Chapter 9

A few hours later, the gang was sitting around Nick's suite with drinks in hand, all trying to hide how nervous they truly felt.

"Should we watch a movie?" Kevin asked, looking around the room. "No?"

"He's going to come back, I know it," AJ muttered. He'd been sitting at Tara's computer for the last hour, staring at the Backstreet chatroom.

"I don't know, AJ, today was the first time I'd seen him in there in while, it was like he knew I was looking for him," Tara said, shaking her head. "Who knows when he'll be back, after what Nick said."

"Dammit, Nick," Howie glared at the blonde. "Stupid."

"Fuck you," Nick returned the icy glare. "You're not the one he's threatening to rape, ok?"

Howie opened his mouth to reply, then shut it, his eyes falling to the floor.

"We can't start fighting with each other, we're all scared," Brian said softly. "But we gotta stick together."

"Watch a movie, get your mind off of this," Kevin said firmly, standing up to turn on the television.

"No, dammit," Nick stood up and began pacing back and forth. "I want to do something. Hit something, anything, kill that guy…"

"I brought a game," Tara walked over to Nick, smiling. "My favorite game in the whole world."

"What game?" Nick stopped pacing and looked at her. "I'm not really in the mood for a game."

"You'll like this one," she pulled the box out of her suitcase and grinned. "I'll need to kick AJ off of my laptop, unless you have two computers, but, you'll like."

"You can use mine," Kevin offered. "It's in my room. I'm gonna put a movie on anyway."

"Thanks," Nick accepted the key Kevin threw at him, and waved to Tara. "Let's go get."

Tara followed Nick out of the room, nodding at the bodyguards stationed in the hallway. "You'll like this game, I promise."

"Good," Nick opened the door to Kevin's room and walked in, his eyes scanning the spacious suite for the computer. "And where would it be…ah ha." He spied it on a table and picked it up with a triumphant grin.

Tara looked around the room, gasping when she saw the writing that had been sprawled on the mirror set into the wall. "Nick," she said softly, pointing. "Look…"

Nick turned around, his eyes widening when he read the writing. "Don't assume? What the fuck does that mean?"

"I don't know," she replied fearfully. "Let's get out of here."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Nick shuddered, and put a hand on Tara's back, guiding her out of the room. They returned to his suite, Nick telling them what he'd found before they were completely inside the door.

"Don't assume?" Kevin frowned, shaking his head. "What's that mean?"

"We assumed the third strike was about me," Howie looked at Kevin, his eyes wide. "You don't sing much either."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't try to hurt Kristen again…." Kevin's face paled, and he grabbed for the phone, quickly dialing his wife. "Baby? Are you ok?"

Everyone watched as Kevin spoke with his wife, all of them unable to believe how much this guy was beginning to terrify them.

"So, um, we gonna play that game?" Nick said hesitantly, looking at Tara. "I'm gonna go nuts if I do nothing for another second."

"Sure," she nodded, and gestured to the table. "Let's set this up."

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

"Can you guys keep it down?" Brian grumbled, trying to pay attention to the movie Kevin had selected, but it was hard, with Nick and Tara screaming at each other.

"Die, asshole!" Tara screamed, her eyes fixed on her computer screen as she ran after Kaos and attacked him with his rocket launcher.

"Bitch," Nick hissed, firing on Katchoo with his shotgun as he tried to jump away from the rockets. He screamed in frustration when he heard a dull click, which he'd quickly learned meant he was out of ammunition.

Tara quickly switched to her railgun, and shot it through Kaos' head. "Easy shot," she said confidently.

"Bitch," he repeated, hitting his mouse rapidly until his character respawned. "You're not that good at this," he said, running from her character on screen as he looked around for a weapon and armor.

"No, I'm not good, that's why I'm kicking your sorry ass," Tara snickered, chasing him down and killing him in one shot.

"That's a rather violent game," Howie remarked, watching over Tara's shoulders as pieces of Kaos' body flew around the screen.

"It's awesome," she smiled at him. "Want to try?"

He shook his head, "Naw, it's a lot more fun watching you kill Nicky."

Nick frowned, and smacked his mouse on the table. "That's it! Katchoo dies!"

"Dead Kaos," she teased.

"Keep it down, kids," Kevin called from his spot with Brian in front of the television. "We're trying to watch a movie here."

"Bite me, Kevin," Nick muttered, howling in frustration when he fell into a vat of lava. He pushed himself back from the table as loud screams emanated from his computer, finally admitting defeat. "Ok, ok, you win."

Tara stood up and walked over to Nick's side of the table, grinning from ear to ear. "Say that again? Not quite sure I heard you completely?"

"I said, you won," he said grudgingly.

"And what's my nickname?"

