My Everything

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.

"What I feel for you." is an awesome story and Thack, himself deserves applause for all of his hard work on it.

NEWSFLASH:

It is heard that Nick Lachey has signed a deal with ABC to star in his own comedy or drama series. Lets all keep our fingers crossed and hope that we get to see Nick Lachey do great things as an actor as well.

Before any of that happens, you can still catch Nick Lachey and his brother, Drew, on "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica." The show airs Wednesdays on MTV at 10:00p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and 9:00p.m. Central Standard Time. (CST)

Now, I"ll let you get on with the story.

Enjoy.

Previously on "My Everything".....

"You've really got it bad for him, don't you?" She asked me, in between her laughter.

I was not expecting that and it caught me off guard. I suddenly felt sick. I looked up at Michelle.

"Excuse me, I think I need some air." I said, quickly getting up and running to the door and heading outside.

I ran down into the sand and stood near the water, as darkness started to descend upon the sky. I stood in my usual spot and tried to keep from crying. I guess my plan didn't work out as well as I thought.

I felt someone's hands on my shoulders, massaging them gently. I didn't even need to know who it was. There was only one person who would offer comfort like that.

"Are you ok?" I heard Nick ask me. I turned around and looked at him. His hands left my shoulders when I did.

"Yeah, Nick, I'm fine." I said, as I wiped at my eyes. Nick didn't look convinced.

"You don't look fine." Nick said, looking at me, closely. "Is something bothering you?"

For a split second there, I wanted to tell him everything. About how much I missed him and how much I still loved him. But I didn't.

"I just felt sick all of a sudden and I just wanted to get some air." I told him. I'm fine now."

I then looked back at the house and saw Michelle standing there, in the doorway.

"Shall we go back in, now?" I asked, gesturing to the house.

"Sure." Nick said, and turned to head towards the house. I grabbed his arm at that moment.

"Hey." I said, as he turned around. "First, I want to give you something before we go back in."

"What's that?" Nick asked, with raised eyebrows.

I stood there a moment, wondering if I should do it, but in the end, my desire won over and I pulled him close and wrapped my arms around him. I hugged him tightly.

I felt his arms go around me, and breathed a content sigh. I always felt better when I was in his strong arms. Even if he was just my friend.

******************************************************* BACK IN LOS ANGELES.............

Drew was in his car, driving down the streets of Beverly Hills. He was obviously very upset, for he was crying.

"I really fucked up this time." He said to himself. "And now I've lost my brother forever."

He wiped at his eyes and continued.

"There were alot of tough times in our lives. Nick and I always had our disagreements and brotherly quarrels, but in the end, we always knew we would be there for each other, no matter what. There were times when Nick and I didn't think we'd make it, as a family, but we did........"

Drew choked up, unable to go on. He stopped at a traffic light, which had turned red.

"I don't think we're gonna make it this time." He sobbed. "We're not a family anymore."

The light turned green and Drew started driving again. He was almost at his parents' house. But then, he got a very disturbing look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Nick." He said, quietly. "Someday, you will know just how sorry I am for everything."

Drew looked down, at the letter he had written to his parents and decided that he'd just swing by and put it in their mailbox.

He drove down his parents' street and up to the driveway to the mailbox. His parents weren't home yet. Both cars were gone.

Drew slid the letter into the mailbox, with the rest of the mail and drove off again.

"I'm sorry, Mom and Dad." He said, outloud. "I can't face you right now. Maybe, when I come back, we can work this out. But not right now."

As Drew drove, he looked around the city, wondering when he would ever see it again.

"Goodbye, Everyone." Drew whispered.

*********** CHAPTER 68 ***********

BACK IN ORLANDO, ON THE BEACH.................

Nick and I pulled back from our embrace and looked into each other's eyes. I could feel my desire for him, strengthening. I wanted him bad. I wanted him in the worst way possible.

"I'm sorry, Nick." I said, as I turned away from him. "I just felt like I needed someone's arms around me at that moment."

"You don't have to apologize, Sean." Nick said. "I'm glad I could be here for you. I know you would have done the same for me if I were in your shoes."

