My Everything

MERRY CHRISTMAS, 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.

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

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

Enjoy.

Previously on "My Everything".....

ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER..............

Nick raced through the airport, scanning the waiting area to see if Sean was still around. When he didn't, he started looking around to see if Danny and Jeff were still around.

To his surprise, he found them both, still there, at the airport, inside the coffee shop. They were talking and having coffee together.

"Danny! Jeff!" Nick called out to them, racing inside. "Where's Sean? I have to talk to him before he gets on that plane."

Danny and Jeff were shocked to see Nick there, at the airport.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Jeff said, as he sipped his coffee. "But you're too late. Sean already boarded the plane.

Nick started shaking his head, in denial.

"No." He said, forcefully. "No, I refuse to believe that. Which gate did he leave from? I need to go there and find out if he's really gone or not."

"Suit yourself, man." Danny said. "He left at Gate B which is just down the corridor from here."

"Thanks." Nick said to them, just before he took off running.

He got to the gate, just as the guard was getting ready to leave her post.

"Excuse me, Ms." Nick asked her. "I need to talk with a friend of mine who just boarded a plane in this area."

"I'm sorry, sir." The guard said to him. "You're too late. "That flight just left about 5 minutes ago."

Nick's heart sank when he heard that. He hadn't gotten there in time. Not even to say goodbye to Sean.

"Thanks." He said to the security guard, who nodded and left to answer a page she got on her walkie talkie.

Nick walked over to a chair near the gate and sat down on it.

"I never got to save our friendship." He said. "Hell, I didn't even get to say goodbye. I've lost you again. Forever."

Nick buried his face in his hands and took deep breaths, trying not to break down. But he wasn't successful.

Jeff and Danny walked into the area where Sean had been, just in time to see Nick break down, crying.

Jeff walked over and sat down near Nick and put his hand on Nick's shoulder, squeezing it gently, offering his comfort and support the best that he could.

"I'm sorry, man." Jeff said to Nick. "I had no idea that you were even coming to the airport."

Nick raised his head and wiped at his eyes.

"Neither did I, Jeff." Nick said, in between sobs. "It was a "spur of the moment" thing. I realized that I had to try to get my friendship with Sean back. I didn't want things to end like this. I told Sean that once he walked out the door back home, that there was no turning back. Then I yelled at him and said that he never cared about me. I was so angry, I had to get out of there. Then, while I was driving, I realized what I'd done and I had to come back and apologize."

"I went back home, and Kandi and Justin told me that Sean had left. So, I left to head down here and got stuck in traffic because there was an accident on the highway which was tied up for a long time. Then, I get here and find out that Sean has left."

Nick wiped at his eyes again, as more tears blurred his vision. He was sick with guilt over what he had said to Sean earlier. But that wasn't all he was feeling.

"Now, I have to move on, somehow, without Sean in my life again." Nick said. "God, I worked so hard to get Sean to come around. And now when he finally forgives me for what I did to him, years ago, I end up losing his friendship again."

"Nick, don't blame yourself." Danny said, sitting on the other side of Nick. "This is not your fault. And as much as I hate to say this, If you want to blame someone for this mess, then blame your wife. She's the reason this has all happened. All because she can't stand seeing you and Sean getting close again."

As Nick listened to everything that Danny was saying, realization slowly began to dawn on him just how right Danny was.

Jessica was the one responsible for driving Sean away and ultimately, she'd succeeded in taking any chance Nick had had, in regaining Sean's trust and friendship.

Nick sighed and stood up. He was really mad now! Jeff and Danny saw just how mad he was.

"Come on, you two." Nick said to the two of them. "Let's go home. I have some unfinished business to settle with my wife!"

Nick stalked out of the airport, with Jeff and Danny right on his heels.

They all got into their cars, Nick in his, Jeff and Danny in theirs, and they all started driving back to the Lachey house.

********** CHAPTER 76 **********

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE SIMPSON RESIDENCE...........

Do you really think that will work, Mom?" Jessica asked her mother. "You are right about what you suggested, being risky, but it will ensure that Sean stays out of our lives for good."

"I'm sure it will." Tina said. "But it will also cause Nick to be very angry with you, as well as us for helping you with it. But I believe that once Nick understands why we're doing this, he'll get over it."

Jessica nodded. She knew that she was putting her marriage, with Nick, on the line. the action that she was considering taking was going to put an even bigger strain on it.

"I believe he will too." Jessica said. "Yes, he'll be angry, but he won't stay mad for long. I know my husband."

Jessica's conversation with her mother was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Jessica started digging around in her purse for it.

She located it and opened it up to answer it.

"Hello?" She greeted the caller.

There was a slight pause.

"Hi, Jessica. It's me." She heard a familiar voice say.

Jessica brightened. It was Nick!

"Hi, baby." She said. "What's up?"

"Where are you right now?" She heard Nick ask. And he sounded really strange, like he was upset or something.

Jessica frowned at Nick's tone of voice.

"I'm at my Mom's and Dad's house right now, picking up our daughter." Jessica told him, then asked. "What's going on, Nick? You sound upset."

"I am." Nick said. "Ask your mom if she can watch our daughter for about another hour and then bring her by later. Right now, I want you to get back to the house. We need to talk. Now."

"Ok." Jessica said, still frowning, wondering what was going on. "I'll tell my mom and then I'll be right there."

"Good." Nick said. "I'll be waiting."

"I love you." Jessica said. But she was met with the dial tone, signaling that Nick had hung up on her.

"That's strange." Jessica said, as she closed her phone back up. "Nick hung up on me."

Tina looked at Jessica, confused.

"What did he want?" She asked Jessica. "And what do you have to tell me?"

Jessica looked at her mother and saw the worry in her eyes. Jessica was worried too. Especially after the way Nick had sounded when she talked to him.

"Would you mind watching Nicole for about another hour and then bring her by later?" She asked her mother. "Nick wants me to meet him back at the house right now. He sounded upset."

"What is he upset about?" Tina asked. "Did you ask him?"

Jessica shook her head. She hadn't even thought about asking Nick what he was upset about.

"No." Jessica said. "But he's mad about something, and I have to find out what it is."

Jessica stood up and grabbed her purse and keys off the table beside the couch. Her mother stood up with her.

Jessica then gave her mother a quick hug goodbye. Tina held her close and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good luck, sweetie." Tina said. "Let me know how everything goes. I love you."

"Thanks, Mom." Jessica said. "I will. And I love you too."

Tina let Jessica go and watched her walk out of the house and shut the door behind her.

Tina sat down on the couch and put her chin in her hands, as she thought about things that she and Jessica had discussed.

"Should I go ahead and set things in motion?" She thought, out-loud. "Or, should I wait and see where things stand with Nick and Jessica, concerning their marriage?"

Before she could decide what to do, her thoughts were interrupted, by the door opening and Joe Simpson entered, looking really frustrated.

"Hi, honey." Tina said, getting up from the couch.

"Hi, sweetheart." Joe said, as he set his keys down and took off his suit jacket.

Tina walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the lips. Then she frowned.

"Why are you home so early?" She asked him. "Are you feeling alright?"

Joe looked at her and shook his head.

"No, I'm not." He said.

Then he looked up at her and saw the worried look in her eyes. He knew what she was thinking at that moment.

