Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 17:00:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: slpwriter <slpwriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-86

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".....


Nick turned away and started to leave.

"Nick." His mother called out to him. Nick turned back
around and looked at her.

"Yes, Mom?" He asked, wondering what she wanted.

He could see the sadness in his mothers eyes and
wondered what she was thinking at that moment.

"Could you please let your brother know that we'd like
to see him here, before Jessica's concert tonight?"
Cate asked him. "We haven't really had a chance to see
him since Sean told us that he's back."

Nick didn't like the idea of having to see his brother
again, this morning after the fight they'd had,
earlier, just before he came over here.

"Mom, If you want to see Drew, call him, please." He
said to her. "With a brother like him, I don't need
enemies. I told him so, to his face, earlier this
morning. I want nothing to do with him!"

Hearing Nick talk down about his brother like that,
really hurt his mother and father to the core. He saw
his mother's eyes fill with tears.

"Honey, It really breaks me and your father's hearts
to hear you talk about your brother this way." Cate
said, sniffing. John put his arm around her and held
her close.

"I'm really sorry, Mom." Nick said. "But what Drew did
was unforgivable. I seriously doubt that we will ever
be close again."

With those last words, Nick turned and left the hotel,
leaving Joe, Tina, and his parents to process
everything that had transpired since he had gotten
there.

Cate and John turned to Joe and Tina, their concern
for Nick, growing.

"I hope that Jessica didn't mean what she said about
ruining my son's life." Cate said. "If she does, then
maybe my son really is better off without her."

Joe shook his head.

"Cate, I really don't think it's going to come down to
that." He said. "I think Jessica was just blowing
smoke. She was hurting about the divorce and she just
wanted to hurt Nick back. I don't think that she'll
follow through on her threats. She loves him too
much."

"I hope you're right, Joe." John said. "Because this
family has gone through enough turmoil. We don't need
anymore added stress, right now."

"If it makes you feel any better, Joe and I will talk
to her, tonight, before the concert and see what frame
of mind she's in then. Hopefully, she'll have cooled
off by then."

"That would be great." Cate said to him. "I just want
this family to have peace. As much as I don't want to
lose Jessica as my daughter in law, I'd rather have it
end, peacefully, than with all of this pain and
bitterness."

Tina nodded. She, and everyone else knew that when it
came to keeping the peace between two families when
their children were about to go through a divorce was
easier said than done.

*******************************************************
MEANWHILE, BACK AT SEAN'S APARTMENT.......

I had finished with my shower and gotten out of the
bathroom, with a towel wrapped around my waist.

As I walked to my room, I peeked into the spare
bedroom and looked in on Danny. He was fast asleep, so
I let him be. After what he went through, last night,
I'm sure he needed it.

I walked into my room and prepared to get dressed. As
I did, I heard the phone ring, near my bedside table,
so I walked over to get it.

"Hello?" I said, answering whoever it was that was
calling. No answer.

"Hello?" I asked again. "Is anyone there?"

Instead of getting a response, I was answered by a
click, which signaled that the caller, whoever it was,
had hung up.

"Hmm," I thought to myself, out loud, as I set the
phone back down. "it must have been a wrong number."

I then walked over to my dresser and grabbed some
clean sock, underwear, and a t-shirt out of it. I
pulled on my underwear, then sat down to put on my
t-shirt and socks.

I thought back once again to Jessica's assault on my
balls, the other night. All I knew was that I'd had
enough of her!

I stood up and walked over to the window and looked
out of it, my eyes narrowed and my anger growing.

"You have messed with me for the last time, Jessica!"
I said. "We're going to settle things between us, once
and for all! And we're going to do it, tonight!"


**********
CHAPTER 86
**********

SEAN'S APARTMENT, LATER THAT NIGHT...................

"Danny, will you calm down!" I said to Danny, who was
pacing around the room, nervously. He was trying to
decide what to wear for his dinner date with Jeff.

"I can't help it, Sean." Danny said. "If I'm going to
have dinner with Jeff, I've got to find the right
clothes to wear."

As I watched Danny go through his suitcase, looking
for the right to wear, I thought about the best way
possible to confront Jessica. One thing I knew for
sure, is that I had to talk to her. Otherwise, nothing
would be settled for any of us. Especially Nick.

"Sean?!" I heard Danny's voice say, harshly.

I snapped out of my thoughts and glanced at him.

"What?" I asked him.

In front of me, Danny was holding up two outfits. One
was a gray full body suit, and the other was a pair of
beige khaki dress pants, with a black shirt.

"Which of these should I wear tonight?" He asked.
"These are the best choices I could come up with, on
such short notice."

I looked at the two choices that he was holding up in
his hands, and the choice was just too obvious. I knew
exactly which outfit he would look best in.

"Nornally, I would say that you'll look great in
either one of those choices." I told him. "But, if I
were you, I'd go with the full gray suit."

"Really?" Danny asked, then frowned. "Why's that?"

The more I thought about the choice I had chosen for
him, the more I was convinced that it would be his
best defense, so that people wouldn't think that the
two of them were an item. I knew that if the press
ever got wind of their relationship, or what was left
of it, Their lives would be ruined, along with
everyone else who were close to them.

"I think that if you wear the gray suit, not only will
you be making a better impression with Jeff, but you
will also be able to make people believe that you
could be a business executive of Jeff's or something,
rather than a suspected boyfriend or something."

Just at the moment, I realized something.

"Danny, where are you and Jeff, having dinner?" I
asked him.

"At the hotel we're staying at." He said. "It's a
little more low key. That way, if we can't get into
anything heavy, at the restaurant, then we can talk
about it up in Jeff's room."

Hearing that little bit of information, I arched an
eyebrow.

"His room, huh?" I said, with a small grin. "That's
interesting."

Seeing the look on my face, Danny squinted his eyes at
me, and pointed a finger at me.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, man!" Danny said,
defensively. "If Jeff and I do go to his room, it's
only to talk. Nothing like you're thinking is going to
happen between us! Especially not tonight!"

"Yeah, right." I said, sarcastically. "We both know
how irresistable Jeff is. I'd bet any money, he'll
have you back in bed in no time."

Danny frowned at me, curiously. He sure wondered what
proof I had of Jeff's irresistability, or so I said.

"And how would you know that?" Danny asked me. "You've
never dated Jeff."

"Well, no." I said. "But I have kissed him, before. Or
rather he kissed me. Remember? Back when we were in
New York, years ago and I called Jeff prissy? He
decided to prove that he wasnt and he kissed me, and
Drew got the whole thing on tape."

"Oh, right." Danny said, with a grin on his face. "I
remember that. That was definitely one of your
funniest moments. You should have seen the look on
your face when he did kiss you."

We both laughed remembering that moment. It seemed
like such a long time ago, but remembering it, felt
like it had happened yesterday.

"Man, we all  had some really great times, together
back then." I said. "Part of me does miss it,
sometimes."

"I'm sure you do." Danny said. "That was a memory of
one of your happier times. Like, when you and Nick
were together."

I looked at him when he said that, and I saw the
seriousness in his facial expression. I knew what he
was thinking. I had been thinking the same thing at
that moment. Then, Danny brought up a touchy subject.

"Sean, I still don't understand why you can't just
tell Nick that you're in love with him." He said to
me. "If you still love him, Don't you think he should
know that?"

I shook my head.

"No, Danny, I can't tell Nick about my feelings." I
said to him.

"Why not?" Danny asked, looking at me, with a confused
frown on his face.

I sighed as I walked over towards the window and
looked outside. I noticed that it was dark out, and
there seemed to be alot of gusty winds going on out
there.

"I can't, because Nick doesn't feel the same way about
me, anymore." I told him. "Nick told me, to my face,
that he's not in love with me, anymore. But, as my
friend, I know he'll always love me. The same goes for
him."

I turned back to Danny and saw the sad look in his
eyes. He looked like he had really been counting on
me, getting back together with Nick. Or was it
something else?"

"I hear you." He said. "I can definitely relate. Jeff
doesn't know how he feels about me, anymore, either."

I turned on the tv and started flipping through the
channels, while continuing to talk to him.

"Danny, your situation is different." I pointed out.
"You and Jeff are still a couple, despite the fact
that Jeff is still questioning his feelings for you.
Nick and I are over. We're not a couple anymore. We
both have moved on."

Danny shrugged.

"Maybe Nick has," He said, "but can you?"

I stopped flipping through the stations as soon as I
found the channel I wanted: The Weather Channel.

"I have to." I said. "I've already made the decision
to be Jason's boyfriend. I'm ready to move on and see
what's in store for us."

As I watched the weather channel, I noticed that there
was a severe thunderstorm coming in. But it wasn't
expected to be at it's worst, until around 10:00p.m.

"It looks like there's a storm coming in." I said to
Danny. "If you and Jeff go out anywhere tonight, you
guys be careful, ok?"