He was right, of course. I would have done anything I could to make him feel better if he were in my position.

"I'm sure I would, Nick." I said, putting a hand on one of his muscular arms, squeezing it gently. "You've always been there for me and even when I was mean to you, you always gave me the benefit of the doubt. Even when things seemed at their worst. I can't thank you enough for that."

Nick nodded and smiled at me. His smile made my heart skip a beat. Even now, his smile still did that to me.

Nick turned and looked back at the house. Michelle wasn't standing outside anymore. She had gone in to help Jake with dinner and to give us some privacy.

"I'm going to go back in and help with dinner." He said, and then turned to look at me. "Are you ready to come back in?"

I thought about it for a moment and then decided I might as well go back in, since I was famished.

"Sure." I smiled, and put my arm around his shoulders. "Come on."

Nick and I walked back into the house, together. When we were in the living room, we saw that Jake and Michelle had set the table and also filled our bowls with salads.

Jake gave me a look of concern when he saw me. Michelle must have told him him what she had asked me, earlier. But he didn't acknowledge it, so I wasn't sure.

"Are you ok now, Sean?" He asked me.

"Yeah, buddy." I said. "I'm alright. Just felt sick for a moment. But since I'm starving, that'll change."

"You can say that again." Nick said, rubbing his washboard stomach. "Let's all sit down and eat now."

"Yes, let's." Michelle said. She turned to Jake. "Honey, are the steaks done?"

Jake turned back to the stove to check the steaks. They were definitely done.

"They're ready." He said, as he picked up a fork. "Give me a plate."

Nick handed him a plate and Jake put a piece of steak on it for him.

"How about you do the honors, Nick?" Jake suggested. "How's it taste?"

Nick set down the plate at his place, on the table, and grabbed a sharp steak knife. He cut a piece of steak and brought it to his mouth. He opened and accepted the steak.

As he chewed, a look of satisfaction crossed his face when he tasted the steak. It tasted great! Jake was obviously a great cook.

"It's delicious, Jake." Nick said, smiling. "I'm telling you, you could do this for a living. You'd make a great chef."

Jake grinned at Nick, pleased that his cooking had won Nick over. He of course had a surprise in store for Nick.

"Actually, Nick, I am a chef." Jake said. "At least until I've graduated college. Then I move on to other things. Like getting married, and preparing for a new baby that's on the way."

Nick was surprised. He looked over at Michelle, who had taken a seat near him.

"You're having a baby?" He asked her, like he couldn't believe it. "Congratulations, to both of you!"

"Thanks, Nick." Michelle said. "Although, we weren't expecting to be having a baby this soon, it still worked out in the end. And Jake and I don't have to sacrifice anything."

"I'm really happy for you guys." Nick said, reaching out to shake Jake's hand. "You don't know what an adventure you're in for. Having a kid is like nothing else you could ever experience."

As Nick was talking, he looked sad for a moment. Maybe because he was thinking about his own daughter.

"I loved every minute that I spent with Jessica, raising our daughter, Nicole." Nick continued. "It was one of the best experiences of my entire life."

As we all sat there, eating dinner, we all noticed how Nick's face would light up whenever he would talk about his little girl. I, of course, remembered that he looked like that when we'd gotten married two years ago.

I remembered the love in his eyes. The love in his heart for me. I wondered if Nick still remembered that. It wasn't exactly a moment to forget. That memory had been burned into my brain, forever. I would never forget it.

I listened, as Nick talked to Jake and Michelle about how lucky they were to be having a baby and to be getting married. He then brought up how lucky he was to be married to Jessica and that he'd never been in love more than he had when he'd married her.

Nick didn't see it right then and there, but he'd just talked his way right into an insulting situation.

"How can you say that, Nick?" Jake asked him, suddenly looking angry. My eyes widened, in shock.

"Jake, don't!" I warned him, nervously. "It's alright."

Nick looked at me at that moment. Then, he looked back at Jake.

"What's this all about, Jake?" Nick asked him, confused.

Jake turned towards Nick, looking really angry.

"You just said that you've never been more in love than when you married Jessica." He said, repeating Nick's earlier statement.

