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.

NEWSFLASH: Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are officially separating after 3 years of marriage. Whatever happens, I wish both of them, nothing but the best!"

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

Enjoy.

********** CHAPTER 93 **********

BACK AT SEAN'S APARTMENT.....

"Jeff, is what Danny said true?" Kandi asked him, in shock. "Are you really in love with Drew?"

Jeff nodded, sadly.

"Yes, it's true." He said, his voice barely audible. "I'm in love with Drew."

Kandi looked over at Justin, who shook his head, in disbelief. Then, she looked back over at Jeff.

"Does Drew know about your feelings for him?" She asked Jeff.

"Yes, he does." Jeff replied, as he shifted his feet, nervously. "I told him earlier today."

"How did he take it?" Jake asked.

"He was shocked as hell." Jeff revealed to Jake. "But he still took it pretty well."

This time, it was Michelle who spoke up.

"What does that mean?" She asked Jeff. "Does Drew feel the same way about you?"

Jeff hung his head.

"No, he doesn't." He replied, in a low tone. "He said he's in love with Casey and that he and I will only ever be friends."

"What did you expect, Jeff?" Kandi asked him. "That Drew was just going to leave Casey for you? We all could see how happy Drew is with him."

"So could I!" Jeff said, suddenly, his tone getting louder. "But I can't help my feelings! I never meant to fall in love with Drew! It just happened!"

Justin gave Jeff a stern look.

"There's no reason for you to get all defensive with us, man." He said to Jeff. "We're just trying to understand your situation better, so that we can help you."

"Well, you can't help me!" Jeff cried out. "Nobody can!"

As Danny had done earlier, Jeff also stormed out of the apartment, in tears. The door slammed with a loud bang.

Kandi sighed, as she took Justin's hand in hers.

"It's times like this that I really start to appreciate what we have, baby." She said to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "It just goes to show how lucky you and I are to have found each other."

Justin smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the lips. But it was just a loving kiss, not a sexual one. He wasn't comfortable making out, in public, even if Jake and Michelle were straight like him.

"I agree with you, Sweetie." Justin said. "As sad as it is that Jeff and Danny are breaking up, that just goes to show me that it could have just as easily been us if we had taken our love for granted."

Kandi nodded.

"I know." She said. "But, I'm glad that we've managed to work through whatever problems we did have. Our love just got stronger with time. I just can't wait for the day when you and I walk down the aisle together."

"That'd be cool." Michelle said. Then she brightened. "Hey! How would you two feel like having a double wedding, since Jake and I are getting married too?"

"That would be nice." Kandi agreed. "But, it'd be even nicer if there'd be a triple wedding. That'd be a first in the history of weddings?"

Justin, Jake, and Michelle looked among each other, in confusion. "Who would the other couple be?"

"Who would be the third couple to get married at a triple wedding?" Michelle asked Kandi.

Kandi was silent for a moment as she thought of the two people who she felt deserved a second chance, more than anyone else.

Kandi looked up and revealed her answer.

"Nick and Sean."

She looked around the room to see everyone's reactions.

******************************************************* BACK AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, DOWN IN LOCK-UP....

I looked up at Joe and squinted at him, in exasperation. I didn't know who I detested more right now: Him? or his ever so precious daughter, Jessica.

"Just tell me what you're doing here, Joe." I said to him. "Tonight was humiliating enough for me, without you coming here to gloat, and to twist the knife some more."

"Well, Gee." Joe said, with a laugh. "Isn't that just too bad!"

I rolled my eyes and laid back down on my cot again, not even bothering to look at him.

"Your bashing me is getting so old!" I said to him. "It's not even worth listening to. But I don't have to worry about that. As soon as I get out of here, I won't have to deal with you again, anytime soon."

"That's what you think!" Joe replied back at me, his voice getting louder. "You may not have to deal with me, but you will have to deal with the media if you do manage to get out of there. Why, I'll bet that there will be reporters camped out, outside your door, waiting to invade your privacy!"

"With your encouragement, I'm sure." I said, sarcastically. "But, let me tell you something, Joe. There are two sides to every story. I still have to tell the people my side of the story."

"That won't matter." Joe said. "Because my daughter is a star! You, on the other hand, are a nobody! So there is no competition as to who will get the most sympathy out of this tragedy. Jessica will!"

I smiled, as I listened to him.

"Oh please, Joe!" I exclaimed, breaking out in laughter. "Your daughter is finished! There's no way that her agents and the recording companies will keep her now! Given the extent of your daughter's cuts and bruises from the accident, chances are that she won't ever be beautiful again! Unless of course, she heals well!"

I could see Joe draw in his breath and clench his jaw, in anger. I wondered if he was really going to fly into a rage, right then. But, if he did, I wasn't going to worry about it, because I was in this cell. So, he couldn't get to me, even if he wanted to.

I saw Joe's right hand ball up into a fist, which he shook, angrily, in my direction.

"So help me, God!" Joe suddenly said, in a low, but chilling voice. "If you do manage to get out of here, after what you've done to my daughter, you'll rue the day you met me!"

My eyes narrowed as I looked at him. I was not going to be intimidated by him. He didn't scare me. Not after the last time he tried to attack me.

