Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:45:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: slpwriter <slpwriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-55

Hey guys, I'm back!

NEWSFLASH: Have all of you been watching: Newlyweds:
Nick and Jessica?"

If you haven't, you really should tune in to it. It
coms on MTV at 10:30 EST on Tuesdays as far as I know.
It's a half hour series. I don't know what I think of
it right now, but hey, any excuse to see Nick Lachey
on tv is good enough for me, lol.

Be sure to catch the season finale, Tuesday, October
22 at 10:30p.m. EST


I'm writing again, but don't expect the chapters to be
out soon. I've reached a very difficult area in the
story and in order to keep it going, I need to make
sure that it makes sense this time around.

 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.

NEWSFLASH: To those of you who don't already know,
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, in real life, have
reconciled and are now husband and wife. I wish them
all the best with their marriage and hope they live a
long and happy life together.

If you want details about their wedding, check out the
98 Degrees Official Website at www.98degrees.com.


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

and finally:
"This Gift" by Sprout



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

Enjoy.


Previously on "My Everything".....


BEN'S HOUSE.............

I pulled into Ben's driveway and shut off the
ignition. I climbed out of the car and locked it.
Shutting the doors behind me, I walked up to his door
and rang the doorbell.

The door opened and there was Ben, dressed in black
cargo pants and a nice white dress shirt. When he saw
me, he did a double take.

"Sean?!" He asked, his eyes wide.

"Yep, it's me. In the flesh." I said, as I greeted
him. "Now, do I get a hug?"

Ben leaned forward and grabbed me up into a bone
crushing hug.

"How have you been doing lately, Sean?" Ben asked me.

I was suddenly feeling very tired and I wasn't gonna
stay awake much longer.

"Ben, would it be alright if we caught up tommorrow?"
I asked him. I'm so exhausted right now, I just want
to get some sleep."

"Sure." He said, stepping aside to let me in. He told
me to go upstairs and get comfortable while he went to
get sheets and blankets for the bed.

I walked into the little room and sat down on the bed,
thinking about Drew's earlier conversation with me.

"Could Drew be right?" I asked myself. "Could I really
not be who I used to be?"

I laid down on the bed as I waited for Ben to bring
the blankets.

I must really have been exhausted, because I was
asleep before my head even hit the pillow.


***********
CHAPTER 55
***********

I woke up to a beautiful morning sunrise, which meant
that it was going to be a great day to start doing
good deeds.

I got up and yawned as I stretched out to wake up
more, which wasn't easy since I was still tired.

I had awakened quite a few times last night, as I
dreamed back of my conversations with Drew and Danny,
as well as the events that happened at the Lachey
house.

I had tossed and turned most of the night because of
the dreams, so I didn't get much sleep after that. But
some good did come out of the situation.

I'd gotten to do alot of thinking about my
relationship with Drew, his friends, and Danny and I
was starting to wonder if I really was being too hard
on them for how they'd treated me those last two years
ago.

But at the same time, I was still trying to retain
whatever shreds of my dignity and self respect that
had remained after getting my heart broken.

But, now was not the time to be thinking about all
that. Right now, I needed to get dressed and go
downstairs to start breakfast. That is if Ben wasn't
already awake and cooking already.

I got up and went into the bathroom to do my business,
and to brush my teeth. I finished up and exited the
bathroom and then set about getting dressed.

I finished up getting dressed and walked downstairs
into the living room. As I did, I smelled food and
coffee coming from the kitchen. I knew then that Ben
was indeed up and was cooking breakfast.

I walked into the kitchen and saw Ben putting eggs on
two plates. He looked up and saw me come in.

"Well, looks who's up." He said, cheerfully. "How did
you sleep last night?

"Not good, I'm afraid." I told him, as I yawned.

"Well, I figured you did after the way you just passed
out last night." Ben pointed out. "When I came
upstairs with your sheets and blankets, you'd already
fallen asleep and I just couldn't wake you up. You
seemed so exhausted, that I just covered you up and
left you sleep."