"Yeah. So, what's the problem?" Nick asked, still not getting it.

Jake rolled his eyes. He then decided to spell it out for Nick.

"You seem to forget that you were married once before. To your ex-husband, who just happens to be right here in the same room with us!" Jake said, rather harshly.

I covered my face, in my hands, obviously humiliated and embarrassed by Jake's misinterpretation of Nick's words. But something told me that this wasn't just about that.

"Wait a second!" Michelle gasped, her eyes wide. "Nick, does this mean that you're the same Nick who broke up with Sean and threw him out of your life, two years ago?"

Nick hung his head, and nodded.

"I'm afraid so, Michelle." He said, sadly. "And I will regret that, until my dying day."

Michelle then didn't feel much like eating, since she was now feeling a little angry at Nick.

"Who would ever have thought of it?" She asked, sarcastically. "You, Nick Lachey, of all people. You marry our best friend, find out that your marriage wasn't legal, get mad at Sean for keeping it from you, and then you throw him out on the street, like trash?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. I was sick of listening to Jake and Michelle insulting the man I loved for something that wasn't entirely his fault. I'm sure if Nick had known that Drew had been the cause of our breakup back then, he probably would never have let me leave.

I stood up. My cheeks were flushed, which was the first sign that would show that I was upset.

"I'll tell you who Nick Lachey is!" I said, loudly.

Jake and Michelle looked up at me, as did Nick. They were all shocked to see how upset I was. I saw Nick, looking at me, like a scolded child.

"He's a wonderful man! He's the most generous, kind, loving husband that any man or woman could ask for! He's a wonderful father to his baby girl, and he's worked hard to get to where he is today, so how dare you two, insult him and embarass him, when he is a guest in my home!"

I looked over at Jake and Michelle, my eyes moving from one of them, to another.

"I'm getting so sick and tired of you two making such a big deal over something that happened such a long time ago! Nick has been an amazing friend to me, lately, which is alot more than I can say for you two, so the two of you just butt out!"

Jake and Michelle both looked confused and hurt when they heard that last part of my outburst. When I realized what I'd said, my eyes widened.

"Oh, man!" I gasped, putting my hand to my forehead, in shock. "Jake, Michelle, I'm sorry."

Jake was obviously hurt by my harsh words, although he masked it over with an angry frown, I knew him well enough to know how he was feeling.

The silence that filled the room was so intense, you could feel the tension in the room. Nobody said anything for a few minutes.

"Well, come on, Michelle." Jake said, standing up and walking over to Michelle's chair to help her up. "We've obviously worn out our welcome here."

"I think you're right, sweetie." Michelle said, sadly, as she got up with him. "Let's go home."

I felt a wave of guilt wash over me for how I'd treated my best friends. This was definitely the first time I'd ever done anything to hurt them. Even if it was unintentional."

"Jake? Michelle? wait." I said, as they walked to the door.

Jake opened it and Michelle left first. Then, Jake turned around.

"I'm sorry, Sean." He said, angrily. "I'm sorry I'm not a good enough friend for you! Obviously, you've forgotten who was there for you, during some of the worst times of your life!"

"Who was there to save you, after you tried to attempt suicide? Who was there for you and got you help with professional couselors and therapists when you were at your lowest? Who was there for you to help you recover? Who were there for you to offer comfort and support when you cried, somtimes up to 4 times a day, because you hated Nick for what he'd done to you!"

I buried my face into my hands and took a deep sigh. I couldn't say anything, so I just listened.

"Why, I believe it was Michelle and I." Jake continued. "And you have the nerve to say that Nick is the one who's been an amazing friend to you, over us?"

Was Nick there for you when you were going through any of this?!" Jake asked, harshly. "No! He wasn't! But, we were! I hope you remember who your friends are, if you still have any left now!"

Jake grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, roughly. "Goodnight." He said, walking out and slamming the door.

"Jake!" I yelled, opening the door, as he walked towards his house. He kept on walking.

"Jake, come back here!" I called out, again. "Jake!"

But it was no use. Jake wasn't listening to me. He entered his apartment and shut the door behind him.