"I already do rue the day I met you!" I said to him. "But if you think that you intimidate me, think again! I'm not afraid of you!"

"When I get my hands on you, I'll make you sorry that you ever messed with my family!" Joe growled at me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled at him, smugly.

"Are you really sure that you'd want to try that?" I asked him. "After the way you attacked me, last time, I'd think that you'd know better by now!"

Joe didn't know what to say to that. It was easy to see that he was getting even more enraged than before.

"If I were you, I'd watch my back!" Joe threatened me. "Because one day you're going to mess with the wrong person! And when you do, You'll regret it!"

I sat up on my cot and looked at him, starting to feel even more tired than I already was.

"Oh, so you're stooped to making threats now?!" I asked him, sarcastically. "Man, you really are pathetic, Joe! Why don't you get out of here before you say anything more that you'll regret later!"

Joe's face was starting to turn red. His temper was reaching the boiling point!

"I'm going to leave now!" He said to me. "But you just know this! I'm going to do whatever I have to do to make sure that you get what you deserve!"

I was done listening to him. But, as I started to lay back on my cot, I saw a guard come up to my cell.

"Mr. Perry," He said to me. "I've just been informed that another suspect is being brought into custody, and our holding cells are full."

I frowned at him, wondering why he was telling me this.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked him.

The guard looked at me, his expression serious.

"You're on the list of suspects who are going to be moved to a local correctional facility, so that we can make room for the other suspects that are coming in." He explained to me.

I looked at him, in horror. Then, I looked back at Joe, and saw that he was smiling.

"Splendid!" He said, rubbing his hand together. "That orange jumpsuit is going to look so good on you!"

Then, with those last words said, he turned to leave. The guard opened the door and waited for Joe to step out. Before he did, Joe turned and looked back at me.

"I'll see you in hell, Sean!" He said. Then, he turned and walked out the door.

I turned around, as I heard the guard close the door, and lay back on my cot, staring up at the ceiling. I blinked as I tried to fight the tears that were coming.

"Where are you, Nick?!" I thought to myself. "You said you'd come!"

******************************************************* BACK AT THE HOSPITAL..............

Jessica was now asleep. Nick and Tina were both sitting on each side of her hospital bed, watching her. Then, Tina looked over at Nick.

"Honey, I'm going to go back to the cafeteria and get a snack or something." She said to him. "Do you want anything?"

Nick shook his head.

"No, that's ok." He said, managing a small smile for her. "I'll grab something later."

Tina nodded. "Will you stay with her until I get back?" She asked.

"Sure." Nick said, nodding his head again.

Tina then left the room and quietly closed the door behind her, so Jessica would not be awakened.

Nick sat there and gazed at Jessica. He took a moment to look over her cuts and bruises that she'd sustained when the chandelier had fallen on her. It didn't look good.

"Oh, Jessica." Nick thought to himself. "I just hope that none of these bruises that you have are permanent. Because if they are, I don't know what's going to become of your career."

Just then, Nick heard a noise behind him. He turned around to see the door opening and he saw Jessica's doctor stick his head in.

"Mr. Lachey?" He whispered softly. "Will you come out here, please? I need to have a word with you."

Nick rose from his seat, next to Jessica and walked outside to see what the doctor wanted.

Nick stepped out into the hallway and snicked the door shut behind him.

"Yes, Dr. Messner, what is it?" Nick asked him.

The doctor held up a Manila envelope.

"I have the results of your wife's pregnancy test." He revealed to Nick. "Right here in this envelope."

Here was the moment of truth. Nick ran a hand through his hair as he prepared to find out the truth.

"What are they, Dr. Messner?" Nick asked. "Is my wife pregnant with my child or not?"

Instead of answering him, Dr. Messner handed Nick the Manila envelope.

"See for yourself." He said, his expression giving no indication of what the results could be.

Frowning, Nick took the Manila envelope and opened it. He reached in and pulled a paper out of it. He then started reading it.

As Nick read over the page, suddenly his eyes closed and he sighed heavily.

"Mr. Lachey, are you alright?" Dr. Messner asked him, looking a little worried."

"Yeah," Nick said. "I'll be fine. But, in the meantime, it looks like I've got a tough decision to make."

The doctor nodded.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lachey?" A woman's voice asked. Nick and the doctor turned and looked in it's direction. It was a nurse at the nurse's station.

"Yes?" Nick asked her, wondering what she wanted.

"There's a call for you on Line 1." She said to him.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute." He said to her, then turned back to Dr. Messner. "Thanks for everything, Dr. Messner."

"Sure." Dr. Messner replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go in and check your wife's vitals before I leave to check on my other patients."

"Sure." Nick said to him. "And thanks again."

Dr. Messner nodded, and walked off. Nick walked over to the nurse's station and picked up the phone, wondering who it was that was calling him.

"Hello?" He said, as soon as he was on the line.

"Nick, it's Drew." He heard Drew's voice say.

Nick brightened when he heard Drew's voice.

"Drew, hi!" He said to him. "Did you and Casey land in New York safely?"

Nick could hear Drew laugh on the other end of the line.

