Title: Shades of Gray - - Dark Gray
Author: Granitite Stone, granitite@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: If they were mine, would I be writing
fanfiction? There is no malicious intent in this story, I know
nothing about these men's real lives.
Rating: R
Summary: When one moment changes everything, and one
decision can change a lifetime, you make the best choices you can.
The question is, what choice is the right one? Even if you think
you've made it, what's not to say you wouldn't have been happier
the other way?
From the Journal of Brian Littrel, December 1998
Now what am I supposed to do? All I asked was what he
wanted for Christmas, and what does my best buddy do? He smiles,
and the next thing I know I'm flat on my back, him looming over
me. He's so much stronger than me, I couldn't have escaped if I'd
wanted to. What am I supposed to say to him, when all he wants
for Christmas... is me?
Leighanne watched him sleep, confused. Where was his wedding
ring? Had she made him so upset he’d taken it off? Even if
he had, shouldn’t there be a tan line? Brian wasn’t that
pale. There was also a small silver band on his right ring
finger, bearing musical notes. She was sure she didn’t want
to know what it stood for.
There were other less noticeable things. He was on the wrong side
of the bed. His hair was a little different. Most of all, he was
wearing the wrong cologne, Gravity. "Who are you?"
Brian stirred, then sat up in shock. "Leighanne?"
"You’re surprised to see me." Somehow that didn’t
shock her. "I thought I was imaging things."
Brian looked around, confused. He knew he’d gone to be
with Nick last night... after talking to that girl.
---
Nick wanted a soda, and even if it was three am, Brian wasn’t
letting him brave the lobby alone. There was a sole teenager in
the lobby. She was dressed in white, and completely ignored them
until they were almost out the door.
"Mr. Littrel? Mr. Carter?" She was holding an autograph
book. "Would you mind?"
Brian tried to write legibly and Nick scribbled his name. "So,
who’s your favorite?"
She smiled for a second. "The two of you, of course. You can’t
have Frick without Frack." They headed back out, towards the
elevator. She grabbed his hand as he walked past to leave. "Are
you happy with your life? Are you glad you walked the road you
walked?"
Brian and Nick exchanged a heated look, and Brian answered for
both of them. "You know the song lyric. There's no place I'd
rather be." There was an unspoken, 'No one else I'd rather
be with.'
She looked sad, and her voice followed them to the elevators.
"For every choice you make, there's one you didn't. There
must always be an opportunity to see the other side."
---
Leighanne had gotten out her address book while he thought.
"You should call the Firm."
Brian dialed. "Hi. This is Brian. I seem to have woken up
in an alternate reality this morning. I see, and how long will
this last? You’ll call Kevin? Yes, I suppose I can try.
Thank you." Brian hung up, and gave the phone a hopeless
look. "I was hoping we were both imaging things. The Firm
has been expecting this, waiting for it."
"How could they have known?"
"It’s happened before, to Joey Fatone. They’re
going to call Kevin, and then I’m supposed to go over all
the songs and choreography before tomorrow’s show. The show
must go on."
"You knew the second you woke up. I’m not supposed to
be the first face you see, am I?" Leighanne was opening his
suitcase.
"No." He accepted his journal when she found it. "No,
you’re not."
"Who is it supposed to be?" She knew already, of course.
Who else could it be, with him smelling like Gravity?
He flipped back to just before that Christmas. No, no, no.
This was wrong.
'I said no. I told him no, I can't believe I’m such a coward.'
All wrong.
---
Three sleepy Backstreet Boys came into Kevin’s room a while
later. AJ practically crawled to the couch, Howie not far behind
him. "Kevin, you’d better be glad I’m not
drinking, or I’d have to kill you. We were up until five
this morning."
"Yeah, and it’s only seven thirty." Nick whined, and saw Brian sitting in the other room, reading the score to Black and Blue. "Rok, what’s up?"
"That’s not Brian." Kevin wondered how to say this without sounding insane.
"Who is he then?" Howie had a pillow, and curled against the couch.
"Kevin?" Brian’s voice came from the other room. "How many bonus tracks are on Black and Blue?"
"One."
"Then we’re good, but they’re gonna have a problem." Brian walked into the room, and they knew something was wrong. He just didn’t look right. Or smell right.
"Brian, why are you wearing my cologne?" Nick sat up, and noticed something else. No wedding ring, had he and Leigh broken up?
"He’s not Brian." Kevin spoke to Nick as he would a small child. "The Firm says he’s from an alternate reality."
"Alternate reality?" AJ decided it was still too way too early not to believe this.
Brian looked at Nick, who had gotten up to get some caffeine. He hoped he would understand because he really didn’t want to explain this. "In another time, in another place, I said yes."
Nick dropped the coffee cup he’d been filling.
Go to Dark
Side Part Two or Go to Light
Side Part One
~When I look into the mirror, and see a face I don't recognize, I
am no longer surprised.
Choose Your Poison at www.angelfire.com/weird/cobalite/index.html
Or, visit my livejournal at www.livejournal.com/users/granitite/