What If...
By: Sara
~*~*~ In the Backstreet Boys' limo ~*~*~
"You know who's going to be here tonight, right?" Nick said to no one in particular as the limo drove the Backstreet Boys to the Jive record label party. He stared out the window and waited for an answer.
"Yeah, we know. You think she's gonna try to start something again?" AJ said in response.
"I don't know, but let's try to avoid her at all costs, please. We can't afford to be caught in a fight with her by the press," Kevin said in his authoritative, big brother voice.
"Why do they keep throwing these parties and inviting us and her when they know we don't get along? I mean, we don't have problems with anyone else on the label," Nick said.
"Well, we can always just not show up, they told us that we had that option after they heard what she said about us on the radio," Brian replied.
"Guys, let's just forget about her and try to have fun tonight, please," Howie chimed in. The others nodded their heads in agreement as the limo pulled up to the hotel that was hosting the party. The Boys got out of the limo and walked quickly through the press gauntlet, avoiding the personal questions as usual. Once they were in the building, they split up to mingle with the crowd.
~*~*~ In Britney Spears' limo ~*~*~
"Oh, my God. Do you realize who is going to be there tonight?" Britney asked her date who sitting across from her.
"Yes, and you have to promise that you won't pick a fight like you did last time," Jason said. Britney's mouth dropped.
"I didn't pick that fight, she did. Stupid bitch," she retorted.
"You can't say that you weren't at fault there too. I know she is the one who actually started the fight, but you knew the can of worms you were opening when you started trashing them, and that song when she and Brian walked by. That wasn't exactly the smartest thing you've ever done," Jason said with a neutral tone.
"I don't believe I ever asked for your opinion on the matter," she said, then crossed her arms and stared out the window.
"Well, you have to admit that it was pretty stupid to trash the song on the new album that you know Brian takes the most pride in right in front of his face," he said in the same neutral tone.
"Yeah, well. How was I supposed to know that his girlfriend was going to come at me?" she asked defensively.
"Maybe you should just learn to keep your mouth shut when they are nearby," he advised.
"Maybe you should mind your own business," she said bluntly.
"Whatever," he snapped.
"You know what I think?" she asked, trying to change the subject a bit.
"There's no telling," he said sarcastically.
"I think something big is going to happen tonight, between me and them. I don't know. I have a feeling, though," she replied, ignoring his tone.
"Oh, you have a feeling, do you?" he interrogated.
"Yes. What's your problem?" she said.
"You need to just avoid them and try to stay off that topic tonight," he recommended.
"Don't tell me what to do. You're not my mother, and I am 18. I can make my own decisions about how to act in public. If you're going to be like this all night, then you might as well stay in the limo and go back to the hotel. I don't need a guardian," Britney stated, then crossed her arms.
"Fine," he mumbled. The limo pulled up to the hotel and Britney got out. Jason stayed in his seat and watched her wage her way through the reporters and into the building. He turned away from the crowd and the limo pulled away, leaving the chaos behind.
~*~*~ Inside the party ~*~*~
Brian looked at Nick, "Oh, God help us. Look who just arrived." He pointed toward the door and Nick looked. Britney walked in the room and straight to the catering area. She grabbed a Diet Coke and then walked into the crowd.
"Oh well, if she avoids us, we'll avoid her, it's that simple," Nick replied. Brian nodded and took a sip of his Coke. "So, what were we talking about?"
"I don't remember," Brian said, "anyone?"
"No clue," Puff Daddy said. The rest of the group shrugged, so they just started talking about something else. "You know, it really is lonely on the top," he said.
"I guess," Nick replied.
"Well, you know. When you're on the top, everyone under you either is jealous and acts like it, or denies being jealous in the first place and just trashes you every chance they get. In a way it kind of really sucks being on top," Puffy replied.
"Yeah, but we wouldn't give it up for the world," Nick said with a smirk. Puffy and the rest of the group nodded and laughed.