"But I'm not sick or anything." He reassured her. "I just couldn't concentrate on work. Not while knowing that Sean Perry is in town and trying to steal our daughter's husband. That bastard has to be stopped. And the sooner, the better."

Then, Joe frowned, wondering something.

"But how can we stop him?" He asked, as he looked back at his wife. "Do you have any ideas, Tina?"

She nodded.

"Jessica and I came up with the perfect solution." She said. "Let's sit down and discuss it."

Tina and Joe both sat down on the couch and Tina told her husband everything she and Jessica had come up with where Sean was concerned. When Joe heard the entire story, he beamed with pleasure.

"That's a great idea." He said. "Let's call and get things in motion right now."

Joe started reaching for the phone. But Tina stopped him.

"No, honey, not yet." She said, laying her hand on his before he could pick up the receiver.

Joe looked up at her and frowned.

"Why not?" He said. "What are we waiting for?"

"I think we should wait until we hear from Jessica how things turn out after they've talked. That way we can respond when the time is right."

Joe nodded.

"I guess you're right, darling." He said, agreeing with her. "We'll wait then.

Joe put his arm around Tina and they both sat back into the couch. Tina sighed.

"I just hope that Nick doesn't do anything rash." She said. "His family is counting on him. I hope he doesn't forget that."

******************************************************* BACK AT THE LACHEY HOUSE.............

Nick pulled his car into the driveway and shut off the engine. He looked in his rear-view mirror and saw Jeff and Danny, pulling in behind him.

Nick got out of the car and waited as Jeff and Danny got out of theirs.

"So, Nick, what are you going to do where Jessica is concerned?" Jeff asked, as he and Danny approached Nick.

Nick shook his head.

"I don't know, Jeff." He said. "But one thing is for sure. Jessica is not going to get away with this. She took away from me, any chance to keep Sean in my life, and now, my friendship with Sean is over."

Nick sighed, heavily and ran his hands through his hair, as he turned away from them and walked towards the house. Danny and Jeff followed him, not sure what to say to make Nick feel better.

Nick entered the house to the aroma of something cooking. And it smelled great.

"What's that I smell?" Nick asked out-loud. "Is it roast?"

Just then, Kandi emerged from the living room. She had heard Nick and the guys come in.

"No, hon, that's my homemade beef stew." She said, with a smile. "It's still hot. Would you like some?"

"Not right now, Kandi." Nick said, with a shake of his head. "Right now, I'm waiting for Jessica to get home so we can talk. She and I have some things to settle between us."

Kandi looked at Nick and saw the seriousness in his expression. Concerned, she decided to ask him about it.

"Nick, you sound so serious." She said. "And you look it too. What happened? What did your wife do now?"

Nick's angry expression returned when Jessica's name was mentioned just then.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nick asked, in an angry tone. "She took Sean's friendship away from me. I never got to say goodbye to Sean at the airport, because I never made it in time. I was delayed by an accident on the freeway that was tied up for almost an hour. By the time I got to the airport, Sean flight had already left."

Kandi's heart sank when she heard that. She and Justin were also hoping that he would have made it to the airport in time to talk to Sean before he left.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie." Kandi said, giving Nick a sympathetic hug. "I could strangle Jessica for this."

Kandi then pulled back and thought of something that she needed to tell Nick.

"Anyway, speaking of Jessica." Kandi said. "Be prepared when you see her. She's not going to look very good."

Nick frowned. "Why's that?"

Kandi hesitated before saying it. She wasn't sure how Nick would react to how she'd assaulted Jessica earlier that day.

"Well...." Kandi said, slowly. "After you left the house the first time, Jessica and I kind of got into it again. except this time, it got a little physical."

That was news to Nick. Even Jeff and Danny, who were standing behind Nick, were intrigued.

"What happened, Kandi?" Danny asked her. Kandi looked a little guilty.

"Well, Jessica started running off her mouth again, and she called Sean a slut again. When she did that, I couldn't take it anymore, so I punched her across the mouth and she fell into the pool again."

"You did what?" Nick asked, in shock. "Not that I blame you or anything, Kandi, but I'm surprised by that. You're usually not the fighting type. You're more the peacemaker. At least that's how I see you."

"I know, Nick." Kandi said. "I'm sorry that it had to happen, but after what Jessica tried to do next, I don't feel the least bit guilty for what I did."

"What did she do?" Jeff asked, curiously.

Kandi gave everyone a serious look.

"When she got out of the pool, she threatened to kill me, and tried to strangle me to death, but I took care of that. I also let her know never to mess with me again."

When Nick heard what Jessica had tried to do, he became more pissed off than he had been with Jessica before. It was bad enough that Jessica had cost him his friendship with Sean, but she had gone too far this time.

"That's it." Nick said. "Now, I know what I have to do where Jessica is concerned."

"What does that mean, Nick?" Jeff wanted to know.

Before Nick could get a word in, their conversation was interrupted by the door opening and then Jessica walked into the room and saw everyone standing around the living room doorway.

When Nick saw her, as well as her bruised lip, he became even more angry than before. And this time, he wasn't going to hold back.

"Good, you're here." Nick said to Jessica, his tone full of anger. "You and I have to have a serious discussion."

Jessica frowned at him, wondering what the hell he was so mad about. Then she saw Nick turn to the others.

"Would you guys mind terribly if Jessica and I have some time alone to talk and get things out in the open?" Nick asked everyone, who were standing around him.

"Sure, hon." Kandi said. "I have to go upstairs and let Justin know. He's in the shower right now."

Kandi then started walking towards the stairs. As she did, she locked eyes with Jessica and glared at her. Jessica glared right back.

"Whatever Nick wants to talk to you about, Jessica, it's obviously not going to be good!" She said to Jessica. "And if that's the case, you deserve whatever you get!"

Jessica didn't say anything. She just narrowed her eyes as she watched Kandi walk upstairs to her's and Justin's room.

"We're going to leave for awhile, Nick." Danny said. "Jeff and I are going to the gym to work out for awhile."

"We are?" Jeff asked, in surprise. He was not expecting Danny to suggest that.

"Yes we are, Sugar." Danny said, using one of Jeff's most popular nicknames, as he lightly slapped Jeff on the shoulder. "Besides, I wouldn't mind watching you do the bicep curls. The way you do it, while looking at me, just makes me want to explode in my pants."

Danny's last statement caused Jeff and Nick, both, to blush, and Jessica's expression to take on a look of disgust.

"You guys, I'm still in the room, you know." Jessica said, with a disgusted look on her face. "Not that I have a problem with the two of you and all, but I really don't think we need to hear the gory details of your out of control hormones."

Jeff and Danny looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Sorry, Jessica." Jeff said, in between laughs. "We don't want to traumatize you, now do we?"

Jeff turned to Danny.

"Come on, Sexy." He said. "Let's go and workout before they close. It's Christmas Eve you know."

"Right." Danny said, nodding. "Lead the way, beefcake."

Jeff and Danny both turned to leave. On the way out, Danny groped Jeff's ass, while he was walking.

"Damn boy, cut it out!" Jeff laughed, as they walked. "I know you want me, but I didn't think it was this bad."

