Chapter 1
"Bailey, you're gonna DIE when you see this place! It's amazing!" Leslie squealed though the phone.
"I can't wait to get there!" Bailey laughed, holding her hand over her ear to block out the noise of the airport. "Tell the girls to have that hot tub ready and waiting for me. My plane's been delayed in Dallas, but I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Ok, girl. Love you!" Leslie said.
"You too!" Bailey said, hanging up.
Bailey Brooks Townsend sighed as she sat back in the uncomfortable naugahyde chair in the terminal waiting area. She ran her fingers through her long, pale blonde hair and looked out the window. The plane that was supposed to take her to Aspen was sitting at the gate with all kinds of mechanics crawling all over it. She had been sitting there, waiting to board for the past three hours, and she was getting irritable. Her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters were already at their friend Mandi's house in Aspen, and she wanted to be there NOW! They had been planning this trip for six months.This Thanksgiving week ski trip was to be their last hoorah before they settled in for final exams. No boys allowed, she thought, smiling. Just us girls. Of course, when she told her daddy about the trip, he wasn't at all pleased that she'd be missing Thanksgiving dinner with his new wife, Pam, but she just couldn't stand the thought of sitting down with that woman and trying to have a peaceful dinner. Bailey's mom had died when she was only 11, and she had taken good care of her daddy. She knew it was inevitable that he would eventually remarry, but this Pam woman was just... horrible. She only married daddy for his money, of that Bailey was sure. Pam was only 28 years old, a mear seven years older than Bailey herself. How could daddy do this? He was thinking with the wrong head, Bailey figured. Thank goodness he had decided to let her go on this trip so she could avoid her new step-monster.
Bailey looked up at the ticket agent, who was talking on the phone. The agent had an uncomfortable look on her face and was telling whoever was on the phone that there was no way she could do something. Finally, she hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She got on the intercom and made an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen... due to mechanical problems, the flight from Dallas to Denver has been cancelled. We're sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused, but we'll try to get you on the next available flights."
A cry of outrage rose from the crowd gathered at the terminal. Bailey ran up to the ticket agent's counter.
"You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "I have to be in Aspen tonight! I can't sit in this damned airport and wait for you to find me a flight!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't do anything else," the agent said, shaking her head.
"That's not good enough!" Bailey yelled impatiently. "I am not going to sit in an airport all night! I can't do this! I'm supposed to be in Aspen!"
"Sorry," the agent said, shrugging her shoulders.
Bailey grabbed her backpack and stomped away. She began to cry as she dug in her purse for her cell phone. She had to call Daddy. The terminal was so noisy, she looked around for a quiet place to make a call. She ducked into the nearest courtesy lounge. She had no idea which airline it was for, and thankfully, there was no attendant inside to check for her membership.
"Daddy!" she cried, as soon as she got him on the line. "They cancelled my flight! "
"Oh, I'm sorry baby!" Daddy crooned. "Do you want me to see if I can get you a room at the Hilton for the night?"
"Noooo," Bailey sniffed. "I guess I'll just sit here and wait."
"My poor baby," Daddy said. "If you had just come home instead of planning that ski trip, none of this would have happened, you know."
"Oh Daddy, stop it!" Bailey exclaimed. "You know why I didn't want to come home! I can't stand that WOMAN you married, and we both would have been miserable trying to make nicey-nice for the entire week."
"Honey, you and Pam are going to have to learn to get along. She's your stepmother now, sweetheart. You've got to accept that."
"I do NOT have to accept that. I won't accept it! She's young enough to be your daughter!" Bailey wailed. She hung up the phone and began to sob into her hands.
Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson sat quietly across the lounge, un-noticed by Bailey. Nick looked at Kevin and shrugged. Kevin shook his head and rolled his eyes. Another spoiled little rich girl, he thought. A hot little rich girl, but she seemed like a spoiled brat to him. Nick, of course, was smitten immediately. The girl's long blonde hair and huge blue eyes attracted him like a moth to a flame. Nick stood and walked over to her.
"You ok?" he asked quietly, standing over her. She looked up and wiped her eyes.
"I'm ok. I'm just supposed to be in Aspen tonight with my sorority sisters, and they cancelled my flight," Bailey sniffed. Nick sat down beside her.
"You want a drink?" he asked.
"Yeah. A diet coke would be nice," she replied, smiling through her tears.
"Ok," Nick laughed. He walked over to the courtesy bar and poured her a diet coke. He put it in her hands and sat back down beside her.