Elsewhere, AJ had a group of girls gathered around him, laughing. He always seemed to have the ability to draw a crowd, even if he wasn't trying. "And then, we threw him out in the hallway, in nothing but his underwear! It was so funny. Well, maybe not for him, but I was laughing my ass off..." he finished his story and another round of giggles broke out.
"I bet he was embarrassed," one of the girls said.
"Yeah, and the best part is that our opening act was next door, and they were an all girl group! Let's just say that Nicky Boy will never piss Kevin off that badly again." At that moment, Kevin walked up.
"Did someone mention my name?" he said suavely.
"Yeah, I was telling these ladies about the time you threw Nick out in the hallway in his underwear," AJ replied.
"Oh, that old story? AJ, you need to get some new stories, bud," Kevin mused.
"Why get new ones when the old ones work just fine?" AJ retorted, giving a cheesy grin to the girls. Kevin shook his head and wondered off to find someone with which to talk. He was so preoccupied with looking at the faces in the crowd that he almost ran someone over.
"Hey, watch it," an irate female voice called from below Kevin's line of site. He looked down and saw whom he had bumped into.
"Sorry Britney," he said, "I didn't see you there." Great, here it is. The fight I told everyone to avoid, and I'm going to be the one who causes it. Smooth move, Kev, he thought.
"Yeah, well, you people need to learn to be more careful. You spilled my drink all over me!" she snapped. Big dumb jerk, not paying attention. Well, I had a feeling that something was going to happen between them and me tonight. If this is all it is, that's good at least.
"Geeze, I said I was sorry, what more do you want?" he said without thinking about it. He mentally slapped himself when he realized that he had just provoked her further.
She looked up at him and then back down at her now Coke-stained dress. "Oh, forget it," she said and stormed away toward the bathroom.
Kevin breathed a sigh of relief as she walked away. Well, at least she didn't make a scene, he thought and resumed his quest for someone to talk to.
Elsewhere, Howie had found himself someone to dance with. She was a moderate height and had dark hair and olive skin. They were dancing closely, but still at a we're-just-friends distance. "You know, this party is turning out to be a lot better than I thought it was," he mused.
"What do you mean?" asked the girl in his arms.
"Well, without going into specifics, we were expecting trouble from another guest here. Nothing's happened so far, so I'd say the night is going pretty good," he replied.
"You mean Britney?" she asked.
"You know about that too, huh?" he said quietly.
"Who doesn't? We're all waiting to see who's going to make the next move," she joked. Howie smiled and shook his head.
"That's funny, I was thinking the same thing myself," he replied. They both laughed and continued swaying to the music. Howie looked around the room. He saw that Kevin was walking through the crowd, AJ was still at the bar surrounded by girls, and Nick and Brian were in a group of people talking about something.
Nick looked at Brian. Brian was still immersed in the conversation and wasn't paying attention to Nick. "Hey, Frick," Nick whispered to Brian.
"What?" Brian said.
"I have to go to the bathroom," Nick said quietly.
"Then go, no one's stopping you," Brian replied. Nick stuck his tongue out at Brian, then turned around and walked toward the bathroom.
~*~*~ In the ladies restroom ~*~*~
"God, those guys are so annoying," Britney said to herself, "look what he did to my dress. This will never come out." She scrubbed the stain on her skin-tight, white dress with a wet paper towel. She looked at herself in the mirror, then down at the stain and frowned. She scrubbed it one more time and then gave up. The stain was obviously not going to come out. Oh well, she thought, if anyone asks what happened, I'll just tell them that one of the bonehead Backstreet Boys bumped into me and got my drink all over me. She walked into one of the stalls in the bathroom to do her business before heading back to the party.
~*~*~ In the men's restroom ~*~*~
Nick finished his business and walked over to the sink. He washed his hands and looked at himself in the mirror. After he had dried his hands, he straightened his suit and headed toward the door. Suddenly, he heard a low rumble as he felt the ground begin to shake. The stall doors rattled against the posts between them. He heard the building crack and saw the tiles on the floor and wall come loose. He panicked and started looking for a way out of the room, forgetting that he was standing right in front of the door. He looked right at the door handle at least six times before he remembered what it was for. He opened the door and stood in the doorway.
