[[ Friends Forever ]]

Editor's note: Nikki is almost nineteen, and Nick's almost twenty LeAnn is sixteen, and Justin is fifteen. As for the rest of Strike 4, Harmony is almost twenty, Amanda is almost nineteen, and Charisma is five months shy of eighteen. Part Two is where the big twist enters the plot of the story.

" When am I gonna learn to drive? " That question was the dreaded one. And Justin was asking. He was almost sixteen now, and wanted to learn to drive. LeAnn had gotten her license a couple months earlier, and he was a little bit jealous. " She's a year older than you! " I tried to explain. " So? She got to learn when she was fifteen! " Justin protested. " Nick! " I called. " Never mind, " Justin said. Nick walked in.

" What'd you call me for? " he asked. Justin turned and ran out of the room. Nick and I just laughed.

By now the tour was over and both Strike 4 and the Backstreet Boys were on a four month break. I was extremely grateful for the time off. A couple weeks before the tour was over, Nick and I bought a house and we were now living together like a normal couple. LeAnn and Justin liked this, because we'd chosen a fairly large house which allowed them to have their own rooms and space to breathe. When they first walked through the door, the two had let out whoops of joy. " Alright! Room! " Justin cried. " Yes! This is great! " LeAnn exclaimed, dancing around in the roomy living room.

I walked around the house singing a song by Madonna for most of the day. The house was perfectly clean and there was nothing on TV, so I was extremely bored. Nick was at a meeting about something. LeAnn and Justin had to go to their lessons in a little while. Justin was learning to play drums and LeAnn was learning piano. They were getting along pretty fast with it, and actually sounded pretty good.

Sometimes they'd play some songs I knew, and to keep my voice in tip top shape, I'd go up to the second story room that they used to practice, and I'd sing the songs. Today they both had lessons to go to, so I got ready to drive them downtown. We left about ten minutes after I was done putting on my makeup. It was something normal for me to do, out of habit.

" Come on, you guys! We've got to get going! " I yelled from the bottom of the staircase. Two pairs of feet thudded down the hall and LeAnn and Justin bounded down the stairs a couple seconds later. " Get in the car, I'll be out in a minute, " I said, going into the kitchen to leave a note for Nick in case he got home before I did.

I stuck the note on the refrigerator with a magnet, then grabbed my keys and headed out to my Mustang. LeAnn was in the drivers seat with the window rolled down. When I walked up to the door, she stuck her hand out, wanting the keys. I shook my head. " Please? " she pleaded. " She's not gonna let you, LeAnn. Get in the passenger seat before you get in trouble, " Justin said from his seat in the back.

" I want to drive, Nikki. Please? " LeAnn asked again. Finally I shrugged. " Fine, but you better not mess up my car, " I said, climbing into the passenger seat and handing her the keys. " Thank you! " she exclaimed, putting the keys into the ignition and starting the car.

LeAnn was actually a really good driver. Justin, on the other hand, I was worried about. I'd been hoping he wouldn't take an interest in driving, but everyone knows a teenage boy wants his car. " Man, Nikki, why can't I learn to drive yet? " he piped up in the back. I sighed. " Because you're too young! " I said. " LeAnn wasn't any older than me when she learned! " he said.

" No, but she was also a lot more careful than you. I'm afraid you might total the car in a matter of minutes, " I said. He grew silent again, but I knew he wasn't going to give up. That boy was determined to get his way somehow.

We got to the music place and LeAnn and Justin got out of the car. " I'll be back to pick you up in two hours, " I said, climbing into the drivers seat. I turned the car back on and backed out of the parking lot. Then I turned the radio on, turned it up loud, and stepped on the gas.

" Oh, shit! " I screeched a few seconds later as a car sped out in front of me. It smashed into the front of my Mustang, and the last thing I remember about it was the impact of the crash. Then I blacked out.

