| Chapter 24 A.J. was standing in his bathroom getting ready to go out with Sarah. He had already showered and was in the middle of shaving. He sat his razor down for a moment to look at a spot on his face he had just cut. "Damn it," he muttered, reaching to pick up his razor again. He looked down, realizing it wasn't there. A.J. stepped back from the sink looking on the floor to see if it had fallen. Still no razor. "Where the hell did that thing go?" he said, turning and looking behind him on the floor. When he turned back around the razor was right where he had put it. He looked at it, then looked around the room, "OK guys, very funny. Now stop it." Sarah walked in, "Come on honey, I thought we were leaving like fifteen minutes ago." "Well, we were, but they won't stop doing stuff to me," A.J. laughed. Sarah smiled, "Well you deserve it ya know. Since they've been here you've done nothing but bug them. You deserve a little payback." A.J. frowned at her, "And just who's side are you on here?" Sarah smiled, "I'll never tell," she teased. A.J. rolled his eyes and turned back around, only to find that now the sink was gone. "Sarah! Tell them to stop!" he whined. *Jacob was laughing hysterically. "You know we could get in trouble for this," Nathaniel said, grinning. "I know, but he does deserve it," Jacob said. Nathaniel laughed nodding, "True, and he's so fun to tease to." "Yeah, just our luck we get the paranoid one of the group," Jacob laughed. "I wonder what the others are having to put up with?" Nathaniel mused. "I don't know, but you know it can't be as interesting and what we got," Jacob said. "Very true. Now give him the sink back so he can leave," Nathaniel said. "OK, OK," Jacob said, making the sink reappear.* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick and Tara had just finished a grueling workout, complete with sword training. They were both exhausted. The others had sat and watched them, none wanting to extend the effort to join them. "You two have quite the work ethic," Ephah noted. They both smiled, "We find it to be very self gratifying," Nick said. Jered laughed, "Yeah I bet." Nick glared at the man, but chose to ignore him. "Baby I'm gonna take a shower," Tara said, kissing Nick on the cheek as she headed for their room. Nick smiled, setting his sword on the table in the room and turning to follow her. "Nick, can I have a word with you for a moment?" Ephah asked. Nick sighed, "If you must." Ephah laughed, "I'm sure you'll see her in the shower another time. I need to talk with you." Nick grabbed a towel and some water following Ephah out of the great room and into another part of the house away from the others. They ended up in a small sitting room. Nick plopped down in a chair and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "So what's this about?" Ephah closed the door and came to sit in front of him, "I've noticed a few things that I need answers for." "Like what?" Nick asked, unsure of where this was going. Ephah stared at him for a long time before he spoke. This only served to make Nick very uncomfortable. "There's something different about you," Ephah said. "What do you mean?" Nick asked, trying to play stupid. "I'm not sure. But you seem changed since the last time you were here. I can't put my finger on it, it's just different, and Tara to," Ephah said. Nick shrugged, "We are. We went through a lot while we were gone. It was an experience I don't think either one of us will forget for a very long time." "I'm sure," Ephah said, "But I still sense something that wasn't there before." Nick stared at him intently, "Like?" Ephah sighed, "Like a peace I haven't seen before. A quiet confidence and a love that surpasses anything mortals could ever imagine." Nick smiled, blushing a little, "Well, she does tend to have that affect on me." Ephah laughed, "True, she is a remarkable woman, but I get the feeling that she's not the entire reason for what I see." "So what do you think is?" Nick asked. Ephah shrugged, "I don't know, you just remind me of......." Nick waited for him to finish but he didn't. He watched as a far away look came over Ephah's face, taking him somewhere far from the room he was sitting in with Nick. "Ephah?" Nick said, reaching up and gently shaking him by his shoulders. Ephah looked at him, "Huh?" "You said I reminded you of something. What was it?" Nick asked. Ephah shook his head, "It doesn't matter. Why don't you go get your shower. I'm sure Tara is waiting on you." Nick stared at him for a moment, trying to read what he was hiding. "Go on," Ephah said, "We'll continue this another time." Nick nodded, getting up and leaving the room. Ephah sat by himself for a long time. He knew exactly what it was Nick reminded him of. But he was afraid to admit it. Ephah ran his hand through his hair and looked up at the ceiling. "You remind me of me when I was on the other side," he mumbled under his breath. He continued to stare at the ceiling, wondering if anyone up there still cared. Finally he brought himself back to reality. "Nick, if you're doing what I think you are, everything will change," he said, getting up and leaving the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lyn watched as Brian hung up the phone. They were sitting in her office, and Brian had just made the