"What'll it be, miss?" asked the bartender at the bar in the Four Seasons Hotel. "Oh, I'm just meeting people here," Lauren answered, looking at her watch. She was supposed to have met Brian, Nick and AJ at seven o clock, but already it was quarter past. "Sorry we're late!" she heard Brian's voice say from behind her, "but we got caught up at the conference hall....it was crazy there!"

"It's okay guys," she answered, kissing Brian on the cheek. She realized she had to be careful where she displayed her affection for him....as Kevin had put it earlier in the day, "I don't think the world is ready yet, to know if Brian has a girlfriend or not."

They had been in Toronto for already three days, and were scheduled to be there for another four. Lauren had spent her days exploring Toronto and all it had to offer, while the boys were doing press conferences, interviews and singing songs a capella off their new album. Even though she kinda wished she could spend more time with Brian and the guys, she knew that if a fan saw Brian with her (or any girl for that matter) it could seriously jeopardize the success of the album.

The four ate dinner in the Four Seasons restaurant, and then decided to walk around that part of the city which was called Yorkville. At around ten o clock, they met up with Howie and Kevin, and went back to the hotel. Lauren noticed almost as soon as Kevin and Howie showed up that something wasn't right, and she could tell this just by looking at the expression on Brian's face.

"Baby, what's wrong?" asked Lauren softly, as soon as they walked through the main entrance of the hotel. AJ and Howie looked over curiously, but Brian just faked a smile and said, "Nothing, baby, I'm fine!"

Nick apparently also heard this remark, because he whispered something in Brian's ear, and Brian nodded, grimacing. "Does someone wanna tell me what's going on?" asked Lauren, totally confused by everything at this point. "Um, Laur, let's go for a walk," suggested Brian quickly, taking her by the hand and leading her down one of the many halls of the lobby.

As the two walked off, Nick shook his head and Kevin lowered his eyes. "It's not going to be easy," commented Howie. AJ nodded in agreement, and said, "Yeah....no one should have to go through this."

"What's up?" asked Lauren, anxiously, as soon as they were out of sight from the rest of the guys, "what's wrong?"

Brian just kept walking, his eyes on the ground. He didn't say anything for about a minute or so, but then he said, "Lauren, I have something really important to tell you." Lauren nodded solemnly, not liking the tone of his voice. "Lauren," he continued, "I was born with a heart defect."

Lauren was speechless, and this time her eyes were wide with fear of what he was going to say. "I had surgery when I was little, but just recently, while I was at the doctor, he discovered that I still have some unresolved problems with my heart," he said. Lauren could see tears welling up in his blue eyes, but he continued to speak, "so, sometime in April or May, I have to have open-heart surgery."

The two had stopped walking. He looked at the ground again and Lauren took his hand. "What does that mean?" she asked, her voice quavering slightly. "It means," he said, "that I'm gonna be in surgery for a long time, and then I'm gonna have to be in recovery for a long time."

"How long is long?" she asked, still kind of unsure of the circumstances. "Well, most likely I'm gonna have to recuperate for probably around 2 months or so," he said. Lauren didn't know what to say. She just stood there, watching him hold back his tears like a little child. It almost made her cry herself.

"Brian, I....." she started, but was interrupted by him saying, "Laur, I'm so scared."

She took him in her embrace, as she affectionately rubbed his back. She could feel his concealed sobs. She stepped back and saw the tears running down his face. "Bri, it's gonna be all right," she comforted, "everything's gonna be fine...remember what you told me when Nathalie was in the hospital? Well I know you are strong enough to endure this....."

"I can't go through it alone," he said, wiping away his tears. "Brian, you'll have tons of people there with you," she answered, "your family, Kevin, AJ, Nick, Howie...and me." They hugged again, and Lauren couldn't help the single tear that ran down her face. It was going to be a difficult time, but she was prepared to stick by him through it all. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

A smile spread across her face, despite the tear, and she said, "Brian, I love you too." He pulled away from the hug and kissed her gently on the lips, his face still tear-stained. "I don't know what I'd do without you," he said. "Come on," she said, taking him by the hand and leading him to the elevator, "let's go upstairs."

