My Everything

Hello, Everyone!

I'm back with another chapter of "My Everything."

Thanks for all of your support! Without it, I don't think I could have written this story for this long.

Now on with the story.

First of all, let me just say that this is my first time writing any kind of fiction like this.

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of total fiction and is not meant to imply anything about the sexualities of Nick and Drew Lachey or anyone else mentioned in this story.

If you are too young to read this, or if Homosexuality offends you, then please don't continue any further and leave.

Other 98 Degrees stories I'd like to recommend are.

"Give Me Just One Night" by Unanoche. "69 with Jeff Timmons" by Zachary Scott Pritt "Nick Lachey" by Ken. "98 Degrees Is Hot" by Gay Night "The Reunion" by RinSong. "Loving Nick Lachey" by Jordan "Playing Doctor with 98 Degrees" by Brian "This Gift" by Sprout

and finally:

"What I feel for you" by Thack.

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

Enjoy.

Previously on "My Everything".....

Nick turned back to Drew and looked him in the eyes, frowning at him.

"Drew, would you just get out of my face!" Nick asked him, harshly. "If I want your help, I will ask you for it! But it will be a cold day in hell before I do that!"

Drew stood there, looking at Nick, shaking his head. He looked down at the floor and sighed heavily. Then, he raised his hands, as he looked back up at Nick.

"Fine, I give up." He said, his voice all serious. "I thought that things between us were starting to get better with us, but I was wrong."

Drew looked back at Nick, his eyes saying it all: He was through trying to reach out to Nick. Even he had his pride and dignity. If Nick was going to be this difficult, then Drew wasn't going to waste any more of his time on him.

"I'm done trying to reach out to you, Bro." Drew said, the pain, obvious, in his voice. "As much as I love you, I can't continue to let you use me as your personal punching bag anymore. So, I'm just going to say that I hope that whatever you and Jessica are going through, right now, that you can work it out. I just want to see the two of you, happy."

With that, Drew turned and headed back to his room, Before he got to the door, he turned back to Nick.

"I won't come to you, offering my help anymore." Drew said to him. "I'll just have to wait until you are ready to trust me again, before you can confide in me. Until then, I'm just going to concentrate on my relationship with Casey right now."

"You do that." Nick said. "Concentrate on your own relationship and leave me the hell alone!"

Drew shook his head, as he pulled his key card out of his pocket and swiped it through the door.

"I was only trying to be a good brother to you, that's all, Nick!" Drew said, angrily.

"Well, with a brother like you, I certainly don't need enemies!" Nick snapped back at him.

Drew had finally heard enough. The door unlocked and he started to open it.

"Fine!" Drew said, a catch in his voice. "If you want to stand out here and feel sorry for yourself right now, be my guest, but I'll be damned if you're taking me down with you!"

Drew went into his room and shut the door behind him. Once he was gone, Nick's hands balled up into fists.

"I need some air!" He said, in exasperation

He then started walking towards the elevators.

BACK AT SEAN'S......

Jason held me in his arms, as I came to the end of the story about everything that I'd been through in the past.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that." Jason said, comforting me, as I cried on his shoulders. "But, you don't have to worry now. You've got me, now. I won't let anyone ever hurt you again."

I continued to just hold onto him. He rocked me, slightly back and forth, as he slid his strong hands up and down my back, comforting me. It was very relaxing.

"I'm so lucky to have found you, again." I said, as I wiped at my tears. "I didn't know just how alone I really felt until this very moment. I've longed for a man's arms around me, again."

I pulled back and looked Jason in the face. I caressed his cheek, lovingly.

"And I'm glad that you're going to be the man who arms will be around me alot, now." I said, smiling at him.

Jason's face took on a look of surprise.

"Does that mean what I think it does? He asked me. I nodded.

"Yes." I said. "I would love nothing more than to pursue a relationship with you." I said to him. "But I'd like to take it slow for awhile."

Now, Jason was curious. Usually taking things slow, meant no sex until the other was ready, but in my case, that wasn't what I was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked me. "We've already been having sex, so how can we take it slow now?"

I took a moment to enlighten him.

"Before you came into my life again, I had feelings for someone else." I told him. "I still do and I haven't resolved them yet."

Jason sat back and looked at me, wondering who I was talking about.

"Who?" He asked me, wanting to know. I sighed and let the truth be known.

"Believe it or not, It's Nick." I told Jason. I saw his expression change to shock.

"Nick?" He asked me, totally blown away by that admission. "Even after everything that happened between you two, you still love him?"

"I still have feelings for him." I said to Jason. "And I probably always will."

"Does Nick know that you still have feelings for him?" Jason wanted to know. I shook my head, no.

"No, he doesn't." I told Jason. "And he's not going to because I am not going to tell him. He had his chance and he made his choice to stay with Jessica. So, it's definitely over between us."

I looked up at Jason.

