CHAPTER FOURTEEN - YOU NEED WHAT?

Wondering what had happened to their usual mode of transportation, AJ raised a curious eyebrow when he noticed the awaiting van parked close to the underground exit. His bodyguard shrugged and ushered them in, indicating for the driver to take off.

"Uh...sorry, we needed to use yours, there was a little problem with a fan."

Brian winced, and held his ribs with one hand as he tried to fasten his seatbelt with the other. "A fan? What happened?"

The heavy-set bodyguard turned in his seat to face the two and gave a snort of laughter. "Oh, man, Nick got nailed. Some over-excited girl. She pushed her way right through us!"

AJ looked skeptical. "She broke through security?"

"Bulldozed, is more like it. Shit, she must have weighed like 300 pounds!" There was a small chuckle from the bodyguard. "You guys shoulda seen it! She tackled Nick and they both went crashing to the ground." AJ's bodyguard shook his head, grinning. "Man, she was horny as hell! I think she managed to mate with Nick before we were able to lift her off!"

"Was Nick hurt?"

"Naw. Just his ego. He's pissed at Kevin and Howie though, they were teasing him like crazy."

AJ broke into laughter. "I can imagine."

"Yeah. So sorry about the transport, guys. Couldn't be helped." Noticing Brian sitting stiffly in his seat, the bodyguard frowned. "Hey, you okay? You don't look so good right now."

Startled, AJ turned quickly to examine Brian.

"I'm fine." Brian scowled, his answer directed straight at AJ. "I'm fine, just tired."

With a shrug, the bodyguard returned to chat with the driver. Brian chose to ignore AJ's intense scrutiny, opting instead to turn away to view the nighttime traffic outside his window.

AJ continued to closely watch his friend, uncomfortable that he could not observe Brian's face. He felt like he was sitting next to human time bomb, ready to go off with out any warning. He wondered what would happen if it did. What would he do? What would their bodyguard do? Shit, what would Brian...no, what would she do? He rubbed his hands nervously on the sides of his pants, desperately wishing for a drink to help relax him. He made a mental note to hit the well-stocked mini-bar in his room as soon as they arrived at the hotel.

The hotel.

AJ slumped in his seat, his mind working overtime. By now, Nick, Kevin and Howie should have arrived; most likely they were already in their rooms. He tried to remember if anyone had said anything about wanting to go out. Nope. As far as he knew, everyone was staying in tonight, wanting to unwind and relax in order to take advantage of the next few days of downtime. AJ frowned. That meant no concerts, no promos, nothing to keep them busy and more than enough time to be constantly in each other's personal space. Great. AJ groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted was for Brian and him to be hanging out 24/7 with the guys. They needed that time, undisturbed, to figure this whole mess out.

And exactly what the hell were they going to figure out? He had no idea what to do, where to start.

After a moment's consideration, AJ poked Brian lightly in the arm, making sure to draw back immediately, just in case.

"What?" Brian turned toward him, his eyes weary with fatigue.

AJ sighed in relief. Good. Still blue. "Uh, we need to talk."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, right now!" AJ was a little annoyed at Brian's lethargic tone. "You think this whole thing will go away if we just ignore it?"

Brian bristled at the contempt. "No," he hissed. He shot a worried glance at their driver and bodyguard and then back at AJ. "But do you think it's such a wise idea to talk right now?"

"Probably not," AJ admitted, sotto-voice. "But I really don't feel like going to sleep before deciding on what to do."

"All right. So what do we do?"

"Like I know?" AJ snorted, his voice rising. "You're the one who's possessed, you tell me!"

Brian flushed with embarrassment and AJ could have kicked himself. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Rok."

"It's okay. I guess that's what I am." Brian heaved a sigh, sounding defeated.

They both fell into a gloomy silence, Brian staring miserably out the window, AJ picking unhappily at the hem of his shirt as he reflected on the past few hours. Something was nagging in the back of his mind, a question he had been meaning to ask Brian before he had been attacked.