"What do you think happened?" asked Nick. The four guys were sitting at a table in the bar, silently drinking. "Hopefully he told her about the surgery," Kevin said, "he knew he had to tell her some time....I'm sure she'll be as supportive as she can."

"Yeah," agreed Howie, "I think Lauren will totally be there for him...she's not the kind of person that would leave him alone at this point in time...plus, they are so much in love."

"You can tell by the way he looks at her and how they act together.....they are just so damn cute!" exclaimed AJ, lightening up the mood of the table.

Brian and Lauren both sat on one of the beds in their shared room. She was propped up by the headboard, and his head lay beside her, on the pillow. She gently stroked his cheek, as he lay with his eyes closed. "I love you," he said again, opening his eyes. Lauren leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. He looked so fragile, lying there with his eyes closed like that....she knew that he was scared out of his mind....and she was too.

"So, boys, what have you been doing now that your long anticipated album has been released?" the interviewer asked. The five guys, and Lauren and the bodyguards, were all in the radio studio during an interview.

"Well," said Howie, "we've of course been promoting the album, hoping it will be as successful as the last one, but after we hope to take it easy before the tour." Lauren knew about the upcoming tour, but wasn't really sure about the plans for it all. All she knew while she sat in the booth listening to them was that it was going to be difficult to figure out what was going to happen.

"So, all the girls out there wanna know....are there any special women in your lives right now?" the interviewer, whose name was Jordan, asked. This made Lauren's ears perk up. They all shook their heads (despite the fact that they were on radio) and Kevin said, "Ya know, there's not really anyone special right now....our schedule is just too hectic now....no one could put up with our schedule."

"Hear that ladies?" Jordan said, "now, here's the current single off Backstreet Boys...Quit Playing Games With My heart." Lauren looked at Brian dumbfounded. His glance, however, was toward the desk where they were sitting. His glance would not meet hers. "Don't worry about it," said Tom, the bodyguard, "they have to say that, or else too many fans would be disappointed."

Lauren nodded solemnly, still shocked. She noticed Nick was sending her looks that were almost apologetic, but she brushed them off. The fact was, she was a little angry.

When the interview was over, the guys walked out of the booth, Brian the last to leave. Lauren narrowed her eyes, and was about to say something, but instead walked quickly out of the room.

"Shit," muttered Brian, knowing exactly why she was angry. "Dude, I'll go talk to her," offered Nick, walking quickly after her. He looked down both the hallways and found no trace of her. He walked one direction, and came across the women's bathroom. He shrugged, and knocked on the door. He opened the door a crack and called, "Is anyone in here?"

When no one answered, he walked in. There were four stalls, and all the doors were open except for one. He looked under the door and saw Lauren's shoes. "Lauren?" he said softly, "what are you doing in here?"

"What do you think I'm doing in here, Nick?" she responded harshly, "I'm going to the bathroom! What are you doing in here? Can't you read the sign? Women's bathroom!" Nick smiled to himself at Lauren's ceaseless hostility, but then said, "Laur, I know you're mad."

"Really?" she said, sarcastically, "what made you think that?"

Nick shook it off, then said, "Laur, I also know why you're mad...it's about the whole girlfriend thing....it's just that we have to say that we aren't involved with anyone....it's like a rule! Could you imagine what would happen if Brian said he had a girlfriend? There would be millions of unhappy, disappointed girls out there who could potentially ruin our career!"

Lauren stood up and opened the door, revealing her angry expression. "So, what, do all those girls come before me? Is that it?" she said loudly. She knew she sounded extremely selfish, but it all just flowed out.

"Lauren, this also concerns you too ya know! What would happen if Brian said on the radio, or on national television that he had a girlfriend? You wanna know what would happen? I'll tell youthe next time anyone saw you with him, they'd automatically assume you were his girlfriend, and they'd send you really nasty letters and stuff! They'd try to get a hold of you however they could and make your life miserable! It's for your protection too...it doesn't mean Brian loves you any less," he finished.

