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".....

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Nick was shaking me awake.

"Sean, we're here." I heard him say. I opened my eyes and looked around.

We were at Nick's house. It didn't seem like that long.

"Nick, how long was I asleep?" I asked, rubbing my eyes to wake up.

"I think about a half hour." Nick said. "Traffic was bad so it took awhile to get here."

I opened the car door and got out. Nick got out too and shut his door as well. He then set the alarm and the car chirped, confirming that it was set.

As I looked around, I saw another car parked in the driveway that I didn't recognize. Nick had a two car garage, and Jeff's car was parked on the opposite side of Nick's, while Nick had parked in front of Jessica's car, which was in the left side of the garage. The other car was behind Jeff's. But Justin's car was gone.

"Nick, who's car is that?" I asked, pointing to the grey Mercedes benz that was parked behind Jeff's car.

"That's one of Mom's and Dad's cars." Nick said. "That means one or both of them must be here."

"Oh, great." I said, sarcastically. "It looks like I'm going to walk straight into an ambush."

"Don't worry." Nick said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "If any of them give you a hard time, I'll stick up for you."

Nick and I walked up to the house and Nick unlocked the door and we entered his house.

"Come on." Nick said. "Let's go into the living room."

"You go ahead." I whispered to him. "I need to use the restroom first."

"Sure. Go ahead." Nick said, as he started walking towards the living room.

I went upstairs and did what I had to do. After washing my hands and drying them, I returned downstairs and walked to the living rooom.

When, I walked to the doorway to the living room, I was greeted by eight pairs of eyes, including Nick's.

In the living room, stood Jessica, and her mother and father. Also there were Nick's mom, Cate, and his father, John. Jeff and Danny were also there, sitting on the sofa nearby.

"Hey, everyone." I greeted them. Nick's parents, and Jessica's mom were all shocked to see me.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Cate exclaimed.

*********** CHAPTER 70 ***********

INSIDE NICK'S HOUSE................

I stood there, in the Lachey living room, not knowing what to say or do. Luckily, Nick acted fast.

"He's here for me, Mom." Nick said to his mother. Cate looked over at her son in complete shock.

"What do you mean he's here for you?" She asked, frowning. "Are you saying that you two are....."

Her eyes widened when she jumped to the wrong conclusion of Nick's words.

"No!" She said, forcefully. "Nicholas Scott Lachey, don't you dare tell me that you two are sleeping together!"

"You'd better not be!" Jessica hissed, next to her mother, from across the room. "I will not stand for it!"

Nick looked over at me and I shook my head, in disbelief.

"No, we're not together." Nick told Cate and Jessica, hoping to calm them down. "At least not in the way that you're thinking. Sean is here, as my friend, nothing more. When he heard about this family emergency, he insisted on coming with me.....

"Oh, I'll just bet he did!" Jessica sneered, interrupting Nick. "The pathetic little loser!"

"SHUT UP, JESSICA! LET HIM TALK!!" I yelled at her.

Everyone looked at me in shock. They were not expecting that outburst. Especially from me of all people.

"I'd almost forgotten what a bitch you can be!" I snarled at Jessica, who was glaring at me, with contempt.

Her last comment had struck a nerve within me. She never surprised me anymore how bitchy and difficult she could be to reason with and it seemed like she was getting worse and worse every time I was around her.

As I glanced towards Jessica's parents, I could see both of them, glaring at me, the venom evident in their eyes. But it was Jessica's father who made his contempt for me known first.

"Don't you dare talk to my daughter that way!" Joe Simpson said, angrily. "I don't blame her for feeling the way she does about you!"

"I agree with Joe." Tina Simpson said, calling Mr. Simpson by his first name. "She has good reason to be threatened by you."

"She looked at me, directly.

"You're obviously here to worm your way back into Nick's life again, and possibly his bed!" Mrs. Simpson added.

"Come on, Tina, that's not fair." Nick said. "Sean isn't doing anything like that. He just wants to help me get through whatever this family emergency is."