"Hey, what did you mean, you thought she was an angel?"

Confused, Brian turned to look at AJ. "Huh?"

"You said you thought she was an angel. You know, the halo thing? Why did you say that?"

"Oh." Brian stared at his hands, his lips tightening into a thin line. "I didn't mean that kind of angel." His voice was low, barely a whisper, and AJ leaned forward, trying to hear.

"I didn't mean that kind of angel," AJ repeated. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. What do you mean? What other kind of angel is there?"

"The bad kind."

"The bad kind." AJ groaned in exasperation and rubbed his forehead. "Brian. It's late. I'm tired. Quit fucking around with me, okay?"

"I'm not!" Brian bit nervously at his fingers, trying to figure out what to say. He felt AJ's eyes boring into him, waiting for an answer. Heaving a huge sigh he said, "AJ, I'm not sure if you'll want to hear this."

"Brian, at this point, I don't think there's a thing you can say that will surprise me."

The faintest twitched of a smile appeared at the corner of Brian's mouth. He hesitated a moment, giving the two men sitting up front a quick glance to see if they were listening to their conversation. They weren't. He turned to AJ.

"Okay. Do you believe in angels?"

AJ rolled his eyes, impatient.

"Well, do you?"

"I don't know. I guess so. Never really thought about it."

"You've heard of guardian angels, right?"

"Sure. They're the ones who make sure you don't screw up, get hurt and all that shit. I think I've got about ten of them watching me."

Brian ignored AJ's flippancy, wondering how he could explain this to him. "All right, so guardian angels are considered good angels, right? Angels that are sent from Heaven to protect you."

"Yeah, they're good angels."

Brian nodded. "And so a bad angel would be sent from...." he prodded, waiting to see if AJ was going to put two and two together.

AJ paused, lost in thought. "And so a bad angel is sent from..." he looked at Brian in shock. "No." He shook his head. "No way."

"AJ, if there are angels from Heaven, then there are angels from Hell. Most people call them demons."

"Oh my God."

Brian snorted scornfully. "I don't think God has anything to do with this. Lucifer, yes, God, no."

"Lucifer."

"Satan. Beelzebub. The Devil. Take your pick."

"Hold on just a sec. You think a she-demon from Hell is running wild inside of you?"

Brian winced slightly at the blunt explanation, but nodded.

AJ slumped in his seat. No. No. No. This could not be happening. Shit! He knew nothing, absolutely nothing about the mechanics of religion. Brian knew more about it, in fact, a lot more, and he had never been one to doubt Brian's knowledge, but...how could Brian be so sure?

"Are you absolutely positive?"

Brian sat silent for a moment. "No," he admitted finally. "But I can tell you this - she's not God-inspired. And she's not of this world. I sensed the evil in her."

AJ smile grimly in agreement.

"AJ, do you remember Sabrina? The fortuneteller you hired a while ago? She felt it. She felt that evil. When she grabbed my hand, she got scared, ran away."

"Yeah." AJ recalled her frightened look, the way she had suddenly pulled away, wiping her hand in discomfort.

Brian looked at AJ, hopeful. "Hey, you know, I bet Sabrina could help us. Maybe explain what's going on. I wonder if we could find her."

"I don't think so, Rok. I don't have her card and I can't remember how I got a hold of her. Sorry."

Brian nodded dejectedly. "Well, it was just a thought." He fell silent, staring out the window.

AJ joined Brian in silence. He figured in a few more minutes they'd be arriving at the hotel. He craved a hot shower; his whole body ached. He rubbed the back of his neck trying to ease out some of the pain, sore from when Brian had thrown him forcefully to the dressing room floor.

Forcefully.

AJ guardedly watched his band mate, wondering just how much extra strength Brian really had. He was sure it was more than what Brian claimed. He had felt the way Brian grabbed a hold of him, the way he had effortlessly tossed him to the ground. What else was there, what other disturbing powers were lying dormant, just waiting inside his friend?