Nick laughed as he listened to them. Once they were gone, he turned back to Jessica and he got all serious again.

"Do you realize what you've cost me?" He asked her. "Huh?"

Jessica looked at him and frowned. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Nick, I have no idea what you're talking about." Jessica said. "What have I cost you?"

Nick shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she was that dense.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Nick said, his voice rising. "I'm talking about Sean. You've cost me Sean's friendship. I warned you that I would not stand for it!"

"Nick!" Jessica exclaimed, defensively. "I can't accept Sean in our lives! I've tried to honor your wishes and go along with them because it's what you wanted, but I can't anymore! It's just not working!"

Nick rolled his eyes in frustration, as he listened to Jessica's pathetic whining.

"It wasn't working because you weren't giving Sean a fair chance!" Nick replied, glaring at her. "Now, I almost can't blame Sean for not wanting to be my friend anymore! Now, I can see that Sean was probably right about you, given the way you've been acting lately!"

"The way I'VE been acting?!" Jessica asked, in shock. "What about the way Sean acted earlier when he shoved me into the pool?! Or the way he acted when I tried to call a truce earlier? I did make the effort, so don't blame it on me that Sean doesn't want to be your friend anymore. That's his doing, not mine!"

Nick could feel his anger starting to heat up, rapidly. It was only a matter of time before he exploded. And when that happened, There would be no control over what might come out of his mouth.

"Well, you didn't try hard enough, Jessica!" Nick said. "Come to think of it, ever since Sean came back into my life, you haven't had one kind word for him!"

"That's not true!" Jessica said. "When you were gone, Sean and I actually did have a civil conversation because we were both on the same page. We both wanted to find you and bring you back home!"

"Maybe so, but that was only one time!" Nick said. "But since then, you've been really mean and selfish! Not to mention, a royal bitch!"

Shocked with Nick's last insult, Jessica slapped him hard across the face, as her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't believe that Nick had the nerve to call her that.

"Don't you ever call me that again!" Jessica said, meaning every word of it. "And when you cool down and have time to think about things, I expect an apology from you!"

Nick brought his hand up to the cheek that Jessica had slapped and rubbed it lightly. When he looked back up at Jessica, the look in his eyes said it all: He'd had enough.

"Don't hold your breath!" Nick said. "Besides, you and I have other things that we need to talk about. And we're going to start with our marriage!"

Jessica frowned, as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked Nick in the eye.

"What about our marriage?" She asked, almost afraid of what Nick was going to say.

Nick hesitated for a moment, not liking what he was going to tell her, but his anger won out and he made his decision.

"On the way back, from the airport, I had alot of time to think about our marriage." Nick said to her. "And with the way things are right now, I think it would be best if you and I separate."

Jessica's mouth fell open, in total and utter disbelief. She couldn't believe it! Nick wanted to separate from her! She couldn't believe that things had come down to this.

When the shock had registered, and Jessica got her voice back, She started to burst into tears.

"No, Nick!" She wailed, as she tried to put her arms around Nick's neck. "Please, don't do this! I don't want a legal separation!"

Nick grasped her wrists and gently removed them from his neck. As much as he hated having to hurt her like this, he was not about to let himself feel sorry for her. She had brought it all on herself with her actions. Now she was going to have to learn to take responsibility for them.

"You brought this all on yourself, Jessica." Nick said, calmly. "You have to take responsibility for your actions."

Jessica sank down on the sofa nearby and started sobbing, in defeat. She knew that there was nothing that she could do to get Nick to change his mind.

Nick stood there for a moment, watching her, with no emotion on his face. Normally, he hated seeing her cry, but he wasn't in the mood to offer her any sympathy.

"I think it would also be best if you stayed with your mom and dad for awhile." Nick said. "They'll take care of you until you and I decide where things stand with our marriage at a later time."

Jessica looked up at Nick, as she wiped at her tears. She then wondered something else.

"Nick, what does this mean?" She asked him. "Are you saying that you want a divorce?"

Kandi, had been coming down the stairs and she heard Jessica ask Nick that question. She then chose that moment to make her presence known.

"I was wondering the same thing, Nick." Kandi said, as she appeared in the doorway to the living room. "Do you want to divorce her?"

Jessica gave Kandi an evil look.

"Listen, you dimwit!" Jessica snarled. "This doesn't concern you, so stay out of this! What Nick and I have to decide where our marriage is concerned, is between the two of us! Nobody else needs to get involved!"

"Jessica!" Nick scolded her. "That's enough!"

Jessica quieted down then, as Kandi gave her an annoyed look. Nick then turned to Kandi.

"I'm not thinking along those terms." Nick told her. "It hasn't come down to that. I've just decided that it would be best if Jessica and I didn't live under the same roof for awhile. So, I told her that she should go stay with her mother and father for awhile until further notice."

Kandi nodded.

"That's probably a good idea." She said. "It'll give the two of you a chance to think about things and decide where you want to go from here."

Kandi then looked back at Jessica and then looked back up at Nick.

"But, it's quite obvious to me that you really should be considering that divorce." She told him. "The way your wife is so insecure all the time where Sean is concerned, just proves that she doesn't trust you to be around him. And if that's the case, the two of you have no business being married. Trust is the biggest factor within a marriage. Without that, there is no marriage."

Jessica looked up at Kandi and gave her a death stare. She was ready to read Kandi the riot act.

"That's easy for you to say, Kandi, because you've never been married!" she scoffed. "You're only engaged, so you have no idea of what a marriage is like! It's not going to be rosy and happy all the time! Every marriage has it's ups and downs. But not mine! My marriage was doing just fine until Sean Perry came back into my life! Now, because of him, my husband wants to leave me."

Kandi then pointed her hand towards Jessica, as she glanced at Nick.

"There, you see?" She said to Nick. "That just proves my point. The fact that she can't trust you and Sean around each other, proves how insecure she is in your marriage. So, I think you're doing the right thing, Nick. At least for now."

Nick looked at Kandi, surprised that she was so supportive of his decision to leave Jessica. He almost took it the wrong way, thinking that she was taking pleasure in his pain or something.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Kandi said to him. "I just want you to know that I take no pleasure in your pain. I know how difficult this decision had to have been for you to make. I know how much you love Jessica. But it's a hell of alot more than she deserves. She doesn't appreciate you."

Kandi stopped here, then she said the unexpected.

"Not the way Sean did." Kandi finished. "Now, that was a real marriage."

Now both Nick and Jessica were shocked that Kandi had brought that up. Nick was a little uncomfortable by it.

"Kandi, why are you bringing that up, now?" Nick asked her. "That part of my life is over. I can't live in the past anymore, wondering what could have been. I will always care about Sean. But we can never be together again."

Kandi looked at Nick and saw that that was how he really felt. He had definitely moved on.

Kandi then turned to Jessica. She had some things that she had to say to her that were long overdue.

"While we're being honest, there are some things I've been wanting to say to you for a long time, Jessica, and they are long overdue." Kandi said to her, in an angry tone.

Jessica stood up and stood right in front of Kandi. She was ready in case things got ugly again.

"Fine, let's hear it." She said. "And I want the truth!"

Kandi took a deep breath and exhaled, as she prepared to tell all to Jessica.

