Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 20:31:46 -0700 (PDT) From: slpwriter Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-83 Hello, Everyone! I'm back with another chapter of "My Everything." Thanks for all of your support! Without it, I don't think I could have written this story for this long. Now on with the story. First of all, let me just say that this is my first time writing any kind of fiction like this. DISCLAIMER: This is a work of total fiction and is not meant to imply anything about the sexualities of Nick and Drew Lachey or anyone else mentioned in this story. If you are too young to read this, or if Homosexuality offends you, then please don't continue any further and leave. Other 98 Degrees stories I'd like to recommend are. "Give Me Just One Night" by Unanoche. "69 with Jeff Timmons" by Zachary Scott Pritt "Nick Lachey" by Ken. "98 Degrees Is Hot" by Gay Night "The Reunion" by RinSong. "Loving Nick Lachey" by Jordan "Playing Doctor with 98 Degrees" by Brian "This Gift" by Sprout and finally: "What I feel for you" by Thack. Now, I"ll let you get on with the story. Enjoy. Previously on "My Everything"..... BACK AT THE HOTEL....... Nick opened the door and entered his room, seeing that it was dark, meaning that Jessica and Nicole had gone to bed. He could see Jessica's sleeping form, lying in bed. Next to her, He saw Nicole sleeping beside her. He walked over to the side of the bed and looked down at his daughter. He brought a hand down and gently ran his fingers along Nicole's cheeks and then ran his hand through her hair a little. "My sweet little Nicole." Nick thought to himself. "I love you more than words can ever describe. You are my heart and soul." Then, Nick leaned down and kissed his little girl on the forehead lightly. Then, he looked over at Jessica. Her eyes were closed and the wrinkles she may have had from the stress she's gone through today, were gone now. "How could you do this, Jessica?" He asked her, in his thoughts. "How could you betray me like this? First, by kissing Jeff, and then by getting this restraining order against Sean?" Nick couldn't look at her anymore and entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He was going to call Jeff's room and see if he'd heard from Danny. Nick dialed Jeff's room number and waited for it to ring. Jeff must have been sitting right next to the phone, because it only rang half a ring before he picked up. "Danny?" He asked, thinking it was Danny. "No, Jeff, it's Nick." Nick said to him. "You still haven't heard from him?" "No, Nick, not a word." Jeff said. "I'm starting to go out of my mind with worry." "Calm down, Jeff." Nick said, tiredly. "Danny may be hurting right now, but he'll be fine. In the meantime, how about trying to get some sleep. You're going to need it because we have to get up early tomorrow and get ready for Jessica's concert. You need to look your best." "I'll try." Jeff said, through a few sobs. "And Nick, I just want you to know how sorry I am about what happened between me and Jessica tonight. I never meant for it to happen." "I know that, Jeff." Nick said, trying to comfort him. "Don't worry about it, anymore. I forgive you." When Nick said that, he could hear Jeff sob a little harder. "Thanks, Nick." He said. "I'll let you go now. Goodnight." "Goodnight, Jeff." Nick said. Then, he hung up with him. Nick exited the bathroom and stood just at the foot of the bed, staring at Jessica's sleeping form again. Then, he walked over to the spare bed and started undressing himself. Once he was just in his boxers, he pulled back the bed sheets and got into the bed. He pulled the sheets over him and lay down into his pillow. As he lay there, trying to go to sleep, he couldn't help but flash back to the scenery in Sean's living room when he saw Jason, standing there, shirtless and in those tight sweats. "Damn, Jason." Nick said. "If you weren't my ex-husband's soon-to-be boyfriend, I would have loved to see what you could do with me." Then, Nick couldn't help thinking about Danny and what he had gone through. He couldn't get the look on Danny's face out of his head. "Danny, where are you?" Nick asked, in his mind. "I hope you're alright." ********** CHAPTER 83 ********** THE NEXT DAY....... I woke up to the sunshine peeking in my window, which was open a crack. I could hear the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore and the sounds of activity going on outside, as the people on the beach were having fun, surfing, swimming, sunbathing, playing volleyball, etc. I rolled over to see if Jason was awake. He wasn't there. I sat up. "Jason?" I called out. No answer. "Jason, where are you?" I called out again. Still, no answer. I wondered where he was. I got up out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. I saw that the door was closed, and then heard the shower running, which meant that he was in the shower. A huge grin crossed my face, as I thought of the perfect way to greet him this morning. I entered the bathroom and saw that he was in the shower, washing his hair. Since I was already naked, after another night of great sex with him, I was all set to go. I opened the shower door and peeked my head in. He was already rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. Since I didn't want to scare him to death, I decided to just make my presence known. "Hi, sexy." I said, sweetly. "Would you like some company?" Jason was a bit startled, and he turned around and saw me standing there, naked. When he did, he smiled at me. "Come on in." He said, to me. "I'd love your company." "Thanks." I said, as I stepped into the shower. I slid the shower door shut and turned back to him. I looked him, up and down, taking in every beautiful detail of him. From his masculine face, to his defined, muscular physique, which seemed to look even more beautiful each time I saw it. Jason reached around and put an arm around my lower back and pulled me into him. Then, his lips were on mine. I took a moment to enjoy his kissing me, as I threw my arms around his neck and started to feel him up, as my tongue wrestled with his. Then, Jason broke the kiss and looked at me. A smile crossed his face. "Good morning." He said. "How did you sleep last