Brian chose that exact moment to turn and look at AJ. AJ jumped, startled, and Brian frowned. "What?"

"Uh, nothing."

"Come on, you were staring at me. What's going on?"

"Nothing, really."

"AJ," Brian growled softly, wanting an answer.

"Oh, all right. I was just thinking about your powers."

"My powers?" Brian looked puzzled.

"Yeah, powers. What kind of powers you now have."

Brian sighed. "AJ, I don't have any powers."

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He lowered his voice, leaning in slightly. "Come on! She's inside of you! She made your eyes turn red, made you throw me to the ground. What else can she do?"

An amazed look crossed over the blonde singer's face. "AJ! You sound like you want to try and find out!"

AJ pulled back, shaking his head quickly. "No! God, no! But damn, we're going to be spending the next few days together, Brian...I just don't want any more surprises. I'm not too crazy about being a guinea pig, if you know what I mean."

Brian spared a worried glance toward the front seat, hesitant to speak.

"They're not listening," AJ hissed. "Forget them. Talk to me."

Brian exhaled heavily, running a tired hand through his hair. "AJ. How the hell am I suppose to know what's going to happen to me? I don't!" His eyes narrowed. "If you're so scared to be near me, just say it! I'll manage fine by myself."

AJ rolled his eyes, giving a scoff of disgust. "Yeah, right. You'll do just great by yourself." Seeing the quiet desperation in Brian's face, the tightness in his voice, AJ sighed and softened. "Brian, come on, man. Let's not argue, okay? You know I want to help you. Don't get on my case just 'cause I'm nervous about all this!" AJ patted his body lovingly. "Hey, I happen to be very protective of this body. It's the only one I have."

A faint smile crossed against Brian's lips. "Sorry. I guess I forgot how particular you are about that."

AJ's smile matched Brian's. "Damn straight. Don't mess with the goods."

"So how am I supposed to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Don't mess with the goods," Brian replied, mimicking AJ's words. "What happens if you wake up in the middle of the night and I'm standing over your bed with a knife?"

AJ's smile faded.

Brian groaned inwardly, realizing what he had done. He was only trying to lighten the stress between them but the joke had backfired, big time. "I'm kidding, AJ."

"No, no," said AJ, his face scrunched up in contemplation. "It could happen."

"AJ, no..."

AJ sat up straighter and cut Brian off with a wave of his hand. Brian could see his mind racing, dwelling on the possibility.

"Come on, it was just a joke!"

"I'm not laughing." AJ frowned, his face earnest. "Brian, think about it. We have no idea what she is capable of. For all we know, she could do anything."

"AJ! We all know she can't hurt..."

AJ glared at Brian. "Do we? Really? Are you willing to bet my life on it? How about the guys?"

AJ watched Brian's shoulders sag in defeat, his voice barely above a whisper. "No...no I'm not willing to bet on it." With a wide-eyed look of apprehension, Brian saw the potential danger and grabbed tightly onto AJ's arm, not noticing the quick expression of fear that flashed on AJ's face. "Oh God, what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? AJ! No one can guard me 24/7, watch my every move!"

AJ had to agree. It would be impossible to watch Brian every second and yet, somehow, it had to be done for the safety of everyone involved. Troubled, AJ anxiously drummed his fingers against his leg, trying to think. He craved a cigarette, a drink, anything that would help to calm his frayed nerves. He stared out at the traffic, feeling Brian's questioning eyes probing him for an answer. He wished he had one.

Still trying to figure out what to do, he noticed a Walmart store as they drove by, it's neon sign announcing twenty-four hour service. With barely a second thought, AJ leaned over, tapping both the driver and bodyguard. "Hey! Stop! Stop! I want you to turn around and head over to that store." AJ pointed in excitement, as an inspired plan began to form.

Brian and their bodyguard looked at AJ in surprise; the driver already steering the van around, accustomed to the impulsive whims of his customers. AJ met Brian's curious stare and raised a hand, warning not to question him right now.