"The truth is that I've never really liked you, Jessica." Kandi said, angrily. "I've only tolerated you for Nick's sake, as well as your little girl, because it's what Nick wanted. You made him happy at the time and I wanted to respect that. But now, I see that Nick never should have married you. Sean and Nick should have been together all along."

"Kandi!" Nick exclaimed, in shock. "Stop it! You're not helping things!"

"Oh no, Nick!" Jessica said, raising her hand up. "Let her finish! I want to hear this!"

Nick then kept his mouth shut, allowing Kandi to continue.

"As I was saying." Kandi continued. "Sean and Nick had a real marriage and Sean trusted Nick completely. And when he found out that you were carrying Nick's child, he tried to accept it! He went through hell to do that!"

Kandi then turned to Nick, her anger now directed at him.

"And when he finally did, what did you do?" Kandi asked Nick. "You threw him away! It's no wonder Sean has a hard time getting close to a man again!"

Finally, Nick couldn't take it anymore. He was sick and tired of being raked over the coals for how he had treated Sean. He had apologized for it over and over again.

"KANDI, I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH!" Nick bellowed at her. "NOW, ONCE AND FOR ALL, DROP IT!"

Kandi was take aback by Nick's tone of voice. But Nick wasn't done yet.

"I'm so sick and tired of being reminded over and over again how much I've hurt Sean by what I did." Nick said, in a quieter tone. "Sean has forgiven me, so there's no point in rehashing everything."

"Nick, I was just trying to get you to remember how good your relationship with Sean was." Kandi told him. "And what a fool you were to turn him away. I'd never seen a kind of love like that in ages. Your marriage to Jessica certainly can't compare to that."

Nick looked at her, but didn't say anything. He had to process everything that she said. But something else was on his mind.

"Jessica, we also need to talk about the holidays." Nick said. "Christmas is tomorrow and we need to talk about how we're going to make it a special day for our daughter's sake."

Jessica looked up at Nick, sadly.

"Go head." She said. I'm listening."

Nick then proceeded to tell her his plan.

"I have decided that I will spend the first half of Christmas Day with you and our daughter." He said. "But it will be here at home. Since it's going to be Christmas, and the New Year is coming up, you can stay here through the holidays. But after that, you should go and stay with Tina and Joe."

Jessica nodded, grateful to Nick for allowing that much.

"Thank you." She said. "I guess I can accept that. I have no choice. I want things to be good for our daughter's sake."

Then she remembered something.

"Nick, you did say: "The first half of Christmas day." What are you doing for the rest of it?"

Nick hadn't really decided how he was going to spend Christmas day, but then he thought of the perfect solution to that.

******************************************************* LATER, THAT DAY BACK IN ORLANDO.........

I unlocked the door, to my apartment, and set everything down. I turned around and shut the door. After doing that, I picked up my suitcase and carry-on bag, and took them straight to my room.

I set them down at the foot of the bed and sat down, as I prepared to wipe the remnants of sleep out of my eyes.

It had been a long flight and I'd been so exhausted after the day's events that I'd fallen asleep on the plane. A flight attendant had woken me up later to make sure that I got off the plane so I didn't end up somewhere else, instead of home.

After that, I'd called a cab and had the driver bring me home. Normally, I would have called Jake to pick me up, but he and I hadn't spoken since last night, so we hadn't made up yet. Besides, I wanted to surprise him.

I finally decided that a shower might be just the thing to wake me up. Besides, I sure needed it after Jessica and I went at it in the pool, earlier this morning.

I got out of my clothes and took them to the laundry room and put them in the hamper to wash later. After that, I headed into the bathroom to take my shower.

I turned on the bath water and let the bathtub fill up while I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash. By that time the bathtub was almost full.

I turned off the water and stepped into the tub. I sat down and immersed myself into the hot water. I sighed, in satisfaction. The water felt so good against my aching muscles. It was only then that I realized just how tense I had been.

While I soaked, my thought kept drifting back to Nick and our earlier conversation before I'd left. I had been really hurt when Nick had accused me of never caring about him. I'm sure he didn't mean it, but it still hurt to hear that.

"I wonder if things are ever going to be the same between Nick and me again." I thought out-loud. "I almost forgot that today was Christmas Eve. Tomorrow is Christmas."

When I realized that, I sat up in the tub.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed. "I have to get cleaned up and go Christmas shopping before the stores close!"

I'd been so caught up with everything that had happened with Nick's disappearance, and now Drew's, as well as Jessica's drama, that I'd totally forgotten to get my Christmas shopping done.

I knew I had to get presents for everyone. I had to get presents for Jake and Michelle. They were the easy ones. But then came Ben and Matt, Kandi and Justin, Jeff and Danny.

As for Nick, I wasn't sure what to get him because I wasn't sure if he was going to accept a gift from me. Even if he did, how did I know he would get it? Jessica probably would intercept it and throw it out without him knowing about it.

As for Jessica, she wasn't getting anything from me. Not after the way she had treated me.

I decided that I would wait until the next time I went back to Los Angeles, if I ever went back, to give everyone their gifts. I knew that Jake and Michelle were the only ones I'd be seeing for Christmas.

I glanced over at the clock that was hanging on the wall, near the sink. It read 6:30p.m. I had plenty of time to get my shopping done.

I lay back in the tub and closed my eyes to relax a little. I enjoyed soaking in the tub. Especially because it was also a jacuzzi type tub.

"Ahhh!" I exhaled, in satisfaction. "There is nothing like a soak in the jacuzzi bathtub to relieve stress. I should be ready to go shopping in about 20 minutes."

I took time to wash my body and once that was done, I started on my hair. I shampooed it twice, and then conditioned it. After rinsing out the conditioner, I was ready to get out and get dressed.

I pulled the plug and let the water drain, as I turned on the shower head to give my body a final rinse off before I stood up and got out of the tub.

I grabbed a towel and dried off. Wrapping the towel around my head to let it soak up the moisture in my hair, I walked into my room and raided my closet, trying to decide what I wanted to wear.

I decided on a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt. I put them on and sprayed some "BOD: really ripped abs." body spray on myself so I smelled good.

"Ok, I'm ready to go." I said. "Time to get my Christmas shopping done.

I grabbed my keys and left my apartment, closing the door behind me.

I walked to my SUV and got in. I started the engine and drove off to the shopping mall.

******************************************************* MEANWHILE, BACK IN LOS ANGELES..........

AT THE GYM............

Danny and Jeff were both working out together. They were both running on the treadmills together.

"So, Danny, what do you think we are going to do for Christmas?" Jeff asked, breathing hard, as he was running.

"I don't know." Danny replied, out of breath as well. "I hadn't really thought about that. I just assumed that all of us would be celebrating the holidays together as a family. You, me, Justin, Kandi, Jessica and Nick."

Jeff nodded and reached over to shut of the treadmill since he was done with his. Danny was turning his off as well.

"I don't know." Jeff said, as he grabbed a towel from nearby and tossed it to Danny. "The way thing are right now, I'm not sure we all will do that."

Danny frowned as he watched Jeff grab his towel and wipe his face with it.

"Why wouldn't we?" He asked Jeff. "We've never been apart for the holidays before."

"I know that." Jeff said. "But with Drew gone, and the way things are with Jessica and Nick, I don't know if all of us will be together for the holidays or not."