last of the phone calls calling a group meeting by way of teleconference. The last few days had been very overwhelming for them both. They had read everything they possibly could about heart transplants and how the system worked once you got on the list. They had called Ted and Dr. Skinner with numerous questions, and Ted had agreed to be there the next day when Brian told everyone what was going on. Brian sighed, fingering the new beeper he'd gotten from the hospital that morning. Lyn put her hand on his arm, "I don't think it'll go off any faster if you play with it all the time." Brian smiled, "I know, it just makes me nervous wearing it." "Why does it make you nervous?" she asked. He shrugged, "I'm not sure really. Maybe it's just the idea that when it goes off, I know what's gonna happen, I dunno." Lyn smiled at him, "You wanna get out of the house for a while?" Brian looked at her curiously, "And do what?" "Oh I dunno. Go downtown for a bit, maybe catch a movie," she suggested. He smiled at her, "That sounds fun, yeah sure." "Great, get ready and I'll meet you downstairs," she said, jumping up and heading out of the room. Brian laughed at her enthusiasm. That was one of the things that he loved about her, she could find the fun in anything. The simplest things brought her the most joy, and he loved her for it. She didn't have to have the best this or that to be happy, and neither did he. All they really needed was each other, nothing else mattered. He sighed, wondering just how much longer he did have to enjoy with her. Brian bit his lip trying not to let the emotion he was feeling rise to the surface. "Come on Bri!" Lyn yelled from downstairs. He hastily wiped the tears from his cheeks and headed downstairs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "What took you so long?" Tara asked as Nick climbed in the shower with her. "Ephah stopped me," he said. Tara noticed the concerned look on his face, "What happened?" "I'm not sure. He senses something different about us. He was asking me questions, trying to figure out what it is," Nick said, as Tara began washing his back for him. "So do you think he knows something?" she asked. Nick shook his head, "I don't think so. But he's curious, so we need to be careful." Tara nodded as Nick turned to face her, taking the shower puff away from her and gently turning her around so he could return the favor. "Do you think we can use this?" Tara asked, looking back at him. "What his curiosity?" Nick asked. "Yeah, somehow use it to help bring him over," Tara said. Nick took a deep breath thinking, "Maybe, but we have to be really careful. Not give to much away and blow our cover before we're ready." "Yeah," she said, turning to face him again. Nick noticed the look in her eyes and he could feel the desire course through him each time she touched him. He smiled, "Practicing again?" Tara nodded, "Practice makes perfect, so they say." Nick laughed, pulling her closer to him, "Well then, practice away." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lyn and Brian were walking downtown, doing some window shopping. Brian looked across the street, "Hey isn't that the art gallery?" "Yeah," Lyn said, glancing up. "Does Nick still have some stuff in there?" Brian asked. "Nick always has stuff in there. Thomas refuses not to have at least a few of his works up at all times," she said. Brian smiled, "Cool. Do you think we could go in for a minute?" Lyn looked at him, "You really want to?" "Yeah, I've never seen Nick's stuff in a real art gallery before," he said, pulling her across the street with him. They both entered the gallery and began looking at all of the exhibits. Finally they came to a wall that was dedicated to Nick's work. Brian stared in awe. He knew Nick was talented but these were the best he'd ever seen, and most of them were sold. "I never knew he'd gotten this good," he said. Lyn smiled, "He does have a knack for it." "And it looks like people like it," Brian noted, pointing out the sold signs on most of the pieces. "Yeah, he has a waiting list of people that want to purchase his work," she said. Brian looked at her astounded, "Wow, that is really cool." "Oh there you are," came a voice from behind them. They both turned to see a tall man approaching them. Lyn smiled, "Hi Shane." "Hello Ms. Lyn, how are you?" Shane asked. "Good," she replied. "Now I must borrow Tom from you for a second," Shane proceeded. "Oh no Shane...." Lyn said, as Shane pulled Brian away from her and headed down the hall with him. "Tom we must do something about the party tonight, and what in the world are you wearing?" Shane asked, looking at Brian. Brian looked down, "Um jeans, why?" "You never wear jeans, and as far as I know you don't own any," Shane said, looking at him bewildered, "But, I must say, I like them on you. Very rugged looking," Shane said, playfully slapping Brian on the ass. "Shane, wait," Lyn said, catching up with them and taking Brian's hand in hers, "This isn't Thomas." "What do you mean this isn't Thomas, of course it's Thomas, look at him," Shane said. Lyn shook her head, trying not to laugh at the confused expression on Brian's face, "Shane this is Brian Littrell." Shane's face went white as he looked at Brian, "The Brian Littrell?" Brian