"Walmart?" his bodyguard drawled. "Slumming, AJ?"

AJ gave him a smirk. "Listen, I need you to pick up a few things for me."

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now!" Their driver cruised into the parking lot then put the van into neutral. He kept the engine running and turned to look patiently at AJ.

Mentally clicking off the things he needed, AJ reached into his wallet to pull out some money. "Okay, this shouldn't be too hard. I need some thin nylon rope, some handcuffs, adult-size, not the plastic kiddie type, and a wooden baseball bat."

Mouth agape, the large man looked at AJ in disbelief. "You're bullshitting me, right?"

"Nope. Go on, get going." AJ kept his face solemn, privately enjoying the bodyguard's astonishment.

With an irritated growl, the guard jumped out and slammed the door, but not before AJ and Brian heard him mumble, "kinky sex freak."

Watching the bodyguard lumber off to complete his assigned task, Brian gave a small groan. "Oh man, I'd laugh, except it would hurt too much." He shifted in his seat, trying unsuccessfully to find a more comfortable position. "AJ. Please tell me those are for a girl you know."

"Those are for a girl I know."

Brian gave him a look.

"Hey, you told me to tell you that."

Brian rolled his eyes and gave up, waiting impatiently for their bodyguard to return. He wasn't too thrilled about AJ's idea, knowing that he was going to be the recipient of it. Surely there had to be a better way to guard him. Or, at least, a more comfortable way. The thought of being handcuffed, even for the safety of the others, made him uneasy. He noticed their bodyguard jogging back to the awaiting van, a large plastic bag swinging from his hand. He exhaled heavily in defeat, realizing that he had been hoping the bodyguard would be unsuccessful in finding the supplies AJ's requested.

Brian leaned slightly in AJ's direction. "Handcuffs? Rope? What am I? A criminal? A horse? And I don't even want to know what the baseball bat is for," he hissed.

"Okay, you got a better plan?" He watched as Brian slumped in his seat, shaking his head. AJ nodded. "I didn't think so."

"So, you're going to tie me up? That's your brilliant plan? What happens if I want to get a drink of water? Or need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?" Brian questioned. "You gonna come to my room, check up on me every hour?"

AJ chewed on his lower lip. "Shit. I hadn't thought of that. Can't you just hold it till morning?"

Brian glared at him to let him know what he thought of that suggestion.

"Okay. Okay. Well, I guess you'll have to sleep in my room, or visa versa. Whoever's room has double beds, cause there is no way in hell I'm gonna sleep in the same bed with you."

A whoosh of the van's side door, a quick deposit of a heavy Walmart bag at AJ's feet, proclaimed success. The bodyguard climbed aboard, indicating to the driver to proceed. He craned his neck around to see AJ's head buried in the bag, inspecting the goods.

"Everything to your satisfaction?" he mocked lightly.

AJ held the shiny handcuffs up, dangling them in the interior light to inspect them. "Yeah. These should work just fine." He gave his bodyguard a wink and a satisfied thumb's up. The large man grinned and turned to face the front, not noticing the sour expression scrawled upon Brian's face.

*********************************************************

Brian was glad that bodyguards were handy for other things than just guarding. Too drained to lug his own small bag, he motioned with a weary hand for them to carry his stuff up to his room. He trailed slowly behind AJ, being buffered by the larger, intimidating bodies of their security team as they walked through the hotel foyer. Ignoring the excited cries and squeals of anxious fans who had managed to worm themselves into the hotel, Brian entered the small confines of the awaiting elevator, not caring to even lift his head or wave a quick hello before the doors closed.

AJ punched a number then leaned back against the elevator rest bar, eyeing Brian with a critical eye. "Man, you look like shit."

Brian held onto the bar for support. "I feel like shit."

