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It was a simple Saturday morning, nothing out of the ordinary. The city was quiet, oddly quiet for this time of day. Streets that were usually brimming with people were now at a standstill. It's almost like the world stopped. At least that is how it felt for AJ Mc Lean as he sat impatiently twiddling his thumbs on the cold table of the bus. He wanted to sleep in today, just for a few extra minutes. He so seldom got the chance to set his alarm clock for any later than nine in the morning. Most kids his age, entering their freshman year of college, would look at the clock reading 8 am and throw it clear across the room. Not AJ though, sleeping in was not to be one of his perks, not for awhile anyway. This was a rare opportunity indeed. Rare and missed.

He sighed as he looked at the reason he was up early, staring back at him with the most pathetic expression on his face. Nick, the biggest pain in the ass Carter! Nick was the reason he couldn't sleep in like a real guy. Nick was the reason he had to sit here and twiddle his thumbs, Nick was the reason...

"Well?" AJ looked up from his hands to look down at the kid. Who had placed his head on the table in a moment of total desperation. "Well what?" He said trying to not lose his cool with the moody teenager. He had a rough go of it for the last few days, being sick and on the road. That's what he had to keep in the back of his mind to avoid reaching over and slamming the blonde's head against the table a couple of hundred times.

"Are you gonna go for me like you promised?" AJ found himself banging HIS own head against the table much to the delight of the young Carter. "Nick, why didn't you just ask Brian to get them for you? You know he and Howie were going out!"

"I know but I didn't think of it" He paused to sneeze, "Besides You said you needed cigarettes right?" AJ stood up and stretched as he grabbed for his jacket, the last thing he wanted was to catch a cold at the start of Fall and the on coming tour. Too bad Nick didn't think that way. Too bad only because this way, AJ wouldn't find himself roaming around the streets of Manhattan trying to find some stupid cough medicine for a stupid ungrateful, pathetic looking, bratty teenager!

AJ picked up his wallet and made sure he had enough money inside, "Nick, how much do you think cough medicine is gonna cost?" The blank stare was Nick's only reply. "I better go to the bank then, you know you are a HUGE pain in the butt!" Nick made a pouty face, as AJ walked out the door. "Get the cherry kind!" He heard echo out the door amongst a shower of coughs. "Get the cherry kind! Unbelievable, he didn't even offer to pay! What a dink!" AJ mocked as he met the brisk morning head on.

It was a cold morning, and he found himself cursing Nick even more as he walked down the street only wearing his light black jacket. He stuck his hands in his pockets to try and warm them. It was only October, too early to be able to see your own breath. He looked up to try to get his bearings, figure out where the nearest ATM machine was so he could avoid a trip to the bank. The big parking lot the bus was parked in was for a church of some kind but when you looked around at what surrounded the place you had to wonder why God just didn't up and move. Stretches of xxx movie theaters lined the streets with an occasional Mc Donald's thrown in for good measure. xxx movie theater now there was a thought. He paused in front of a theater that was showing an interesting movie when he saw a young blonde walking towards him. He shook his head in disbelief!

"Nick, what the hell are you doing out here?" Nick walked up to AJ, jacket unbuttoned, no hat on his head, eyes watery and overall complexion pale. "I was bored and didn't want to be alone!"

"You didn't want to be alone? Then why didn't you go to the stupid ass drug store by yourself if you're well enough to be out here!" Nick just shrugged while he angled his head to look at the poster in the marquee of the theater. Covering Nick's eyes he pulled him up the road. "God Nick button up your jacket!" They walked a little further finally coming to an ATM machine. AJ went for his card only to come up empty handed. He panicked looking all over the place for it. "Oh are you looking for your Mac card?"

"Yes"

"It's on the bus"

"What do you mean it's on the bus?"

"You left it on the table"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you said you were going to the bank, I figured you wouldn't need your card" AJ just stood there staring at the kid in disbelief. "I'm sorry J I really am, I'll go back and get it if you want!" He sounded so sincere AJ had to smile. "Nah, let's just go to the bank. Those machines charge huge fees anyway. They turned around and started to head up the street, at least that was the direction they saw the other guys going.

Kevin, Howie and Brian had to go to the bank this morning, the funny thing was so did He. He needed money but it was so warm and cozy in his bunk that when Kevin stuck his head in and tried to wake him, AJ only stirred. He kind of remembered Kevin telling him to keep an eye on Nick, vaguely, until Nick himself had popped his head in not two minutes later begging him for cough and cold medicine.

That brought him to his current situation, roaming around the streets of New York in a not so nice section of town with a 16 year old kid who didn't even have the sense to zip up his jacket in freezing temperatures. Wonderful AJ wonderful!

"I think I see a bank over there" Nick said while motioning with his hand for AJ to follow him across the street. Sure enough there was the bank and the very one that the other guys were at too. Through the window they were able to see the older guys waiting patiently on a line that didn't seem to be moving at all. "I hate banks!" AJ said as he stepped inside.

