“Hey Nicky. Whatcha doing?”

“Not NOW bone” Nick managed through clenched teeth, his knuckles white with the tension of his grip. ‘Thank God no more planes. Thank God no more planes.’ Nick kept repeating in his head. ‘At least not for a long time.’ With the end of the Black and Blue World tour they were finally headed home for a much needed, very long vacation. This plane could not land fast enough. ‘Oh, to be on the ground.’

“You know just last week a plane crashed landed when its landing gear failed to open completely,” teased AJ with a straight face. Nick visibly blanched.

“What?” he squeaked.

Howie leaned forward from his seat directly behind the 2 youngest members of the group, “AJ, leave Nicky alone for once. Nick he’s just trying to get a rise out of you. If he can get you arguing you’ll forget about the landing.”

Nick just shook his head and gripped the seat even tighter.

“Damn Bro, relax a little, will ya?” Chuckled AJ.

“I’ll relax when the plane comes to safe and complete stop.” ‘Breathe, Nick, just breathe. God you would have thought that over the years this would have somehow gotten easier.’ And his breath caught in his chest as the tires made initial contact with the runway.

“Alright!” “Hell Yeah!” “WooHoo” “Hallelujah!” The other four exclaimed in unison. Nick was the only one quiet; silently thanking the powers that be for a smooth landing.

“No more planes!” He mumbled mostly to himself as the plane slowed its taxi. They all agreed this was a good thing. A year for themselves. A year away from the constant rushing of touring. A year to gain some sanity. A year to find themselves again. A year to calm the turmoil inside created by their non-stop schedule for the prior 9 years. From there, the next step would be made as a collective, refreshed and inspired group. They were after all the Backstreet Boys, a unit of 5, individuals yes; yet incomplete as a group without each other.

When the seatbelt light turned off they all stood and stretched grabbing their carryon backpacks and such. It was late, so hopefully the airport would not be crowded. That combined with the fact that it was hinted the boys and crew would be flying directly into Orlando, when in fact management had secretly flown them into Jacksonville. No one would be expecting them there. Hopefully they could disembark and disband without incident. At 11pm at the end of a grueling World and US tour they all were ready for a little peace and freedom. Kevin would be heading to Kentucky, Brian to Atlanta. Both were taking smaller planes to reach their destinations. Howie and AJ were taking a limo back to Orlando. And Nick, he couldn’t wait another day for the ocean. He had booked a small beach house just South of Jacksonville at the remote and private beach of Ponte Vedra. He would unwind there for a few days before DRIVING the rest of the way to Marathon. No more planes!

Thankfully, the plan had worked. Of the few people still in the airport, fewer still gave the group a second look. They managed to gather belongings, say good-bye and head out in 5 different directions without much interruption. Most people seemed to realize their fatigue and watched with wonder, but never approached the hurried group. Even the bodyguards were able to draw a much-needed sigh of relief when only a handful of fans asked for autographs. Yes, the boys were home and looking forward to their rest. The fans seemed to feel they deserved it as much as the rest of the group did.

Eddie and Nick each rented separate vehicles. Eddie was following Nick to the beach where he too would rest for a few days. But Nick insisted that when he headed home Eddie was on his own for awhile. Nick stated that he could make it to Marathon without incident and without chaperone. Eddie humored Nick and figured he’d play it by ear. Marathon was a long drive from Jacksonville and Nick would have to get out of the Denali he rented at some point if for nothing else than for gas and to use the restrooms. Anything could happen in even the briefest of stops. Eddie knew he couldn’t truly relax until Nick was safely sequestered in his Marathon Home. Nick was grateful to Eddie for the excellent work he did as a bodyguard. After problems with a previous bodyguard Nick made sure when he hired Eddie that an understanding of sorts was made. He was to be protected, yes, but rude to fans, no! Eddie worked for Nick and not the other way around as some bodyguards tended to forget.

Ponte Vedra was a short drive from Jacksonville Airport and they made their destination in just under an hour. Nick wasted no time depositing his belongings in the bedroom and changed into shorts and a T-shirt. As tired as he was he had to be on the beach. Hell, he may even sleep on the beach! With the staggering height of the sand dunes and vehicle restrictions of the beach, not to mention the miles and miles of private property, there was very little chance of him being discovered. Barefoot w/ a towel over his shoulder he headed out into the night.


<~Chapter 1 or Chapter 3~>

Karina 2003