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Toby had sweated out the virus overnight and was feeling much better.  He was still a little weak but would take it easy today.  He slept like a corpse, not moving once.  Gus checked on him often, once even placing his hand over Toby’s heart to make sure it was still beating. 

Toby slipped out of the bunk silently, leaving the others to sleep.  He grabbed some juice from the fridge and sipped it.  He felt his forehead…the fever was gone.  He blew his nose as quietly as he could.  Then he checked his watch.  They’d be pulling in soon.  He slipped into his clothes and moved up the bus.  He sat in the living room in the dark until the bus stopped.  He almost fell asleep again but got up immediately when the bus halted.  He slid the curtain aside quietly and motioned to the driver to open the door.

“Hey, Jeff!” he said, as he boarded Nick’s bus.  “Yeah, I’m feeling better.  Man, I went out like a light.  Everything okay over here?”

“Oh, yeah, a quiet night.  You know, talking themselves down from the performance and then going to bed…to sleep.”  Jeff could have kicked himself for adding the last bit.

“Hi, Mel,” said Toby, and then he looked at Jeff.  “Is she caffeinated yet?”

“Har de har, Toby,” laughed Melody.  “Yeah, I just finished my second cup.”

“I guess it’s safe to come on board then,” said the personal assistant, who really wanted to sit down.  His knees were weak, and he was shaking.

“Sit down before you fall down,” said Jeff, indicating a chair.  “Shit, Toby, you’re so pale, you’re almost transparent.”

“I’m okay,” said Toby weakly, but he sank gratefully into the chair. 

Mel placed her hand on his forehead and the side of his face.  “You’re not hot,” she said.

“Yeah, I hear that all the time,” answered Toby, with a small grin. 

Mel smiled back at him.  It was the first time he had ever joked with her.  Man, he must be sick!

“Yo, Toby!  How’re you feeling?”  Nick spoke to him from the doorway of the kitchen.  He wasn’t going near the P.A. until he was sure Toby didn’t have the plague.

“I’m good,” answered Toby, looking around dazedly.  “Where’s my clipboard?”

“Okay, that’s it,” said Jeff.  “You are going straight to the hotel and to bed.”

“No, no, I’m okay…” Toby protested.  “I have to confirm the car for tonight.  I need the number.”

“Gus can do that,” said Mel.

“Yeah, but I have to check on Nick’s date…what she’s wearing…”

Nick opened his mouth to say something, but a look from Mel stopped him. 

“Gus can do that too,” said Jeff.

“Yeah, but…”

“Gus can do it all.  Sorry, Guys, he got past me.”  Gus stepped up onto the bus.  He looked tired.

“Rough night?” asked Jeff, nodding over at Toby.

Gus shook his head.  “Nah, he was okay…slept right through it.  I just kinda…kept checking on him…you know…”  He yawned.  “I just need some coffee.”

“Coming right up,” said Nick, disappearing into the kitchen.  He returned to find Jeff and Toby gone.

“Jeff’s putting him back to bed,” said Melody.  “He can sleep on the bus until we can check in at the hotel.”

Gus held up the clipboard.  “I guess I’ve got a battlefield promotion.  I won’t let you down, SIR!”  He snapped off a salute. 

Nick handed him his coffee, laughing.  “You’re a nut, Gus!”  Then he added pompously, “But I have absolute faith in your abilities.  I believe the troops are safe in your care.”

The three of them laughed and took seats in the living room.

“Seriously…” said Gus, and he started going over the items for the day.  The show was tomorrow night.  Today would be filled with the usual publicity items…interviews, meet-and-greets and such…and a party tonight…

Nick sighed.  “Do I have to?” 

Both Melody and Gus nodded at him.

“Let’s see…” said Gus, “who’s the flavor of the month this time?  Whoa…Britney’s in town!”

Nick came halfway out of his seat, one hand held up in protest.

“Just kidding, just kidding,” said Gus.  He winked at Mel, who snorted with laughter.

“You think it’s funny,” Nick addressed the two of them.  “But it’s not.  For some reason, they keep trying to put us together…the press, I mean.  They once glued together two pictures of us that weren’t even taken on the same continent.  What’s up with that?”

