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.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The flashbacks for the previous chapters are going to look a little different now. read the scenes for the previous chapter and tell me what you think?

I think it looks more like a primetime or daytime show when they flash back to different scenes. I did this one as a test to see if you all like it. If not, I will go back to how I was originally doing it.

Previously on "My Everything".....

OUTSIDE NICK'S HOUSE..........

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

"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."

******************************************************* FLASH TO: NICK'S LIVING ROOM................

"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.

"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.

"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!"

"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."

******************************************************* FLASH TO...........

"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.

******************************************************* FLASH TO: CATE'S REVELATION..............

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

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."

******************************************************* FLASH TO: NICK'S FATHER'S OUTBURST...........

"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!"

******************************************************* FLASH TO: NICK AND SEAN'S EMBRACE............

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

"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.

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

"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.

"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!!"

"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!"

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

"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.

******************************************************* FLASH TO: UPSTAIRS IN DREW'S BEDROOM..................

"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."

******************************************************* FLASH TO: 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!"

"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!"

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......."

"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.

*********** CHAPTER 71 ***********

UPSTAIRS IN DREW'S ROOM....................

As I lay there, in the bed, I thought about what Jeff had said earlier. I still couldn't believe that Jeff had actually said it. That he wished that Nick would get break up with Jessica and get back together with me. It was definitely a shock to me.

Jeff and Danny had gone to their room after they finished up talking to me. Since we all knew that Nick was downstairs, laying into Jessica for her treatment of me earlier, There was no reason for any of us to go down there.

So, Jeff and Danny had gone to get a little more sleep, in their room, while I was working on getting some sleep of my own.

Unfortunately, I didn't have to wait long. I was asleep before I even knew it.

******************************************************* IN JEFF AND DANNY'S ROOM...................

Jeff?" Danny asked, as he snuggled close to Jeff and lay his head on Jeff's chiseled pecs.

"Yeah?" Jeff murmured, with closed eyes, as he put his arm around Danny and pulled him in closer.

"Did you really mean what you said earlier about wanting Nick to break up with Jessica and him getting back together with Sean?" Danny asked him, as he ran a hand up and down Jeff's abdomen.

Jeff opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Danny. Then he shook his head.

"Not exactly." Jeff replied. "I mean, sure there are times when I wish that Nick had never married her, but when I see how he is around her and how much he loves her and his little girl, I see how happy he is with his life and I don't want to do anything to discourage him. If he is happy, then I'm happy for him."

Danny frowned, as he listened to Jeff talk and he wondered something.

"I have to wonder, though....." Danny started to say, before he cut off.

"What?" Jeff wanted to know.

Danny decided to just blurt it out and get it over with.

"I have to wonder if Nick and Jessica are going to survive this latest conflict. The way Jessica acted earlier when she tried to attack Sean, as well as what happened later, had to have been the last straw for Nick."

Jeff thought about that for a moment. He had seen the angry look on Nick's face earlier when Jessica had laid into Sean earlier.

"I have to wonder about that too." Jeff agreed. "Did you see Nick's face earlier when Jessica threw a fit about Sean staying here? He was furious with her."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Nick was asking her for a separation right now." Danny added.

"I know......" Jeff started to say.

Then, he looked back at Danny and once he locked eyes with him, he was ready for forget about Nick and Jessica's problems and focus on his sexy man, lying beside him.

"Enough about Nick and Jessica." Jeff said. "Right now, I want some lovin' baby, and you're just the man to give it to me."

Danny's worried expression over what happened with Nick and Jessica, left his face and he broke into a huge grin.

"Well in that case, I'm all yours, so let's get started." Danny said, as he leaned in to kiss Jeff.

Their lips met and they engaged into a slow, but very intimate kiss.

Within seconds, their kissing started getting more intense and they were starting to breath heavy as they got more and more into the mood.

Danny started kissing Jeff's neck, hitting Jeff's hot spots, which were making Jeff even hornier.

"Oh god, Danny." Jeff panted. "I love you so much, baby."

Danny lifted his head and his eyes locked on Jeff's. Jeff could see the love in Danny's eyes for him.

"Make love to me, Jeff." Danny whispered. "Right here. Right now."

Jeff grabbed the back of Danny's head and pulled him in for another kiss.

Then Jeff rolled over so that he was on top of Danny, as he prepared himself to make love to his sexy boyfriend.