"I'm Nick," he said, smiling. For the first time, she recognized him.
"Oh my God,I know who you are! You're that guy!" she exclaimed. "You're that Backstreet Boy! I can't remember your name, but I know the face. Oh wow!"
"I'm Nick," Nick laughed. "And that's Kevin."
Bailey turned and looked at Kevin, and her eyes grew huge. "Oh, this is just too weird," she laughed.
"Listen, Kev and I chartered a plane to Vale. If you want, you can hitch a ride with us, and maybe you can rent a car or get someone to pick you up and take you to Aspen once you get there," Nick said, smiling. Kevin let out a hiss from the other side of the room. Nick glanced over and Kevin was shaking his head no.
"Oh my God! That would be so awesome! Are you sure?" Bailey exclaimed, hugging Nick. His face was instantly buried in her soft blonde hair, and he caught the scent of her expensive perfume. He closed his eyes and smiled as he hugged her back.
"No problem," Nick laughed.
"You guys are the best!" she squealed, jumping up to hug Kevin. He patted her back and gave Nick an eat shit look over her shoulder. Nick smiled brightly at Kevin.
"No problem," Kevin said, not sounding very convincing. Bailey immediately got on her cell phone and called Daddy back. She explained that she was catching a ride on a chartered plane with her new friends, and she'd call him when she got to Vale. Daddy wasn't happy that his baby girl was going to be associating with... rock stars, but there was nothing he could do about it from Tennessee.
"Guys, please let me chip in on the cost of the flight," Bailey said, digging in her purse for her wallet. "How much do I owe you?"
"No! Put your money away," Nick said, pushing her hand away. "It's my treat. You seem like a sweet girl."
"Thank you so much," she said. "You have no idea how much this means to me. Oh! I'd better go get my luggage!"
"I'll go with you," Nick said, pulling on his baseball cap. Kevin rolled his eyes once again. Nick... always thinking with the wrong head...
Bailey and Nick went to the baggage claim area and Nick pulled Bailey's Kate Spade luggage off the conveyer. Expensive stuff, he thought. Daddy must be loaded.
"You are so sweet," Bailey said, hanging onto Nick's arm as he pulled her suitcase behind them. Nick smiled. It had been a long time since he had been with a normal girl. He was kind of enjoying this.
Once they reached the courtesy lounge, Kevin told them it was time to board the plane. They walked down the ramp and got onto the luxury private jet that belonged to Jive Records. They were the only passengers on the plane. Bailey sat down in one of the leather chairs and opened her purse. She ran her brush through her hair until it shone like silk, then touched up her blotched makeup and reapplied her lipstick. Nick watched in fascination. She was so graceful and lady-like. He was just amazed by her. Kevin watched Nick watching Bailey, and he let out an amused snort. Nick turned and gave him a nasty look.
"You're pathetic," Kevin whispered. "She's a baby."
"To you maybe, Old Man," Nick replied. "But I believe she's just about my age."
"Chonologically, maybe," Kevin said. "But what I mean is she's daddy's baby. Look at her. Kate Spade bags. Sorority sisters. She's obviously a spoiled brat."
"Oh shut up. You're just jealous cause she likes me," Nick said, smiling.
"Yeah. Whatever," Kevin replied, shaking his head.
Nick sat in the chair beside Bailey and they began to talk.
"So tell me about yourself," Nick said, smiling. Bailey noticed he had the straightest, whitest teeth she had ever seen. She laughed a little.
"Well, I'm Bailey Townsend. I'm 21. I'm a junior at the University of Tennessee. I'm a Kappa. I'm majoring in interior design. Hmmm... what else do you want to know?"
Nick laughed to himself. This was certainly different... college girl. SORORITY girl, at that. He couldn't remember the last time he had been around anybody like her. If EVER.
"Well," he said, "tell me about your life."
Bailey laughed again. "Hmmm... let's see. My daddy's name is Robert Townsend. He owns an advertising agency in Nashville. My mom died when I was eleven. Her name was Elizabeth. I have a puppy named Tippy. He's a Maltese. I don't have any brothers or sisters, but my dad just married a twinkie named Pam who's young enough to be my sister. "
As she talked, Nick looked her over. Gorgeous. That was the only way he could describe her. Her hair was naturally pale blonde. That he could tell immediately. Her eyes were a deep blue, and were just so big, she looked like one of those Precious Moments dolls. She had a perfect nose. He wasn't sure if that was natural or not... Her hands were beautiful. Perfectly manicured nails. She probably got them done once a week. She smelled delicious.