"Thanks for letting me stay here tonight, Ben." I
said, tiredly. "I really don't have anywere else to
go. And after my run-in with the 98 Degreers and
Jessica Simpson Lachey, they don't want to be around
me now that's for sure."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked, sitting down across
from me. He started cutting his omelet as we talked.

"Well, as I told you over the phone, there is alot
that you and I need to talk about. Starting with why
we lost touch."

Ben nodded and took a bite of his omelet.

"Go ahead, Sean." He said, around his food. "I'm
listening."

I took a deep breath and began.

"Well, two years ago, Nick and all of my friends
practically disowned me. The day I drove away from
their house was one of the most devastating days of my
life. I had lost the man I loved and somehow I knew I
had to pick up the pieces and move on. But it was more
difficult than I thought."

"I had to find a new place to live and start over
again. I knew I couldn't go back to New York because
there were just too many painful memories there: My
parent's death, the rape, as well as others."

I also knew that I couldn't stay in Los Angeles,
because I didn't want to be anywhere near Nick, or the
guys. Especially after all of my anger and bitterness
came out."


"Well, I can't say I blame you for being bitter." Ben
said. "I would be too if that had happened to me."

I nodded.

"At least you understand where I'm coming from." I
said. "Anyway, back to my story."

I took a bite of my egg and a sip of coffee before I
continued.

"Once all the anger and bitterness emerged, I decided
that I never wanted to hear from Nick, Drew, or any of
the guys again, including Danny, the man who was
supposed to be my best friend at the time. They never
called me while I was on the road at all. If Nick had
wanted me to come back, I thought he would have called
in a few days when he had cooled down. But he never
did. Neither did anyone else. So, when I decided to go
live in Orlando, Florida, I changed my cellphone
number, as well as had my home phone number unlisted,
so no one who knew me would know how to contact me or
find me."

When I came to that part of the story, Ben looked at
me, sadly, yet there was hurt in his eyes as well.

"And you never did think to confide in me or let me
try to help you get through it."

I looked at Ben, sadly and shook my head.

"I know, Ben." I said. "And that was a mistake. One, I
will regret until the day I die. But you have to
realize that I was so traumatized that I couldn't
think about anyone but myself at that time. Then, when
I couldn't take the pain anymore, I tried to end it
all."

Ben's eyes widened. "You mean-

"Yes." I said, as a few tears rolled down my cheeks.
"I tried to take my own life."

"Why, Sean?" Ben asked. "What could have possesed you
to do something like that?"

I wiped at my eyes and continued. I wasn't crying
badly. Just a few tears. I had done enough crying for
an entire lifetime since the breakup. I was much
stronger now and could handle my emotions better now.
But it was still a bit painful to talk about.

"I was at the end of my rope, Ben." I told him. "I
felt I had no purpose left in the world, so I tried to
end it all by jumping off of a cliff, overlooking the
highway. Unfortunately, I never made the jump. Thanks
to a guy I'd met named Jake. He's been really great
and was there for me when I needed a friend. He's my
new best friend."

"Anyway, after Jake rescued me, he took me back to his
house, which was next to mine, since we both live on
the beach in the same apartment complex, and we talked
for hours. I met Michelle, his girlfriend and the
three of us really hit it off. They were there for me,
during my long and hard recovery. It took a little
over a year for me to fully recover. And once I did
recover, I swore that no one would ever have the
chance to hurt me like that ever again."

Ben sat back in his chair and sighed heavily. He was
really stunned and amazed at everything that I'd been
through.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Sean." Ben started to
say. "It's true that you've been through hell. But
that still isn't much of an excuse why you never
stayed in contact with me and Matt at least."

I started to open my mouth to protest, but Ben cut me
off.

"Let me finish." Ben said. I nodded and let him go on.