She sighed. She looked at Nick's face and even though she was still kinda mad, she knew he was right. She was overreacting and needed to think of other people in this situation. "Nick, why are you always right?" she asked, smiling a bit.

Nick smiled and said, "Ready to go outside?" Lauren nodded, but then said, "why exactly are you in here in the first place?!" Nick shrugged and smirked, "I knew you'd be in here.....I just hoped there'd be no other women in here!"

The two walked outside and came face to face with Kevin, AJ, Howie and Brian. Lauren shyly smiled, kind of ashamed of the scene she had made. Brian nodded his head, indicating for her to come his way, and he took her hand when she did so. "Is everything okay?" he asked quietly, as the other four pretended to be engaged in their own conversation.

"Yeah, Nick explained it all to me...I guess I was just a little shocked," admitted Lauren, "but I'm okay now...I understand." Brian smiled and nodded. "Good," he said, kissing her, "I felt so bad, but I really had no choice."

"I know, baby," she said, "it's fine, don't worry."

Lauren stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in her bathrobe. She opened the door, letting the steam pour out, and walked out into her room. "What the....?!" she exclaimed, when she saw Nick lying on her bed, eating licorice and reading Sports Illustrated.

"Oh, hey Laur," he said, nonchalantly not looking up from his magazine, as if nothing was wrong. "Uh, Nick? What are you doing in here?" she asked, a little confused. "Just hanging out," he said, then looked up from the magazine. "Damn!" he exclaimed, staring at her with raised eyebrows, "I'm glad I stayed!"

Lauren rolled her eyes and walked over to the other bed at sat down. "What are you really doing in here?" she asked, a little skeptical at his reasoning. "Well," he answered, "everyone else is busy....Brian is downstairs talking to Donna and Johnny with Kevin, and AJ went to McDonald's with Howie...so here I am! And might I say, that you are looking pretty fine in that bathrobe of yours!"

"Nick, we gotta get you a girlfriend!" she laughed, and grabbed a piece of licorice out of his bag. "Lauren," he said seriously all of a sudden, "Brian talked to you about his surgery, right?"

Lauren nodded, feeling her mood dampen a bit. "Yeah....." she trailed off, chewing on the candy. "So what are you going to do?" Nick asked, his blue eyes wide like a little puppy. "What do you mean, what am I going to do?'?" she asked, "I can't do anything about it...if I could cure him, you know I would, but..."

"You know what I mean," said Nick shaking his head. Lauren smiled, but then her expression turned very serious. "I love Brian," she said, "and there's nothing that would ever make me wanna leave him....during this heart surgery, I'm gonna stick by him through it all."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" exclaimed Nick, as the two were still sitting on the beds, Lauren still in her bathrobe. "Why would you think I would ever desert him?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him, with a teasing grin on her face, "would you actually think I would do that?!"

Nick shrugged and played along with her, "Oh, I don't know...." he said, smiling, "you never know!"

Lauren shook her head in a fake disgusted manner. "Nick Carter, you have really outdone yourself this time!" she exclaimed, concealing a smile. Nick laughed and sat up. He tossed his licorice wrapper in the garbage and finished eating his last piece. "Okay Nick," she said, "I love ya and all, but you gotta get out so I can get changed."

Nick pouted and said, "Why? Brian gets to stay in here when you change!"

Lauren burst out laughing at Nick's pathetic looking face and funny comment. "Out!" she exclaimed, pulling him up by the arm (which took a lot of strength!)and leading him to the door. "I don't think you really love me," Nick pouted, as he opened the door.

"Oh, Nick, shut up and get out," she said, but then smiled to let him know she meant it all in good fun. He still had the pouty look on his face, but she blew him a kiss and shut the door. That boy is just too much,' she thought to herself, as she got dressed.

"So, how has your first trip with the Backstreet Boys treated ya?" asked AJ, as they all sat around the dinner table at a restaurant on their last night in Toronto. "It's been great!" she answered, swallowing her food, "I can't believe you guys get to do this for a living!"