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

All Jessica could do was stand there and stare at Nick in total and complete shock. She didn't know what to do. But she knew that she had to do something.

"You can't be serious, Nick." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can't mean that."

Nick looked at her again and when she saw the look on his face, her eyes widened in horror at how serious he actually was.

"Oh my god, you are serious!" She said "You really want a legal separation?"

Nick turned away and sighed in exhaustion. As he ran his hands through his hair, It was clear that he was still very tired and he didn't get much sleep either when he got back from Orlando. So, he wasn't really thinking rationally at that moment.

Nick turned back to Jessica.

"That's not what I want, Jessica." Nick said, with a sad tone in his voice. "But this feud between you and Sean cannot go on like it has been."

"Baby, don't you think I know that?!" Jessica said, loudly. "I'm sorry that this is so hard on you. I really am. But you have to realize that I have a family to protect and I will do anything I have to to keep my family together."

She stopped and looked at Nick, then added: "At least what's left of it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick said, with an angry/confused frown on his face.

Jessica enlightened him.

"Well, for one thing, you kicked Drew out of your life, so now he's out there somwhere, lost and all alone and you just don't seem to give a damn!" She said, her anger starting to escalate.

Nick's pointed a finger at her, as he glared at her, angrily.

"Don't you dare bring Drew into this!" Nick said, through gritted teeth. "This isn't about him!"

Jessica didn't agree.

"How can it not be, Nick!" She shouted. "Drew is part of this family too, or have you forgotten?!"

Nick didn't say anything to that remark, so Jessica turned and walked over to the mantle nearby where she pulled down a couple pictures from it and walked back over to Nick with them. She then handed one of them to Nick.

"Look at this, Nick." She said, as Nick accepted the picture out of her hand.

It was a picture of Nick and Drew together in the photo with their arms around each other. Both of them were smiling, showing off that irresistable Lachey charm that they both posessed.

"Don't you see how happy the two of you were then?" Jessica said to him. "And this was 1 year after Sean was gone."

She then handed him the other picture.

"And this one," She said as she handed Nick the other picture. "is my favorite."

Nick took the photo and looked at it, also. It was a picture of Nick and Drew in the picture again. They were both wearing Armani suits, but this time Drew was holding Nicole in his arms. He was smiling all over, and was practically glowing with happiness. So was Nick.

"This was the day of Nicole's christening." She said. "You and Drew were so happy that day as well. Especially Drew. That's when he started taking his role as Nicole's uncle seriously."

Nick looked up at Jessica again. His face was stony.

"So what?" He said, as he set the photos down on the table, after looking at them. "This doesn't change anything between Drew and I. He betrayed me! And I'm not going to forgive him anytime soon!"

Now, Jessica was getting angry again. She was tired of hearing Nick put down his brother.

"You know something, Nick?!" Jessica snarled. "You can be so infuriating sometimes! When you were gone, Drew was the one who was there to help me with our daughter! He sat with her in our bedroom at night until she would go to sleep! He would play with her whenever I was too exhausted to! He did everything he could to make it easier for all of us, during the worst time of our lives! You sure have some nerve!"

Nick scowled at her.

"I can say the same thing about you!" He retorted. "I will probably forgive Drew before I ever forgive you! At least he had the guts to tell me the truth, unlike you, who wanted to keep on lying to me, indefinitely, if you had to!"

"I had good reason to!" Jessica fired back at him. "Although I'm sure you won't admit it, but you've still got a soft spot for Sean in your heart! Don't you?! It's pretty obvious to me!"

Nick rolled his eyes in frustration. He was tired of dealing with Jessica when she was like this.

"You know what?" Nick said, throwing up his hands. "I'm not going to talk about this with you anymore! I'm going to get some sleep!"

Nick started to walk away, but Jessica grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't you walk away from me, Nick!" Jessica said, forcefully. "I'm not finished with you!"

Nick looked at Jessica sternly.

"Jessica, let go of me!" He said, with an annoyed look on his face.

Jessica let go of Nick's arm and looked back at him, angrily.

"Fine!" She snapped. "But we will finish this discussion later!"

"Whatever." Nick said, disgusted. "I'll see you later."

With that, Nick walked off and left Jessica alone in the living room.

Jessica sat down on the couch and buried her face into her hands and started sobbing.

"Why is this happening?" She wailed. "What is it going to take to get Sean out of my life?!

She looked over at the pictures that were sitting on the table when Nick had left them and went over to get them.