"So, are you still willing to give our relationship a try?" I asked him. "Even after everything I just told you?"

Jason thought it over for a moment. It seemed like an eternity, but finally he looked at me and a smile formed on his lips.

"I would love to." He told me, and held me close. "And thanks for being honest with me about your feelings for Nick."

I looked up at him, as I pulled back from our hug.

"You won't say anything to Nick, will you?" I asked him. Jason shook his head.

"No, I won't." Jason reassured me. "If you're ready to move on, and put the past behind you, than so am I."

"Thanks." I said to him. "Now, how about we make you, becoming my boyfriend, official? What do you say?"

Jason grinned at me.

"Now, there's an offer I can't refuse." He said. "Come here, you."

Jason pulled me into a very passionate kiss. We stayed that way for a long time, kissing each other. Or so it seemed. That is, until Jason had other ideas.

Jason lifted me up and started carrying me to the bedroom. As he was getting ready to walk down the hallway, the phone rang.

"I'd better get that." I said. "It might be important."

Jason put me down and I ran over to get it. I picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" I asked out loud. I got no response.

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

After a slight pause, I heard a familiar voice.

"Sean, it's Danny." I heard Danny's voice say.

********** CHAPTER 84 **********

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

I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me when I heard Danny's voice on the phone. I had been really worried about him, after hearing what had happened between him and Jeff last night.

"Danny!" I exclaimed, clutching my chest, in relief. "Thank God! I've been so worried about you, since I found out what happened last night! Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to your place right now." I heard Danny say to me. "Can you see me? Or is it a bad time?"

When I heard that Danny was on his way here, to my apartment, to see me, I took every opportunity to welcome him here. I wanted to see, and make sure, for myself, that he was alright.

"No, Danny, of course I can see you." I said to him. "Actually, Jason is here with me, right now, and I was about to suggest that we go out looking for you."

"Jason is there?" Danny asked me, sounding strange. "Well, maybe I should come over later then."

I could feel Danny slipping away at that moment. I had to do whatever I could to get him here. Even if I had to do something I didn't want to do.

"Why?" I asked him. There was a slight pause, but I could still hear him breathing on the other end of the phone.

"I just don't want to impose on the two of you if you are wanting some time alone." Danny told me. "After everything you've been through, you deserve some happiness for a change."

"You let me worry about that, Danny." I said to him. "Right now, I'm more concerned about you. Will you reconsider coming over if you and I talk alone, just the two of us?"

Danny was silent for a moment, as he thought it over.

"Actually, yes, I'd like that alot better." He said to me. "Are you sure that Jason wouldn't mind?"

"I don't think he would." I told Danny. "Hold on, I'll ask him."

I set the phone down a moment and turned to Jason. When the phone was away from my ear, he decided to say something.

"What's going on, Sean?" He asked me, concerned. I looked at him, feeling guilty for what I was going to ask him.

"Jason, Danny is on his way over here, but he wants us to talk alone, just me and him. Is that alright with you?"

Jason nodded.

"Sure." He said. "I'm going to head down to the gym anyway for my morning workout. Do you want me to call you later?"

"Yes, definitely." I said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I'm going to finish talking with Danny."

"Alright." Jason said. "I'll just be in your room for a moment, to give you some privacy. Let me know when you're done so we can say a proper goodbye, ok?"

"I will." I said, picking the phone back up. "And thanks, Jason. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Jason said, smiling at me. Then, he turned and left the living room, leaving me able to finish my conversation with Danny.

I put the phone back to my ear and proceeded to let Danny know what had been decided.

"Ok, Danny, Jason is ok with it just being you and me, right now." I told him. "He's headed out for his morning workout at the gym, anyway. So, when should I expect you?"

"I should be there in about 5 minutes." Danny said to me.

"Cool." I said, nodding. I'll see you then. While I wait, I'll call the guys and let them know that you're alright."

No!" Danny suddenly said. "I don't want anyone else to know that I'm going to be at your place!"

Now, I was confused as to why Danny was being so adamant about me, not letting the guys know where he was, all of a sudden."

"Why?" I asked him. "They're all worried sick about you since what happened between you and Jeff last night. Jeff is going crazy with worry, wondering where you are."

"Fuck him." Danny said, bitterly. "Jeff can just go to hell!"

I was saddened to hear Danny talk like that about Jeff. Despite everything, Jeff was still a friend of mine and I didn't like to hear anyone trashing him, not even if they were justified.

"Danny, don't talk like that." I said, sympathetically. "You know that Jeff never meant to hurt you. He just got caught up in a weird situation."

"But he could have come to me!" Danny said to me. "He could have told me the truth, but he didn't! And now, I have to face reality and get used to having a life without him, now!"

"Danny, you can't be serious." I said, in shock. "It can't be over between you and Jeff!"

"Well, it is now!" Danny said to me. "I can't be expected to forgive Jeff for lying to me all of this time!"

