Lauren grabbed the last thing she needed from the closet, just as she heard the door to the dance studio open. There stood Howie, right on time.

"Hey Howie," she said, as she approached him for a hug, "How’s it going?"

He shrugged and smiled. "Well, I could be better," he answered, "but I’m managing."

Lauren smiled sympathetically. "Well, you’re the first one here...." she trailed off, as the door opened and Brian walked in. At the sound of the door opening, Howie automatically turned, but turned back around when he saw Brian. Lauren flinched. ‘This may not be as easy as I thought,’ she thought.

She looked around at the set up she had arranged. There were five chairs, and she had wheeled in a rented television/VCR. She just hoped this was going to work.

Pretty soon, Howie, Brian, Nick, Kevin and AJ were gathered in the room. Lauren had noted the thick silence that engulfed the room.....no one had said a word to each other.

"Okay, well let’s get this started," she said to the silence that surrounded her. Not a word. "First of all," she started, "I just want to say ‘I’m sorry.’"

She looked up at the five boys, then continued. "I’ve been thinking about what to say to you all, now that I’ve finally got you all in the room together, and the best thing I could think of is ‘I’m sorry.’ Howie, I’m sorry that this had to happen.....I always knew you to be the caring, ‘middle man’ kinda guy, but you don’t deserve to be put in the middle like this...I’m sorry. Brian, I’m sorry that ever since I got here, things have just gone downhill....you were there for me, and I tried to be there for you, but I failed.....I’m sorry. Kevin, I always looked up to you, and wanted one day to be as successful and understanding as you are.....you’re an all around great person, and I’m sorry I let you down.....I’m sorry. Nick.....Oh God, I don’t even know where to begin...Nick, although I’ve only known you for a little while, it’s felt like forever. From the moment I met you, I thought you were wonderful, but I was too held back to let you know that....God, when you were in the hospital, I prayed every night that everything would be okay, and it was...you didn’t let me down. But, I’m just so sorry for all that I’ve put you through...I didn’t mean to make you miserable, and I hated to see you upset....I love you so much, and I’m sorry."

She drew in a deep breath, as she saw the tears welling up in Nick’s eyes, as he looked at the ground. She continued: "AJ....although I’ve let you all down, I truly believe in my heart that I’ve let you down the most....God, I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen.....I honestly didn’t...if I could have seen into the future and foreseen this whole thing, I would have stayed in Toronto....you don’t deserve to be as upset and hurt as you are now...you’re a great person, and I saw your true colors before I bombarded you with information that you would have rather not known....and I knew you had feelings for me, and I knew you cared about me, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you..." her voice choked, but quickly regained herself, "all I wanted was a brother, and a friend. And I left with neither. I’m sorry that I hurt you, I’m sorry that I ruined your life, and I’m sorry I separated you from the four people in your life that meant anything to you."

She drew in another breath, as she waited for a reaction. There was still silence. Howie was looking at his hands, Brian was fidgeting with his shirt, Kevin was looking straight at Lauren, Nick was looking down to hide his tears, and AJ was staring out one of the windows.

"Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, is there anything that anyone wants to say?" she asked the group, hoping for some sort of reassurance, but still, no one spoke. "I just poured my heart and soul to you guys....does ANYONE have ANYTHING to say?" she asked, somewhat exasperated. Silence.

‘Fine,’ she thought, ‘round two.’

She went into the closet and pulled out a videotape she had gotten from Denise McLean. After she had made arrangements with the boys the night before, she had called her in desperate need and asked for help. After going over to her house and spending a couple of hours there, Denise gave her the perfect thing to use: a homemade video of their first year as a group.

She had gone back to the hotel and watched it that night, and she had had herself a good laugh...she just hoped it worked.

She noticed the quizzical looks of the five boys as she popped the video into the VCR. She adjusted the volume, just as the video started.

"Hi everyone, I’m Nick Carter.....or as everyone likes to call me, Chaos." Nick’s young face appeared on the screen, accompanied by background noise. He couldn’t have been more than 13 years old. "I don’t know why they call me Chaos though....they all pick on me ‘cuz I’m so young!" he announced in his prepubescent voice. Just then, Brian bounced into the screen, shoving Nick aside and taking full force. "Get outta here Nicky!" he cried, still trying to get Nick completely out of the picture, "quit hogging the camera! By the way, I’m Brian!" He stood up straight and grinned widely for the camera.

Lauren took her eyes of the video for a moment, to get the general reactions of the boys. All five of them had their mouths dropped open in complete shock. She smiled to herself, and continued to watch.

