Chapter 20

"DAMNIT!" exclaimed Kevin, running in from outside. "The damn car is out of gas!" Brian rolled his eyes from his seat on the couch.

"Duhhhhh." Kevin glared at his cousin. "Oh you knew! That's wonderful, you make me go out in the middle of the night in a snowstorm and try and fix to car for half an hour and you knew it was out of gas?!" Howie stopped taking care of Nick to glance at Kevin.

"Kev you were the one that got all bent out of shape and ran out into the snow like a madman. You didn't even give Brian time to answer your hysterical panic!" Kevin plopped on the couch next to a sleeping AJ.

"Well, now what are we supposed to do? Stay here till Christmas? I don't think so! Not with the four of you! I'll walk back to Florida if I have to! Howie held up his hand and spoke slowly.

"Kevin, as soon as morning comes you can call management on my cell phone, I brought it with me. Then, me and you can go around back where the gas cans are and fill the car, okay?" He looked at Kevin like he was a student receiving instructions from a teacher. Kevin blushed.

"Uh... sure Howie, thanks. Lets just go back to sleep before I lose my mind or before Nick decides to go on midnight escapades in the snow again!" And with that he pushed AJ off of the couch. AJ landed with a loud thud.

"Owwwwww." he complained before falling back to sleep on the floor. Brian laughed at the site of him before breaking into a coughing fit. He held his chest. "C'mon Nick, lets get you back to bed, I'm beat." Nick tried to stand unsuccessfully on his injured ankle. Brian glared at Kevin who was pulling his blankets over him on his couch bed.

"Kev, the least you can do is carry the poor kid!" Kevin narrowed his eyes.

"Why can't you?"

"Cause he's almost as tall as me and I don't wanna, I don't feel well." Brian pouted. Kevin stood up angrily and scooped Nick up off the couch, marched to the bedroom the two blondes shared, and dumped him on his bed. He exited the room yelling at the two, "Make sure you're up and packed at 6 a.m. or we're leaving without you! And take all your stupid medicine and creams and stuff, I will not tolerate whining in the car!" Brian grumbled, tucking Nick in. "Kevin should be reeeeal fun on 3 hours of sleep."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Are we there yet?"

"NICK I SWEAR TO GOD!" Nick leaned back in his seat and stuck his tongue out at Kevin.

"I saw that!" Nick made a face,

"I don't care, can we stop for something to eat?"

"NO! I'm not stopping till we get to Florida!"

"But that's eight hours!"

"I don't care!" Brian jumped in.

"C'mon Kevin, we didn't even eat breakfast!"

"You should have been up earlier!"

"We got up at 5:30! We're sick and tired and we need to eat! Nick hasn't eaten much since we got up there!"

"He can eat all he wants once we get home!" AJ held his stomach.

"If I don't eat, I'll get carsick and throw up!" Kevin grimaced.

"Then we'll leave you on the side of the road and you can hitch hike home!"

"Okay! I'll get some fly chicks!"

"AJ shut up!"

Howie opened his eyes, so much for sleep with a crotch injured Kevin and three chicken pox patients.

"Kevin, Brian's right, we need to eat and stop for a little while, maybe halfway? There's this huge shopping mall, you said you had to do some last minute Christmas shopping didn't you?" He inquired. Kevin sighed heavily. "Fine, but that's it, one stop for food and shopping!" Nick grinned.

"Can we see Santa Kev? Please?" Kevin thought about it. Maybe the three younger ones could have their picture done with Santa. It would look great in a photo album ten years from now. Memories of their first vacation together with three spotted Backstreet Boys on Santa's lap. Kevin actually laughed at the image. He gave in. After all the kid's ankle was hurt and he was sick.

"Sure Nicky, but you three have to take a nap till we get there, You're still sick and I don't want you out in a public mall till you've rested." Nick nodded happily and curled up with his head on Brian's lap. He drifted off, dreaming of Christmas morning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Guys, get up we're here!" Kevin shouted in his Grinchy tone. His painful injury was now proving to be quite a burden; and he had lost the small amount of Christmas spirit he might have gained.

Nick opened his tired eyes hidden by his messy bangs. "We're in Florida?"

Kevin gritted his teeth. "Not yet!"

"Then, where are we?"

"I dunno, some place in Georgia. If you don't stop asking questions I'll keep on driving and you won't get to eat, shop or the see the fat man in the red suit!"

Nick's jaw dropped. "Brian!" he gasped.