"Alright, Danny." I said to him. "I'm going to let you go now, so I can be ready for you when you come to the apartment. I'll talk to you when you get here, ok?"

"Alright, Sean." Danny said to me. "I'll see you in a few."

"Bye." I said, ending the call.

I hung up my phone, just as Jason re-emerged back into the living room, now fully dressed and his car keys in hand. He had still been wearing my sweatpants that I'd let him have, last night. Now, he was dressed in the clothes he wore the night before.

"Well, I'm off." Jason said, walking over to me. "I'll see you later, Ok?"

He put his arm around me and pulled me close to him. I wrapped my arms around him and returned his hug.

"Alright, handsome." I said to him. Then I squeezed one of his muscled arms. "Keep these biceps pumped for me."

Jason grinned, as he flexed his arm.

"Always." He said, smiling at me. "I'll see you soon."

He gave me a final kiss on the lips and then started walking towards the door to leave. I followed him to the door to see him out.

"Will you be back today?" I asked him. Jason thought about it for a moment and then shook his head.

"Probably not." He said. "Now that I think about it, I have business to attend to, in Tampa, and a few appointments as well. So, it looks like my day will be pretty full."

I felt a little disappointed after Jason said that, but I understood that a career could get very busy.

"Really?" I asked him. "What do you do for a living?"

Jason looked at me and grinned.

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said. "Although one of my jobs you might."

I arched an eyebrow, in surprise.

"One of them?" I asked, curiously. "How many jobs do you have?"

Jason laughed a little at my obvious surprise.

"I have 3 jobs." Jason said to me. "I'm a certified personal trainer, and I work that job in the mornings. I'm also a part time bartender and I work mostly 3 nights a week. And last but not least, I'm a Fitness Model, too."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised about that last one." I laughed, lightly. "Fitness Model? I believe it. Look at you."

I then thought of something.

"How do you even have time for a personal life?" I asked him. "working 3 jobs has to be grueling."

Jason shrugged.

"Not really." He said. "I only work 3 nights a week with bar tending, 4 days a week with my personal training, and as for the Fitness Modeling, I take that whenever good opportunities come my way. But it's more of a hobby than anything else."

"Cool." I said. "Well then, Mr. Fitness Model, you'd better get your sexy ass moving if you want to hit the gym and get your day over with. The sooner you do that, the sooner you're back here with me."

Jason laughed at me, again.

"In that case, I'm on my way." He said, opening the door and walking outside. "Later."

"Bye." I said, as he closed the door behind him. I sighed a content sigh, feeling really good right now.

I walked over and sat on the couch, waiting for Danny to show up. As I waited, I thought over everything that I'd been through in the last 48 hours.

I thought back to Christmas Eve when I came face to face with Jason again after not seeing him in almost a year. I flashed back to when I'd asked him to come to my apartment and have some eggnog with me. I remembered the sexual tension when I was touching his chest when we were on the couch. And I also remembered the night of great sex that I'd had with him.

Then, I remembered when Justin, Kandi, Jeff, and Danny surprised me on Christmas morning when they showed up on my doorstep. Then, there was Nick with his bouquet of roses, and then Drew's appearance, which had been totally unexpected.

Christmas Day sure had been a happy occasion. At least until later that night.

I frowned as I thought over waking up after my long nap and finding Jessica in my house. I thought about all the events that had taken place that had lead up to the restraining order being served on me.

"That bitch is going to pay for this." I thought out loud. "If she thinks that a restraining order is going to keep me away from Nick, she'd better think again! I will not stand for it! And neither will Nick!"

I thought over Jeff and Danny's break up as well. I felt so bad for the two of them right now. Especially Danny, because he was the one who'd had his heart broken.

"I'm just going to have to focus on Danny right now." I said to myself. "He's really going to need a friend right now. Someone who can understand what he's going through."

As I sat there, deep in thought, I was interrupted by the doorbell, ringing. I quickly got up and walked over to the door and opened it.

When I did, I saw Danny, standing there, with his suitcase in hand, looking back at me. He didn't say a word. He just kept looking at me, and didn't move.

As I looked into his face, I could see the pain in his eyes. One thing I always knew about Danny was how expressive his eyes were. You could tell what he was feeling just from looking in his eyes.

I sighed and moved in closer to him. I threw my arms around him to give him a quick hug. When I did that, he dropped his suitcase and returned my hug. After a few moments, he released me and I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. I saw him wipe a tear away, that had started to roll down his cheek.

"Thanks for seeing me." He said, quietly. "May I come in?"

"Sure." I said, and stepped aside for him.

Danny picked up his suitcase and entered the room, while I took that same moment to shut the door behind me and lock it. I turned back to him and saw him sit down his suitcase beside the couch. Then, he sat down, on the couch and looked back up at me.

"How are you doing?" He asked me. "Anything new going on in your life that I should know about?"