Danny shook his head, no.

"Jeff and I are not going out anywhere." He said.
"We'll be at the hotel."

"Good." I said to him, in concern. "If the storm hits
and it's bad, please stay where you are until it calms
down. I don't want you driving in the storm when it's
at it's worst."

"Ok, Dad." Danny said, reaching out and ruffling my
hair. "Don't get yourself all tied up in knots about
it."

I looked up at Danny and ignored his assault on my
hair.

I'm serious, Danny." I told him. "I just want you to
be safe tonight. You've been through enough, already."

Just then, the phone rang. I walked over to the coffee
table and grabbed the handset off of it. I pressed the
"Talk" button to answer the call.

"Hello?" I said, into the phone.

"Hi, Sean." It was Jeff's voice I heard on the line.

"Hey, Jeff." I greeted him, enthusiastically. "What's
up?"

"Not much." Jeff said to me. "Is Danny getting ready
for our dinner tonight?"

I turned around and looked at Danny, who was putting
on the suit that I'd suggested he wear.

"Yes, he's just about ready." I told to Jeff. "He's
just finishing getting ready. Are you going to be
picking him up?"

"Yeah," Jeff said. "the two of us have reservations at
the hotel restaurant at 9:00p.m. tonight."

I looked over at the clock and noticed that it was
getting close to 8:30 p.m.

"Jeff, are you on your way here now?" I asked him,
then.

"No, I'm still here at the hotel, but I'm getting
ready to leave." He said, then asked. "Why?"

I looked over at the TV again and noticed that the
weatherman was saying that there was the possibility
of severe lightning as well.

"I just turned on the weather channel and it says
there's a severe thunderstorm heading into the Orlando
area tonight and I just would feel more comfortable if
you would head down here now and pick up Danny so that
you can get to the hotel, safely. I don't want you to
be out, driving, in this kind of weather if it strikes
any sooner than what they say on TV."

"That's really nice of you to be concerned, Sean."
Jeff said, obviously touched by my concern for him.
"But you needn't worry. I will be there in ten
minutes, after I finish up with my hair, ok?"

I smiled. It was just like Jeff to worry about his
hair when going out in public. From what I've seen of
Jeff, he had a great sense of fashion. Let me tell
you, all the clothes that I've seen him wear, always
made him look like a runway model. So, I had no doubt
that he would be dressed to kill tonight for his
dinner with Danny.

"Ok, Jeff." I said to him. "I'll tell Danny that
you're on your way. We'll both see you then."

"Alright, Sean." Jeff said. "Later, buddy."

"Bye." I said, and hung up the phone. I turned back to
Danny.

"Jeff will be here, soon." I said to him. "Until he
does, would you care to help me with something?"

"Sure." Danny said, without hesitation. "What's that?"

I looked over at the Christmas Tree, which was still
up, and decided that I might as well spend the rest of
the evening, taking it down and putting it away.

"Would you help me take down some of the decorations
from the tree, so I can get everything put away for
next year?"

Danny smiled. He had no problem with that request.

"Sure." He said. "I'll just go get some of the boxes,
out of the closet."

He started to walk by me, towards the closet, but I
put a hand to his chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"No you won't." I said. "I don't want you to get your
outfit dirty. I'll take care of that. You can just
start taking down some of the ornaments and garland
off of the tree for now."

"Ok." Danny said. "That works for me."

I took a moment to check him out. He was standing
there, in his gray suit, with a black bow tie, and
white shirt. He looked like an actor, presenting for
an awards show. He looked very handsome, too."

"You look really handsome right now." I said, smiling
at him. "When Jeff sees you, all dressed up like this,
I think that he'll fall in love with you all over
again."

Danny nodded, grinning profusely.

"Thanks, Sean." He said to me. "And as for what you
said about Jeff, that would be nice, but not very
realistic. Jeff said that he has feelings for another
man. I'm going to find out who it is, at dinner,
tonight. After that, I'll decide for myself if my
relationship with Jeff is worth salvaging."

I could see that Danny truly meant it, when he said
that last part. He had been really hurt over how Jeff
had treated him. And he had every right to be.

"Well, for your sake, I hope everything works out." I
said to him. I then leaned in and hugged him. "Just
know that whether things work out between you and
Jeff, or not, you can count on me to be there for you.
I'll support you in whatever decision you make,
tonight."

"Thanks." Danny said, as he hugged me. "Your support
really means alot to me. Especially right now."

"You're welcome." I said, softly.

We pulled back from our embrace and I then decided
that if we were going to get the tree put away, we
might as well get started on it.

"Well, I'm going to go and get some boxes out of the
closet." I said to him. "You go ahead and start on the
decorations."

"Alright." Danny said, turned towards the tree.

I walked over to the closet the opened it up. All of
the ornaments boxes were stacked up, in there. I
grabbed four of the boxes that had writing on them for
the bubble lights, christmas garland, and the regular
lights and brought them to the living room.

I sat them down at the foot of the couch, and then
turned back to the closet to get all of the boxes that
were needed for the christmas ornaments. No doubt that
those needed to be put away first, since they were the
most fragile of the tree decorations.

I set the ornaments boxes down on the couch, and
turned to help Danny take all the decorations off of
the tree.

Both of us went to work, me taking off the ornaments
from the tree limbs, while Danny continued to take
ornaments off of the Christmas garland decorations.

"So, Danny, are you and Jeff going to be attending
Jessica's concert tonight?" I asked him, as I took
some of the ornaments over to put in the boxes.

"No." I heard him say, when I had my back turned. "I
don't feel up to attending her concert. Why would I
want to after the way she's treated you, lately?"

After putting some of the ornaments in one of the
boxes, I turned back to the tree and started gathering
some more.

"Good point." I said. "But, don't worry about me. I
can handle anything that blonde bombshell throws at
me. It's better for me, anyway. The more she acts out
against me, the more she becomes her own worst enemy."

"You shouldn't have to live like this, Sean." Danny
said, seriously.

I stopped what I was doing and looked him in the eyes.
I smiled at him. he was really starting to gain back
my trust again. And I could tell too, considering that
I wasn't bitter towards him, anymore, like I had been
before.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to." I said to him, with a
samll smile on my face. "No one's gonna walk all over
me."

Danny just stared at me, not sure how to take those
words that came out of my mouth. I then leaned in, and
gave him a kiss on the cheek.

At the  moment, we both heard the doorbell ring. I
looked at the clock and saw that the clock now read
8:45p.m. Obviously, Jeff had arrived.

I went to answer the door, and sure enough, there was
Jeff, standing there. When I saw him, I was stunned at
how amazing he looked.

Jeff was wearing a dark blue shirt that contoured to
his entire torso, and clung to his body, showing off
his very defined chest. I could even see the shape of
his abdominal muscles through the shirt too. He was
also wearing gray dress pants. His hair was nicely
styled and his bangs spiked up at the front of his
face. He was definitely quite a vision.

"You look amazing, Jeff." I said, complimenting him on
his looks.

Jeff smiled, showing off his bright white teeth.

"Thanks, Sean." He said. "Let's hope that Danny
agrees."

"Well, I'll let him decide for himself." I said,
stepping aside for Jeff. "Come on in."

Jeff walked into the room, while I shut the door
behind me. When I'd turned around, I saw that Jeff was
staring, openmouthed at Danny, while Danny stood
there, and just smiled, looking quite modest.

"Hi, Danny." Jeff said, when he got his voice back.
"You look so amazing."

"Thanks, Jeff." Danny said. "But I can't take all the
credit. Dressing up this way, was Sean's suggestion."

Jeff grinned and then turned to look at me.

"Well, he's got great taste in clothes." He said.
"Maybe you should hire him as your fashion
consultant."

"Jeff, come on." I laughed. "I just gave my opinion on
which outfit I thought he would look his best in. The
choice was obvious. Every man looks good in a uniform.
But as for fashion consultant, I think that you should
be one. The way you dress all the time, you always
look like you're ready to walk the runway."

"I have to agree with you about every man looking good
in a uniform." Jeff said, looking back at Danny. "It's
true. Danny looks positively beautiful."

Danny blushed, and laughed a little.

"Jeff, stop, you're embarassing me." he said, the grin
still on his face.

"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is." Jeff said,
warmly. "So, are you ready for our dinner date?"

Danny took a deep breath and sighed, letting all of
the stress out.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." He said.

Even though things were still awkward between Jeff and
Danny, I could see, as I watched them, that there were
definitely some sparks there. They still had chemistry
together. I could see it in their eyes. There was
still love there. I had a feeling that things might
possibly work out between them, after all. There was
definitely hope there.

Jeff extended a hand out to Danny. Danny, after some
slight hesitation, slowly took it. When he did, Jeff
pulled Danny towards him and embraced him, in a hug.
Danny wrapped his arms around Jeff and relaxed in his
arms. Despite his issues with Jeff, he couldn't help
but enjoy the feeling of Jeff's arms around him.