night?" "Like a baby." I murmured, as I hugged him close. "How could I not after last night?" Jason looked at me, with those bedroom blues of his and he brought a hand up to my face and stroked my cheek a little. "I should hope so." Jason said. "You sure wore me out after last night." I gave him a shocked look, which was almost comical. "I wore you out?" I asked, in amazement. "You? Mr. Fitness? I don't think so." "It's true." Jason said, giving me a peck on the lips. "But, I enjoyed every minute of it." "So did I, Sexy." I whispered as I ran my thumb along his lower lip. "So did I." I could feel myself getting hard again. Just seeing Jason's buff body in front of me, as well as touching him, was enough to turn me on. "In fact," I said, as I leaned in and kissed him in the neck. "I think it's time to give your muscles another workout." Jason laughed. "Are you kidding me?!" He asked, in astonishment. "Again?" I stopped kissing him and looked him in the face, giving him a pouty look. "Don't tell me you're wimping out on me." I said, then asked. "Are you?" Jason looked at me, for a moment, then I saw his expression change. It looked like there was something that he wanted to say to me. "What is it, Jason?" I asked him. "What's that look about?" Jason sighed and looked down at the floor. If it wasn't obvious before, it sure was now, that he had something major weighing on his mind. "I think we need to talk, Sean." Jason said, in a low voice. Go ahead and finish your shower, while I get out and get dressed. I'll wait for you, out in the living room." "Alright." I said, as Jason brushed past me and got out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and left the bathroom, heading to my room to finish drying off. I stood there, in shock, for a moment, as I thought about what had just happened. Jason usually never turned down a chance to have sex, but the way he acted just now, made me realize that something was wrong. I didn't know what it was, but I intended to find out. Right after I took my shower. ******************************************************* AT THAT SAME TIME, BACK AT THE HOTEL, IN NICK'S ROOM... Jessica awoke and immediately looked for Nicole. When she saw that the child was no longer there in the bed with her, she started to panic. "Nick?!" She called out to him, as she quickly got out of the bed and got to her feet. She didn't get a response. "Nick, are you here?" She called out, again. Just then, Nick came out of the bathroom and looked at her, in concern. "What's the matter?" He asked her. Jessica looked around the room, still panic stricken. "Where is our daughter?" She asked her. "I just woke up and found that she wasn't here when I woke up." Nick looked at Jessica, and saw just how scared she was that something had happened to their daughter. But, Nick took that moment to ease her fears. "It's ok, Jessica." He said. "She woke up at about 8:00 a.m. and I just happened to be up when she did. I changed her and fed her breakfast an hour ago." Jessica looked at the clock and discovered that it was 10:00 p.m. Then, she wondered why Nick didn't wake her up. "Why didn't you wake me?" She asked Nick. "And where is our daughter now?" Nick, who was wearing Joe Boxer pajamas, but no shirt, walked over to the closet to get his suitcase, so that he could get a shirt to put on. "Kandi and Justin are watching her." Nick said, with an angry tone in his voice. "You must have been really tired, because you didn't wake up when Nicole started crying. So, I took care of her. I changed her, and then fed her breakfast. After that, I cleaned her up, got her dressed and then took her over to Kandi and Justin's room." Jessica frowned in confusion. "Why?" She asked him. "Why would you take her over to Kandi's room?" She asked him, then said. "I'm not sure having Kandi watch my daughter is such a good idea, given how she feels about me." Nick gave her a stern look. "Just relax, ok?" He urged her. "It's only going to be for a while. You and I are going to have a serious talk right now. Once we're done, you can go and get her." Jessica looked into her husband eyes and saw that he was furious with her about something. And she had a feeling that she knew exactly what it was about. "Let me guess," She said, as she crossed her arms. "This is about Sean, right?" "Damn right." Nick said, confirming his anger. "What the hell were you thinking, getting a restraining order against Sean!" Jessica rolled her eyes, and then sighed in disgust. She should have known that this was going to happen. She shouldn't have expected Sean not to say anything about the restraining order. "I should have known that Sean couldn't have kept his mouth shut about it!" She said, in disgust. "It just goes to show that I was right about his agenda all along! He wants to destroy my marriage so that he can get you back for himself!" "Oh, God!" Nick said, putting a hand to his head, in exasperation. "You just won't quit, will you? I've told you, many times already, that I don't love Sean anymore! What we had is over! He knows it, and I know it! You're the only one who won't believe it!" Jessica then uncrossed her arms and then put her hands on her hips, as she scowled at Nick. "Well, if that's true, then why do the two of you have to hang out so much?!" She asked. "You had to leave me, on Christmas Day, just so you could spend time with him!" Nick looked at Jessica, in amazement. "You know why I had to leave." He said, angrily. "You were the reason why. I had to see if Sean and I were still friends, after everything you put him through, back in L.A. So, I went to see him. And yeah, I wanted to celebrate Christmas with him. What's wrong with that?!" "Everything!" Jessica said to him. "You didn't have to leave your family to go and spend time with him, Nick!" She said. "You could have just given him a call to wish him a Merry Christmas, or you could have just sent him a Christmas card. Instead, you chose to show up on his doorstep and spend Christmas with him, instead of your own family!" Nick shook his head, as Jessica continued to rant and rave. "And speaking of family," Jessica said. "Your Mom and Dad were really hurt that you didn't show up for Christmas Day! And you didn't even so much as call