I really did want to talk to him about Jason. I was so excited about starting my new relationship with him, that I had to tell someone. Even though Nick was the first to know about it, Danny and I had more history. We'd known each other longer. We had been almost like brothers, until that heartbreaking day, years ago.

But I had to admit, It felt kind of nice that I was going to try reconnecting with him, like old times.

"Yes, Danny, there is something that I want to share with you." I said to him. "But first, I want to know where you've been all night."

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

Jeff, Justin, Kandi, and Casey had been talking amongst each other, and watching Nicole, when Drew finally emerged into the room again. When he did, Casey saw the look on his face, and stood up.

"What happened?" He asked Drew. "Did you talk to Nick and find out why he left Nicole here with Kandi and Justin, earlier this morning?"

Drew threw his arms around Casey and sighed, in frustration.

"I tried to." Drew said, looking pretty grim. "For all the good it did."

"Why do you say that, Hon?" Kandi asked, from across the room. She was sitting on the bed, next to Justin and Jeff. "And what's going on? You're obviously very upset about something."

"Yeah." Drew said, softly as he and Casey pulled back from their embrace. "When I left this room to talk to Nick, I found him, outside in the hallway, crying his eyes out."

Everyone in the room, except Nicole, looked at Drew in shock. Nicole was watching "The Bear in the Big Blue House" which Jeff had turned on for her. She was so fascinated by it, that she hardly paid any attention to anyone else in the room.

"What?!" Jeff asked, in shock, standing up. "Is Nick alright?"

Drew shook his head.

"That big brother of mine is anything but alright." He said, the anger made obvious in his voice. "He's very upset about something. When I tried to get him to talk about it, all he could do was insult me."

"Are you kidding?!" Justin asked him, frowning in anger. "I thought things between you two were starting to get better."

Drew rolled his eyes, as he shrugged.

"I thought so, too." He said. "But if you'd heard some of the awful things that came out of his mouth, you'd know differently."

"What did he say to you?" Casey asked, looking worried.

Drew sighed again and took a seat on the other bed. He looked up at everyone as he prepared to give them the full scoop on everything that had happened when he had talk to Nick.

"First, he said that he'd left Nicole with Kandi and Justin because he no longer trusts me around his daughter. He's worried that Casey and I will confuse her and then she won't know what's right to her. To be with a man or a woman? He doesn't want her witnessing any intimate moments between Casey and me."

Everyone looked around at each other, all of them thinking the same thing. They couldn't believe that Nick was being so hard on him.

"That's insane!" Casey exclaimed, half of it in anger. "We would never do that!"

Drew nodded at him.

"I tried telling Nick that." He said, putting a hand to his forehead. "But it was like talking to a brick wall. When I tried again to ask him what he was so upset about, he just yelled at me to get out of his face and to leave him alone."

Then, Drew turned away and shook his head, as he put a hand over his eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were coming.

"But, that's not even the worst of it." Drew said, his voice shaky. "As I was leaving, I said to Nick that all I was trying to do was be a good brother to him. And do you know what he said?"

Casey walked over to him and put him arms around Drew from behind.

"What's that, baby?" He asked him.

Drew started to lose his composure as soon as he felt Casey's arms around him. He turned around and walked over to one of the beds and sat down on it. Then, he looked back up at Casey, and then everyone else around him.

"Nick said that with a brother like me, he doesn't need any enemies." Drew said, as the first sob escaped his lips. "I mean, I probably deserve that, but it still hurt like hell to hear it!"

Jeff threw his arms up, in frustration, then ran both of his hands through his hair.

"I can't believe this!" He exclaimed. "How could Nick say that? That's so cruel!"

"It sure is!" Casey agreed. "And when Nick gets back, I'm going to have a little chat with him and straighten him out!"

Drew looked up at his man, and shook his head, as he wiped away his tears.

"No, sweetheart, don't." Drew begged him. "What's it going to do? It'll probably just upset him even more."

Kandi walked over to where Drew was sitting and sat down next to him. She put her arms around him and pulled him close to her.

"Try not to take it too personally, Sweetie." She said to him, lovingly. "Why don't you just give it a little more time? I'm sure Nick didn't mean what he said to you."

"Yes he did." Drew said, his voice full of emotion. "All I wanted to do was help him. But he won't let me. I hate it when we fight. I've been doing everything humanly possible to avoid that. I'm trying to make up for things with Nick and to respect his wishes for wanting his space, but he's not making it very easy right now."

Kandi looked around at Jeff, Justin, and Casey, who all shared the same concern in their expressions over how Nick had treated Drew. They weren't happy about it, but they did understand why Nick was treating his brother the way he was.

"Listen to me, Drew." Jeff said, trying to get Drew to look at him.

Drew pulled back from Kandi's arms and looked at Jeff. When he did, Jeff continued to speak.