I sighed, heavily and walked back inside. When I entered the kitchen, I saw Nick, cleaning up the table and throwing away the rest of the food that were on Jake and Michelle's plates that they hadn't finished. His back was to me.

As I stood there, watching him, I realized at that moment that Nick and I had unfinished business to attend to.

"Nick, we need to talk." I said from behind him. He turned around and looked at me. His expression was sad.

"Yeah, we do." Nick said, throwing the empty plates into the sick and rinsing them off. "Why don't you go wait for me in the living room, while I get all of this taken care of?"

All right, Nick." I said, turning around and walking out of the kitchen.

I went out into the living room and took a seat on the couch, and lie back into the couch, as I let my thoughts wander back to everything that had just happened a few minutes ago.

BACK IN LOS ANGELES...............

It was late afternoon, at the Lachey house. Justin and Kandi were sitting on the couch together, watching television. Danny and Jeff were in the love seat, making out together.

Jessica came downstairs, into the living room and caught Danny and Jeff in their intimate moment.

"Hey, you two, break it up." Jessica said, with a grin. "If Nicole had seen that, I'd have kicked both of your asses."

Danny and Jeff stopped kissing and the both of them looked up at her. They both were blushing, but had smiles on their faces.

"Sorry, Jess." Jeff apologized. "But my man here is too sexy to resist."

"So are you, baby." Danny said, stroking Jeff's face with his fingers. Then he looked up at Jessica again.

"Where is that little angel anyways?" Danny asked her.

Jessica sat down, looking very exhausted. She obviously wasn't have the best time right now.

"She's asleep. I finally managed to put her down." Jessica said. "She's been really fussy since Nick left earlier today."

Jessica stood up and started to pace the room. She looked flustered. Not to mention, frustrated.

"You know, I don't care what Nick says." She said. "I have every right to call and talk to him, family emergency or not. I'm his wife, for heaven's sake!"

"That doesn't give you the right to disrespect your husband's wishes, sweetie." Kandi said, from beside Justin. "Nick's asked you for time to figure things out and you should honor his wishes."

Jessica looked at Kandi, shocked at what she was saying. It made her go on the defensive.

"Who's side are you on, Kandi?" She asked, with a confused scowl.

"This isn't about taking sides, Hon." Kandi said, calmly. "This situation is already bad enough with Nick, finding out about what Drew did to his and Sean's marriage, as well as the fact that you wanted to keep it from him."

Justin spoke up, next.

"And now with Nick leaving, and your unwavering contempt for Sean, I think this situation will only get worse."

"Oh yes, it will." Jessica said, angrily. "But not for me. For Sean."

Jessica looked over at the phone that was on the table beside her. She decided what to do next.

"Sean Perry is going to regret the day he ever decided to mess with me and my family!" Jessica said, the bitterness obvious in her voice.

She picked up the phone and started dialing someone's number.

"Who are you calling, Jessica?" Jeff asked, from his spot on the loveseat, next to Danny.

Jessica looked up at everyone, with a look on her face that had "Showdown!" written all over it.

"I'm calling in reinforcements." She said, as she put the phone to her ear. "Sean is finally going to learn who he's dealing with!"

BACK IN ORLANDO......................

While Nick was cleaning up in the kitchen, I sat on the couch in the living room and thought over what had happened earlier.

I had hurt Jake and Michelle a great deal and I felt really bad about it now. But I of course knew that things would be ok. I just needed to give Jake and Michelle some time to cool off and think things over, just like I was going to do.

"Hey." I heard Nick's voice say.

I looked up to see that he was finished cleaning up and was now standing in front of me, near the couch.

"Hey, Nick." I said. "Are you ready to talk now?"

"Yeah." Nick said. "I think it's time we did."

With a sigh, he took a seat, next to me, on the couch. He looked up at me, and I could tell that he was definitely concerned.

"Look, Sean." He said, sadly. "I just want you to know how sorry I am that I ruined your night for you. The last thing I want to do is come between you and your friends."

I looked at him, in shock. I wondered why he was blaming himself. He wasn't responsible for what happened with Jake and Michelle.

"Nick," I said, looking at him with a worried look. "You don't have to apologize for anything. It wasn't your fault. Jake and Michelle overreacted and they had no business treating you like that."

