Back on the field…
"AJ, there's hardly---anyone left! We're losing!" shouted Hans. AJ turned to him still fighting the demons.
"Of course we're losing! You didn't really expect us to win, did you?!"
"No, but---don't think that I'm questioning your decisions, but---then what is the point of us fighting?!"
"Well, one---they won't rest until every single one of us is dead, so we might as well get it all over with! And two---if I'm gonna die, I'd like to take as many of these bastards down with me!"
"Oh!"
Suddenly, the ground started rumbling.
"What the fuck?!"
Unexpectedly, the Praedari army charged out of nowhere and mercilessly attacked the Daemoniacus. AJ was really surprised, but not as surprised as the unfortunate demons. Now the tables have turned. The Praedari and the Desmondontidae, or whatever was left of it, armies combined were twice as big as the Daemoniacus. Now they were really kicking ass! John ran and took out a vampire that was sneaking up behind AJ, stake raised above his head.
"John! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"What? You're not happy to see me?!"
"Actually, I'm ecstastic! Don't think I'm ungrateful, but why are you fighting in our battle?!"
"Well, as it turns out, it's our battle, too! Toni's here!"
"What?!"
"You're mother's here, too!"
"She is?!"
"Yeah, they burst through the door begging me to help you!"
"Oh my God! Where are they?!"
"Don't worry! They're safe back at our place!"
"I still can't believe---"
"Toni loves you a lot, you know! I'm jealous!"
"Aw, come on! I can never replace her brother!"
"No, but I was the only man in her life until you came along!"
"Umm, I'm sorry?"
"Don't be! I'm glad she found someone like you! You're not half as bad as I thought you would be!"
"Thanks!"
"Don't mention it!"
AJ ran through the fighting crowds and disappeared into the cavern to look for Damian. He really wanted to give him a piece of his mind. That and stick a stake through his cold, black heart.
"Damian! Where the hell are you, you coward! Come out and fight me like a man, you son of a bitch!"
"Tsk tsk tsk! What did I tell you about that potty mouth of yours?" AJ turned around. Damian was leaning against the cave's entrance grinning.
"I don't know, but I got another question for you!"
"Ok, shoot."
"Are you ready to die?"
Damian laughed and approached him.
"Now it's my turn. How long did it take Valencia to die after I sticked her like a shishkabob?" AJ felt the anger and hatred build up inside on the verge of exploding. "Do you realize what you're getting yourself into, young Alex? Valencia isn't here to save you."
"Just you and me, Damian! Mano a beasto!"
"Sure! I'm all up for a little fun! Pick your weapon."
"Stakes!"
"Nah, how about this, you keep all your little toys and we step outside. I don't want to get your blood all over my nice, clean cave."
"Well, about you?"
"I don't need little pieces of wood to kill you! I've got these!" He held up his grotesque hands, the claws oozing with glistening poison. "You're death would be so much slower this way! Triple the pain, triple the fun!"
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!" AJ lunged at him and he moved out of the way with ease.
"Haha! You missed, rugrat! Hey, what happened to your blue hair?! I really liked the smurf look on you!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!!!"
He charged at him again. This time Damian fought back. He swiped at him, but AJ was too quick and dodged every move.
"You better pray that you die, too, cuz whether I die or not, I'll be all over your ass like white on rice!" yelled AJ as he sprayed holy water on him. Damian was smart, though. He covered his face with his hands. It still hurt like hell, but at least he wasn't blinded and vulnerable.
"Go to hell!"
"I'll see you there!"
They continued to fight.
Toni and Denise were pacing back and forth in the haven impatiently and worried to death. Finally, Toni let out a cry of frustration.
"Aaarrghh! I can't take it anymore! I have to see what's going on!" She started walking towards the door, but Denise stopped her.
"Toni, wait! You promised your brother you wouldn't leave! You said you never lied to him before!" she reminded her.
"There's a first time for everything! You coming?!"
Denise thought for a moment. "Wait, why the hell am I thinking for?! Of course I'm coming!"
"Ok, we're just gonna see what's going on. If it looks good, we'll hurry back and John wouldn't even know we were gone."