"Yeah, well there'll be more trips for you in the future, that's for sure!" said Howie, smiling. "When does your tour start?" asked Lauren, without really thinking. "At the end of March," answered Kevin, not looking up from the salad he was eating.

"What exactly do you guys do on the tour? I mean, I know you do concerts and stuff, but how does that work?" she asked, confused. "Well," said Brian, looking somewhat uncomfortable, "we just basically travel on a huge bus, going from city to city and doing concerts...sometimes doing interviews and TV shows and stuff too."

Lauren nodded, but then said, "All of you guys on a bus?! How do you manage?!"

"I'm the messiest!" exclaimed Nick, his mouth full of food. Lauren raised and eyebrow at him and laughed. "Really?!" she said, giggling sarcastically, "I would have never guessed!"

The night progressed, and soon it was close to ten o clock. They were scheduled to leave the next morning at nine a.m., so Lauren headed back to her room with Brian. "Oh, baby, I just have to talk to Q for a minute or two," he said, letting go of her hand before they reached their room, "I'll see you in the room in a few, okay?"

"Okay," she said, as they both went their ways. Just as she was about to enter her room, Nick walked out of his, which happened to be next door. "Hey!" he exclaimed giddily, "where's Brian?"

"Brian went to talk to Q," she answered, involuntarily smiling along with him, "why are you so happy?"

"Oh, no reason!" he answered in a singsong voice, "just in a good mood I guess!" Lauren shook her head, hiding the smile that Nick was invoking. She was about to walk in her own room, when she was cut off at the entrance by Nick who walked in. "Come on in," she said sarcastically, closing the door behind her.

"Lauren..." Nick said in that same singsong voice, "come here!" He held out his arms for a hug. "Nick, you're scaring me...what did you do this time?" she asked skeptically. "Nothing!" he said, hiding a giggle, "just come here!"

Lauren shrugged and went over to hug him. While in the hug, he whispered in her ear, "Have you had sex with Brian?"

"What?!" she exclaimed, stepping back. "You're having sex with him, aren't you?!" he exclaimed again, grinning widely. "Okay Nick, I said you could come in here, but you just wore out your welcome!" she announced, pointing to the door.

"All right, all right," he said, still grinning, "I'll go......anyway, Brian will be back soon and I'm sure you two will wanna get it on!"

She put on her sternest face possible, still pointing to the door. As soon as he left, Lauren couldn't help but smile. Despite the fact that Nick was one of the most immature 17 year olds she had ever met, he brought out the best in her. While she was smiling to herself, Brian walked in, back from his talk with Q. "What are you so happy about?" asked Brian, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close for a kiss.

"Nothing...it's just that crazy Carter kid next door....he's so hyper!" she said, giggling, "we REALLY need to find him a girlfriend!" Brian laughed, then kissed her again. "Don't worry, he'll be fine," he said, moving his mouth down to her neck. Lauren ran her hands through his hair, as his hands moved slowly up her shirt.

Lauren had to smile, thinking of Nick's question. The fact was, Brian and Lauren had had sex. Their first time together was the first night they were in Toronto. Before they had done it, Brian had asked her repeatedly if she was ready, but something had told Lauren it was right from the beginning. She was so much in love with him, and he told her everyday how much he loved her. Being with him was the best thing in her life, and she loved spending time with him. She just didn't think it was really any of Nick's business whether they did do it or not.

As Lauren and Brian both lay on the bed, she felt like nothing could ever go wrong. She lay in his arms, as they both fell asleep. They were pretty much exhausted from the time they had been there, and the next morning they were on their way back to Orlando.

"You're what?!" exclaimed Lauren's mother. They were both sitting in the kitchen of their house, and Lauren had just told her some news. It was January; almost five months after Lauren had got back from the trip to Toronto with Brian and the guys. During those five months, Lauren had started university (still living at home) and tried to do well in all her subjects, while the Backstreet Boys traveled to various places and did all the things that Backstreet Boys do.

