Guess it's Christmas Time
Author's Note- I knew I had to write a Christmas story and a 'Forces of Nature' plot came to me. And of course I had to name it after my favorite Xmas song…you guys know why…sigh…
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"We have everything?" Lance asked, looking at Chris. It was Christmas Eve morning, and the guys were going home for the holidays. They were doing a quick double check before they boarded their 7:00am flight.
"Why are you looking at me?" Chris asked innocently. He was slightly distracted, worrying about Busta. He had to turn the Pug over at the check in counter and was puzzled when the girl at the counter asked, "Oh, another one?"
"I don’t know man, I just have a really bad feeling about this," Joey said, peering at the darkness through the huge glass window in the gate. It was freezing outside here in Memphis, and they couldn't wait to get to Orlando. All their families had agreed to spend the holidays at Joey's huge house.
"Stop worrying," J.C. said.
"Yeah, man," Justin added. "Nothing is going to happen!"
Just as Justin finished his sentence, a huge bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Then, slowly at first but getting faster, they could hear banging at the windows. Another flash of lightning proved it to be golf ball-sized hail.
They all glared at Justin, who looked at the window open-mouthed.
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End pt. 1
"Good job Justin," Chris teased.
"Me? I didn't- I couldn't have- no, it wasn't me!" Justin stuttered, shaking his head and backing away from the window.
"Attention all Memphis Airport travelers, due to this sudden hail storm, all flights have been canceled. Please see a friendly associate for more information."
Everyone groaned as they headed towards the check-in counters. As people passed them, Chris said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the curse of Justin, please buy our CD."
The others rolled their eyes as they walked to the counter. But when they got there, their mouths dropped open. The place was swarming with people. The lines already extended out of sight, and people already being turned down for their requests for another flight.
Every single sarcastic remark flew their heads, but Chris's "Well this sucks," summed it up.
"Car!" J.C. thought out loud. They all ran to the car rental downstairs, but arrived there too late also.
"What about the bus?" Lance asked.
"We were dropped off, remember?" J.C. replied sarcastically.
"Oh yeah," Lance mumbled.
"Hey, what about our stuff?" Chris asked. "Like Busta?"
"We'll wait at the baggage claim, you go get Busta," J.C. replied.
"K," Chris replied, then ran off.
The others sighed as they headed over to the huge crowd at the baggage claim. They were shook out of their small depression when they saw a certain small Pug ran by, barking wildly.
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End pt 2
"Busta!" they all at the same time. Some people turned to look at them as they took off after the dog. Busta ran weaving in and out of all the legs while his humans fought their way through the crowd.
Busta was slowly getting out of sight, and eventually the guys could no longer see the dog. Disappointed, they stopped, and tried to find the dog from where they stood. Then, a familiar blonde head made it’s way towards them, until they could make out the smiling face of Nick Carter. Wriggling in his arms, was Busta.
"Lose something?" he asked, holding out Busta. Behind him, the rest of the Backstreet Boys appeared with Chris.
"Yeah, thanks for catching him," Joey replied. "Bad boy Chris, you get over here now!"
A.J. gave a sarcastic smile as he pushed Chris forward. "Bathe it once in a while too."
Howie appeared, pulling a luggage cart that held all the suitcases and four small dog crates. "Whacha got in there, your hemorrhoids?" Joey asked, motioning towards the crates.
Nick smirked sarcastically as he replied, "My dogs. In CRATES," h emphasized.
"He was in a crate," Chris shot back, taking Busta from Nick's outstretched hands.
"So, Justin, how's Britney?" A.J. asked, smiling.
"Shut up," Justin replied, taking a small step behind Joey.
"Hey," Kevin interrupted. "We're all stuck here together, only we have a bus waiting for us outside. Now I know we're all going to Orlando, so I am going to be in the Christmas spirit and ask, would you like a ride?"
The other BSB members rolled their eyes and J.C. said, "Let us discuss it first." Nsync huddled together and began talking.
"I say yes," Lance said.
At the same time, Justin said, "I say no."
"Then it's decided," J.C. said. "We accept."
"What about me?" Justin whined.
"You caused this," Chris teased as they split up again.
"We accept," J.C. announced.
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End pt. 3
Nick and A.J. groaned as Kevin replied, "Good. Get your stuff and we'll go."
As Nsync headed back over to the baggage claim, A.J. called after them, "Don't forget your Tampons!"
Nick cracked up as Kevin elbowed A.J. "It's gonna be a long trip."
~~~~~~~
"This is gonna be a long trip home," Justin mumbled, grabbing a bag off the conveyor belt.
"I suggest that you three be good," J.C. said, looking at Joey, Chris and Justin.
"They started it," Joey said, grabbing another bag.
Chris was standing next to a window, holding Busta. The first ray of sun was beginning to shine, making the hail sparkle like diamonds. He was beginning to zone out on the sight when a giant ball of ice cracked the window right between his eyes, making him jump. "This better stop soon!"
"Come on, let's hit the road," J.C. called.