them to wish them a Merry Christmas, either, did you?!" When Nick realized that he didn't indeed call his parents on Christmas Day, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He loved his parents very much. But with everything that had happened yesterday, he had a good excuse for it. "Well, excuse me, if I had other things on my mind at the moment, and I forgot, ok?!" Nick pointed out. "Have you forgotten what I told you about how blown away I was when Drew showed up on Sean's doorstep? That added along with the fact that I had to talk to Jeff earlier and find out from him that he's not in love with Danny anymore?! And then, there's the incident I walked in on, with you and Jeff, last night!" Jessica looked at Nick in shock. Nick continued. "So excuse me, if that wasn't the first thing on my mind!" Nick said to her. "I had too much going on to think about anything else!" Jessica wiped at a tear that had started to run down her face. She was trying to be strong, but she always hated it when she and Nick argued. To her, Nick could never be objective where Sean was concerned. "You know what, Nick?!" Jessica suddenly blurted out. "I'm just doing what I think is best for our family! I did the only thing that I could think of that would keep Sean at arms length so you and I would have a chance to work out and get our marriage back on track! I'm not going to apologize for that!" "Oh, of course not!" Nick said, throwing up his hands in frustration, as Jessica turned away from him. "Why would I expect you to do that, when sticking the knife in both of our backs, is so much easier for you?!" Jessica whipped around and looked at Nick's angry expression. Now, she was going to bring up what Sean had said to her, last night, at his apartment, when she went back to pick up her date book. "After what Sean said to me, last night, now I have all the proof I needed, which makes me see that having Mom and Dad get the restraining against Sean was the right thing to do!" Jessica blurted out. Now, Nick was confused. He didn't know anything about what Sean had said to her last night. All Sean had told him was that Jessica had kicked him in the balls for some reason. He never found out why. "What are you talking about?" He asked her. "What did Sean say to you? And was it so bad that you had to kick him in the balls?" "Trust me, it was worse!" Jessica said. "Sean started spewing all of this garbage about how you showed up on his doorstep with a bouquet of roses for him, to apologize for how you two had left things back in Los Angeles!" "That's true, I did!" Nick said. "I gave him roses, but it was only to apologize to him for how I'd treated him before he left." "Oh, I believe you." Jessica said to him. "But Sean, obviously read more into it. He then continued to tell me that you two had talked later, in his room about the fight that you and I had, back home, and that our marriage may have been over. Then, he proceeded to torment me, saying that you got so emotional that you couldn't help yourself!" "What?!" Nick asked. "That's absurd!" Jessica nodded. "That's what I thought too." She pointed out. "I then told him to shut up and said that you would never betray me like that. And if that wasn't bad enough, he said that he could still feel your hands all over him. Your body against his!!" Nick stood there, his mouth open in total shock when he realized what Jessica was telling him. Sean had obviously told her about the kiss that they had shared back at Sean's place when Sean was trying to comfort him. "And that's why you kicked him in the balls?" Nick asked her, sternly. "Yes." Jessica said. "He deserved it!" Nick shook his head. Now, his anger was directed at Sean. "I can't believe he told you that!" Nick said. "I thought I made him understand that that kiss never should have happened! We stopped before we went too far!" Jessica's heart went up into her throat when she heard Nick admit that. "Wait a minute?!" She asked, in shock. "Are you saying that's it true?! Everything that Sean said?! You're telling me, it's true?!" Nick looked up at her, as he tried to think of the best way to explain the situation to her. ******************************************************* OUTSIDE, JEFF'S ROOM........ "Do you think that Danny is back yet?" Drew asked, as he and Casey walked up to Jeff's door. "I sure hope so." Casey said, keeping his voice down, since they were outside, in the hallway. "Jeff was still pretty worried when we left last night." Drew turned and knocked on Jeff's door. "I know." Drew said, as they both waited for Jeff to answer the door. "I just hope that Jeff is doing better today." Just then, the door opened and the two of them, came face to face with Jeff. He looked like hell! His eyes were all red, his hair was going in all directions, and he was in desperate need of a shower, for he smelled. "Hey guys." Jeff greeted them. "Have you heard from Danny at all, this morning?" Drew and Casey both looked at each other, and then back to Jeff, in shock. "Jeff, are you saying what I think you are?!" Drew asked, in shock. "Yes, Drew." Jeff said, in a voice so low, you could barely hear it. "Danny never came back last night." "Oh my god." Drew said. "He's been out all night?!" "Yep." Jeff said. "Come on in." Jeff stepped aside and let Drew and Casey into his room. They entered and Jeff shut the door. "How's your jaw, this morning, Jeff?" Casey asked him. "It looks like the swelling went down." "It still hurts, but it feels better than it did, last night." Jeff said. "Good." Casey said, smiling. "I'm glad to hear it." Jeff nodded. "Have you two had breakfast yet?" He asked them. "No." Drew said. "We thought we'd have breakfast here, with everyone else." Jeff motioned towards the table, next to his bed. "The Menus are over there, if you want to order something." He said. "Right now, I have to go and take a shower. Maybe that will wake me up." Drew then took a good look at him. "Jeff, you look like hell, man." He said, softly. "Did you sleep at all last night?" Jeff shook his head. "How could I sleep, knowing that Danny is out there somewhere, all alone, and hurting like hell." Jeff asked, as his emotions started to overwhelm him. Jeff sat down on the bed and buried his head in his hands. Within moments, he was crying. "This is all my fault." Jeff sobbed. "I should have handled things much better. I should have waited until we got back to L.A. to tell Danny the truth about my feelings!" Both Casey and Drew, felt bad for Jeff. They could see what Danny's disappearance was doing to him. Drew sat down, next to Jeff, and put his arm around him. He rubbed his hand up and down Jeff's arm, sympathetic to Jeff's pain. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Jeff." Drew said, softly. "There was never going to be a perfect time to tell Danny that your feelings for him had changed. All that matters is that he knows it now. You have to believe that once he's cooled off, he will see that you never meant to hurt him. He'll forgive you." "I don't know about that." Jeff said, sniffing, and wiping at his nose. "You didn't see the anger in his eyes. The pain. The hurt. I've never seen him like that before, in all our years together, as a couple." "Jeff, he'll get over it." Drew said, trying to reassure him. But to no avail. "I broke his heart, Drew." Jeff pointed out. "Nobody gets over that in one day." "Jeff, that's not what Drew is trying to say." Casey said, as he sat down, next to Drew. "All he's trying to say to you, is not to give up on Danny. He'll return when he's ready." "I hope you're right, Casey." Jeff said. Then, he winced in pain, as his jaw started throbbing again. This time, it seemed much worse. "I think I spoke too soon about my jaw being better." Jeff said. "It feels like it's getting worse now." Casey looked at Jeff, in concern. "Do you need a prescription?" Casey asked him. "I could call one in for you." "No, that's ok, Casey." Jeff said. "I can get something from over the counter. But, thanks for asking." Hey, I'm a Doctor." Casey pointed out. "That's what I'm here for. To make my patients more comfortable. Jeff laughed a bit. "I'm hardly your patient, Casey." He said, trying to smile a bit, even though it hurt. You know what I mean, Jeff." Casey said to him. Jeff nodded. "I know." Jeff said, looking at Casey. "You're just trying to help. Thanks." "No problem." Casey said. Then, he grabbed a menu. "Now, let's order something to eat. I'm starving." "Me too." Drew chimed in. "Well, you two go ahead." Jeff said, standing up. "I'm going to take a shower and get cleaned up." "That's a good idea." Drew said, wrinkling his nose. "You smell like a skunk." "Gee, thanks." Jeff said, smacking Drew in the arm, as he headed towards the bathroom. "I'll talk to you when I'm done. "Alright." Drew laughed, as Jeff disappeared into the bathroom. Then, he turned back to Casey. "Ok, Doctor." He said, seductively, as he threw his arms around Casey's neck. "I think it's time for my physical now." Casey grinned. "Isn't it ever." He said, as he tossed the menu he had been holding away. He leaned into Drew and started kissing him. "You know it." Drew said, as he continued to make out with Casey. ******************************************************* BACK AT SEAN'S....................... When I'd finally gotten out of the shower, dried off, and put on my bathrobe, I walked out to the living room. There, I found Jason, sitting on the couch, waiting for me. "I'm done with my shower." I said to him. "Are you ready to talk now?" "Yeah." Jason said, then patted the space next to him. "Sit down here, with me." I sat down next to him, and looked him in the face. "Listen, Sean." Jason said to me. "The last few nights we've shared together have been great...." "But?" I asked, sensing that a "but" was coming. "But," Jason said. "As good as the sex has been, I want more from you than just sex." He looked at me and then he reached out and took my hands in his. "Last night, I asked you if you'd like to be my boyfriend." He said, reminding me of that. "I never got an answer from you. Will you tell me now?" I sighed, and looked down at the floor, knowing what I had to do. "Before I do that, Jason," I started saying to him. "There's something I need to tell you, first." "What is it?" He asked me, frowning. Jason looked at me, in concern. He could see that I was nervous, for I was shaking. "Sean, whatever it is, you can tell me." He said, squeezing my hands, gently. I took a deep breath and then I was ready. "Ok." I said. "But first, I want you to promise me that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone." I said to him, seriously. "It's about Nick." Jason nodded. "I think I know what you're going to tell me." He said to me. My eyebrows raised at that. "You do?" I asked, curiously, wondering what he was thinking. "Yeah." He said. "He's gay, right?" I looked at him, shocked, that he'd figured it out, so easily. I probably shouldn't have been so surprised. considering the way Nick was staring at him, last night. "What makes you think that?" I asked him, as I gauged his reaction. "I kind of picked up on it, when I saw the way he was staring at my body." Jason pointed out. "A straight man doesn't stare like that." "Actually, Nick is Bisexual." I told him. "If he was gay, he wouldn't be married to Jessica Simpson, that's for sure." "You're probably right." Jason laughed. "The way you talked about her, earlier, you really make her sound like a real bitch." "She is." I said, sternly, as I saw Jessica, kicking me in the balls, in my thoughts. "I don't know how Nick puts up with her, sometimes." "I'm sure he finds a way." Jason said. "Now, was that all you were going to tell me about Nick?" "No." I said. "That's not all. Not only is Nick bisexual, but he also happens to be my ex-husband." Jason was floored when he heard that. "Tell me you're kidding." He asked, in shock. "The same Nick that you were telling me about last year, happens to be Nick Lachey?" "Yep." I said, then frowned. "Didn't I tell you about him, and how he and the guys disowned me back then?" "Yes you did." Jason said, frowning in confusion. "But you never gave specifics about who Nick was or the fact that it was 98 Degrees who had disowned you." "Oh." I said, as I continued. "Ok, well, I'm telling you now. Nick and the rest of 98 Degrees were the ones who disowned me, back then." Jason looked like he was getting ready to say something, but I stopped him. "Before you get all bent out