"Nick is not going to stay mad at you, forever." Jeff said. "Come on, I think I know Nick almost as well as you do. When Nick is really mad about something, he'll stew for awhile and it does seem like forever, but really it's not. Just try to hang in there a little longer. Who knows, maybe Nick will come back and apologize to you for how he acted, earlier."

Drew looked down at the floor as he thought it over. Then he looked back up at Jeff.

"And what if he doesn't?" He asked Jeff, hesitantly. That's when he saw Jeff's expression turn more serious.

"Then, I kick his ass!" Jeff said, half seriously. That lightened up Drew a little and he started laughing. So did everyone else.

Drew looked back up at Jeff and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Jeff." Drew said. "It's nice to know that someone is in my corner for a change."

Jeff stood up and smiled at him. Then, he leaned in and kissed Drew on the top of his head.

"Always, man." He said. "Now, I've got to head out. I have to go and talk to Sean and see if he's seen Danny or not. I also am going to ask him if he wants to help me look for him."

"Do you want us to go with you?" Justin asked him. "We could look for him, together?"

"No, that's alright, Justin." Jeff said to him. "I think it might be best if I do this alone. In the meantime, you guys all should go down to the hotel restaurant and get yourselves some breakfast."

"That's a good idea." Casey agreed. "I'm starving."

"Ok, I guess that's what we're going to do, then." Drew said, smiling at Casey. "Let's head down now."

Just at that moment, Kandi looked over at Nicole, who was still watching television.

"I guess we'd better take Nicole back to her mother now." She said.

"I'll do that." Drew said to her. "You just head down with Casey and Justin."

Then, he looked at Jeff.

"Jeff, I will see you out." Drew said to Jeff.

"Alright, Drew." Jeff replied.

Drew got up and went over to get Nicole. He picked her up and turned off the TV. Then, he walked towards the door, where Justin, Kandi, Jeff, and Casey were waiting for him.

Jeff opened the door and they all stepped out of the room. Once everyone was out, Jeff locked the door and put his key card into his pocket.

"Ok, I'll see you all later." Jeff said, saying goodbye to everyone.

Kandi and Justin said goodbye and headed off towards the elevators to head down to the lobby. Casey, who was the last to go, turned to Drew and Jeff.

"Well, I'd better go too." He said. "I'll see you downstairs, Drew."

"I'll be there shortly, Casey." Drew assured him.

"Alright." Casey said to him. Then he looked at Jeff. "Jeff, Good Luck."

"Thank you, Casey." Jeff said to him. Casey nodded and then turned away and started walking towards the elevators.

"Ok, buddy." Jeff said to him. "You'd better get that little angel back to Jessica. I'll see you later."

"Ok." Drew said. "We'll talk later."

"Count on it." Jeff agreed. "Bye Drew."

"Bye." Drew said, as he watched Jeff walk off. Then he looked at Nicole.

"Well, come on, Cutie Pie, I'm taking you back to your Mommy." Drew said to her. "She'll be really happy to have you back."

Drew walked over to Nick's room and knocked on the door. In a few seconds, the door opened and Drew came face to face with a very emotional Jessica. Her face was still flushed, and her mascara was a mess from her crying. When Drew saw her, he grew concerned.

"Jessica, what happened?" He asked. "I saw Nick out here, earlier, and he wouldn't tell me what was wrong? I found him, crying, outside of this room?"

Jessica looked up at him.

"You'll understand why when I fill you in." She said, then stepped aside. "Come in."

Drew stepped into the room and Jessica shut the door behind her. She turned back to Jeff.

"How was my daughter?" She asked him. "Did she give Kandi and Justin any trouble?"

Drew shook his head.

"No, she didn't." He told her. "She was a really good girl for Kandi and Justin."

Jessica then reached out for Nicole and Drew handed the baby over to her.

"She looks like she's ready for some more sleep." Jessica said, when she saw the baby yawn. "Give me a second while I go put her down."

"Sure." Drew said.

Jessica walked into the living room area to put the baby down for her nap. Then, she walked back into the bedroom, and she saw Drew, looking at a picture of Nick, that was on the bedside table. Jessica had brought it with her.

She saw how intensely Drew was looking at that picture, and she could see just how much pain he was still in over his estrangement from his brother.

"You really miss him, don't you?" She asked him, out loud.

When Drew heard her voice, he turned to look at her, and then he sat the picture down again.

"Yes, I do." He said, sadly. "I miss how close he and I used to be. I miss our talks and I miss our friendship. I'm not sure if Nick will ever forgive me. It looks like that brotherly bond that we used to share is gone now. Maybe forever."

Then Drew took another look at Jessica and decided to bring up the subject of what happened earlier with Nick.

"Jessica, what happened earlier between you and Nick?" He asked her. "I found him outside this room, crying his eyes out. And when I tried to ask him what was going on, all I got was alot of attitude."

Jessica wiped at her face again, which was still streaked with mascara.

"You're going to find out sooner or later, anyway." She said, in defeat. "It looks like my marriage to your brother is over. He wants a divorce."