Jeff pulled back and turned towards me.

"We should get going." He said. "If we want to keep
our reservations, we should get there on time."

"Alright." I said, turning towards the door. Before I
opened it, I turned back to them.

"Listen, before you go, I just want to say that I wish
you both good luck." I said to them both. "I hope you
have a good time, tonight."

"We will." Jeff said, then leaned into me and kissed
me on the cheek. I then leaned in and kissed Danny on
the cheek again.

"If you need anything, I'm just a phone call away." I
said to Danny. He smiled and nodded.

"That's good to know." He said. "I'll call if I need
you."

I opened the door and the both of them exited the
house.

"Goodnight." I said to them. "And be careful out
there. It looks like the storm will be starting any
minute now."

"Goodnight, Sean." Jeff said. "And don't worry. We'll
be alright."

And with that being said, Danny and Jeff started
walking towards Jeff's car.

I re-entered the house and shut the door behind me. I
then looked back at the tree, and noticed that I still
had alot of work ahead of me.

"Well, I can't stand here all night." I said to
myself. "Back to work."

I then set about taking down the rest of the ornaments
and decorations so that I could take down the tree.

*******************************************************
AT THAT SAME TIME, BACK AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL.....

JESSICA'S ROOM......

Jessica was running around the room, trying to decide
what to wear for her concert tonight.

The room was a total mess. Jessica had bras,
underwear, socks, pants, hair accessories, and perfume
bottles, strewn all over her bed. She was in her
bathrobe, with a towel draped around her head to soak
up the water from her wet hair. She had just gotten
out of the shower.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

"I'm coming!" Jessica called out to whoever it was.
She then walked over to the door and opened it.

On the other side of the door, was Tina and Joe, her
parents. They had come to see her before she had to
leave for her concert.

"Hi, Honey." Joe said, kissing her on the cheek as he
entered the room. Tina kissed Jessica too, as she
entered the room, as well.

"Hi, Dad." She said. "You and Mom are both here, just
in time, to help me decide what to wear for my
concert, tonight."

Jessica closed the door and then turned to face her
parents. It was then that she noticed the serious
looks that were on both of their faces.

"Mom? Dad? What is it?" She asked. "You both look so
serious. What's going on?"

Tina and Joe looked at each other and then back at
their daughter. Tina walked up to Jessica and put her
arms around Jessica's shoulders.

"Sweetie, we know about the divorce." She said. "Nick
came to see us, earlier, and told us that he asked you
for a divorce."

Hearing her mother bring up that sore subject again,
almost brought Jessica to tears again. She had been
trying to be strong about it and not let it get to
her, tonight. But now it had been brought up again and
there was no escaping it this time.

Jessica's face crumpled and she threw her arms around
her mother and held onto her for dear life.

"I can't believe this is happening, Mom." She sobbed.
"My husband's left me and now I'm never going to get
him back. It looks like Sean has won, after all."

Joe Simpson did not agree with that statement.

"No!" He said, loudly. "No, sweatheart, he hasn't!
After the conversation we had with Nick earlier, we
have proof that it's over between Sean and Nick."

Jessica let go of her mother and wiped at her eyes.
She looked up at her father, wanting to know more.

"What kind of proof?" She asked. "Is is something we
can use against Sean?"

"No, sweetie." Tina said, running her hands up and
down Jessica's arms, trying to comfort her. "Nick told
us, himself, that he is not going to get back together
with Sean. He doesn't love Sean anymore. So, you still
have a chance to get him back."

Jessica wasn't sure about that.

"But, Mom." She said. "I messed up, earlier with Nick.
I threatened to out him to the public if he tried to
divorce me. And I said that I'd file for full custody
of my child, so that I can keep her away from Sean, if
he's in Nick's life.

"You actually did that?" Joe asked, in amazement.
"Here we thought that Nick was just blowing smoke
before when he told us that. Jessica, baby, what were
you thinking?!"

Jessica looked up at her father like a scolded child.

"Daddy, who's side are you on?" She asked him, in
shock.

Joe softened a little bit.

"I'm on your side, of course." He said to her. "But
that wasn't very smart of you to threaten Nick like
that. Did you really mean it when you made those
threats?"

"No, of course not, Dad." Jessica said. "I was just so
angry and hurt that I just wanted to make him hurt
too. I didn't really mean it. I would never try to
ruin Nick's life like that. He'd never forgive me.

There was silence for a moment. Then, Tina came up
with a plan.

"Honey, where is Nick now?" She asked Jessica. "Did he
come back here after he talked with us, back at his
parents hotel?"

Jessica shook her head. She had no idea where Nick
was. She hadn't seen him, since he asked her for a
divorce earlier that morning.

"I don't know where Nick is, Mom." Jessica said,
truthfully. "I haven't seen him all day."

"Alright then, never mind that." Tina said, waving it
off. "We need to discuss what you need to do first in
order to get back on Nick's good side again."

Jessica nodded as she cleared the rest of the tears
from her face.

"I'm listening." She said. "What's the plan, Mom?"

Tina then laid it out for her, plain and simple.

"The first thing you need to do," She said, "is to
tell Nick that you're sorry and that you didn't mean
what you said about outing him to the public about his
former relationship with Sean, or taking Nicole away
from him. That's first and foremost. "Then, what you
need to do is to get the lines of communication open
with Nick and come up with an arrangement that will
work out best for both of you, should he still want to
go through with the divorce."

"Ok, Mom." Jessica said. "I've got it so far."

"Good, sweetie." Tina sais. "Now...the last thing that
you need to do is the most important thing."

Now, Jessica and her father, Joe, were both intrigued
by this plan so far.

"What is it, darling?" Joe asked her, his curiosity
getting the better of him.

Tina looked at Joe and Jessica, who both had their
attention directed towards her.

"The most important thing you need to do is to not let
it get to you, anymore, if Nick wants to see Sean or
if Nick mentions Sean's name around you. When you blow
up at Nick and show your insecurities, you give Sean
alot more power than you think. From now on, you just
put a smile on your face and be on your best behavior
around Nick."

Jessica smiled, getting what her mother meant now.

"So, you're saying that if I act like Sean's presence
around my husband doesn't bother me, anymore, then
it'll make Nick think that Sean's no longer an issue
and he'll think about staying married to me?"

"You've got it, sweetie." Tina said, proudly. "You've
got to stand your ground and fight for your man! Don't
let Sean make the rules! You have got to get in there
and fight and you can't give up! If you fight, you can
get Nick back!"

Jessica sighed, in frustration. She was tired of
having to deal with Sean and she was definitely tired
of all the fighting that was going on in her family
because of him as well.

"I hear what you're saying, Mom." Jessica said. "But
now that I think about it, I'm tired of fighting! I
can't do it anymore! I just want to have some peace!"

"Honey, stop talking like this!" Tina said to her.
"You can do this! Don't forget that even when the
divorce papers are filed, you'll still have six
months. You will still, legally, be Nick's wife. But,
you've got to start acting like a wife!"

Jessica thought it over and realized that her mother
was right. If she was going to keep her husband, she
was going to have to be more aggressive and take
control of her marriage, which included controlling
her emotions were Sean was concerned.

Jessica smiled and hugged her mother, tightly.

"Thanks, Mom" She said. "I knew I could count on you."

"That's what I'm here for, Sweetie." Tina said to
her."

Jessica released her and then walked over to the bed
to pick out an outfit to wear. She held two up for
both her father and her mother to look at.

"Which one do you think?" She asked. "The white top or
the blue one?" She asked them.

She was holding up two shirt. One was an 'off the
shoulders' shirt, which was white and when worn,
showed the whole neck area and the top of the
shoulders.

The other was a light blue shirt, which tied around
from the bact and knotted in the center of the
breasts. it also showed the whole abdominal area.

"I like the white one, best." Tina said. "It brings
out your hair alot better."

"I agree with your mother, sweetie." Joe said. "You
look really cute in that one."

Jessica nodded.

"My thoughts, exactly." She said. "Now, why don't you
both go into the living room and wait there until I
finish getting dressed, ok?"

"Ok, sweetie." Joe said. "Just let us know when you're
ready for us to come back in."

Joe and Tina disappeared into the hotel living room,
while Jssica took the time to change into her outfit.
She was going to put on the white shirt and a pair of
blue boot cut, low riser jeans.

As she slipped out of her bathrobe, in all her naked
glory, and got ready to get dressed, the door opened
and in walked Nick, whistling to himself, unaware of
what he was about to walk in on.

When he saw Jessica in front of him, naked, he stopped
in his tracks. Jessica whipped around when she'd heard
the door open. When she saw Nick, standing there,
staring, she quickly picked up her bathrobe and held
it up, in front of her to cover herself, since Nick
still had his on the door, which was still open for
anyone to see inside.

