The three depressed and shakened Backstreet Boys sit silently during the flight to New York. They slowly shake their heads and manage to mutter, "No thanks" when the stewardess offers them a drink. Howie and AJ gaze absently out the window, while Kevin has his hands over his head in a crouched position, thinking. God, why did this have to happen? Why is this happening to them, to us? It's tearing us apart just wondering what the hell happened. Please let them be ok. Let them be in one piece. "Guys?" AJ and Kevin both look up with a start at Howie. "They're gonna be ok, right?"
There's a slight pause.
"Yeah," Kevin finally answers with a slight crack in his voice, nodding.
"They'll be ok. They're strong, they can pull through this."
At this, AJ stands up and turns to face Kevin. "How can you be so sure, huh?" AJ bitterly says. "For all we know, they might already be dead!!"
Kevin punches him in the face, which knocks him back down in his seat. All the people in the plane gasp in surprise.
"Guys, stop this!!" pleads Howie, grabbing Kevin's arm. He angrily pulls away from him and looks down at AJ. He grabs him and pulls him up.
"How could you say that, huh?! What possessed you to say that?!! You have absolutely no right to say that!! Nick and Brian are not dead, THEY ARE NOT DEAD!!" Kevin cries out, his voice trembling. A deathly silence fills the airplane. Kevin slowly sits back down in his seat and covers his face with his hands The impact of the whole situation hits him suddenly, and he starts to cry, his shoulders slightly shaking with every sob. Howie slowly reaches out and places his hand on Kevin's shaking shoulders. Kevin turns to look at him with a tear-streaked face.
"Howie, what if they really are dead?" "No man, we got to have faith. We just have to keep the hope alive."
"But it's killing me just wondering if they're ok or not."
"Me too, man. But all we can do now is hope and pray."
"Kevin?" Kevin looks up and sees AJ standing in front of him. "I'm sorry man, I should have never said that. I don't know what came over me. It's just that I am so worried about Nick and Brian...."
"Yeah, I know man, I know...." says Kevin patting him on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry I punched you." AJ gently touches the spot where he was hit and lets out a small chuckle. "Yeah, well, I kind of deserved it, though you sure let me have it."
Kevin smiles and starts to laugh. "And the look on Howie's face when I hit you is unforgetable."
"Well what did you expect?! I''ve never seen you get physical before!" replies Howie with a laugh. Suddenly, reality roughly interrupts their conversation.
"This flight non-stop to New York has now landed. Enjoy your stay here."
The three boys look at each other. "Well guys, I guess this is it..." says Kevin sadly.
Howie and AJ nod slowly in agreement. They all get up and start walking towards the exit, not knowing what to expect when they got to the dock.
As the sun is starting to rise, Priscilla is softly awakened by a distant sound. She painfully gets up and shivers. Damn it's so cold. I can't believe I actually fell asleep. How the hell did I get through the night? She gently rubs her hands together. My fingers are so numb, I can't barely feel them anymore. She hears the sound again. What is that? She then spots a faraway object. Could it be..."Nick?" she hoarsely whispers. She tries to cry out, but her voice won't let her. She starts to wave frantically, hoping the object would see her. God, please let it be Nick, please...As the object comes closer, her heart sinks. It's not Nick, she thinks as she slowly stops waving. It's just a ship coming to rescue us. Or what's left of us, she thinks as she looks around. She looks at the ship again and notices some people, probably crew members, getting into lifeboats and being lowered down to look for survivors. I'm not even going to make the effort. I don't want them to notice me. If Nick is dead.....then I want to be dead too. Why was I spared and not him? It's not fair... Her lips start trembling, but she quickly shakes her head. No, I will not cry. Nick would want me to be strong.....meaning he might also not want me to die. With that, she starts waving frantically at the lifeboat until they finally spot her and row towards her. When they reach her, one of the crew members immediately cover her up with a blanket and set her gently on the lifeboat. Priscilla gives the place where Titanic sank one last, wistful look, then looks away towards the Carpathia.