The video went through introductions of all the boys, and basically followed them around as they began their career. It showed them with Lou and their vocal coaches.....the whole thing being narrated by AJ’s mom.

The film cut away to another day, when the five boys sat in a white room with black couches and chairs. Nick was still around 13, and Kevin couldn’t have been older than 20 or 21. "So, what do you guys think?" Denise asked them, as she panned from face to face, "would you guys ever wanna see this video when it’s done?"

"I think we should wait til we’re big stars," AJ answered, "then we can watch it and look at us when we were nothing!"

"Yeah," agreed Howie, laughing, "we’re gonna be huge!"

Denise giggled in the background, then said, "What do you think the future will bring? Do you think you guys will ever stop being friends?"

"Never," answered Kevin. "Yeah," chimed in Nick, "we’ll always be the Backstreet Boys....we’ll always be together." And the four others nodded in agreement.

"Never," answered Kevin. "Yeah," chimed in Nick, "we’ll always be the Backstreet Boys....we’ll always be together." And the four others nodded in agreement.***

Lauren switched off the video. She looked at Nick, who had traces of two lonely tears which had crept their way down his face. She looked at the other boys, who basically said the same thing with their expressions.

"Where did you get that video?"

AJ’s voice was rampant in the silent room. Lauren looked up at him surprisedly, not expecting to hear his voice. "I don’t think that’s the important thing, AJ," she answered, noticing the tears in his eyes, "what’s important is that five years ago, you five made a pact.....and that pact was that you would always be together.....the Backstreet Boys will always be around whether you like it or not....it’s just whether you choose to ignore it."

"Damn it, Lauren!" AJ exclaimed, standing up, his chair falling to the floor, "that’s not true...."

Nick stifled a sob from his spot on his chair, as Lauren’s face turned really, really dark. "Ya know what?" she said angrily, "I don’t care anymore.....I came back here from Toronto to fix things, not to deal with your stuck up attitude! I went to your mother, AJ, to get this tape....she wants you to be happy...just like I do! Can’t you see that?!"

AJ cracked his knuckles and closed his eyes. Lauren sank back down into her own chair as tears welled up in her eyes for the second time that day. "I just don’t know," she sobbed, "I tried...."

Just then, Nick stood up. Lauren looked at him....this boy standing in front of her crying his eyes out...and she just felt terrible. Terrible that she had ruined his life. She didn’t know if she could take anymore. She stood up and walked over to him. "Nicky," she whispered, "I’m sorry." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, and began to walk out of the room.

"Bitch," she heard someone say under their breath. The voice was unmistakably AJ’s. She stopped dead in her tracks. She tried not to get angry, but she couldn’t help herself. "That’s IT!" she screamed, spinning around and marching straight over to AJ. She walked right up to him, close enough that she could smell his cologne. "I hate you, Alexander!" she cried, as her hand made direct contact with the side of his face.

He stood there for a moment, stunned. She, herself, was stunned as well. She had never slapped anyone in her life. All of a sudden, Brian began to giggle. Lauren turned and looked at him, just as stunned as she was when she hit AJ. He tried to stop, but he kept laughing uncontrollably. "Man, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?" AJ retorted sourly.

Lauren noted that that was probably the first word any of them had said to each other in weeks.

"Nothing," he said, between giggles. The other three also looked at him like he was crazy. "Dude," exclaimed AJ, "why the fuck are you laughing at me?!"

"Because," he said, trying hard to compose himself, "you two are fighting like you’re sister and brother!"

Another silence filled the air. Lauren didn’t even know what to say. She was all out of words....everything had already been said. However, that’s when it hit AJ hard. His lower lip began to tremble and the tears overflowed from his brown eyes. "Oh God," he cried, as he kept saying that over and over. Lauren didn’t even know what to do. She had never seen him cry like this, and she was confused. She looked to Kevin for help, but he shrugged, just as confused as she was.

"Lauren," he finally sobbed, "I’m sorry."

The tears continued tp fall from AJ’s eyes, and Lauren’s began to mist up again. "AJ," she said with a wobbly voice, "I know what I did was wrong, and I didn’t expect you to be able to handle all this news easily....I can’t justify what I did, but all I want is your acceptance.....I love you, AJ, and I want you to be my brother."

AJ sniffed loudly and wiped his eyes messily. "I just came to such a realization a second ago....I realized that you ARE going to be my sister, no matter what....I’m just so sorry for everything that I put you through....I KNOW I was being an asshole, but I couldn’t help it...for some reason it felt satisfying inside when I hurt you."