The Backstreet Boys tour was scheduled to kick off in Sweden the last week of March, and just the previous week, Brian had asked Lauren if she would like to join them on tour. Of course, she was ecstatic that she wouldn't have to spend four months without seeing Brian, and accepted right away. Now was the time to break the news to her mother.

"I'm going on tour with Brian and the Backstreet Boys from the end of March until late August," she repeated, trying to keep her composure. "You're telling me that you are planning to go on tour with these guys for five months?! During school?! What exactly was going through your mind when you decided to tell me this?! Did you actually think I was going to agree to this?!" her mother said loudly.

Lauren nodded cooly, not letting her guard down for a second. "But school!" her mother protested, "you've already completed half the year....you're just going to quit now? I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that."

"Mother," Lauren said a little more loudly this time, "I don't think you are one to tell me what to do.....since when have you had a say in what happens in my life? There's no way that you can tell me not to finish school when you did the exact same thing when you were my age!"

"What I did 20 years ago has nothing to do with you now.....I left school because I married your father," she answered, "and I only did it after much consideration."

"And I'm leaving because of Brian! Mother, I love him and I can't leave him for four months while he travels around Europe!" she answered back.

Her mother sighed, then became silent. She was staring out the window, apparently thinking. Lauren knew though, that no matter what her mother's opinion was, she was going on tour, no matter what. "Well, even though I don't approve of this in any sort of way, I know that you are set out to go......I guess I can't stop you," her mother said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Thank you," said Lauren, acting like a mature adult, giving her mom a quick hug. Inside she was jumping; she was so excited to go on tour!

One thing she wasn't looking forward to was May, when Brian was scheduled to have his surgery. Even though he seemed fine on the outside, she knew that he was terrified inside. She had had long talks with him, convincing him that he was going to be okay, and almost every time she had ended up in tears. It was going to be a tough time.

"Hey baby, guess what?" said Lauren, after she dialed the number to Brian's house. "Ummm....I give up...what?" he said, not guessing once. "Guess who's coming on tour with you guys?!" she exclaimed, feeling the excitement burning in her already.

"You're kidding!" he exclaimed, "you're coming!? That's great, Laur....I'm so excited!" They went on talking for a while more, and then hung up. The boys were off to Toronto again to do a concert at the end of the week, but Lauren wasn't coming this time.....she figured she needed to make the most of school and her life in Orlando before she went on the road for four months. She was becoming a pro at watching her boyfriend get on the plane with the rest of the guys to travel off to different places, but that didn't mean it got any easier to watch him leave.

As soon as she hung up the phone with Brian, it rang again. "Hello?" she said, sitting down on her bed. "Hey Laur, it's Gray," said Gray's voice on the other end. "Oh, hey Gray," she said, but was cut off by another voice, "and Bailey," and another, "and Faren."

"Hey you guys!" she exclaimed, surprised that there were four people on the phone, "are you guys on conference or something?"

"Yeah," answered Gray, but then was interrupted by Faren's excited voice, "we have some excellent news to tell you!" Lauren raised her eyebrows, wondering what the hell could be going on, because Faren sounded incredibly excited! "Well, what is it?!" Lauren almost yelled, "don't leave me hanging!"

"Gray, I think you should tell her," said Bailey, her voice rising in excitement. Well by this time, Lauren was too impatient. "Somebody tell me!" she yelled, giggling. "Okay, well," began Gray, "today I called Nathalie in her dorm room, and talking to her just made me realize how much I love her and how much I can't live without her."

"And....?" said Lauren, getting way too impatient. "And, well, it was kind of a decision I made right on the spot, but I asked her to marry me," Gray finished.

Lauren squealed, and said, "Gray, are you serious?! Oh my God, that's so great! What did she say? She said yes, right?" Gray laughed, along with Faren and Bailey who were both giggling. "Yes, she said yes," he answered. They talked a bit more about the upcoming marriage, and Gray told her that the plan was to get married in late August, and that he may move out to Boston, or that she may come back to Orlando; the plans weren't 100% yet.

