Boston, MA

The past week had been a rough one for the boys. It appeared that AJ was not only barely making it to shows for the past week, he also was able to avoid any real confrontation. The meetings that he did show up to, he left promptly once the boys started in on how irresponsible he was being. The frustration everyone felt toward AJ was wearing on everyone, and it seemed like no one could open their mouth without someone snapping.

Everyone was gathered in Nick's room after their second show in Boston. AJ disappeared immediately after the show, even though they were going to try and have another mandatory meeting. AJ had been skipping out on appearances all week, and the next day they were all five supposed to throw the first ball at a little league baseball game in Boston. They wanted to make sure AJ would be there, as everyone's patience was running very thin.

Kevin turned to Danielle as the rest of the guys found a place to sit in Nick's room. "Danielle? Would you mind giving us some time to hash some stuff out?"

Nick shot a look at Kevin, "Kev, she stays. There isn't anything that can't be said in front of her."

"Nick, this is a group meeting. You don't see any of the other girlfriends or wives here do you?" Kevin explained to Nick.

"Nick," Danielle chimed in. "I don't mind really. I'm gonna head down to the bar and get have a coffee and read my magazine. It's not a big deal, and besides the last thing I really want to do is listen to you guys fight about AJ."

Nick nodded his head and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. "You want Billy to go with you?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll keep my eyes open for rabid fans with walkie talkies," she laughed as she headed for the door. Her comment prompted the rest of the guys to chuckle. It never failed, there were always some fans reporting to other fans throughout the hotel on everyone's whereabouts.

Danielle went down and grabbed a coffee and made herself comfortable on one of the couches in the hotel lounge area. It was nice and private yet she still had enough space to be able to see into the main lobby. After two days in Boston the fans had tracked them down and many of them were camped out on the sidewalk. The hotel was pretty good about keeping non-guests from loitering in the lobby, but there were the handful of fans that were smart enough to get rooms at the hotel.

After about a half hour, there was a small commotion in the lobby and Danielle looked up to see AJ and Sarah coming in, ignoring the fans and sprinting to the elevator. Sprinting? Well, stumbling fast. It was pretty late and Danielle was surprised to even be seeing AJ in the flesh, considering his behavior of late. She knew that AJ would probably be heading to his room to hide from everyone. As much as she wanted to just let them handle it, she felt this was as good a time as any to clue the other guys in that AJ was indeed in the hotel.

Danielle went back to her and Nick's room. She could hear them arguing through the door as she swiped her card to enter. All heads turned when she walked in, and silence filled the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys," she began nervously looking at Nick who was clearly agitated. "But, I just saw AJ and Sarah. They just came back and I'm sure that he's in his room."

Brian shot up out of his seat, "You're sure?"

Danielle nodded, "Yes, they went right to the elevator and then I came right up here to tell you guys."

Brian pulled on Kevin arm, "Let's go." As he passed Danielle, he gently touched her arm and gave her a warm smile, "Thanks Danielle."

"You're welcome," she smiled back. It made her feel good that Brian did that. She wasn't trying to be an informant but she was happy that her news seemed to make a difference to them.

"We'll be right back," Kevin told Nick and Howie.

"Shouldn't we come with?" Howie asked.

"In a minute, let's not ambush him," Kevin explained.

Howie nodded and looked at Nick and Danielle. "Do you mind if I stick around?"

"I don't mind. You and Nick can hang out here. I'm exhausted. I can't believe you guys are even up right now," Danielle said wrapping and arm around Nick's waist. She looked up at him and he kissed her forehead.

"You want to go on to bed, baby?" Nick asked.

"Do you mind?" she grimaced.

"Of course not! Go on. I'll be there in a little bit, as soon as we get some shit figured out," he told her. "Howie and I will go to his room, then we won't bother you."

"Okay. Don't be too long. You need rest too you know," she said kissing him on the lips.

"Don't worry baby," he kissed her back. "I'll see you later."

Danielle went on into the bedroom and Nick and Howie left to go to his room. On their way, they ran into Kevin and Brian.

"He's gone again," Brian said flatly.

"Did you talk to him?" Howie asked.

"Briefly," Kevin started. "Then he yelled at us because Sarah was trying to sleep and told us to leave him alone. Then he took off. It's not like we can chase him down and have a showdown in the hotel bar."

"No, you can't," Howie answered. "Now what?"

"Let's call it a night," Nick offered.

"Good idea," Brian added.

"Yeah, it is late. But let's just go over the schedule for tomorrow, and then we'll call it a night. I'm gonna talk to Marcus and make sure he stays on AJ like glue, so we don't lose him tomorrow," Kevin said.