"What kind of perfume is that?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Tea Rose," she said, smiling. "My mom always wore it, and I just picked up the habit a few years ago."
"It smells nice," he said, smirking.
"Thanks you," she replied, shyly.
The plane taxied down the runway and took off. Kevin reclined in his seat and closed his eyes for the flight. He couldn't believe Nick. He was making a fool of himself, as usual. This girl was nothing more than a vapid sorority girl who probably couldn't even tie her own shoes without calling daddy to have him hire someone to do it for her. Kevin was not impressed.
Bailey sucked in a deep breath as they took off. "Oh, I'm not a very good flyer," she said, grasping Nick's hand.
"That's ok. I'll hold your hand," he replied. "I'm used to this travelling thing."
"Well, I travel a lot, too, but it doesn't make it any easier."
As the flight wore on, Nick and Bailey continued to talk. Bailey never once asked him what it was like being a Backstreet Boy, or what it was like being famous. She asked questions about his family, and what he liked to do when he was off. It was as if his career meant nothing at all to her. After awhile, she let go of his hand and reclined in the chair. He did the same. They both closed their eyes and began to drift off to sleep. Suddenly a big jolt made all three of them sit up at once.
"SHIT! What the hell was that?" Nick exclaimed, looking back at Kevin.
"I don't know," Kevin said, getting up from his seat. He walked up to the front of the plane and opened the cockpit door.
"What happened?" he asked the pilot.
"Lightning," the pilot replied. Kevin could see sweat forming on the pilot's forehead.
"We got hit by LIGHTNING?" Kevin exclaimed. "But it's not raining."
"Ever heard of thunder-snow?" the pilot said, not looking up from the controls.
"No. Is everything ok?"
The pilot finally looked up at him, and Kevin could see fear in his eyes. "I've got to set her down," he said quietly. "The electrical system's fried."
"Set her DOWN? We're over the fucking Rocky Mountains! Where do you expect to set her DOWN?" Kevin yelled. Nick and Bailey overheard, and Bailey grabbed Nick's hand again.
"Oh God," Bailey muttered. "We're gonna die."
"No we're not," Nick said, trying to hide his fear. Inside, he was terrified.
Kevin walked to the back of the plane and strapped himself in again. He was as pale as a ghost. The plane began to vibrate roughly, and Bailey started to cry. They could feel themselves losing altitude quickly.
"Oh God Oh God Oh God..." Bailey whispered over and over again. She squeezed Nick's hand tight. Nick looked out the window, but all he could see was the inky blackness of the night sky. Kevin said a silent prayer, asking forgiveness for all the terrible things he had done in his life. Nick prayed that his death would be quick. Bailey prayed that she would survive the crash. As soon as the plane touched down, it skidded sideways, struck a tree and began to flip over and over again.
All Bailey could hear was the sound of her own screams and the metal scraping against trees. She felt herself being torn away from Nick's hand. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she stopped. It was dark and quiet. She landed on her side, still strapped into the seat. She unbelted herself and stood up shakily. She looked at her surroundings. The plane was in pieces... all over the place. Little flames licked pieces of the debris. It was so dark outside now, and snow was falling. It was freezing cold. She began to look around for Nick, Kevin, and the pilot, but it was so dark. She realized she was still clutching her Prada purse, and somehow she remembered that she had a flashlight on her keychain. She pulled it out and began searching again. She heard a moan and lifted a piece of metal. It was Kevin.
"Kevin! Are you ok?" she exclaimed, falling to her knees beside him.
"Yeah. I think so," Kevin said, unbuckling himself. "Where's Nick?"
"I don't know. I'm looking."
Kevin took the flashlight from her and began searching desperately for Nick. He found the pilot, who was obviously dead. He threw pieces of debris out of the way until he saw Nick's foot sticking out from under a large piece of metal. He lifted it with all the strength he had and threw it off of him.
"Nick! Nicky! Talk to me, buddy!" Kevin yelled, shaking Nick gently. Nick opened his eyes and blinked a few times.
"Kev?" he said softly. "What the hell happened?"
"We crashed, man. We went down. You ok?"
"Yeah. But my arm hurts pretty bad," Nick moaned. Kevin looked at Nick's arm, and could tell that it was broken.
"Come on," Kevin said, helping Nick up. "We've gotta try to find a radio or something."
"Bailey?" Nick said. "Where's Bailey?"
"I'm here, Nick. I'm fine," she answered.
"Thank God," Nick sighed.