"But, they were just trying to protect you." Nick said. "I actually admire that about them. It's obvious that they both care about you, very much. You've got two great friends."

"Yeah." I agreed. "Jake has been terrific since I've known him."

Nick nodded. Then something strange occurred to him.

"You know," He started saying. "I'm actually surprised that you stood up for me, earlier. I remember Jake saying that you hated me for what I did to you, throwing you out like I did."

I could see that Nick was starting to tear up now, and he continued.

"Not that I could blame you." He said. "I hate myself for the way that I treated you and I'll understand if you still do."

I could see just how torn up Nick was about it, and I reached out and pulled him to me, embracing him in my arms.

"Nick, don't worry about that, now." I said, softly, as I rubbed his back up and down. "It's all in the past. We shouldn't dwell on it anymore."

Nick and I pulled apart and I looked up at him.

"I also want you to know that I don't hate you." I told him, making sure that he understood that. "In fact, I.............

I broke off, knowing what would have come out. I was not ready for my feelings to be known. I had come to a decision earlier about my future and I had to tell Nick about it. But it didn't include telling Nick how much I loved him.

"You, what?" Nick asked, wondering what was wrong. "What is it, Sean?"

I looked up at him and decided that what I wanted to tell him could be done in a better setting. I stood up and looked down at him.

"Would you like to take a walk outside with me?" I asked him. "It's actually a perfect night for a walk on the beach. what do you say?"

Nick looked up at me, his eyes looking into mine, as he thought it over a moment. Then, he smiled.

"I would love to." He said, standing up with me.

"Ok, then." I said. "Let's do it."

Nick led the way as we walked to the door. As we did, I took a moment to check Nick out.

He was wearing a bright red t-shirt and faded glory jeans. I had to admit he looked good.

Nick opened the door and held it open.

"You, first." He said, with a smile, motioning for me to step outside.

I stepped outside and he closed the door behind him.

We then started walking,through the sand, both of us enjoying the sound of the water and the waves crashing against the shore.

"Nick." I said, as we continued walking along the shore. "There's something that we need to talk about. It's really important."

"What is it?" Nick asked, looking at me, as he walked beside me.

We both stopped where we were. I looked back at the house, which was quite a distance away. Then, I looked back at Nick.

"We need to talk about what you are going to do where your family is concerned."

Nick nodded, knowing where this was headed.

"You're talking about Jessica and Nicole, aren't you?" He asked. I nodded in response, as I looked down for a moment.

I then looked up at him, naming someone else.

"And, Drew." I finished for him. Nick bristled, at hearing Drew's name.

"Don't!" He said, bitterly. "Don't bring Drew into this! He's not family anymore!"

"What do you mean, Nick?" I asked him. "What happened?"

Nick then proceeded to tell me everything that had happened back in Los Angeles when Drew had finally decided to tell him the truth about what he had done.

Nick told me how he had hugged his brother, briefly and told him that there was nothing he couldn't tell him.

He told me how he had felt when Drew had revealed the awful truth about how he had been the one who paid off the man who'd acted as our minister to make sure that we were never married, legally.

Nick proceeded to let me know every emotion that he was feeling at that exact moment. He also voiced his disgust with Jessica, after finding out that she'd known about his brother's secret and how she'd wanted to keep it from him.

As I watched, Nick's eyes filled with tears. He told me about how the guys and Jessica had walked in on him, when he was shaking Drew, violently and slamming him against the wall.

"And then, I let Jessica have it for keeping the truth from me, too." Nick said, wiping at his eyes. "But there's still something I can't understand."

"What's that?" I asked him, as I put a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it.

Nick looked at me and his expression had changed. He obviously looked hurt. And I had a feeling that it was something I had done.

"I can't understand why YOU would want to keep something like this from me too." Nick said, looking angry.

I suddenly felt guilty for my own part in keeping this from him, but I'd had a good reason for it. I then proceeded to help Nick understand why.