of shape about it, I just want to let you know that I've forgiven Nick for what he did." I said. "And I'm working on forgiving the rest of them, too. Most of them, anyway." "What does that mean?" Jason asked me, curiously. "Well, Drew, is going to be the hardest one to forgive, because he's the reason Nick and I weren't married legally. The minister who married us was a fraud. Drew paid him twenty thousand dollars to act as our minister." "That was low." Jason said, in an angry tone. "What did you do when you found out about it?" I thought back to that moment when I'd found out the truth. I remembered when I bashed Drew's face in, good. "Well, let's just say that I gave his face quite a beating when I did." I said, the pain coming back to me. "He destroyed my life, and Nick's, and I wanted him to feel the same pain that I felt at that moment." "Why did Drew do it?" Jason asked him. "There has to be reason." "There was." I told him. "Drew was in love with me. And when Nick and I were still together, the day before they threw me out of their lives, I'd gotten a phone call. It was from a minister in Vermont when Nick and I had gotten married. He'd told me that the minister who had married us was a fraud. And when I heard that, I collapsed, literally." Jason looked at me, the concern written all over his face. He was intrigued by everything that I'd been through. Even though he'd heard it before, I hadn't given him all the details before. "What happened after that?" He asked me. "I woke up to Drew, shaking me, and trying to wake me up." I said to him. "At first, I didn't remember what had happened. Then, once I did, I lied to Drew about a stalker that was after Nick and me, which at the time could have been true. I couldn't bring myself to tell him the real reason I had passed out." I sighed, and put a hand to my face. talking about the past again, was starting to get to me, again. But, I continued telling Jason the rest of the story. "I kept it to myself, and then when Nick came home, I found out that Jessica was pregnant with his child. And with that on top of everything else, it was more than I could handle. After finding out about that, I packed up my things in the middle of the night and left Nick a note, explaining that I needed time away. I went up to "Cloud Nine" a spa, up in the mountains, and stayed there for the night, while I got my head together." "Then, what happened?" Jason asked me. ******************************************************* MEANWHILE, BACK IN JEFF'S ROOM.................. Drew and Casey were really getting into their foreplay session. They were lying on the bed, grinding into each other, running each other hands along their bodies, and kissing, passionately. Before they could get into it, to the point of ripping each other's clothes off, Jeff came out of the bathroom at the moment with nothing but a towel, wrapped around his waist. He walked out, just in time, to see Drew and Casey, with each other's shirts, open. He saw the way that they were all over each other and took that moment to make his presence known. "Ok you two, take a moment to cool down." He said, grinning profusely. Drew and Casey turned and saw Jeff, standing there in nothing but a towel. "Damn." Casey swore, as he lifted himself off of Drew. "Jeff, you sure have lousy timing. I wasn't through giving Drew his physical, yet." "Aw you poor baby." Jeff whined, in amusement. "You'll just have to wait until later tonight." "I guess we will." Drew said, sitting up and buttoning his shirt back up. "So, how was your shower, Jeff?" Jeff looked at Drew and Casey, and they both could see that he looked alot better than how he had 10 minutes ago when they came to his room. "It was wonderful." Jeff said, softly. "It woke me up and gave me a chance to do some thinking to clear my head." "Really?" Casey asked, curiously. "So, what have you come up with?" Drew and Casey both were looking at Jeff and they saw this look of determination that was written all over Jeff's face. They had a feeling that they knew what it was about. "Well, first I'm going to go and pay Sean a visit." Jeff said, as he grabbed underwear, socks, pants, a nice shirt, and deodorant, so that he could get dressed. "Maybe he'll agree to help me look for Danny. If anyone would know what Danny would do in his frame of mind right now, it would be Sean. He used to be Danny's best friend, after all." "You have a point, Jeff." Drew replied. "But, how can you be sure that Sean will help you out? I'm sure he's going to be angry with you over what happened between you and Jessica. I know Nick still is." "Actually, no he isn't." Jeff said. "Nick called me last night and asked if Danny came back or not. I told him no and then he told me now to worry and to try to get some sleep. That's when I told him that I was sorry again for what happened between me and Jessica. He said that he forgave me." Just then there was a knock on the door, which adjoined Kandi and Justin's room, along with Jeff's. Jeff went over to the door, unlocked it, and then opened it. In bounded a bundle of energy, as Nicole headed towards her Uncle Drew. Drew swept her up in his arms, just as Kandi and Justin emerged into Drew's room as well. "Hey, Princess." Drew said to Nicole. "It's good to see you." Nicole just giggled at him. She still couldn't talk yet, but she smiled at him. Drew hugged her close. "I wonder why Nick brought Nicole over here?" He asked everyone in the room. He frowned as he looked around at everyone. "What's going on?" He asked out loud. ******************************************************* BACK IN NICK AND JESSICA'S ROOM......... By now, Jessica was beyond mad. She had just found out that Sean had been telling the truth about what had happened between him and Nick. Except for one thing. "Yes, Jessica, it's true." Nick said, a catch in his voice. "Sean and I did kiss and we got a little carried away." Jessica sank down on the bed, and wiped at her eyes as she tried to keep from crying. But it was easier said than done. "You see what I mean, Baby?" Jessica asked him, the fury in her voice. "That's vintage Sean Perry for you! He doesn't care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. And now I know for a fact that he wants