covered the bristles with the complimentary toothpaste and brushed his teeth, trying to think of what to say. Part of him just wanted to escape the situation, run away without a trace, but he knew these were only thoughts to help him cope.

After rinsing his mouth he pocketed the toothbrush and went in search of the others. He left his room, keeping the door open a tiny crack, for he had no idea where the key was, and looked down either end of the hallway. Two doors down, he could hear Kevin's deep voice asking someone to pass syrup. Tyler snuck up to the doorway of the room and inconspicuously watched. All the guys were sitting on the bed of whoever's room they were in, with large Macdonald's breakfast bags sitting around them, littering the room with styrofoam hot cakes containers, coffee cups and plastic forks. Even Brian was eating and smiling every now and then.

"So you say Tyler's holding up pretty well then, Bri?" It was AJ's voice.

"Yeah, just don't ask me how he's doing it." Brian answered wondrously.

"Well maybe he would do better if he actually ate, go take him his food would you?" It was Howie this time.

"Yeah I've been gone a while, what did we get him anyway?" Tyler slowly ducked from the doorway and walked back to his own room, not hearing whatever was said next. There was no way he was going to shatter what was probably going to be their last moment of hope and happiness. He didn't know anyone that cruel.

Once back in his original hotel room he packed away Nick's toothbrush and paced in front of the mirror, sneaking glances every couple of seconds to check his facial expression. It was so grim and at a loss, his mind raced and his heart felt heavy. What was taking Brian so long to get back!

"Tyler?"

Adrenaline rush. Quickened pulse. "Um, hey." Tyler quickly moved to the bed and sat down, suddenly not trusting his body to stand.

"AJ got the hotel to get us all breakfast value meal things, we didn't know what you wanted so we guessed." He set down the bag on the pillow Tyler slept on last night.

"Thanks, a lot, but, I don't think I can eat right now." He avoided Brian's eyes like the plague.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Brian sat next to him and tried to look into his face, Tyler looked away as far as his neck would turn. "Tyler?"

"I'm sorry Brian..."

"For what? What's wrong?" Sudden realization could be seen striking him like lightning. "Oh... Oh no. Not Nick, please..."

"I'm sorry." Tyler whispered. "I would take everything back in a second, I swear."

Brian's composure was crumbling fast. His mouth was trying to form some word, some sound, anything, but nothing was there. The wind was knocked out of him and he gasped for air under the pressure of what he had just heard. Tyler forced himself to look at Brian and as soon as the two sets of blue eyes connected, Brian's world shattered.

A loud horrible noise echoed throughout the floor of the hotel and the attention of everyone in room 1019 was stopped in mid sentence. "Guys, what the hell is...?" AJ suddenly got up and ran out of his room, followed by Howie and Kevin. The three friends stopped short when they arrived at Brian and Nick's hotel room, to see Brian bawling his entire soul into the chest of Nick's body. Tyler was hugging onto him as best he could with a crushing grip, unable to console in any other way.

The presence of the other Backstreet Boys caused Tyler to look up, and caught three more expressions of emotional death. The only sound was of Brian's cries, and the dreamlike state of the moment sucked out the color and life of everything. The tears spread like a wild fire, the inescapable sadness attacked them all, leaving them powerless. Kevin made his way to the bed and enveloped his cousin and Tyler with his huge arms, followed by AJ and Howie, and they all crashed and burned.

It seemed like hours before Brian had quieted his sobs, and he was still latched onto Tyler. Kevin was in a contemplating mindset as he sat in a chair next to the glass doors. AJ was lying back on the bed, deeply engaged in a staring contest with the ceiling, and Howie was still throwing up in the bathroom with the door wide open.

"Did he fall asleep?" Kevin asked Tyler, when he noticed Brian wasn't moving or making sounds.

"Yeah I think so. I have never seen anyone break down like that before. I was genuinely scared, I didn't know what to do."

Kevin gave Tyler a knowing, appreciative smile. "Yeah you did. You're doing it right now."

"Thanks Kev."

"Jeez, don't thank me. I should be thanking you. If I were you, there is no way I would be so together. What it must feel like to be you..."

"Kev is right Tyler. I don't know what you're feeling after hearing about your body, but I personally thank you for trying to help Bri. God knows he needed it."

"Please stop thanking me." Tyler said seriously. "I'm dealing with it, with everything. By helping Brian, I help myself. I don't know if that makes any sense to you though, it's hard to explain." He ran a hand over Brian's hair with sympathy. "Last night when I realized what had happened to me, it was like I accepted everything that DID happen, and everything that COULD happen, all the possible scenarios. There's nothing left to shock me now. I feel narcissistic about worrying about my own crap when I can't do shit to change it, so the only thing that helps me feel better is to help you."

Howie stumbled out of the bathroom and sat in the chair next to the T.V. "I understand you perfectly."

"Me too." AJ and Kevin answered at the same time.