"Damn it, Nick!" She whispered fiercely. "Shut the
door before someone sees me like this!"

Nick didn't move or say a word.

"Nick!" She whispered to him again, a little louder
this time. Still, not a response from Nick.

Nick was still in a trance, and must not have heard
her. Seeing that, Jessica scurried towards the door,
pushed Nick out of the way and slammed the door shut.

"I'm sorry, Jessica." Nick said, when he'd finally
snapped out of it. "I didn't mean to embarass you. I
didn't think that you be standing there, naked."

Jessica nodded.

"You're forgiven." She said. "This time. Just don't
let it happen again."

She grabbed a pair of underwear and started putting
them on.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" She asked as she
was putting on her bra. "I didn't think you'd have
come back after our argument, earlier."

"Well, you were wrong." Nick said, his voice,
monotone. "This is still my room, you know."

Jessica finished fastening her bra together in the
back, and stood up to face Nick.

"Actually, I'm glad you came back." She said "I need
to talk to you."

"Oh?" Nick asked her, with raised eyebrows. "What
about?"

Jessica walked over to him and looked him in the eyes.
She could see the pain that was hidden within them.

"I just wanted to apologize to you for what I said
earlier when I blew up at you and said that I would
out you to the public, and also try to keep our
daughter away from you."

Nick nodded, looking down at the floor. He was still
hurt from what she had said earlier.

"I didn't mean it, Nick." She said, as she moved in
closer and threw her arms around his neck. I'm really
sorry. Please forgive me."

Nick sighed as he returned her embrace, hugging her,
tightly.

*******************************************************
DOWNSTAIRS, IN THE HOTEL RESTAURANT.......

9:00 P.M.

Danny and Jeff entered the restaurant and came face to
face with a male greeter, with black hair, and brown
eyes, who was ready to show them to a table. He looked
Italian, and it was confirmed when he spoke with an
italian accent.

"Hello, you two." The greeter said. "My name is
Jordan, and I'll be your host for the evening. Do you
two have reservations?"

"Yes." Jeff said. "I reserved the two of us a table
for 9:00p.m. tonight."

The greeter looked under the names, when he came to
Jeff's he looked up at him.

"Alright, your table is right this way." He said.
"Follow me."

Jeff and Danny both followed the man to a secluded
area where their table was set up. it was in a nice
area where they would be out of earshot of people for
right now. If they had to get into anything heavy,
they would simply have to do it, upstairs, away from
prying eyes, and eavesdropping ears.

"Here you are." The male greeter said. "You may be
seated, while I send a waiter over to your table,
momentarily."

"Thank you, Sir." Jeff said, as he and Danny sat down
at the table.

The Greeter walked away to find a waiter, while Danny
and Jeff both picked up a menu and looked over what to
order.

While Jeff was looking at his menu, Danny was staring
at him, hard. Jeff must have felt it, because he
looked up and saw Danny looking at him, intensely.
Jeff lowered his menu.

"What is it, Danny?" Jeff asked him. "What's with the
look?"

"Well, first of all, I just wanted to say how handsome
you look, tonight." Danny said, with a small smile.
Jeff smiled back.

"Thank you." He said. "Although, I think you steal the
show, with the way you're dressed. You look so hot in
that suit right now."

Then, Danny got more serious, then.

"Thanks." He said. "But, now that we're here, would
you please tell me the truth now?" He asked Jeff. "I
want to know who this mystery man is that you said
that you're in love with."

Jeff looked around to make sure no one was around who
would overhear their conversation. Then, he leaned
towards Danny, so Danny would hear him better.

"Listen, Danny, I know I agreed to tell you the truth,
but can it please wait until after dinner?" He asked.
"I don't want to spoil our appetites by getting into
it now. Let's just have a nice dinner together for
right now. Then, we'll go up to my room, where We'll
have more privacy, and I'll tell you the truth there.
Is that fair enough?"

Danny didn't like having to wait, but he agreed with
Jeff. This was definitely not the right place for Jeff
to tell him something that big. He decided that he
would let it go, for now. But, one way or another,
Jeff was going to give him the answers he wanted. The
answers that would determine their future together.

"Fair enough." He said. "Now, let's order. I'm
starving."

*******************************************************
UPSTAIRS IN KANDI AND JUSTIN'S ROOM.......

"Are you sure you two really want to go out, tonight?"
Drew asked, from the chair he was sitting in. "It's
going to be raining cats and dogs out there, any
minute now."

Just then, there was a bright flash of lightning and a
very loud clap of thunder, startling everyone, in the
room. It caused, Nicole, who was nestled, in Kandi's
arms to start crying and fussing. She was afraid of
lightning and thunder.

"Wow." Casey said. He was sitting in the chair at the
table, across from Drew. "It looks like it's getting
an early start. Look out the window."

Drew got up and he, Casey, Kandi, and Justin, walked
over to the window and looked outside. They could see
that the rain was already pouring down, outside.

Nicole was still crying, and Kandi was doing her best
to calm her down, but she wasn't having much luck.

"Here, let me take her." Drew said, extending out his
arms. Kandi handed over the crying toddler and Drew
cradled her in his arms and pulled her into his chest
more.

"Shh, it's ok, precious." He cooed to her, softly.
"You're safe now. You're safe in your Uncle Drew's
arms."

Everyone watched as Drew walked back over to the chair
and sat down with the child in his arms. He sat back
in the chair and started singing to her.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word."
"Your Uncle's gonna buy you a mockingbird."

"And if that mockingbird don't sing."
"Your Uncle's gonna buy you a diamond ring."

Casey couldn't help but shed a tear or two, watching
Drew with that little girl. Seeing how good Drew was
with kids, really impressed the hell out of him. He
knew at that moment that Drew would be a wonderful
father if he ever decided to have children one day.

Kandi and Justin watched, neither one of them, saying
a word, as Drew continued to sing.

"And if that diamond ring turns brass."
"Your Uncle's gonna buy you a looking glass."

"And if that looking glass gets broke."
"Your Uncle's gonna buy you a billy goat."

"And if that billy goat don't pull."
"Your Uncle's gonna buy you a cart and bull."

"And if that cart and bull, turn over."
"Your Uncle's gonna buy you a dog named Rover."

"And if that dog named Rover won't bark."
"Your Uncle's gonna buy you a horse and cart."

"And if that horse and cart fall down."
"Well, you still be the sweetest, little baby in
town."

When Drew finally finished the song, He saw that
Nicole had drifted right off to sleep. He looked up at
the other, who were standing there. Justin just smiled
at Drew, while Casey and Kandi were wiping tears from
their eyes.

"I think she's asleep now." Drew grinned. "I'm going
to put her down."

Drew got up and walked over to the bed with the baby
and put her down on the bed, gently, doing his best
not to wake her. He put a pillow under her head to
support her neck, and sat down next to her so that he
could keep an eye on her in case she were to shift in
her sleep.

"That was a nice twist you did with the song, putting
the word "uncle" in it, instead of "Mama." Justin
pointed out. "It's not normally sung like that."

Drew looked up at Justin and nodded.

"Yeah, tell me about it." He said. "That must be her
favorite song, because I've heard both Jessica and
Nick sing it to her. When Jessica sings it, she sings
it the normal way. When Nick does, he says "Daddy"
instead of "Mama."

Casey came over and put his hand on Drew's shoulder
and massaged it, lovingly.

"You are so amazing with kids." He said, softly. "Do
you think you'll want kids of your own one day?"

That question sure suprised the hell out of Drew. Drew
looked up at Casey and saw that he was curious about
how Drew would feel about that.

"Maybe." He said. "I hadn't really thought about
having kids of my own. I'm not sure I'm ready yet.
It's a big responsibility."

Yes it is, Hon." Kandi agreed. "We understand if
you're not ready to become a parent. Nick wasn't
expecting to become a parent when he found out that
Jessica was pregnant with Nicole, but he was ecstatic
about it, anyway."

Drew nodded. He remembered back to the day that he'd
found out from Nick that Jessica was pregnant.

"I know." Drew said, smiling. "I can still see Nick's
face practically glowing when I think back to that
moment."

Thinking about Nick at that moment, Drew's happy modd
vanished and sadness took over.

Kandi, Justin, and Casey could all see what was
happening at that moment. Drew was going back into
depressed mode. But they knew that it wouldn't be
anything too serious. Not like how he had been when
he'd lost Sean to Nick years ago, when Sean decided to
stay with Nick, and not try a relationship with him.

"Well, since I couldn't be a good brother to Nick,"
Drew said, sadly. "maybe I can at least be a decent
Uncle to his little girl."

"Drew, come on, don't do that." Kandi said, walking
over to him. She stroked the back of his head, softly.
"Nick may not admit it right now, but I'm sure he
appreciates how good you've been with Nicole. Just
give Nick a little more time. I'm sure he's on his way
to forgiving you."