"He'll have to sleep outside his room in the hall!" Nick yelled.

"Speaking of," Kevin said quietly, "let's get OUT of the hall."

"We're going to Howie's room, cause Dani is going to bed. Should we meet down there? But fast, cause I'm beat, "Nick yawned.

Danielle had just gotten into bed when there was a thumping on the door. Who in the hell could THAT be? Nick didn't forget his key did he? She threw the covers off her and got out of bed. She looked through the peephole and gasped when she saw AJ standing on the other side of the door. She turned on the light in the room and opened the door.

"Miss Danielle! How nice to see you!" AJ blurted as he pushed past her into the room.

"AJ! What on earth are you doing here?" she asked.

"Where's Nicky boy? I wanted to congratulate him on having such an intuitive girlfriend!" he hollered. He was drunk and acting the part.

"I thought they were talking to you?" she questioned.

"Nope, they tried, but I'm done," AJ eyed her. "I don't need them telling me what to do, I don't need them pretending to care about me. . ."

"They DO care about you AJ," she started.

"And YOU would know about that!" he snapped. He stood right in front of her and pointed his finger in her face as he continued his rant. "Just who the fuck do you think you are?"

"What?" she yelled.

"Coming in here, 'telling' on me! Coming into OUR lives and thinking you can just be part of what we are? Come on! What's your story Danielle? Why are you preying on Nick? Huh? What does he have that you want? Or were you just sick of fucking a fat guy and wanted to move onto a different boy band?" he yelled at her.

The tears began to well in her eyes as he continued to belittle her. How was she supposed to reason with him? He wasn't even making sense to her, but he clearly knew what HE was talking about.

"You aren't even making sense, AJ!" she yelled back. "I'm with Nick because I love him! That's it!"

"And then you go and try to win your medal for the evening by running here and telling everyone that I was back! Did you polish it yet? Or are you waiting for a different kind of medal?" he yelled.

AJ began to count on his fingers, "Let's see, there's Nick. And I'm sure you've already moved onto Howie by now too. You're just making your boy band rounds aren't you? Well guess what? I'm in the band too."

He stepped closer to Danielle and pinned her up against the wall. "This IS what you want isn't it Danielle? Making your rounds. . .I'm better than Nick. You can ask some of his other whores. We like to share around here too."

"AJ! Get the hell away from me!" she yelled pushing him away from her and freeing herself from her position between him and the wall. "Get out!"

"No, you wanted to share all your information with everyone. You wanted to share your bed with Nick AND Joey, so don't you think it's fair that you share everything. Isn't that what you want?" he stepped closer again.

Before she knew it, he grabbed the back of her head and slammed his mouth on hers. She could taste the mix of liquor and cigarettes and she struggled to throw him away from her. She kicked him in the groin area and he jumped back. "Now, get out!!!" she screamed.

AJ was still recovering from the pain in his groin, when Nick came barreling through the door when he heard Danielle scream.

"What the fuck is going on here, AJ?" Nick yelled. He turned to Danielle, "Dani? What's going on?"

"He's just drunk, Nick! Drunk and acting stupid!" she cried.

"Nick! She's a tramp! Can't you see it? She's not here for you! She's here because you're her next boy band flavor!" AJ yelled at Nick.

"Shut the fuck up AJ! What's wrong with you anyway? Why are you grabbing your crotch like that anyway?" Nick continued yelling.

"I kicked him," Danielle told Nick, looking at him fearfully.

Nick quickly turned to stare at Danielle, "Why?"

Danielle was silent and looked at the floor then back at Nick, not sure if she should tell him or not.

"WHY?!" Nick yelled at her causing her to jump.

"He kissed me!" she blurted. "After he insulted me for ten minutes!"

"Is that true, AJ?" Nick cocked his head at him.

"She wanted me too," AJ said calmly, to which Danielle gasped in disbelief.

Instinct from Danielle's reaction caused Nick's sudden lunge at AJ. Nick hit him square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. AJ, too drunk to get up quickly laid on the floor and cursed. Nick turned around and then hit the wall.

"Fuck!" Nick yelled. "Get the fuck out of my room, AJ! And do not. . .come near Danielle again!"

Nick went and picked AJ up off the ground, drug him to the door and threw him out of the room. He went back over to Danielle who was still crying and upset because Nick was so upset. His nostrils were flaring and he was sucking in his bottom lip as he tried to pull together any words to speak to her.

"Nick? Oh my God, your hand!" she grabbed his right hand and saw that it was swollen and bleeding. "Nick! This isn't good."