"What if it looks bad?"
"I have no idea."
They left.
"Are you going to fly the coop when it gets too hot for you to handle, little Alex?" Damian teased.
"No, I'm standing my ground no matter what you throw at me and I'm NOT little!" AJ lacerated his arm with the saber.
"OW! That kind of hurt!"
"Good! Part A of my plan worked!"
"Oh really? And what's part B?"
"Sticking this saber up your ass, bringing it up to your neck, letting your insides hang out of your back like a fish gutted the wrong way, and pouring holy water down your exposed esophagus while I gouge out your eyeballs and scalp you!"
"Oh! That sounds great!"
Damian reached out for him with his claws, but AJ chopped one off with the knife. Damian howled in pain.
"Haha! You like that?!"
Damian took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. "No problem. I've got nine more I would like to introduce to your gut! You know, you have wondeful taste in women! I must give you that!"
"What do you mean?!"
"That Toni, sssssizzling hot, man! Whoo! Break me of a piece of THAT KitKat bar!"
"If you dare to touch ONE hair on her head, I will shove your own foot up your ass so far up, you will never ever see it again!"
"She's so beautiful! Especially when she's sleeping! Tell me, Alex, is she as good in bed as I think she is? I couldn't quite tell that night, I had to leave before it really got hot and steamy, or else I'd be the one coming out hot and steamy, if you know what I mean!"
"What?!"
He couldn't believe he had the nerve to witness their most sacred and private moment. That was low, even for him. And he also didn't like the fact that he was near his mother's house. Seemingly reading his mind, Damian continued to tease him.
"Oh by the way, your mom ain't too bad neither! Next time she's lonely, tell her to forget old Mr. Bob McLean and call me! I can rock her world! Not to mention love her…to death!"
AJ stared at him shocked. His anger and hatred finally met its peak and exploded. Clouded by rage, he charged towards him. Just the way Damian planned it. AJ lashed at him blindly. He was so enraged, nothing else occupied his mind but the idea of Damian going up in a cloud of smoke right before his eyes. He didn't even realize the exact moment his claw made contact with his flesh. All AJ felt was the warm liquid trickling down his right arm. He grabbed his arm and bent over, not so much because of the pain, but because of the surprise. Damian raised his hand high ready for another blow to finish him off once and for all.
"I guess you get to reunite with your precious Valencia now. Say hello to her for me."
He was ready to strike, when suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He turned around and came face to face with a very unhappy John.
"Why you little---"
"Shut up!" He plunged the stake into his heart and Damian, Master of the Daemoniacus and All Evil was no more. He ran to AJ and looked at his arm.
"I-i-it doesn't look that bad!"
AJ gave him an oh please spare me the details look. But the truth was, it really didn't look that bad. It wasn't a deep gash that was hemorrhaging profusely. But it was…enough. John looked at him sadly.
"AJ, I---"
"No time to talk, John. We have a war to win, remember?"
AJ walked out of the cave like nothing happened followed by John. He picked up his weapons and continued to fight. Like a true soldier, he fought until he couldn't take it anymore. Enduring dizziness, waves of excruciating pain that shot through his body, and frequent but temporary periods of blindness, he managed to take another forty down before collapsing on his knees.
"AJ!"
John finished off the demon he was battling and ran to his side. "Come on, I have to get you away from here!"
"Don't…worry…about me! Just…win this!"
"Oh don't be ridiculous! I'm not just going to leave you here! Let's go!"
He helped him up and practically dragged him to safety. He gently set him down against a tree far away from the battlefield. AJ started sweating heavily and having cold chills. A sure sign that the poison was running through his veins. John looked at him helplessly. He felt like he failed his sister.
"Oh AJ, what am I going to tell Toni?"
"T-t-tell her that I l-l-love her and my m-mom, please…"
"Ok. You're a great leader, you know that."
"Not half as good as you. Please, t-t-take care of my clan. T-t-they don't h-have anybody else."
"I promise I'll make them my own. Now, we'll be called the Praemontidae."