"Yeah, Kandi's right, buddy." Justin said from the
other side of the bed. "I've noticed that Nick hasn't
been that hostile with you, lately!"

Drew looked up at Justin, in surprise. Had he
forgotten about his fight with Nick, earlier that
morning?"

"I'm not so sure about that, guys." He said, lowly.
"Have you forgotten about how he ripped into me,
earlier this morning?"

Kandi waved that off.

"Oh, sweetie, come on." She said. "Nick's anger was
directed at Jessica, not you. He wasn't thinking
clearly. The next time you see him, I'm sure he'll
apologize to you."

Drew shook his head.

"The way things are right now, it's not that likely."
He said, as he gazed down at Nicole. "But, I'm not
worried. All if have to do is take it day by day.
It'll get easier, eventually. I told Nick that I will
give him all the time and space he needs to sort
things out when I'm concerned."

"Nick will come around." Kandi said, patting his
shoulder. "I have faith in him."

She then looked at her watch and saw that it was
getting close to 9:15.

"Well, if Justin and I want to keep our reservations,
we'd better get downstairs to the hotel restaurant."
Kandi said. "Ours are at 9:30, so we might as well be
early to avoid  waiting in line."

"You're right, sweetie." Justin said, walking over to
her and extending his arm out to her. She clutched it,
and they both turned back to Drew and Casey.

"You two behave yourselves while we're gone." Justin
joked, as he and Kandi headed for the door.

"And no funny business, either." Kandi warned them,
grinning profusely. "Because if Justin and I come back
up here, later, and find any one of the beds messed
up, We'll kick both of your asses."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Casey grinned. "Right, Drew?"

"Right, Casey." Drew said, then looked back at Justin
and Kandi, with a big smile. "You can trust us. Don't
worry."

Kandi rolled her eyes and shook her head and she and
Justin left the room and haded downstairs to the
restaurant.

Once the door was closed, Drew looked back at his
watch again.

"It's getting close to 9:20." He said. "I think I'd
better call Jessica and let her know that Nicole is
asleep over here."

Casey nodded.

"That's a good idea.' He said, then added. "She's
probably a nervous wreck right now. Isn't her concert
tonight?"

"Yes it is." Drew said, as he walked over to the
phone. "It starts at 10:00p.m."

Drew picked up the phone and started dialing Nick's
room number.

*******************************************************
BACK IN JESSICA'S ROOM................

Nick and Jessica pulled back from their embrace and
Nick looked at her, tiredly.

"If you truly didn't mean what you said about outing
me to the whole world, and trying to take away my
daughter, then of course I'll forgive you." He said.
"But, that doesn't change my mind, where our divorce
is concerned. I'm still going through with it when we
get back to L.A."

Jessica's mouth dropped open, in shock. Here she was,
trying to apologize to Nick for how she'd acted
earlier, and still she was being punished for it?"

"Nick, I just apologized to you for everything I said
to you, earlier." She said, still in shock. "And now,
you feel like you have to keep punishing me. Why?"

Nick didn't get to answer her, because at that moment,
the phone started ringing. Nick looked back at
Jessica.

"I'll get it." He said. "In the meantime, why don't
you finish getting ready for the concert."

Nick walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Then,
hr reached for the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" He said, to his caller.

"Hey, Bro, it's me." Drew said to him. "I was calling
to talk to Jessica, but since I got you, instead, I
just wanted to let you both know something?"

Nick frowned.

"What's that, Drew?" He asked.

"I wanted to tell you that Kandi and Justin went down
to the hotel for dinner, together." Drew told him.
"So, Casey and I are watching Nicole until they get
back. I was just calling to find out if Jessica wanted
me to bring her back over to your room?"

"Hold on, I'll ask her." Nick said. He put down the
receiver and looked up at Jessica.

"It's my brother." He said to her. "He wants to know
if you want him to bring our daughter back over here?"

Jessica frowned, thoughtfully.

"Actually, that's a good idea." She said. "It'll give
Mom and Dad a chance to see her while they're here.
They went into the living room area just before you
came in, so I could get dressed. That's why you caught
me without any clothes on."

"Oh." Nick said, then returned to his phone call,
while Jessica went to get Tina and Joe.

"Yes, Drew, bring her back over." He said. "Jessica
wants her parents to see Nicole before they have to
leave for the concert."

"Just so you know, Nick, she's sleeping right now."
Drew told him. "She was pretty fussy awhile ago
because she was afraid of the lightning and thunder
that's been flashing and rumbling. There's supposed to
be a severe thunderstorm in the works."

"Oh, ok." Nick said. "Go ahead and bring her over
here. I'll leave the hotel room door, unlocked for
you."

"Alright, Nick, I'll see you guys in a few." Drew
said. "Bye.

Joe and Tina came out of the living room and saw Nick
hang up the phone, then look in their direction.

"Nick, you're back." Tina said, then looked around.
"Where's the baby? I thought maybe she was with you."

"No, Drew has her." Nick said. "He should be bringing
her back over any minute now. Jessica thought that you
two would like to see her before you left for the
concert."

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Nick,
and everyone else in the room turned towards the door
at that moment. The door opened and in walked Drew
with the baby in his arms.

"Shh, she's still asleep." Drew whispered to everyone,
quietly. Then he looked at Nick.

"Where do you want me to put her?" He asked his big
brother.

"Will you take her into the living room area and put
her down in the crib?" Nick asked him.

"Sure." Drew said, and headed for the living room. He
said hello to Tina and Joe, who greeted him back as he
walked by them.

"And turn on the baby monitor so that we can hear her
if she wakes up." Jessica said. "Then, come back out
here, ok?"

"Will do." Drew said. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared into the living room with the baby.
When he was gone, Jessica turned back to Nick.

"Nick, do you want to come with me, to the concert?"
SHe asked him. "I'll let you drive the Mercedes I
rented."

As much as Nick would have loved to take advantage of
that offer, he politely shook his head.

I'm sorry, Jessica." He said. "I'm not going to the
concert."

Tina, Joe, and Jessica, all looked at Nick, in shock.

"Why not?" Jessica asked him. "Nick, I'm counting on
you to be there for me, tonight."

Nick sighed.

"Jessica, you'll be as great as you always are at your
concert." Nick said. I'm just not feeling up to going
out. I think I'll just stay here and watch our
daughter, while you go and be a star."

"Nonsense, Nick." Drew said. "I can stay with Nicole
if you want to go out and watch Jessica perform."

Nick wasn't sure if going out was a good idea right
now. Especially considering the issues that he and
Jessica were facing right now.

"I don't know.' He said, slowly.

"It'd probably be best if you do come, Nick." Joe
said. "If you don't show up on Jessica's arm, the
media will wonder what's going on. Don't you think you
should put in an appearance?"

Nick looked over at Tina at that moment. He wanted to
get her opinion of this, as well.

"What do you think, Tina?" He asked her.

"I think my husband is right." Tina said. "Forget
about your issues tonight about the divorce. Tonight
is not the night for that. Tonight is Jessica's night
to shine. She needs all the support she can get."

Nick thought it over and realized that Tina did, in
fact, have a point. The last thing he wanted was the
reporter speculating about his whereabouts, if he were
to not show up at the concert.

"Alright, I'll come with you." He said. "But, we'll
take separate cars, ok?" Nick said.

"Why?" Joe asked. "Why don't we just go together in
Jessica's Mercedes?"

"Because, it's too dangerous to drive the Mercedes in
this kind of weather." Nick said. "I think we should
take the van that I rented."

"Alright, let's do that." Joe said. Then he turned to
Jessica. "Come on, Honey. If we're going to get you
all dolled up and ready for the concert, on time, We'd
better get there early before the roads get backed up
with traffic."

"Come on, Let's go." Nick said. "Drew, we'll see you
later."

"Alright." He said. Then he walked over to Jessica and
kissed her on the forehead. "Good luck."

Jessica smiled at him.

"Hopefully, I won't need it." She said.

Then, she left with Nick, Joe, and Tina, and Drew
locked the door behind them when they exited the hotel
room.

Drew turned and leaned back against the door. Just
then, he thought of something, and a big grin came to
his face.

He walked over to the telephone and dialed Justin and
Kandi's room number.

"Hello?" Casey's voice answered.

"Hey, it's me." Drew said. "Get your sexy ass over
here, pronto." he said. "You and I have some
unfinished business to get down to."

"Say no more, Baby." Casey said, beaming. "I'm on my
way."

Drew hung up the phone and sighed a content sigh.
Finally, he and Casey were going to have some alone
time, together.

*******************************************************
DOWNSTAIRS, IN THE HOTEL RESTAURANT.....

Jeff and Danny were sitting at the table, eating an
appetizer, while waiting for their food. They each had
a glass of white wine.

"So, how's the wine?" Jeff asked Danny. Danny took a
sip of it and nodded.

