Karen looked outside the window of her apartment and saw the TV reporters and their cameras still there waiting for her to show her face. Well, that's what you get for announcing you have cancer on national television, she thought. She walked over to her couch and sat down, turning on the TV.

"Karen Davidson suffers the same ill fate as her mother, the late Angela Steele. News at 11pm," said the reporter.

Karen rolled her eyes and turned the TV off. If she knew her annoucement was going to attract this much media attention, she would've kept the whole thing to herself. What did you expect? Of course the media was going to jump on this one. Your mother was only the great Angela Steele. All of a sudden, Karen noticed the loud voices of the reporters asking hurried questions that she couldn't understand from way up in her apartment. She walked over to her window, but saw nothing that would catch the media's attention.

Walking back to her couch, Karen picked up the newspaper and saw the headline: 'Karen Davidson: America's Sweetheart Diagnosed with Cancer'. Oh, brother, she thought. Just as she threw the newpaper onto the coffee table, there was a knock at her door. Karen went to answer it. She opened the door and was momentarily stunned into silence.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kevin asked her.

"So you were the one who caused all the commotion a little while ago," she said. "Come on in."

Karen stepped aside to allow Kevin to come in. He walked to the middle of the room and turned around, looking her dead in the eye.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he repeated.

"I didn't want you to worry," Karen answered.

"I worry about you anyway, Karen," Kevin told her. "I love you."

"I didn't even want to tell my own father. You two have been through enough. After I told him, I didn't have the courage to tell you. I thought after I told my dad, it would be easier to tell you, but it wasn't. It just made it all the more real and harder to accept."

"Is that why you broke it off?"

"Why should you have to go through this again, Kevin? After going through this with your father, why should you have the worry of losing me in the near future hanging over your head?"

"Why should you have the worry of losing your life after what you'd just been through with your mother hanging over your head? Why should you have to go through this ordeal by yourself, huh? Please, tell me what made you feel you had to go through this alone when I could've been there to help you through it." Kevin's voice got shaky and tears came to his eyes.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why?!" Kevin yelled.

"Because I don't know why!!" Karen yelled back as tears ran down her face. "I don't know why."

Karen collapsed to the floor, crying. Kevin kneeled down in front of her, holding her as his own tears ran down his face. They sat there holding each other tightly until they both calmed down.

"I didn't want to bring you down with me," Karen said softly. "I didn't want to tell you and have you continue to be with me out of pity."

"I wouldn't have done that," said Kevin, also speaking softly. "I'm with you because I want to be with you. Just when I thought I would never find someone who wanted to be with me because of who I am and not because I'm a Backstreet Boy, you walked into my life. And I'm never gonna let you walk out again."

"I'm really sorry I did what I did, but it seemed like the only thing I could do. I can't take back what I did, but what I can tell you is that I will never leave you like that again."

Kevin looked down at Karen. "How about a kiss?"

She answered him with her lips on his. Kevin deepened the kiss. He picked Karen up and carried her into her bedroom.

*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%

Karen woke up and saw Kevin was still sleeping. She looked over what she could see of his body. Man, this guy is totally built, she thought smiling. I can see why so many teenage girl and young women want him so bad. Karen's eyes roamed over his muscular chest and arms down to his washboard stomach. She couldn't look any further because the bedsheet was covering him from the waist down. But what she could see was enough for her.

Just then, Kevin reached for her and pulled her up against him. Karen looked up to see if he was awake, but saw he was still sleeping. She found it interesting that he reached for her even in his sleep. Wait a minute. What's he doing in LA in the first place? She looked at Kevin. Guess it's time to wake up him and find out.

Karen began placing little butterfly kisses all over his chest. She moved her way up to his neck, then finally she reached his mouth. Karen gave him a big kiss and Kevin woke up immediately. He reached up and pulled her head down again, giving her a slow, open-mouthed kiss.

"Now that's the way to wake up every morning," he said when they parted.

"Sorry to tell you, but it's not morning," Karen laughed. "I just wanted to ask you what you were doing in LA."

"'MTV Video Music Awards' on Thursday," he answered. "We're nominated for 'Best Group Video' and 'Best Dance Video'."

"That's great. I hope you both or at least one."

"Thanks. What time is it?"

"7:30pm."

"Oh, just in time for 'Access Hollywood'." Kevin got up, put on his boxers and headed to the living room.

Karen just shook her head and laughed. Men. She got up, put on her own underwear, and pulled on Kevin's T-shirt before walking into the living room. Maureen O'Boyle was already talking away on her TV screen with Kevin paying close attention. He pulled her down on his lap when she walked up and kept on watching. Then Karen saw herself on the screen.

"Karen Davidson, daughter of William Davidson and the late Angela Steele, made the announcement last week during her interview with '20/20's Barbara Walters that she was diagnosed with cancer a few months earlier...."

"Please, can we watch something else?" Karen said, grabbing the remote.

"No, I want to see this," Kevin said, grabbing it back. Karen sighed.

"Karen Davidson has led a very successful life, most of it in the public eye due to her mother's extremely successful acting career and now she must go through this terrible ordeal in the public eye also...."

The show switched to a tape that showed Karen growing up in a matter of seconds, then showed her arriving at the "Titanic" premiere with Kevin at her side. It showed her arriving at many important events in Hollywood with Leonardo DiCaprio. Karen made a face and looked away. Kevin started laughing when he saw her reaction. Then the tape reached went on to earlier that day.

"Here's Kevin Richardson of the musical group, the Backstreet Boys, being greeted by TV reporters and cameras as he walked into Davidson's apartment building earlier today, and I have reports that he has not yet left. Richardson refused to answer any questions on his relationship with Davidson, but both have admitted to dating for six months within the past year...." Kevin turned off the TV.

"Are you hungry?" he asked Karen. "I'm hungry."

"Do you think we should risk going out?" asked Karen.

They looked at each other. "Take out."

Kevin grabbed the phone and ordered the food while Karen got up to take a shower and dress.