"Nick, I hated having to keep what Drew did a secret from you." I said to him. "Hell, I wanted to tell you the minute I found out, but you were gone. Besides, when I thought about it more, on my way back home, I realized that it wasn't my secret to tell. It wasn't my decision to make. It was your brother's secret. His mistake. If anyone had to tell you the truth, it had to be Drew. You needed to hear it from him."

Nick nodded, but his expression was still angry.

"I'll admit that even though I'm glad Drew told me the truth, it still doesn't change anything. He still betrayed me!"

Here, Nick looked up at me.

"He betrayed US." He said, addressing me and him. "Now, I'm left to pick up the pieces of my shattered life and go on, somehow, without my brother in my life."

Here, I looked up at Nick in shock. I wondered what he meant by that.

"Without Drew?" I asked him, frowning. "Nick, what are you talking about?"

Nick's eyes filled with more tears and I could tell that whatever had happened, it was not good.

"I officially kicked Drew out of my house, and out of my life, forever." Nick said. "As far as I'm concerned, He is not my brother anymore! Things can never be the same between us ever again!"

Nick turned away and started sobbing again. Then he started walking again.

I stood there, in shock, wondering if Nick really meant that. Could he really just throw Drew out of his life like that?"

As I watched Nick cry, I suddenly felt my guilt start hammering away at me. I'd ended up destroying two brothers' lives, possibly forever. Even though it wasn't my fault, directly, or indirectly, I was the cause of that. Without meaning to, I had come between two brothers who had had a strong bond that was never to be broken, and I'd destroyed their relationship, which was something I swore I'd never let happen. But it was too late to do anything about it now.

I then realized that what I had to tell Nick, had to be done, whether I liked it or not.

I walked up behind Nick and put my hands on his shoulders and spun him around. When he did, I saw what he was going through. He was an emotional wreck.

"Oh, Nick." I said, symapathetically, as I threw my arms around him and hugged him, tightly. I'm so sorry that things have come to this."

Nick wrapped his arms around me and held onto me for dear life, as he sobbed into my chest. I stood there, not really knowing what to say or do. I just stood there, holding Nick in my arms, until he calmed down.

Although, I had to admit that having his arms around me felt great, I still knew that I could never have the kind of relationship with Nick that I'd once had again. The scars were still too deep. No matter how much I loved him now, or that I'd forgiven him for kicking me to the curb, I knew that I could never trust Nick in that way again.

Nick pulled back from our embrace, and gave me a weak smile.

"Thanks." He said. "I needed that."

"No problem." I said, shrugging it off. "I'm just glad I could be here for you."

"Thanks, that means alot to me." Nick whispered.

As I looked at him, I saw a weird look in his eyes, which I couldn't read correctly.

"What's that look about?" I asked him, staring aback at him. I saw Nick smile a bit.

"You know, it's amazing." Nick suddenly said, his smile getting bigger, as his eyes shifted down to his feet.

"What is?" I frowned, not sure what he meant.

Nick looked back up at me and I could see an intensity within his eyes that I'd never seen before.

"Even after everything I've put you through, you're still a gentleman." He said, his eyes locking on mine.

I looked back into his eyes and smiled.

"Thanks, I think." I said, looking down, briefly. Then I looked up again. "I could say the same thing about you."

Now, it was Nick's turn to be confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked me, frowning a bit.

"The other day." I said to him. "When I was cold and you wrapped your jogsuit coat around me. It was at that moment, that I remembered just how romantic you can be. You still haven't lost your touch, cutie."

"Dont read too much into that." Nick laughed, as he started to turn red, from embarassment. "I was just trying to be nice."

I grinned, as I looked at his red face.

"I know." I said, still grinning. "But it was still a romantic guesture, nonetheless. Jessica is a very lucky woman to have you in her life."

When I mentioned Jessica, Nick's angry look came back again.

"I still cannot believe that she was willing to keep what Drew did a secret from me, indefinitely. Why would she do that?"

That of course was easy for me to answer. I knew exactly why.

"She felt threatened by me, because of our history." I told him. "I can understand that. And frankly, I don't really blame her. If I were in her position, I might have done the same thing. I think she was afraid that when you found out the truth, that you would want to leave her and come back to me, or something."