"It's good." He said, as he set his glass down. He sat
back in his chair as his gloomy look came back again.

"Danny, are you alright?" Jeff asked him. Danny looked
at Jeff and shook his head.

"No." He said. "My boyfriend is in love with someone
else. How can I be alright?"

"I know." Jeff said, quietly. "I do sympathize with
you, because I can relate to how you are feeling."

"Oh, really?" Danny said, as he grabbed a cheese stick
to nibble on. "How can you relate to feeling like me?
I never fell in love with anyone else while I was with
you."

"That's true." Jeff said. "But, remember when you were
in love with Amber and were going to marry her? Well,
I was in love with you, then. And knowing that you
were in love with someone else, really tore me apart."

Danny had taken a bite of his cheese stick and had
been chewing it up, while Jeff had been speaking. Once
Jeff had finished what he'd said, Danny put down his
cheese stick and finished swallowing his food before
he answered Jeff.

"Jeff, that was a totally different situation." He
said. "I didn't know that you were in love with me,
and second of all, you knew that I was in love with
Amber. I, on the other hand, have no idea who you are
in love with."

Jeff looked away at that moment. As he did, he looked
like he had seen something.

"What is it, Jeff?" Danny said, with a frown on his
face. "What are you looking at?"

Danny turned to see what Jeff was looking at and he
saw that Justin and Kandi had just entered the
restaurant and they were being shown to their table by
the male host that had shown them to their table,
earlier.

"Oh, it's Kandi and Justin." Danny said. "I didn't
know that they were having dinner tonight, too."

Jeff shrugged.

"Neither did I." He said. "Shall we ask them if they'd
like to join us?"

Danny looked over at them, and saw Kandi, sitting down
in the chair, while Justin, being a true gentleman,
pushed it in for her. Then he sat down.

Jeff and Danny saw that they were both dressed up real
nice. Justin was wearing a really nice outfit, while
Kandi was wearing a nice, black dress, with had a
haltar top.

"No." Danny said. "They look like they need some alone
time, together. Let's just leave them be until we've
had our dinner. Then, we can go and say hello."

"Alright." Jeff said. "That makes alot of sense. It's
hard to actually get some romantic alone time,
together, when we're all out of town like this, at the
same time."

Danny nodded. Then, he looked at his watch.

"Well, I would be having a better time, if my food
would just get here." He said, impatiently. "I don't
know how much longer I can hold out."

At that same moment, a female waiter stopped at their
table with their food.

"We're really sorry for the long wait." She
apologized. "A few people called off because of the
storm that's coming tonight, so we're a little short
staffed."

"Don't worry about that." Jeff said, as she was
setting his plate of food down, in front of him. "It's
alright, we understand."

"Thanks." She said, as she set Danny's plate down, in
front of him. "So, do you two need anything else,
while I'm here?"

Jeff looked at Danny and raised his eyebrows, as his
way of asking Danny if he needed anything. Danny shook
his head and said no.

"Ok, then, enjoy your dinner." The waitress said, and
walked away to check on some other customers.

"Alright, let's eat." Jeff said. "Then, we'll say
hello to Kandi and Justin, after I pick up the check,
and then we'll go up to my room and talk."

"Sounds like a plan." Danny said. "For now, let's
enjoy our food."

Jeff and Danny then started eating their food.

*******************************************************

MEANWHILE, BACK AT SEAN'S APARTMENT............

I had just finished packing up all of the ornaments
and decorations from the Christmas Tree. They now were
sitting in boxes around my living room. Now, all that
was left to do was to take down the tree.

"Well, I can't stop now." I said. "I'm almost done.
Now, to get this tree down."

As I went towards the tree, a bolt of lightning
flashed brightly, immuninating the room in it's fiery
blue light, startling me. Then I heard the loud bang
of thunder that came afterwards.

"Wow." I said, holding my hand to my chest. "People
would have to be crazy to be out in all of this bad
weather now."

As I turned back to the Christmas Tree and started
trying to take it apart, the doorbell rang.

"Man, who would want to visit me, in the middle of
this crazy storm?" I asked, in amazment, as I walked
over to the door.

I opened the door to see who my visitor was. At that
same time, lightning flashed again, and then the
thunder rumbled, as I came face to face with an
unwanted visitor: Jessica.

"Oh, of course, it would have to be you." I said,
concluding the answer to my question.

"Excuse me?" Jessica asked, wondering what I was
talking about.

"Well, I was just wondering who would be crazy enough
to want to visit me in this kind of weather." I
explained to her. "And it looks like I got my answer."

"Well, this isn't a social call." Jessica said, as she
brushed past me, into the house, not even asking me
first if she could come in.

"Well, come right on in, why don't you?" I said,
annoyed, as I shut the door behind me. I then turned
back to her.

"Look, Jessica, I'm really busy right now, as you can
see." I said, gesturing towards all of the Christmas
boxes that were sitting around the room. "So, whatever
you came here to say, say it, and leave."

Jessica looked like she had alot to say. As I looked
at her face, I could tell that something was wrong.
She was more upset than usual. Something must have
happened. Something major.

"I certainly hope that you enjoyed Christmas with Nick
and the guys this year." She said. "Because it's the
last holiday you will ever have with my husband!"

Hearing that statement from her, almost could have
made me strangle her, but I kept my cool. The last
thing I wanted to do was let her get to me.

"You came all the way here just to tell me that?" I
asked her. "I don't think so, Sweetie! What's really
going on here?"

Jessica dropped her purse on my coffee table. As it
was going down, I happened to notice one of my
favorite Christmas ornaments that I'd forgotten to
pack away, sitting there.

"Jessica, watch out!" I yelled out to her. But, it was
too late.

The purse went down on the ornament and broke it. I
knelt down and picked up what remained of it and
looked at it. Tears of anger and humiliation welled up
in my eyes as I held what remained of it. It was
useless now.

Jessica saw how upset I was, and frowned at me,
wondering why I was so upset over a little ornament.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked me. "It's
just a stupid ornament!"

When I lookd up at her, she could no doubt, see the
fire in my eyes. She didn't know it, but that ornament
had played a significant role in my life.

Finally, I exploded with rage. My breathing started
coming out in huge gasps like I was panting for air.

"A stupid ornament?" I asked, in a normal voice, just
before I got louder. "A STUPID ORNAMENT?! YOU SPOILED
ROTTEN LITTLE BITCH, HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT! YOU HAVE
NO IDEA WHAT THIS ORNAMENT MEANT TO ME!"

Now, Jessica was almost frightened of me at that
moment. it was only then did she see that the ornament
did in fact mean something to me. it wasn't just an
ornament.

"MY PARENTS GAVE ME THIS WHEN I WAS 16 AND HAD GOTTEN
MY DRIVER'S LICENSE." I explained to her, angrily.
"WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS, IS THAT IT'S
IRREPLACEABLE! MY PARENTS DIED BEFORE I COULD EVEN
GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL! THIS WAS THE LAST GIFT THAT I
EVER GOT FROM THEM!"

I turned away and looked at what was left of the
inscription on the broken ornament. much of the
message was broken, but I still knew what it had said.
the memory of it was burned into my heart, for all
time.

"The World's Greatest Son." I whispered out, in
between sobs. "That's what they thought of me, before
that fateful night when they learned I was gay and
then died in that car accident, later!"

I sank down to my knees and sobbed my heart out. A
significant memory of my past had been broken. I had
lost the last, and most meaningful gift that my
parents had ever given me. Jessica couldn't have hurt
me any worse than if she'd ripped out my heart, but
she'd done alot more than that.

"Well, normally I would say that I'm sorry." Jessica
said, sarcastically. "But I'm not going to, because
now maybe you'll feel the same pain that I feel, now
that I'm about to lose my husband, thanks so you!"

I turned and looked towards her, in confusion. I got
up and stood in front of her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked her.

Jessica looked at me, her eyes, cold, with bitterness.

"Nick told me, this morning, that he wants a divorce!"

Hearing that, struck something within me and I
couldn't help for the way I reacted.

"Well, Halleluiah!" I crowed. "Nick finally sees you
for who you really are! So, tell me, Jessica, what did
you do to finally push Nick to his limits?"

"That's none of your business!" Jessica yelled at me.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter, because the divorce will
never go through! Not if I have anything to say about
it!"

"Oh please, Jessica." I said, angrily and I wiped the
tears off of my face. "What can you really do about
that? You can't stop the inevitable!"

"Oh yes, I can!" Jessica shouted. "And let me tell you
how?!"

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, go ahead, I'm listening." I said. "This has
better be good!"

"Alright, Mr. Slut, I'll give it to you, straight!"
Jessica said, insulting me. "If Nick, divorces me, I
will tell the whole world about his affair with you!"

Now that stopped me, cold. I stared at her, in
disbelief. I couldn't believe that she'd actually
consider going through with that.