you back!" "Stop it, Jessica!" Nick reprimanded her. "You're making it sound like Sean took advantage of me?" Jessica raised her eyebrows as she gave Nick that look. A look which he knew very well. "Don't you dare!" Nick warned her, but it was too late. "Well, isn't that what he did?" Jessica asked him. "Because, I know that you wouldn't make the first move if you were emotional like you said you were. So, tell me, who kissed the other first? Did you kiss Sean? Or did he kiss you?" Nick flashed back to that kiss between him and Sean earlier that afternoon at Sean's apartment. He remembered seeing the sympathetic look on Sean's face and he remembered Sean leaning in and kissing him. Nick looked back up at Jessica, as he prepared to give her the truth. "Sean kissed me." Nick said. "But, it wasn't totally his fault. I never should have kissed him back. I should have pushed him away, that moment. But I didn't. I have to take responsibility for my own part in that." Jessica nodded, as she let out a huge sigh, just as more tears started sliding down her cheeks. "Yeah, you do." Jessica said, angrily. "But, I'm not mad at you. At least not that much. Yes, you shouldn't have let the kiss happen, but I understand why you did. You were vulnerable and you were reaching out for comfort, and Sean took advantage of you! He's the one who has to take the most responsibility for this!" Nick's angry expression returned to his face. He was still mad at her over what she had done to Sean, earlier before he'd gotten back to the hotel. "I don't think so." Nick said, forcefully. "You've already done enough damage! And as for Sean, you really don't have to worry about him. He's actually going to be involved in a relationship with a new man. His name is Jason." Jessica's eyes widened, in shock. "Really?" She asked, dumbstruck. "So, Sean is really going to move on with someone else?" Nick nodded, and as he watched Jessica, her face took on a look of skepticism. "Did you see the guy for yourself?" She asked him. "How can you be sure that Sean isn't lying about that just to get me off of his back?" "Sean isn't lying about Jason." Nick said to her. "I met him and he's a really hot guy. He's big and muscular, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He's a real catch. If you saw him, you'd be drooling too, just like Sean was when I saw him." Jessica frowned at Nick. Even though she was glad to hear this bit of news, she was still not comfortable with Nick seeing others guys as hot still. "Nick, could you please not talk like that about other guys?" She asked him. "I'm the only person you can talk that way about. Nobody else!" Nick rolled his eyes and turned away, shaking his head. Then, he turned back to her. "You just can't be satisfied, can you?" He asked her, in anger. "You just have to look for trouble where it doesn't exist! Well, I'm here to tell you that I've had enough of that!" Jessica frowned. "What do you mean?" Nick took a moment to think back to last night when he'd come back to the hotel room to find Jessica and Nicole already asleep. He remembered the erotic thoughts he was having about Jason. He kept seeing Jason standing in Sean's living room, with sweatpants on, and water glistening from his shirtless, upper body. But most of all, since he hadn't gotten to sleep right away, last night, he'd had alot of time to think about things and he'd come to a decision last night. "It means that you and I need to be apart." He said, sternly. "Right now, I don't see how this marriage can continue, right now." Jessica's face crumpled when Nick said that. "Baby, I thought we'd already been through this!" She said, as she started to cry again. "I thought that the legal separation was not an issue anymore." "It isn't." Nick said, momentarily. "That's not what I was talking about. I have something else in mind." Now, Jessica was curious to know what Nick was up to. But from the look on his face, she knew that whatever it was, that it was not going to be good. She was not going to like it at all. "Then, what are you talking about?" Jessica asked him, the fear in her voice. Nick looked at her, with his serious look. And when Nick had that look, you knew that whatever it was that he was going to tell her, he meant every word of it. Then, Nick revealed to his wife, what he was talking about, before. "I'm talking about a divorce." Nick said, coldly. "After everything that you've done in the past few days, I feel that it would be best if you and I end our marriage." Jessica stood there, her mouth hanging open, in shock when she heard what Nick had just told her. He wanted a divorce! She was starting to feel her whole world begin to crash down, around her. "No." She said, her voice, dead-serious. "That's totally out of the question. You're not divorcing me. It's not going to happen!" "Yes, it is!" Nick said. "As soon as we get back to Los Angeles and find out the truth about you being pregnant or not, then I'm going to file for divorce. I'm going to do it, whether you have a baby or not!" Nick looked at his watch and saw that it was now almost 10:30p.m. "I've got to go." He said. "I have to go and see if Jeff wants to look for Danny with me." Nick started walking towards the door, intent on leaving. when he did, he heard Jessica speak again. "If you divorce me, Nick," She started saying. "it will be the end of your career as well!" Nick stopped in his tracks when she finished that last part. He turned around and looked back at her, not wanting to believe that he'd heard what he thought he did, out of her mouth. "What did you just say?" He asked, glaring at her, in shock. "You heard me, Nick!" Jessica said, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you divorce me, I will out you to the whole world!" By now, Nick was getting really angry. His teeth were clenched and his hands were balling up into fists. "You wouldn't dare." He said, with a vicious tone. "You're bluffing." Even though, Nick was trying to hide it, Jessica could see that he was shaken over what she had said. She had him right where she wanted him. "Oh, you think so, huh?" Jessica snarled at him. "Well, then maybe when I tell you the next thing I'll do, then maybe you'll take me seriously." Nick, in turn, crossed