As the lifeboat approaches the Carpathia, hope begins to flicker inside Arlene's body. We're almost there. Maybe now Brian will get the help he needs. She looks down at him, her eyes saddening at the sight of his ashen face. "Hang on, baby. Just hang on for a little while longer. The rescue ship has finally come. You're gonna be ok. Just hang on, please, Brian. Hang on," she whispers softly to him. Just then, to her horror, Brian starts to tremble furiously. Oh, no.... "Brian? Brian! Baby, stop doing this! Oh, my God, please Brian!! Please, somebody, make him stop doing this! Please!! Brian, please, stop!!" shouts Arlene, sobbing hysterically. A couple of minutes later they finally reach the ship. The crewmembers take one look at Brian and immediately call for a stretcher. They pick him up gently and place him on the stretcher, all the while trying to control his jerking movements. Another one approaches Arlene with a blanket.
"Do you need any help, miss?" he asks while putting the blanket around her.
"No, I just wanna be with him, he's my boyfriend! Please, you have to help him!"
"We're doing everything we can."
"I'm going with him."
Before the man could say another word, Arlene runs past him over to Brian's side and holds his jerking hand. "You're gonna be ok, baby. You're gonna be ok..."
One by one, every person in the lifeboats is picked up by Carpathia. The ship then starts sailing onwards to New York. As Priscilla walks around, she sees some people off to one side crying, others asking if their husbands/boyfriends are on the ship. She is tempted to go and ask too, but slowly shakes her head. No, I'm not even gonna bother. I must accept the fact that Nick is dead. But what if he isn't? There might still be a chance.... Before she can have a chance to resist, she quickly walks up to an officer who is holding a clipboard with the names of everyone onboard. "Excuse me sir, but could you please check if Nick Carter is on this ship."
"Nick Carter..."he says softly as he checks his clipboard. Priscilla holds her hands together, awaiting with a hopeful gaze in her eyes. Please let his name be on... she silently prays. "No, there is no Nick Carter on my list. I'm sorry, miss." All of her hopes suddenly come crashing down.
"Are you absolutely sure?" she asks.
"Yes, I'm sorry," he sadly replies.
"Thank you..." she utters softly before quickly walking away. I knew it! I just knew it! Damn it, why did I have to go up and ask?! Oh Nick... Tear s start welling up but she manages to hold them. No, damnit, I will not cry! If I do, I know I'll never stop. Soon, her eyes begin to focus and she slowens her pace, exhaustion starting to take over. When her eyes focus clearly again, she suddenly stops dead in her tracks. All color vanishes from her face. She sharply inhales, not believing what her very own eyes are looking at straight ahead. No way...... But when she sees the figure starting to run towards her, she can no longer deny it. She starts running, all traces of exhaustion gone. They get closer and closer until they both slowly stop at about a foot in between each other. As they catch their breath, they stare at each other in disbelief. "....oh my God.....Nick, is it really you?" Priscilla softly says, her lips starting to tremble.
Nick slowly nods. "Yes....I can't believe you're here too..." he says, his voice slightly breaking. Tears begin to well up in their eyes.
"I thought you were..."
"I know, I thought I was gonna die too..." Nick interrupts, still in shock. "But someone pulled me up onto their lifeboat just before I ran out of breath, then I guess I blacked out." Nick can't stop gazing at her.
"When I came to and I didn't see you anywhere, I started to think...God, you...you really are here, aren't you?"
"Yes," Priscilla happily says, her tears running down her face. Nick reaches over and softly strokes her cheek, wiping away her tears. When he does, Priscilla touches his hand and closes her eyes, relief flooding through her body. "I thought I lost you forever..." she manages to say before breaking down into sobs. He quickly embraces her, his own tears streaming down his face.
"...I never thought that I'd be able to hold you again..." he chokes.
"Nick, I love you."
"I love you too..." He pulls back, tilts up her face, and gives her a soft kiss. Thank you, Lord, they both think. Thank you...
Nick puts his arm around his glowing girlfriend as they start walking. They stop when they reach the edge of the ship. "Wow, look at that sunset, Nick! It's beautiful," she exclaims.
"Not as beautiful as you," he responds.