She picked them up and took them back over to the mantle, where she placed them back on it where they were before. As she did, another picture caught her eye.

It was her wedding photo that she and Nick had taken on their wedding day. She pulled it down and looked at it.

"I love you so much, Nick." Jessica whispered. "You are the only man I will ever love for as long as I live."

She set the picture back on the mantle and turned around, with a look of pure hatred on her face.

"Damn you, Sean Perry!" She said, furiously. "Damn you to hell!"

Then she thought of something that she'd almost forgotten about and she smiled like the cat that swallowed the canary.

"Ok, Jessica, don't get mad." She said, still grinning. "Get even."

She hurriedly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and quickly wrote a letter to Nick.

Once she was finished, she scurried to the kitchen and set it down on the kitchen table. She grabbed her purse and her car keys and left the house.

******************************************************* BACK UPSTAIRS IN DREW'S ROOM.......

ABOUT 5 HOURS LATER..........

I woke up, feeling totally refreshed and revitalized. All I needed to do now is get a shower so I would be clean and fresh, and ready to start my day.

When I went to move, I found that I couldn't. I turned around and found out why. Once I did, I froze in shock.

Nick, was in bed with me, asleep, and had his arms wrapped around my waist. His eyes were closed and as always, he looked so cute when he was asleep. All the worries and stress were gone whenever he was asleep.

But I did have to wonder what he was doing in bed with me. I'm sure there was a good explanation for it. But I wouldn't know that until Nick woke up.

I didn't know what to do, but I knew that I had to do something. Jessica was going to throw a fit if she saw this.

As soon as Jessica entered my thoughts, I tried to remove Nick's arms from around me, without waking him, but I wasn't successful.

Nick stirred and his eyes opened. Once he saw me looking back at him, he smiled.

"Good Morning." He murmured, sleepily. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby." I said. "Thanks for asking. I do have a question for you, though."

Nick seemed to know what I was going to ask him.

"What am I doing in bed with you?" he asked, outloud. "I'll explain that."

I shifted around so I was face to face with him. I almost regretted it because our faces were only inches apart.

"Please do." I said, curiously.

Nick proceeded to explain himself to me.

"I came up here to get away from Jessica earlier after the fight we had." He said. "I would have gone to sleep in our room, but I was afraid that she wouldn't leave me alone if I did, so I came in here. I was going to ask you if it'd be ok if I could share the bed with you and just get some sleep, but you were already asleep when I came in. So I decided to just go ahead and lay down beside you and explain when I woke up."

I nodded, accepting Nick's explanation. But I was curious as to the other issue.

"I guess I buy that." I said, frowning. "But if you only came up here to sleep, why do you have your arms around my waist?"

Nick looked down then and noticed that his arms were indeed around my waist. With an embarrassed look, he removed them, immediately.

"I'm sorry. You were tossing and turning earlier, like you were having a nightmare or something." Nick said. "I didn't want to wake you up, so I just put my arms around you and that seemed to calm you right down. I guess I fell asleep before I could remove them."

"I don't remember having a nightmare." I said, frowning in confusion. "That's strange because I usually remember it if I had one."

Nick shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you." He said. "You calmed down after I put my arms around you."

I thought about it a moment and came up with an answer for it.

"Maybe it was an instinctual response." I said. "My body probably was reacting to being held. After all, I haven't had anyone's arms wrapped around me in bed for awhile."

Nick was surprised by that admission. He sat up and propped himself against the head of the bed. He looked back down at me.

"You mean you haven't been with any other man since we broke up?" He asked me.

"No." I said, then frowned. "Well, with the exception of your brother, which turned out to be a one time thing, I haven't been with anyone else before him, either."

Nick looked down at me and I thought I saw a sad look in his eyes.

"May I ask why?" He asked me. "You're still a very handsome guy to me. You had to have had other guys interested in you."

It felt a little weird, hearing Nick bring up other guys. But it also felt good that he still saw me as an atractive man.

"Yeah, there were plenty of opportunities." I said. "One of them started about a year ago after I'd left California."

<>

A YEAR EARLIER.....................

I was sitting in a bar, and observing the crowd, while I sat there, downing tequila shots, one after the other.

"Excuse me?" I heard a man's voice ask. "Would you mind if I joined you? You look like you could use someone to talk to."

I turned around and came face to face with one hell of a hunk! I couldn't help but gawk at him.