Lauren nodded, stepping closer to him. "I understand that," she said, "I totally do.....but if it’s alright, I’d want to start over....remember that day when we met in this very room? I wanted to say everything that very minute...but I chickened out...so here it is....AJ, I’m your sister."

AJ nodded and smiled through his tears. "And I’m glad," he answered, giving her a huge hug.

Lauren sighed happily in his arms. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders....and she was glad to be rid of it. But there was still something that needed to be resolved.

She stepped back from the hug and looked at the four other boys, now standing in the middle of the room. They all looked happy, yet Lauren could feel a sense of lostness among them.

"I’m really sorry for everything that’s happened," she started, feeling as though this was the twentieth time she had apologized today, "do you think there’s some way we can all get past this?"

"What do you mean?" asked Howie.

"Do you think maybe you guys would wanna become a group again?"

Lauren paused, as she watched the reactions of the five boys. They all seemed to be avoiding each other’s glances. "The only reason you guys broke up was because of me, right?" she asked.

"Pretty much...I guess," answered Brian, "but we all got into such arguments..." he trailed off, looking at Nick. Nick, who had stopped crying, looked back at Brian with sadness in his eyes. Lauren had realized that Nick had lost his very best friend during this whole process....but things may not ever be the same.

"Why don’t we take this time to try to work them through," Lauren suggested. The boys shrugged, which Lauren took to be a good sign. That was the most enthusiasm they had shown in days.

"Nick," AJ started, "I really feel bad about everything that’s happened." Lauren raised an eyebrow at AJ’s new found ability to express himself and solve problems. "And," he continued, "I know you like Lauren, and I wish I could have been there to help you, but I was too caught up in my stubborn attitude. I just felt like......why should you be able to like her, when I can’t, ya know? I was really jealous.....she’s such a great girl."

Lauren looked down at the floor and blushed. She couldn’t believe they were talking about her like this, right in front of her face. "I shouldn’t have been such a baby.....I should have handled it better than I did, and I shouldn’t have blamed it on you.....I’m sorry," Nick replied, walking over to AJ and giving him a well deserved hug.

Lauren blinked back the sentimental tears that were beginning to form. Things were finally falling in to place.

"Guys....Brian, Kev, Howie...I’m sorry I let y’all down...there’s nothing more I want then for us to be a group again," AJ finished. Howie beamed, and Kevin and Brian nodded happily. "So, does that mean you are Backstreet Boys again?" Lauren asked, as a huge smile crept across her face. All five boys shrugged and grinned. "Yay!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together.

Hugs were distributed, but Lauren still felt like something was unresolved. Nick. "Nick, can I talk to you for a second?" she said, as he turned around from his hug with Brian. "Sure," he said softly, as he followed Lauren to the far corner of the dance studio.

"Lauren," he started, before she could say anything, "it’s great that you and AJ are on good terms again, and I’m so happy that we’re a group again, but I know it may be weird with us....."

"Nicky, shut up!" she interrupted, with a smirk on her face, as she leaned over and kissed him. He was surprised at first, but began to kiss back.

"Wooo!" The boys cheered from their corner of the room, as they all watched Lauren and Nick as they kissed. When the kiss broke, she looked down shyly, and Nick grinned sheepishly. "It’s about time!" Howie laughed.

AJ walked over to them and patted Nick on the back. "She’s a good girl, Nicky boy....make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble," he said, smiling. Lauren smiled back, and shoved him lightly so he stepped back. "I think it’s YOU we better watch out for!" she replied.

Nick laughed and took Lauren’s hand. "So, what are you going to do now?" asked Brian, as he walked over and joined the group, followed by Howie and Kevin. "What do you mean?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I mean, are you going to go back to Toronto, or what?" he asked again.

Lauren stopped. She hadn’t even given that a single thought. She glanced at Nick, who bit his lip and looked down at the ground. Then, she glanced at AJ, who gave her a hopeful look. "It’d be great if you came down here to live permanently...?" AJ suggested, smiling slyly.

Lauren giggled, but didn’t know what to say. "Well...I....uh..." she stumbled, looking for the right words to express how she felt. "Lauren," Nick interrupted, "I know this is kinda a new thing for you, but I want you to know that whatever you wanna do is okay....you shouldn’t have to relocate your whole life after this!"