Then, Jeff thought of Sean and wondered something else.

"It's a shame that Sean couldn't have been with us, though." Jeff continued, a sad look on his face. "It would have been perfect. This could have been a wonderful Christmas with him back in our lives again."

Jeff then got quiet, as well as Danny. Both of them were thinking about Sean at that moment. They both really wanted him to be with them to celebrate Christmas. But it didn't look like that was going to happen. Not this year.

"Well, I'm going to go and hit the showers now." Jeff said. "Are you coming?"

Danny shook his head.

"Not yet." He said. "I'm going to do a few more workouts on a couple other machines and then I'll get showered and be ready to go."

Jeff nodded. He was alright with that. He had some thinking of his own to do, and he needed some alone time to do it.

"Ok." Jeff said. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

"Count on it." Danny said, as he winked at Jeff.

Jeff smiled at Danny before he turned away and headed towards the mens' locker room.

Danny then remember what Jeff had said about it being perfect if Sean could be with them on Christmas day. That gave him an idea.

"Who says Christmas still can't be a perfect day for all of us?" He asked, looking really mysterious all of a sudden.

******************************************************* IN THE MENS' LOCKER ROOM...............

Jeff, was in the shower, lathering up his body with the soap. He soaped up his abs, which were so tight and so defined. Then he washed his arms, chest and legs. As well as his dick and balls.

His workout today had been good. But as he washed, it was obvious that he was very troubled about something.

"How do I do this?" Jeff thought to himself. "How do I bring myself to tell Danny that I.......Do I tell him now, when we get back to Nick's? Or do I wait until after the holidays? Damn it! I don't know what to do. But I've got to tell him. I can't go on like this anymore. I've got to be honest with Danny and tell him what's going on with me. I can't keep this to myself any longer."

Jeff was so torn over whatever it was that he was going through. But then, he decided that the sooner he told Danny what he needed to tell him, the better.

*******************************************************BACK IN ORLANDO, IN THE SHOPPING MALL.............

I was exhausted, as I carried my shopping bags towards the mall exits. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until my legs gave way, all of a sudden, and I fell to the floor.

As I struggled to get up, I heard a man's voice from behind me.

"Hey, man. Are you ok?" I heard a male voice ask me. "Do you need help?"

"I'll be ok." I said, not looking up right away. First, I saw a hand being extended down to me. I then started to look up at the man.

"I think I just need..........."

I cut off when I looked up and saw who the man was. I knew him!

His blond hair was styled the same way I had remembered. He was wearing a see-through black shirt, which flattered his physique nicely. It showed off his sexy defined chest and you could see his nipples through the shirt. I could see the outline of his abs through the shirt as well. And his legs were so toned and shaped so nicely and you could tell because he was wearing loose fitting Tommy Hilfiger jeans that clung to them.

"Jason?" I asked, in shock. "Is it really you?"

Jason smiled.

"Hello Sean." He said to me. "How are you?"

"Good." I said, as I grasped his hand. "Help me up, please?"

"Gladly." Jason said, as he pulled me to my feet. As I stood up, I saw him give me a concerned look.

"What caused you to fall like that?" He asked me. "Are you feeling alright?"

His concern was really touching. Here was a man that I never thought I'd see again, since I met him in that bar and turned him down when he asked me out. Yet, here he was, once more. It was like fate had brought us together again for some reason. I had a second chance to gain someone who could be a good friend. As the saying goes: You can never have too many friends.

"I'm just a little exhausted, man." I said. "I just flew back in from Los Angeles about a few hours ago and I haven't really had that much rest since then. I just came here to get my Christmas shopping done so I'm ready for tomorrow."

"I know what you mean." Jason nodded. "I'm here, doing the same thing. I just got finished and was heading out when I saw you fall just now."

I smiled at him. He was such a sweet man for caring about someone that he barely knew. I knew that I was going to like him, if he chose to be my friend.

"Oh, cool." I said, then added. "And thank you again for lending me a helping hand. I really appreciate it."

"No thanks needed, Sean." Jason said to me. "I'm glad I was able to help you."

I then took that moment to extend my offer to him to be friends. I just hoped that he would take me up on it. He seemed like a really nice guy. And he was a hottie!

"Listen, Jason." I said to him. "There's something I want to ask you?"

"Sure." Jason said. "What's up?"

Now was my chance. I took a deep breath and hoped for the best. Then I exhaled and then asked the question.

"Does your offer, to be my friend, still stand?" I asked him, nervously. "When we met at that bar months back, I turned you down. I wasn't ready to get close to a man again back then. But, I'm ready now to have someone like you in my life."

I looked up at Jason and watched the mixed emotions playing on his face. He looked like he was trying to decide whether or not he was going to accept my offer. I then extended out my hand to him.

"So, what do you say?" I asked him. "I'm willing to take a chance if you are?"

Jason thought it over for a moment. Then I saw him smile, and he took my hand and shook it, firmly.

"Of course the offer still stands." He said. "I'd love to have you as my friend."

"That's awesome, man." I said, smiling widely. "I knew I was making the right decision in reaching out to you."

I saw Jason smile at me again, showing off his perfect teeth. I swear he had a million dollar smile! And the cutest dimples in his cheeks!

"So, what are your plans for Christmas, Sean?" He asked me. "Are you going to spend the holidays with your family?"

My smile vanished when he mentioned my family. I hadn't thought about my parents in a long time, and I felt guilty about it. Now, I felt even more guilty because I hadn't gone back to New York to visit their graves and put flowers on them. I was definitely going to have to do that when Spring came.

"Sean, what is it?" Jason asked me looking worried. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Jason, you didn't." I reassured him. "I was just reacting to what you asked me about spending time with my family for the holidays. The thing is, I don't have any family anymore. My parents were killed in a car accident, back in New York, about 6 years ago."

Jason then looked like he could have kicked himself for bringing it up. He was obviously sorry that he had asked me that.

"I had no idea." He said. "I'm sorry, Sean."

"Jason, it's ok." I replied, touching one of his muscular shoulders. "You didn't know."

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to hear the whole story sometime." Jason said. "That is, when you are ready."

I looked up at Jason and realized right then and there that he was definitely a breath of fresh air. I wanted to get to know him better. And what better time than tonight.

"What are your plans for the holidays, Jason?" I asked him. "Do you have family that you celebrate with?"

"Yes, I do." Jason said. "They live in Tampa. "I have to drive down to see them on Christmas day."

Then, Jason looked at me and then he said something I wasn't expecting him to say.

"But, I could just stay here and help you celebrate the holidays." He said. "You shouldn't have to spend Christmas Day alone, by yourself."

"Oh no, Jason, it's ok." I told him. "I'm not going to be alone. My friends, Jake and Michelle, will be celebrating the holidays with me. So, you go on ahead and spend Christmas with your family and friends. I'll be just fine. But thank you so much for your offering to stay with me. It was very nice of you."

"No, problem." Jason said. "I just don't like to see anyone alone for the holidays. Everyone should have someone to celebrate the holidays with. It's no fun celebrating alone."

As I looked at Jason, I had a great idea, all of a sudden, and I saw the perfect opportunity to make him an offer.

