The show was probably Nick's best since getting back on tour. Not only was his energy level through the roof, he was flirting with absolutely everyone; the dancers, the band, the fans, even A.J.. It was all a cover, so he could allow himself a wink or a smile at Lina. He'd gotten used to doing shows without her in his head, so when he wasn't either singing or dancing, he contented himself with looking. While she was occupied with lipreading one of the other guys, he stared at her, just watching. Watching as she tucked a stray lock of red hair behind her ear, hearing aid in her purse, just another girl deafened by the music.Watching her jeans, her hips, move in time to the music, watching restless hands that longed to be up in the air, but had no room to move. Watching lips mouth lyrics, all the things he knew she did at a concert but had never actually seen her do.
Lina was disoriented. She'd never been to a Backstreet Boys show without being in Nick's head. Since they were so close, and essentially doing the same thing anyway, the energy drain and general distraction that usually went with an almost-total connection weren't a problem at shows. To see it from only one perspective, lacking the double-vision where she saw Nick's POV and her own simultaneously, made the whole show seem two dimensional. Lina felt distanced from the experience, as if it wasn't really happening. She tried to be happy that Nick wasn't pushing her boundaries, trying to bring her into his head, but didn't he miss it too? When a bodyguard summoned her out of the crowd before the finale, she was actually a little relieved.
After the show it was decided without actually saying anything that there would be a group meeting in Nick's room. With nowhere else to go, Lina ended up in Nick's room, feeling at a loose end while her partner, or ex-partner? showered. She idly unlocked his suitcase. Tucked in a corner lay their game - something she had bought him for teekay practice. It was a small, worn Nerf ball, and a plastic hoop, the kind you could loop over the back of a door. He never played it with anyone else, yet he had brought it on this tour with him. Lina smiled gently.
"What'cha got there?" Nick emerged from the shower in a wifebeater and baggy jeans. She showed him and he laughed. "Wow, I didn't know I brought that! I guess it's been in the suitcase since it got rescued from the bus wreck."
Lina hid her disappointment by turning away and attaching the hoop to the door. "Wanna play?"
"I was going to go for a walk."
"But they'll all be here soon."
"I know. But if I stay much longer I'm going to start asking questions and we'll fight."
"I know," Lina sighed. "And we need to get some stuff clear before we fight."
"So I'm going for a Coke. There's a machine down the hall. Want anything?"
"No thanks." He shrugged and slipped out the door, leaving Lina with her memories.
After a shower and change of clothing, Howie knocked on the connecting door. After Nick's warning, he'd actually made a point of getting the room next to his little bro, without saying so of course.
"It's open, Howie." Lina called out. He surpressed his surprise, because *of course* she knew who was at the door, she was psychic, and came in. Lina was alone, sprawled out on the bed, watching the Nerf basketball Nick always had in his room, go into the hoop set up on the back of the main door. He watched as it fell though the hoop, stopped an inch or so before it hit the ground, swooped over to the opposite wall, paused, and flew through the air towards the hoop again. This time it missed and Lina laughed as it hit the door, then froze mid-air on the rebound."Nick's down the hall getting a Coke," she commented, sitting up and letting the ball float down to the foot of the bed.
"He's got a whole fridge full of..."
"We didn't want to be alone together until after you all give me the third degree," she explained. "I'll just get worked up."
"You guys are..."
"Twisted?" Lina shrugged, a wry smile on her face. "I know. Hey, if you're lucky I'll be gone after tonight."
"If I'm lucky you'll be around for a while, and Nick will quit moping."
She let that one pass. "So, everyone's telling me he's falling apart, I notice that A.J. seems to have emerged as a reciever...how are you doing, D?"
The casual way she said it, as if she'd known him for years, unnerved him. "Um..."
"If we're all going to get through tonight," Lina took on what must have been her "teacher voice", "you're going to have to remember I know you about as well as Nick does. I played awkward in public, but we're not in public and it's *such* a relief to just drop the act."
"I know that...it's just weird." He finally picked a chair and sat in it. "I've been okay - when people aren't asking if I'm okay."
"Oh?"
"Sometimes Nick treats me like I'm made of glass."
"Oh." Lina nodded understanding. "He's freaked out at the idea he could actually hurt you. How bad is it? I wasn't around for final diagnosis."
"It's not really. As long as I don't get into a ... a place? Situation? where it gets a chance to build up in my system... all I have to do is avoid direct contact."
"Enough to make him nervous, though. Nick never does anything destructive psychically. Even when he's mad, he might throw things around but they never break. The idea that what he uses to help people could mess you up isn't one he'd like."
Howie stared at her ""Never does anything destructive?" You didn't see him last night."
She frowned. "What happened?"
"He had A.J. up against the wall."
"WHAT?"
"That was what he said right before A.J. slammed into the wall and started choking... He's okay," he reassured her,"as you can tell. Rok broke it up as fast as it started."
"But...he's always been so good at control," she murmured to herself.
"Hi, honey I'm..." Nick cut off the smartass comment and stopped dead at the look on Lina's face. "What's wrong?"
"I'm... I'll be ok." Howie watched as Nick's mere presence seemed to strengthen her. "Something Howie said. We do need to talk, later."
"Should I call off the meeting so we can talk?" he asked, moving into the room and revealing Kevin in the doorway.
"No." Another wry smile. "I wanna actually enjoy being with you for a while."
"Well then..." Nick scooted onto the bed behind her. "Here's something I've been missing a whole lot." He pulled her back to him until she was sitting between his legs, with his arms firmly encircling her waist.
Lina's body relaxed into him, she couldn't help it. She looked up and met his eyes. "Hi."
He studied her face intently. "Hi."
"You're not playing fair, Carter."
"You knew I was going to do it," he pointed out.
"I know."
"So?"
She sighed in resignation, only regaining a smile when he attempted to tickle her.
"Hello!" A.J. said pointedly, waving at them. "Not alone yet."
"You hear something? I think my battery died." Lina asked innocently.
"Just some smartass. Ignore it."
Brian sauntered into the room. "Wow. Who's got a camera? You guys are the perfect couple."
Rolling their eyes in unison, Nick and Lina looked over at him. "Brian, since you got married, you think a pair of baboons make a cute couple," they chorused dryly. Everyone stared. "What?"