He was very tall. About 6 foot 3 inches, I presumed. He had dirty blonde hair, baby blue eyes, nicely shaped lips, and his teeth shown pure white. Everything about him was perfect. Well, almost.

He was wearing a tight, sleeveless, black v-neck shirt which clung to his body in all the right places. It was a button down shirt, so you could tell that this guy took care of his body.

His biceps were huge. He had his shirt unbuttoned all the way down below his chest. His pecs bulged out of his t-shirt and his abs were awesome. Another awesome feature of his was his ass. He was wearing a nice pair of Levi 501's that were faded blue and showed off his legs and package nicely.

Normally, I would have been distracted a little longer before I answered him, but with the way I was feeling right now, I wasn't.

"Suit yourself." I said, not smiling. "But I must warn you, I don't think I'd be very good company right now."

He smiled again, showing off his beautiful teeth.

"I'll take a chance on you." He said, warmly, as he took a seat next to me at the bar.

He took a good look at me and noticed that something was troubling me.

"So," He started trying to make conversation. "What's got you in such a foul mood that you're downing tequila shots?"

I looked down at my shot glass in my hand and saw that it was my sixth one.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked him, as I downed it.

"Yeah." The man said. "Most guys I know down shots when they're wanting to get drunk and have a good time. To me, you don't seem like the drinking type. And you don't look like you're having any fun. It looks more like you're in pain."

"You don't know the half of it." I said, sarcastically, as I shoved my shot glass forward with the rest of them.

The guy looked at me, a sympathetic look on his face.

"Would it help to talk about it?" He asked me, trying to get me to open up more.

I turned towards the bartender, who was behind the counter.

"May I have a glass of Merlot, please?" I asked him.

"Sure." He said. "Is that all?"

"Yes." I said. "Thanks."

The bartender set about getting my order ready. I then turned back to the man beside me.

"I'm totally not myself right now, so I'm completely forgetting my manners here." I said, apologetically.

I extended my hand out to him, as I introduced myself.

I'm Sean." I said to him, as he reached out and grasped my hand.

"I'm Jason." He said, as he shook my hand, gently, yet firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Sean."

I smiled for the first time that night. Jason seemed like such a nice guy. He wasn't bad looking either. He was hot! He was the first man I ever really took notice of since I'd moved here to Orlando.

"So, what brings a sexy guy like you to a nightclub like this, Jason?" I asked him.

"Well for one thing, the music." he said, before he took a sip of his beer.

"And the guys, right?" I asked, with a half-smile. Jason grinned.

"That's just an added perk." He said, with a laugh. "Anyway, what's got you in such a bad mood?"

I sighed sadly as I prepared to tell Jake my story. But not before the bartender returned with my Merlot.

"Thanks." I said, as I accepted the glass from the bartender and paid him for it.

I then turned back to Jason.

"Well, where should I start?" I asked him. He flashed one of his infectious smiles.

"How about the beginning?" He asked, looking at me, with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "That's where all stories start, right?"

"Right." I said, sipping my Merlot and setting the glass down on the bar's table.

I then told Jake about everything I had been through with 98 Degrees and my former best friends.

I told Jason all about the guys, disowning me and about all the agonizing pain that I went through as I tried to pick up the pieces of my shattered life and put it back together again.

I told him about being at the lowest point of my life when I tried to commit suicide.

Jason sat back, intruiged, by everything that I'd gone through.

"And the rest they say is history." I said, coming to the conclusion to my story.

"Wow." Jason said, as he processed everything that I told him. "You have really had it bad for awhile now."

"Yeah, that's me, alright." I said, sipping my Merlot again. "I definitely have a worthless life, Jason."

"Don't say that." Jason said, as he laid a hand down on my knee. "From what you've told me, it sounds like you had it all. A husband who you thought would be there for you, no matter what, and friends who you thought you'd made for life. Only to find out that they weren't who you thought they were. It's not your fault that they disowned you."

I nodded, as I wiped at a tear that had started to run down my cheek.

"I know that now, Jason." I said, softly. "I just wish I could have seen that sooner, rather than later. Especially after I tried to kill myself."

Jason looked at me and noticed that I was still in a great deal of pain over what had happened with Nick and the guys.

"But, despite everything, you still miss Nick, don't you?" He asked me.

By then, my tears had gotten worse.

"Everyday." I said. "And I have to wonder if I will ever find happiness again."

