Chapter 50:

A Change in the Program

Nick felt Kevin accidentally jostle him as the guys ran off stage, the jittery streaks of blue lights dancing across their faces as they quickly struggled out of their outfits and into the last ones for the night. Kevin slapped Nick apologetically on the shoulder for his clumsiness and flashed him an index finger indicating one song, one more song, and the night was over, finished. Nick heaved a sigh of relief and grinned back at the dark-haired singer, nodding in agreement. A towel was shoved in front of his face and he took it gratefully, wiping the sweat off his forehead and neck, hurriedly glancing around for the others.

The stage crew were feverishly helping Howie and AJ to adjust their headsets and he craned his head around to hunt for Brian. Unable to locate him, he turned to AJ, who looked like he was also searching for Brian's whereabouts. Without warning, a mad eruption of screams arose from the audience, startling all four. The band began to play, the voice of Brian heard rising above it all.

Incredulous, Nick and AJ's eyes met, confirming their bewilderment. Nick hand signaled a question mark to AJ who shrugged his shoulders, unable to reply due to the blaring music. All four rapidly elbowed their way to the edge of the stage, astonished at the sudden change in program.

Howie leaned across AJ for a better look. "Look…" he breathed.

Brian was on the left side of the stage, bending over the edge, waving and singing to the crowd as the dancers swayed behind him. The music was something totally new to them, the song never heard before until now. The tempo was upbeat, the rhythm and style suggestive of the band Santana.

Opened-mouthed the four watched the intricate movements of the dancers, Brian intertwining himself between each dancer as he sang.

AJ listened, mesmerized. It was good, very good, but nothing like a Backstreet song. It was a song designed for one person and one person only, not a group of five.

"What does Brian think he's doing?" yelled Nick to the others, exasperated.

AJ knew. Heart sinking, he grabbed Nick's arm a moment for support, the shock hitting him hard. He knew without a doubt what Brian was doing because he himself had dreamed about it. Brian was leaving Backstreet. Going out on his own. The only difference was that AJ would never up and quit the band. His ties were too strong, his devotion to the guys too great. His plans were for the far future, when the Backstreet Boys were no longer a group. He felt his resentment grow as the picture began to fit together, like so many pieces of a puzzle falling into place. He understood now the reasoning behind Brian's strategy for a new look, a different style that would separate himself from the group. AJ gritted his teeth. It also explained Brian's recent behavior, his angry outbursts and sullen moods. Somewhere along the way Brian had also brought Xavier into it, possibly as his advisor, maybe more. Barely able to contain his anger he explained to Nick and the others."Guys, Brian is going to quit."

"Huh? What?" Kevin looked at AJ in disbelief. "Are you crazy? Brian wouldn't do that!"

AJ turned around to glare at Kevin, his face dark. "Oh, yeah? Think about it. Think hard." AJ jerked his thumb viciously at the stage. "So what's Brian doing, singing a new song? Did we know about it? No. And how about the way he's been acting lately, his association with Xavier? All strange."

"But," began Howie, upset.

AJ cut him off with a sharp slash of his hand."D," he growled, "I know. I know because it's what I want to do." He saw the shocked looks on his friend's faces and shook his head. "Not now! Someday, when Backstreet is no more, when we all decide to go our separate ways."

Howie nodded, remembering a long ago conversation he had with AJ. They had talked about 'what if' scenarios, each coming to the same conclusion that they would try individual careers once the group was finished.

Nick let out a harsh noise and all turned to stare at him. His blue eyes were filled with loathing, his face hardened with shock and anger as Brian's betrayal set in. "I'm gonna kill him," he stated, his voice heavy with bitterness.

Kevin sagged against the side of a steel pillar as if the support was the only thing keeping him up. "It makes sense," he spoke wearily, a look of hurt spreading across his face. He abruptly straightened up, his injured expression turning into one of rage as the music faded away and Brian rushed backstage, his face flush from the moment.

Furious, Kevin reached out to grab his cousin only to find AJ beating him to it, slamming Brian up a wall, his face mere inches from Brian's."You traitor!" he hissed savagely. "All this time, we were concerned about you but you were just jerking us around, weren't you?"