"Nick, we landed hours ago." He said. "I'm calling from outside the hospital, here in New York."

Now, Nick was curious as to how Casey's father was doing.

"How's Casey's Dad doing?" He asked his brother.

"We don't know, yet." Drew said to him. "He's not awake yet. Casey and his Mom are in with him right now."

"How is Casey holding up?" Nick wanted to know.

"He's a mess." Drew said, sadly. "He's been in his father's room ever since we got here. I tried to get him to go down to the cafeteria with me to get something to eat, but he won't leave his father's side." Nick, he's as close to any bottom as I've ever seen him."

Nick could hear the sadness in Drew's voice. He wondered if there was something else bothering him.

"Drew, you don't sound like yourself." Nick said to him. "Is there something else bothering you, besides what's going on with Casey's Dad?"

"As usual you know me so well." Drew said, lowly. "I have so much going on right now, but we'll get to that some other time. The reason I called was because I wanted to know the latest on what's happening with Sean. How's he doing?"

Nick sighed.

"I'm afraid there's more bad news." Nick said to Drew. "Sean was arrested for Jessica's attack and charged with attempted murder."

"Oh no!" Drew said, in horror. "Nick, I'm really sorry to hear that. That had to be rough on Sean, too."

Nick nodded.

"He was devastated, Drew." He said, in a low voice. "You should have seen his face when the police arrested him. After seeing that, I know now that Sean didn't have anything to do with what happened to Jessica that night."

"Have you seen Sean since he was arrested?" Drew asked him.

"Not yet." Nick said. "I'm actually going to visit him at the police station after Tina gets back from the cafeteria. She wanted me to stay with Jessica until she got back."

"How's she doing?" Drew wanted to know.

"She's doing better." Nick told him. "Her vital signs are improving, so the chances that she'll make a full and complete recovery look very good right now."

"Good." Drew said. "I'm glad to hear it."

There was a pause, as neither Nick or Drew knew what to say at that moment.

"Well, I'd better let you go so that you can go and see Sean." Drew told him. "I'll be in touch."

"Alright, Drew." Nick said. "I'll talk to you soon."

Nick hung up the phone and thanked the nurse who was sitting there for letting him know about the call. As he was heading towards Jessica room, he saw Tina coming out of the elevator at that moment.

Hey, Tina." Nick said, as she walked up to him. "I have to leave for awhile."

"It's ok." Tina replied to him. "I'm back now. Go ahead and do whatever you have to do."

"Thanks." Nick said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call later to check up on Jessica."

"Alright, sweetie." Tina said to him. "I'll see you later."

Tina turned to head back into Jessica's room, while Nick headed for the exit.

Nick exited the hospital and headed for his car. He opened the door and got in, while fumbling for his ignition key.

After finding it, he started the car.

"Alright, Sean." Nick said, out loud. "I'm on my way. Hang in there."

Nick pulled the car out of the lot and started driving towards the police station.

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

"Kandi, I really don't think you should get your hopes up where Sean and Nick are concerned." Justin warned her. "The chances of those two getting back together is next to impossible."

"I agree with you, Justin." Jake replied, before Kandi could say anything. "I can't see why Sean would want to take Nick back after the way Nick treated him."

Justin looked back at Jake, in shock.

"Jake, that wasn't Nick's fault." He said, coming to Nick's defense. "Drew was the one who broke up Nick and Sean's relationship."

"That may be true," Jake said, as he picked up his beer can from the table. "but Nick was the one who ultimately kicked Sean out of his life. He treated Sean like dirt, and quite frankly, I think that Sean deserves better."

After saying that, Jake took a sip of his beer.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kandi asked, suddenly getting defensive.

"Don't get me wrong," Jake said, pulling the beer can away from his mouth. "Nick is a cool guy, but I don't think that he deserves Sean. Nick has caused Sean way too much pain. And, in case you've forgotten, Sean is seeing Jason now. So, any chance that Nick may have had with Sean is gone now."

"I guess you're right, man." Justin said. "And Jason is a nice guy."

"Easy on the eyes, too." Kandi said, with a chuckle.

Justin turned and gave her a dirty look.

"Excuse me?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. "Babe, do I need to keep an eye on you, now?"

Jake and Michelle started laughing softly to themselves. Kandi smiled at Justin.

"Not a chance, Hon." Kandi said, giving him a kiss on the lips. "I only have eyes for you."

Justin smiled.

"That's better." He said, wrapping his arm around her, tighter, and leaning back into the couch.

Jake looked at his watch.

"Man, it's getting late!" He said. "It is well past ten, and I need to get Michelle home for bed rest."

"Baby, I'm fine." Michelle complained. "I'm not tired."

"No complaining, Girl." Jake said, kissing her on the cheek. "You're pregnant with my baby, so you need to start taking better care of yourself."

Michelle rolled her eyes.

"Alright." She said. "Come on, let's go."

Michelle got up from the couch and stood up. Jake got up too and put his arm around her.

"Justin, Kandi," Jake said to them. "We want to thank you for coming over and telling us about Sean's situation, earlier today. We appreciate being kept in the loop."

Justin and Kandi both rose from the sofa.