his own arms over his chest as well, as he listened to Jessica's ranting and raving. "What?" He asked, with an arched eyebrow. Jessica then proceeded with phase two of her threats. "Also, I'm going to file a petition for full custody of our daughter." She said to him. "Because if you divorce me and go back to Sean, I will not allow you to have any form of custody while Sean is in your life. And I'm sure there isn't a judge out there who would disagree with me!" When Nick heard that last part, he thought that he was going to explode. It was bad enough that Jessica was threatening to out him to the whole world, but to now be threatening to keep him away from his daughter, was even worse. Nick could probably handle losing his career, but if he were to lose his daughter too, then that means that he would lose everything. Nick slowly walked over to Jessica and stopped just in front of her. Without warning, he grabbed her and yanked her close to him. Jessica gasped in shock. "If you even think about trying to tear my daughter away from me, you'd better think again, Missy." He snarled at her. "I will fight you! And I will win! I promise you that!" Jessica was scared now. She could see the burning fire in Nick's eyes at that moment. She was afraid of him at that moment. "Nick, stop!" She exclaimed. "Let go of me! You're scaring me!" Nick let go of her and pointed his finger in her face. "Any chance you may have had to get me to reconsider that divorce is long gone now, after those threats that you just made." He said, fiercely. "I know I'm doing the right thing, because I don't know you, anymore. You're not the same woman that I fell in love with, once." Jessica blinked a a pang of hurt coarsed through her body when she heard Nick's words. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. All she could do was stand there, with tears rolling down her face. Nick looked at her, and tried hard to fight back his own tears at that moment. He looked into Jessica's eyes for the last time. Then, he walked over to her and pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. Jessica sobbed as she threw her arms around him and kissed him back, with all the passion she could muster. Nick broke the kiss and turned away, knowing that he was going to lose control and break down any minute. "Goodbye, Jessica." He said, as he bolted for the door. "It's over!" With those words, Nick ran out and slammed the door behind him. Jessica sank down on the bed and sobbed hysterically, as she curled up into a fetal position and clutched a pillow close to her. "No!" She sobbed. "I can't lose you, Nick! Not again!" She continued to cry her eyes out, unaware that Nick was just outside the door, doing the same thing.... ******************************************************* OUTSIDE NICK AND JESSICA'S ROOM..... Nick lost his composure as soon as he had left the room. He sank down to the ground and buried his face into his knees as he threw his arms around them. As Nick was sobbing, he heard a door open and then shut. Then, the next thing he knew, he heard the sound of feet coming quickly towards him, but he didn't look up. Then, he heard a familiar voice. "Nick, what happened?" He heard a male voice ask. Nick looked up through his tears, which blurred his vision. He made out his brother's form, standing over him. "I don't want to talk about it." He said, getting up quickly, and wiping at his face. "What are you doing out here, anyway?" Drew frowned at his brother's rude tone of voice, but his didn't say anything about it. "I just came over to ask you why you were having Nicole being watched by Kandi and Justin?" He asked him. "You could have asked me. I'd have been more than happy to watch her for you." Nick looked at Drew, his expression cold. "I know you would have." He said to him. "But I didn't think that it was appropriate right now, given that you and Casey are a couple. I don't want my daughter witnessing any intimate moments between the two of you. That would only confuse her and I don't want that for her." Drew frowned at Nick's statement. He would never knowingly jeopardize his little niece's life, in any way. "Nick, I know you're still angry with me over what I did, breaking up your marriage to Sean, but that was not fair!" Drew said, obviously hurt by what Nick had implied. "I would never do anything to hurt that little girl's life. You know that." Nick looked at Drew and saw the hurt in his expression. Normally Nick would have felt bad about it, but he still couldn't bring himself to feel anything for his brother. Not after all that had happened between them. "I used to know that." Nick said, his voice, monotone. "But, with your track record of deception, I can't trust you, anymore. When my daughter grows up, I want her to be with a man who loves her, unconditionally, and maybe one day, she'll want to have a family and then Jessica and I will be grandparents. And to ensure that that happens, I don't want her to be around you and Casey when the two of you are alone." Drew hung his head, in defeat. There was just no winning with Nick. He was trying really hard to earn his brother's forgiveness, but he was also starting to get really tired of being Nick's punching bag all the time. "You know something, Nick, I'm getting really tired of you treating me like this right now!" Drew said, in an angry tone. "I understand why you're angry with me, but right now, whatever you're upset about has nothing to do with me, does it?" Nick looked up at Drew and Drew read Nick's expression correctly. His angry was not meant for Drew. "What happened in there, Nick?" Drew asked his brother. "What did you and Jessica talk about?" Drew put a hand on his brother's shoulder, offering his sympathy. When he did, Nick coldly brushed it off. "I don't want to talk about it!" Nick snapped at him. "What Jessica and I talk about is between the two of us! It doesn't concern you, so stay out of it! It's none of your business!" "Nick, you're my family." Drew pointed out. "And if you are having a problem, then I think that is my business." Nick shook his head, in denial. "Well, you can't help me." Nick said, as he turned away and looked around in the hallway. "Well, how can I when you won't talk to me and tell