Drew saddened expression turned to shock, momentarily, then to concern.

"Oh, Jessica." He said, walking over to her and embracing her. "I'm so sorry."

Jessica wrapped her arms around Drew and held onto him for dear life as she once again lost it and started crying again.

"Me too, Drew." She sobbed. "I don't have a marriage anymore. It's all over, he doesn't want me! He doesn't want me!"

Drew rubbed his hand up and down her back, as he comforted her, in his arms.

"Shh, It's gonna be alright, Jessica." He said, trying to reassure her of that. "It's gonna be alright."

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

"Sean, I really don't see why my whereabouts are that important right now." Danny said, evasively.

I looked at him and I was amazed as how he seemed to be treating his situation like it was no big deal, when it really was.

"Danny, it would make all of us feel better if we knew where you've been all night." I said. "We were worried sick. I was even starting to consider checking out all the hospitals in the Orlando vicinity. We were starting to wonder if you were hurt, or worse."

"Sean, come on." Danny complained. "I can take care of myself."

"I know that." I said to him. "But even you aren't invincible. Something could have happened to you while you were out all night with no place to go. That wasn't impossible."

Danny smiled at me. Then he leaned in and wrapped his arms around me. I wrapped my own arms around him and hugged him back.

"It's nice to you to worry about me, but you really don't need to." Danny assured me. "I'm fine now."

I looked him over to see if he was telling the truth. On the outside, he seemed alright, but something still didn't feel right to me.

"You look fine, but my instincts tell me that you're not really." I told him. "Not that I could blame you. You went through something really heartbreaking last night. You lost the man you love."

"Damn it, Sean, I don't want to talk about this!" Danny said, standing up and walking towards the Christmas tree, which I still had to take down today.

"But, Danny." I pushed him. "You can't just keep your feelings bottled up inside. You have to let them out. Otherwise, they'll just continue to eat away at you until you can no longer stand it. You have to talk to someone. And that's what I'm here for."

Danny turned back around to look at me, as I continued talking.

"If you want to yell and scream or get anything off of your chest, please do that." I begged him. "I'm here to listen, not to judge you."

Danny thought it over for a moment. Then, he looked up at me and nodded.

"You're right, Sean." He said, as he drew in a deep breath, trying to hold back his emotions. But he wasn't doing a good job. "I really do need to talk."

Danny sat back down on the couch, next to me and grasped my hands in his.

"I still can't understand what went wrong in my relationship with Jeff." Danny said, out loud. "Our relationship was strong. It was strong for two and a half years. I mean, sure, we had our disagreements and our fights, but we never broke up over them. We always managed to work things out."

I nodded at him. I understood how he felt right then. I could relate to what he was going through right now, because I had been there, myself.

"I know what you mean." I said to him. "I faced the same situation with my own husband, which destroyed our marriage, so I do understand. I was hurt too. Terribly. But I realized that I still cared about Nick enough to forgive him. Do you love Jeff any less?"

Danny frowned, thinking about something I had said.

"Sean, your situation was different." Danny pointed out. "Nick was not in love with anyone else when you two broke up. When you couldn't be honest with Nick and tell him the truth about how you two weren't legally married, and how Drew was putting the moves on you, that's why you two broke up."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Danny put his hand in front of my mouth to silence me.

"Shh, let me finish." Danny said to me. I nodded for him to go on. "I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I'm just trying to tell it like it was. Our situation isn't the same thing. I didn't lie to Jeff about my feelings for him. Jeff, on the other hand, lied to me for weeks about his real feelings."

I sighed heavily as I listened to everything that he was telling me. He was right. Our situations weren't the same. Not really. The only thing that Danny and I had in common was that we had both been hurt by the men that we both thought had loved us.

"I know." I said to him. "But you and I have both been hurt by the two men that we both thought would always be there for us. That's the only thing we have in common in this whole mess."

I then looked at the coffee table and saw the restraining order documents, sitting there.

"Although," I said, reaching over and picking up the papers. "I'm going through more hell right now than you are, I'm afraid."

Danny looked at me, a slight frown on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked me.

I handed out the documents to him. Frowning in confusion, Danny accepted them from me and looked at them.

"What's this?" He asked me, curiosity setting in.

I looked at him, with my stone cold serious look.

"It's a restraining order." I revealed to him. When that came out of my mouth, his head whipped upwards and he glanced at me, in shock.

"What?!" Danny asked me, still in shock. "Who would want to take out a restraining order against you?"

I looked at him, with a look that he knew very well. When he saw it, he didn't even need to ask who I was referring to.

"No." Danny said, not sure if he could believe what he was coming up with. "Don't tell me. Jessica, right?"

I nodded at him. He set the papers down and looked back at me, the anger undoubtedly apparent in his eyes.

He then started reading the papers over. When he was finished, he was burning mad.