"Now, that I've got your attention," Jessica said,
with a smug look on her face. "Here's step two. Next,
if you even try to get Nick to take you back, I will
file a motion for full custody of my daughter. And
once I get full custody, Nick will not have any
visitation with his daughter while you're in his life!
And I'm sure that any judge in his right mind, would
agree with me! They wouldn't be responsible for
allowing a child to be raised in a home where a same
sex relationship could harm the child!"

I was still in shock after she'd finished telling me
all of that. I turned away and tried to let myself
finish processing everything. I knew what this meant.

Jessica was threatening to take away everything that
Nick held dear to his heart. First, his career by
outing him to the public, Then his daughter, simply to
spite me. I hated to think what would happen if
Jessica did in fact follow through with her threats
and succeed. Nick would be destroyed, forever, and he
probably would never recover from it.

"Even you, couldn't be that heartless, Jessica." I
said to her. "Surely, you're bluffing!"

"You just keep testing me, and I'll prove you wrong!"
Jessica said. "So, either way, I win! If Nick gets
back together with you, It's going to cost him, big
time! But, I'm not worried about that, because he
doesn't love you, anymore, so eventually, he'll
realize that he's wrong to divorce me, and he'll come
back to me."

Now, that hurt. "Had Nick actually told her that he
didn't love me, anymore?" I knew that he had told me.
He must have, otherwise she wouldn't be here, gloating
about it.

"There is no you and Nick!" I said to her. "Not
anymore, that's history!"

"That's OUR history!" Jessica hissed at me. "The
history you had or would want to make with Nick will
never compare to what we share, together! I have
Nick's child, which is something you'll never be able
to give him!"

I blinked, as a pang of hurt coarsed through me. Then,
the waterworks had started again, as Jessica continued
to tear into me.

"So, tell me, what happens if Nick would want another
child?" She asked, then patted her stomach. "Oh,
right, he's getting another child. But if that were
not the case, I mean sure the two of you could adopt,
but it wouldn't be the same for Nick! That child would
be adorable, sure, but he or she still wouldn't have
Nick's blood running through their veins!"

"And, as for you," She continued. "Nick will never
love you the same way that he loves me! The only
reason he tried to love you, was out of pity! It was
only because you had been raped and Nick wanted to
make it up to you, so he played your little charade
and ended up playing you, like a violin, in the
process! Didn't he?!"

I clenched my jaw, tightly, as I struggled to hold
back anymore explosive emotions that was threatening
to overcome me. The more Jessica baited me, the more
angrier I was getting.

"So, you see, Sean." Jessica said, grabbing her purse
and walking towards the door. "It really would be best
if you just got on with your life and left Nick alone.
It would be best for everyone, including yourself.
Because If Nick lost everything, he would grow to
resent you, later on."

Jessica opened the door and started to step out the
door. But before she closed the door, she turned back
to me.

"Oh, and let me clarify something for you." She said,
with that smug look still on your face. "You are not
"The World's Greatest Son." He died a long time ago!"

She outstretched her arms, as if reaching up towards
the sky.

"LONG LIVE THE WORLD'S GREATEST SON!!" She shouted
out, as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. She
then laughed as she left the house, not even bothering
to shut the door.

I stomped over to it and slammed it shut, as hard as I
could. I was furious now! My hands were all balled up
into fists. and my breathing was getting hoarse. I
started breathing hard, so I ran to grab my inhaler
out of my room.

*******************************************************
BACK AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL.......

JEFF'S ROOM.....................

Jeff and Danny entered the room and Jeff closed the
door behind them. Danny sat down on the bed, and put
his hand on his stomach. He was full from all of that
dinner he ate.

"Boy, I'm stuffed." Danny said. "The spaghetti and
meatballs I had was to die for."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jeff said. "So was my
Chicken Alfredo. This place really does  have the best
food."

Jeff sat down, next to Danny and put his arm around
his shoulders. He rubbed his hand up and down Danny's
arm as Danny looked up and locked eyes with him.

Jeff leaned in and slowly planted a kiss on Danny's
lips. Danny didn't try to stop him, and kissed him
back.

Jeff pulled Danny in closer to him. Danny, in turn,
wrapped his arms around Jeff's neck, while Jeff kissed
him, even harder.

*******************************************************
DOWNSTAIRS, IN THE HOTEL RESTAURANT................

"It was really nice to see Jeff and Danny down here,
together, wasn't it?" Kandi asked Justin, as she took
a bite of her salad.

"Yes, it was." Justin said, then frowned. "But, it
didn't look like that things were settled between
them. I mean, we still don't even know who this
mystery person is that Jeff claims that he's in love
with."

"I know." Kandi said, around her salad. "But, we can't
push Jeff into telling us. I'm sure he'll tell us,
when the time is right."

Justin looked at his watch at that moment and saw it
was getting close to 10:00p.m.

"It looks like  Jessica's concert is about to start
soon." He said to Kandi.

"Don't remind me." Kandi said, in disgust. "Every
time, that little bitch's name is brought up, I still
get mad as hell at her. I can't believe the way she's
treated Sean! I have to hand it to Sean, though. He's
handled himself very well through all of Jessica's
tantrums, and especially her attacks on him, back
home, in the pool, and then again on Christmas night."

"I hear you." Justin agreed. "Sean's been a real
trooper throughout all of this."

"Well," Kandi said, turning really serious at that
moment. "Sean's taken alot more flack from Jessica
than I thought he would, but at some point, he's going
to snap. And when he does, I don't want to be anywhere
near."

*******************************************************
BACK AT SEAN'S APARTMENT...............

I came out of my room, after taking a few doses of my
inhaler. Once my breathing had returned to normal, I
went back to the living room to finish taking down the
remains of the tree.

It took a good 10 minutes, but I finally got it done
and packed the tree away in it's box. I then lugged it
over to the closet and stuck it in there, way in the
back. Then I walked back out to get the rest of the
boxes, which contained the ornaments.

I walked back out and walked around the couch, in the
living room. As I reached down to grab one, my eyes
fell on the broken ornament, that was still sitting
there, on the coffee table.

I picked it up and looked at it again. As I did, my
mind flashed back to the volatile scene between
Jessica and I, earlier."

<<FLASHBACK 1>>

"Nick will never love you the same way that he loves
me!" I heard Jessica say. "The only reason he tried to
love you, was out of pity!"

<<END OF FLASHBACK 1>>

I didn't believe that part. There was no way that
Nick's love for me could have been fake. I knew what
I'd felt for him. What I still felt for him. And he
had to have loved me, because if he hadn't, he never
would have married me. "Would he?"

I frowned as I flashed back to another moment.

<<FLASHBACK 2>>

"THIS ORNAMENT IS IRREPLACEABLE!" I heard myself yell
at Jessica. "MY PARENTS GAVE THIS TO ME WHEN I WAS 16
AND HAD JUST GOTTEN MY DRIVER'S LICENSE! IT WAS THE
LAST GIFT THEY'D EVER GIVEN ME!"

<<END OF FLASHBACK 2>>

I looked at the ornament in my hand, which once said,
"The World's Greatest Son" and my anger came back
again. This time, even stronger than it had been
before.

I then thought back to when Jessica threatened to out
Nick to the media and to make sure he never saw his
daughter again, while I was in his life. I still
couldn't believe that she would do that to the man
that she claimed to love. All I knew was that I had to
figure out a way to protect Nick. I couldn't let
Jessica destroy him. Even if he was no longer my
husband, he was still my best friend. I had to find a
way to help him.

"How can Jessica do this to him?" I asked myself. "The
one man that she claims to love so much?! And she has
the nerve to say that my love for Nick can't compare
to hers?!"

I had been kneeling down, by the coffee table, with
the broken ornament in my hands.

"Is Jessica really going to follow through on her
threats?" I asked her.

Just then, my mind flashed back to when Jessica was
leaving.

<<FLASHBACK 3>>

"You are not "The World's Greatest Son!" I heard her
say. "He died along time ago!"

Then, I saw her raise her arms to the sky and shout:

 "LONG LIVE THE WORLD'S GREATEST SON!!"

<<END OF FLASHBACK 3>>

At that moment, I had my answer to my previous
question. "Was Jessica going to get away with all of
her threats? No. No way in hell!

"Not while I'm still breathing!" I growled, in anger.

I walked over to the closet and grabbed my raincoat
out of it. Then I went and grabbed my keys off of the
wall hanger, in the kitchen.

I then left the house and slammed the door behind me.
I then ran to the car and got into it.

I started the engine and started driving towards the
concert, where Jessica was performing at.

As I drove through the city streets, I could see that
the rain was getting worse. It was so bad, I had to
put my windshield wiper on the highest setting. You
could barely see the road as it was.

"You are not going to destroy Nick's life, Jessica!" I
said, "I will not let you do that!"

As I drove, I realized that I was feeling something
that I'd never felt before. And it worried me when I
reaalized what it was:

It was Rage.