"What I was going to say was, despite your being out
of touch, I still care about you and I do want you
back in my life again. What you went through doesn't
matter anymore. All that matters is that you're well
now and we finally have a chance to reconnect again."

I smiled at Ben, widely. I was so touched that he was
willing to let the past be that and that he was going
to give me another chance.

"So, does that mean you forgive me?" I asked,
hopefully.

In response, Ben leaned over and pulled me into his
arms, embracing me in a tight hug. I hugged him back,
noticing how good it felt to be in someone else's arms
again. Even if it was just a friendship, it felt good
to be loved. Maybe there was hope for me after all.

"Does this answer your question?" Ben asked,
continuing to embrace me.

"More than you'll ever know, buddy." I whispered, as I
pulled back from his embrace.

Ben looked at me, strangely, all of a sudden. It was
like he was noticing something about me that I wasn't.

"You know, you seem different somehow." He said. "I
can't quite put my finger on it, but you've definitely
changed from the man you used to be."

Yeah." I said. "You're noticing that I'm more
independent now for one thing. And that I'm not as
forgiving as I used to be. You can thank Nick Lachey
and the rest of the guys for that."

"How can you say that?" Ben asked, then added. "You've
forgiven me."

Here I frowned.

"Ben, I've never had to forgive you for anything." I
told him. "You've never hurt me. Besides, I'm the one
who's needed forgiving for leaving and not staying in
touch. You didn't have a part in disowning me like
they did."

"But I could have done more." Ben insisted. "I could
have tried to find you."

"Come on, buddy, don't be ridiculous." I told him.
"You're an actor. You were too busy to find the time
to look. I understand that."

"I'm never too busy for my friends." Ben said.

His comment made me love him even more for still
caring about me so much.

I sat back and smiled all of a sudden, my face taking
on a dreamy look.

"Do you remember when we first met?" I asked him.

Ben smiled too, remembering that day.

"Yeah." He said. "Matt and I met you at that
restaurant in Los Angeles. You seemed so down that day
and we saw you and something just seemed to draw us to
you.

"That was the day that Nick had asked me to marry
him." I replied. "I said that I wasn't ready yet and
that hurt Nick and he stormed out. I thought I'd lost
him that day."

"It seems like such a lifetime ago." Ben said. "We
were all happier back then. Me and Matt,"

Ben looked up at me and finished:

"You and Nick."

Ben frowned again, then asked.

"How is Nick anyway?"

When he asked about Nick, my mind wandered back to
Nick's letter and what he had told me before he took
off.

"Not good, I'm afraid." I told Ben.

"What happened?" Ben asked me, confused.

I got up and walked back over to the table to set my
plate in the sink, since I was finished eating.

"Nick left town." I told him. "Nobody knows where he
is or when he's coming back."

Ben was shocked to hear this. He had been angry with
Nick over how the guys had treated me, but even he
never would have seen this coming. He never thought
that Nick was the type of guy who would take off when
there was a problem.

"Why did he leave?" Ben asked. "What could have caused
him to take off?"

I turned around to face Ben.

"I think Drew and I had something to do with that." I
said to him.

"How so?" Ben wanted to know.

"Well, when I was in Orlando, I'd gone to a club with
Jake and Michelle and I was singing alot that night.
Then I went backstage to have some time alone and then
I hear someone tell me that I was incredible. I turned
around and there was Nick, looking hotter and sexier
than I'd ever seen him before."

"It was such an awkward moment for both of us,
considering how we'd left things a few years ago. We
never thought we'd see each other again, so when we
came face to face, a part of me was overjoyed to see
him. But another part of me wouldn't allow itself to
open up more to him. It was like the other part was
guarding me from getting hurt again."

"Nick wanted to talk, so he asked me if I would come
to the hotel and talk to him and the rest of his
friends. I was really bitter and rude to him and told
him no thanks. He said the offer still stood and that
I could still meet him if I wanted to before they left
the next morning. Then he left and I was alone."