"I can't believe this shit!" Danny said, his voice rising, as he looked up at me. "When did Jessica find the time to get a restraining order filed against you?"

"Actually, it was her parents who got the restraining order against me." I told him. "They had it all planned out before Jessica came to Orlando. And if that wasn't bad enough, Joe and Tina Simpson showed up on my doorstep with two police officers so they could see my reaction when they served me, personally. They also had Cate and John Lachey come along with them. So, it turned into a family affair."

Danny clenched his jaw in anger. For a moment, I saw the best friend that he had once been to me, emerge to the surface.

"Damn them!" Danny swore, through gritted teeth. "Does Nick know about this?"

"Yes, he does." I said to him. "And trust me, he's not happy about it, either."

Danny sighed, in frustration and set the papers back down on the table. Then, he leaned back into the couch and put both hands over his face and wiped them down it.

"What are you going to do?" He asked me. "Are you going to fight this thing?"

I looked at him, my eyes saying it all: The battle lines between Jessica and I had been drawn! If Jessica wanted a fight, well then she was going to get one.

"Damn right I am!" I said, standing up and walking towards the window on the right side of the room, near the door.

"Jessica Simpson is going to regret the day that she ever tried to take me on!"

******************************************************* AT THE HOLIDAY INN METROPLEX, IN ORLANDO........

Tina and Joe Simpson were sitting at the table, in their room, having coffee and talking amongst themselves. That also included Cate and John Lachey, who were there with them.

"I hope this restraining order will work and that it keeps Sean out of Nick's life!" Joe said, as he sipped his coffee. "My daughter deserves to be happy and work things out with Nick, and the only way that's going to happen is if Sean is neutralized for awhile."

"I'm sure it will, Darling." Tina said to him, then turned to the Lacheys. "Sean's going to have to realize that this is a battle that he can't win."

"I'm sure Sean does see it." Cate agreed. "Although, I know he's not happy about it, I have to believe that if Sean really does care about Nick as much as he claims to, then he will do the right thing. He will convince Nick that he can't see him anymore and then things will be alright again."

As John was getting ready to say something, he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Tina frowned and turned to Joe.

"Are you expecting anyone?" She asked him. Joe looked at her, in confusion.

"No, I'm not." He said. Then he turned to Cate and John.

"What about you two?" He asked them. Cate and John looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Well, then whoever it is, I'd better find out what they want." Joe said, getting up.

He walked over to the door and opened it, revealing who was on the other side of the door. He was surprised when he saw who it was.

"Nick!" He said, in surprise. "What brings you by?"

Nick looked back at his father-in-law and Joe could see the anger in Nick's eyes.

"Are my parents here with you and Tina?" He asked him, the bitterness very obvious in his voice.

"Yes, they are." Joe said, frowning at Nick's angry look. "Is everything alright? You seem very angry about something?"

"Well, why don't you let me in and I'll tell you!" Nick snapped at him.

Joe hesitated before stepping aside. When he did, Nick entered Joe and Tina's room. Once he was inside, he came face to face with Tina, Cate and John, sitting at the table across the room from him.

"Hi, Son." John greeted Nick. "What's going on?"

As Nick looked at his parents, sitting there, looking at him, as if nothing ever happened with Sean, he shook his head, in disappointment.

"How could you?" He said, lowly. "How could you, my own parents, betray me like this?"

Cate and John looked at each other, in confusion, then back at Nick.

"What are you talking about?" Cate asked her son. When she did that, it set Nick off.

"YOU ALL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Nick bellowed. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING SERVING SEAN WITH A RESTRAINING ORDER?!"

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

Jessica pulled back from Drew's embrace and wiped at her eyes. She looked up at him, and managed a weak smile for him.

"Thanks, Drew, I really needed that." Jessica said as she sat down on her bed.

"No thanks needed." Drew said. "I'm glad at least you will allow me to be there for you. My brother, on the other hand, won't even confide in me."

Jessica looked up at him, a sympathetic look on her face. Despite her devastation over what happened with Nick, earlier, she really felt sorry for Drew. And she felt sorry for Nick because he couldn't bring himself to forgive him.

"Nick still hasn't come around yet?" She asked him, softly. "God, what is wrong with him? Doesn't he realize that he has the greatest little brother in the world?"

Hearing those words, Drew looked at Jessica and smiled.

"You really think so?" He asked her, through tear-filled eyes.

"Yes, I do." Jessica said. "You've been a great brother to me since Nick and I got married, even despite our disagreements about Sean. Even though you won't be my brother anymore because of the divorce, I hope you will at least still be there for me, as my friend."

Drew sat down next to her and put his arm around her, hugging her close.

"I will." He said, in a soothing voice. "I promise, I will."

Jessica leaned into him, as more tears fell down her face, as she thought back to her earlier conversation with Nick when he'd told her it was over between them.

"There's one thing I'm curious about, Jessica?" Drew suddenly asked. Jessica sat up and looked at him.