Stunned from the blow, his head swimming from the force of AJ's ambush, Brian began to struggle, only to feel himself being body-slammed again as AJ roughly pinning his shoulders against the hard wall. He felt, rather than saw Howie pull AJ away, screaming at AJ "not now!" as he shoved the whole group towards the stage for the final song. Howie grabbed Brian by his shirt, yanking harshly as he pulled him back on stage. The others followed and the music began, the routine so automatic by now, that it took little thought or effort to finish the song and say goodnight.

Whether the fans caught the mood of the five was questionable, but the grip on Brian's hand was not as they all bowed simultaneously to the crowd. Brian could feel the rage, the surge of anger course through Nick's hand as he crushed Brian's fingers mercilessly. Trying not to wince, he broke free of the grip and ran off the stage first, rubbing his hand painfully. Brian turned to see the other four exiting off stage, heard the frantic yells of the stage crew to "hurry" so that all five could run to the safety of their waiting bus before the music died.

AJ had other plans. Effectively blocking Brian's path down the hallway, he ignored the excited cries of the crews' "come on" and advanced menacingly toward the blond singer. AJ shoved Brian hard, causing him to stumble backwards a few steps. He shoved again, this time harder, and Brian would have lost his balance if not for the wall that he crashed into.

AJ ripped off his glasses, flinging them away. "Mind explaining yourself?" he screamed.

Brian braced himself against the wall and straightened up, praying for control. "What's there to explain?" he replied, his voice maddeningly calm.

Kevin rushed up to Brian, his hand pushed hard against Brian's shoulder. "Don't give us that!" he snarled, his green eyes glittering with anger. "You're up to something, aren't you?" Brian gazed into his cousin's eyes, not saying a word. Furious at Brian's silence, Kevin leaned closer. "Aren't you?"

AJ felt the nervous tug of a stage crew pulling at his sleeve, and turned away from Brian and Kevin, eyeing the now crowded hallway, irritated by the sudden swell of spectators. He spread his arms wide, pissed. "Is this any of your business? Get outta here, before somebody loses their job!" The hallway scattered quickly, leaving only the five Backstreet Boys.

Howie, who had been silent all this time, walked up to Brian. He glanced at Kevin, who was still fuming, waiting for Brian to answer. Howie reached over and pried Kevin's hand off his cousin's shoulder, wedging himself between the two. "Brian, don't screw around with us. Are you thinking about leaving the group?" Howie's voice was composed, his dark eyes commanding Brian to answer.

"Yes."

The simple answer, barely audible from Brian, drew a sharp breath from all four, stung by his confession.

Heart pounding, shaking from his admission, Brian watched in dark fascination as the scene around him took on a surreal, slow-motioned effect. Kevin backed away, the anger and shock registering on his face almost too painful for Brian to bear. He turned in a dreamlike motion to see the fierce loathing radiating from AJ's eyes, to view the incredible expression of betrayal coming from Howie. Brian seemed to be floating, his mind disconnect from his body. Feeling unsteady, he sought support, propping himself against the firm wall to search for the face of his best friend. Brian but had a second to locate Nick's position before he was tackled, the larger body of the youngest Backstreet Boy knocking Brian completely off his feet. Brian and Nick fell in a heap, a sharp pain shattering Brian out of his trance-like state as his left wrist snapped underneath his body. He felt Nick grab a portion of his shirt to haul him upright, felt the blow of Nick's fist smash across his mouth.

The pain that radiated from his wrist and lip was no match for the agony Brian felt when he saw Nick's face. It was one of raw hatred, the total destruction of their friendship exploding in one savage look.

"You lying son-of-a-bitch!" screamed Nick, his sobs of rage mixing in with his wild swings. Brian took the blows, not fighting back, hoping Nick's physical punches would numb his mental torment.

Three sets of hands ripped Nick bodily off Brian, holding the angry Backstreet Boy at bay.

"Nick!'' yelled Howie, as Kevin, AJ, and he struggled to keep Nick from lunging back at the fallen singer. "Nick! Stop it!"