They waited in silence, watching as the illuminated numbers climbed higher. The elevator door chimed softly and opened, revealing a quiet and dimly-lit hallway beyond. Their bodyguard stepped out and clumped down the corridor, baggage in tow, scanning for room numbers. Brian and AJ followed behind, AJ trying to keep in step with Brian's dragging movements.

"You'll feel better after a good night's sleep."

"Really? Even with rope burns?"

AJ studied his friend. "You're really ticked off at that, aren't you?"

"Well, wouldn't you be?"

"Hell, no, not if it kept me from hurting someone!"

Brian rubbed his forehead. "AJ, I understand all that. I know it has to be done." He dropped his hand and looked at AJ, his blue eyes rimmed with fatigue. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, does it?"

"No, I guess not. I'm sorry, Bri, I just can't think of anything else. Can you?"

"No."

Brian halted his steps, seeing their guard patiently waiting for them at the end of the hall. He held out his hand, accepting his door card key, AJ doing the same. After a few brief words, the bodyguard left to finish up the night's work. AJ studied his card, then Brian's.

"Looks like we're on opposite sides. Go on, open yours up, let's see what's inside."

Brian zipped his card through, waited for the click before pushing the door open. They walked into the hotel room and saw a solitary, elegant, king-sized bed dominating most of the left hand side.

"Great," sighed AJ in frustration, dropping the Walmart bag he was carrying into the corner. "Lemme go see what mine has." He returned after a moment. "Mine's the same." He plopped down on Brian's bed, yawning and stretching. "I suppose I could call the desk to see what else they have." He rolled, reaching for the phone.

"About time you guys showed up."

Both turned in unison to see Nick leaning against the doorway, rubbing his damp hair with a towel. AJ put the receiver down, pointing a finger at Nick.

"Hey, what kind of room do you have?"

"What?"

"Bed," AJ explained. "Do you have one bed or two in your room?"

Nick draped the towel around his neck. "Two. Why?"

With a satisfied whoop, AJ jumped up off the bed, coming over to slap Nick on the shoulder. "Cause we're switching, dude. We need your room."

"Now wait a minute," Nick complained, giving Brian an inscrutable look before pursuing AJ down the corridor. "I just got settled in. I ain't switching with you."

AJ ignored him, snapping his fingers impatiently for Nick to hand over his card. With a sigh, Nick gave it to him. "I'm not gonna switch," he vowed as he followed AJ into his room.

"Man, you got a suite?" AJ said in disbelief, spotting the connecting rooms.

"Yeah. You snooze, you lose, Bone."

AJ scanned around, noticing that in just a short amount of time Nick had managed to make the place look like a tornado had struck. Clothes were scattered everywhere, the mini bar raided, various wrappers open and discarded. The feel of moist, warm air hung heavy throughout the room. AJ nudged a wet towel with his shoe. "You're a pig, you know that?"

"And your point being?" Nick replied sarcastically, dropping the damp towel around his neck to join the other one on the floor.

"My point being is that we need switch rooms."

"We?"

Fuck. AJ winced inwardly. He hadn't meant to say 'we'. Oh, well. "Yeah, we. Brian and me."

Before Nick could object, Brian pushed by him, dragging AJ's and his bag behind. Dropping them in the middle of the room, he wordlessly passed them and entered the humid bathroom, shutting the door with a solid bang. The sound of the shower greeted Nick's ears, the victorious smirk on AJ's face was enough to let Nick know he had lost ownership of his room.

Nick let loose with a few choice words and bent over to retrieve one of his tennis shoes, shaking it menacingly in AJ's direction. "You so owe me for this," he growled, snatching various pieces of clothing off the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever junior," AJ drawled. He flopped back onto the oversized bed, stretching massively. Flipping onto his stomach, he watched as Nick continued shoving his strewn-about clothing back into his bag. "Need any help?"

Nick glanced up, giving a grunt of disgust when he saw AJ yawn and close his eyes. He finished cramming things into his bag, muttering to himself about various forms of payback. He spotted his other wayward shoe and crossed the room to snag it. Straightening up, Nick unexpectedly came face to face with Brian.

