Part 6:
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Alec reread the article in disbelief, the things in there...She knew about
some if it, AJ's drinking, the guys and their parties on the road, the
occasionnal trips to the strip clubs but some of the unanswered questions,
the little things that were insinuated worried her. She picked up her cell
phone and dialled a few numbers, "Did you see the paper yet?" she asked.


Lis sighed into the phone, "No why?"

"I think you should...and be sitting when you read it. Here I'll stay on
the line go find it."

"All righty, give me a minute." she walked through the house, checking
everywhere for the paper. Finally she found it where Nick had tossed it
early that morning. "What am I looking for?"

"You'll know when you see it."

"Alec your scaring me." she said truthfully, taking the paper and heading
into her office.

"Sorry." she apologized, "You looking yet?"

"Yep." Lis grabbed the second piece of the paper and started reading. A
minute later she dropped the phone.

"Lissy?"

"What?" she asked shakily. Her eyes reread the line again, 'Nick Carter
was one of the worst as far as other women went...there was never a night
when he went to bed alone. He thought of it as a joke.'

"Did you..."

"Do you think its true?" Lis asked, all ready knowing the answer.
			
"They don't say who it is talking. Insider could be anyone and they could
just be wanting to hurt the boys. I wouldn't believe a lot of it." Alec
tried to reason.


Nick stood outside Lis' door eavesdropping on her conversation with Alec.
He felt frozen to the spot and he heard her click the phone off as the
door opened and she stood there. 


Lis stared at Nick in shock, "You son of a bitch." she said pushing the
paper into his chest and walked away from him.
				
He quickly came to his senses, "Lissy wait!" he yelled chasing after her.

"Why?" she asked, not even stopping. "So you can can lie?? Six damn years
together meant nothing to you did it?? How the hell could you??"

Nick caught up to her and stood in her way. "Lissy..."

"Don't!! I just want to get as far away from you as I can..."

"I love you Lis why would I cheat on you?"

"How would I know? I know the way you are Nick..."
		
"What way is that?" he asked.


Kevin hung his coat up in the closet and turned sensing Alec standing
there. "Hi." he kissed her cheek. "Have a good day?"

"It was interesting." she replied, following him into his den. "Did you
see the paper today?"

"Not yet..."

She tossed it at him, "Makes for an interesting read...Even more even a
quarter of it is true. Backstreet could be over in more ways then one."

Kevin shot her a confused look and scanned down the page, his stomach
doing flipflops as he got near the end. "Wha...Alec you gotta believe me
none of this happened."

"So AJ never drinks? You guys never party? And you haven't set foot in a
strip club in nearly a decade. Sure..." she shook her head, "I can't
believe you Kevin...you let this go on...you even participated...and you
hid it from me!!"

Kevin watched her slam the door and he cringed, resting his head in his
hands. 

~Flashback~

"This isn't possible." Kevin said pushing the pictures back towards him.

"Isn't it? It was two years before you even met Alec...lotta wild times
Kevy...on again off again girlfriends..."

"I don't have a child!!"

"Are you sure? Look at him Kev, I've got her willing to testify that he is
your child..."

Kevin looked at the pictures again, the black hair was the same but...
damnit he couldn't risk this. "What do you want?"

~End Flashback~


Brian peeked in the hallway and heard the shower running from across the
hall, he knew Shan would be a good twenty minutes. Come on Kevy answer the
phone...

"Richardson, if this is the press screw off you've ruined us enough."

"Kev? You okay?"

"Rok? That you buddy?"

"Yeah, you been drinking?"

"No..." Kevin ran a hand through his hair, "Look I want us all to sit
down...do you think we can somehow get the others to agree to this?"

"I might be able to get Nicky too...but Kev I don't know if this is
wise..."

"Rok, listen we gotta talk sometime...if nothing else about the tabloids
slandering us."

"Yeah yeah...I'll call Nick tomorrow all right?"

"Use his cell he may not be at home."

"Why wouldn't he?"

Kevin took a deep breath, "There's an article in the paper, apparently
with an insider...basically said Nick's been screwing around on Lis their
entire relationship...pile of other garbage...Alec said Lis was pretty
upset when she read it."


Nick ducked as Lis threw his duffel bag at him, "Lissy..."

"Get out!!"

"No!!"

"Fine then I will!!" she grabbed her purse and ran from the room.


Shan walked into the bedroom, her hair still damp from the shower. "B?"
she called seeing the room empty. Please don't be pulling a Nick
disappearing act, she thought as she looked around.

"Be right there." he called from the walk in closet. "Just finishing up
some last minute packing." he smiled at her.

"You never did say where exactly you were going." she stated, climbing
into bed.

Brian's eyes widened. "I didn't?? Oh I'm heading up to Nashville for a
couple days...might stop in Lexington for a day on the way back say hi to
mom and dad let them know everything's all right."

"Maybe I could meet you up in Lexington." she suggested, "Maybe borrow
Kev's cabin for next weekend?"

"Uh..." he climbed into bed next to her, "Maybe but I may need to schedule
some meetings with Harold and stuff...why don't we wait a couple weeks and
go somewhere alone?"

"You sure? I mean I wouldn't mind going..."

"Positive. We'll go when we can spend some real one on one time together."

"Okay." she agreed reluctantly. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.
"Night B."

"Night Shan." he wrapped his arm around her and watched her fall asleep.
He squeezed his eyes shut as his mind went back to the last tour.


~Flashback~

"What is this?" Brian asked confused, going through the papers for a third
time.

"Something I think your dear wife would find rather interesting...or
rather both your wives would." he smiled deviously at B.

"This can't be...I divorced Cassie before I even met Shan."

"Well you didn't and these papers prove it."

Brian rubbed the back of his neck, "How do I know these aren't fake?"

He shrugged, "Trust me they aren't."

"I gave up on trusting you years ago." Brian's eyes turned cold. "What are
you going to do with these?"

"If you cooperate nothing. If you don't...lets just say you'll lead a very
interesting life in the next little while Mr Littrell."

~End Flashback~