Ben got up and brought his plate over to the sink and
put it in.

"It sounds like Nick was trying to reach out to you."
Ben said.

"He was." I said, nodding. "After he left, I couldn't
get the look in his eyes out of my head. It was like
he was practically begging me to come and talk.
Eventually, I finally was worn down. I never could
stand to see Nick hurt, even when I thought he
deserved it. Seeing it in his sexy blue eyes was just
too much for me to take and I finally agreed to go to
the hotel and see what he wanted."

"I drove to the hotel and went up to Nick's room. When
he let me in, I saw the rest of the guys for the first
time in a long time. Everyone was civil to me except
Drew, who was still bitter towards me."

Nick said that they all were wondering if there was
any chance that we could all be friends again. I said
I couldn't do it and Drew said something really cruel
and I ended up decking him for it. When he got up to
retaliate, Nick stepped in between us and tried to
calm Drew down. When Drew asked Nick why he was
defending me, Nick said because he loves me."

"And, what did you do?" Ben asked.

"I bolted." I told him. "I couldn't take it."

"Did Nick follow you?" Ben asked again.

"Yeah." I said. "He came to the apartment and we
talked for awhile. Then we went back to the hotel and
I asked Drew if we could talk alone for a  moment.
Nick and the guys left and waited in  Drew's room for
us. I apologized for hitting him and then Drew said
that despite everything that had happened, he still
loved me. That's when things really got interesting."

"Oh boy." Ben laughed. "Dare I ask what happened
next?"

"Drew and I started making out together, totally
naked. We got so into it, we didn't even think about
the fact that we were getting it on in Nick's room. At
least not until Nick walked in on us."

"Oh, my god!" Ben said, eyes wide, but at the same
time he started laughing. "That had to have been
embarassing."

"You have no idea." I said, trying not to laugh
because it wasn't really supposed to be funny. "Nick
totally freaked out and told us to get the hell out
and get it on in Drew's room. Then he stormed out.

Drew and I went back to his room and one thing led to
another and we made love. It was Drew's first time
with a guy. and my first time with any man since Nick
and I broke up.

"Was he any good?" Ben asked, with a shit eating grin
on his face.

"Ben!" I exclaimed in shock. "You know I don't kiss
and tell."

"Come on." Ben begged. "You know you want to tell me."

"Alright." I agreed. "Drew was incredible. For his
first time with a guy, he sure knew how to work it,
let me tell you."

"So, does this mean that you and Drew are a couple
now?" Ben asked me, out of the blue.

*******************************************************
AT THE LACHEY HOUSE: JEFF'S ROOM..........

 Jeff woke up to the sun shining brightly through the
window, right in his eyes. He squinted at the
brightness and turned towards Danny to see if he was
awake yet.

He wasn't there. his side of the bed was empty.

Jeff started to panic, when he remembered what Drew
had said to him last night about how Sean's coldness
had really done Danny in. Jeff knew that he had to
find Danny before something happened.

Jeff got up and quickly threw on his tank top and his
Joe Boxer flannel pajama pants and headed downstairs
to the living room to see if Danny was down there.

Jeff found Drew, Jessica, Kandi, and Justin in the
living room, talking and eating breakfast. Danny was
nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Jeff." Drew greeted him. "How are we feeling
this morning?"

"Not good right now." Jeff said, looking worried.
"Have any of you seen Danny this morning?"

"Not since last night when you went to bed." Jessica
said. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Yes." Jeff said. "Danny wasn't in bed when I woke
up."

"Are you sure he's not in the bathroom?" Justin asked
him.

"I haven't checked the bathroom." Jeff admitted. "But
first, I think I'll check the driveway to see if his
car is still here."

Jeff walked over to the door and opened it. He look
through the screen door outside towards the driveway.
Everyone's cars were there.

