BOYS OF THE NIGHT - EPILOGUE




Howie, knowing he had betrayed the trust of the remaining
members of the group, went out on his own to have an
extremely successful singing career in Spain, where he became
known exclusively as 'the Latin Lover' and is often referred to as
'The Ricky Martin of the Millennium.' His blend of Latin and pop
obviously hit the spot, as his first album, released that Spring
after his desertion of the group, went straight to #1 within it's
first week of release. He is working on making a Latin remix of
'Backstreet's Back' and is currently fighting the rest of the
Boys' lawyers for the rights to the song, claiming it's his as much
as theirs. Howie now owns a strictly vampire club - the Starry
Night, which seems to be the talk of Hollywood. But to many
celebrities' surprise, the bouncers refuse to let them in - simply because they are mortal. It's even rumored that Leonardo DiCaprio was turned away...

Brian and AJ moved out together, both agreeing that life
without a hunting partner would be difficult. They keep in touch
with Nick, calling almost everyday, and visiting the Carter
residence at least 5 times a year.
The small skyrise apartment they share in NYC overlooks Canal
Street, and is frequented by faithful Backstreet fans hoping to
steal a glance at the two in their environment. AJ is often seen
renting out the exact same hotel room that Kevin used to stay at
whenever he came to the Big Apple. Probably for memories
sake.
Bone now works on Broadway as the lead in the theatrical
version of 'Dracula,' which sales have skyrocketed due to the
tremendous audience attendance of teen girls, still wanting to see
one of the legendary Boys perform. He feels quite at home there,
and has even been quoted saying that it is better for him in this
small-scale performance where he has the chance to show off his
vast array of stage skills than it was in a stadium filled with
adoring fans. He's rumored to have his own tattoo shop in the
not-so-good part of town - but no one in their right mind (save
those immortal few) is daring enough to go downtown to see if it's the truth. But it is a know fact that after Kevin's death, he got 'Train' inscribed permanently in between his shoulders, and two angel wings on each blade to signify his mates change from a vampire to an angel.
Brian has released three gospel CDs. and is preparing to
launch a campaign for the much-anticipated fourth album, due out
in May. He has tentatively entitled it 'God's Greatest Angel,'
presumably after his late cousin, Kevin, to whom all of his other
releases have been named after and accomplished to.
Brian had open-heart surgery to correct the hole that was
thought to have been closed. It was a success and he is now back
at home with AJ. He is said to be getting back on his feet in a
couple of weeks, and until then, Bone has unwillingly become his
indentured servant.
Although Brian and AJ have two totally separate personalities
and lives, they have learned to live with each other and do it
quite peacefully. Unless you wanna count the yelling and
loud thuds that the neighbors complain about. Oh, and
there's also those bruises that each of them occasionally sports
from their rough-housing, and there was that one time when
Brian grabbed AJ by the arm and left leg and- well, no one's perfect.

Nick and Barb, as promised, were turned back into humans
after Kevin's untimely death. They decided that it would be best
if they stayed in the house where Nick was most comfortable. They
were soon wed. It was a small ceremony - only a select few
attended. But thousands upon thousands of weeping fans
showed up and sat on lawns and lined the Sanibel Island streets to
get a glimpse of thier now attached idol pass by in a horse-drawn
carriage. They were NOT invited, but that's okay. They were expected.
On a more serious note, every year on the anniversary of
Kevin's death, Nick swam out as far as possible into the ocean,
calling for him, keeping the hope alive that Kevin would
someday come back. He hadn't lived down the guilt that hung above
him so heavily. Until the year of 2010.
Nick and Barb had a son in 2003, and named him Kevin Scott
Carter. They doted on him and spoiled him rotten..... but he grew
to be a well-adjusted child, happy with his life, knowing his
family only as Nick, Barb, and his two unchanging (save for AJ's unstable hair color) uncles - B-Rok and Bone.
Nick saw Kevin in his child grow more and more apparent
everyday. The boy's big grey-green eyes and black hair resembled
his grandfather's immensely. When he felt his son, at the age of
seven, could actually understand the story of who he was named
after, Nick took him down to the beach at dusk on the anniversary
of Kevin's death. Holding his hand tightly, father and son walked
the private beach together, Nick explaining slowly and carefully
about his boy's grandfather.

"And he just kept walking. Right out there. Right
ahead of us," he said, pointing to dying sun on the low
waves. "And just when I was about to drown, he saved me."
Little Kevin looked puzzled. "Dad, why was he walking out
there, all by himself? You said that it's bad to go out in the
water alone."
Nick smiled. "Because he wanted to touch the sun. And he
did. But then God took him away from me and made him an
angel."
"An angel?"
"Yes, of course. So he could watch over me... and
you. And your children," Nick replied quietly, watching the sun,
realizing how lucky he was to be able to go out during the day
with no fear.
His son dropped his hand suddenly, and walked towards the
shore, staring intently out at the sea.
"What? What's wrong, Kev?" Nick asked, watching him.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Is that him? Is that Grandpa?" he questioned, turning to
face his father.
Nick slowly walked up behind him, and looked out to where his
son was pointing. Sure enough, there was Kevin... standing out
in the water about 50 feet, staring back. A smile graced his face
as he watched his grandson and son stand at the water's edge.
He was eerily pale - and gave off a light, almost like an
aura. Nick knew instantly then, that there was no doubting Brian's
theory - Kevin was an angel.
Pulling his son close, Nick whispered as tears streaked his
face, "Yeah, that's him. That's my dad..."
Kevin's smile seemed to widen at this. He turned and began to
walk back out into the water again, hands in the pockets of his
jeans. He and Nick could both finally rest in peace - Nick
knowing that it wasn't his fault at all. Kevin had done what he
had to do to ensure that Nick could have his wonderful son. And
Kevin's soul was set to rest with the knowledge that Nick had
truly forgiven him.
To both Nick's and his son's surprise, they watched as Kevin
spread a pair of beautiful wings and disappeared into the sun,
never to been seen again.

Ever since that fateful day Nick had his encounter with
Kevin's soul, he has lived guilt-free, but hasn't forgotten his
father. He's stopped searching though, and enjoys his life and
his son's to the fullest everyday - ever thankful to his 'maker.'
Brian convinced him to come back to the music industry, and he is
managing none other than NSYNC now after a coincidental run-in
with Justin Timberlake, who dumped manager Jordan Knight and gained full control of the quintet. With Nick's help, they've reached new
records for sales and have defeated all of their rivals in the
pop industry. A cover of an old Backstreet Boys song is in the
works, which even critics say will be an instant hit.
"Add one more notch to the Backstreet Belt... It seems
that these guys are immortal in the music industry... Well
worth the money!" - raved RollingStone in one column.
But as said before, Kevin is not forgotten even in the frenzy
of hectic life. Both Barb and their son have caught Nick at the
bay windows, looking at the ocean, whispering to Kevin's
ever-present spirit, "I love you, Dad."
And it's said that on some days, when the tide is just right,
and the sun is just so, you can see Kevin's eternally beautiful
eyes in the grey-green waves.