Chris joined them, grabbing his bags on the way. They followed the Backstreet Boys through the airport and out to the underground parking lot. Justin began shivering through his Fubu jersey as he walked beside A.J. "What's wrong with you?" A.J. asked, looking at Justin through his sunglasses.
"I'm freezing," Justin replied, his chin turning numb.
"Oh, good. I thought you had Ticks or something," A.J. replied, moving away from Justin despite hi relieved comment. (Author's Note- Ticks as in the nervous disorder that causes involuntary muscle spasms.)
As they approached the bus, Joey stopped. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he mumbled to Chris, seeing Backstreet Boys written in big, black letters on the side of the bus.
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End pt 4
"Will you get on the bus?" J.C. complained. Justin, Joey, and Chris stood outside the door, cautiously peering inside.
"It's probably crawling with diseases," Chris whispered.
"There might be a dead body in the refrigerator," Joey remarked.
"This is just wrong," Justin finished.
"Then they can walk!" Nick yelled from the back of the bus.
The three carefully took their first step inside, like cats trying to convince themselves they could jump the river instead of swim it.
"Just don't breathe," Joey whispered to the other two.
The bus was a lot like their own, except the clothes that littered the floor were mostly black and leather instead of colorful T-shirts and jerseys.
"Sorry about the mess," Kevin apologized, picking up some of the clothes.
"They're used to it," Nick mumbled to A.J.
The two snickered as Justin, Joey and Chris cautiously walked around, careful not to touch anything.
"Put your stuff here," Brian said, pointing to the floor beside the couch. The three slowly walked over and dropped their things on the floor.
"They'll need disinfecting now," Chris mumbled.
"There's only one problem," Kevin said.
"Only one?" Joey mumbled under his breath.
Kevin ignored the remark and continued, "We don't have a driver."
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End pt. 5
"What? Why not?" Lance asked.
"Well, we weren't planning on coming back to the bus, so the driver left to drive home," Kevin explained.
"And you need a driver," J.C. finished.
"Well…yeah," Brian said, looking around.
"What makes you thin we know how to drive a bus?" Joey asked.
"I dunno, I was just hoping-" Kevin started.
"I can," Chris interrupted.
Everyone looked at him in shock. "No you can't," A.J. said.
"Hey, if he says he can, he can," Joey said, defending his friend.
"And I can. When I was little, one of my mom's boyfriends drove a Greyhound and he took me with him once in a while," Chris explained, sitting in the driver's seat.
"Oh God, we're gonna die," A.J. mumbled, sitting on the couch.
"Give him a chance," Kevin corrected, standing next to Chris.
Chris took a breath, then turned the key, bringing the engine to life. "Okay now, where's the windshield wipers?" he asked, looking around.
The others looked at each other, and then Kevin sat in the passenger seat and buckled up in one swift movement. The others went to the back of the bus, and J.C. kneeled between the seats.
"Okay now, just take it slow," J.C. coaxed as Chris put it in reverse. The bus lurched backwards, and Chris looked out the rearview mirror on his left.
A car screeched and laid on the horn, and Chris slammed on the brakes. He blushed and said, "I guess there's a car back there."
"Yeah," Kevin replied.
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End pt. 6
An hour later, they left the parking garage with few dents and scratches, but they were glad to be alive. Chris was able to keep it steady o the highway, and so far they were making good time. It was now 9:00am, and on their way to Florida.
"Uh, Chris?" J.C. said, looking in front of them. The bus was slowly going off the road, and then Chris jerked it back on.
Nick joined them, complaining. "I thought you said you could drive," he said.
"I'm driving, aren't I? Lay off!" Chris snapped, concentrating on the road.
Nick rolled his eyes and went back with the others. The bus slowly went off the side of the road again, and before J.C. could say anything, a police siren sounded behind them.
Chris pulled the bus back on the road and looked in the mirror. He saw the police car following them with lights flashing and siren blaring. "What do I do?" he asked.
"Just pull over," J.C. sighed.
Chris carefully pulled over; nervously looking from Kevin to J.C. as the cop approached the bus. Chris could hear A.J. cracking up in the back as Chris watched the cop in the mirror.
Chris opened the door to the bus and the cop stood as the bottom of the steps. He looked at them through his sunglasses and asked, "Had a little too much to drink?"
"No, he's always like this," A.J. said, appearing beside Chris.
Chris turned red as the cop kept his stern face. "Let me see your license and registration."
"Uh…well…that might be a problem," Chris started, pulling out his wallet. "Hoe 'bout one out of two?"
"Would you step out of the bus?" the cop asked, growing annoyed.
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End pt 7
"See? I'm not drunk," Chris said as he walked the chalk line.
"Okay, you can stop now," the cop replied, keeping a stern face.
Chris glanced at the bus and saw A.J. and Nick laughing at him through the window. "So can I go now?" he asked.
"Well, it says on your license that you aren't qualified to drive a bus."
"What? You gotta be kidding me!" Chris exclaimed.
"I'm not. And unless one of you has a license to drive this bus, you're walking."
"But…" Chris started, his vision of getting home dissolving.
"There's a truck stop a mile up the road. From there you can get a cab," the cop finished, walking to his car.