"Well that's helpful." Tyler looked down at Brian, and sighed, desperate to lay down and ease his muscles that were cramping up painfully. "I'm just saying, I don't see myself doing anything that's worth being thanked about. Ever see Fight Club? There's a quote from it that goes, 'It's only when you lost everything that you are free to do anything.' I have lost everything. Part of me wants to let myself be consumed by self-pity, to have total mental shut down, and die on the spot, but it's just not my style. I'm lucky to have my wits about me, so I might as well use them for good. But don't thank me for it, it makes me feel weird. Almost like you're thanking me for being myself, do I make any sense?" Tyler struggled with the words, and the first nod came from Kevin.

"Perfect sense. But it is amazing though. You don't even know us, and look at you; you're sitting there holding Brian, just like Nick would, and you don't have any obligations to comfort any of us. It's a selfless act we just don't see too often, and we appreciate it."

"He's right Tyler. We don't see it often, not genuine anyways." Howie said.

"Exactly." AJ agreed. "So guess what, we're gonna keep thanking you, and you're gonna like it okay?" AJ smiled an exaggerated smile, typical of any cartoon character, attempting to lighten the mood, but the sadness in his brown eyes was still there.

Tyler respectfully smiled back. "Personally I don't think it's the most healthy thing to do, but Brian needs the illusion of Nick right now." He made a small gesture towards himself with a loose hand, indicating the death-grip Brian had on Tyler's torso. "He didn't show any signs of crying until I looked at him after telling him Nick died, and I knew it was going to happen. Last night, he said he didn't want me to touch him, because everything about me reminds him of Nick, it almost sounded like denial. I feel so bad for him."

"Don't sweat it too much Tyler, we all just have to take this one step at a time. Brian will be okay." AJ paused. "Eventually. We'll all be okay. Just takes time. Oh GOD." He whined.

"What's wrong Bone?" Howie questioned.

"We have to take care of the concert tonight." AJ droned, burying his face with a pillow.

"I know, I'll call soon." Kevin yawned.

"That's okay Kev, I'll do it." Howie volunteered.

"You sure you're up to it, D?" Kevin asked him, referring to his time in the bathroom.

"I'm fine now." He countered, letting a bit of glare slip through. "What time is it?"

Tyler looked at the wall lock behind Howie's head "Quarter to two. I have to call Ash back." Tyler remembered. "I told her I would call back to get information on what's going to be done as far as funeral arrangements. We are going to New York right?"

"As soon as we can." AJ confirmed in a muffled voice under the pillow.

"I should call her now. AJ, mind handing me the phone?"

AJ removed the pillow from his face and reached for the phone, giving it to the straining Tyler, who carefully let go of Brian to dial. He looked over at all the guys as he waited for her to pick up.

"Hello."

"Hey Ash, it's me again, did you hear anything?"

"Hello again Tyler. Yeah I did. I talked to your parents little while ago, they want to have the funeral on Sunday."

"Two days from now?" Tyler asked, shocked.

"Yeah. It's on Sunday at five in the afternoon. Open casket."

"They didn't wait very long did they." Tyler said annoyed.

"I guess not."

"Sorry. I know you don't approve of us not getting along. I can't believe I have to go to my own funeral in two days. I can almost feel the psychological scars forming as we speak."

"I would have thought you already have plenty."

"No shit." Tyler was silent a moment, listening to Ash's breathing through the phone. "Well, I need to know everything... where is it taking place?"

Kevin came over and handed Tyler a pen and hotel stationary so he could write down the information he needed. Tyler mouthed a thank you and scribbled onto the paper. Kevin gently rubbed Brian's shoulder as he slept a much-deserved nap.

Eventually all the information was taken down, and Tyler told Ash that he and Nick's friends would be in New York soon, and they would get a small hotel near her apartment. He decided to keep it a secret exactly WHO Nick's friends were, and who's body he ended up with. Right now, those were just miscellaneous details that could wait until he saw her face to face. A couple more minutes of idle chat passed and Tyler bid her farewell, saying he would see her soon, and hung up the phone.

"That's that guys." Tyler said. "You heard everything so no need to repeat."

"D, when are you going to call up to cancel tonight's performance?" Kevin asked.

"Now, actually. You have all our schedule crap in your room, so I'm gonna call in there."

"All right." Howie patted Brian's back before walking out of the room, and Kevin peered over Tyler's shoulder at AJ. "AJ help me out, lets get Bri off Tyler."

"That's okay Kevin, I'm fine." Tyler said trying to sound believable through the aching pain in his back.

Kevin smiled. "You're a shitty liar. You look like you're about to scream from the lack of circulation. I'll take care of him now. You should go take a shower or something. We can order food for you too. I know you haven't eaten anything in a while."

Tyler wasn't feeling up to insisting, and sighed with defeat. "You win this time." He lifted his arms and AJ and Kevin gently pulled away Brian, who thankfully didn't wake up as they did so. Tyler felt the blood rush back into his legs and tried to wait until the pins and needles subsided.

"So did you want something to eat?" Kevin queried.

"Yeah, I guess I am hungry."