"That's a load of bull and you know it, Nick." Joe said, sternly. "He's nothing but trouble for this family and the sooner you accept that, the better off we will all be, including you."

I shook my head, in annoyance. Even though I wanted to be nice and respect Jessica's parents, I was not about to let them walk all over me.

"You know what?" I said, angrily. "Can you all please stop focusing on me and give Nick the answers that he needs?" I asked everyone in the room. "Nick wants to know what family emergency was so important that he and I had to get the first flight out of Orlando with no time to sleep or anything."

Nick turned back around and faced his parents.

"I would like to know that, Mom." He said. "What was so important that it couldn't have waited another day?"

Nick looked over at Jessica when he asked that.

"Jess, are you alright?" He aked her. "Is our daughter alright?"

Jessica nodded.

"Yes, she's fine." Jessica explained. "She's not sick or anything. She's doing just fine."

"Oh my god! I knew it!" I suddenly exclaimed before Nick could say anything. All eyes were on me at that moment.

" I can't believe this!" I said, loudly, glancing at Nick's mom. "Mrs. Lachey, you actually lied to your son about some family emergency just to get him back here and away from me? My god, I knew I was right when I told Nick at the airport, that something didn't feel right about this!"

Nick looked at his mother for confirmation. It was clear that he was starting to get very upset.

"Is this true, Mom?" He asked her. "Was there really no family emergency at all?"

Cate looked shocked that Nick was doubting her. It made her get defensive.

"No!" She said. "I didn't lie to you, sweetheart. I just didn't get into specifics over the phone. This family emergency has nothing to do with Jessica or Nicole. It has to do with your brother."

As soon as she mentioned Drew's name, It was Nick's turn to get defensive.

"Don't bring Drew into this, Mom." Nick said, venomently. "He no longer is a part of my life after what he did to me! If I never see or hear from him again, it'll be too soon!"

Then, Nick looked around the room, wondering why Drew wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Where is Drew, anyway?" Nick asked outloud. "I just assumed he would have been here."

"Well, he's not here, Son." John Lachey said, sternly. "So, it looks like you got your wish."

"What do you mean?" Nick frowned.

And so did I. "What did his father mean by that?"

Nick looked from his father to his mother. It was then and there that he noticed that Cate's eyes were filled with tears and they had started rolling down her cheeks. When, Nick saw that, he put his hands around his mother's arms, offering her comfort.

"Mom, what's going on?" He asked her, getting concerned.

He hardly ever saw his mother cry and that disturbed him. He never liked to see her cry. Cate was always the strong one in the family who kept it together, even when things looked bad. And now to see her, literally reduced to tears made it hard for Nick to stay angry with her, like he had been a few minutes earlier.

Cate then picked up her purse from the table beside her and starting going through it.

"Your brother is gone." She said, as she pulled an envelope out of her purse. "I don't know if we're ever going to see him again."

Now that threw both Nick and I for a loop. Shocked, I looked over at Nick to see what his reaction was. When I did, I could see that Nick was stunned. Even though he was still very angry with Drew, he never saw this coming.

"Wait a minute?" Nick said, when he had gotten his voice to work again. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"Drew left town last night."Danny said, from the sofa, nearby. "It doesn't look like he'll be back anytime soon."

"Are you absolutely sure that Drew's left town?" Nick asked his parents. "Are you sure that he's not lying?"

Nick's mom and dad both looked at each other, obviously taken aback by Nick's attitude about his brother's leaving. It was like Nick didn't care at all. And that really hurt them to see."

Cate held out Drew's letter to Nick.

"Read it and find out for yourself." She said, sadly.

Nick took the letter and looked at it. He recognized his brother's handwriting.

He opened it and pulled out the paper inside and unfolded it.

Nick walked back over next to me and stood next to me so I could see the letter. Nick began reading it.

Dear Mom and Dad,

"This is the hardest letter I've ever had to write."