Lauren looked at Nick, looking for hidden meaning in his gorgeous blue eyes. Suddenly she flashed back to when he was in the hospital, recovering from his illness.

She realized at that moment just how much he meant to her. From the moment she had met him, she had been in love with him, and it was all becoming clear now. Not only that, but her brother, who now loved her like the sister she was supposed to be, had accepted her into his life. She couldn’t leave, even if she tried.

"I think," she started, as all five boys’ eyes were on her, "that maybe I should pack up my stuff at the hotel."

Nick, once again, looked at the ground sadly and AJ blinked twice. "What!?" he said, stunned.

Lauren looked at the five boys again and smiled. "I’m gonna have to start house hunting as soon as possible."

"Are we there yet?" Nick asked, from his seat in Lauren's new car, "come onnnnn.....are we?!"

Lauren laughed as she turned down another road. "Brian, will you shut him up for me?!" she exclaimed. Brian giggled from the backseat, where he sat with Howie. "I don't know," he replied skeptically, "you may have more control over him!"

Nick bounced happily in his seat. Lauren smiled. Things had finally fallen perfectly into place. Since the day at the dance studio when the boys had gotten back together, she had spoken to her mom, who supported her decision 100% to move down south with the boys. Her mom had the remaining items in her house shipped down to her, and volunteered to sell her house and car so she wouldn't have to make the trip again. After searching all around, Lauren had finally found the house she was looking for, and she was on her way to give the boys a grand tour.

She had almost completely moved in, but there were still boxes and scattered items all around. Lauren pulled her car into the driveway, as AJ and Kevin, who were in Kevin's car, pulled in behind them.

"This house is gorgeous!" exclaimed Brian, as all of them stepped out of the car in awe, "and it's so close to our houses!"

Lauren beamed, as she led them all inside. "Sorry for the mess," she apologized, as they stepped gingerly over the boxes, "but I'm almost done unpacking."

"Yeah, it looks that way!" AJ retorted sarcastically, smiling and entering the living room, where there literally was no room to walk!

"Ha ha ha," she responded, elbowing him in the ribs, showing the boys the rest of the house. "So, whatdya think?!" she asked, as they made their way down the stairs to where they started the tour. "It's great," replied Kevin, "and there's tons of room, in case someone were to, oh...I don't know, spend the night, maybe?" he finished, glancing in Nick's direction and smirking. Nick blushed and intertwined his fingers through Lauren's. The fact was, for the past two weeks she had been trying to establish her life in Orlando, Nick had been right there by her side. He was so sensitive and caring, and she felt she was so lucky to have him. She also felt incredibly lucky to have AJ as well.

The fact was, Lauren hadn't gone to see her father since the first time, and figured it might be good to go and see him. But she wanted something else. She wanted AJ to come with her. "AJ?" she asked, Nick still by her side as the others poked around the new house, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he answered, "what's up?"

"Well, I was thinking of going to.....well....visit Robert....." she started, but was interrupted by AJ who said, "you mean my......um, our dad?"

"Yeah," she continued, "and, well, I wanted you to come with me."

AJ seemed to ponder it for a couple seconds, as Nick tried to make himself disappear from the situation. "I'd love to," was AJ's final answer.

"I haven't seen him in ages," AJ mused, as the two walked up to the familiar doorstep, "he'll probably think I want something from him!"

Lauren giggled nervously. "I'm still kinda nervous," she admitted, "it's kinda weird, ya know?" AJ nodded. "It's weird for me too," he replied.

DING DONG! Lauren rang the bell and they both heard it ring throughout the house. Within two seconds, the door swung open, and there stood Robert.

"Hi Dad," AJ said, smiling shyly, as Lauren just stood there, speechless. Robert's mouth went slightly ajar, but then he quickly regained himself as he realized the situation. "Hi son.....will you come in?"

Lauren followed AJ into the house where she had first found out about her half brother. When they reached the living room, Robert stepped back and admired them both. "Oh my God...." he said quietly, "I never thought I'd ever see you two in the same room....I thought I'd never see my two children together."

Chills ran down Lauren's spine, as she looked at Robert. "I finally told AJ about the situation..." she started, as AJ cut in, "yeah....it was quite a shock! I never expected to hear it....especially from Lauren....I thought I'd at least hear it from you."

Robert looked down guiltily. "I wanted to tell you, Alex, really I did, but I never could find the right time or way.....and we see so little of each other as it is.....I thought it would only make it worse. I WAS going to tell you, though."