"Would you like to come back to my apartment and have some eggnog with me?" I asked him. "I'd love to have the company before you leave for Tampa, in the morning."

"I love to." Jason said, flashing that killer smile of his again. "Let's do it."

As he followed me, I could hear his last words, "Let's do it", ringing over and over again, in my head.

"Oh, yeah." I thought to myself. "I love to do it to you, alright, you big sexy stud!"

************************************************ BACK IN L.A. AT NICK'S HOUSE............

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HEARING THIS!" Jessica bellowed at Nick. "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS, NICK!"

Nick just looked at her, annoyed with her and her childish tantrums.

"I'm being totally serious, Jessica." Nick said, rationally. "I want Jeff, Danny, Justin, and Kandi to fly with me, to Orlando, to celebrate the rest of Christmas Day with Sean and his friends. And with your permission, I'd like to take our daughter with me."

Jessica looked at Nick like he was insane. She couldn't believe that he wanted to spend Christmas with Sean, but for him to have the nerve to ask her if he could take her daughter with him, was really asking too much.

"Are you insane?!" Jessica shouted at him. "Have you lost your mind?! No way! There is no way, in hell, that I'm going to let you take my daughter anywhere near Sean Perry! I don't want him, corrupting our daughter and turning her against me!"

Nick was about to say something, but Kandi pressed her hand in front of his mouth before he could. But it was her who was going to let Jessica have it.

"Listen, you little bitch!" Kandi said, loudly. "Nick has every right to want to take his daughter, with us, to Orlando! He's her father!"

"And I'm her mother!" Jessica fired back at Kandi. "And I still say no! My daughter is staying right here, in Los Angeles!"

Kandi could feel her temper starting to get the better of her. She was usually very tolerant of people, but Jessica was getting dangerously close to getting on her bad side.

"You fucking, no talent slut!" Kandi exploded at her. "I will teach you some respect!"

Before, she could rip into Jessica, Nick had grabbed her, and Justin had burst into the living room and got between Kandi and Jessica, before things could get out of hand.

"Let go of me, Justin!" Kandi shouted. "I'm going to teach this bitch a lesson, once and for all!"

Jessica, seeing that Kandi was being held back by Justin, started inching towards her, but Nick moved and stepped in front of her to prevent her from going after Kandi.

"You go ahead and try it, hussy!" Jessica snarled at her. "You so much as lay a finger on me and I'll slap you with assault charges!"

Kandi had had enough. Now, she was beyond pissed off. But then she thought of a better way to deal with her anger. And that was to get out of the situation. As much as she wanted to pound Jessica to a pulp, she was not about to risk her health to do it.

"That's it." Kandi said. "I've had all I'm going to take from this dumb blonde!"

Kandi came up with the solution she thought was best for everyone, including herself.

"I'm going upstairs and I'm going to pack! And then, I'm leaving this house! I refuse to stay under this roof a minute longer than I have to!"

Kandi yanked away from Justin and stomped off, heading upstairs to pack her things.

When she was gone, Justin and Nick were still in shock from what Kandi had just said. She was moving out of the Lachey house! But where was she going to go? And what did this mean for her and Justin?"

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Blondie!" Justin said to Jessica, angrily.

Justin then took off and ran upstairs to check on Kandi. Nick turned back to Jessica.

"What the hell has happened to you, Jessica?" he asked her. "You've become so bitter and hateful of the people that I love. Now, I look at you and I don't know you anymore!"

Jessica's angry expression turned to guilt. Now, she was starting to feel sorry for the way she had acted. But she had realized it too late.

"Nick, I......" She began, but couldn't find the words.

"What happened to the sweet, loving wife that I once knew?" Nick asked, as a single tear started to run down his right cheek. "You've changed, Jessica. Now, I have to face the facts. You are not the woman I married. Not anymore."

With those last words, Nick turned around and started to leave the room.

"No, Nick!" Jessica said, as she started to cry. "Wait! Please, don't go!"

Jessica's wailing just fell on deaf ears as Nick left the house and slammed the door behind him.

Jessica collapsed on the couch and curled up into a fetal position as hard sobs racked her body. She knew that she had alienated Nick ever further away from her and now it looked like that she would probably never get him to reconsider the legal separation.

"Oh god, what have I done?!" Jessica whispered, as she cried. "I've made a mess of everything! I played right into Sean's hands! And now, I could lose my husband to Sean again!"

When she realized that she'd said that, she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. As she sat there, staring off into spare, the look in her eyes said it all: This was war! If Sean wanted a fight, he was going to get one!

"No!" She said, forcefully. "If Sean thinks that I'm going to just roll over and play dead, then he doesn't know me very well! I will fight until my dying breath to keep him away from my husband!"

She looked over at the phone that was sitting nearby. She grabbed it off of the console and started dialing it.

"Starting right now!" She finished as she dialed a number and waited for a response.

"Hello?" She heard a female voice ask.

"Hi, Mom." Jessica said. "I'm calling to tell you that Nick now wants a legal separation."

"Oh, honey." Tina said, sounding really sad. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you ok?"

"I will be." Jessica said, bitterly. "Once Sean Perry is taken care of once and for all! You can go ahead with what we discussed earlier about how we were going to deal with Sean. Let's get things set in motion! The sooner, the better!"

"Your father and I are on it, sweetie." Tina said to her. "Don't worry about a thing. We'll take care of everything. Sean Perry is not going to know what hit him."

"Damn right, he won't." Jessica said. "I'll talk with you later, Mom."

"Ok, bye sweetie." Tina said. "We'll be in touch."

Jessica hung up the phone and got up and walked over to the mirror and took a look at her reflection. She could see that her mascara was smeared and her face was streaked with tears. Her eyes were red from crying too.

"You will pay for this, Sean!" Jessica said, with an evil smirk. " Oh, will you pay for what you've done to me! Again!"

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

"Man, I'm so tired from all that shopping." I said, as I opened the door and let myself, and Jason, into the house.

"Well, I think what you need to do is relax." Jason said, as he took of his jacket and hung it up in the closet.

I then started with my jacket, but Jason stopped me.

"Here, allow me." Jason said, pulling off my jacket and hanging it up for me. "Sit down and rest, on the couch and I'll go get the eggnog."

Jason shut the door to the closet and then headed into my kitchen to get the eggnog, while I plopped myself down on the couch and waited for him.

I turned around just in time to get a view of Jason's ass as he bent over to look in the refrigerater for the eggnog. Damn! What a sexy ass he had too!

I could feel myself starting to get hard, but attempted to push those thoughts out of my mind. I was not about to let my desire for him take over. I didn't want to lose a good friend.

I sat back and closed my eyes for awhile. In a few minutes, I heard Jason walking towards the living room. I opened my eyes and saw him in front of me, holding two glasses of eggnog. He handed one down to me.

"Here you are, sir." He said, warmly. "Fresh eggnog to cheer you right up."

"Thanks." I said, accepting the glass from him. "Sit down here, next to me."

"Sure." Jason said, with a sexy smile. He sat down next to me, on the couch and took a sip of his eggnog.

"This is nice." I said, as I sipped my eggnog. It was delicious and tasted like it had a little more cinnamon in it than usual. Or was it nutmeg?

"Isn't it?" Jason said. "I think so too."