"I'm a complete wreck right now. I've lost my brother's trust in me, as well as Sean's and everyone else's, who have been close to me, as well."

"The reason why is because I did something a few years back that was unforgiveable."

"I paid off a man to act as a minister so that Nick and Sean's marriage wouldn't be legal, so that way, they would never be together legally. I thought I was ready to let him go, but my actions proved otherwise. I, still, was not fully ready to let Sean go, even though I wanted him to be happy at the time."

"I know now that that was incredibly selfish of me to do, and I can't make myself feel any worse than I already do. I'm already paying for it, believe me."

"I've lost my brother's trust and I don't know if I will ever get it back again. Even if I do, our relationship will never be the way it used to be."

"When Nick found out about what happened, he kicked me out of the house, so I don't have anywhere else to go."

I headed down to your house to talk and see if I could stay with you until I resolved things with Nick, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"And while I was contemplating what to do, I decided that I needed to get away for awhile. I need time to sort out my life and get back on the right track again."

"I'm asking you to give me this time and I beg of you not to try to find me. I need to sort things out on my own.

"While I'm gone, I would like you to be there for my family. Help Nick through this difficult time and please try not to be so hard on him for throwing me out. After what I did, I deserved it."

"Please watch out for my little niece and help my family cope with my leaving. Tell Nick that I love him and that I'm sorry for everything that I put him through."

I don't know when I will be coming back home, so take care of yourselves and be safe.

"Try not to worry about me. I'll be alright, and I'll be thinking of you, always."

"I love you,"

Drew.

When Nick finished reading the letter, he folded it back up and handed it back to his mother.

"Don't read too much into this letter, Mom." Nick said, trying to keep from sounding insensitive. "He'll be back."

"Oh, you think so, huh?" His mother asked, as she wiped at her tears. "And that's all you have to say about this?"

Nick shrugged.

"What do you want me to say, Mom?" Nick asked her. "Drew's gone. What do you expect me to do about that?"

Cate was thrown for a loop at the way Nick was acting. She had never seen him act that way. Not having a care in the world whether his brother was alright or not.

"Well, for starters, you could show a little compassion for you brother and what he's going through right now!" Nick's father pointed out.

As my eyes shifted on John, I could see that he was getting really pissed with Nick's attitude. But then when he looked at me, I could see that most of his anger was directed at me.

"This is all his fault, Son." He said to Nick, as he pointed at me. "If he hadn't come back into your life, none of this would have happened! And maybe Drew would still be here with us today, instead of being out there all alone!"

I shifted my eyes down to the floor as my guilt over being the cause of Nick and Drew's relationship, being totally destroyed, washed over me again. I did wonder right then if John had a valid point there after all.

"Dad..." Nick started to protest. But before he could go on, I laid a hand on one of his muscular arms, stopping him short. He looked over at me.

"Nick, as much as I hate to say it, I think your father has a point." I said, reluctantly.

Nick's eyes widened in shock. He could not believe I had just said that.

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked, frowning.

I saw John and Cate look at each other and then back to me, in shock. They could not believe I actually agreed with them.

"Your father is right about one thing." I said. "That maybe if I hadn't come back into your life, then maybe you and Drew would still be best brothers."

Nick turned and put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me, intensely. I could see the anger in his eyes.

"Now, you're not making any sense." He said to me. I'm glad you're back in my life again. I feel more complete now than I was when you weren't a part of it."

I was grateful to Nick for his support. He was really starting to prove himself to me, making me realize that I had done the right thing by giving him a chance to make up for his mistakes.

"Thanks, Nick." I said, smiling. You're the best friend a guy could have."

Nick pulled me into a hug and he embraced me tightly, which of course did not please Cate and John. Nor did it please Jessica, Tina, or Joe. Not in the least.

"Oh god!" I heard Jessica exclaim. "I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Jessica, stop!" Jeff hissed, annoyed with her.