"What about the bus?" Chris asked.
"I'll have it towed and in safe keeping until someone can pick it up."
Chris put on his puppy face with soft brown eyes as he watched the cop drive away with the bus keys.
~~~~~~~~
"I'm not getting mad," J.C. chanted, breathing deeply.
"It's not my fault," Chris said, blushing.
"You know, it's kind of ironic," Brian said, trying to lighten the situation.
"No, it's just pretty damn hilarious," A.J. said, cracking up.
"Like you can drive a bus," Chris shot back.
"At least I wouldn't drive like a drunk," A.J. replied.
"Shut up," Chris challenged.
"Come make me," A.J. said, motioning with his hands.
"Guys," Kevin interrupted. "We have 20 hours to get to Orlando, if we get there at five in the morning. We don't even have a vehicle, so would you two please shut up?"
They stared at him in silence, and then Nick walked between them, backpack on and his four pugs leashed. "Let's go," he stated, stopping at the door.
The others sighed as they began getting their things. Within minutes, they too were ready to go. "Goodbye bus," Howie said, patting the bus on his way out.
"We'll be back soon," Brian added.
"You'd think they were in love with that bus or something," Joey whispered to Justin.
"I bet it doesn't love them back," Justin replied as a car went by.
"Nobody loves them," Chris teased.
Then another car went by, honking it's horn. A girl leaned out the window yelling, "I love you A.J.!"
A.J. grinned and waved back as Chris replied, "Well, one person does."
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End pt 8
After half an hour of getting honked and screamed at, the 10 men and 5 dogs reached the truck stop. Nick quickly tied his dogs to the bumper of an old truck as they ran inside. Chris carried Busta and hid behind Lance as they approached the cashier.
"Excuse me," Kevin started. "Can we use your phone?"
She glanced between A.J., Chris, and Joey, her defenses rising. "Make it quick," she snapped.
"Thanks," Kevin smiled. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed long distance to their agent. He waited as the phone rang, looking around. He glanced outside, and saw a farm truck backing up. He watched as it turned, pulling out of the parking spot. Behind it, ran Nick's four Pugs, still tied to the bumper. "Shit!" he yelled, dropping the phone and running out the door, the others on his heels.
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End pt. 9 (Short, I know, I'm sorry!!)
"Stop!" Nick yelled as they chased the truck to the highway. It stopped before pulling out, causing them to run into the back. The truck had a boarded fence enclosing the back, and they caught a whiff of something as they desperately tried to untie the Pugs. Music blared from inside truck, and before they could untie the dogs, it started again.
"Come on!" A.J. yelled, climbing on the truck and pulling himself over the fence. One by one the others followed then turned to quickly pull up the dogs. As the truck reached top speed, they pulled the last Pug in back with them, then breathed a sigh of relief.
They took in their surroundings, and realized they were sitting amongst 15 pigs. "Oh this is perfect," Joey groaned, pushing away a curious pig.
"You should feel at home," A.J. sneered.
"At least they're not attracted to me," Joey replied lamely.
"Hey, we got a ride, okay?" A.J. defended. "What more do you want?"
"Well, let's see," Justin started. "One, we don't know where we're going, and two, all of our stuff is back at the truck stop."
"Not to mention we're riding with pigs," Lance added.
"What a bunch of ungrateful little…" A.J. mumbled, his voice trailing off.
"Guys, can you try not arguing for five minutes?" J.C. yelled, getting annoyed.
They remained silent for the rest of the trip, trying to avoid the pigs stepping on them. Two hours later, they pulled into a gas station. The five dogs had begun barking, and the curious farmer looked in the back. "What are you guys doing in my truck?!" he yelled, startling the pigs and his breath fogging in the cold winter air.
"We, uh, needed a ride," Brian started.
"I don't care what you need! Get out of my truck now!" he yelled with a draw. He was dressed in old, worn overalls and he had a straw hat that blocked the warm sun from his eyes.
As they slowly got up, Nick asked, "Can you at least tell us where we are?"
"You see that sign over there?" he asked gruffly, nodding in the direction behind them.
As each of them got off the truck, they looked in the direction the farmer had indicated. There was a huge sign that read, 'Welcome to Georgia.'
"All right!" Joey exclaimed.
"Thank you so much!" Kevin told the confused farmer as he jogged to catch up with his delighted friends.
The farmer shook his head as he watched the ten men wrestle playfully, united with joy.
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End pt 10
After the ten guys had worn each other out by wrestling in the snow, they tiredly trudged into the gas station, this time carrying the dogs. When they added all their change together, they found they had $5.68. They wandered around the store looking for the most essential candy.
"Hey guys?" Nick called, stopping in front of a poster. "Idea!"
The others joined him and began reading the poster. In bid, colorful letters, it read: 'Come watch our 12th annual Christmas Eve Parade. All day, games, food, and drinks!'
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lance asked.
"Hopefully not," Nick mumbled.
"I'm thinking we join that parade," Chris said, his troublesome eyes dancing among the others.
Kevin spotted a cashier and asked, "Where does this parade run?"