me what's going on?" Drew asked him. "I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you let me." Nick turned back to Drew and looked him in the eyes, frowning at him. "Drew, would you just get out of my face!" Nick asked him, harshly. "If I want your help, I will ask you for it! But it will be a cold day in hell before I do that!" Drew stood there, looking at Nick, shaking his head. He looked down at the floor and sighed heavily. Then, he raised his hands, as he looked back up at Nick. "Fine, I give up." He said, his voice all serious. "I thought that things between us were starting to get better with us, but I was wrong." Drew looked back at Nick, his eyes saying it all: He was through trying to reach out to Nick. Even he had his pride and dignity. If Nick was going to be this difficult, then Drew wasn't going to waste any more of his time on him. "I'm done trying to reach out to you, Bro." Drew said, the pain, obvious, in his voice. "As much as I love you, I can't continue to let you use me as your personal punching bag anymore. So, I'm just going to say that I hope that whatever you and Jessica are going through, right now, that you can work it out. I just want to see the two of you, happy." With that, Drew turned and headed back to his room, Before he got to the door, he turned back to Nick. "I won't come to you, offering my help anymore." Drew said to him. "I'll just have to wait until you are ready to trust me again, before you can confide in me. Until then, I'm just going to concentrate on my relationship with Casey right now." "You do that." Nick said. "Concentrate on your own relationship and leave me the hell alone!" Drew shook his head, as he pulled his key card out of his pocket and swiped it through the door. "I was only trying to be a good brother to you, that's all, Nick!" Drew said, angrily. "Well, with a brother like you, I certainly don't need enemies!" Nick snapped back at him. Drew had finally heard enough. The door unlocked and he started to open it. "Fine!" Drew said, a catch in his voice. "If you want to stand out here and feel sorry for yourself right now, be my guest, but I'll be damned if you're taking me down with you!" Drew went into his room and shut the door behind him. Once he was gone, Nick's hands balled up into fists. "I need some air!" He said, in exasperation He then started walking towards the elevators. ******************************************************* BACK AT SEAN'S...... Jason held me in his arms, as I came to the end of the story about everything that I'd been through in the past. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that." Jason said, comforting me, as I cried on his shoulders. "But, you don't have to worry now. You've got me, now. I won't let anyone ever hurt you again." I continued to just hold onto him. He rocked me, slightly back and forth, as he slid his strong hands up and down my back, comforting me. It was very relaxing. "I'm so lucky to have found you, again." I said, as I wiped at my tears. "I didn't know just how alone I really felt until this very moment. I've longed for a man's arms around me, again." I pulled back and looked Jason in the face. I caressed his cheek, lovingly. "And I'm glad that you're going to be the man who arms will be around me alot, now." I said, smiling at him. Jason's face took on a look of surprise. "Does that mean what I think it does? He asked me. I nodded. "Yes." I said. "I would love nothing more than to pursue a relationship with you." I said to him. "But I'd like to take it slow for awhile." Now, Jason was curious. Usually taking things slow, meant no sex until the other was ready, but in my case, that wasn't what I was talking about. "What do you mean?" Jason asked me. "We've already been having sex, so how can we take it slow now?" I took a moment to enlighten him. "Before you came into my life again, I had feelings for someone else." I told him. "I still do and I haven't resolved them yet." Jason sat back and looked at me, wondering who I was talking about. "Who?" He asked me, wanting to know. I sighed and let the truth be known. "Believe it or not, It's Nick." I told Jason. I saw his expression change to shock. "Nick?" He asked me, totally blown away by that admission. "Even after everything that happened between you two, you still love him?" "I still have feelings for him." I said to Jason. "And I probably always will." "Does Nick know that you still have feelings for him?" Jason wanted to know. I shook my head, no. "No, he doesn't." I told Jason. "And he's not going to because I am not going to tell him. He had his chance and he made his choice to stay with Jessica. So, it's definitely over between us." I looked up at Jason. "So, are you still willing to give our relationship a try?" I asked him. "Even after everything I just told you?" Jason thought it over for a moment. It seemed like an eternity, but finally he looked at me and a smile formed on his lips. "I would love to." He told me, and held me close. "And thanks for being honest with me about your feelings for Nick." I looked up at him, as I pulled back from our hug. "You won't say anything to Nick, will you?" I asked him. Jason shook his head. "No, I won't." Jason reassured me. "If you're ready to move on, and put the past behind you, than so am I." "Thanks." I said to him. "Now, how about we make you, becoming my boyfriend, official? What do you say?" Jason grinned at me. "Now, there's an offer I can't refuse." He said. "Come here, you." Jason pulled me into a very passionate kiss. We stayed that way for a long time, kissing each other. Or so it seemed. That is, until Jason had other ideas. Jason lifted me up and started carrying me to the bedroom. As he was getting ready to walk down the hallway, the phone rang. "I'd better get that." I said. "It might be important." Jason put me down and I ran over to get it. I picked it up and answered it. "Hello?" I asked out loud. I got no response. "Hello?" I tried again. "Is anyone there?" After a slight pause, I heard a familiar voice. "Sean, it's Danny." I heard Danny's voice say. To Be Continued........? Well, that's all for this one. I hope you all enjoyed it! "What happens next?" Oh, if you only knew!" Stay tuned. slpwriter@yahoo.com