The Muzak was enough to want to make him gag. He wondered to himself why places that insisted you wait for everything played the worst music on the planet. It made no sense. None at all. He smiled at the guys and walked over to join them. They seemed surprised that AJ and Nick were there. There were at least ten people on line for only two tellers. Kind of small amount for such a big bank. It was cold in there too. Not toasty warm as the brown and green interior would have you guess.

"What are the two of you doing here?" Kevin asked, directing his gaze at AJ. Feeling like he was going to get the blame for just doing a good deed, AJ pointed at Nick, "He needed cough medicine, so I need money!" Seeing that answer was acceptable to Kevin, AJ breathed a sigh of relief. There was NO way he was gonna get in trouble this early in the morning. Kevin now fixated on Nick, "And why are you out? Didn't I tell you to stay in the bus?" Hands firmly placed in his pockets and bouncing to keep warm, Nick only shrugged. This brought a laugh from Brian who had been watching the scene with amusement. As they were leaving early this morning he already knew two things, one: Nick would wake up AJ almost instantly and two: He would find a way to drive J crazy. Looks like mission accomplished.

AJ took his place on line two people behind the rest of the guys. He heard frustrated sighs coming from directly in front of him, from a guy who was obviously already late. The man kept glaring at his watch and saying come on come on under his breath. Looking down at his own feet, AJ thought well served you right for getting up late buddy!

"J" He didn't want to look up, just wanted to forget the kid even existed, but Nick's constant muttering of his name finally made him glare back at the pain. "What is it?" Nick took a step back, "Man! You don't have to rip my head off, I just wanted to tell you I have to use the bathroom" Sometimes Nick's childlike ways, really irritated him. He couldn't understand why he acted almost five years younger than he was. He wasn't immature, when he wanted to be, Nick could act like he was actually a lot older than his years, but he enjoyed being a child. Nothing wrong with that I guess. Unless, you happened to he stuck here with him at this moment. "Okay, thanks for the bulletin" AJ knew what was coming next, he was only waiting, then finally, "Well, are you gonna come with me?" AJ laughed.

"Do I have to?" He looked at Nick and sure enough, there it was the sad blue puppy dog eyes staring back at him. "No, I guess you don't" He let out a huge sigh, "I guess I can go all by myself, alone in a big strange bank. Who knows what can be lurking around the corner, so scary and so..."

"Alright! I'll go!! YOU are the biggest.."

Nick laughed and finished for AJ, "I know pain in the butt!"

"No, actually ASS! you have graduated from a butt to an ass"

"Oh I feel so special! Thanks" He grabbed AJ in an embrace, much to the disgust of the man in front of them. He was not liking any of this. "I love you man!" Nick said kissing AJ on the cheek.

"Get off of me you freak!" AJ said pushing Nick away, "Do you boys mind?" The man said, sending death glares Nick and AJ's way. "Sorry" They both said in unison. Kevin looked annoyed at them. AJ let out a nervous laugh, "See, I knew you were gonna get us in trouble" He whispered to Nick as they walked towards the front entrance and down the long narrow hallway to the bathroom.

"Relax AJ, the guy just had an attitude" There were at least five cherry wood doors all with business type names attached to them, the bathrooms were all the way at the end of the long hallway. They entered totally oblivious to what would happen next.

While AJ laid his head against the cold green tiled wall, He closed his eyes picturing himself asleep in his warm and cozy bunk. The sound of a tinkling Nick in the background. He would go get the kid his cough medicine, preferably one that would knock him the hell out for a few hours, and then he would get some more rest. Peace and quiet. Ah that would be nice.

Then a huge sound knocked him out of his comfort zone. It sounded like glass breaking, and were people screaming? He thought he heard people screaming. He opened the bathroom door slightly and although he was too far away to see what was going on, he heard it. A man..actually several men, telling everybody to drop to the floor. His heart started to beat double time in his chest as he slowly closed the door, and made his way over to the humming Nick's stall. He knocked on the door quietly and cautiously, "Nick" He whispered. Nick was too wrapped up in his humming to hear anything, so AJ tried again, this time a little louder, "Nick!" He stopped humming and flushed the toilet. As soon as he walked out of the stall he grabbed Nick by the arm, "Shhhh" Nick laughed, what kind of a silly game was this? He continued to walk over to wash his hands, putting on the water and rubbing foamy soap all over them, "Nick, you have to be quiet" AJ said turning off the water leaving Nick with foamy hands. "What...why?" He said spoken at full voice. AJ placed a hand over the teens mouth, "I think the bank is being robbed"

At first Nick thought J was only teasing, until he took a minute to hear the cries and the commotion. They just stood there face to face, AJ's hand cupped onto Nick's mouth as the screaming continued in the background...