Well everyone's except Danny's.

"His car is gone." Jeff said, when he walked back into
the living room. "Where could he have gone this early
in the morning?"

"Have you tried his cellphone hon?" Kandi asked him.
She took a bite of her apple when she had finished.

"No." Jeff said. "But I'll try it now. Drew, may I use
your phone?"

"Sure, Jeff." Drew said, grabbing the cordless off of
the coffee table and handing it to Jeff.

Jeff took it and dialed Danny's cellphone number.
After a few rings, Danny picked up.

"Hello?"

"Baby, where are you?" Jeff asked him. "I've been
freaking out over here, wondering where you were when
I woke up and saw that you weren't in bed with me."

"I'm sorry, Jeff." Danny apologized. "I needed to get
out and clear my head, so I went for a drive while you
guys were still asleep. I couldn't sleep last night."

"Where are you, baby?" Jeff asked him. "Are you
alright?"

"Yes, sexy, I'm fine." Danny reassured Jeff. "I just
have a few things to take care of and then I'll be
home, ok?"

"What things are those?" Jeff asked him.

"I'll explain when I get back." Danny told him. "I
have to go now. I love you, Jeff."

"I love you too, Danny." Jeff said. "Do what you need
to do and then get back home to me, ok?"

"I will, baby." Danny said. "Goodbye."

Danny hung up the phone, leaving Jeff with dial tone.

Jeff hung up the phone and let out a huge sigh of
relief. Danny was going to be alright. Jeff was
curious though as to what things Danny needed to take
care of.

"Well, Danny is alright." Jeff said, turning around to
face everyone else. "He said he went for a drive and
that he needed to take care of a few things first
before he got back here."

Drew, Jessica, Kandi, and Justin, all were relieved as
well to hear that Danny was alright. They all had
grown to love Danny. He was like family to them now,
more than he ever was.

"Well, Jeff, now that we all know that Danny is
alright, we're going to go and get these dishes
cleaned up and then get dressed and ready for the
day." Jessica told him.

"Alright, fine, go ahead." Jeff said. "But, Drew,
would you mind staying here for a second? I'd like to
talk to you."

"Sure." Drew said, standing up with the others.

"Well, come on, Kandi, let's get these plates to the
kitchen." Jessica said, grabbing some of the plates
off of the table.

"I'm right behind you, sweetie." Kandi said, getting
up. She turned back to justin. "Are you coming, baby?"

"Yeah." Justin said, getting up with her.

He followed her into the kitchen with Jessica, leaving
Drew and Jeff alone in the living room.

"Let's go up to your room." Jeff suggested to Drew.
"It'll give us some privacy."

"Alright, let's go." Drew agreed, motioning him
towards the stairs.

Jeff and Drew went upstairs and went into Drew's
bedroom. Once inside, Drew shut the door behind them.

"Alright, Jeff." Drew started. "What do you want to
talk to me about that you couldn't talk about with
everyone else?"

Jeff turned around to face Drew and saw the slight
frown on his face.

"It's about Sean." Jeff said, a little hestitantly.

"What about him?" Drew asked, a hint of bitterness in
his tone.

Jeff sat down on the bed and ran his fingers through
his hair, which he usually did when something was
weighing heavily on his mind.

"Do you think that maybe, we should talk to him again?
See if there's any chance that we can patch things up
where our friendship is concerned?" He asked Drew.

Drew frowned. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because, I can't stand seeing the man I love, hurting
like this." Jeff said, the worry evident in his voice.
"He was so quiet last night after Sean left and later
when he and I went to bed, I wanted to make love with
him, all he did was curl up in a fetal position and
start crying. When I asked him, what was wrong, he
didn't answer me. All I could do was just put my arms
around him and let him know that I was there for him.
But I don't think that mattered. I don't know what to
do, Drew."

Here, Jeff was cut off from his own emotions. A few
tears rolled down his cheeks. When Drew saw them, he
immediately sat down next to Jeff and embraced him.