"They start here and travel down state a few miles," she replied, full of Christmas cheer.
"Thanks," Kevin replied, returning her smile.
"Perfect," Brian said.
"Speak of the devil," J.C. said, looking out the window.
Outside, three huge horse trailers pulled up and some trucks were pulling floats. The people got out, dressed up as various Christmas characters. The guys gathered around the window and watched as some of the people began to unload one of the trailers. The first animal to back out was a huge reindeer.
"Well, let's do some parade crashing," Justin said, his eyes sparkling.
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End pt 11
The guys walked outside, their breaths showing in the cold air as their feet crunched in the snow.
"Excuse us," A.J. started, approaching the girl holding the reindeer. She stopped recognition in her eyes. "As you may or may not know, we're the groups Backstreet Boys and Nsync." She nodded. "Well, we're trying to get home for Christmas, but we have no money, five dogs, and spent the last two hours with 15 pigs. Could we join your parade in exchange for a performance?"
"Uh, sure," she replied, stunned. "Just help us get ready."
"Thank you so much," Howie said, all their spirits rising.
She walked the reindeer to a big red sled as she continued, "You're lucky actually. We had a group cancel at the last minute, but the horses were already loaded up."
"We're each riding a horse?" Lance asked hopefully.
"Yeah. You can all ride, right?" she asked.
They all nodded, and she smiled. "Good. In that case, go get a horse."
They walked over and each went in a trailer and carefully backed out a horse. When they each had a horse, they walked over to where other people were saddling their horses.
While Lance went straight to it, the others tried to mimic his actions. After a few minutes, Lance was done and mounted his restless Appaloosa. The others nervously glanced at each other before mounting their horses.
"Okay, so good, so far," Joey said, shifting his balance each time his Pinto moved.
"Okay, let's go," Lance said, walking his horse around the others.
The rest of the guys clung to the saddle horn as they followed Lance. The girl from before approached them, dragging a small, wagon type device behind her. "For your dogs," she explained. "One of you will have to drag it behind you while the dogs ride in it."
"Thanks," Nick said, smiling. "I will."
She smiled back as she drug it over and positioned it behind his Thoroughbred. She then fastened it to his horse and called over the dogs. When they were all in, she closed the door and made sure it was shut. "Okay. You're ready," she said, giving Nick's horse a pat.
They noticed Lance trotting to them from the opposite direction, the snow flying. When he reached them, he held out earpeices for each of them. "Let's get this show on the road," he announced.
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End pt 12
Once the parade had gotten assembled, they took off, the guys at the end. The route traveled thorough a city and several neighborhoods before reaching a highway and circling around and going back to the gas station. There was all kinds of floats; sleighs, Rudolph, Frosty, etc. Many people gathered in the cold along the side of the street. The earpiece transmitted signals to speakers that were located throughout the length of the parade. A light snow had begun, and the guys shivered as they warmed up their voices.
By the time they reached the city, they had started a very harmonic version of Jingle Bells, with J.C. and Nick fighting for the lead. The horses ambled along, their hooves crunching in the snow. There were flower petals and candy on the ground, leftovers from the floats in front of them. By the time the guys got to see the people watching the parade, they had begun a beautiful version of O Holy Night. The young girls began screaming and followed behind the horses.
It continued that way for an hour, riding down the streets and singing one carol after another. The crowd behind them got bigger and bigger, and even though it was snowing, no one was cold.
When they had reached the end of the route and started to turn back, the guys removed their earpieces and looked at each other. Then they tossed the microphones in the snow and kicked their horses into a full gallop, heading for the highway. Some of the girls tried to follow, but were soon left behind in the snow flung by the horses hooves and fog from their breaths.
A blur of whites, blacks, and brown ran to the highway, continuing their journey to Orlando.
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End pt 13
After about 15 minutes, they slowed their horses to a trot. It was now about 1:30pm, and they were getting hungry. Plus, they realized they needed maps, since they were now beyond the parade route. They stretched out along the shoulder of the highway, making a 90-foot long line of horse. Joey was first, and took the first exit that showed sign of food.
They trotted to a small diner named Katie's. It was ranch style; wooden with a railing around the front. It wasn’t too busy, but there were a few cars in the parking lot. The guys rode up to the railing and dismounted, then tied the horses to the railing before going in.
They walked in the musty diner, slightly embarrassed.
"What would you guys like to order?" the waitress asked.
"Well, that's the problem," Kevin started. "We don’t have any money."
"Oh," the waitress said, her smile fading. "Let me talk to the manager."
The guys waited at the front, looking around. Behind them, a muscular, middle aged farmer entered. "Who owns them horses out there?" he asked.
"We do," J.C. replied as they all turned to face the man.
"How much you want for the white mare?" he asked, referring to Chris's horse.
"They're not for sale," Chris replied, uncertainly.
The farmer pulled out a checkbook and continued, "How about $3000?"
"Deal," A.J. snapped.
Chris turned his puppy face to the others, but they were agreeing with A.J. 'We need the money," Brian said.
The farmer finished filling out the check and tore it out. "Here you go, nice doing business with you."
"Thanks," Joey replied, taking the check.