"What?" She asked, wanting to know what he was thinking.

Drew wondered whether or not he should even ask it, but his love and concern for his brother as well as Jessica, won over.

"What made Nick decide he wants a divorce now?" He asked her. "Something must have happened in order for him to even consider it."

Jessica realized that Drew did not yet know about the retraining order that she'd filed against Sean. She knew that he would be angry, but she had to believe that maybe Drew would be a little more objective and understanding than Nick had been. So, maybe he wouldn't be as angry with her as Nick was right now.

"Actually, it was because of something I did." Jessica said, the guilt written all over her face. "And it's something that you're not going to be happy with me, either, when you find out what is it."

Drew braced himself for it. Judging by the look on Jessica's face, Drew somehow knew that this was going to be major. And he had a feeling that Sean was involved, somehow.

"Alright, Jessica." He said, in a sharp tone. "What have you done this time? And please tell me that it has nothing to do with Sean."

When Jessica looked up at him, Drew could see that her facial expression gave her away. She couldn't lie. It was written all over her face.

"I can't, Drew." She said. "I can't because it has everything to do with Sean."

"Alright." Drew said. "Tell me what you did."

Jessica sighed heavily and decided to just get it over with.

"With my permission, I had my parents take out a restraining order against Sean."

Jessica braced herself for Drew's reaction.

Drew sat there, motionless, for what seemed like an eternity, processing this news. He sat there, in shock, for so long, that Jessica couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Drew, would you say something, please?" Jessica asked him, a little bit afraid at the moment.

When Drew finally let it sink in what she'd done, he looked at her, frowning a bit. But it looked more like confusion than anger.

"You took out a restraining order against Sean?" He asked her, a confused tone in his voice. "Why?"

Jessica was shocked at Drew's reaction. He wasn't the least bit angry with her. But then she realized that he had just came back to everyone, so there were alot of things that he still didn't know. Especially one thing in particular.

"Because, he's considered an endangerment to me and my unborn child." Jessica told him.

"Unborn child?" Drew gasped, in surprise. Then he smiled. "Jessica, you're pregnant?"

Jessica smiled at him, and nodded.

"Yes, I am." Jessica said. "Nick and I are going to have another child."

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

I was still pretty wound up, from what had happened with Jessica last night and I couldn't get it off of my mind. My nerves were still pretty shot. Especially when I thought back to Jessica's attack on my family jewels last night.

"Here." I heard Danny say from behind me. "I think you could use this."

I turned around and saw that Danny had made me some chamomile tea to calm my nerves. He was holding it out to me.

"Thanks." I said, accepting the mug from him. I slowly took a sip of it and swallowed. I then felt a little better, but not totally.

"You're welcome." Danny said, sitting down on the couch and laying his head back, against it. He did look exhausted.

"Danny, you looked exhausted." I said. "Did you sleep at all last night wherever you were?"

"Not much." He said, tiredly. He wiped at his face, which was tearing, half from hurt, and half from sleepiness.

"Well, why don't you take your suitcase and go into my spare bedroom and catch up on some sleep?" I asked him. "You could definitely use some sleep right now."

"Thanks, Sean." Danny said to me. "I think I'll do that."

Danny stood up and grabbed his suitcase and started walking towards the hallway with it. Before he walked down the hall, he stopped and turned back to me.

"Look, Sean, I know that you and I aren't really the close friends that we used to be, to each other." Danny said. "But I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate having your support right now, at a time like this. Thank you for that."

I nodded at Danny, but didn't say anything. At least not right away.

"I'm going to go and get my morning shower." I said to him. "If you want to, you can sleep on the couch here, in case you want to watch some TV, or listen to the stereo. It's up to you."

"I'll keep that in mind." Danny said. "Go on ahead and take your shower."

"Alright." I said to him. "I'll see you later, ok?"

I then left the room and headed to mine to get ready for my shower.

Danny sat back down, on the couch, and grabbed the TV remote. He flipped through the channels, trying to find something entertaining to watch. He finally found something and sat back to watch it.

But, he couldn't watch the television, because his mind kept wandering back to what had happened last night between him and Jeff, back at the hotel. His mind flashed back to the moment that he had decked Jeff and he'd fallen down.

"Damn it, Jeff!" Danny whispered to himself. "I loved you so much! How could you do this to me?!"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Danny waited for a moment to see if I would come back out and answer it. When I didn't, he got up and walked over to the door.

When he opened it, he came face to face with Jeff, who was standing on the other side of it. Danny stiffened when he saw him.

Jeff, on the other hand was shocked that he was staying at Sean's. Especially because Sean had said last night that he hadn't seem him and if he had, that he would call.

When Jeff saw Danny standing there, he threw his arms around Danny, as the emotion of relief flooded over him.

"Oh, Danny, Thank God." Jeff said, in relief. "Thank God you're alright."

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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