"But, I would never do that." Nick said, defensively. "Why can't she understand that? Doesn't she know how much I love her?"

I felt a wave of jealousy wash over me, when I heard those words. Yet, I kept myself under control.

"I think she needs to hear it in order to believe it." I said, then wondered. "What did you say to Jessica when you found out the truth?"

Nick shook his head, remembering that moment.

"Well, first it started with Jessica saying that some good came out of Drew's secret being kept." Nick told me. "Then I asked her what could have come out of it that had been good? Then she slapped me."

My eyebrows arched up at that revelation.

"Wow." I said. "What was it about that statement that pissed her off enough to do that?"

"The fact that I'd forgotten that the good things that came out of it was our marriage and our beautiful little girl." Nick explained. "But the way I saw it, my little girl was the only good thing that came out of this mess."

Nick was right. A child was never a mistake. Every child was a miracle and should never be looked at differently.

"You're right about that." I said, agreeing with him. "Your precious little girl is one of the good things that came out of all of this. But of course, she's such a innocent little thing. She didn't ask to be brought into this world under those kind of circustances."

"I know and I'm not disputing that." Nick said, wiping at a tear that had started to roll down his cheek. "That little angel is my heart."

I nodded.

"You also forget that the other good part of all of this was that you were happy again." I said, remembering back to when I saw Nick on Carson Daly's show.

"When I saw you and Jessica on Carson's show the night you and I would come face to face, I saw it then, and I still see it now."

"How do you figure that?" Nick asked me.

"Because, if you didn't love Jessica as much as you say you do, then you wouldn't be feeling so hurt and betrayed right now." I told him. "Even though the hurt is directed mostly at Drew, I can still see that having Jessica being honest with you means alot to you, and the fact that she was willing to lie to you, indefinitely, has to hurt. I know how much you love her."

Nick looked out at the water and watched the waves crashing in the distance. The wind started blowing, making his hair, and mine, flutter in the wind.

He sat down, in the sand and looked up at the sky, glancing at the moon, which shone full, overhead.

"Now, I have to wonder if I can stay married to Jessica, knowing that she was willing to continue to deceive me, for the rest of our lives." Nick said, as he took off his clogs and pushed his feet into the sand.

I sat down, next to him, in the sand and put my arm around his shoulders.

"I think you can, buddy." I said, squeezing his shoulder muscles. "Damn! You're all tied up in knots."

I had noticed just how tight Nick's muscles were. I decided to do something about that.

"Sit back a little." I said, as I knelt behind him.

Nick sat back so that he was sitting straight up a bit. I then put both of my hands around his shoulders and started massaging them, trying to loosen up his tight muscles.

"Oh god!" Nick gasped. "That feels amazing!"

I looked around, as I massaged his shoulders to make sure that no-one was nearby. It was dark and there was nobody else out on the beach, except the two of us.

"You know, it's a good thing that there's nobody else out tonight, or I wouldn't be doing this." I said to him, as I went to work on his tense muscles. "The last thing I'd want is for someone to see this and risk them getting the wrong idea. That'd be quite a story for the press, but it would destroy you."

"Don't worry about that." Nick said. "Now that our group has officially broken up, we are all on indefinite vacation, and can go our separate ways."

Now, that was news to me. Shocked, I stopped rubbing Nick's shoulders.

"What?!" I asked him. "What do you mean you are officially broken up? Are you saying that 98 degrees is no more?"

Nick nodded, and patted my hands, guestering me to continue with my massage. So, I did.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Nick said. "I'm actually ready to start pursuing my own career as a solo artist. The guys all feel the same way. Plus, we all miss our families and I think Jeff and Justin, want to go back home for awhile and spend time with their families as well. Of course, nothing's been decided yet. We haven't had a chance to talk about it, yet."

I started to feel Nick's muscles starting to loosen and I lifted my hands from his shoulders and returned to my spot, beside him, in the sand.

I saw Nick, smiling at me, as I sat next to him. He was grateful to me for the comforting massage I'd given him.

"Thanks for the massage." He said, patting my back, gently. "I didn't realize how tense I really was."

"Well, what are friends for?" I asked him, looking back at him.