"No problem." Justin said, as he shook hands with Jake. "You're both important to Sean."

Kandi gave Jake a kiss on the cheek, while Justin kissed Michelle on the cheek. Then Kandi and Michelle shook hands.

"Well, we're off." Michelle said. "Tell Jeff and Danny, when they get back, that we said goodbye."

"We will." Justin said, walking to the door and opening it."

Michelle and Jake walked outside and turned back to Justin and Kandi.

"Goodnight, you two." Jake said, just before he and Michelle turned to leave.

"Goodnight." Justin and Kandi said, as they watched Jake and Michelle head to their apartment, together.

Justin and Kandi stepped back into the house and closed the door. Both of them walked back to the couch, in silence, and sat down together.

"I wonder what's going on with Jeff and Danny." Kandi asked Justin. "It's been awhile since they left."

"They'll be back." Justin said, sure of himself. "I think that they both just need to blow off some steam."

"I hope that neither one of them goes out and gets drunk." Kandi said, worriedly. "Because that's not going to make the pain that they're both feeling go away."

"Me too." Justin replied. "After seeing the way Jeff got drunk because of his feelings for Drew, I'm really worried about him. And the fact that Drew turned him down had to hurt him, even worse."

"I'm sure it did." Kandi said. "But I'm hoping that things will get better for him."

Justin sighed, as Kandi snuggled closer against him.

"For all of us." Kandi whispered, sleepily.

******************************************************* ORLANDO POLICE DEPARTMENT..........

I was sitting there, in my holding cell, on my jail cot. I had my arms wrapped around my knees, which were brought to my chest. My chin was propped on my knees.

I sat there, having nothing to do, but to think. Nothing to think about, except the traumatic experience that I had gone through, in booking. Not to mention the encounter I had, with Joe Simpson, earlier. Tears were running down my face, even now.

I sat there, motionless. I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to look around. I just wanted to die.

"I can't believe this is happening to me." I said, in my thoughts. "I'm being charged with attempted murder."

I knew that this was serious. But then, I thought of something much more serious."

"And if Jessica dies," I thought to myself, as the tears continued to fall down my face. "I'll be charged with first degree murder. Oh God! That can't happen!"

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice one of the prison guards come up to my cell.

"Mr. Perry?"

I looked up at the guard.

"Yes, Sir?" I asked him, wondering what he wanted.

"You have another visitor." He said. "I'm going to take you up to the visiting room."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I was finally glad to be getting out of this holding cell. Even for just a few minutes. This place was giving me the creeps, literally.

Without a word, I got up and walked over towards the cell door. The guard was already opening it.

I walked out of the cell, and the guard closed the door and re-locked it. then he turned and placed the handcuffs on me. I sighed, heavily, knowing that I was going to have to get used to those handcuffs being around my wrists. I had no idea how long I was going to be stuck in here.

The guard the led me out of the prison area, and took me to the visiting room. The whole way there, I was wondering who my visitor was.

The prison guard, opened the door to the visiting room area. There was a table and two chairs set up in there. I walked into the room, wanting to see who had come and visited me.

When I looked up, I saw his beautiful face:

Nick was standing at the other side of the room, looking back at me. I could see the worried expression on his face. And given what I'd gone through, the last few hours ago, I couldn't even smile at him. In fact, I felt like I was going to lose it at any moment.

Neither one of us, said a word, as the guard removed my handcuffs. Once that was done, the guard looked up at me.

"You've got ten minutes." He said. "I'll be right outside the door."

I nodded at him. The guard then exited the room, where Nick had been brought in, and closed the door. He stood just outside the door.

I looked back over at Nick and saw him looking back at me, with a sympathetic expression on his face. Just seeing that look on his face, made my emotions start to give way again.

"Nick....." That was all I managed to get out, before I lost it.

Within seconds, Nick was holding me in his arms, hugging me, tight. I held onto him for dear life.

"Oh God, Nick!" I bawled, into his shoulder. "I feel like I've been dissected, piece by piece! My privacy was totally invaded! They did all these things to me! They checked in my mouth, made me lift my dick and balls, and even stuck their fingers up my ass! You name it, they did it! I've never felt more humiliated in my entire life!"

"Shh," Nick said, softly, as he ran his hand up and down my back to comfort me. "I knew that you would feel this way after going through that. Booking is humiliating for anyone."

The feeling of Nick's hand, rubbing up and down my back, was starting to relax me, as I continued to sob in his arms. He always had a way of making me feel better when he did that. I could smell the scent of his cologne that he had on. He smelled so good.

It was a welcome change from how terrible it smelled down in the holding area.

"Just let it out." Nick soothed. "Get all of the humiliation you're feeling out of your system. Then, once you've calmed down, you can tell me what really happened the night that my wife was attacked."

I continued to sob for a few more moments until I couldn't anymore. I took a moment to compose myself and then pulled back from our embrace.

"I'm alright now." I said to him. "Let's sit down."

I turned and sat down at my end of the table, and Nick sat down on the other end.

"Can you tell me what happened, now?" Nick asked me.

I nodded, and tried to think about where the best place would be to start. Once I knew where to start, I then told him my story:

"After Jessica left my house, the night of her concert, I was worried that she would make good on her threats to out you to the whole world as well as take your daughter away from you. I couldn't let her do that to you."