In response to Jessica's remark, I turned towards her and gave her the finger.

"Right here, bitch!" I sneered at her.

The minute my middle finger was up in the air, all hell broke loose!

"WHY YOU INSOLENT LITTLE SLUT!" Jessica screamed as she lunged at me.

Her mother reached out for her, but she did not catch Jessica in time.

Jessica was heading for me, and she was out for blood!

Before Nick could react, Jessica was in front of me and her hands were coming at my face. But I was quick and grabbed her arms, keeping them away from my face. She was obviously ready to use it as a scratch post.

"OH PLEASE?! JUST GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, YOU HAG!!" I shouted, as I shoved her away from me, hard, knocking her to the floor.

"DON"T YOU TREAT MY DAUGHTER THAT WAY YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Jessica's father screamed as he also lunged at me.

After Joe lunged at me, it started to turn into an all out family brawl!!! Except that there were people who were trying to prevent that from happening.

Jeff and Danny had both stood up when Jessica lunged at me, so they were able to react quickly when Joe lunged at me and grab him to keep him from assaulting me.

Unfortunately, Jeff and Danny, even together, weren't strong enough to hold Joe back, so Nick's father stepped in and held him back, as Cate and Nick looked on.

Jessica's mother was helping Jessica up off of the floor, while all this was going on.

Nick, of course, was standing in front of me, shielding me, in case Joe got loose and came on the attack.

"JOE! COME ON! GET YOURSELF UNDER CONTROL!! John yelled out, trying to calm Joe down. "THE BASTARD ISN'T WORTH IT!!"

"THE FUCK HE ISN'T!!!" Joe bellowed, as he struggled against Jeff, Danny, and John's restraining arms. "HE LITERALLY LAID A HAND ON MY DAUGHTER!!"

I frowned, my own anger heating up over this whole situation. I could not believe things had come to this!"

"SHE CAME AFTER ME!!" I yelled at Joe. "I WAS JUST DEFENDING MYSELF! I DIDN"T HURT HER, SO CHILL OUT BEFORE YOU GIVE YOURSELF A FUCKING HEART ATTACK!"

My back talk didn't help anything, except to add to Joe's fury.

"FUCK YOU, YOU LITTLE COCKSUCKER!" Joe snarled.

At that moment, Nick had had enough. And he let everyone in the room, know it too.

"JOE, STOP!!!" Nick shouted out. "THAT'S ENOUGH!!! STOP ACTING LIKE AN ASSHOLE AND GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!"

Everyone looked at Nick in amazement. Even Joe, who had stopped struggling, had calmed down.

Nick had never talked to Jessica's father like that before. That was definitely the first time.

Everyone in the room was at a loss for words, and Joe didn't know what to say next. Then, Nick started talking in a quieter tone.

"Joe, I'm sorry I yelled at you like that." Nick said. "I just didn't want you to give yourself a heart attack. Please calm down. The last thing my wife needs is her father in the hospital. And I don't want my little girl to be subjected to all of this tension, either."

Joe calmed down at that moment and once Jeff, Danny, and and Nick's Dad, saw that he wasn't going to go after Sean again, they let go of him and backed away from him. Yet, they stayed nearby just in case Joe decided to go on the attack again.

"I understand, Nick." Joe said. "But you have to understand that I was only trying to protect my daughter."

"I know you were, Joe." Nick said, nodding his head. "But there wasn't any real reason you had to lose it like that and go after Sean. Jessica isn't hurt."

Nick looked over at Jessica, who was sitting over on the couch with her mother. Danny and Jeff were still standing on either side of Joe.

"Are you, babe?" Nick asked her, just to be sure.

Jessica looked a bit shaken up, so she didn't say anything. but she nodded, letting Nick know that she was ok.

"Good." Nick said, nodding. Then he wondered something.

"Where's our daughter, Jess?" Nick asked.

"She's not here." Jessica said, from the sofa. "Your Mom arranged to have a babysitter watch her at their house."

