Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2001 16:33:49 -0800
From: mistress_n9@juno.com
Subject: The Shadow's Riddle chapter 2

Disclaimer: Twinkle, twinkle, little one, no I don't know when it's
done, but in the moment, I'd like to say, that I don't know if they are
gay. *Flashes a toothless grin*

Author's note: y'know, for once, I have nothing to say. It's a miracle.

"The Shadow's Riddle"
Act 2; Scene 1:

Nick rang the doorbell, and then waited for Thomas to answer the door.
"Hold on a minute!" he heard Thomas call back. The door swung open and
Nick saw himself looking into the beautiful blue eyes of Thomas. The
other man blushed and pushed his glasses as he felt Nick's eyes on him.
"Shouldn't we get going?"

"No, I prefer just staying here and staring at you." Nick replied
distractedly. Thomas blushed a deeper crimson. "Oh sorry! Um...let's
roll." Nick gestured towards the stairwell that lead to the parking lot.

*~At The Restaurant~*
Both men sat down to a nice dinner in silence. Both wanted to break the
silence but neither wanted to embarrass himself. "So..." they both
started. They nervously chuckled and stared back down at their dinners.

"So...Nick, what do you do?" asked Thomas.

"Um...I'm in music. I'm in a band. You?"

"I write. Have you read any of my books?"

"Aren't you the one that wrote 'Unperfect Sense'?" Nick asked. "It's my
favorite book."

"Yeah, I wrote that."

"Is it just me or are you completely bored too?" Nick asked.

"Finally! I'm not one for fancy restaurants. There's a nice club nearby,
wanna go?" he asked. (Author's Note: *puts in Black and Blue* oh sorry,
I'm interrupting the story.)

"What is it?"

"Nimm the 9th but everyone likes calling it the N9." They got up as Nick
paid the bill. "Trust me, they got great music, great food, great
company, and a great owner." Thomas said as they made their way towards
the club. They could hear the booming music from outside as Thomas' face
lit up. "C'mon, I don't wanna miss Nimm!" They walked in to hear music
blasting through the speakers as people hung out and danced. Some were
gay couples, others were lesbians, but most were straight. "NIMM!"
shouted Thomas.

A woman turned around. She had white and dark blue make-up on, wore
elbow-length gloves, a short blue skirt with small faerie wings and cat
ears on her head, which blended into her dark red, bobbed, hair.
"TOMMY!" she shouted as she ran up and hugged the writer. "Tommy Burke!
I haven't seen you in AGES! Where have you been?"

"I've been writing a lot. I'm just here with a friend. He's new in town
so I'd thought I'd show him around." Thomas replied.

"Ok, well you know you're always welcomed here. The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks, Nimm."

"It's just great to see you again, hun." Nimm ran off to tell the
bartender to get a coke and Jim Bean. "What does your friend want?" she
asked.

"Hey NICK!" he shouted towards the blonde. Nick turned towards Thomas'
direction. "What kinda drink do you want?"

"Coke's fine!" he shouted back.

"A coke'll do." Thomas relayed towards the owner. He walked over to
Nick's table and sat down. "So what'd you think?"

"It's a nice place. Why is it called Nimm the 9th?" he asked.

"Because, the bar goes back a few generations. Her 7th great grandmother
opened a bar in England somewhere. Then the family packed everything up
and moved to America. The bar's like a family heirloom. Last year, it
was passed down to Nimm. And, since she's the 9th generation to inherit
the bar, she called it Nimm the 9th. Before, it was an awful sight.
Drunken men go in there after work and stuff. She got tired of it so she
turned it into a club. That's when we shortened it to N9. She threw the
doors open and welcomed gays, lesbians, bi's, and straight people. It's
been going great. I always came here ever since it opened." Thomas
explained.

"Wow. This place has a history, huh?" asked Nick as the story sunk in.

"Yeah. But the problem is that Nimm hasn't found anyone yet to settle
down with. So this might mean that there might not be anyone to carry on
the legacy."

"Is she gonna change the number is she DOES have a kid?"

"Hell no! Everyone is so used to N9 that no one wants it to change."
Thomas laughed as the drinks were delivered. "Everyone loves to come
here because it's, like, the greatest place on Earth." Thomas took a
swig of his drink. He watched as Nick cautiously looked around him. "If
you're worried about people recognizing you, don't worry. Nimm doesn't
allow teenies in here for that sole reason."

"How'd you know that?" Nick asked.

"Gift?"

"Whatever. Let's go dancing!" Nick dragged Thomas from their table out
onto the crowded dance floor. Thomas started to loosen up and dance like
a wild man as they danced the night away. More than once, he felt Nick
grind into him. Whoa, he thought, Nick Carter could possibly be gay or
bi? He saw Nick move away from the dance floor and flirt with some of
the guys in the club. Yup, he thought, he's gay. He danced closer
towards Nick's corner as he heard the conversation.

"Wanna go somewhere?" a redhead asked. "I know where we could get some
privacy." He licked his lips as he eyed Nick up and down.

"Um..." Nick felt uncomfortable. "Actually, my boyfriend's out there
somewhere and I don't think he'll like it if we went somewhere."

"That's ok." He wrapped his arms around Nick's waist. "He doesn't have
to find out." Nick could smell the alcohol on the man's breath. "C'mon
baby...I know you want me."

"Um...No. I don't." he replied.

"Yes you--"

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Thomas as he stepped in. Nick
wriggled out of the man's grasp and ran over to Thomas. He hugged the
writer tightly.

"Oh Honey, I'm so glad you're here!" he said loud enough for the man to
hear. "Let's get out of here. The guy's not gonna give up on me." Nick
whispered in Thomas' ear.

"Sure." Thomas whispered. "Tired, dear?" he asked. Nick nodded as he
rested his head on Thomas' shoulder. "Ok, let's go home." They walked
out of the club as Thomas waved towards Nimm. She gave a wink and a
salute before returning to her work. As soon as they were in the limo
heading home, they let out a huge sigh. "That was close."

"You can say that again."

"That was close." They laughed. It rained when they reached Thomas'
apartment. By the time they actually reached the door, both were soaked
to the bone. "Thank you...for a great night." They were both aware on
how close they were.

"You're welcome." Nick replied breathlessly as he kissed Thomas' lips.
The writer's eyes fell closed as he gave into the kiss. When they
finally parted for air, Thomas' eyes were still in a daze. Nick smiled.
"See you later."

"Bye." Thomas replied as he walked in the door and closed it. He leaned
against the door. "That was one hell of a kiss." he said to himself as
he smiled.

WRITE TO ME! I AM BEGGIN YA! PLEASE! WRITE TO ME!I NEED ENCOURAGEMENT TO
CONTINUE THIS ONE! Mistress_N9@juno.com

Send me an email!

Bye,
N9