Nick nodded, as he listened to me. I continued.

"I jumped in my car and drove down to the place where she was performing. On the way, I was feeling all of this rage building up inside of me over what she had said and done to me, that night."

I looked up at Nick, with a horrified look on my face.

"Nick, I'm telling you," I said to him. "I've never felt that kind of rage, before, ever in my life."

Nick's expression turned to confusion. It looked as though he was almost afraid to know the truth.

"But anyway, when I got there," I continued from where I left off. "I sat there, in the car, while I contemplated over and over in my head what to do."

"Why did you go to the auditorium?" Nick asked me. "What were you hoping to accomplish by going down there?"

"I was hoping that I'd get a chance to talk to you." I said to him. "But when I cooled down, I realized that it was a waste of time. So, I decided to head back home..."

Here, I stopped and sighed, heavily.

"But, unfortunately, I didn't make it." I finished.

Here, Nick frowned, in confusion.

"Why?" He asked me. "What happened?"

Now, I was getting to the worst part of the story. The part that still haunted me since it happened.

"On the way back home, one of my tires blew out." I explained to him. "So, I had to park in the parking lot of this closed up little mini mart that was nearby. It was dark and there was no light for me to see what I was doing."

"Despite that, I got out the car jack, the spare tire, and the lug nut changer, and attempted to start getting the tire changed. It took awhile since it was hard to see what I was doing."

I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat, and attempted to go on.

"When I was done changing the tire, and I went to get back in my car...."

I cut off as I remembered what had happened.

"What?" Nick urged me. "What happened?"

"When I went to get in my car," I continued. "I heard a noise behind me. When I turned around, I saw someone, in a ski mask, coming at me with a knife in his hand. I asked him what he wanted and offered him my wallet, but he slapped it out of my hand. He obviously didn't want my wallet. He wanted to kill me."

Nick stared, wide-eyed at me, when that part was revealed.

"Oh, God!" Nick said, in shock. "What did you do next?"

"He kept coming at me with the knife. I warned him to stay away from me, but he wouldn't listen. He lunged at me with the knife and I quickly jumped into defense mode. I moved and grabbed his arm, in which he had the knife, and started punching him with the other one. But, he managed to yank his other arm away from me, and the knife that he was holding in his hand, slashed my hand, in the process."

realization started to dawn on Nick what that meant.

"That's how you hurt your hand." He said. "You were attacked."

"Yeah."I said to him. "Anyway, I managed to disarm him and I gave the guy quite a martial arts beating, until he couldn't take anymore. After that, he ran off."

Nick sighed, in relief.

"Well, thank God." he said. "I'm glad that you weren't hurt any worse."

"Me too." I said, nodding. Then, Nick wondered something else.

"Is that everything that happened?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Pretty much." I said to him. "After that, I got out the First Aid kit and tended to my injured hand. Then, I started the car and drove back home."

Nick got quiet for a moment, as he processed everything that I'd told him. He finally knew the truth about what had happened that night. But, he still had a few questions.

"Why didn't you call for help after you were attacked?" Nick asked me.

"Because my cell phone's battery went dead." I explained to him. "And I couldn't find the charger to it."

Nick realized something.

"That's why your phone was off when I tried to call you, earlier that night." He said. "Just before the attack on Jessica, I called your cell phone, but it went to voice mail."

"Yeah." I said, lowly. "I got your message when I snuck out of the hospital before to avoid answering questions about my hand."

"That's another thing I'm wondering about." Nick replied to me. "If you were innocent the whole time, why didn't you just explain to the guys what happened to you? Why did you feel the need to hide it?"

I knew that what I was going to tell Nick would sound very stupid, but once he heard it, I knew he would understand why I did what I did.

"For one thing, I didn't want to relive that frightening ordeal all over again," I explained to him. "as well as the fact that I was scared when Detective Adams was considering me as a suspect in this case. Even though, I didn't attack Jessica that night, I still didn't have an alibi because I wasn't home at the time of the attack. I got home at about 10:35p.m. I thought that if I lied and said that I was at home, the entire time, then maybe I wouldn't have to worry about being considered as a suspect."

Nick put a hand over his eyes and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Nick, I didn't do it." I said to him, again. "I could never try to kill anyone. You believe me, don't you?"

Nick looked up at me, again.

"Yes, Sean, I believe you." He said. "I knew you couldn't have done this to Jessica."

Nick rose from his seat and came over to me. He leaned down and hugged me, but only for a brief moment.

"Thank God." Nick said, as he hugged me. "Thank God, you didn't do it."

I smiled, as I allowed myself to enjoy the comfort of his arms around me. After the hell I'd gone through, earlier, I felt a little better now that Nick was here.

Nick released me and sat back down in his chair. I then took that moment to tell him something else.

"Even though I told Detective Adams the truth about what happened that night," I explained to Nick. "I still don't have an alibi to back up what I've said."

Nick thought about it for a moment and then asked me something I wasn't expecting.

"Sean, what I want to know is this." He said. "I know you said that you didn't set foot in that auditorium, but how can you explain the blood that they found at the scene of the crime, being a match for yours?"