"Come on, Jeff." Drew soothed. "Don't get yourself
upset like this. Danny seemed fine when you called him
didn't he?"

"Yeah." Jeff said, sobbing a little. "But how do I
know that for sure, Drew? I don't know what frame of
mind he's in right now. He wouldn't even tell me what
things he said he needed to take care of. Danny always
was specific about what he was doing all the time.
He's never lied to me before."

"He's not lying to you." Drew said, rubbing Jeff's
back gently. "He's just probably not ready to share
whatever it is with you at the moment. And these
things he said he needs to take care of, could
probably mean that he's planning a surprise for you or
something."

Here, Jeff lifted his head and looked at Drew.

"Do you really think so?" He asked, wiping the tears
from his eyes.

"Sure." Drew said. "You never know. We'll find out
when he gets back."

Jeff sat up and took a second to compose himself.

"Thanks, Drew." He said. "I needed that hug."

"Anytime, man." Drew said, patting his shoulder.
"Anyway, what do you suggest we do about Sean?"

"I think you and I should go over to Ben's and talk to
him." Jeff said. "Maybe if we talk to Sean again one
more time, then maybe we can convince him to put the
past behind him and start over fresh with us."

Drew was quiet for a moment. He wasn't sure that
Jeff's suggestion would fly with Sean, considering how
closed off he'd become to all of them.

"Well, Jeff, as much as I'd like it if Sean could
forgive us for what we did, I don't think it's likely
that that will happen anytime soon. I don't think
talking to him again will do any good."

"But we've got to try." Jeff said. "Sean's coldness is
really hurting Danny and it's starting to take it's
toll on our relationship. If things continue the way
they are, I don't think our relationship will
survive."

"Don't say that, Jeff." Drew said, patting his
shoulder. "Danny may be depressed right now, but he
loves you. Never forget that."

Jeff glanced at Drew and held his gaze for a second.

"What?" Drew asked. "Why are you looking at me like
that?"

Jeff blinked and put his hand to Drew's face.

"You have no idea how amazing you are, Drew." He said.
"You are a wonderful man and why Sean cannot see that
is beyond me."

Drew smiled and put his own hand over Jeff's, which
was still resting on his cheek.

"Thanks, Jeff." he whispered, caressing Jeff's hand
softly.

"What do you say we go and talk to Sean right now?"
Jeff said. "I think you need to do this as much as I
do. Besides, you still love him, don't you?"

Drew nodded.

"Yes, Jeff, I do." Drew said. "But I can't hope for
something that just isn't meant to be."

"You'll never know that unless you talk to him and
tell him how you feel. I noticed he wasn't as bitter
towards you as he was to the rest of us last night. I
think that in itself proves that you still mean
something to him."

Drew thought it over for a second and realized that
Jeff could be right. He had to know for sure if there
was any chance that he could have a future with Sean.
He finally knew what he had to do.

"Come on, Jeff." Drew said, getting up off of the bed.
"Let's go and talk to Sean."

"Alright." Jeff said. "I'll drive."

Jeff and Drew left the bedroom and went downstairs to
the living room where Justin and Kandi were watching
tv. Jessica wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Where's Jessica?" Drew asked Justin.

"She went to your mom's house to pick up her
daughter." Justin told him.

"Where are you two off to?" Kandi asked.

"We're going to Ben Affleck's house to talk to Sean."
Jeff said. "We need to try to get through to him so
that we all can be friends again and so Danny can be
happy again with Sean back in his life. If things
continue the way they are going, my relationship with
Danny is going to be in serious trouble. I owe it to
Danny to at least try one more time."

"Well, in that case, we're going with you." Justin
said, switching off the tv and getting up off the
sofa. He held out a hand to Kandi, offering to help
her up. She took it and he pulled her up.

"Let's get going then." Drew said, heading for the
door.

