AN: I am so loving this story right now. I want to finish it. I really do. I can see it in my head so, yay! :) But not yet. We have a few chapters left... LOL Speaking of chapters, this chapter, I've had this scene planned out since I *started* this story which is amazing because I *never* plan stories out. I'm thrilled I finally GOT to it. And, uhh, feedback, I dig it. Love it. Crave it and all that jazz so, drop me a line... inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com ********************* Nightmare of a Lifetime: Chapter Twenty Five ********************** "You take your hands off my woman or I swear I'll knock your sissy ass into next week!" "Yeah, well, you and what army?" Perry and Bill got there about the time the biker responded to Joey's threat by calling over half a dozen of his equally large and inebriated friends to his side. Stupid Joey. Joey and the man were standing face to face on the dance floor, about a foot apart. The rest of *NSYNC, and Dan, stood solidly behind their band mate while the biker's burly comrades ringed him as they cracked their knuckles and looked suitably intimidating. The woman in contestation was standing off to the side, studying her chipped press on nails. She was pretty enough, though probably in her late thirties to early forties, with bottle blonde hair that was already showing dark roots. Leave it to Joey to start a fight over, well, someone definitely not worth fighting over. "You're about to get pounded sissy boy. You and all your sissy friends too. What are you guys, the Mousketeers?" Oh geeze... Nicole rolled her eyes as she slipped through the appreciative audience crowded around the potential fighters and stepped in between Joey and the biker as Bill trailed with his ever present camera. "Try boy band," she interjected mildly enough. The biker and his buddies roared with laughter. "Are you telling me these are some of them Backstreet guys?" "Perry, please leave before you get hurt," JC called calmly from the sissy boy ranks. She sighed deeply and gave Bill a pleading look. He shrugged but a small smile tugged on his lips. "JC, mind your own business." Nicole swung her attention around so that it was settled directly on the biker. The man before her was in his late forties, with shaggy graying hair and a beard flowing down to his beer belly. He was massive, in every direction, and nearly had as many tattoos as she did. She looked fragile up against him, and the dim lighting of the club made her seem younger than her twenty-one years. "They're from *NSYNC actually and I'd like to ask you to move your sissy ass, take your so called woman, and go. Things might get ugly otherwise." She flashed him an unconcerned grin and wink. He spluttered. "You better step aside little girl. I don't hold much with hitting ladies but me and these Backstreet Bitches have some business to finish up." Bill backed away a small step as Nicole's sable eyes grew dark and cold. The grin melted into a chilling smile and she crossed her arms over her breast, showing off intricate tattoos. She took a single step forward, until her the top of her spiked hair nearly brushed the biker's collarbone. "Good thing there's not any ladies here." And with that she kicked him solidly in the groin with a heavily booted foot. Everyone with testosterone in the room winced in sympathy. The man gasped, squeaked, and dropped like a log. Nicole nudged him with her toe and the biker groaned and rolled over so that he could look up at her with a tear-streaked face. "They're not Backstreet Bitches, they're *NSYNC and if anyone's a bitch, its me, got it?" "Bitch..." he panted through his very real pain. Nicole's eyes twinkled suddenly and she reached down to pat him on the head. "Good doggy." And with pandemonium broke loose as the biker's stunned friends surged forward to go after the diminutive Nicole and *NSYNC surged forward to protect their host. Things got ugly after that. **************************************************************************************** Perry was whistling cheerfully when Malcom Larson stepped into the women's holding cell and stared at his favorite VJ with a mixture of exasperation and concern as she sat behind bars at the local jail. She had two black eyes, a split lip, her cast was broken- though thankfully her arm had been spared, and she had enough bruises to file several assault charges. "You look like hell." "And hello to you too, asshole." Malcom sighed and stepped closer. "Did you really have to get yourselves sent to jail?" "Well we've done everything else short of on camera short of an orgy and, well, between the two, this cell is a much better option. More hygienic because, eww, have you seen how slutty *NSYNC groupies are?" He ran a hand through rapidly thinning hair. "You're going to be the death of me Perry. What if those bikers press charges? I watched some of Bill's footage and you definitely threw the first punch." She squirmed. "He kept getting *NSYNC's name wrong," Nicole muttered darkly, "besides, don't I get like a one fight grace or some shit like that? Chris hit Frankie first in that fight." "Nicole..." Malcom enunciated clearly as she scowled at him, "l a w s u i t e s." Her dark brows wrinkled. "Oh blow it out your rear. They were bikers Malcom. Its bad enough they got into a fight with pansies. If they pressed charges they'd never live it down. Trust me- you have so far." "And you've been doing a remarkable job despite some mishaps, I'll agree. You seem to have recovered nicely from your intense dislike of certain pop stars..." She thumped the bars and glared. "Subtle, Malcom, real subtle. If you tell me 'I told you so' I'm gonna have to kick your ass, you know that, right?" A faint smile played at the edge of his lips. Perry always was subtle as a blow torch. "I guessed that might be the case. Before we get you out of here, there's one matter I'd like to discuss with you, via the heads of MTV." "Goody. Any reason we can't have this so called conversation away from this hell hole in a more civilized manner?" The smile stretched to a full-blown Cheshire Cat grin. "Yes, I want you behind bars for my safety." Nicole groaned and made a rude gesture with her hands that he generously ignored. **************************************************************************************** "So, are we having fun yet?" The five men of *NSYNC, with bodyguard and hapless cameraman, looked up as Nicole Perry sauntered into their holding cell, Malcom Larson hot on her dainty heels. Everyone was rather worse for wear as, between the seven of them, there were eight black eyes, seven scratched arms, six busted lips, five bruised torsos, four bloodies brows, three sore knuckles, two twisted ankles, and a partridge in a pear tree. Justin cursed fervently as he drew his legs up underneath him so that he was touching as little of the jail's somewhat questionable surface as possible. "I am NEVER forgiving you for this you bitch," he snapped. "Don't you mean our bitch? Its kinda cool, we've never had a personal bitch on tour before." Lance slapped Chris. "Cool it with the bitch crap and you," he pointed at Justin, "calm down. Carter survived being arrested, you can too. It might put a bit of a dent in your album sales..." Justin moaned and buried his head in his hands. "My mother is going to kill me..." "Nonsense," Joey added brightly, "you can just sleep with an actress or supermodel and your shining record of, uhh, whatever you call it, will be as good as new. Then you can be Mommy's Wittle Boy again!" "Joey," Lance cautioned. JC, who was stretched out on the bench that Justin wasn't huddled upon, raised his head and cracked his blue eyes open. "Will you all please be quiet? SOME of us are trying to sleep." Nicole studied them and shrugged helplessly at a visibly worried Malcom. "So, show of hands, does anyone actually WANT to get bailed out of jail or are you all having more fun fighting in it?" Justin flipped her off. Chris and Joey threw themselves against the bars and gave her what could only be described as 'puppy' eyes as Lance pounded his head against the wall. JC's gentle snores filled the silence. Only Bill and Dan sheepishly raised their hands. She snorted. "You are all freaking nuts."