"It's fine, baby. Just wrap a towel around it with ice. It'll be fine," his adrenaline was still pumping and he couldn't feel the pain searing through his hand.

She got him sat down in the bathroom on the toilet seat, and quietly began cleaning up his hand. They were both silent for a long time and as she began to wrap the hand in ice she whispered, "I'm sorry, baby."

Nick had calmed down quite a bit by now, and tilted her head up to look at him. "Why?"

"I'm just sorry that everything is so messed up, and now you're hurt," she shook her head. "I just wish there was something I could do to make this all better."

"Dani, this all has nothing to do with you. Don't let anything AJ did tonight bother you. He's drunk and lashing out. If it wasn't you tonight, it would have been someone else. Trust me."

"I do," she whispered. "But. . ."

"No, no but," he quietly interrupted. He placed a kiss on her lips. "No, but. . . let's just go to bed. Everything will be better in the morning."

As it turned out, things only got worse in the morning. Nick ended up having to go to the hospital and get his hand x-rayed and splinted. AJ never showed up for the little league game and now Marcus was finding his job on the line for not being able to keep tabs on AJ, much less protect him.

Nick and Danielle decided to go back and take a nap after the game. They had been up so late the night before and with a show the next night, everyone needed their rest.

The hotel phone rang waking Nick and Danielle after a couple hours of sleep. Nick was shocked to hear AJ on the other line. And he was even more shocked that he was putting together a meeting with all the guys.

Nick hung up the phone and looked at Danielle. "Something is going on."

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked peeking out from the covers.

"That was AJ, and he wants to meet with all of us," Nick said carefully. "I'm scared, Dani."

She grew a concerned look on her face, "Why, baby?"

"He sounds too serious. He sounds sober. I don't know, I just have this feeling like he's gonna leave us."

She shook her head, sat up and motioned for him to come next to her. "Honey, don't be scared. Just go and see what he says. Don't think about it, just go." She hugged him tight and kissed him on the forehead, then on each cheek and eventually she placed a long, deep kiss on his lips. "Then hurry back here and keep me warm under these covers."

Nick and the rest of the guys met in AJ's room where all of them were shocked to see AJ break down. Not only did he break down in a pile of tears, but he asked them to help him. He looked at Nick's hand and sobbed harder, knowing he was responsible.

They all agreed to help AJ however they could. AJ would enter a treatment program, and the tour would be put on hold. By the end of the meeting all of them were in tears. But one thing was back. . . they were all together again. They were all brothers. And that was how it was going to stay, no matter what.

The next day, Nick, Howie, Kevin and Brian flew out to New York, with their women by their side and went live on TRL to announce that AJ would be undergoing treatment for alcoholism and depression. It was an incredibly emotional time for everyone in the studio, and Danielle sat in the green room with Kristin and Leighanne wiping tears away as she watched Nick break down.

At the Plaza after TRL. . .

Nick and Danielle packed up their bags and prepared to go back to Tampa. Nick struggled to fold clothes and began roughly shoving them in his bag. He was quiet as they packed, but suddenly Danielle jumped when she heard the sound of Nick throwing his bag against the wall.

"I can't do this!" he yelled. "I can't fold, I can't get everything in here!"

He looked up at Danielle and continued yelling while tears formed in his eyes. "I can't do this!"

"Nick, baby, let me help you," she began walking over to him.

"You can't help either! I can't help! No one could help!" he sobbed and slid down onto his knees on the floor. "Why didn't we help him? Why didn't I try to help him?"

She went down on her knees next to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his back. "Baby, you did try. But, you have to understand that he wasn't going to be able to BE helped until he wanted to help himself."

"No," he shook his head furiously. "I should have known. But I went out with him! I would buy him drinks! And, I only made him worse!"

"No, honey, no!" she moved around to the front of him and took his face in her hands. "You didn't do this. AJ is sick. He has a disease, this had nothing to do with you. You guys tried to help him, but he didn't want it. He couldn't see that he had a problem. He's going to be okay now. And, you're doing for him exactly what he needs, and that is supporting him. From now on, you can do that for him as you always have. He knows how much you love him, and that's what matters right now." She gently stroked his hair as she spoke softly to him.

Nick wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck and sobbed on her shoulder. She just held him and rocked him, and stroked his hair. "It's okay, baby. Just let it out. I'm here for you. It's okay," she whispered to him as he cried.

He pulled back after several minutes, his face red and his eyes swollen from tears. "I love you, Dani. I love you so much," he told her and held her tighter.

"I love you too, Nick," she whispered and held onto him tighter and tighter. "More than you'll ever know."

Chapter 19
Chapter 17
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