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Nick had woken up and looked up at his husband. Kevin was still sleeping and had his arms around Nick's waist. The young man carefully extricated himself from the older man's arms. Nick eased himself up from the bed and grabbed his robe. He slipped it on and stepped into his slippers. He looked at the time and noticed that it was 8:10AM. Kevin and he had talked and then made love a few times throughout the night. Nick missed the lovemaking sessions and was glad that Kevin and he were able to reconnect with each other sexually and physically. He walked out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

When Nick arrived downstairs, he went to go turn the television on. He grabbed the remote and hit the power button. When he was about to go into the kitchen, the phone rang and he frowned at it. He wondered who was calling. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was his father. He frowned slightly and wondered what was going on. He hit the Talk button and replied, "Hello." He remembered that his parents and sisters were flying back from Boston to Los Angeles. They had gone there for a convention that was a part of Robert's company.

Robert Carter held the phone in his hand tightly and looked over at his wife and three daughters and knew that they were scared at what was about to happen. He sighed, knowing that his eldest son was about to be devastated with the news. "Nick, your mother, sisters and I are on Flight 11 right now. We won't be heading to Los Angeles like we wanted to. Our flight has been taken over by terrorists, Nicky. They're going to crash the plane into the World Trade Center," Robert replied and looked over at Lisa, Bobbie Jean, Angel, and Leslie. All of them had tears streaming down their faces and he joined them in crying. "Nick, are you there?" He asked.

Robert waited for his pregnant son to answer. The silence from Nick was overwhelming his senses. Finally, he heard sobs, heart-wrenching sobs that broke his own heart. He knew that this would devastate Nick and he was right. "Nick, please don't cry. I-I know you're u-upset, but you must remain strong for me, your mother and your sisters," Robert replied. The older man listened to his son trying to relax and calm down, but he was still sobbing harshly. Lisa knew that Nick was upset as well and heard his broken sobs coming through the phone since Robert had hit the speaker button.

On the other side of the phone, Nick was sobbing brokenheartedly. He couldn't believe that his family's flight had been hijacked. He was on the floor crying brokenly and didn't notice Kevin walking into the living room. He didn't turn around until he felt strong arms wrap around him and pull him up from the ground. "Nick, what's wrong? What's happening?" Kevin asked. Nick pointed at the phone and Kevin picked it up. He noticed that Nick's father was on the line. "Robert, it's Kevin. What's going on?" He asked.

Robert choked up when he heard Kevin's worried voice and Nick's broken sobbing. "Kevin, the plane that Lisa, Angel, Bobbie Jean, Leslie and I are on has been hijacked and we're not going to make it to LAX like we planned to. T-The terrorists are going to crash the airplane into the World Trade Center. Kevin, promise me that you'll watch over Nick and Aaron for me please. Both of them need you more than ever since we're not going to be there anymore," he replied and finally gave into the sobs that he had been holding back for the sake of his family. He wasn't going to be able to see his youngest son get married and become a father. He wasn't going to be there to see Nick give birth to his first grandchildren.

Kevin blinked for a few minutes and looked down at his sobbing husband. He knew that Nick was completely heartbroken hearing that his parents and sisters weren't going to make it home alive. "I understand, Robert. I'll watch over Nick and Aaron. You have my word," Kevin replied and hugged the young man closer to his body. Kevin was devastated that his in-laws weren't going to make it home alive.

Thirty Minutes Later
Brian and Leighanne Littrell had shown up at the house. They were surprised to find a sobbing Nick Richardson in his husband's arms. The couple wondered what was going on and they saw the television was on. They wondered what was going on since they were talking about the World Trade Center. Kevin managed to get Nick to speak to his parents and sisters before the young man broke down into his arms. Kevin looked up at his cousin and replied, "The flight Nick's parents and sisters are on has been hijacked. The terrorists are going to kill all the passengers aboard." Brian and Leighanne stared at one another and then wrapped their arms around Nick as well.

The two couples turned to look at the screen and Nick knew that the plane headed straight for the North Tower was the plane that his family was on. At approximately 8:46AM, the first plane hit the North Tower head-on and a large fireball erupted from the impact. Kevin, Brian, and Leighanne knew that no one on the flight survived. They looked at each other and wondered what was going to happen next.

The phone slipped from Nick's hand and he started to shake horribly. "No! Oh God! NO! MOM, DAD! Why did this happen?! Why, why, why?! BJ, Les, Angel! They're all gone!" Nick screamed out and started to slide to the floor. Kevin, Brian and Leighanne caught Nick in their arms and cried along with him. The loud wrenching sound could be heard from the television and the phone Nick dropped clearly. The scraping of metal on metal was heard as well.

Nick broke down completely and cried harshly into Kevin's shoulder. He couldn't believe that his family was gone in an instant. He reached for the phone and held it to Brian. "C-Call A-Aaron and a-ask h-him if he s-saw w-what happened, B-Brian. I-I c-can't do it," Nick sobbed out. Brian nodded and started to dial Aaron's cell number. He hoped that Nick and Aaron would be alright after losing their parents and sisters. Granted, it would be a while before they felt completely normal and able to move on past the painful blows their hearts had taken.

Brian finally heard Aaron's voice and knew that he saw the whole thing happen. "H-Hi, Brian. I-I s-saw everything. I-I can't believe that my parents and sisters are gone now. That sound of the plane hitting is something that I don't want to be reminded of. I-Is Nick alright?" Aaron asked hoarsely and sniffed loudly. He was worried about Nick since he was pregnant and stress could cause him to go into premature labor.

Brian knew that Nick and Aaron needed each other more than ever now. "Nick is devastated, Aaron. He listened to everyone on the airplane screaming through your father's phone before it shut off completely. He's not in good shape at all. We also haven't heard any word of the other flights yet and where they're headed at. I'll see if there is any way to get you down here. I'll ask our manager if he can fly out where to pick you up and bring you down here when everything is cleared up. Nick needs you here, Aaron. You two are the last members of the Carter immediate family," Brian said softly.

On the other side of the phone, Aaron Carter was still staring at the television screen while talking to Brian. The scraping of metal on metal was horrendous and he shook with fear and heartache. "Y-Yea, I h-hear you, Brian. I-I'm s-so scared of what is happening now. Why is this occurring right now? What did the country do to deserve this?" Aaron questioned his brother's best friend.

Brian swallowed and replied, "I don't know why this is happening, Aaron. All I can say is that things happen for a reason and no one can explain it. I'll call you back when I figure out how to get you down here. Talk to you later, Aaron." Brian ended the call and looked up at Kevin. He knew that the older man hated seeing his husband so heartbroken and lost. Brian walked over to Kevin and Nick to see what he could do.

Kevin smiled weakly at his cousin as he approached them. Brian looked up into his cousin's green eyes and saw the sadness and pain in them. He replied, "I'll take care of Nick. Go and get Alex and Howie so they can stay here with Nick. All of us need to be together right now." Kevin nodded and kissed Nick on the forehead softly before grabbing his keys and heading out of the door. Nick wrapped his arms around Brian's neck tightly and continued to cry. Leighanne walked over to the two embracing men and ran her hand up and down Nick's back softly, offering comfort and protection. Brian looked at his wife and smiled softly. The couple knew that Nick and Aaron would need someone to look after them and they were going to be there for the two brothers.