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry," John said quietly. AJ looked up at him, pain showing in his eyes.
"Don't be," he whispered. "Just go and win this God damn war."
"Yes, sir." He stood up and saluted him. AJ responded with a weak salute back and a nod. John disappeared back into the forest to join his expanded clan in this battle he did not intend to lose.
AJ took a deep breath and tried to stand up. Half way up, he fell back down. It took him three tries to succeed. His knees were shaky, but he forced himself to walk. He didn't want to die just lying beside a tree. He wanted to make an effort even during his last minutes in this world. He passed three trees, when he thought he heard his name being called. It was probably just his brain trying to work one last time.
But then suddenly, like a dream, Toni and Denise appeared from the bushes, running to him. He wanted to reach them so bad, but all he could manage was a stumble backwards. He clutched the tree for support. He hid his face behind the trunk so they wouldn't see his anguish. But they saw right through him. They knew somethng was seriously wrong.
Denise went up to him first. She hugged him crying. He had to lock his knees and hold on to the tree firmly to keep himself from falling.
"Oh, AJ! I thought I'd never see you again!" she sobbed. "Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear me?! God, I love you so much!" He was as stiff as a board. Denise looked up at him in confusion. "What's wrong?" She let go of him and Toni stepped closer to him. She stared at him eye to eye. Something was definitely wrong. AJ?" He couldn't take it anymore. AJ's legs gave out and he collapsed into Toni's arms. She was surprised, but caught him. Gently, she laid him down and rolled him onto his back. She rested his head on her lap, trying hard not to panic. Denise, on the other hand, didn't do such a good job of that. She kneeled beside him.
"Oh my God! What's happening?! AJ?! AJ! No! Oh my God!"
Toni searched his eyes for some kind of clue to what was happening. He looked up at her and then down to his arm. She followed his gaze and much to her horror, found the cause of his ailment. She gasped and covered her mouth.
"AJ, no, this isn't…"
He nodded sadly.
"No, God, NO!" She began to bawl. Denise was still totally clueless to what was happening.
"What?! What is it?! WHAT?!"
"The claw," he managed to choke out weakly.
"Claw? What claw?" She began to think and saw the cut on his arm. She finally put two and two together. "They---AJ? Y-y-you're you're dy-ing?" She could barely say the word. "But you can't! You can't die! You're already dead!"
He took her warm hand into his own cold one. "Mom, this is the last time, I swear."
"No! I don't want it to be the last time! This isn't fair! God took you away from me too many times already! You can't leave me again! You can't!"
"I'm sorry. This time I'm not coming back. I promise I-I-I won't hurt you anymore…"
"NO! AJ, I am your mother, you have to listen to me! You are NOT going to die! You hear me?! You are NOT ALLOWED to DIE!" she screamed the tears gushing out of her eyes.
"Please, take care of yourself and don't h-hold on to the past. Go on with your life…"
"No!"
"Tell Dad I f-forgive him for everything and that I-I-I love him…"
"NO!"
"I love you, Mom…"
"GOD DAMMIT! NO!"
Denise lost herself in her tears and sobs. AJ then slowly turned his attention to the love of his life.
"Toni, p-please help your brother lead the pack. H-h-he's got t-twice the trouble now." He smiled weakly. Toni just continued to weep. "I love you, Toni-Tone," he whispered as he tenderly kissed her hand. She cried even harder.
"I don't want to let you go, AJ! I love you so much! Please, I don't want to---you're the best thing that ever happened to me! I love you, AJ baby…" She said softly as she lifted his limp hand up to her cheek.
AJ closed his eyes…
"What? Where the heck am I?"AJ asked as he looked around at nothingness. Everything was black. "Why---"
A bright light shone from above.
"Oh yeah, now I remember," AJ stated sadly. "I died. Again."
Maybe this was the bright light people who had near death experiences always talked about. The one that's supposed to show you the way to heaven or something. But this one was different. AJ didn't go into it. Something came out of it. Something beautiful in the shape of a woman. An angel? No…
"Val?"
Valencia. She floated down with such ease and grace. She was a beautiful seraph indeed.
