Closing Time

~~~~~Part 1~~~~


Lani piled the last box on her cart with a groan and patted the top of it with her hand. "Done, finally!" She smiled in satisfaction. "I'll just run this to the back and then lock up. Closing time at last!" Lani checked the aisles as she trudged to the storage room with the cart in tow. The store appeared to be deserted, something she was thankful for. Lani just wanted this long day to be over with, she had already sent her two sales clerks home since it was so quiet, and as far as she was concerned, the sooner she got home as well the better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Ohmigod! It's Nick Carter!"

Nick jumped as he heard his name piercing the relative silence of the small cafe. He pulled his cap lower on his head and scooped some change out of his pocket to pay for the coffee he had been quietly drinking, enjoying not being recognized, at least for awhile. Spying the screaming girls out of the corner of his eye, he tossed his change to the table and hoped no one would steal it on him. He took off in a full out run to avoid his fans. Not that he didn't like his fans, he loved them. But the mob scene more often than not, was not his scene, especially when he was by himself. No matter which way he turned, they kept pace with him, screaming the whole time. "Figures this would happen the one day I decide to walk uptown!" Nick cursed and glanced back. They were getting closer and there were more of them now. He rounded a corner and found himself in a dead end alley way. "Great!" he cursed again and tried to figure out how to make his way through the mob without being trampled.

"There he is!"

Suddenly the swarm of girls surrounded him, pushing and shoving, screaming and crying. Nick spied a door open just a crack and maneuvered his adoring fans towards it, hoping to duck in and shut them out. Nick took an offered pen and scribbled his signature, glancing over his shoulder as he did. Almost there. A few more steps..then he was in, slamming the door behind him and he leaned against it, catching his breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who the hell are you?"

Lani stared at the disheveled blonde man leaning against her storage room door. Her heart leapt in her throat as the man continued to just stare at her as he breathed heavily.

"The store is closed, please get out!" She tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice. She'd never been robbed before, or.... "Don't think about that." She chastised herself mentally. "Be strong. Just give him what he wants and let him go."

"No please! They're after me, just let me stay until they go away!"

Lani studied his face quizzically. "Who's they? Is someone after you? Are you in trouble?"

"Not really..." Nick shrugged. He heard the unmistakably sounds of squealing coming from the front of the store. "Shit, here they come. Please let me stay here!" His deep blue eyes begged her without him saying another word.

"Alright, but just until I get these people out of the store. We really are closed now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where is he?"

There were girls everywhere at the front of the store, Lani couldn't believe her eyes.

"Where is who? The store is closed and there's no one is here but all of you and me."

She stood with her hands on her hips, trying to look like she was in charge, something she wasn't quite sure of now with a strange man in the back room and a swarm of teenage girls in the front.

"Who's he?" One of the throng laughed. "Nick Carter! We saw him run in here from out back! Where is he You can't keep him for yourself!"

The girls started to push past her, ready to check out the whole store.

"One more step and I call the police, girls. I told you there is no one else in the store. I was just in the back room and no one came in. You must be mistaken."

"Ah, come on!" The girls started to push forward again.

Lani whipped out her cell phone and held it aloft.

"One more step and I call the cops. Are you all leaving or not?"

The girls muttered and swore, but they all turned around and headed out the doors, continuing their search elsewhere.

"Good idea girls, you just made a very wise decision."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, the big, bad girls are gone, you're safe. What the heck to you do to them?"

Lani returned to the storage room after double locking the front and manning the alarm system. Her blonde stranger was still there, sitting on an empty pile of skids and surveying his torn clothes. He tossed her a grin.

"I'm serious. Why were they searching for you?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"I'm Nick Carter."

"So they said...I repeat, what did you do to them?"

"You don't know who I am?" Nick marveled. "Finally!" he thought to himself, "A beautiful woman who doesn't know who the heck I am!"


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