Let Me Set the Scene.... by Mare
Summary: A one shot about Nick's wedding as told through the other four guys. Yeah...I went there already. lol
Categories: Fanfiction > Backstreet Boys Characters: Group
Genres: Drama
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 2014 Read: 1163 Published: 04/17/14 Updated: 04/17/14

1. Let me set the scene.... by Mare

Let me set the scene.... by Mare
Author's Notes:
Hello! I know I haven't been around much but here's a little one shot I wrote about the wedding. Hope you enjoy!

Let me set the scene…

 

A man and a woman are about to walk down the aisle together, proclaiming their love, and admiration to each other. It is a simple wedding with no huge bells or whistles and nothing overly spectacular for a celebrity. It isn’t overdone, there’s not a lot of people in attendance, although you would think there should be and if this were about ten or fifteen years earlier, there would be. Not now though, now it’s just a simple little affair full of people who have one thing in common which simply put is a shared love for both the bride and groom.

Not many people thought this day would come. Especially his fellow Backstreet Boys.

Brian stood as close as he could, just within reach if Nick needed to look back to him for that last minute reassurance. Nick was always looking to him for that, even as a child. Thoughts like that consumed Brian’s mind as he watched his friend standing there, fidgeting while biting at his bottom lip. He looked serious, like a man on a mission.  He watched his baby brother stand nervously next to the justice of the peace waiting for his bride to be to make her first appearance.

His bride to be, just the thought alone brought an unexpected smile to his face. When Brian had been the one in this position, Nick was just a child really. He had no clue how his behavior was affecting his best friend. He had made it clear at every turn that he wasn’t happy about this marriage to Leighanne. “Things will never be the same between us anymore. She’ll always be in the way.” He had said the day he told his Frack that he had asked Leigh to marry him. No congratulations or I’m so happy for you, only a disapproving, “Hey, it’s your life…do what you want…I guess.”

Brian was hurt to the point that he barely spoke to Nick for two weeks. The kid would show up at his hotel room with basketball in hand, only to be shunned. Invitations to play video games or go get pizza were ignored. When Nick walked into the room, Brian walked out. All the while, the twenty year old was completely clueless. One day he barged into Brian and Leigh’s room demanding answers, tears gleaming in his eyes as he asked why his best friend suddenly hated him.

“It’s her, isn’t it? She doesn’t like me so now you don’t either!” he had said while crossing his arms in front of himself.

Brian shook his head in disgust, “Nick, she has nothing to do with this. This is between you and I.”

“I didn’t do anything to you!” He tilted his head like a confused pup.

“That’s exactly right. You didn’t. Frack…I just made the biggest life changing decision ever and you were the first person I told because you are my best friend and all you did was roll your eyes. How do you think that made me feel?” He tried not to cry but his voice cracked a little which caught Nick off guard.

“I…uh…I didn’t think…” Nick stammered.

“You never do.”

Brian turned away at that point, surprised by his own vulnerability. Within a few beats he felt the warmth of Nick’s hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry…” it was so soft the words almost dissipated as they left his mouth.

He gripped the hand of his wife a little tighter and she smiled at him just as the music finally began to play.

~*~

Just a few seats down from Brian sat AJ. He kept nervously messaging his legs as he waited to see his baby girl walking down the aisle with her basket of flowers, just like they had rehearsed the night before. He was pleasantly surprised when Nick approached him with the idea. “Lauren and I would love it if Ava was our flower girl. Would that be okay with you, man?” He had asked while they were waiting to go on stage for one of their many sound checks leading up to the European leg of the tour.

AJ was hurt when he wasn’t asked to be in the bridal party himself. He had almost taken it for granted that he was going to be an immediate part of the action. It came as a big shock when Howie had mentioned that Nick had asked him over a month ago.  He was baffled and went to both Kevin and Brian and asked them if they were going to be groomsmen and truthfully felt better when they both said no.

He didn’t understand how Nick could leave them out of the most important day of his life and on a whim, decided to ask after giving his blessing for his baby to be a part instead.

At first Nick seemed surprised by the question and then he slowly nodded, “I’m sorry AJ. I didn’t mean for you to feel excluded. It’s just that you are such an important part of my life…and…” He paused and pushed his hand through his hair. One of his tells when he was about to say something he found difficult. “My family…there’s been a lot of drama and well…no one is coming.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, man.”

Nick placed his hand up in a gesture to stop, “Don’t worry about that. I guess I just wanted you guys to witness it. If all of you were standing beside me, none of you would have actually been watching.” He waited for a second before continuing, “I know that sounds stupid but…I just wanted you all to be my family.”