nodded, "Yeah, nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand. Shane took it shaking Brian's hand vigorously, "Oh my God, I can't believe this. I'm so sorry for the little ass slap there, I thought you were my .... oh it doesn't matter. I can't tell you how much I love your music, and I just never thought I'd ever get the chance to meet you, and...." Lyn grabbed Shane's hand, pulling it from Brian's, "Shane, breathe." Brian couldn't help but laugh, the entire mix up was really funny. Shane fanned himself with his hand, trying to calm down, "I'm sorry, it's just that I've loved you for years, and meeting you is just....." "Thanks," Brian said, truly flattered. "Shane, where have you been?" a familiar voice said from behind them. The three turned to see Thomas coming down the hall. As he got closer he noticed Brian. Both of them just stared at one another. It was as if they were looking in a mirror. Even their voices sounded the same. "Oh my God," Brian whispered, feeling his knees go weak. "Bri, are you OK?" Lyn asked. "Um, I think I need to sit down," Brian said, still staring at Thomas. "So do I," Thomas said. Shane looked at Lyn, "Let's take them into Tom's office, shall we?" Lyn nodded, leading Brian into the room and sitting him down on the couch. Shane placed Thomas in the chair across from Brian and got them both a bottled water from the mini frig. Lyn and Shane stood there for a moment, watching the two. "You think we should do something?" Shane asked. "Like what?" Lyn asked. "I dunno, make them talk to each other," Shane suggested. Lyn smiled, sitting down next to Brian, "Bri, this is Thomas. He's the owner of the gallery." Shane sat on the corner of the chair, "And Tom, this is Brian Littrell, from the Backstreet Boys." "Um hi," Brian said. "Hello," Thomas said, nodding. "You have a really nice gallery here," Brian noted. "Thank you. I must say your music is some of the best I've heard," Thomas said. Brian smiled, "Thanks." Shane playfully slapped Thomas on the arm, "See, I've been telling you for years you looked just like him." Everyone laughed. "Sorry about that," Brian apologized. Thomas smiled, "No problem. I've gotten a lot of interesting offers from people thinking I was you." Brian blushed, "Again, sorry." "So Mr Littrell, what brings you to our little town?" Thomas asked. Brian looked up at Lyn, "I'm uh, well you see..." "Brian and I are seeing each other now, and he's staying with me," Lyn told them. Both men's eyes widened. "What happened with you and Nick?" Shane asked. "Well, it's a really long story that I won't bore you with, but I'll just say that Nick and I have gone our separate ways. He's very happy and so am I," Lyn said. "Well I'm glad things are working out for the both of you," Thomas said, "But...." "I'm sure that Nick will still send you pieces from time to time," Lyn said, smiling at him. Thomas blushed, "Sorry, but first and foremost I have a business to run." "Totally understood," Lyn said. "Lyn, we should probably go and let them get back to work," Brian said, standing up. "It was nice to finally meet you," Shane said, shaking Brian's hand. "You to," Brian said. Thomas extended his hand, "Come back anytime. You are always welcome here." "Thanks," Brian said, starting to leave the room. "Oh Lyn, do you still have that camera in the car?" he asked. "Yeah," she said. Brian turned to Thomas, "Would you mind if I got a picture of the two of us? My mom would absolutely freak if she saw it." Thomas laughed, "No not at all. In fact, Shane why don't you get ours and we can get one to." Lyn and Shane went to retrieve their cameras leaving the �twins' alone for a moment. Brian laughed, "I guess what they say is true." "What's that?" Thomas asked. "That everyone has a twin in the world," Brian said. "I guess so," Thomas mused. "To bad we aren't wearing the same thing. It'd be fun making them guess which one was who," Brian said. Thomas grinned, "I'm not sure you'd like how Shane would go about that." Brian laughed, "Well if the slap on the ass is any indication, probably not." Thomas laughed, "He didn't?" Brian nodded, "Yeah, he just assumed I was you. Said something bout me being all rugged looking in jeans then went in for the slap." Thomas was laughing hysterically, "I'm so sorry, sometimes the boy has no manners at all." Brian shrugged, "Coulda been worse I guess." Thomas nodded, "Oh yes, it certainly could have." Lyn and Shane returned, seeing the two laughing with one another. "OK, ready for your picture?" Shane asked. Both men nodded, posing next to one another. Shane and Lyn both took several photos. "Well, we should get going," Lyn said, sliding her camera into her purse. Brian shook Thomas's hand, "Nice to meet you again." "You to," Thomas said, "Goodbye Lyn." "Bye Thomas," Lyn said, taking Brian's hand in hers and walking out the door. Shane was grinning at Thomas, "I can't believe that Brian Littrell was just here, that is so awesome!" Thomas laughed, "Now what was that I heard about a little slapping going on? I thought I was the only one you did that to." Shane blushed, "Sorry, but did you see his ass in those jeans? To die for." Thomas laughed, "Yes I did. If you like them that much, I may have to see about getting a pair or two." Shane feigned a heart attack, "Oh my God, myricales do happen." Chapter 25 |