Just then, she looked at her watch.

"Speaking of which, I think I should go over there and pick her up now." Jessica said, starting to get up.

"You don't have to, sweetie." Tina said, putting a hand on Jessica's thigh. "I'll go and get her."

Tina rose and started walking across the room where her husband was standing. She put a hand on his arm.

"You coming with me?" She asked, as she grabbed her purse from the table, near. Joe shook his head.

"No, I'm going to stay here." He told her. "I'm not finished with what I have to say to Sean!"

"Yes, you are." I said, angrily. "I've heard enough out of you! Besides, I'm leaving!"

A few gasps were heard around the room. Most likely from Jeff and Danny, as well as Nick. I didn't know, since I had turned around and was already starting to walk out of the room. But not before I felt someone grab my arm.

"You're not going anywhere." Nick said, when I turned around.

When I saw Nick's face, I immediately felt like I was going to lose it. I was tired of fighting with people and having to defend myself. Not that I couldn't do it, it was just that at that moment, I needed to get some rest.

"GOD, NICK! CAN"T YOU PLEASE JUST GIVE ME A DAMN BREAK?!" I yelled at him. "I'M GOING TO GO TO A HOTEL AND BOOK A ROOM! I'M TIRED AND I NEED TO GET SOME SLEEP, ALRIGHT?! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!"

I regretted yelling at Nick the moment I saw his face. Even though I was sure he knew I didn't mean it, It was clear that he was hurt. But yet, he could see how tired I really was.

"Ok, fine." He said, not looking at me. "Go up and sleep in my room for awhile and we'll talk later."

I felt guilty right then for hurting Nick's feelings when all he was trying to do was be there for me. He didn't deserve to be treated that way.

"Nick, I'm sorry." I said, trying to apologize.

"Go get some sleep, Sean." Nick said, lowly. "We'll talk later."

I started walking away. But not before Jessica spoke again.

"You're not sleeping in MY bed!" Jessica said. "That's Nick's and mine now!"

I turned around and gave her a dirty look and then looked back to Nick. I saw him put his hand to his head, in exasperation.

"Fine, Jessica, you can have it your way!" He said, loudly. "Sean can sleep in Drew's room, since Drew is gone. I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind!"

"If I had it my way, Sean wouldn't even be here in this house!" Jessica said, loudly. "He would crawl back under that rock he came out from under and leave my family the hell alone!"

"Amen to that." Joe said, a smug look on his face. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

"Same here." John added. "I'm sure my wife agrees as well."

"I do, honey." Cate said, glancing at him.

"So do I." Tina said, from nearby.

Now, Nick was really starting to get steamed. And so was I. I chose to take an out first.

"Nick, I'm not going to stand here and listen to anymore of this!" I said, angrily. "I'm going upstairs to Drew's room to get some sleep! Later!"

With that, I stormed off and went upstairs to Drew's room.

Nick turned back around and looked back at Jessica, his anger heating up. Then, he looked around the room at their parents, who were all still there.

"Could you guys give Jessica and I some time alone?" Nick asked them.

"Sure, sweetie." His mother said. "Your father and I have to head to work now anyway."

"And Joe and I are going to go and get Nicole." Tina said. "I'll take her back to my house for awhile. When you both are ready for me to bring her over here, just call, alright?"

"That's a good idea, Mom." Jessica said, looking at Nick, smiling. "Maybe it'll give Nick and I a chance to talk and make up for lost time."

"Alright, well I'll see you later, sweetie." Tina said. She leaned in and kissed Jessica on the cheek.

"Come on, Tina." Cate said, as she and John headed for the door. "We'll walk you and Joe out."

Cate and John, Tina, and Joe, all walked out of the living room and left the house. They all bid Nick and Jessica goodbye before they closed the door behind them.

Jeff and Danny rose up from the couch, in the living room.

"We're going to go check on Sean and see if he's ok." Jeff told Nick.