There seemed to be no logic in the statement at all but it made total sense to AJ. In Nick’s world, no one was ever on his side. It has always been Nick versus the universe. Maybe if the three of them weren’t in the crowd watching he would have felt like everyone would have been there for Lauren and not him. It’s a twisted way to think but after enduring what he has growing up, it made perfect sense. So, he played his roll. He was kind of glad he did too because he had a perfect view of little Ava as she waddled slowly down the aisle, throwing purple petals as she went.

~*~

Just around the corner as the wedding procession slowly began to move, stood Howie, smiling wide but nervous on the inside. He had held Nick’s hand throughout this entire process. He felt like the invisible third person in this little love affair. Once their relationship really started escalating from just a casual fling into something more serious, it was Howie who brought it to his younger friend’s attention.

“You are different around her. She makes you lighter, happier.”

Nick had nodded in immediate understanding, “I think I am in love with her, D.” He had admitted, “I’m in love with her and it scares me to death.”

Howie smiled and placed a loving hand on his friend’s shoulder, “You are not your parents, Kiddo.”

“What if I am?”

“You aren’t.”

“What if she leaves?”

“Don’t’ let her.”

He watched with pride as his baby brother went through a metamorphosis. The anger, sadness and anxiety just seemed to go away as he grew closer to Lauren. Not to say she was the immediate cause of all of this. She wasn’t some miracle worker or anything but just having someone there around him, a constant source of love and support was what helped him finally fit in his own skin.

They had their fair share of arguments and even broke up once or twice for a day or two. On those days, the Old Nick, the one always lurking in the shadows with beer in hand, would try to make an appearance. Howie wouldn’t let that happen though. “You’re better than this.” He would warn. “Don’t go back to that dark place.”

“I’m nothing without Lauren.”

“That’s not true.”

Nick had looked up at his friend through tear filled eyes, “How could you say that?”

“You are an incredible kid, with or without Lauren. She just happens to bring out the best in you and you do the same for her.”

“What if she doesn’t come back this time?”

“She will because she always does.”

“But…”

“Nicky…if you don’t want to lose her, than do something about it.”

And a few days later it was Howie who helped him pick out the perfect ring for his bride to be.

As he rounded the corner he saw Nick smiling wide with his arms down at his side, stance of a confident and sure young man. He was so overcome with pride he almost broke out of his spot and hugged him as he passed him by, but instead he did the only thing he could think of to do to convey how proud he was of his best friend and how much he truly did love him.

He winked.

~*~

A few rows back and just to the left was Kevin Richardson. He was holding the hand of his wife as tears steadily streamed down his face. “You’re a mess and the ceremony hasn’t even started yet. Am I going to have to scrape you off the floor after this?” She joked.

“I never thought he’d have one of these.” He admitted just as the entrance music started and Lauren slowly made her way down the aisle.

Thoughts flooded his mind as he concentrated his gaze on his friend while everyone else was looking at the bride. The first time he met this child he really didn’t like him at all. He didn’t think he’d be able to endure a month of dealing with Nick, let alone twenty years. There were times he could honestly say he even hated the kid and to even think those things made him feel bad. It was true though. He just wasn’t a fan at first.

As he did slowly learn to love the youngest member of the group, their relationship took on a complexity that only the two of them were able to understand. It was never the traditional friend’s relationship. There was too big of an age difference for that, both physically and emotionally. They had more of a mentor, student relationship. After a few years, that morphed into a brotherly one. They never really hung out or spent a lot of quality time with each other, but when there was a crisis, it was Kevin who Nick sought out.

Kevin felt oddly protective of the youngest, even when he was the one who usually threatened to kill him most of the time. If anyone else tried to hurt him, no matter how he might have felt about the kid at that particular moment, he found himself right there defending him.

He watched with heartbreak as Nick’s life slowly went down the toilet. His heavy drinking and drug use plus episodes of violence were almost too much to bear. He wanted to look away, distance himself, but he just couldn’t do it. So, he helped any way he could.

When Nick found Lauren and fell in love, Kevin let out a sigh of relief.

“A wedding?”

Kevin looked over at his wife. “Huh?”

“You said you never thought Nick would have one of these. You mean a wedding?”

Kevin looked over at his friend one more time just as he grabbed Lauren’s hand away from her father’s. Then he turned his attention back to Kristin “No, not the wedding,” He wiped away another few tears as he continued, “A happy ending.”

 

 

 

 

End Notes:
Thanks for reading! Just to give you an update. I have been working on a new story. It's a back in the day fic which features Kevin, Howie and Nick. It's been slow going but I hope to maybe start posting sometime in May. :O) Hope to see some of you there! Also don't forget about this year's summer reading challenge. Sign ups will start for that in May! Until then...adios!
This story archived at http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=11270