The ground was still shaking and the formerly neat and clean vestibule between the bathrooms was now a mess. The potted plants were now on the floor, their pots broken and soil spilling on the ground. The landscape pictures were shaking on the wall and one had fallen. It lay against the wall now, glass shattered and frame broken. He saw the door to the ladies room open across from him. At first, he thought that it was just the quake that had opened the door, but then someone emerged.
Britney stood in the door of the ladies room and looked across the way. Nick Carter was standing there, in practically the same position as she, with the same terrified look on his face. "What's happening?" she yelled over the noise.
"What do you think is happening? It's an earthquake," Nick said, then added dumb ass mentally.
Britney glared at him. "I know it's an earthquake, smart-ass." Nick was about to say something when there was a loud crash outside the door. The two looked at each other worriedly.
~*~*~ Inside the party ~*~*~
Since the quake had stopped, the screaming had died down. Most of the people that were at the party were from the LA area, so they were used to these little annoyances of Mother Nature. It was the out-of-towners that were freaked out by the unexpected event. "Everyone okay?" someone called. There were a few scattered uh huh's and some yeah's. Brian looked around to try to see his group mates in the newly darkened room. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet, so it was useless, but he tried anyway.
Suddenly, the emergency lights finally came on. Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Brian stood up and looked around the room. He immediately spotted Kevin and walked over to him, being careful not to trip over anyone. "You ok, Kev?" he said when he got near Kevin.
"Yeah, I'm all right, how are the others?" Kevin said.
"I don't know, lemme check," Brian replied as he stood up and looked around the room again. He spotted AJ still near the bar. He walked over to the bar, "Hey, Bone, you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine Rok, what about D?" AJ replied.
"I'll go find him. Meantime, we should all stay together until we get out of here, Kevin's right over there," Brian said pointing at Kevin. AJ nodded and made his way over to Kevin and sat down. Brian found Howie and soon they both rejoined the others.
Kevin looked at his three group mates, "Where's Nick?"
"I don't know. He said he was going to the bathroom earlier and I haven't seen him since," Brian said. They all looked at each other worriedly. Nick wasn't exactly the most levelheaded person when he was panicked.
~*~*~ Near the Bathrooms ~*~*~
Once the shaking had stopped, Nick had emerged fully from the men's room and had headed straight to the vestibule door. He pushed on it and it didn't budge, that's when he panicked. He started pounding on the door and screaming for help. Britney walked up next to him. "What's the matter with you? Calm down!" she demanded. He just looked at her. She ignored him and tried the door for herself. When it still didn't move, she panicked, too. They both screamed for help as loud as they could, but after what had seemed like half an hour, they both stopped because screaming was leading neither of them anywhere except straight to a headache.
"Great, now what do we do?" Nick said as he slumped against the wall. His back slid down the wall until his butt hit the floor.
"So, we're like, stuck in here now?" Britney asked.
"You're quick," Nick replied.
"Oh shut up, you big dumb ass. I wasn't talking to you," she replied angrily.
"Well, I'm the only other person in here right now," he said.
"Don't remind me," she spat, "I hope they get us out of here soon, because if I have to spend a moment longer with you, I will scream."
"Believe me, I couldn't agree more," he said, and then went back to staring at the floor. They sat there, across from each other, in silence. Neither wanted nor attempted to strike up a conversation because both knew that it would lead to a fight.
~*~*~ Back in the main hall ~*~*~
"God, I hope Nicky's ok," AJ reflected the sentiments of the other three. They couldn't seem to talk about anything else. The people who had been throwing the party were now the appointed leaders of the crowd of people who were all trapped in the large room together. One of them walked up to the Boys.
"Everyone accounted for?" the woman asked.
"Actually, we're missing Nick. He had gone to the bathroom before the quake and we haven't seen him since," Brian replied.