"Good idea." Nick agreed. "Jess and I need some time alone."

Jeff and Danny left the living room and headed upstairs to Drew's room to check on Sean.

Nick turned back and glared at Jessica, his anger obvious.

"You and I are going to have a serious talk!" He said through gritted teeth.

Jessica looked at him like a scolded child.

UPSTAIRS IN DREW'S BEDROOM..................

When I went into Drew's room, I slammed the door behind me.

After that, I moved over to the bed and flung myself down on it, back first.

I just lied there, with an arm over my eyes, taking in deep breaths, trying to clear my mind of everything that had happened downstairs.

All too soon there was a knock on the door.

"Go away!" I yelled at whoever was on the other side of the door.

"Sean, it's Jeff and I. I heard Danny's voice say. "Please let us in."

Sighing in frustration, I got up and opened the door, revealing both Jeff and Danny standing there, looking at me with concern written on their faces.

"What do you two want?" I asked them. "I'm really tired right now and I need to get some shuteye."

"That's fine." Jeff said. "Danny and I just wanted to come up and give you a proper hello since we didn't get to downstairs."

With those words, Jeff pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight.

I was surprised. I wasn't expecting a hug, but I accepted the hug anyway. Especially because it felt good to be in loving arms again. Even if it was only Jeff.

Jeff released me and then Danny leaned in and hugged me too.

"Thanks, guys." I said, grateful to them for their affection and support. "I really needed those hugs."

They both nodded. Then Jeff spoke.

"We want to apologize for what happened down there and the fact that we didn't stick up for you." He said.

"No, don't be sorry. I said, concerned. "Why should you be sorry? There wasn't anything you could have done for me down there. You probably would have just made things worse down there. The last thing I want is for you and Danny to be caught in the middle of my battles with the Lachey and Simpson families."

"Don't worry about us." Danny said. "We can handle it. Being there for you is what's important to us."

"And I appreciate that more than you'll know." I said to Danny. Then I stifled a yawn.

"Looks like we'd better get out of here and let you get your rest." Jeff said, laughing. "We're going back to our room too for awhile."

"Yeah." Danny said, nodding. "Besides, Nick wanted a moment alone with Jessica and he didn't look happy when we left. I wouldn't be surprised if he's giving her a piece of his mind right now for treating you the way she did, earlier."

I nodded, knowing that Nick couldn't have been pleased with Jessica's actions.

"Well, it serves the bitch right if he does." I told them. "As far as I'm concerned, Jessica needs to grow up and stop being so insecure all of the time. She has nothing to fear from me. I'm not after her husband."

"I hear you." Jeff said. "When Jessica behaves this way, sometimes I just wish that..........

Jeff stopped in midsentence. Frowning, I looked over at Danny and saw that his facial expression mirrored my own. I looked back over at Jeff.

"You wish what, Jeff?" I asked him.

Jeff looked a little unsure if he should bring up whatever it was he was going to say.

"I'm not sure I should say it." He said.

"No, Jeff, go ahead." I said. "Whatever it is, I'll handle it. I just want to know what it is you're thinking."

Jeff finally decided to just spit it out and get it over with.

"Sometimes, I wish that Nick would divorce her and get back together with you." Jeff said. "But I know that's extremely selfish of me, since that's not going to happen. Nick loves her and he has his sweet little baby girl to think about as well."

Jeff's admission pretty much floored both Danny and I. We had no idea that Jeff felt that way. Although I shouldn't have been surprised. I, myself, was starting to wonder if Jessica was really good for Nick. After all, she never would be civil to me at all, except for the time that Nick was gone. Other than that, that was the only civil conversation we'd had. Now, she was doing everything she could to let me know that she was my enemy.

"I had no idea you felt that way, Jeff." I said, in surprise.

"Neither did I, Sexy." Danny added, putting his arms around Jeff. Then he planted a kiss on Jeff's cheek.