The farmer smiled and left, leaving the guys behind staring at the check. The waitress returned, but before she could say anything, Howie asked, "Where's the nearest bank?"
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End pt 14
The guys galloped to the bank at record speed. Chris rode bareback on the back of Joey's horse. The Puppy wagon bounced along in the snow behind Nick, the dogs barking excitedly.
But their hearts dropped when they arrived at their destination. On the door hung a sign that read, 'Closed for the Holidays.'
"Oh my god!" Justin yelled in frustration.
"Doesn't this place have ATM's?" Lance asked, his horse shifting its feet underneath him.
"This town doesn't even have indoor plumbing," Nick muttered sarcastically.
Chris jumped off Joey's horse and threw himself down in the snow on his back. "Just kill me now," he said, looking up.
"The way things are going, I wouldn't say that," J.C. said.
"You better get up before you freeze, then you will die," Joey smiled.
Chris remained where he was for a moment, quiet. In the distance, he thought he heard a whistle. He propped himself up on his elbows and listened harder. The ground began to tremble, and the horses started prancing nervously.
"What's happening?" Kevin asked, confused.
Chris remained still, listening harder. The rumble grew louder and Chris could feel the earth's shaking increasing.
Joey's horse backed up beside Chris, shifting the snow. Chris glanced down and saw something shimmering. He quickly dug around it, and uncovered the smooth bars of a railroad track.
Chris started to yell as he realized he was laying on them, but his voice was drowned out by the sudden scream of the train whistle right beside him as it burst around the corner.
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End pt 15
"Chris!" Justin yelled, barely heard over the thundering train.
Chris moved faster than he ever moved before and hauled himself off the train tracks just as it roared by, the whistle blowing.
The horses nervously danced around him as he stood panting, watching the train roll by. He became dizzy as he realized how close to death he came. The train thundered by for the next two minutes then grew silent again.
"Are you okay?" Brian asked, noticing Chris hadn't moved.
"Hello?" A.J. questioned, not getting a response.
Suddenly Chris's brain kicked in, coming up with an idea. "We gotta catch it," he said, turning to the others. "The railroad runs parallel to the highway all the way to Lumber City."
"How do you know?" Nick asked doubtfully.
"I saw a map at the diner and it just stuck in my head, now let's go!" He said in one breath as Joey pulled him up on the back of the Pinto.
"You heard the man," Joey said, turning his horse. "Let's' go!" He kicked his horse into a gallop and started off after the train, the others close behind.
They ran as fast as the horses could go, and caught up with the train. They ran alongside the last car that had an open door. Inside they could see boxes and mail bags, but more importantly, a place to jump to. Joey and Chris went first, jumping one at a time then letting the horse fall behind and slow to a trot.
Hooves pounded as the train rumbled on, A.J. jumping next, then J.C., Lance, Brian, Justin, and Kevin. Nick threw his reigns to Howie and carefully turned around on his horse. He unhooked his puppy wagon, then turned back around. As he jumped to the train, he held on to the wagon, waiting for Howie to jump.
Once all the guys were in the train, Nick, Joey, and Lance pulled in the wagon.
"Made it!" J.C. said, exhausted.
"Not quite," came a voice behind them. Then J.C. felt the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed against his back.
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 16
Slowly they turned around, standing face to face with four armed, masked robbers. "Get your hands in the air," one of them ordered, pointing his gun.
The guys all obeyed their faces full of shock. "You just crashed out party," another robber said, grinning. "Now you get to pay the price."
They tensed and awaited a gunshot, but none followed.
"Give us all your money and valuables," the first robber ordered.
Ironically, a small sense of relief swept over them. "Actually," J.C. started, "we left our money at a gas station in Tennessee."
The others snickered, but the robbers failed to see the humor. "Give us your watches and necklaces then," one of them replied coldly.
The guys looked at each other and laughed. "Why not?" Brian laughed, taking off his watch and tossing it to them.
The others mimicked his actions, except Joey, who left on his Superman necklace.
"That too," a robber said, pointing to Joey.
"No, you can't have this," Joey replied.
"Give it to me or I'll take it off your corpse," the robber growled back.
Joey automatically took off his necklace and handed it to him.
"Good. Now all of you step over there," he ordered, motioning to some boxes. The other three robbers approached the guys with ropes and cocked guns.
The guys remained silent but nervously glanced at each other for reassurance as the robbers tied them up. When they were done, the robbers backed up and admired their work. "We'll be seeing you guys!" they said, before heading to the front of the train.
"It seems we're a little tied up," Chris said, smiling.
The others groaned at his lame joke and started struggling to get free.
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End pt 17
"I can't feel my hands anymore," Justin complained.
"I lost feeling 15 minutes ago," Howie said.
The train had rolled on for two more hours, with no sign of the robbers. The guys struggled uselessly against the ropes, only ending up with painful rope burns.
The train began its long stop, screeching on the tracks. "At least someone will find us," Lance mumbled.
"Look on the bright side," Chris started. "This means we're in Lumber City. We're almost there."