Lauren then told them about her plans to tour with the guys starting in March. "Looks like everyone has quite a busy summer!" said Bailey incredulously, amazed at Lauren's plans to go on tour. By this time, Lauren was gushing at all the news she had received that day.

She hung up the phone with Faren, Bailey and Gray, and started to figure out what exactly she was going to do. The plan was that the tour would go until May, then take a break for the time, while Brian had his surgery. She let out a huge sigh, thinking about Brian having to go through surgery. It didn't seem fair that such a sweet, caring, affectionate guy who loved all his friends, family and of course fans, would have to go through such a difficult thing.

I wish there was some way I could go through the surgery instead of Brian,' she thought to herself, opening up her Law textbook and pulling out her notes. She looked longingly at a picture of her and Brian on her night stand, just thinking to herself how much she wanted everything to be okay.

"Nicky?" she called when she reached the top of the stairs in his house. It was January 28th, and it was Nick's 18th birthday. She had gone to visit him at his house, and after being let in the house by Aaron, made her way up the stairs to his room where Aaron said he was. Even though it wasn't the first time she had met Aaron, she just thought he was the most adorable kid in the world! What was even more amazing was that Aaron was scheduled to go on tour, with the boys as their opening act!

She walked down the hallway and knocked on the door to his room. There was no answer from inside, as she opened the door a crack. She peeked in and saw Nick lying face down on his bed asleep, sprawled out and breathing heavily. She had to smile at this sight. She walked over to his bed and gently shook his shoulder. "Nicky," she said sweetly, as he groaned and rolled over, "wake up."

He opened his eyes and rubbed them as he sat up. "What are you doing here?' he asked, somewhat surprised and sleepy at the same time. "Happy birthday!" she exclaimed, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

"You came all the way here just to wish me a happy birthday?!" he said, his eyes widening. "Yep!" she said, smiling broadly. "I can't believe it!" he said, unable to stop smiling, "even Brian didn't come here to do that!"

"Well you know me...always on time for the birthday wishes...always late with the presents...don't worry, you'll get yours!" she said, remembering how Howie didn't get his August birthday present from her until the beginning of October. "Thanks, Laur," he said, hugging her.

"So what are you up to tonight?" asked Lauren, picking up a beanie baby off of his drawer and examining it. He shrugged his shoulders with that lingering sleepy look on his face. "Not anything special?" she asked again, as he shrugged again.

"Well that's going to change," she said, getting up and grabbing his hand, "we're going out for dinner."

"But don't you have plans with Brian?" he asked timidly. Lauren brushed it off and said, "Yeah, so we'll all go together! It's your birthday, Nick! We should have planned this a long time ago....I'll call the other guys and we'll have a huge dinner....hey, maybe Gray, Faren and Bailey will come! Oh, and Nathalie's in town as well! Hey, did I tell you Gray proposed to her?!"

"Laur, you don't have to go to all this trouble just for me.......wait, what?! Gray proposed to Nathalie?! Like proposed marriage?!" he exclaimed, totally surprised by the comment. "Yeah!" she exclaimed, picking up the phone and dialing Brian's cell phone number, "we are gonna have a serious party tonight!" Nick smiled shyly, as she called Brian, who agreed with the plans. She then called Kevin, then AJ, then Howie, Bailey, Faren and Gray. They all told her that they would come to Nick's spur of the moment party, as the plans were set for eight o clock at a restaurant downtown.

"You sure do know how to plan a party!" observed Nick, as she hung up the phone with the restaurant after she had made reservations. "Yeah, well that's pretty much what I did my whole senior year of high school!" she laughed.

Nick laughed along with her, but had a nostalgic look on his face. Lauren knew why he looked so longingly at her planning skills. It wasn't because he was amazed, it was because he was envious of Lauren's being able to party at school. Nick had dropped out of school just as he reached High School, so never got the chance....and sometimes Lauren could tell he missed being a kid.