"Ok, so Nick Carter is unaccounted for, correct?" the woman said in a monotone voice that made Brian angry that she didn't care more about his best friend.
"Nick is a person, not a belonging that is misplaced. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't speak about him as such," Brian snapped.
"All right, Nick is missing, correct?" the woman said in the same monotone voice. Brian truly didn't appreciate the woman's attitude, but he decided that it would be best if he just let it go. He nodded and the woman scribbled something, probably Nick's name, down on her clipboard and walked off.
"God, that makes me mad," Brian said as he turned back to his group mates.
"Calm down, Rok. I know that you're worried about Nick, but you really need to just chill out. Everything will be ok. Nick is fine," AJ said.
"I am calm, it's just that...I don't know..." Brian stated. The four carried on a neutral conversation for a while, trying to stay off the subject of Nick. After about 15 minutes, the woman who had made Brian mad stepped up on the podium at the front of the room.
"People," she started and the conversations in the room died down to a dull roar. "That, my friends, was a genuine Los Angeles earthquake, as I'm sure you all are aware. The quake caused damage to the building, which is why we are stuck in this room. I did a head count, so to speak, and there are two people unac...missing. They are Nick Carter and Britney Spears. We have an idea where Nick is, but if anyone has any idea where Britney is, please let me know. That's all. Go back to what you were doing before, and above all, people, don't panic."
At the mention of Britney's name, Brian, AJ, Kevin, and Howie all looked at each other. "Umm, I think I know where Britney is," Kevin spoke up, but only loud enough for the guys to hear.
"How?" AJ asked.
"Well, before the quake, I was looking for someone to chat with, and I sort of tripped over her," he said sheepishly.
"Way to go, Kev. You're the one that said that we were supposed to avoid her in the first place," AJ said.
"It was an accident. I sort of spilled her drink all over her. The last I saw her, she was headed to the bathroom," Kevin finished.
"Well, now we know Nicky's not alone," AJ joked which was not very well received by the others.
~*~*~ Bathrooms ~*~*~
"So..." Nick said, finally breaking the silence.
"So, what?" Britney asked.
"Nothing, it's just that silence has never done anything for me," Nick mumbled.
"That's nice," she quipped, "I thought we agreed that it was best not to speak to each other."
"Yeah, well. I changed my mind," he replied, "I'm allowed to do that."
"Well, since you're so interested in having a conversation, what do you want to talk about?" she questioned.
"Nothing really, I just think that if we are going to be trapped here for any length of time that we should at least try to hold a civilized conversation," Nick responded without looking at her.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"Never mind. Let's just try to find something that we can talk about that won't get either of us angry," Nick responded coolly.
"Like what? I don't think there really is a safe topic," she replied.
"Well, then let's just talk about whatever is on our minds," he said.
"Well, you obviously have something on your mind, so..." she prodded.
"Actually, I do," he started, and then paused for a moment. "Why do you hate me and the guys?" he blurted out.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Well, umm," she started in a calm tone. "It's not that I hate you guys, per say, it's just that you made me mad when you said that you had helped my album sell more copies than it would have all on its own. That wasn't fair of you guys. It was like you were saying that I would be nowhere without your help," she finished coolly.
"What? We never said that! That was some dumb ass DJ in Orlando. We had nothing to do with it," Nick snapped as he shot up to his feet and glared at her.
"Well, you never did or said anything otherwise. I just assumed that you had told the DJ what to say," she yelled back, standing up to get as close to eye level as she could.
"Well, you sure as hell didn't help things by saying what you did in that radio interview. 'Who knows who the Backstreet Boys are gonna be in 10 years,'" he finished, doing his best imitation of her.
"That is not what I said," she yelled as she took a step forward, trying to articulate her point further.
"Oh, I think it is. I have heard the sound clip so many times that I swear if I hear it again, I will throw up. You know, you really make me sick. We were trying to help you out but we were also advertising our new album at the same time. You were just looking for a way to align yourself more with 'N Sync and put us as the bad guys," Nick fumed and stepped closer still as his voice got louder.