"Hey, Nick."

"Hey."

Uncomfortable, Nick turned away, not willing to say anything else. In those few seconds of eye contact, he had been surprised, taken aback by Brian's appearance. Even a warm shower could do nothing to lessen the dark circles under Brian's eyes, the pallid color of his complexion. He felt a quick stab of guilt but shook it off, still annoyed over having been bulldozed out of his hotel room. It was nothing new to him; he had given up his room countless times before, but always to accommodate one of the guys "sudden" guests. Brian was not a "guest".

Puzzled, he eyed them both; AJ, who was dozing lightly on the bed, Brian, who was carefully pulling on a t-shirt. Ever since that incident on stage, they had become inseparable, unwilling, it seemed, to be apart for even a night.

Shit. This was ridiculous. He was giving up his room just so they wouldn't be scared of the boogey man? Correction. Boogey woman. Pissed, Nick swiped at the last remaining thing and stuffed it haphazardly in his bag. He turned, noticing that Brian had finished dressing and was staring at him.

"Nick, look, I'm sorry..."

"Save it." Nick hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and wiggled his fingers, impatient. "Just give me your card key."

Brian held it out, just far enough out of reach to force Nick to look at him squarely. "Nick, come on, don't act..."

"What?" interrupted Nick. "Mad...happy...sad? What?"

Brian frowned. "...like this," he finished.

"Aww, too bad," he said curtly, grabbing at the card and heading for the door. "Maybe when you guys stop all this shit, I'll stop acting like this."

"Like a total asshole?"

Nick stopped abruptly, hearing the bitter resentment in Brian's voice and spun on his heel. Brian's head was turned slightly, the diffused light of the room casting a shadow, making it hard for Nick to see his face clearly. A slight tremor shimmered through Brian's body and Nick's brow knitted in concern, noticing that Brian's shoulders were shaking.

"Brian?"

Brian stood rooted to the spot, ignoring Nick.

"Brian?"

Nick watched as Brian turned quickly away from him. The shaking had stopped. The droop of Brian's head, the slack in his shoulders, was now the only thing Nick could see.

"Dude...you sick?"

"Get the fuck out."

Brian's voice was low, filled with such venom that Nick was startled by the intensity of it.

"Hey..."

"Are you also as stupid as you look?"

There was no denying the cruel tone in Brian's words. Nick flinched, his mouth setting into a thin line. He looked once at AJ, who was lightly snoring on the bed then back to Brian, who still had not turned around.

"Fuck you, Brian. Go to hell." Tightening his grip around the key card, Nick marched out, not giving a second glance as the door closed behind him.

***********************************************************

A hand was touching him. Not a warm hand, not a gentle hand, but a hand that seemed to be exploring, inspecting his arm with a probing touch. AJ's mind tried to analyze it, tried to question what was going on, but he was too tired to think, too tired to even open his eyes to see who might be gripping his shoulder.

I'll ask Brian later...he thought hazily, trying unsuccessfully to shift away from the cold touch. Ask Brian...

AJ's eyes snapped open, fearful, his arms flailing wildly as he struggled frantically to sit up. His fist hit something, made contact with a solid whack, but he was still too groggy, too disoriented to figure out what he had struck.

Scooting quickly back in bed, AJ rubbed his eyes, blurry from sleep. Brian sat on the edge, holding his jaw, a bewildered and stunned expression on his face.

"Damn, AJ, thanks a lot."

"Wha...what's going on? Did I just hit you?"

"Uh, yeah! You were asleep. I was trying to wake you. You slugged me!" accused Brian.

AJ's mind raced. He had fallen asleep. Shit! That was not good. After all that had happened, he had zonked out, leaving himself vulnerable. He stared at Brian, who was still gingerly rubbing his jaw. He hit Brian. Why? He remembered being touched. Brian's touch. Trying to wake him up. But it didn't feel like someone trying to wake him up. It felt like...AJ panicked. "Brian, where's Nick?"