Lauren told him to get changed into something nice, and she'd wait downstairs for him. She sat down on the couch in his living room beside Aaron, who was playing his GameBoy. "Are you really Brian's girlfriend?" he asked, momentarily glancing up from the game. "Yup," she nodded, "and I'm also gonna be traveling with you guys this summer."

At that moment Nick walked downstairs wearing a nice pair of khakis and a white collared shirt. "You look very nice!" exclaimed Lauren standing up, as Aaron giggled from the couch. "So where are we gonna go?" asked Nick, raising one of his eyebrows, "we still have some time until we're supposed to meet everyone at the restaurant."

"I don't know," shrugged Lauren, "I have to change my clothes.....you wanna come over, then we'll go together?"

"Sure," he said, then turned to Aaron, who was still sitting on the couch and said, "Yo, Aar, go tell mom I'm going out, okay?" Aaron scowled, and darted for the backdoor, apparently going to find his mom in the backyard. The two made their way to Lauren's car, then to her house.

Just as Lauren pulled on to her street, she noticed people standing in front of her mailbox. "Oh my.......oh, shit," cursed Nick, as she slowly drove closer to her house. "What? Who are those people?" she asked him, still going slowly. "I think I have a pretty good idea," mumbled Nick, "I bet they are fans."

"Fans? In front of my house? Why? How would they know..." she started, but was cut off by Nick who said, "I don't know! They just know something...they all have their ways! Um, I guess there's nothing really we can do, except face them!"

Lauren shrugged, as she pulled into her driveway, as the group of four teenage girls stared into her car and started to shriek and jump up and down when they realized Nick was in the car. Nick smiled, and waved a little, as Lauren giggled. "Hey, you have to deal with this too," said Nick, still smiling so the girls wouldn't know he was a little agrivated, since they couldn't hear what he was saying. She shrugged and opened her door. The girls continued to squeal, as Nick got out of his side of the car. He got his share of "Happy Birthdays" and "I love your music" but then one of the girls asked him if Lauren was his girlfriend. "No," answered Nick, "she's just a good friend....hey girls, I've gotta be going now, so see you soon!" as they both walked into Lauren's house.

"Whoah," said Lauren, as Nick shut the front door, "that was pretty strange...it is a little weird that they would know anything about me in relation to you guys....how would they figure it out?"

"I don't know," answered Nick wearily, "but whatever the reason is, it may not be so good."

"I can't believe that happened!" exclaimed Brian, stroking Lauren's hair. It was almost midnight, and Lauren was at Brian's house. It was after they had got back from Nick's birthday dinner, and Brian had invited her to spend the night. They were both lying in bed together, and Lauren was telling him what had happened that afternoon with the girls outside her house.

"Yeah, it was really strange," Lauren commented, "I mean, how would they know about you and me? And how would they know where I live? It's a little scary if you ask me." Brian nodded and kissed her forehead. "I know...I was hoping it wouldn't start, but it looks as though it is," he said.

"What's starting?" she asked, cuddling closer to him. "The stalking...the constant spotlight in the media...if girls are finding out where you live now, it can only get worse," he answered. Lauren's eyes widened, not realizing until then how serious this could be. "But it's not like I give out my phone number to everyone saying Backstreet Boys sometimes come here!'!" she exclaimed, "how could they have found out?"

Brian shrugged, and said, "Maybe they saw one of us drive in one day and decided to tell their friends...I don't know, all I'm saying is hopefully it won't get worse...for your sake."

"Dude, don't fucking touch me...I swear I'll punch you right in the face!" AJ's voice boomed throughout the bus, as Lauren rolled over in her small bunk. It was already the middle of April and the boys had been on tour for a little less than a month. It had taken some getting used to, but Lauren was getting the hang of living on a bus and going from city to city in Europe. It was a wonderful place, and Lauren couldn't believe all the things she got to see while touring.

Even though they traveled on the bus, they stopped every night at hotels and motels along the way. It really wasn't such a hard way to live, after you got used to being on a bus with five messy guys.