"I know, Dad, I know....it's all right, we've been through this a million times already....I've gotten over it...I...I just wish that we could...I don't know... spend more time together, now that Lauren's moved down here for good."

Robert nodded. "I'd like that," he answered, smiling at the two of them. "I'd like it too," Lauren added. "I just can't believe I'm standing here with you two....God, after all these years, you've finally reunited! I never thought in a million years that we would all be together again......God, look at you two! You both look so much alike!"

Lauren glanced over at AJ. Her brother. She wondered how he could have ever not known they were related. Despite the different mothers, their eye color and face shape were almost identical. If it weren't for the crazy hair colors and the tattoos, they could pass for twins, for sure.

"We do look alike, don't we?" commented AJ, smiling and wrapping his arm around her shoulder affectionately. Lauren smiled. Never in a million years would she ever think that she would be standing with her father and brother, for the first time, reunited.

"Nick, you are such a cutie patootie!" Rosie O’ Donnell cried to the five boys, as they sat on the set of her show, beaming proudly, "how old are you? Like 18?!"

"Yes Rosie, that’s correct," Nick answered, flashing the camera a big smile.

The crowd cheered and the girls screamed. "What a fucking ham, huh?!" Brian said, from his spot on the couch in AJ’s living room. The five guys, plus Lauren, were gathered in his house to watch their first appearance on the Rosie O’ Donnell show, which had been previously recorded. It had been quite exciting.

The five giggled, and Nick just ignored them all. "Oh, shut up!" he answered, his eyes fixated on the TV. "So, you’re 18 years old, and you’re married?!" Rosie continued to ponder, "I saw this on the news last night! I thought, there was no way that you were married! You’re a baby!"

Nick linked his fingers with Lauren’s and kissed the top of her hand. Lauren smiled. "She couldn’t believe it," he said, "even after the show, she kept asking me questions!"

She giggled and snuck a quick kiss from him. The two had gotten married after only two months of Lauren living in Orlando, and it had been a snap decision to go ahead with the marriage. It was a small wedding: only close friends and relatives were invited, but it had felt right from the get go.

"And now," Rosie continued, "today I hear from certain sources that you’re having a baby! Is this true, Nick Carter? Does your mother know about this?!"

Nick laughed and looked at the other guys nervously. "Yes, Rosie, it’s true....this is the first official confirmation of the rumor....me and my lovely wife, Lauren, are expecting a baby sometime at the end of June," Nick said, facing the audience, as gasps and cheers came from within.

"Oh my God!" Rosie exclaimed, "can you believe this?!"

Nick blinked a couple times at the TV and looked at Lauren again. Little tears had formed in the corners of her eyes as she smiled happily. "I can’t believe you actually admitted that on national television," she said, cuddling closer to him, "that was so sweet!"

Nick kissed her and patted her stomach, which was only beginning to show. "I love you so much," he answered.

"AWWW!" said the other four boys in unison, making their forgotten presence quite clear. "Man, Nick, you are turning into such a woman!" exclaimed Kevin, laughing.

"Fuck you, man!" he retorted, tossing a pillow in his direction.

"Man, I still can’t believe this," mused AJ, getting up from his seat in a chair and sitting beside Lauren on her other side, "I can’t believe you two are actually gonna have a baby!"

Nick and Lauren had only announced the news to the boys a couple days before the show had been recorded, and it had been quite a shock for everyone. "You know what that means, right?" asked Nick, smiling slyly.

"What?" asked AJ.

"That means you’re gonna be an uncle."

AJ sunk back into the cushions. "Hey, ya know, you’re right....I never even thought of that!" he said, a smile spreading across his face, "I’m gonna be an uncle!"

Lauren smiled and kissed AJ on the top of his head. "You’re gonna be the best damn uncle this baby will ever see," she said, ruffling his hair.

"Ha," burst Howie, "just look at him! He’ll probably teach the kid how to get tatoos when he’s five!"

"Shut the fuck up, man!" AJ answered, shooting Howie a dirty look, and Lauren laughed. But it was at that very moment that she realized just how good her life had turned out. She had a husband that cared so much for her, a child on the way, three great friends who she could always count on, and a brother who would always be there for her. ‘How lucky am I?’ she thought, ‘that I found my brother? Without him, I would have nothing.’

And as she looked around the room at the people around her, she knew it was true.

"...I wish I may, I wish I might, be that certain someone you wish for every night, if you knew what I knew you wouldn't say what you said, if you knew what I knew we be together instead of you breaking my heart over things that aren't true, my lady, if you knew what I knew....."