The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. Nick was standing beside my bed. " What's going on? " I asked groggily. I felt a sharp pain in my arm and side. " Oh, thank God. Nurse, she's awake, " Nick called. Then he looked at me. " Nikki, you'll be alright, " Nick said, tears welling up in his eyes. " What's going on? Why am I in here? " I asked, still confused.

" Your car... you were in an accident, " Nick said, holding tightly to my hand. " Who... what happened? " I asked. " Someone pulled out in front of you, according to the police reports. You'll be alright, " Nick promised. " Well... what happened to me that is so bad that it requires me to be stuck in here? " I asked.

" You've got a sprained wrist, and a mild concussion. They're running tests to make sure there isn't anything else, " Nick answered. I started to cry. " Shh, it's okay. You'll be alright, " Nick said. A doctor walked in. Nick looked at him, and his face fell as he noticed the doctor's weary expression. " She's going to be okay... right? " Nick asked.

" She should be. We've spotted what might be internal bleeding, which is often fatal, but we could be wrong. It could be something else, and we think it is, but we're not absolutely sure, " the doctor said. Nick could only stare at the floor. Internal bleeding... fatal... will she make it? he thought. He looked up at the doctor. " She'll be okay... I know she will, " he said, then went to my bedside.

" Nikki, you're going to be fine. These doctors are the best ones in Florida. They'll take really good care of you, and I'll be with you the whole time, " he said. " Nick, you don't have to try to make me feel better. I heard the doctor. And if I die, I want you to know how much I love you, " I whispered, desperately trying to fight back tears.

Nick shook his head. " No! Don't say that! You'll be fine. I promise, you'll be okay, " he said. I smiled faintly at him. " Thanks, " I whispered, then closed my eyes and went to sleep. Nick held onto my hand, and tears fell from his eyes as he watched me sleep. Please don't take her from me. I need her, he silently prayed, then hid his face from anyone's view and cried even harder.

When I woke up again, Nick was still holding my hand. He'd pulled his chair up as close to the bed as possible, and he was watching me. When I opened my eyes, he smiled. " Hey, " he said. I looked up at him. " Hey, " I said groggily. " The doctor said you're going to be just fine. That thing that they thought was internal bleeding was actually a mistake the machine made. They're going to let you go home tomorrow, " Nick said.

" Unh... really? " I asked, groaning as I tried to sit up. " Yeah... don't sit up. You need to lay down, " Nick said. I snorted. " I don't want to, " I said defiantly. Nick laughed. " Yeah, you're going to be just fine, " he said. I heard laughter from all over the room, and the rest of the Backstreet Boys and Strike 4 all stepped out from behind the curtains around the other beds. " Hey, everybody! " I said, grinning.

I went home the next day, but I still had to stay in bed for another week. " Why? " I asked the doctor. " You're not completely better yet, " he said. " Bull. I feel perfectly fine, " I argued. " Sweetie, just listen to the doctor. He knows what he's talking about, " Nick said. I groaned, but cooperated. Nick took me home and made sure I was comfortable. " Thanks, " I said when he brought me a drink. " You're welcome. You know we're supposed to go back on the road next month, right? " he asked.

" Yeah, " I replied. Actually, Strike 4 was still scheduled to have another six months off. Backstreet Boys had a new tour starting up in a month. I was going to go on the road with Nick and the record label was talking about having me come out each night to sing a song with him. I liked the idea, and it was working out well so far.

Nick sat down beside me on the couch. " I was really worried about you. I didn't know if I was going to lose you, " he said. " Even if it had killed me, I'd still be here with you, " I whispered, snuggling up to him. He put his arm around me and held me close to him. " I love you, " he said. " I love you... too... " I said, yawning. " Here, I'll let you go to sleep. You need your rest, " he said. " No... no, don't go, " I said.