Brian struggled to sit up, wincing at the razor sharp pain that lanced through his wrist. He switched to his right hand to push himself up, then staggered upright. He wiped the blood away from his cut lip with the sleeve of his shirt, breathing heavily. "Whose next?" he coughed, as he spat some blood onto the ground.

AJ let go of Nick and came up to Brian, trying to contain his anger. "Me, if I knew that would help." AJ leaned in closer, his voice low and clear as he poked Brian viciously in his chest."But how's this for starters, Bri? I'm not gonna let you go. In fact, none of us will. No matter how much shit you pull, you're staying with Backstreet. We haven't come this far to let you destroy the group."

The shock in Brian's expression was more than AJ could hope for. He watched as the bloodied young singer's face fell, almost swearing he read fear and disbelief in Brian's eyes. Brian turned his attention towards Nick, who was still being held back by Kevin and Howie. Nick nodded his approval and Brian slumped with defeat, hanging his head. AJ looked back at Kevin, Howie, and Nick, a smile of grim satisfaction spreading. His smile faded as his attention was caught by a massive shadow that was reclining quietly against the wall, the lone witness to the confrontation. AJ frowned, his temper frayed by Xavier's defiance to his order for everyone to leave. "Same thing goes for you, Xavier. I don't know what your little plan with Brian here is, but I can tell you it isn't going to work."

Xavier unfolded his arms that were wrapped across his chest and slowly came into view, his face calm and collected."Hey, I'm just as in the dark as you guys. I had no idea what Brian was up to."

AJ snorted his disbelief as Nick, Kevin, and Howie turned to look at the bodyguard in surprise. No one noticed the strange look Brian directed towards the bodyguard.

Xavier shrugged, his tone bored. "As you know, Brian hasn't been the easiest to bodyguard, what with that intruder and threats. When he asked me to help him out, get in shape, I didn't feel like I had the right to refuse his requests, even if they seemed a little strange. Hey, I've been thinking about asking management to reassign me for quite a while. I may bodyguard Brian, but I work for Backstreet."

AJ stared at Xavier, astounded by his declaration. Could it be possible that he was wrong about him? He shook his head, uncertain. He disliked Xavier, hell, he hated him, but he was the only one in the group who did. Could it have been borne out of his frustration with Brian's recent behavior? He noticed that Xavier had not come to Brian's rescue when Nick was pounding the shit out of him, nor did he seem particularly concerned about the bruised and bleeding Backstreet Boy right now. Too confused to consider the ramifications at the moment, AJ ignored the bodyguard and turned his attention to Brian.

Brian was looking over AJ's shoulder to stare at Xavier, dumbfounded. His mind reeled with the bodyguard's sudden confession, completely taken aback. What was going on? His mind raced for an explanation, knowing Xavier too well to believe his story. It would be just like Xavier to change the "game" completely, to throw Brian off-track. Ignoring the pain as his wrist began to throb in earnest, Brian berated himself for not realizing the possibility of Xavier outmaneuvering him. This was a game after all, guided by Xavier's whims, not rules. Brian now saw the logic in it, the brilliance in setting him up, of pitting one Backstreet Boy against the other. Now with Brian's betrayal, Xavier could enjoy the fruits of his labor by watching the disintegration of the trust, respect, and friendship Brian had with his bandmates. This pleasure would far outshine anything Brian had to offer Xavier by going solo, for now he had to endure the humiliation of staying with the group, knowing any hope of forgiveness from the guys was forever shattered. Xavier stared back at Brian, a hint of a smile quickly passing across the bodyguard's lips. That quick flicker of understanding between them was the only thing Brian needed to confirm his suspicions.

Xavier walked over to Brian, grabbing his wrist in a less than gentle manner and examined it. Brian gasped out in pain as Xavier nodded.

"Looks like you broke it," he stated off-handedly. "Better see a doctor." Xavier turned to talk to Nick, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You throw quite a punch," he commented as Brian caught a peculiar tone in his voice. Xavier glanced at the other three. "Looks like you guys need a diversion now to escape out of here. What do you say I create one?" With a flick of his hand he ushered the four down the hallway, no one pausing to glance back at the lone figure holding his broken wrist upright.

***

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