Brian dropped his hand, looking around. "Uh, I guess he left."

"You guess?"

Brian looked uncomfortable. "Yeah. He was acting like a jerk. Pissed me off." AJ could see the confusion on Brian's face, trying to recall. "I think I gave Nick my card key. I can't remember."

AJ quickly put two and two together and shuddered inwardly. Nick had made Brian angry. Brian had blanked out. Somehow, Nick managed to leave, unscathed. AJ suddenly felt like making the sign of the cross. Nick was one very lucky son of a bitch.

AJ could see Brian's intense frown, knew that Brian was probably coming to the same conclusion as himself. Brian began to scour the room, in search of something, looking nervous. "AJ, where's that stuff you bought?"

"Stuff?"

"The rope," Brian reminded. "The...uh, handcuffs."

"Oh." AJ hopped off the bed, hearing the urgency in Brian's voice. "Yeah. I think I left it in your room. Be right back." He rushed out the hotel room, hurrying down the corridor. A few sharp raps brought Nick to the door, a sour expression plastered on his face.

"What? You changed your mind and want your room back?"

AJ ignored the sarcasm, pushing his way in. "I left something in here."

Nick bent down to pick up the bag that was near his foot. "You mean this?" He swung the bag back and forth. "Some pretty interesting shit, AJ. Does Brian know what you're planning?"

AJ grabbed the bag, pissed that Nick had peeked, pissed that Nick was leering. "Shut up," he growled. "You haven't a fucking clue as to what's going on." He left the room, hearing Nick hoot with derision. He ran back, not sure he should have left Brian alone for even those few moments. He entered and scanned the room, his heart in his throat when he couldn't find him. AJ ran into the adjoining room and breathed a sigh of relief. Brian was resting on the other bed, flipping channels with the remote. He looked up and sighed, turning the TV off.

"I guess we should hurry up and do this, huh?"

AJ felt as uncomfortable as Brian sounded. "Yeah." He fished out the rope and Brian stopped him.

"No, AJ, use the cuffs."

AJ nodded. Hell, he was no Boy Scout, he had no idea how to tie someone up. Relieved, he tossed the rope aside. The handcuffs made it easier, safer and they both knew it. AJ stood there, awkwardly fumbling with the cuffs. He cleared his throat. "Okay. Uh, well, do you need to use the..." he stopped, seeing Brian shake his head.

"All right."

He walked over to the side of the bed, examining the headboard. It was solidly built, ornate metal scrolling woven through the frame. Perfect. AJ reached over, snapping one ring securely into place and then turned to give Brian a questioning look. "Um, you gonna sleep on your back or stomach?"

Brian flipped onto his stomach, extended his hand, not saying a word as he buried his face into the pillow. Feeling even more uncomfortable about the situation, AJ slipped the other cuff over Brian's left wrist and tightened the ring. Neither one spoke as the finality of what was done set in.

AJ finally spoke. "Too tight, Rok?"

Brian mumbled a reply. AJ cocked his head to one side. "What?"

Brian turned to face him. "I said, don't lose the key."

AJ gave a relieved laugh, thankful that Brian could still joke at a time like this. “Yeah.”

He held up the small key and popped it in his mouth, pretending to swallow it.

“You’re such a riot.”

AJ gave another laugh. He started to leave then stopped and turned, his hand resting on the doorframe. Brian lay face down, his eyes closed, the glint of metal encased around his wrist. “Listen, man. I know things have been pretty rough. Try and get some sleep. We’ll figure this out tomorrow, okay?”

Brian shifted slightly. “Okay,” he mumbled, his eyes still closed.

AJ nodded and turned away. He stopped once more, ill at ease about leaving Brian all alone. “Say Bri...uh, you need anything? A drink? An extra blanket?”

“AJ, just go,” came Brian’s tired reply. “I’ll be fine. You’re only a room away. I’ll yell if I need anything.”