That was a very good question. I had no idea how my blood could have matched the blood found at the scene of the crime. But one thing I knew for sure is that something very fishy was going on.

I shrugged.

"I don't know, Nick." I said to him. "That's the one thing I can't figure out. All I know is that I've been set up, somehow."

"Set up?" Nick frowned. "But how? Who would want to deliberately set you up in order to get you thrown in jail?"

"That's what I keep coming back to, over and over again, in my head." I replied. "But, I can't come up with anyone who would want to do this to me."

I was on the verge of tears at that moment. I couldn't figure out who could be behind this whole thing. I knew that I was being framed, somehow, but I had no idea who would be vindictive enough to do that to me.

"And if I can't figure out who did this to me, I can't prove my innocence!" I said, starting to sob. "If that's the case, then all is lost, and I may end up going to prison for the rest of my life!"

I brought my hands up to my face and started crying into them. In a moment, I felt Nick grab one of my arms.

When I looked up, I saw that he was standing up now, and was standing beside me.

"I just..." I broke up there, as my sobs interrupted my words. "I want to go home!"

"Come here." He said, pulling at my arm, urging me to get up.

I got to my feet and stood up in front of him, still sobbing. Nick looked at me and saw the turmoil I was in. I could see from the expression on his face that he really felt sorry for me for what I was going through.

Finally, Nick put his hands on my upper arms and pulled me closer to him. He put his arms around me. I held onto him, tightly, as I broke down, crying.

"I don't want to be in here!" I cried out. "I want to go home!"

I could feel Nick running his hand, gently, up and down my back, as he did his best to comfort me.

"I know." Nick whispered to me. "I know. But, it's just not possible right now."

I sobbed harder into his chest.

"I can't go to prison, Nick!" I wailed. "I will die!"

"Shh," Nick soothed. "Try not to worry about it. Everything will be alright."

"No, it won't!" I sobbed to him. "I just found out a while ago, that they're going to transfer me to a local jail to make room for other suspects that are coming in to lock-up!"

"What?!" Nick asked, in shock, pushing me back a bit so that he could look at me. "When did this happen?"

"About 15 minutes ago, just before you arrived." I told him. "And to make matters worse, Joe Simpson was here, when the prison guard told me."

Nick frowned as he looked into my eyes.

"What the hell was Joe doing here?" Nick asked me.

"What else?" I asked, sarcastically. "He was here to gloat about my current situation. When he heard that I was being sent away to a local correctional facility, he decided to rub it in, by saying how good that orange jumpsuit was going to look on me."

"I can't believe him!" Nick said, through gritted teeth. "He just doesn't know when to quit!"

"You got that right." I agreed. "He's definitely no push-over."

I lost it again as the thoughts of spending the night in a local jail with convicted felons, flooded my mind.

"Oh God, Nick!" I cried out, as I pulled him close to me, again. "My lawyer, Selina, told me that my bail was denied here, so now I have to wait until my bail hearing is set. She said that it could take anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks!" Nick, I can't handle going to that awful place! It's even worse than here!"

"You can handle it, Sean." Nick said. "You are one of the strongest people that I know."

"But, I'm not strong enough for this!" I sobbed, hysterically.

"Yes, you are." Nick said, quietly. "Look at me."

I lifted my head up and looked at Nick, through my tears to see him, looking at me with that serious look again. He lifted a finger and pointed it at me.

"Don't give up." he said, the seriousness obvious in his tone of voice. "Because I will not give up! This is wrong, and we will prove it to be wrong! You will be exonerated, if it's the last thing I do! I swear that to you!"

As scared as I was of going to prison for this, just knowing that I had Nick's support meant the world to me.

"Thank you." I said, hugging Nick again, one last time. "Thank you for being here, Nick."

"You don't have to thank me." Nick said, softly. "I will always be there for you. No matter what. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't." I said to him. Then I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked at him, again. "Will you do something for me?"

Nick smiled at me.

"Name it." He asked me.

I wiped at my tears to clear my face of them. I had cried for hours. Now, I felt all cried out.

"Will you tell Jason that I'm thinking about him?" I asked Nick. "And ask him to come and see me when he gets a chance?"

"Sure." Nick said, nodding his head. "But, I don't think that he'll get to see you, tonight. Detective Adams said that I was going to be the last visitor for the day."

My heart sank at that moment. I had hoped that Jason could make it to see me. But, I guess I was just going to have to deal with seeing him at the prison, tomorrow.

"Well then, just tell Jason that I love him." I told Nick. "And give the guys, Kandi, Jake, and Michelle, my love, as well."

"I will." Nick replied. "Don't worry about a thing."

I smiled at him, for the first time since he'd gotten here.

"There is something else I'd like you to do for me?" I said. "And this is very important."

"What?" Nick asked, curiously, wondering what it was.

"I'd like for you to stay the night at my house, tonight to keep Danny company." I said. "And when you go into my room, I'd like you to look in the bottom drawer of my dresser, and underneath my clothes, you'll find something very special hidden there. I'd like you to put my wedding band in there, with it."

Nick laughed.