A small smile spread over them as the train slowly rolled to a halt. Five minutes later, a man opened the door to the car. "What happened to you?" he asked, going to them.
"We were robbed," Kevin started.
"Did you see them?" the man asked.
"No, we were too busy praying they wouldn't shoot us," A.J. replied sarcastically.
"How'd you guys get in here?" he asked, ignoring A.J.
"Horse," Joey smiled.
The man looked at them uncertainly. He had cut them all loose and stepped back.
"Well, I guess we'll be going now," J.C. said, standing up.
The guys jumped off, followed by the dogs as the man stood, shaking his head in confusement.
Once they had once again begun their journey, Nick asked, "Okay, so what do we do now?"
"Walk really fast," Howie replied.
They all contemplated their options as they walked along the highway. It had begun snowing again and they shivered, chattering their teeth.
A bus rolled by, then slammed on the brakes and began backing up. "Aren't you guys the Backstreet Boys and Nsync?" a voice asked.
The guys looked up and recognized the smiling face of Marilyn Manson.
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 18
"Um, yeah," Kevin replied wearily.
"You need a ride?" Marilyn asked, smiling.
The others looked at each other uncertainly. "Do we?" J.C. whispered.
"We'll never get home if we don't," A.J. said.
"Uh, where you going?" J.C. asked.
"Orlando for a kick ass Christmas party!" Marilyn replied.
J.C. glanced at the others before nervously replying, "Sure."
"Great! Come on in," Marilyn smiled, then he disappeared from the window.
J.C., Lance, Kevin, Brian, and Howie ass got on the bus while the others cautiously looked in, whispering to each other. "This guy is weird," A.J. whispered.
"Like you're not?" Joey replied.
"Shut up, as least I don't have a brain disorder from dying my hair too much," A.J. shot back.
"At least I'm not one big walking tattoo," Chris chimed in.
"At least I don't have a spider on my head," Nick replied.
"Glad I'm not gay," Justin added.
"Hey! You guys coming?" Marilyn called.
"Youngest first," A.J. grinned, looking at Justin.
"Ugliest first," Justin shot back.
"You wanna go? I'll beat you down so fast-"
"GUYS!" Kevin coughed, standing in the doorway. "You wanna walk, or get in here now?"
"They started it!" they said in unison, arms pointing in all directions.
Kevin rolled his eyes and went to sit with the other 'grown ups', followed by the five weary 'kids'.
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 19
"So what were you guys doing?" Marilyn asked once the bus began moving.
"Trying to get home," Kevin replied, sighing as he went over the day's events.
"You were walking?" Marilyn asked, looking at them through black and white spiral contacts.
"Um, yeah, it's a long story," J.C. replied. He tore his gaze away from Marilyn and looked across from him. Justin, Joey, Chris, Nick, and A.J. were all scrunched together on the opposite couch, staring at Marilyn. They were silent, but the looks on their faces screamed, 'Psycho!' J.C. moved away from Marilyn slightly and forced a smile.
"I like your guy's music," Marilyn continued, eyeing Howie.
"Thanks," Howie replied, getting nervous.
"You guys want something to drink?" Marilyn asked, getting up.
A.J. and the others jumped, leaning back into the couch as Marilyn passed them, their eyes wide.
"Uh, sure," Kevin replied, then he looked at the guys across from him. They all shook their heads, eyes still wide.
"You guys want anything?" Marilyn asked, looking at the others.
"No!" they all answered quickly in unison. "But thanks," Joey added, smiling.
"Sure," Marilyn replied, shrugging as he pulled out some beers. He walked back to his worn, leather couch and sat down in his spot between J.C. and Kevin. He then handed everyone on his couch a drink and took a drink out of his bottle. "So you guys don't think it's strange the two rival boybands are traveling together? You're not gay or anything, right?"
"No, we're not gay," Brian assured him. "We just were helping these guys out."
"Oh…right," Marilyn replied, tucking his blue hair behind an ear. After a few minutes, he asked, "So, have you ever bit the head off a dog?"
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 20
Chris pulled Busta close and swallowed. "Can't- can't say that I have," he stuttered.
"You probably wouldn't like it, all the blood and stuff," Marilyn said.
Nick whitened at the comment, then looked for his Pugs who were napping quietly.
Marilyn took another drink of beer and looked around. "So you guys like my bus?" he asked.
They looked around, tearing their eyes from Marilyn for the first time. The bus was mostly lit with black light, with lots of leather and twisted posters. Under a pile of clothes lay a six-inch knife, adding to their discomfort. "It’s nice," Kevin lied.
"Thanks. I like it," Marilyn replied. After hearing J.C.'s stomach growl, he asked, "You guys hungry?"
"Yeah, kinda," J.C. said. "We haven't eaten since 6:00 this morning."
"Well then, what would you like to eat?" Marilyn asked, getting up and heading back to the refrigerator. "We got chicken, Chinese, steak- but it's raw, chicken, -"
"You already said chicken," Howie interrupted.
Marilyn stopped and double-checked himself. "I did? Oh- wait, the first one was snake, sorry."
Nick whitened even more and they each took a deep breath. "Uh, chicken sounds good," J.C. said, almost against his will.