Lauren was asleep on one of the bunks in the back of the bus, and was awaken by AJ's loud voice. She groaned, but then sat up, pulling back the curtain that separated it from the rest of the bus. She saw AJ sitting on the small couch watching the TV, with Nick beside him, obviously bugging the hell out of him.

"What's up guys?" asked Lauren groggily, as she joined them on the couch. Everyone was a little on edge lately, as Brian's scheduled surgery was less than three weeks away. It didn't help that everyone was also a little restless in the bus. "If you take this kid off my hands, I will be ever grateful to you," AJ said, laughing. Nick scowled, and Lauren just laughed. "C'mon Nick," Lauren offered, "you hungry? I am...let's get some food."

Nick took the offer and jumped up to join her in the tiny kitchenette. Lauren opened one of the cupboards and came out with a bag of chips. She popped them open, and took a couple, while Nick helped himself. "So," Lauren said, sitting down at the small table with Nick, "how have you been keeping up? Excited for the show tonight?" The bus was scheduled to arrive in Madrid, Spain that evening.

"Yeah, I guess," shrugged Nick, chewing his chips with his mouth open, "every concert is the same I guess." Lauren raised her eyebrows at Nick's somewhat sullen face and attitude and said, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," answered Nick, in a melancholy tone of voice. It was obvious that everything wasn't okay. She had kinda got that vibe from all of the guys, including Brian, these past weeks. Lauren looked skeptically at him, while he ate. He wasn't exactly frowning, but he didn't look so happy. She wished there was something that could be said or done to make him happy. "Nick, you aren't okay....you don't know someone for almost a year and not be able to tell when they're happy or not," she replied.

"I don't know....things'll get better when Brian's done with his surgery I guess," he murmured, his eyes on the table. Lauren nodded and swallowed a huge lump in her throat. Every time someone brought up the surgery and just how close it was, she felt instantly sick. She didn't even talk about it with Brian...that would just end up too emotional for both of them.

"Yo, yo, yo," said Kevin, walking into the kitchenette, "the driver said we should be arriving at our hotel soon, so you guys better get your things." Lauren nodded and got up, with Nick close behind. She woke up Brian who was also sleeping, and within 15 minutes they were checking into their hotel. There was a small crowd around the hotel, knowing the Backstreet Boys would be arriving, but they weren't mobbed. Soon, they would go to their show.

"Brian?" asked Lauren, knocking on the bathroom door in their hotel room, "you've been in there a long time.....is everything okay?" She pressed her ear to the door, and heard a muffled response, but she couldn't make out any words. She opened the door, and found him sitting on the floor leaning over the toilet.

"Oh my God," she said, walking in, "baby, what's wrong?!" Brian rubbed his head, and tried to stand up. He looked nauseous and pale. "I...I just....felt sick and I threw up..." he stammered, as Lauren took his hand and led him to the bed. She felt his forehead, but he didn't seem to feel warm. "Do you want any water or anything?" she asked, a look of concern on her face, but Brian just weakly shook his head. He looked incredibly weak and faint, as he closed his eyes.

Lauren looked at him with pain in her eyes. She then knew exactly why he was sick. It was purely his nerves that were making him throw up, not any sickness or illness. His surgery was a mere week away, and Lauren could see an evident change in Brian's actions. He seemed very depressed and moody, and even while Lauren watched him up on stage, he lacked that certain energy that he had always had.

They had a show scheduled for the next day in Lisbon, Portugal and that was going to be the last show before everyone headed back to Orlando, and Brian headed off to Kentucky. She wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen, but all the guys had planned to spend some time at home during the operation.

She glanced his way and saw he was asleep, so she quietly tiptoed out of the room and knocked on Kevin's door. He opened it, and Lauren knew right away that all the guys were in there as well. "Laur, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing the look of distress right away. "It's Brian," she said, walking in and meeting the glances of the worried boys, "he's throwing up and doesn't look so good....I'm pretty sure it has to do with nerves."

Kevin looked down at the floor as the other guys did the same. They all knew something was wrong, but no one knew what to say. Everyone was just worried.