"Ok." He said. "Are you sure you can't tell me what this special thing is?"

"You'll know when you see it." I said to him. "Will you do what I've asked?"

"Of course I will." Nick said, smiling at me.

I couldn't get over just how beautiful he was when he smiled. I took the time to admire it. I wanted to remember that smile, so that when things got rough, I could look back on his smile as the glimmer of hope that I needed to be sure that everything would be alright in the end.

At that moment, the door to the visiting room opened and the guard stepped back in.

"Time's up." He said. "I have to take you back down to the holding area now. They're preparing to take a load of prisoners down to the Correctional facility now."

Here came the moment I was dreading. I looked back to Nick for help. Nick seemed to know what I was thinking.

"I will take care of all of your requests." He said. "In the meantime, stay strong. "I have every reason to believe that you'll be out on bail soon."

I nodded, as the prison guard came and started putting the handcuffs back on me, again.

"I hope so." I said to him. "Take care of yourself. Nick."

"I will." Nick said to me. "You try and do the same."

The guard was already leading me to the back door.

"I'll try." I said. "Goodbye, Nick."

"Goodbye, Sean." I heard Nick say as the door shut behind me.

Back inside, the holding area, the guard led me to my cell and let me in it again. He told me to wait here, until they were ready to take a group of us down to the local prison.

I could only hope that Tomorrow was a better day. But, somehow, I doubted that it would be.

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

Justin and Kandi were sleeping on the couch together, when the sound of the door opening awoke them. They both turned to see Jeff come into the house.

"Hey, you two." He greeted them. "Where is everybody?"

"Danny hasn't come back yet." Justin said to him. "And Jake took Michelle home so that she could get some rest."

"Oh." Jeff said. "Alright."

Kandi could see that Jeff looked drained. He had obviously gone through something.

"Jeff, where did you go when you stormed out of here, earlier?" She asked him.

"I went to a "24 Hour Fitness" gym to get in a late workout." Jeff told her. "It was just what I needed to clear my head."

"So you feel better now?" Kandi asked him. Jeff nodded.

"Yeah, a little." He said. "But I won't really get to deal with everything that I'm feeling until Drew returns from New York City."

Kandi frowned at him.

"Sweetie, I really think you should let go of these feelings that you have for Drew." She said to him. "They're not going to go anywhere. Not as long as Drew is with Casey."

"I know that, Kandi." Jeff said. "But you have to understand that this is not easy for me. These feelings will not go away overnight."

"Of course not." Kandi replied. "It won't be easy for you, but you'll only end up hurting yourself more, in the long run if you hold on to false hopes."

"I know." Jeff said, in a low voice. "I just need time to deal with this in my own way."

Kandi and Justin each grew silent, as did Jeff, neither of them quite knowing what else to say at that moment. They were all pretty tired.

"Well, I'm beat. I'm going to go to bed." Jeff said. "When Danny gets back, tell him that I'm sleeping in Sean's guest room, so that he won't be caught off guard by it."

"We'll let him know." Justin assured Jeff. "Go ahead and get some sleep."

"Ok." Jeff said, turning towards the hallway. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Justin and Kandi both said, as Jeff walked away and disappeared down the hallway.

Justin and Kandi resumed their earlier position, on the couch, while they waited for Danny to return.

They both must have fallen asleep again, because the next thing they knew, they heard someone calling their names.

"Justin? Kandi? Wake up, you two." They heard someone whispering.

When Justin and Kandi both had opened their eyes, they saw Nick standing over them. Immediately, they both scrambled to sit up.

"Nick? How is Sean?" Kandi asked, looking at him. "Is he alright?"

"Physically, yes." Nick said, sadly. "But, emotionally, he's a mess. I really feel for him right now."

"I'm sure." Justin agreed. "We all do."

"Sit down and tell us more." Kandi said, patting the seat on the couch beside her.

Nick walked over to the other side of the sofa and literally slumped down on it. It was clear to them that Nick was exhausted.

"Man, what a day!" Nick groaned, rubbing his eyes a bit. "It's bad enough that Sean got arrested, but it's even worse now that I have to deal with my relentless father-in law!"

"Why?" Justin asked him. "What has Joe done now?"

Nick looked at Justin, the anger evident on his face. He knew that they both were going to be just as angry as he was when they find out about what Joe had done to Sean earlier.

"When I visited Sean, at the jail," Nick said to them. "he told me that Joe had been there and was gloating over his arrest!"

Kandi shook her head, in disbelief. But she wasn't really all that surprised over it.

"I can't believe the audacity of that bastard!" She said, angrily. "Someone needs to put him in his place once and for all!"

"No." Nick said, feeling guilt ridden. "If anyone's to blame here, it's me."

"Why you, sweetie?" Kandi asked him. "What did you do?"

"I'm the one who told Joe about Sean's arrest." Nick said. "I just didn't think that he was going to go down there and harass Sean over his arrest." When he left the hospital earlier, he said that he was going back to his hotel room to take a shower."

"Don't blame yourself for that, Nick." Justin said, quietly. "Joe was going to find out about it sooner or later, anyway. It's been all over the news."

Nick sighed.