"Oh, what. You have something against 'N Sync now?" she screamed as she stepped closer to him.
"No, we're fine with them, and we were fine with you, too, until you went off like you did. You're just a spiteful bitch who is trying to impress everyone while hurting us in the process," Nick screamed back, stepping forward and closing the distance between them. They were mere inches away from each other now, but still screaming as loud as they could.
"I'm a spiteful bitch?? You're a selfish asshole. You think that just because you put those stupid clips on my album that what...I owe you or something. If anything, you owe me. It was my decision to put the clips there; I didn't have to. I did it to help you guys out, and that was the thanks I got! You have a lot of nerve," she yelled.
"What the hell? We don't owe you anything. I heard that you didn't have anything to do with it anyway. Jive told you that they were putting the clips on there and that you didn't have a choice in the matter. I don't know where you get off," he screamed back.
"I don't know where you got that, but you are totally wrong. How do you think I got them to take the clips off, hmm? Answer that, smart-ass!" she screeched.
"Well, I figured that they got sick of listening to you whine and just gave in," he retorted loudly.
"You asshole! How dare you?"
"You started it."
"I did not, you were the one that wanted to talk!"
"I said I wanted to talk, not have an argument. You are the one who started the argument!"
"Whatever. You are such a childish asshole!"
"And you're a stuck-up bitch," Nick screamed back at her. They both looked at each other furiously. Each had as much anger in his or her eyes as the other. There was so much anger and hatred passing between them that you could literally see it. Suddenly, Nick put his hands on Britney's head and pulled her into a kiss that was just as passionate as, if not more so than the argument that had gone on between them not a minute ago.
~*~*~ Main hall ~*~*~
"God, I hope Nicky's ok in there with her. There's no telling what she'll do to him," AJ said. The others nodded in agreement.
"Let's just hope that they don't get into a fist fight. Nick could really hurt her, or worse yet, she could hurt him. I don't think it would look very good if the two of them came out of there all bruised and bloody," Kevin interjected.
AJ chuckled at the thought of Nick and Britney scrapping it up. The other guys smiled as they were having the same thought as well. However, the distraction was short lived.
"I just honestly hope that the both of them are ok in there," Brian said which caused a hushed worry to settle over the group.
"Well," Howie started, "I'm sure that they both made it through the quake just fine. And knowing Nick, and his tendency to avoid conflict, they are probably just not talking to each other at all. If they aren't talking to each other, they aren't fighting, thus everything is fine. Don't worry."
~*~*~ Bathrooms ~*~*~
Nick's arms wrapped around Britney's waist, lifting her off the ground. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her hands found their way into his hair. She tangled her fingers in his smooth wet hair. His lips were hot on hers and the sweat on his neck felt cool on her hands. The kiss was heated and frantic, and it ended just as abruptly as it had begun. He pulled back and looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction, while also trying to slow his heavy breathing.
Britney looked back at Nick who was still holding her off the ground. "Why did you do that?" she asked breathlessly.
"I'm not sure. It was just sort of a snap decision, kind of a spur-of-the-moment type thing," he replied anxiously, wondering what she was thinking. He could feel her heart beating rapidly, almost keeping pace with his own. He gave her a half smile as he looked into her eyes. She smiled slightly in return.
"What I meant was," she said tenderly, "why did you stop?" Nick's smile broadened and he opened his mouth to respond. Before he could speak, Britney covered his mouth with her own. For a moment, he was stunned, but then he mentally shook it off and kissed her back. They kissed for a short while longer as he gently placed her on the ground. Their lips didn't part after she was standing on the floor because neither wanted the kiss to end.
When the kiss finally ended, they looked at each other.
"I think I need to sit down," he said.
"I think I need to lie down," she said at the same time. They smiled sheepishly at each other, and then sat down side-by-side on the floor. Britney stared at Nick for a few moments. At first, Nick didn't notice.