Our eyes locked on each other at that moment and it was like the world had stopped. I felt drawn to Nick at that moment.

I felt Nick's hand, which had still been resting on my back, slide up to the back of my neck and sit there.

As I looked into his eyes, I suddenly felt Nick start to pull me in, closer to him.

I couldn't believe what was about to happen! We were about to kiss!

Before our lips could connect, Nick cellphone started ringing, breaking the spell we had been under.

Nick cleared his throat and grabbed the phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Nicholas, this is your mother." He heard his mom's voice say. "Where are you right now?"

Nick was surprised to hear his mother's voice. He wondered what she wanted.

"Hi, mom." Nick said, looking at me, in confusion. "I'm in Orlando right now. What's up?"

"Are you with Sean right now?" Cate asked him, obviously sounding upset.

"Yeah, I am." Nick said. "He's sitting right here, next to me."

"Well, I want you to pack up your stuff and book a flight back home ASAP." Cate ordered. "I want you to get as far away from Sean Perry as you can! He's no good for you, honey!"

"Mom!" Nick said, getting defensive. "That's not fair! Sean has been a good friend to me and I am not going to turn my back on him!"

I frowned, wondering what Cate was saying to Nick, to get him to go on the defensive like he was. Nick looked like he was starting to get agitated.

"Son, you can either come back home first thing tommorrow or your father and I can come after you and drag you back here, ourselves! Now, which is it going to be?"

Nick rolled his eyes, annoyed at his mother's attitude.

"Mom! I'm a grown man!" He said, angrily. "You can't tell me who I can and cannot be friends with! If I want Sean in my life, he will be in my life, and there's nothing you can do about that!"

"Don't argue with me, Nicholas, just do as I say!" Cate said, letting Nick know that she meant it. "Besides, it's a family emergency! Something's happened and we need you back here as soon as possible!"

As I watched Nick, I saw his face turn ghost white and I stood up, wondering what was wrong.

"Oh god, Mom!" Nick started, looking like he was going to panic. "Has something happened to my daughter? or Jessica?"

When I heard that part, I grabbed Nick's hand and squeezed it, letting him know that I was there for him. He squeezed it back, as his way of thanking me for being there.

"I'd much rather not get into it over the phone, sweetie." Cate told him. "Just get back here as fast as you can and be safe. I love you."

"Mom, wait!" Nick called up, but his call was cut off.

"Nick, what's wrong?" I asked, the fear in my voice, obvious. "What's happened?!

Nick grabbed me into a hug, which I returned, strongly.

"Well, at first, my mom told me to pack up my stuff and get as far away from you as I could get." He told me.

He continued.

"She even said that if I didn't come home, that she and Dad would come and get me, theirselves, which is why I went on the defensive just a minute ago. But then, she said, it was a family emergency and that they all needed me back there as soon as possible. When I asked what it was, she said she didn't want to get into it over the phone. She told me to get back home as soon as possible and to be safe."

Nick pulled back from our embrace and I could see the tears of fear that were rolling down his face. He was scared that something had happened to Jessica or to his little girl.

"All I know is that I have to get back home." Nick said. "My wife and daughter could be in trouble!"

"You don't have to explain, Nick, I understand." I said. "Come on, let's go back to the house."

Nick and I both turned and ran as fast as we could, back to my apartment. Nick burst into the house and immediately grabbed the cordless phone from the console and started dialing the number for the airline.

"Nick, when you book the flight, ask for two seats, would you?" I asked him.

Nick frowned. "Why?" He asked, confused.

I'd hadn't originally planned on doing this, but Nick needed me and I wasn't about to let him go through whatever it was, alone.

"Because, I'm going with you." I finished.

To Be Continued........?

"Will Sean make up with Jake and Michelle, after their little incident at dinner?"

"What is Jessica up to? Will she really be pregnant? How will Nick react to that if it's true?"

"What is the big "family emergency" that Nick's Mom called him about? Has something really happened? Or is it just a lie to get Nick away from Sean?"

What will Nick and Sean be in store for when they get back to Los Angeles?"

"What happens next? Oh, if you only knew!"

Stay tuned.

slpwriter@yahoo.com