That kiss started another kiss from Jeff and before I knew it, the two of them were practically making out right in front of me, giving me a private show.

Just then, I wondered where Justin and Kandi were. I had not seen them when Nick and I came in the house about a half hour ago."

"Hey, guys?" I asked them. They stopped kissing and looked at me.

"Where are Justin and Kandi?" I asked them. "They weren't here when Nick and I got in, earlier."

Jeff and Danny looked at each other and shrugged.

"We don't know." Danny explained. "They were gone when we got up earlier this morning."

I frowned.

"I wonder where they could be?" I wondered to myself.

DOWNSTAIRS, IN THE LIVING ROOM...............

"Jessica, I'm getting really tired of your attitude towards Sean lately!" Nick said to her, harshly. "Can't you give him a break?"

Jessica looked at Nick in shock.

"Well, excuse me if I don't exactly like the guy, Nick." She said. "And don't tell me he's here just to be there for you because of Drew's leaving. We both know there's alot more to it than that!"

Nick turned away and sighed heavily. He was getting really mad and he was not going to be able to take much more. Sooner or later, he was going to snap.

"God, you just won't give up, will you?" Nick said, loudly. "You just have to be convinced that there's some ulterior motive on Sean's part where I'm concerned, don't you?!"

Jessica turned away from Nick and looked around the room. Nick continued to talk.

"Jessica, when are you going to get it through your head that Sean is not in love with me anymore?" Nick asked her, trying to get through to her. "He hasn't been for a long time and he probably never will be again." Not that it matters, because I love you, not Sean."

Jessica turned back to him, obviously getting frustrated.

"Well, if that's true, then why can't you let him go?" She asked Nick. "We were doing just fine without him in our lives before. We can do it again."

She walked over and put her arms around Nick's neck.

"Baby, come on." She said, trying to butter him up. "Don't you remember how happy we've been these last two years? We got married, had an amazing honeymoon, and I gave birth to our beautiful baby girl."

Nick grabbed Jessica's arms and removed them from around his neck.

"Yes, I remember that." Nick said, angrily. "And don't you remember the guilt that I had to live with over treating Sean the way that I did all those years ago? I never had a chance to at least apologize to Sean for treating him like that. Especially now that I know that I've been living a lie these past two years!"

Jessica was horrified by Nick's words. She didn't like to hear him talk like that. She knew he was upset, but she had no idea that Nick would be this upset.

"What the hell are you talking about, baby?" she asked, defensively. "I didn't even know about Drew's little secret until he told us all about it! It's not my fault!"

"Not directly, no!" Nick said. "But when you found out, you chose to keep this from me all because you are so insecure where Sean is concerned."

Jessica frowned again.

Wait a minute, Nick!" She exclaimed, going on the defensive. "I'm am not insecure!"

"Yes you are!" Nick fired back at her. "What kind of a marriage do you expect us to have if you don't trust me?!"

"Nick, you I trust." Jessica said to him. "It's Sean I'm worried about."

"Still," Nick continued. "You disrespect Sean and rip into him every chance you get, when he is just trying to be a friend to me again. You don't seem to understand that when I finally got to see him again after all these years, I finally got a chance to rid myself of all of that guilt I kept bottled up inside. I finally have a second chance to make up for what I did to him, and yet you want to take that chance away from me, and that I will not stand for!"

Nick started pacing around the room. When he did that, you knew that he had alot on his mind.

"I can't take this anymore, Jess." He said, frustrated. "I'm at the end of my rope here. If you keep things going the way that they are then I'll have to......."

Nick stopped, when he realized what he was thinking about. He didn't think he'd ever been thinking about it at all, no matter how bad things got. But all he knew was that he couldn't go on like this anymore. Not with Jessica and Sean constantly at each other's throats all the time.

"You'll have to what?" Jessica asked him. "Baby, what are you saying?"

Nick looked back at her and gave her his answer.

"I think we need to file for a legal separation." He said to her.

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

__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html