He looked at me for a long time, not saying a word after that. I frowned in confusion wondering what was so fascinating about me that he was looking at me the way he was.

"What?" I asked. "Do I have eggnog on my face or something?"

Instead of answering me right away, Jason just started laughing.

"It's great to be around you again." He said, still smiling. "At least this time, you're not trying to get drunk like you were all those months ago."

I laughed as I thought about that time. It was kind of funny now that it was in the past. It was great to see that I could laugh over it now.

"Yeah, I remember that." I said, smiling at him. "I also remember that you wanted to help me forget about my ex and be there for me. I suspect though that you wanted to sleep with me, now that I think about it."

"I did, believe me." He said, with a grin. "But, more than that, I wanted to console you. Help you deal with your pain. I was offering my friendship at that time as well."

I nodded, remembering how I had turned him down before.

"And I turned you down." I said, as I looked at him. "And just so you know, it wasn't you. Hell, I thought you were hot the first time I laid eyes on you. But I was having trust issues where men were concerned and I was afraid of getting hurt again. I wasn't ready to move on just yet."

Jason really looked at me, and now that he'd thought about it, he really did see the change in me.

"But, you're ready now, right?" He asked me. "I can definitely see that you've gotten past the hurt that you've been dealing with. You're happy again."

I sighed as I lie back into the couch. My thoughts had drifted back to Nick at that moment and I remembered just how lonely I felt at that moment because of the fact that he and I probably would not see each other again for a while.

"Sean, are you ok?" I heard Jason ask me.

"I'm fine." I told Jason. "But I'm not as happy as you might think. Even though I'll be with friends for Christmas, I'm still kind of alone. I don't have any special someone to celebrate it with."

"Don't worry about that." Jason said. "Someday, you will again. Maybe even sooner than you think."

"Thanks, Jason." I said, running my hand up and down one of his muscular arms, as I set down my eggnog on the coffee table. Jason sat down his at the same time.

"You're welcome." He said. "Come here and give me a hug."

"It would be my pleasure." I said, as I leaned towards him.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him, tightly. I felt his arms go around me. His arms felt so good wrapped around me. I'd almost forgotten how much I missed that kind of closeness.

"Thank you for inviting me here." Jason said. "It was nice of you to do that, considering the fact that you don't really know me all that well."

Jason and I pulled back from our embrace and I put a hand to his cheek.

"Well, I'd like to get to know you." I said as I stared into his eyes. "I'd like to get to know you alot better."

Jason looked right back at me, his eyes locking on mine. I could see the desire within his deep blue eyes. Then, I felt his hand move up and rest upon my hand, which was still on his cheek. Then his hand inched down my arm, and up to my shoulder where he rested it there.

Then, the unexpected happened. His hand went around the back of my head and he started to gently pull me in closer to him. I felt so drawn to him that I couldn't resist moving in closer to him. Then, our lips connected.

The kiss was soft and slow. It lasted about a good 10 seconds. Then Jason pulled back and looked into my eyes again. I looked up at him, mesmerized by him. I I then slowly brought my other hand to his chest where it rested there. I started slowly moving my hand across his tight pecs, feeling just how toned and muscular he really was. My heart was beating a mile a minute from the feelings that I was experiencing.

I felt him tighten his pecs as I continued to touch them. Then he brought his hand up to mine and rested his hand upon mine. Then, he started guiding my hand down to his abs, which he tightened, as he continued to take my hand down even lower. I closed my eyes, in ecstasy.

"Oh god, Jason." I breathed out. "You feel so amazing."

"Thanks." I heard him whisper, breathing hard as well. "You can feel me naked if you want."

Wow! I hadn't expected him to say that. But was I about to turn that offer down? Hell no!

Finally, my desire won out and I finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Give me some sugar, Baby!" I said, as I dove at him and ravished his luscious lips. I wanted him, and I wanted him now.

I broke the kiss, briefly and lay down on the sofa, flat out. Jason then climbed up on the sofa and moved so that his form was right over me. Then, he rested his body right on top of me, and continued where we left off. He kissed me deeply, his tongue wrestling with mine. Damn, did he know how to kiss!

I wrapped my arms around him and started running them up and down his sexy, muscular back. He was so ripped and sexy that I just couldn't get enough. Then, I slid my hands down to his ass and squeezed it. I could hear him moan, in ecstasy.

"Let's take this to the bedroom." Jason said, the lust evident in his voice. "I want to give you your Christmas present early. And that is by giving you the best night of your life."

"I'm all yours, sexy man." I whispered to him. "Take me to bed."

Jason smiled. He was more than happy to oblige.

"Now, that's an offer I can't pass up." He said.

He got up off of me and then lifted me into his powerful arms.

"Merry Christmas, Jason." I said to him, as I threw my arms around his neck.

"Merry Christmas, Sean." Jason replied back to me. He planted another kiss on my lips then.

After doing that, he then carried me, in his arms, towards the bedroom.

******************************************************* BACK AT THE LACHEY HOUSE, IN KANDI AND JUSTIN'S ROOM...

Kandi was angrily throwing everything she could into her suitcase to pack up, so she could leave the house. She had finally had all she could take of Jessica and she no longer wanted to live in the same house with her anymore.

Justin opened the door and came into their room.

"Babe, what are you doing?" He asked, hoping that she wasn't serious about leaving.

Kandi looked up at him, with an annoyed look on her face.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" She asked, in disgust. "I'm packing my shit together so I can get the fuck out of this house and away from that blonde lunatic that Nick has for a wife!"

Justin walked over and put his hands on Kandi's shoulders.

"Please stop what you're doing for a moment, so we can talk about this. Please?" Justin asked her.

Kandi sighed and stopped her packing. She turned around to face Justin, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alright, sweetie, I'm listening." Kandi said, quietly.

"Where are you going to go?" Justin asked her. "I can't imagine that you'd want to go back home to Alabama."

Kandi looked at him through exhausted eyes. Today had really been hell on her, considering what she had gone through at the hospital and then earlier that day with Jessica before Sean left, and now again just a few minutes ago when she and Jessica went through round two. She hadn't had even one minute to rest that day.

"Normally, I wouldn't even be considering it, hon." Kandi told him. "But, with the way things are with this living situation, Alabama is starting to sound alot nicer than living here with that big-mouthed trampy wife of Nick's!"

"But, if you go back to Alabama, what's going to become of us?" Justin asked her. "I don't want to be separated from you. We're engaged to be married."

"I know." Kandi said. "I haven't forgotten that. And as for me and you, why don't you come with me to Alabama?"

Justin shook his head.

"You know I can't do that." He said. "My life is here, in Los Angeles. Why don't we think of something else?"

"Ok." Kandi said, agreeing to his suggestion.

They both got quiet for a moment, both of them moving around the room, thinking about any possible answer that could solve their problem.

Before they could decide, there was a knock on the door.

"If that's you, Jessica, you'd better go the fuck away!" Kandi shouted at the door.

Just then, the door opened and Jeff stuck his head in.

"It's just me, and my gorgeous boyfriend." He said, with a worried expression on his face. "May we both come in?"

"Sure, come on." Kandi said, waving them in. "Shut the door behind you."

Jeff and Danny both entered the room and Danny shut the door behind them.