"But, it's a moot point, anyway." He replied to Justin. "Because Sean didn't do it. He told me what happened that night."

Now, Justin and Kandi had Nick's full attention. They were both very curious to know what had happened the night of Jessica's attack. They all knew that Sean had been acting so secretive about it. Especially about how he'd injured his hand.

"Would you care to elaborate on that?" Kandi asked him. "We'd really like to know what Sean said."

Nick nodded, just before he yawned, sleepily.

"If you don't mind, can this wait until tomorrow?" Nick asked, tiredly. "I'm too exhausted to get into it right now."

Justin took a good look at Nick.

"Yeah, you do look tired." He said. "Why don't you head back to the hotel and get some rest?"

"Actually, I'm going to be staying here, tonight." Nick told him. "Sean asked me to keep Danny company so that he won't be alone."

"Speaking of Sean," Kandi said to Nick. "When will he be out on bail?"

Nick sighed, heavily.

"Unfortunately, he won't." Nick said, sadly. "His request to post bail, at the police station was denied. So now he has to wait until his bail hearing is set before the issue of bail can be brought up, again."

Kandi hid her face in her hands, shaking her head in despair.

"Things just keep getting worse and worse for him." She whimpered. "When is this nightmare going to end?"

Nick shook his head.

"I don't know." He said. "But it's only going to be worse from here on in. As we speak, Sean is probably being transferred to the local jail, right now."

"What?!" Kandi asked, in shock. "Why?"

Nick looked at her, sympathetically.

"Because, the holding cells, at the police station, were getting too crowded, so it looks like they're going to be taking a load of suspects down to the prison to make rooms for other suspects that are coming into the station."

"Oh God, Poor Sean!" Kandi wailed. "He's got to be scared to death right now!"

"He is, Kandi." Nick replied. "And I have no idea of what I can do to help him through this. I guess all I can do is be there for him."

Justin nodded, in agreement, while Kandi wiped her tears from her cheeks.

"I guess that's about all that any of us can do right now." Kandi said, sadly. "In the meantime, why don't you go and try to get some sleep now?"

"I will." Nick said. "I'll see the two of you, in the morning."

With that, Nick walked off towards Sean's room. He heard Justin and Kandi say goodnight to him as he did.

Nick entered Sean's bedroom and sat down. on the bed. He ran his hands through his hair, in frustration. He felt so helpless, and he didn't know what he could do to help get Sean out of this mess.

As he thought about Sean, he remembered what Sean had told him, earlier, about something special being hidden in his bottom dresser drawer.

Nick got up from the bed and walked over to the dresser. He opened up the bottom drawer and lifted up some of Sean's clothes so that he could see what was hidden underneath them.

And then, he saw it: A framed picture of him and Sean, on their wedding day.

"He still has this?" Nick asked, in shock, yet with a smile on his face. "I can't believe it!"

Nick picked up the picture and took a closer look at it. He could see how happy he and Sean had both been in that picture.

"You and I sure did have some wonderful times, together, Sean." Nick said, softly. "Oh, how I adored you, then."

Nick turned on the stereo, that was sitting on the table, near the bed. A song came on that sounded really pretty, so Nick decided to listen to it.

The song played as Nick thought back to happier times.

"You can say you love me, And I'll believe that's true."

"Trusting you is easy, Cause, I believe in you."

"There is nothin' I would miss, As long as we're in love like this."

"All I have, is all I need, And it all comes down to you and me."

"How far away this world becomes, In the harbor, of each other's arms."

"I feel like I've known you, Forever and Ever, Maybe that's how close we are."

"Right here, with you is where, My life has come together."

"And where love has filled my heart."

"You know I'd go, anywhere, As long as I have you to care."

"All I have, is all I need, And it all comes down to you and me."

"How far away, this world becomes, In the harbor, of each other's arms."

"All I have, is all I need, And it's all comes down to you and me."

"How far away, this world becomes, In the harbor, of each other's arms."

As the song ended, Nick smiled as he wiped a few tears from his face. The song has really touched him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out of it: Sean's wedding band.

Then, Nick turned over the picture frame and opened up the back of it. Once it was open, he placed Sean's wedding band, inside the picture frame and closed it back up. Then, he put the picture back in the bottom drawer, where he'd found it, and covered it back up again.

Nick then took off his shirt and pants and hung them on the foot board, at the end of the bed, leaving him dressed in only an A shirt and his boxers.

He pulled back the covers on the bed and crawled into it. Once he was under the covers, he reached over and turned off the night lamp on the bedside table.

"Tomorrow, Sean." Nick said. "Tomorrow, I will figure out a way to help you through this."

Nick closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

******************************************************* SOMEWHERE ELSE IN ORLANDO..............

There is a knock on someone's door. A blond haired woman is seen going to the door to answer it.

When the door is opened, Danny is revealed on the other side of the door.

"Hi." He said to her. "I know it's late, but may I come in? I really need someone to talk to right now."

When the woman's face is shown, it is revealed to be Selina.

"Sure." She said. "Come on in."

Danny nodded and entered the house. Selina then closes the door behind them.

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.

Send all feedback, whether it'd be comments or criticism to:

slpwriter@yahoo.com