“Why, you would just be the loveliest pop duo, now wouldn’t you?” laughed Gus.  “The King and Queen of Blond!”  He stopped suddenly, realizing that Nick wasn’t amused.  “Sorry!  I guess she’s not your type.”

Nick waved a hand.  “Nah, it’s the whole Backstreet vs NSYNC thing, that’s all.”

“Well, don’t worry about that,” said Gus.  “Now that Justin’s got himself an older woman, no one will be comparing the two of you.”  He stopped abruptly, realizing what he had said.  “Do either of you have a gun?” he asked, “Because I would really, really like to shoot myself now.”

Melody and Nick pretended ignorance and moved on quickly.

“So who is the lucky damsel then?” asked Melody.

Gus lifted a page on the clipboard and ran his finger down the next one.  “Ummm…hey, it’s Marisa Tang again!  You okay with that, Nick?”

Nick shrugged.  “Sure.  Whatever.  What’s she wearing?”

“No problems, there.  She got the word last time.  She knows enough not to…flaunt it all.  And it’s a society thing…not showbiz…  Her stylist will take care of it.  Okay, if that’s all, I’ll leave you to your coffee.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m not going!”

“Yes, you are!”

They had been arguing for five minutes.  Nick was adamant that he was not attending the party with Marisa Tang…or anyone else for that matter, unless it was Mel.

“I’m not going if I can’t go with you.”

“Well, you are going, and you can’t go with me.”

“Why not?”  Nick hadn’t received a satisfactory answer to this.

Melody sighed.  “Because Rafe will find out.”

“So what?”  Why did Rafe’s name have to come into it?

“So it doesn’t fit in with his plans for you.”

“What plans?”  As long as the plans were for him and not Mel, Nick was willing to listen.

“The plans to make you a superstar…a young, blond god…a sexy, single playboy…”

Nick thought about it.  “He didn’t mind Tamara,” he countered.  Hah!  So there!

“You and Tamara were just friends.  You both said it often enough.  And you looked so good together…”

“We look good together,” said Nick, and he knew he was losing the argument.  His voice was becoming petulant.

Mel stood up and walked over to him.  She leaned over him, placing her hands on his shoulders.    “No, we don’t.  The best thing that can be said about the way we look is that it won’t be hard for all the Internet fans to cut me out of the picture.  And that’s not the point.”

“What’s the point?”

“The point is...” Melody lowered her head and kissed him.  Nick put his hands on her waist and held her.  “The point is…do you want to come to my room tonight or not?”  She kissed him again.

“You know I do…” he murmured.

“Then say ‘hi’ to Marisa for me,” she said, backing away from him.

Nick opened his mouth to protest, but stopped.  They heard loud whistling, and then Jeff stepped up onto the bus.

“Thinking of getting yourself a cow bell?” asked Melody, with a laugh.

“Maybe,” countered Jeff.

“Well, it’s not necessary,” said Melody.

“Look, I want to say something here,” said the bodyguard.  “I might be totally out of line, but I’m going to say it anyway.  Please bear with me and then fire me, if you must…I see something happening here…between the two of you…something that I am totally on board with, by the way.  You two do what you want to do, what you have to do… your secret is safe with me.  I’ll help you in any way I can. I’ll lie for you…or I’ll shout it from the rooftops, if you want.  Just tell me.  ‘Cause Nick, my job is to protect you…and I can’t do that if I don’t know where you are.”

Nick nodded solemnly.  Melody looked at the floor.

“Okay?”  The bodyguard insisted on an answer.

“Okay,” said Nick.  He had been down this road before.  He remembered the frantic searches for AJ near the end of his long descent into horror.

“Okay, Jeff,” said Melody.  “Nick needs you to accompany him to the party tonight…him and Marisa Tang.”

Jeff nodded.  “Okay.”  He looked over at Nick, who sighed and conceded with a nod.

“And then when I bring him back…” Jeff continued,  “…can I break into his mini-bar and eat all the chocolate?”

“Oh yeah,” said Melody, “he won’t be there to stop you.”

The three people looked at each other and nodded.  They entered a silent conspiracy.  Each prayed that they would all survive it.