"Val, what are you---"
"The answer's yes, Alex." Her voice had a gentle and sweet echo to it. AJ was confused for a minute. Yes is the answer to what? Then he remembered. 'Do we go to heaven when we die?' He smiled.
"You guided me through my second life and now you're doing it again with my final?"
"Yes, and I promise you, this one will be the best and most peaceful."
"I don't doubt it, Val." He turned around and stared into the blackness. "But I'm going to miss them."
"Don't worry, you will see them again." She extended her hand out to him.
He looked at her for a second and then took it. The glowing light surrounded them.
The two women wailed uncontrollably as AJ no longer responded to their cries and shaking. Toni still held his hand against her cheek. But suddenly, it felt as if it wasn't there. She looked at it.
"No," she gasped as she saw it disintegrate right before her eyes. The dematerializing continued down his arm and the other hand Denise was holding onto for dear life no longer existed. It slowly made its way up to his neck, and finally, in a blink of an eye, his beautiful and peaceful face disappeared. A gust of wind took him away. He was gone. Forever.
Sail through the wind and rain tonight
You're free to fly tonight
And you can still be free
And going higher than mountain tops
And go high the wind don't stop
And go high
Free to fly tonight
Free to fly tonight
Author’s Note: The lyrics used in this chapter are courtesy of Savage Garden, You Can Still Be Free.
Denise stood by his grave, clutching a rose right above her heart. She squeezed her eyes shut as the tears continued to pour. She prayed that this was just a horrible nightmare that she'd wake up to. And that she'd go to his room and see him peacefully sleeping curled up into a cute little ball. Or that she'd hear her name being whispered and when she turned around, AJ would be there grinning mischievously and yelling "Gotcha!"
But it wasn't a dream. This time, AJ wouldn't be coming back.
After he died for the last time, Denise immediately took a flight back home to mourn. She didn't even say good bye to Toni or John. She just wanted to get out of that country as soon as possible. Toni stayed behind, of course, keeping her promise to AJ and helping John lead the Praemontidae. The last time she saw Toni she was crying hysterically with no chance of consolation in her brother's arms. That was three weeks ago. She hasn't heard from her since.
Suddenly, she heard several pairs of feet making their way over to her. She didn't turn around.
"Denise?" said a very deep voice softly. "Jane said you'd be here."
She didn't respond.
"Umm, we got a record deal with Jive. The album won't be out until next year, but…we're calling it Millennium."
She turned around and hugged them. "Congratulations," she said barely above a whisper. She was very proud of them and tried to be happy, but it was too hard. Smiling took too much energy out of her.
"Thank you."
Brian spoke.
"Show Me The Meaning is going to be on there. We're…we're dedicating the album to AJ. The fifth Backstreet Boy. We even have one song in which he sings. It was pre-recorded."
Denise nodded. "I hope you boys make it. The world is a cruel and unforgiving place. I, for one, learned that hard lesson one too many times. But don't ever give up. Even if the whole world seems to be against you, keep going. There's nothing more satisfying than reaching your goals and having your dreams come true…" she swallowed and sobbed, "while you're still alive."
She kneeled down and placed the crimson rose on his grave. It was empty. She knew that. His body was traveling around the world now, the wind his companion. But his heart would always remain in Florida.
"Good bye, baby. I'll see you in heaven," she whispered then stood up.
Kevin, Brian, Nick, and Howie each put a hand on his tombstone and said a silent prayer. They prayed that they become successful so the whole world could know what AJ meant to them. They prayed that AJ would be happy and that he enjoy himself where ever he was. But not too much. You can't party too hard in heaven. And they begged the Lord to take care of Denise and give her the strength she needed to go on.
"Denise, are you ready to go?"
She thought for a moment.
"Yes. I'm ready to go…and to let go."
Well, one of their prayers were answered. They walked out of the cemetery together.
Six months later, another of their prayers came true when their first single I Want It That Way hit number one almost everywhere and launched Millennium to the top. The whole world knew who AJ McLean was and the Backstreet Boys would never let them forget.
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