"Katchoo." He looked her up and down and made a face. "Dunno, you look more like Francine to me…"

Tara's eyes widened, and she smacked his shoulder. "Asshole."

"Good comic," he stood up and smirked. "But you're Francine."

"The nickname is Katchoo."

"Francine."

"And I was referring to another one, anyway!" She glared at him, shaking her head. "Nick!"

"Call her the gaming goddess, Nicky," AJ advised, laughing at the two of them. "And what kind of a name is Katchoo?"

"Katrina Choovanski," Nick and Tara said in unison, before looking at each other and erupting into giggles. "Strangers in Paradise," Nick continued to explain between giggles. "It's a comic. A good comic."

"God, you read comics too?" Howie looked at Tara, shaking his head slowly. "The last thing we needed around here was another Nicky."

"Gee, thanks," Nick said sarcastically, grabbing two beers from the mini bar. He threw one at Tara, smirking when she almost dropped it. "Watch yourself there, Francine."

"Oh blow me, Kaos," she rolled her eyes. "At least my nickname comes from something intended for someone over the age of 12."

"Excuse me?" He popped the top on his beer, and took a deep sip before continuing. "What the hell is wrong with Kaos?"

"Nothing, except it's from Sonic the Hedgehog. A little young, don't you think?" Tara opened her own beer, laughing when Nick wrinkled his nose at her. "Adult games are so much more fun, dontcha think?"

"So this is an adult game?" Howie had taken Tara's seat at the computer, and was trying to navigate the character around on screen. He groaned as loud screams began to leave the computer's speakers, "so that's lava?"

"Yeah. It'll frag you in a heartbeat," she told him with a grin. "Stay out of it."

"I give up, I'm going back to my room," Howie sighed, and stood up. "I'm drunk, and tired, and sick of watching you two flirt." He left the room without another word, his feet dragging slowly.

Tara blushed fiercely and turned away from Nick, staring down at the floor. "Was not flirting."

"Was too," he shot back, grabbing her arm and pulling her onto a couch with him. "Sit."

"I am not attracted to pretty boys," she said bluntly, knocking him in the head with her beer bottle. "And you, Kaos, are a pretty boy."

AJ hooted with laughter, "she's got ya there, Nicky, you're just so pretty…."

"See?" Tara smirked. "One pretty boy knows another."

"Oh, now you're asking for it," AJ frowned, glaring at her. "I am not a pretty boy."

"You all are," she swept the room with her arm, including Brian and Kevin in her comments. "Come on, you're Backstreet Boys. Don't get much prettier."

"You are such the pretty boy, Bone," Nick argued. "Nobody except a pretty boy would paint on a beard, ok?"

"You're just jealous because I can grow one," AJ retorted, walking over to Nick and rubbing the stubble under his chin. "Look at that peach fuzz."

"Get off of me," Nick shoved AJ away with a laugh. "I like my fuzz."

"Will you PLEASE keep it down?" Kevin tried to get them to quiet down again, rolling his eyes when AJ just stared at him dully. "Movie?"

"Peach fuzz?" AJ shot back, grinning at Tara when she began to laugh uncontrollably. "Not Kevin though, he's got a full on bush growing there."

"What?" Kevin stared at them, clueless. His brow furrowed, and he stared at Tara, totally confused when that just made her laugh harder. "What have you two been doing to her?"

"Getting her drunk, seems like," Brian advised his cousin.

"I'm not drunk," she argued, biting her lip to stop her giggles.

"Sure you're not," Kevin replied, laughing at her red face.

"Maybe just a little," Tara admitted, shaking her head. "But hey, I kicked Kaos' ass. Isn't that worth something?"

"If it wasn't something we all did so regularly…" AJ started, but Nick tackled him before he could finish the sentence, sending him flying to the floor.

"Kids," Kevin rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Alright, I think this party's over," he stood up and stretched, realizing he was never going to finish watching the movie.

Tara watched, laughing hysterically, as AJ and Nick tumbled around on the floor, each trying to mash the other's face into the carpet. "They always like this?" She asked Brian, laughing harder when he just nodded solemnly.

"Sad, isn't it?" Brian asked, watching them with a grin on his face.

"Hysterical," she replied.

Nick ended up sitting on top of AJ, and waved to Tara to hand him a beer. He held it over AJ's head, threatening to pour it all over him until he admitted he was a pretty boy. "No? No? Well, then, bone, why don't ya want beer on you?"

"You're gonna ruin my shirt, man, stop it!" AJ howled, his legs kicking in the air helplessly.

"Only pretty boys worry about their clothes," Nick told him with a giggle. "So, pretty boy? Pretty boy?"

AJ opened his mouth to reply, but could only stare at Nick in horror when a loud scream filled the air.

"Oh god," Kevin ran for the door at top speed, throwing it open and running into the hallway. "Howie!"

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