Jeff, Justin and Kandi followed him. Kandi grabbed her
purse from the kitchen table and followed the rest of
them out the door.

Drew locked up the house and headed towards his SUV,
where Jeff and the others were already getting in.

"Here, Jeff." Drew said, throwing the keys to him.
Jeff caught them.

"Thanks." He said, as he got into the driver's seat.

Drew hopped into the front seat beside Jeff, while
Kandi and Justin took the back.

Jeff started the engine and backed out of the
driveway. Then they drove off to Ben's house.

*******************************************************
BACK AT BEN'S................

"Well Sean, after what you've just told me, a part of
me can see why Drew and the rest of the guys wouldn't
want to be around you, considering how bitter you were
to them last night." Ben said, as he flipped through
the channels.

"I know, Ben." I told him. "There are times when I
want to reach out to them and try to get beyond this
bitterness, but then I think about how they treated me
all those years ago..........

"And you turn as cold as that wind blowing outside."
Ben finished for me.

"Ice cold." I added. "And I hate that I'm doing it.
But whenever I do think about reconciling with them, I
just don't know what to say to them. I can't just
forgive and forget overnight."

"I'm not saying that you have to." Ben replied. "But
you can't stay bitter either. It's not healthy for
you, or for them."

"What do you think I should do?" I asked him, really
wanting to know what his opinion was.

"Well," Ben said, thinking hard about what the
solution could be. Then he thought of it.

"What you might want to do is take it one day at a
time." He said. "Let them know that you haven't
forgiven them all just yet, but that you are willing
to try again. That should be good enough for them. If
it isn't, you can't say that you didn't try."

I thought over what Ben was telling me and I realized
that he was right. But the question was: "Would I be
able to put my anger aside and try again?"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is." Ben said, starting to get up.

"Stay put, I'll get it." I said, getting up and
walking to the door. I opened it and froze.

Danny was standing there, looking at me, his face all
serious.

"Hi, Sean." He said, his voice monotone.

"Hi." I said, greeting him. "What brings you here?"

Danny looked at me, strangely for a second.

"What?" I asked, wondering why he was looking like
that.

"Nothing." He said. "You just seem....nice all of a
sudden."

I nodded. then stepped aside.

"Come on in." I offered. "I think we should talk."

"that's why I came." Danny said, as he walked inside.

I shut the door and turned towards him.

"Let's go into the living room and say hello to Ben."
I suggested.

"Good idea." Danny said, and followed me into the
living room.

Ben got up when he saw me enter the room and he did a
double take when he saw Danny.

"Hi, Danny." Ben said, walking over to him and shaking
his hand.

"How are you, Ben?" Danny asked him.

I'm good." Ben replied. "And you?"

"I'll be better once Sean and I can sit down and
really talk about things."

"Oh, well in that case, I'll leave you two alone." Ben
said.

He started to leave the room.

"No, Ben, you don't have to leave." I said to him.
It's your house. Why don't Danny and I just go up to
my room and we'll talk there?"

"Nonsense." Ben said, shrugging it off. "I need to go
take a shower anyway and get ready for today."

"Alright, then." I told him. "Do what you gotta do."

Ben walked to the doorway. He turned back around to
face us.

"You two play nice." Ben warned us. "I don't want to
hear any shouting matches while I'm in the shower."

"Don't worry, Ben." Danny told him. "I'm sick of
fighting."

"So am I." I agreed with Danny. "Danny and I are going
to sit down and have a civil conversation for once."

"In that case, I'll see you later then." Ben said, and
headed upstairs to take his shower.

I turned back to Danny.

"Let's sit down on the couch over there." I suggested
to him. He nodded.

We both walked over to the couch and sat down. Danny
sat right beside me.

"Well, where do I begin?" I asked, outloud. Then I
looked up at Danny and looked him right in the eye.