And it was a rage that I wasn't sure if I'd be able to
control.

After about 20 minutes, I pulled up, outside the place
where Jessica was performing. I turned off the engine
and stared at the building.

"After tonight, you'll never be a problem for Nick and
I ever again!"

*******************************************************
BACK AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL, IN JEFF'S ROOM.......

Jeff and Danny's make out session was getting really
intense and hot. They were both breathing hard and
grinding into each other, as their feelings for each
other were starting to take over.

Danny pulled off his suit coat and threw it on the
other bed. Then, he started opening his shirt, while
Jeff fumbled with belt buckle.

"I've wanted you all night, Baby." He said. "Make love
to me. Right now."

Jeff pulled Danny down, on top of him, and started
kissing him, everywhere. His neck, shoulder, chest,
etc.

Danny realized what was happening and he started to
pull away.

"No." He panted. "No, Jeff, I can't do this."

Jeff was disappointed that the moment had been
stopped, as Danny sat up and ran a hand through his
hair.

"Why not?" Jeff asked. "Don't you want me?"

Danny looked at Jeff, in shock. Of course he wanted
him. But, there was still a certain issue that was
between the two of them.

"What do you think?" Danny asked Jeff, his voice
husky. "I want you so bad, right now, I can hardly
stand it. But, I can't do this with you. Not until I
know who the other man is."

"Oh, right." Jeff said, sitting up. "I promised I'd
tell you when we came up here."

"Yes, you did." Danny said, quietly. "Will you tell
me, now?"

Jeff nodded.

"But first, I want you to know something." Jeff said
to him. "Whether or not, I'm in love with this man,
doesn't mean that I love you any less. I still love
you as strongly as I ever have."

Jeff, please." Danny begged him. "Stop trying to spare
my feelings and just tell me who the man is. Is he
someone I know?"

Jeff looked down at the floor, momentarily, then back
up at Danny.

"Yes, he is." He said, quietly.

Danny was shocked. "The man was someone he knew? But,
who could it be?"

"Jeff, who is it?" Danny asked him, pressing him
harder for the info. "Who is this man that you think
you're in love with, that we both know.

Jeff sighed as he ran his hand over his face. He slid
it down his face and stopped around his mouth. He
looked at Danny, knowing that this revelation was
going to be a big shocker.

Jeff removed his hand from around his mouth and
finally revealed the truth.

"It's Drew." Jeff said. "The person I think I'm in
love with, is Drew."

Danny's eyes widened, in shock. His mouth fell open,
in complete and utter shock.

*******************************************************
AT THE CONCERT, 30 MINUTES LATER.............

10:30 p.m.

Jessica's concert was halfway done. All she had to do
was sing one more song before she went back to change
for her next live segment.

Nick, Joe, and Tina, were standing just backstage,
watching her, as she began to sing. they were talking
amongst themselves.

"She's doing great, isn't she?" Tina asked, smiling
widely. Joe Simpson was also smiling as well. So was
Nick, who seemed like he'd put everything that had
happened earlier between him and Jessica, aside. He
seeemed to be enjoying the show.

"She is, Tina." Nick agreed, as he watched Jessica,
with a big smile on his face. "This is the best I've
ever seen her perform before. I was worried that she
wouldn't be able to because of the fact that I've
asked her for a divorce."

Then, he frowned.

"Did either of you, ever find out where she went
earlier?" He asked them. "She was gone for almost 20
minutes. She almost missed her introduction."

Joe and Tina looked at each other and shook their
heads.

"No, We never found that out, Nick." Joe said. "Even I
was curious before where she went. Especially when one
of the security guards came and told me that she'd
left in her car."

"I'm sure it was no big deal." Tina said. "She
probably just ran to the store to grab a beauty
product or something. You know how women are when it
comes to time."

"Right." Joe said, putting his arm around Tina. "I'm
sure that's all it was.

They may have seemed convinced of that, but Nick
wasn't. He had a strange feeling creep over him, all
of a sudden.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." Nick said. "I have to
make a phone call."

"Ok." Joe said, as he and Tina continued to watch
Jessica sing.

Nick darted backstage and pulled out his cellular
phone. He dialed a number and waited for a response.

"Hi, this is Sean." He heard's Sean's voicemail say.
"You've reached my voicemail. I cannot take your call
right now, so please leave a message and I will return
you call as soon as possible. Thank you."

When, Nick heard the beep, he decided to leave Sean a
message.

"Hey, Sean." He said. "When you get this message,
please call me. It's very important that I speak with
you. There have been some developments that I think
you should know about. Call me later, ok?"

Nick closed his phone and headed back towards the
stage with Jessica's parents to watch Jessica, who was
close to finishing her song.

He saw her turn towards him and smile. She waved at
him, and he flashed her a big smile, and blew her a
kiss.

Joe, Tina, and Nick were so engrossed in watching
Jessica, that they were not aware of the danger that
was lurking overhead:

A dark, shadowy figure, dressed in all black, was
making their way towards the maintenance area, where
the light switches, cables, and other electrical
related things were.

The figure stopped at the switchbox, and opened it,
observing all the labels that marked which areas of
the auditorium that the switches, illuminated. That
was Step 1.

Then, the shadowy figure peeked through the curtains
up there and saw that Jessica was standing below. She
was standing right underneath a giant Chandelier,
which was casting a beautiful glow upon her.

The figure looked around the area in which it was
standing in and noticed the cable that was there. It
was the cable that raised or lowered the chandelier
that was hanging above Jessica.

Now it was time for Step 2.

the figure pulled out a very sharp knife ouf of a
sheath, next to it's hip and advanced towards the
cable. The figure slowly started lowering the knife
towards the cable. Once the knife was against the
cable, the figure waited to make his move.

When Jessica hit her final note. The audience erupted
with applause. They clapped and cheered Jessica, as
she took a bow. Nick, Joe, and Tina, were clapping
too. Nick was whistling and catcalling as well.

Just at that moment, the attacker struck. they pushed
the knife down hard, slicking through the cable that
held up the chandelier. It started falling.

Jessica was still down there, bowing to the audience,
unaware of the danger overhead. All of a sudden, the
audience started screaming and yelling, pointing
upwards.

Nick, Joe, and Tina, wondered what was going on, as
well. They all looked up at the same time to see the
Chandelier falling towards Jessica's head.

"JESSICA, LOOK OUT!!!" Nick screamed at her.

Jessica turned and looked at him, and saw him pointing
upwards. She looked up just in time to see the
chandelier, falling towards her.

But, it was too late.

Before, Jessica could react, the Chandelier fell on
her and came down, right on top of her head.
Instantly, she and the chandelier fell to the floor.

At that same time, above, the cloaked figure jammed in
all of the light switches that controlled the lights
in certain areas, causing those lights to go off.

The light backstage went out, but the lights, in the
auditorium remained on. But Nick, Joe, and Tina did
not notice. They were too busy running to Jessica's
aid.

The attacker then saw a chance and made an attempt to
flee, but took a fall and cut one of their gloved
hands on a raised nail that was coming up through the
floor. The attacker grunted in pain, got up, and
continued to flee the premises before they could be
caught. drops of blood were left behind where the
attacker had fallen.

Nick, Joe, and Tina, pulled the chandelier up off of
Jessica and what they saw was a pretty gruesome sight.

Jessica was unconcious, and covered in broken glass,
as well as her own blood. She had large cuts and
abrasions from where the chanfelier had hit her.

Joe, Tina, and Nick were all going into hysterics. The
audience was total chaos, as security tried to put up
barricades to block off Jessica's fans. Some were
shouting, some were crying, and some were even trying
to get to her.

"Oh god!" Tina Simpson cried out. "My beautiful little
girl! What has happened to my girl!"

Joe was kneeling down, cradling Jessica's bloodied and
bruised form, in his arms and crying his eyes out.

Nick, meanwhile stood there, watching Joe and Tina
trying to comfort their daughter, but not being able
to, since she was unconcious. Tears were sreaming down
his face.

Just at that moment, the ambulatory services rushed
through the auditorium and up to the stage to take
care of Jessica.

Nick knelt down and picked up one of Jessica's hands
and squeezed it.

"Jessica, you hang in there!" He sobbed into her
ear,unsure whether or not, she could hear him. "If you
can hear me, you hang on! Don't you die on me, do you
hear me?! Don't you dare die!"

*******************************************************
SEAN'S APARTMENT......................

I opened the door and walked into the house. I locked
the door behind me and headed towards the bathroom.
Once inside, I shut the door behind me.

I put the bag down on the bathroom counter and looked
at my watch. It read 10:35.

I then proceeded to pull down my sleeve, revealing my
bandaged right hand. I took a moment to pull off the
bandage, wincing in pais as I did. I stared at the
long gash on my palm. It hurt like hell.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and saw myself
looking back at me. I did not like what I saw.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I whispered.



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