Part 4: * * * * * * * * * * Jenn dialled frantically, one hand using her cell phone the other on the house line. Answer damnit answer, she cursed silently as she listened to the ringing. Finally both lines picked up simultaneously. She wasted no time in greetings. "Get over here now...J's drunk..." Half hour later she opened the door showing Kevin and D standing there side by side. "What's going on?" D asked giving Jenn a hug. "He's drunk and locked himself in the studio...he's wrecking it I can hear him smashing things and he won't let me in...Please do something!!" she sobbed into D's shoulder. "He isn't answering me D...he won't say a word." "How long's he been like this?" Kevin asked worriedly. Jenn wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "Since I came home Kev... Probably longer. Half the bar's empty..." Kevin pounded on the door, "J, open the damn door...your scaring Jenn to death..." AJ cackled, "Really? Why would you care about me and my wife anymore huh Train? We're nothing to each other anymore. That press release proved it...Backstreet is over...done...finito..." D shook his head, "J buddy, please..." "I'm not your damn buddy Howard!!" AJ yelled, overturning another chair. "I'm not your brother, you buddy or your friend. Now get your ass out of my house!!" Nick rolled over on his side, his breathing ragged as his eyes met hers. "Better?" she asked, running her fingers along his jaw line. "Perfect..." he kissed her fingertips. "You gonna talk sometime?" Lis asked, propping herself up on her elbow. Nick's eyes clouded over, a look she couldn't understand on his face. "Lis I don't want to get into it right now." "When would you? I found out from the radio you guys broke up!! Just tell me why you didn't tell me the band was over." "Because I damn well didn't believe it all right?? I thought it was all one horrible nightmare...none of this shit was happening to us...I was going to wake up and I'd be on a three month vacation with you till I had to leave and go to Sweden to record with the guys for the next album. Now every freakin' plan we had as a group is gone!! Worthless." he jumped out of bed and slid his boxers on. Lis walked over behind him, sliding her arms around his waist. "Nicky..." He pushed her hands away, "Just leave me alone Lissy." "Does this have to do with the last tour?" she asked softly. There had been some problems she knew that, but wasn't sure exactly what. "Did something happen?" D headed upstairs sadly, he found Jenn sitting on the top stair watching him anxiously. Her eyes widened as he sat beside her. "Anything?" "He's stopped throwing things...Kev says he can hear him crying...so he's gonna try to get him to open the door. But I doubt he wants to see either one of us." "Whats wrong with you guys D? You're brothers!! Why all of a sudden..." He looked away from her, "I can't answer that Jenn." "Why? Did you all take a vow of silence on the issue?" she asked, her voice starting to rise. She'd had enough of this, AJ's behaviour the last couple days and now Howie refusing to answer questions. Kevin appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Jenn I think he'd let you in...us he doesn't want in his house anymore." Slowly she stood up, "I'll try...Maybe if you guys left..." "Thats what I was thinking," Kev started, "I'm sorry we couldn't help more Jenn." he said giving her a quick hug. "Its okay Kev, thanks for coming." AJ leaned against the door, listening to the mumbled voices. He rolled his eyes and sunk to the floor cradling his head in his hands. Tomorrow he'd have on hell of a hangover but he was enjoying the numbness that was running through him. Howie crawled slowly into bed, trying hard not to wake Ty up. Just as he rested his head on the pillow she rolled over, "How's J?" "Your up!" "Wide awake." Howie rolled onto his side, "He's drunk out of his mind....probably did some serious damage to the studio downstairs. Jenn was on her last straw I think...I'm going to delay my trip for a few days." "Why because your worried about AJ? You wouldn't stick around for me or take me with you but J gets a little drunk and suddenly you can't leave." Howie cringed at her tone, "Ty can we not get into this right now?" "Sure, you avoid everything else, why make this any different." and with that she rolled over. "I am not putting up with this destructive streak J, I'm going away for awhile." Jenn yelled, she was on her last nerve with AJ. "Go right ahead." he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. "Have a good trip." he toasted her and popped the top. She groaned and left the room, stopping upstairs to grab her suitcase and left the house. A couple minute later she sat in her car, driving away from everything. Nothing made sense, there were too many questions going through her mind and no one would give her an answer to any of them. After a couple hours of driving mindlessly around she pulled up in front of the beach house the guys all owned, the Backstreet Retreat as it was known amongst the group. ~Next day~ Lis opened the front door waving in the group that stood on the front stairs, "What's going on?" Alec asked, taking a seat. "Yeah Lissy you never call meetings." Ty said, glancing worriedly at her friend. "Whatever the reason behind the breakup is has to do with the last tour." Lis said leaning on the back of the couch. "And whatever the guys are hiding is enough to destroy them." Jenn nodded, "AJ's all ready going crazy...trashed the studio. How's the others doing?" Lis fiddled with her wedding rings, "Nick he uhm...he left." she said softly, keeping her eyes away from her friends. Shan turned around on the couch, "What?" "Nick left...late last night early this morning he took off." "What in the hell is going on with them?" Ty asked, looking at the group picture that hung on the wall. "There were no signs and now all of a sudden...everything is changing." "What else is changing?" Jenn asked. "D wants to sell the house." Shan cleared her throat, "Brian too. He said its time for a fresh start...in Kentucky." The women all looked at one another in shock. Their worlds had stopped making sense the morning of the announcement. Nick rang the doorbell and stood back hesitantly. Please be home, he thought as he saw a couple lights being turned on inside. "Nick?" she questioned as she opened the door seeing him standing there. "E, can I come in?" She rested her head on the door, "Why?" "Just because," he whined. "Come on E....please?" he pouted and she sighed. "Argh!! I should know better Carter but get in here." she opened the door wider so he could enter. "Thanks." he smiled at her and headed into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. "Sorry I just barged in." "Its okay. So whats going on?" she asked, sitting down across from him. Nick sat there in silence for a minute, "Everything is going wrong..." "The breakup kinda clued that in...What is it Nick?" "We're in trouble E..." he started slowly raising his eyes to look at his best friend.