"I want you to know how sorry I am for being so cold
to you last night. I could see that that really hurt
you and I want you to know that I took no pleasure in
your pain."

My apology was sincere. Danny looked at me for a
moment. When it finally sunk in, he smiled a little.

"Thanks." Danny said. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure." I said.

"What made you change your mind about forgiving me?"
He asked, curious.

"Well, Danny, to tell you the truth, I haven't
forgiven you just yet." I told him.

"But, you just apologized to me for hurting me." Danny
said, confused.

"Yes, I did and I meant it." I told him. "I just
wanted you to know that if you and I are going to be
friends again, we have to take things one day at a
time and see how it turns out. I'm not saying I
forgive you just yet, but I am willing to at least
give you a chance to make it up to me."

Danny's face lit up. He knew I wasn't ready to forgive
just yet, but he was at least glad that I was willing
to try again at getting our friendship back.

"That works for me, Sean." He said. "I'll do anything
to have you back and if it has to be on your terms,
then so be it."

I smiled then asked. "Now, I have to ask you to
forgive me for last night."

I held out my arms, offering to embrace him. Instead,
he pulled me into his arms and held me tight.

"I forgive you, man." Danny said, kissing my cheek, as
tears rolled down his cheeks. "I've missed you so much
and it feels great to have you back."

"It's good to be back." I said, continuing to hug him.

We stayed like that for a long time, just hugging each
other and feeling the connection coming back again.

"I've missed you too, you know." I told him. "I didn't
realize how much until last night after it looked like
you'd given up trying to fight for my frienship back."

"Thank God." He said, hugging me tighter.

Just then, the doorbell rang again. Danny released me,
then.

"I'd better get that." I said, getting up and going to
the door.

I opened it and came face to face with Drew, Jeff,
Justin, and Kandi."

"Hey guys." I said, smiling warmly. Their reaction was
the same as Danny's when he first got there.

"I know what you're thinking." I told them. "You're
wondering why I'm happy to see you guys, rather than
cold and bitter."

"Well, yeah." Jeff said, surprised. "You weren't
exactly Mr. Wonderful last night."

"I know." I said, then stepped aside. "Come on in.
Danny's already here."

"I thought that was his car out there." Justin said,
as they went in.

I walked towards the living room to find Jeff and
Danny, hugging each other.

"I'm so happy, Jeff." Danny said, holding Jeff tight.
"Sean and I have finally made up and we're going to
try to be friends again."

"Just like that?" Drew asked, in surprise.

Danny looked at Drew, the smile never leaving his
face.

"Well, Sean told me that he's not quite ready to
forgive and forget just yet, but that he is willing to
try again.

Here Danny looked back at me. "Right, Sean?" He asked.

I nodded.

"What about us?" Drew asked, from behind me. I turned
around to face him.

"If you can accept that I need to forgive you all in
my own time and in my own way, then I see no reason
why I can't try again with all of you." I told him.

"Do you really mean that?" Drew asked me, the
startings of a smile on his face.

"Yes, Drew." I assured him. "Can you accept my terms?"

Drew smiled. "You bet. Now give me a hug."

Drew opened his arms out and I walked into them. He
hugged me tightly. A second later, I felt a second set
of arms around me. I turned and saw that it was Kandi.
Then Justin came over and put his arms around the rest
of us as well.

Jeff and Danny came over and put their hands around
the rest of us. We were all happy once again.

We had finally done it. After so many years. We were
finally able to put our differences aside and start
over again.

Although, forgiveness was still a ways away, I knew
that it was coming in the future. And while, I stood
there, being hugged by Drew and the rest of the gang,
I knew that I was back where I belonged. I was home.

"Welcome back, you guys." I whispered.



TBC.......?

Well, that's all for this installment. Stay tuned for
more.

"Will Sean and the guys really be able to start over
again?

"Will Sean and Drew reunite?"

"How will Jessica react when she finds out that Sean
is back in the guys good graces?"

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

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