"What?" Nick asked in his insecure little kid voice when he finally noticed that she was looking at him. She giggled softly and shook her head.
"Nick, I..." she started, but then hesitated.
"What?" he said more gently.
"Nothing, it's just that that was nice," she said, for lack of something better to say.
Nick looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and motioned him to come closer. He turned his body toward her and moved his head closer to hers, catching her lips in a sweet kiss. His kiss was so tender and passionate that it made her want him all the more. His lips were soft and fit together almost perfectly with hers. She moved her hands up to caress his face; his smooth skin was hot to the touch.
Britney laid her back on the ground, and Nick followed her down, never letting their lips part. He hovered over her, supporting himself on his elbows. His legs were stretched out next to hers. Her fingers played in his hair as his lips danced over hers. There was a small noise outside the door, but neither of them heard it because they were too engulfed in each other to notice anything else. There were a few more small noises, but again, they were ignored.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise and then a beam of light blasted into the small room. They didn't budge, except to turn their heads. After their eyes adjusted to the sudden light, they noticed a silhouette standing in the door. "Are you guys ok?" asked a familiar voice.
Nick and Britney looked back at each other for a brief moment before Nick pushed himself off of her. Britney sat up, too, somewhat hiding behind him. Nick looked at the figure in the doorway. "Hey Frick," he said, rubbing his eyes.
"Nick, Britney. They've cleared out the building enough so we can leave," Brian said without budging. He looked quizzically at Nick once more, then turned on his heel and left the two still sitting in the room.
"So..." Nick said.
"So..." Britney replied.
"I guess this means things are gonna go back to normal now, huh?" he asked solemnly.
"I suppose," she said. Nick stood up and straightened his suit. He offered her his hand to help her up and she took it. "Thanks," she said nervously as she started to walk away.
When she reached the door, she paused for a moment, and then stepped outside. "Britney, wait," Nick called out. She stopped just outside the door and he came up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her back to his chest. "What if..." he began uneasily. "What if I don't want things to go back to normal?"
She sighed and placed her hands on his arms. "I don't want things to go back either, Nick." She spun around in his arms and wrapped him in a hug. He hugged her back tightly and she buried her head in his chest. Nick sighed and kissed the top of her head. They stood there a few precious moments longer, wrapped securely in each other's arms, until Nick stepped back a bit. He looked down at her and she up at him.
"Well, Mr. Carter," Britney said, "what are we going to tell the others?"
"Others?" Nick asked absentmindedly.
"Yeah, the other Backstreet Boys, the press, our fans, you know...the others," she replied sweetly.
"Oh, them. I forgot there was anyone else," Nick said as he gazed into her deep brown eyes. She smiled and blushed, as all girls do when a guy makes them feel like the only girl in the world. Her heart fluttered and her eyes watered slightly, which didn't go unnoticed. "What's wrong?" Nick asked caringly.
"Nothing, it's just that no one's ever said anything like that to me before," she replied, wiping the tears out of her eyes. Nick put his hand under her chin and lifted her eyes back up to his. He wiped away her remaining tears with his thumb and smiled down at her. He pulled her into a quick kiss, then pulled back and looked at her again.
"You know, I was kind of dreading coming here and seeing you tonight," he said.
"Me too."
"But, you know what?"
"Hmm?"
"If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change any of it. The earthquake, the fight...nothing."
"Why would you keep the fight?"
"Well...because if we had never fought, I never would have kissed you, and we would probably still hate each other. I wouldn't give this up just to avoid a stupid fight," he said softly. She smiled and they hugged again. Then they let go of each other and started walking toward the hotel lobby. As they were walking, Nick took Britney's hand in his own and intertwined their fingers. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed hers back as they walked into the crowded lobby to face the press and the public together.
"...Loving you means so much more. More than anything I've ever felt before..." -Britney Spears, (You Drive Me) Crazy
Email: panda_angelaj@hotmail.com