"What did Jessica do this time?" Danny asked Kandi. "You sounded like you would have killed her if she'd been the one at the door, instead of us."

Kandi looked at them, the anger very apparent on her face.

"Wouldn't I love to do that?" Kandi muttered "Nothing that bitch does, surprises me anymore! I've had enough! So, I've decided to move out!"

"What?!" Jeff and Danny both exclaimed, at the same time. Both of them were shocked at Kandi's decision.

"But, where would you go?" Jeff asked her. "It's going to be impossible to get a hotel room today. It's Christmas Eve."

Kandi and Justin looked at each other, both of them realizing just how right Jeff was. The hotels were most likely booked for today.

"I was considering going back to Alabama for a while, but Justin's life is here in Los Angeles, and I certainly don't want to be apart from him over the holidays.'

"And there's no chance of us getting an apartment for the night, either." Justin said. "The Realtors are closed for today."

That was true also. Realtors never did business over the holidays. It looked like they really were in a jam.

"Wait a minute!" Danny exclaimed. "I just thought of the perfect solution!"

Now, everyone in the room were all ears. They were curious to know what Danny's solution was.

Danny then told everybody what his plan was.

"I say, we go and spend Christmas Day with Sean in Orlando." Danny said. "We can pack up our stuff, get the private jet ready, and be there by Christmas morning. How about it?"

Kandi, Justin, and Jeff looked amongst each other and then back to Danny, contemplating the idea.

"That's a great idea, Danny." Kandi said, excitedly. "I'm all for it. Count me in."

"Me too." Justin said. "It's the perfect solution. We're not about to spend Christmas Day here with Jessica."

"Nick certainly won't." Kandi added. "Not now that he and Jessica are separating."

Kandi saw shock register on the faces of Danny and Jeff, who had not known about that.

"Nick and Jessica are separating?" Jeff asked, in shock. "Wow, I didn't think that Nick would actually go through with that. But after what happened with Sean today, I can see why he did it."

"I can't say I blame him." Danny said to them all. "The way Jessica just refused to get along with Sean and not cut him a break, it was only a matter of time before things came down to this."

"It serves the bitch right!" Kandi said, her anger resurfacing again. "Jessica was blinded by her jealousy and hatred that she couldn't see what was right in front of her all along. A devoted, loving husband who would have walked through fire for her and their precious little girl! Jessica does not deserve Nick. She never did! It makes me wish that Sean and Nick were still together!"

Kandi last statement caught Danny and Jeff, both, off guard. Especially Danny, who knew the truth about how Sean felt about Nick. But he wasn't allowed to breathe a word of it to anyone. Sean had asked him not to and he was not about to betray Sean's confidence."

"You're not the only one, Kandi." Jeff said to her. "There are times that I wish that too. But i never said a word about it because I didn't want to be selfish. I wanted to be supportive of Nick and be a good friend to him."

"I know you did, Jeff." Kandi said. "And that's admirable. But it doesn't matter anymore. Nick already knows that I think Sean and he should have been together all along. I told him that too."

"You did?" Danny asked, surprised that she'd actually did it. "What did Nick say?"

"He was uncomfortable when I mentioned it." Kandi said. "But it wasn't supposed to come out. It did only because I was arguing with Jessica. I told her that she didn't deserve Nick and that Sean and Nick had a real marriage and she couldn't compare their marriage to theirs. Nick told me that that part of his life is over and that he's moved on."

Everyone took in what Kandi was telling them, and they knew that there was no hope for a relationship between Nick and Sean again. At least there wasn't until now."

"Speaking of Nick, I think we should ask him to go with us." Jeff said. "I can't imagine he wouldn't want to go."

Kandi nodded to Jeff, as she remembered Nick saying that he wanted to go and see Sean in Orlando earlier.

"Actually, it was Nick's idea." Kandi said. "He suggested it to Jessica earlier and then he asked her if he could bring Nicole with us to Orlando. Needless to say, Jessica went ballistic and refused to let Nick take Nicole anywhere. So, it looks like Nicole is staying here in Los Angeles with her mother and the rest of the family."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Then it opened, slowly and Nick peeked his head in.

"Can I come in?" He asked. "I heard voices up here when I came back inside and wondered what was going on."

"Come on in, Nick." Justin said.

Nick walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Where's Jessica, man?" Jeff asked him. "I heard what happened earlier between the two of you."

Nick shrugged it off.

"She went to pick up our daughter from Tina and Joe's." Nick said. "So, what did I miss here?"

Justin then proceeded to fill him in.

"We were all just trying to figure out a solution for Kandi's and my living arrangements and so far we've come up with a temporary solution." Justin told him. "And that is to fly in to Orlando and spend Christmas with Sean and his friends."

Nick brightened when he heard that they had decided to do the same thing that he suggested earlier.

"So, you guys wouldn't mind, flying to Orlando with me to see Sean for the holidays?" He asked them.

"Not at all." Danny told him. "We all love Sean, you included, so I think that we should do it."

"Cool." Nick said. "So, it's settled then. We're leaving for Orlando ASAP."

"Yes, Nick." Kandi said to him. "And if we use the private jet you guys used when you were 98 Degrees, we should get there by Christmas morning."

Nick gave Kandi a thumbs up.

"Good thinking, Kandi." He said. "I'll take care of this right now."

Nick walked over and picked up the phone, that was sitting on the bedside table. He dialed a number and waited for a response.

"Robert, gas up the jet and get it ready for flight....Orlando, Florida.....Thanks man. You're the best. We'll be there in two hours." Ok, bye."

Nick hung up the phone and turned towards everyone.

"Everything is taken care of." Nick said to everyone in the room. "Let's get our shit packed and on that plane. As for sleep, we can sleep on the plane during flight. We should be there by Christmas morning."

Kandi and Justin continued their packing, while Nick, Jeff and Danny went to their rooms to pack also.

******************************************************* BACK IN ORLANDO, AT THE BEACH APARTMENT.......

Now in my bedroom, Jason put me down and turned me to face him. At the same time, he reached over and put his hands under my shirt and pulled it up over my head. Then he took off my pants, leaving me standing naked, in front of him. He looked me up and down, admiring my body.

"You're beautiful." I heard him whisper, obviously liking what he saw.

I then pulled his shirt up over his head and removed his jeans as well. When he was down to his underwear, I saw that he was wearing a string bikini and he looked good in it. I also got to see just how built he really was. And he was beautiful in every sense of the word.

"So are you." I whispered back to him. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Well, in that case....." Jason said, and pulled me close to him again as he started kissing me again.

I ran my hands up and down his muscular arms, feeling every curve and every shape of his muscles and arms, as well as his soft, golden skin. It was also very obvious that he works on his tan too, for his skin was a lovely golden color.

I then jumped up on Jason and wrapped my legs around his waist, as I kissed him some more. he then carried me towards the bed and we both dropped down on it, with him on top of me.

"I'm glad I'm with you, Jase." I whispered to him. He smiled.

"Me too." he whispered back. "Merry Christmas, Sean."

"Merry Christmas, Jason." I said back.

Jason then leaned into me and started kissing me once again, as he prepared to give me a night I would never forget.

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

Well, that's it for this one. I hope you all enjoyed it!

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

Stay tuned.

slpwriter@yahoo.com