Brian yawned picking at his itchy skin. "What, Nick?"

"Kevin, called Santa the fat man in the red suit!"

AJ's eyes searched the parking lot. "Lou's in here in a red suit?"

Howie smacked the rebel on the forehead. "Don't say things like that!"

"I thought it was funny," AJ snorted.

"I'm too tired to shop," Brian whined.

Kevin unbuckled his seatbelt stepping out of the car. "Fine! Then, you can sit in the restaurant and rest! Just get out of vechile before I lose my mind."

AJ rolled his eyes. "That was a contradictory statement, Kev."

Nick wrinkled his nose. "What's contradictory mean?"

"It means Kevin's stupid."

"Oh."

"Humph!" Kevin huffed storming toward the mall entrance ignoring the throbbing in his body.

"I need help," Nick whispered embarrassed hobbling about the parking.

Howie gave a sympathetic smile to the young teen. "You want a piggy back ride, buddy?"

"Yeah!" Nick cheered hopping onto Howie's back.

"Hoof!" Howie coughed. "Take it easy, Nick, I'm not as strong as Kevin."

"Or as big an ass," AJ clarified.

Nick clutched his arms around Howie's neck. "Can we get our picture taken with Santa?"

AJ laughed hysterically. "You don't honestly believe in Santa, do you?"

"No," Nick sighed. "I just wanna' annoy Kevin."

Brian grinned. "You do a good job even without Santa's help, kid."

"Thanks," the small blonde beamed.

"Someone get the door please," Howie requested.

"It's crowded," Nick bellowed.

"It's called the "Christmas Rush" for a reason, dumbass," AJ said taking a seat at Kevin's table in the open court area.

Kevin groaned as the group appeared. "I'm gonna' go finish shopping you guys go do- whatever the hell it is you want to do."

"Anything we want to do?" AJ exclaimed.

Kevin bit his lip. "Anything that's legal."

"Damn." AJ crossed his arms. "Go finish shopping my ass, he's gonna' go ice his balls again."

Howie grimaced. "Shut up, AJ."

"Look, there's Santa!" Nick beamed. "Let's go say 'hi'."

Brian sighed. "Nick, you can barely walk, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"Okay," the band member reculantly agreed making their way toward the cheesy North Pole scenery. 'Santa's Home' was spray painted above the cheap set up, the paint already wearing away.

AJ snickered. "It's like 'Christmas in the Ghetto' if you ask me."

"No one did," Howie replied.

Nick leaned heavily against Brian. "Can we take cuts?"

"No, Nick, let the kids go first."

Nick stared at the greedy brats, lifting their noses into they air. The little girl infront of him turned around swinging her blonde braids from side to side. "Aren't you a little too old to believe in Santa?" she sneered.

Nick stuck his tongue out. "Aren't you a little too rude to get a present from Santa?"

She glared at him. "What's the matter with your face? You look ugly."

"Well, you are ugly!" Nick shot back.

"NICK!" Brian hissed in embarrassed.

"That a boy, Nicky!" AJ praised.

Nick stuck his hand out gently pushing the girl laughing as the motion caused a domino effect with the brats, one tumbled down after the each other. Nick hopped on Howie's back. "Come on, Howie! Hurry up before they can catch up!"

"Hey, Santa!" Nick shouted as Howie dumped him into the mystical man's lap.

"Hey, there little-" he paused taking in Nick's height. "Big boy."

"Whaz up?" AJ greeted. "Yo, Santa, how are your hoes?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ya' know? You're always goin' around sayin' ho,ho,ho."

Howie held his head in his hands. "Ignore them, sir."

Santa groaned in annoyance. "What can I do for you?"

"Just take our picture!" Nick answered.

"Elf, take a picture!" the man in the red suit demanded.

"Oh, you poor boys..." the young woman whistled. "What happened to your faces?"

"Chicken pox," they answered in unison.

"Aw, you want some makeup to hide it?"

"No," AJ groaned. "We don't wear makeup."

"But AJ likes hair dye," Brian chimed in.

"Shut up, Brian!"

Nick studied the employee. "Are you a gremlin?"

"I'm an elf."

"You don't look like an elf."

"I'm an elf!" she snapped. "Cute button nose, rosy cheeks- I'm an elf!"

"Whatever, Ms.Gremlin."

"Humph!" she growled snapping the picture. "Here!" she yelled throwing the picture at them.

Howie caught the photo. "Um, don't we have to pay for this?"

"It's free as long as you leave!"

"But-" Nick started.