"There isn't much on the room service menu, we found that out last night, but I can go down to the restaurant and bring back something from the kitchen off their menu." Kevin could see protest rising in Tyler's throat and silenced him ahead of time. "Don't say I don't have to do that. Just give me an idea of something to look for and I'll bring it back up."

Defeated yet again, Tyler thought. "Uh I guess anything along the lines of a lunch or dinner with deep fried shrimp."

"Gotcha. AJ, watch him okay? I'll be back soon, if D gets back before me, tell him where I am."

"Okay Dad." AJ mocked.

Kevin mussed AJ's wild hair before turning to leave. "Be back soon."

"I guess I'll take his advice yet again." Tyler said to AJ. "I'm going to take a hot bath." AJ nodded, and Tyler found himself in the bathroom again.

Once he had the door locked he slipped off Nick's glasses and placed them on the sink counter. He pulled off his tear-stained shirts, the khakis and the boxers, then pulled back the shower curtain, turning the knobs to the bathtub on full blast. He sat on the edge of the tub and folded his hands together under his chin as he waited for the water to reach a decent level before getting in the tub. At first, the rushing of the water spilling into the hollow was annoying, but after a few minutes the pounding and forceful splashing became a constant, and turned soothing. Tyler took deep breaths, inhaling the steamy air. A thin beading of sweat broke out over his skin and he rubbed himself down with a nearby washcloth after dipping it into the thrashing water. He couldn't wait to settle into it.

As he put the washcloth down to hang over the side of the tub, he took notice of the band around his right arm. It was amusing to Tyler, the idea of the tattoo. Before the body switch, when he had his own body, he had always wanted one, but knew he wouldn't ever bother. But now, he was the owner of a couple, and had no recollection of ever getting them. He brought up his left hand to run his fingers over the painted flesh and a glitter caught his eye. It was the ring Brian had given Nick the night before.

It was a stone-less band of rich gold, with a swirling zigzag pattern etched into the surface. He ran a finger over it, tracing the smoothness of the tiny ridges. He smiled to himself for reasons unknown to him, and gently pulled the ring down his finger to examine it closer. Tyler reached for Nick's glasses, pushed them onto his face, and peered into the inside of the band. Inside was an inscription, a single word: Frack. He found it odd that he immediately knew what that meant. It obviously stood for Frack and Frick, or actually, the more commonly used and said Frick and Frack. It was a term off affection for each other.

Tyler suddenly remembered the tub and reached over to turn the water off just in time. It was filled to the perfect amount. He smiled to himself and slipped the ring back onto his finger. He felt bad about wearing it though; it didn't belong to him. He wanted to ask Brian if he would like to have it back, but immediately backtracked that thought. It would only remind him of painful memories. He decided he wasn't going to say anything about the ring unless Brian did.

Getting off the edge of the tub, Tyler stepped into the lightly steaming water, and hissed through clenched teeth as he lowered his body into the heat. Finally he laid back and took a long deep breath, ducking under the water to wet his face and hair. When he surfaced he rubbed his eyes and stared at the white painted ceiling.

He was a tiny bit annoyed that his legs didn't fit all the way into the tub. Tyler wasn't used to such a big body. Nick was taller, thicker, heavier and stronger than Tyler's own body had been. Tyler wasn't a six-pound weakling or anything, but had a very average build. The only thing he ever really liked about himself was his face, and his eyes. Everyone always told him he had strange eyes. So light brown they almost looked like amber yellow. Now he was going to have to get used to looking into deep sea blue that Nick was born with.

Tyler closed a fist in frustration. Why did nothing ever go his way? He had a decent enough childhood; overall, it was quite pleasant. His family was near high class so he could go to a good school and college. He was never really a super social kind of person, so he never got caught up in bad scenes. He would rather stay home and watch Ash work on her art than go to a club or a party. He had just graduated college a few months ago and had gotten a job in an accounting firm. The business side of his life was fine, but it was the personal that could have used some work.

No relationships of his worked out past six months, except for Ash, but then when Hunter came into the picture things went downhill. The daily threats, attacks, and stalking were too much, and now it had cost someone their life. Their life... it should have been MY life, Tyler thought. But the more his mind churned about it, he came to the conclusion that technically it was two lives. Sure, Tyler was still alive, but he was thrown into a place he didn't want to be, his identity was in danger and with Nick being famous it complicated everything more than it would if Nick was a nobody.

He didn't want to single-handedly destroy a band by quitting it. Instead, he was actually considering what the guys had suggested, play along with things giving the excuse of amnesia, and he knew sooner or later he was going to have to face Nick's family, and lie to their faces. Even if the other four guys helped him explain, the thought was preposterous to comprehend for someone out of their loop. It reminded him of the 80's horror movies where someone would find out about the killer doll and no one would believe him until they were being stabbed by it. Tyler quieted a tiny giggle. He was in a movie. He knew the only way he was going to survive this was to take a creative perspective and not be overwhelmed by what was going to be thrown at him. Easier said than done, he thought to himself. But I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

STORYLINE TWO: Live...