"You will." Jason said, as his hand came down on mine. "I'd like to help you if you'll let me."

I looked up at Jason and really looked at him. For a split second, It looked like Jason could be just the man to help me forget about Nick............

<>

I looked over at Nick and I could see the guilt that was written all over his face. I guess he still wasn't over the guilt that he felt for the way that he'd treated me. Not that I blamed him. He should feel guilty for treating me as badly as he did.

"So, what happened?" Nick asked me. "Did anything happen between you and this "Jason?"

I wasn't sure I should tell him. Mostly because I'd put the past behind me. But I was starting to trust Nick again. Little by little he was gaining it back.

"Well, we talked for a while and then he asked if he could call me sometime, but I politely turned him down." I told Nick. "He seemed a little hurt by it, but I told him that it wasn't because of him. It was because I was in no shape to deal with a relationship of any kind at that time. So, I thanked him for talking to me and making me feel better, and then I took a cab home. Jake took me the next morning to get my car.

Nick sat back up and noticed the lost look in my eyes. He laid a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him then.

"I never said this before, but I will now." He said, looking into my eyes as he spoke.

He then reached out and placed both of his hands on both of my cheeks and cupped my face in his hands. He looked directly into my eyes. I could see the pain that was behind them.

"I am so sorry that I hurt you and for everything that I put you through." He whispered, softly.

It was at moment that I saw a tear slide down Nick's cheek. Feeling sympathetic, I pulled him into a brief hug.

"I know you are. I can see it in your eyes." I said to him. "And I appreciate you telling me that. I've already forgiven you. You know that."

"Yeah." Nick said as he pulled back, looking down. "But it felt good to get it out because I never really showed you how sorry I was."

I nodded, as I watched him, closely. I wanted so badly to tell him that I loved him, but with the current circumstances between him and Jessica, it wasn't a good idea.

Nick didn't need the added stress of having to deal with that on top of everything else he was dealing with.

"You have now." I said, running my hand up and down his back, gently. "And I really do appreciate it."

After saying that, I leaned over and gave Nick a soft kiss on the cheek.

"So, what do you say we lighten up the mood here?" I asked, with a smile. "What do you want to do today? I'm up for something fun."

Nick's mood lightened up immediately and a smile crossed his face.

"How about you, Danny, Jeff, Jessica, and I go swimming?" He suggested.

I wasn't sure that was a good idea. Not with Jessica in the pool too.

"I would like that, Nick." I said to him. "But I'm not up to being drowned by "Blondie."

Nick snickered at me.

"If by "Blondie" you're referring to my wife, don't worry. She won't be a problem."

"How do you know?" I asked, frowning.

"She isn't here." Nick told me. "She's not going to be back for awhile.

Nick got up out of the bed and looked outside the window. The sun was shining brightly and it was a beautiful morning for a dip in the pool.

"Well, in that case." I said, getting up out of the bed and standing up. "Let's do it."

"Excellent." Nick said. "Let's go talk to Danny and Jeff."

Nick and I left Drew's room to talk to Jeff and Danny.

******************************************************* AT THE SIMPSON HOUSEHOLD..................

Jessica was sitting on the couch with her mother, looking down at something on the table. Both of them were looking very nervous.

"Well, is it ready yet?" Jessica asked. "I need to be certain that I'm pregnant."

"You've said that at least 10 times in the last couple minutes." Her mother said, annoyed. "Calm down, sweetie."

Jessica looked up at her, with a frazzled frown.

"How can I calm down when I have so much writing on this?" Jessica asked her mother. "Having another child could be the one thing that could save my marriage."

Tina put her arm around her daughter.

"Don't worry." She said. "Whether or not you're pregnant, you and Nick will be ok. He loves you very much. Nothing can ever change that."

"I hope you're right, Mom." Jessica said, looking up at her. "I really hope you're right."

Tina smiled. "I know I am." She said.

Then she looked down at the pregnancy test that was on the table.

"I think it's ready now." She said. "Why don't you look at it and see what it says?"

Jessica picked up the pregnancy test and put her hand over the results indicator so she didn't see it right away.

She walked to the other side of the coffee table and turned back towards her mother.

"Alright, here goes." She said, as she looked down to see what the results were.

She looked down long enough that Tina couldn't take the suspense anymore.

"Well?" She urged. "What does it say? Are you pregnant or not?"

Jessica looked up at 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