Howie pulled him along. "Let's go, Nick!"

"STUPID GREMLIN!" Nick shouted.

"Gentlemen..." a strong voice warned.

The quartet paused as a sercuity guard stood before. AJ fidgeted. "Um, hi?"

The burly man crossed his vast arms. "Problem?"

Howie smiled sheepishly. "No, no, problem."

"None at all!" Nick added.

The man removed his glasses. "Your the kids that caused the domino effect my little girl was in that line!"

Nick hid behind AJ. "Oops?"

The annoying child with blonde braids appeared beside the angry man. "That's him, Daddy! That's the ugly face!"

"OUT! OUT OF THE MALL!" the guard demanded.

"Yes, sir!" they agreed rushing away.

"KEVIN!" Brian shouted into the food court as he helped Nick wobble about.

"What?" his cousin asked as he finished paying for the food.

"WE GOTTA' GO!"

"OUT! OUT! OUT!" the guard hollered hurrying them away.

"Aw, shit," Kevin groaned.

***********************

"You had to piss off the guard!"

"Sorry?" Nick squeaked.

"Typical! I want nothing but silence until we reach Florida! From all four of you! Got it?"

"Got it," they whispered.

"GOOD!" Kevin shouted pulling away in a flash of fury.

"What do we do until we get to Florida it's another three hours?" Brian groaned.

"Sleep!"

Noticing the angry glaze in Kevin's eyes, the rowdy singers immediately shut their eyes.

"ACHOO!"

Howie opened his eyes. "You okay, Kev?"

"I'm fine! ACHOO! ACHOO!"

"You sure?"

"Positive," he coughed his chest heaving up and down.

Howie leaned over feeling his forehead. "You got a fever man."

"What?"

"You must have caught a cold last night getting, Nick. Get in back, I'll drive," Howie stated.

Kevin groaned. "Damn whos..."

**********************

"WE'RE IN FLORIDA!!!!" Nick sang as they crossed the state line. "We can talk now! Kevin said silence until we got here! That means now!"

"Oooh," Kevin moaned his head throbbing with pressuring, eyes watering, fever rising and nose clogged.

"Hi, Kevin," AJ greeted. "You look awful."

"Ditto."

AJ wrinkled his nose staring at the older man. "If I look that bad I'm buying a mask."

Kevin tilted his head. He was trapped in the backseat between Nick and AJ. Could things get any worse?

"Kevin, say hi to Patches! She missed you!" Nick exclaimed sticking the bunny in the sick man's face.

"You brought the rodent?"

"Yep, she rode in my bag!"

"I hate my life..."

Nick wrinkled his nose. "I gotta'....I gotta'...."

"Oh, please, not puke!" Kevin pleaded.

"Achoo!"

"ACK!" Kevin shrieked as Nick sneezed on his arm, the bunny falling into his lap. Suddenly, the man was greeted with a warm feeling...A wet, warm feeling. "NOOOO!" he moaned as the bunny relieved itself. "Could my Christmas get any worse?"

Howie pulled into Kevin's driveway. "Here ya' go, Kev."

"Home!" Kevin cheered. "Relief! Nothing else can go wrong!"

AJ stared at Kevin as he climbed over Nick to get out. "Yo, Kev?"

"WHAT?"

"There are chicken pox all over your face!"

Kevin fell to his knees sobbing. "I HATE CHRISTMAS!" he yelled as they car pulled away the Grinch's theme blaring in the mist. He sobbed. "I just wanted a plane ticket to Colorado!!!"

THE END

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Readers:

     Hey! It's Kat and Amy. We just want to thank you for taking the time to read our story "Christmas Pox" and any of the others that you may have stumbled upon here on Izzy's wonderful site. Your feedback really means a lot to us and it's honestly what keeps us writing and keeps us updating. We have decided to start a new fanfic, it's entitled '"In a Heartbeat" and it's an AU (Alternate Universe) fic, which means all of BSB are in it, but the actual singing group doesn't exist. It has kind of an "ER" theme and portrays BSB as doctors, hospital workers, and paramedics. We have also decided to bring back two characters form our story "Can you keep a Secret," Dr. Turtle and Nurse Katie, and though they are indeed female, there is NO ROMANCE involved. Just stressing that :o) Please e-mail us telling whether or not we should post this story because we did not receive much feedback on "Christmas Pox" and we want to know what you guys like and what you don't like! :o) Have a wonderful Holiday and a safe and Happy New Year!

Love,

Kat and Amy