AJ left, juggling the small key in his hand. He studied it for a moment before making sure to strategically place it right next to the telephone. God help him if he lost it; he would never forgive himself if he wasn’t able to unlock the cuffs if there was a fire or something. He shuddered at the thought and made another careful note of its location.

AJ wavered, wondering whether or not to check up on Brian once more, just to make sure. Knowing he would feel like an idiot if Brian caught him, he strained to listen for any sound coming from the adjacent room. It seemed quiet. Satisfied, AJ prepared for bed as quickly as possible and with a huge sigh sunk into the soft depths of his warm bed. Damn, he was tired. Dead-tired, bone-tired, dog-tired and he knew when he got like this, two things happened. He either fell asleep immediately, or greeted the morning sun with blood-shot eyes.

Thankfully, the first happened.

*******************************************************

Nick stared up at the ceiling, now way beyond the point of being pissed. Damn! He couldn’t believe this. He was still awake. He had been lying here for hours, unable to fall asleep. He wanted to sleep; he was dying for some sleep. Well, no, actually he was really dying for some sex, but since he obviously wasn’t getting any, he should at least be getting some sleep, maybe having some wild sex dream. But now, as it stood, it looked like he was going to get neither. He punched his pillow a few times, out of frustration rather than to make it more comfortable.

Why couldn’t he fall asleep? He truly hated the fact that Kevin and Howie were always able to crash wherever and whenever they liked. He was the young one here, the so-called baby of the group. He should be able to sleep like one, dammit! But, oh no...

Nick flipped onto his side. Maybe it had to do with what was going on lately. Sure, he knew he was tense, stressed out over all the weird things that were happening with Brian, but he still had been able to sleep. But now with AJ in the picture, causing more trouble, siding with Brian, well, maybe their combined lunacy was starting to affect his own sanity.

Shit. Those two were a pair, for sure. Crazy as all get out. He was going to stay as far as he could away from them. That is, until they got over this whole stupid thing. He sure hoped it’d be soon.

Nick slugged his pillow once more, for good measure.

Man, he so did not need this crap right now.

And he really, really needed to get laid.

**********************************************************

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. AJ could sense it even before he managed to rouse himself fully awake. He struggled to fling off the covers, rolling out of bed with a quick flip. He blinked a few times, shook his head to remove the last wisps of sleep from his still groggy brain. He hugged his arms to his chest, shivering as the heat from his bed-warmed body met the cooler air of the room. He glanced around, seeing nothing out of place. So what woke him?

Fuck.

He knew exactly what.

In a panic, AJ rushed toward Brian’s room. Being a heavy sleeper, it frightened him to think that Brian might have been urgently calling out to him for several minutes before he managed to wake up.

“Brian, what’s...?”

AJ stopped dead in his tracks.

Brian was gone.

No, no it wasn’t possible. It…it couldn’t be.

Brian was gone.

Fear, along with total incredulity made him move forward to the edge of Brian’s bed. With trembling fingers he reached out and picked up the end of the dangling handcuff, the other half still firmly attached to the headboard. AJ stared at the unopened ring of steel in his hand with utter shock.

Somehow, someway, Brian had managed to free himself.

Brian was gone.

Oh, God.

AJ raced to find the baseball bat.

*******************************************************

With an automatic click, the heater kicked on, sending small wafts of warmth throughout the room. The television was on, the sound mute, the screen throwing subtle colors of light to illuminate the darkened room. The light was not necessary, nor was it needed for the standing figure to see the person who was sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep.

There was a dip in the mattress, a small give that did not disturb the sleeping form.

A hand reached over, stretching, extending to an impossible length to grab at the soft article lying to one side.

The hand paused, stationary for a moment as the figure turned over in his sleep, now settled comfortably on his back.

With a smile of no warmth, eyes that shone deep with an amber glow, Brian calmly pushed the pillow firmly on top of the sleeping face and pressed down hard.

******************************************************