She turns to look at him, a smile forming on her face. "Aww, baby, you always know the right things to say to me. Were you born with that quality?" she jokingly asks.
"Well, actually, Bri...oh my God! Brian!!!" Priscilla gasps sharply. "Oh my God, Arlene!! I forgot all about my best friend!!!" Nick automatically takes her hand and they start walking rapidly, looking all around for their friends.
"Arlene! Brian!" they frantically shout,
but no one answers back. After a while, they stop to rest, their hopes of
finding them slowly fading away. They sit down on the wooden deck in
silence, thinking.
How could I have forgotten my best friend...
I'm such an asshole...
I should have been by her side...
I never got to apologize...
"You know," Nick suddenly says, his eyes glistening with tears, "I never got to apologize to Brian for this stupid fight that we had yesterday..."
Priscilla gives him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, sweetie, you'll get your chance. They have to be around here somewhere. Come on, let's keep looking." So they get up and start walking again. While Nick is looking around, Priscilla just looks straight ahead, thinking. I wish I were half as sure as I sounded just now. Poor Nick, he must feel so bad. Damnit, how could I have been so stupid? How could I just forget her that easily? Some friend I am....damn, what if she... A flash of red hair suddenly interrupts her thoughts. "Arlene?" says Priscilla, stopping dead in her tracks. Nick turns to look at her.
"What? Did you see them?" he asks.
"....um..." she utters, looking around. Arlene is nowhere in sight. "I.....I could have sworn I saw my friend just now..."
"Where?" Nick asks.
"Over there," Priscilla answers, pointing straight ahead. They both look around that area, but don't find her. "Nick, I'm not going crazy, am I?" she asks.
"No, of course not," he answers, giving her a kiss on her forehead.
"But I could have sworn..."
"Maybe it was someone who looks like her or something."
"Maybe...still...there aren't that many people who have red hair here."
"Yeah, but..." Nick suddenly gets quiet when he notices a sign by a door.
"Nick, what is it?" she asks. Nick points to the sign. "Here's one room we haven't checked yet."
Priscilla turns to look at the sign, reads it, and exclaims, "Oh my God, you're right. We forgot to check the clinic area! Come on!" She grabs his hand and pulls him in. They start looking around the room, saddening at seeing the room full of the sick, the dying, the crying, and the praying people. "Oh, Brian...." Priscilla stops suddenly at hearing this voice coming from the corner. "Arlene?" she whispers. She quickly starts running to that corner, pulling Nick along.
"Hey, slow down!" he exclaims.
"Come on, Nick! I think I just heard her voice!" Hope rushes back to her heart with ever step she takes. Please let it be her, please let it be her, she prays silently. When she finally reaches her destination, tears start to fill her eyes. She just stares at the girl there, who hasn't noticed her since she's facing the other way. There she is, my best friend, safe and sound... "Arlene," she calls out. She sees Arlene stiffen at the sound of her voice. She then quickly turns around.
When she sees Priscilla, she chokes back a sob. "Oh my God, you're alive!" Priscilla instantly runs over and embraces her.
"I'm so sorry," they both say at the same time. Priscilla smiles tearfully at her and says, "Go ahead, you first."
"Ok. Prisci, I'm so sorry that I wasn't with you when..."
"Don't be," she interrupts. "I'm the one who should be sorry, I mean, all I cared about was getting me and Nick off that ship," she says, pointing to Nick.
That's when Arlene notices him for the first time standing next to Priscilla. "Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't say hi, I just..."
"It's ok, I understand," he answers, giving her a smile. "It's nice to meet you, and it's good to see you made it. By the way, where's Brian? I can't wait to see him."
Arlene's facial features immediately change to a look of pure sadness.
Priscilla notices that her eyes are all puffy and red, as if she had been crying. "Arlene," she says softly. "Where's Brian?"
Arlene looks down and doesn't say a word. Nick starts fearing the worst. He gently tilts her face up and sees tears in her eyes.
"Arlene," he softly says in a slightly trembling voice. "Please, I need to know. Where is he?"
Arlene chokes back a sob and says, "He's...
Part Six
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