"Cool. What about the rest of you?"
"Uh, I'm not really hungry," Chris replied, speaking for all them.
"You sure? I-"
"I'm sure," Chris confirmed.
"OK. But don't blame me when you go hungry," Marilyn shrugged.
"So about how far away are we from Orlando?" Kevin asked.
"About four hours. What time you gotta be there?" Marilyn asked.
"As soon as possible," A.J. muttered to the others.
"No rush really, we just want to be home tonight," Kevin replied as Marilyn started to microwave J.C.'s chicken. "What time is it now?"
Marilyn glanced at a skull clock hanging above the microwave. "It’s 6:30."
"We won't be late then," Howie said.
The others nodded and Marilyn asked, "So you guys like playing strip poker?"
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 21
"I do!" Joey and A.J. said together, smiling.
"Well then, let's play!" Marilyn replied. He pulled out a deck of cards and sat down on the couch. "All you guys in?"
The others looked at each other then shrugged. "Why not?" Chris replied.
"Good," Marilyn smiled, dealing.
~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later, the guys were all missing half their clothes.
"You can't do that!" Howie said, sitting in his boxers and socks.
"Yes I can," Marilyn replied, only missing his shirt.
"Guys, let's not argue about it," Kevin interrupted, in his boxers and sweatshirt.
"Yeah," J.C. added, in his boxers. "It’s only a game."
"This game sucks," both Chris and Justin said in unison, them also down to their boxers.
"No it doesn't," replied Joey. He and A.J. were the only two still fully clothed.
"Only cuz you're winning," Brian mumbled in his boxers and shirt.
"Do you want to quit?" Marilyn asked.
"No," Howie replied. "But you cheated."
"I did not!" Marilyn repeated, becoming annoyed.
"I believe you did," Howie argued, losing all his fear.
"Fine. We'll quit," Marilyn huffed, getting up. "But I didn't cheat!" He grabbed the pile of clothes and ran to the window. The others ran to stop him, but they were too late. Marilyn opened the window and tossed all the clothes out into the dark, cold winter air.
The guys stared at him open-mouthed.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Here's your chicken," Marilyn said, handing J.C. a plate.
"Thanks," J.C. mumbled. Across sat A.J., Nick, Joey, Chris, and Justin. All but A.J. and Joey were shivering and showing goosebumps on their muscular, bare arms and legs.
"You look pathetic. Go get something of mine to wear. I'm not going to listen to your teeth rattle for the rest of trip," Marilyn said.
"Then you shouldn't have gotten rid of our clothes," Justin shivered.
"I wouldn't have if your little Hispanic friend hadn't called me a cheater," Marilyn replied.
"I am not-"
"Shut up!" the guys yelled.
"We don't want anything else thrown out," Joey snapped.
Howie shut his mouth and pouted.
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 22
"Guys!" Justin shouted, pointing out the window.
They turned around to look, and saw a 'Welcome to Florida' sign fly by.
"We made it!" they yelled, smiles spreading over their faces.
"Well duh," Marilyn mumbled.
"I can't believe this!" Justin exclaimed. "We actually made it!"
Suddenly the bus lurched, then dramatically slowed until it rolled to a stop. All eyes glared at Justin as the driver came back to tell them, "Well, we're out of gas."
"What!?"
"I cannot believe this!"
"Justin!"
"It wasn't my fault guys, I swear!"
"Now how we gonna get there?"
"We'll freeze to death!"
"Then where something of mine," Marilyn interrupted. "You guys sound like you're married."
"Do you own anything normal?" Brian asked.
Marilyn rolled his eyes. "I'll wait outside. Look around, but if it's not clothing, don’t touch it!" With that, he got up and went outside.
"You know, this isn't too bad," Chris said, holding up a leather shirt.
"I have one just like it!" A.J. replied.
"Never mind," Chris said, throwing it back down.
"Here's something you'd look good in," A.J. smiled, holding up a straight jacket.
"You don't watch MTV much, do you?" Chris asked. "I already have one of those."
"Oh," A.J. replied, dropping the straight jacket.
"Okay, I be stylin' now," Howie exclaimed, putting on a long black trench coat. "I'm set."
"You suck," J.C. muttered, getting a surprised look from everyone.
~~~~~~~~~~~
After everyone had found some sort of leather shirt, they headed outside to join Marilyn, who cracked up at the sight of them. "You guys are gonna get beat up," he laughed, his breath showing in the cold air.
"I'd rather fight than freeze," Joey replied.
"Well let's get going," Kevin said, trudging forward.
They walked silently for ten minutes, shivering uncontrollably. Cars passed them, blowing the lightly falling snow and swirling it around them. Their fingers and toes were numb, but they were glad they still had their shoes. A gust of wind hammered them, and they looked over to see a bus.
The bus stopped, and waited until they caught up.
"Justin?" questioned a familiar voice.
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 23
"Oh, God, just kill me now," Justin mumbled.
"Hey, Britney! How's it hangin'?" A.J. yelled.
"Screw you," she replied, making a face at A.J. "What are you guys doing?"