Nick picked me up and carried me up the stairs. " I'm going to put you in bed so you can sleep without anyone to bug you, " he said. He went into our room and gently set me down on the bed. I pulled the blanked up over myself and then looked up at Nick. " Stay with me, " I said. He layed down next to me, and I fell asleep in his arms.

When I woke up, Nick was no longer beside me. It was dark in the room and I heard sounds from downstairs. Smells from the kitchen drifted up faintly. There was a crash, and then I heard Nick yelling. " What happened? Who broke what? "

I laughed to myself. " Nothing! I dropped the pan! " LeAnn's voice yelled back. Then I heard thumping as someone came up the stairs. Nick appeared in the doorway a minute or so later.

" Hey, " I said, yawning and stretching. " Hey. How are you feeling? " he asked. " A lot better, " I answered. I sat up and turned on the lamp beside the bed. " That's good. Feel good enough to come down and eat in a little while? " he asked. I nodded. " Yeah! Nothing keeps me from eating! " I said, grinning. My head was hurting a little, but other than that, I felt good enough to run a marathon.

Nick and I went downstairs a little while later when LeAnn yelled from the bottom of the staircase.

" Dinner's ready! " she called up to us. I jumped up out of bed and then sat quickly back down. " Whoa! Don't stand up so fast next time, Fowler, " I muttered to myself, standing up again. " You okay? " Nick asked. I nodded and followed him downstairs.

LeAnn and Justin had kicked Nick out of the kitchen that night, insisting on making dinner. Those two were so helpful, and I was grateful for it. They were great kids. LeAnn had prepared a chicken and rice casserole and Justin had made biscuits and mashed potatoes. The fancy table in the dining room was set for a romantic dinner for two. LeAnn and Justin had done all of this while Nick and I were upstairs. I looked around and smiled. " Wow! "

LeAnn and Justin made sure Nick and I were settled in happily and then served us. I couldn't help exclaiming over how lucky I was. " Damn! You guys were busy! " I said, grinning. LeAnn and Justin grinned proudly. " We wanted to help, " Justin said. " They did it all on their own. I was sitting on the couch reading that novel, " Nick said.

" It's a good book. I read it before... wow, you guys! This is great! " I exclaimed. The two kids smiled again, and then took off to the kitchen to get their own plates. Then they plopped down in front of the TV in the living room. I laughed.

Nick and I talked quietly as we ate our dinner. " My compliments to the chefs. That was great! " I said when I was done. " Thank you! " came from the floor in front of the couch. I laughed again. Suddenly two heads popped up and LeAnn and Justin carried their empty plates into the kitchen. I picked mine up and headed for the kitchen, with Nick right behind me, and LeAnn ran up to me. She grabbed the plate from me and hustled into the kitchen with it. Justin ran out and took Nick's plate from him, and took it into the kitchen.

I went into the kitchen to help clean up, but LeAnn turned me around and chased me out. " Okay, okay! I got it! " I said, laughing and sitting down on the couch. Nick sat down next to me. Suddenly a glass appeared in front of my face. I took it and looked up. " Thanks, " I said to LeAnn. She handed Nick a drink, too, and then went back into the kitchen. I took a sip and discovered it was Coke.

A little while later, I picked up the TV remote and turned the set on. " Newsflash! It is official that Nikki Fowler, one of the girls of the singing supergroup Strike 4, has been released from the hospital. Nikki was involved in a car accident in her hometown of Orlando, Florida, two days ago and was hospitalized after the accident. Doctors report that Nikki is perfectly fine aside from a sprained wrist, and will continue on the road with the Backstreet Boys and will be on tour with the rest of Strike 4 in January. "

" God! News travel fast much? Damn, it's already flying around! Next thing you know, the reports are gonna say I was killed! " I muttered. Nick laughed. " Oh, come on, Nikki. It's perfectly normal. It just goes to show that people care. And that there are a lot of nosy reporters out there, " he said, saying the last sentence quietly. I giggled. " Well, being nosy never helped me, so it shouldn't help them, either, " I said, getting up and going into the kitchen to put up my empty glass.