"Well, you see," A.J. started. "When you put one foot in front of the other, it's called walking, and you can go places!"
"Haha, really?" Britney asked sarcastically as the others snickered. She looked at Justin and asked, "Well do you need a ride? I'm going to Orlando."
"Who isn't?" Chris asked.
Another gust of wind cut through them forcing Justin to accept. "Fine."
"Oh, no. No way am I getting on Britney Spear's bus," Chris complained.
"Then walk, "J.C. muttered, passing him.
"Come on," Joey said, putting his arm around Chris's shoulder. "I'll protect you."
"I'm sticking with Marilyn," A.J. grinned.
Slowly, the eleven guys filed on the Brittany's bus. "Oh my God!" Marilyn yelled, squinting. "It's pink!"
Everything in the bus was pink, purple, or yellow, with pillows, stuffed animals, and general girl stuff scattered all over the bus. "Make yourselves at home," Britney said once everyone was in.
"Really?" they asked hopefully.
Realizing what they meant by the mischief in their eyes, she quickly replied, "No."
"This is gonna be long trip home," Nick mumbled.
"So why are you guys walking in the snow in your boxers?" Britney asked, looking down Justin's body.
Justin pulled his trench coat tight around him as he replied, "Because Marilyn's not a cheater."
Howie blushed as Marilyn said, "Damn right."
"Okay," Britney replied, confused.
"What do you have to eat in here?" Chris asked, he and Joey making themselves at home as they went through her refrigerator.
"Food," she replied sarcastically, remembering how annoying the two could be.
"Duh," Chris said, making a face at her.
"I think I'm gonna sit in a corner now," Marilyn interrupted. "It's too bright in here."
Britney watched him go to the back of the bus and her eyes fell on Nick, who was watching her intently. She shot him a pathetic look, then turned to the others, tripping over all the Pugs that were sniffing her feet. The guys were all helping themselves to her food, scarfing down everything. "So, Justin," she smiled, standing next to him as he ate some chips. "Where you guys headed?"
"Joey's," he replied, moving on to some carrot sticks.
Britney got a disgusted look on her face and replied, "Why?"
"Christmas," Joey interrupted, defending himself.
"It's tomorrow, you know," Chris explained slowly.
Britney rolled her eyes and flipped him off as she continued talking to Justin. "Why don't you come to my place?"
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
End pt 24
"Let me think- no," Justin replied as the others cracked up.
"It would be fun," she persuaded, moving closer, leaning on him.
Justin moved away, leaving Britney to catch herself before falling to the floor. "I'm sure," he said flatly. He grabbed an orange and joined Chris, who was on the couch eating an apple and watching TV Britney started over to join them, but all five Pugs jumped on the couch, filling the spot.
"I will," Nick said hopefully.
"You will not," Kevin and Britney replied together.
"Or not," Nick replied sadly.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay guys, here we are," the bus driver said, waking the guys.
"Where's here?" A.J. asked.
"It's my house," Brian said, looking out the window.
"All right!" nick shouted happily, jumping up.
"Well guys," Kevin started, "Thanks for the memorable journey home. We'll be seeing ya?"
"Of course man," J.C. replied, smiling as he shook Kevin's hand. "On TRL."
"You bet," Brian said as they laughed. They slowly got off the bus, saying their good-byes. Nick's four Pugs trotted after him, and with that, they were gone.
"Next stop, Joey's!" Lance exclaimed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay guys, get out," the driver teased, opening the bus doors and letting the cold night air seep in.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Joey said, getting up and having no regret in his voice.
"Yup, bye!" Justin said, following Joey.
"Fine, goodbye!" Britney called after them. Then she realized something. "Wait a minute, I thought Joey lived in New York!"
"That's where I'm from," he called back. "My aunt lives here."
"Oh," she said, watching the guys run through the night to Joey's front door. As the bus pulled away, she watched them go from, laughing and smiling.
~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>
Finnis ~> Epilogue
Britney sat down to watch TV, then realized she might as well get a shower. She got back up and took off her shirt as she headed back the bus to the bathroom.
"Hey baby," a voice said, making her jump. She turned around saw Marilyn sitting in the corner, watching her.
Then she screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Guys, be quiet!" Joey whispered. They snuck up the dark stairs to the warm house, laughing and wrestling the whole way. The Christmas tree was on, and the sparkling lights illuminated a pile of gifts wrapped under the enormous tree.
"I can't believe we made it!" Justin whispered.
"Shut up!" Lance and Joey whispered, covering their friend's mouth.
Once they had got to the top of the stairs, Joey led them to his room. He immediately went to the closet and began going through it. "Here," he whispered, pulling out four superman sweaters. "Put these on."
"Superman?" Chris questioned, holding the shirt to his chest.
"Well it’s the only thing I have," Joey replied.
Once the guys had all changed, they snuck back down stairs and gathered around the Christmas tree, all five of them in Superman shirts. Then, they began singing 'Happy Holidays', softly at first, then getting louder. Eventually, the rest of the house woke up and came to watch them, smiling.
Needless to say, it was their best Christmas ever.
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