That night, I fell asleep and started to have a really weird dream. Nick and I were on separate sides of a glass wall, and no matter how far either way we ran, it never ended and there was no way to the other side other than to climb over it, which was literally impossible. No matter how hard either of us pounded on the glass, it wouldn't break. And climbing over, well, that was a joke. There was nothing to grab onto, and no way to jump over. It was too high. I woke up covered in sweat, wondering what the dream was all about.

When I woke up, it was morning, and I was ready for the day. But the dream never left my mind. What was it trying to tell me? Was it trying to tell me there was something that Nick and I didn't know of that would happen in the future to pull us apart? I hoped it wasn't, because if I lost him, I knew I'd die. " Nick? " I asked, sitting down at the table and pouring myself a glass of milk.

" What's wrong? " Nick asked. " I had a funky dream last night... " I started. " What about? " he asked. " I don't... exactly... know... all I can remember is we were on two different sides of this glass wall... and we were trying to get to each other... but no matter how far either way we ran, there was no end to the glass... the only way to get over was to climb over, which was completely impossible, " I said. Nick looked at me funny. " What the hell is that supposed to mean? " he asked. I looked at him blankly. " I wouldn't ask you if I knew, now would I? " I asked.

" Good point, " Nick said. Then he shrugged. " Oh, well. Ignore it, it's probably one of those weird dreams that have no purpose, " he said. I pushed the thought out of my mind, but for the rest of the day, the dream kept coming back to haunt me.

That night, I had the same dream again. When I woke up, this time I realized why I'd had the dream. Or at least a possible reason for the dream. I jumped up and ran to find a phone.

" Charisma? Hey, can you talk for a while? Sorry to wake you up at two in the morning, I had a weird dream... I need to talk about it, " I said when Charisma answered her phone. " Sure. What's all this about? " she asked. " Well, for two nights in a row, I had this weird dream... I dreamed that Nick and I were stuck on separate sides of a pane of glass, an no matter how far one way we ran, it didn't end. No matter how far we ran the other way, it didn't end. The only way to get over it was to climb, but it's glass. You can't climb glass, " I said. " So what do you think it means? " Charisma asked.

" I think... I think it means that something's gonna come between Nick and I, and we won't be able to be together ever again. I think something's going to come along and break us up and pull us from each other, and I don't want that to happen. I don't want to lose him! " I said, a tear forming in the corner of my eye.

" Nikki, relax. What you and Nick have is real. Nothing will ever break you apart. There's nothing in the world stronger than true love, " Charisma said. " Charisma, you don't understand. Things happen. It's going to happen. I'm going to lose him, I know it, " I said, by now crying heavily.

" It's not! You two will be together for the rest of your lives! You know it, Nicole! You just don't believe it! If you believe in love, it will be! If you believe it's real, then it's real! If you don't, it's not! You've got to hold on to him, and don't let him get away. If you don't believe in him, yeah, you'll lose him, " she said.

" I don't want to lose him! I love him too much! " I sobbed. " Damn it, Nikki! Talk to him! Tell him how you feel and what you think, and tell him you love him! " she shouted at me. I choked back a fresh load of tears and let the last ones fall. " You're right, " I whispered. " What's that? " Charisma asked. " You're right, " I repeated, then hung up.

I went back to bed feeling better that I told someone what I thought. But the questions still remained: what would Nick think? Would he be mad at me for questioning our love? Or would he tell me I was right at first and that we shouldn't be together anymore? I cried myself back to sleep, not knowing what to do.

When I awoke again, Nick was not in bed anymore. I could hear sounds in the kitchen, and looked at the clock. Six fifteen. I got up and went downstairs, stumbling on the steep steps but otherwise making it down fine. " Nick? Is that you? " I called. " Yeah. What are you doing up so early? " he asked. " I've got to talk to you, " I replied, going in and sitting down.