Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2004 00:55:24 -0800 (PST)
From: slpwriter <slpwriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-75

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

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

Now on with the story.

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

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

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

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

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

and finally:

"What I feel for you" by Thack.

"What I feel for you." is an awesome story and
Thack, himself deserves applause for all of his hard
work on it.


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

Enjoy.


Previously on "My Everything".....


Nick's eyes shifted to the floor. He could tell that
I was being serious about leaving Los Angeles and
leaving my past behind.

"So, you meant what you said out there about not
wanting to be my friend anymore?" Nick said, his voice
filled with sadness. "You're really going to just walk
out of my life just like that?"

I couldn't hold back my emotions anymore. My eyes
filled with tears.

"I'm sorry, Nick." I said. "But I can't stand by and
watch you go down this road with Jessica. You refuse
to see Jessica the way I see her, so there's nothing I
can do for you anymore. You'll have to find out for
yourself what kind of a person Jessica really is."

Nick shook his head in defeat.

"If you're that determined to cut me out of your life,
then I guess that there's nothing I can do to stop
you. But I will say this. You're making a big mistake.
Because once you walk out that door, you know that
there is no turning back."

"I know that, Nick." I said, as I wiped at my eyes to
clear them of the tears. "I don't want to do this, but
it's for your own good, Nick, as well as mine. And to
be honest with you, I can't take your family's drama
anymore."

Nick came over to me and tried to put his arms around
me, but I moved away.

"Don't Nick." I said, angrily. "Don't touch me. I
don't want your pity."

Nick was visibly hurt by my words. He raised his hands
in the air.

"You know what? Fine!" He said, harshly. "If you're
going to be this difficult, then just go!"

I watched Nick, closely and saw just how upset he was
getting. His face was turning red, which is what
happened when he was getting angry.

"You don't care about me!" Nick shouted at me. "You
never did!"

Nick's words were like a knife in my heart. I'm sure
he didn't really mean them, but it still hurt to hear
them.

"I'm through trying to reason with you!" Nick said,
through gritted teeth. "Good-bye Sean!"

Nick brushed past me, bumping against me, as he exited
Drew's room and slammed the door behind him.

About a minute later, I heard the sound of a car being
started and then the sound of squealing tires,
signaling that Nick was driving away.

I grabbed my suitcase and headed towards the door, as
I wiped the remains of my tears away.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I closed it
behind me and walked downstairs and out the front
door.

As I walked outside, I could hear voices from the pool
area. It sounded like Kandi was laying into Jessica. I
knew I had to stop it before Kandi got too stressed.
Besides, I needed to say goodbye anyway. As well as
ask for a favor.

I set my suitcase down by the gate, and opened the
gate to enter the pool area. Everyone looked in my
direction as I came in.

"Well, guys, I've come to say goodbye to all of you."
I said. "And to ask for a favor."

"What favor is that, Sean?" Jeff asked me, curiously.

I looked Jeff in the eyes.

"I need a ride to the airport." I told him. "Would you
be willing to take me?"

"Sure." Jeff said, nodding. "Just let me go and put on
a shirt and grab my wallet and car keys, and I'll be
right back."

"Ok." I said, as Jeff started walking towards the
house.

"I'll go with you." Danny said, as he followed Jeff
into the house to get a shirt put on as well.

I turned back to Justin, Kandi, and Jessica who was
standing nearby.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." I said to Justin and
Kandi. "I'll miss you two."

"Same here, hon." Kandi said. "I'm sorry about
everything that's happened."

"It's not your fault, Kandi." I said, hugging her. "If
you want someone to blame, look at the bitch behind
you."

"Right." Kandi said, as she released me.

When she did, I looked past her and walked up to
Jessica.

"You listen to me, and you listen good, you little
ingrate!" I said to her. "If you are not on the up and
up about being pregnant with Nick's child, and you
hurt him, you will answer to me. Because I will come
back! I will come back with a vengeance! And I will
attack you, your life, and your work! And I will pull
them all down! I will do everything I have to do to
destroy you, Jessica! Never doubt me on that!"

"Oh, shut up, you little whiner, and get lost!"
Jessica spat back at me.

"Gladly." I retorted. "If I never see you again,
that's just fine with me. Even if it means not seeing
Nick too."

I turned away from her and turned back to Justin.

"Take care of Kandi, Justin." I said to him. "I'll
email you guys when I can, ok?"

"I will." Justin said, as he hugged me. "Take care,
Sean."

"You too, Justin." I said, as I pulled back from his
hug.

Just then, Jeff and Danny, re-entered the pool area.
Both of them now had shirts on, but still had on their
swimming trunks, which had not been wet, since neither
of them had gone into the pool yet, this morning.

"Are you ready, Sean?" Jeff asked me. "Danny and I
will get the car ready and put your suitcase in it."

"Yes, Jeff, I'm ready." I said, as I walked toward the
gate entrance. "Let's go."

I waved goodbye to Kandi and Justin, who were staying
behind, and left with Danny and Jeff and followed them
to their car.

"Speaking of the car," Danny started to say, as we all
got into the car. "We all heard Nick get into his and
peel out of the driveway. What happened between you
two that upset him so much?

"I'll tell you on the way to the airport." I said to
him. "For now, let's get out of here."

Jeff started the engine and backed the car out of the
driveway. He put it in gear and started driving
towards the airport.


**************
CHAPTER 75
**************

BACK AT THE LACHEY HOUSE....................

Kandi and Justin both turned and looked at Jessica,
who was standing there, looking quite pleased with
herself. She had finally gotten what she had wanted.
Sean out of her life.

"Well, it looks like you got what you wanted Jessica."
Kandi scoffed, angrily. "And at what cost?"

Jessica glared at Kandi, in disgust. This time, she
was going to stand up for herself. She was not about
to let anyone walk all over her this time.

"You know what, Kandi?" She snarled. "Just shut the
hell up! I've had just about enough of your mouth! I'm
not going to take anymore of your insults!"

Kandi's eyebrows raised up at that. She was surprised
that Jessica actually stood up for herself. Jessica
then continued with her ranting and raving.

"And as far as Sean is concerned." Jessica said. "The
less I see of that pathetic, husband-stealing, slut,
the better!"

That did it. Kandi had finally had enough of Jessica's
mouth. Her fist shot out and she punched Jessica
across the mouth before she even saw it coming.

Jessica staggered back and fell.........right back
into the pool! Again!

"That's for what you did to Sean earlier in that pool,
and for calling him a slut just now." Kandi said,
angrily, to Jessica, once she had surfaced. "Maybe
now, you'll learn to control what comes out of your
mouth, Bitch!"

All Justin could do was stand there, in shock. He'd
never seen Kandi deck anyone, since the incident with
the female reporter, who'd almost exposed the truth
about Nick's sexuality, years ago.

Jessica wiped at her mouth and saw the blood on her
hand. Once she did, she looked up at Kandi, and glared
at her.

"YOU BITCH!" Jessica screamed, as she leapt out of the
pool. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

She lunged at Kandi and threw her hands around Kandi's
neck and started trying to choke her.

By the time Justin had snapped out of his shocked
trance, Kandi had already landed a punch to Jessica's
abdomen, doubling her over. Once Jessica reeled from
the pain, Kandi had slipped behind Jessica, grabbed
her right arm, and pulled it behind her back, with one
hand. Then, she grabbed Jessica by the hair, with the
other.

"OWW!!" Jessica shrieked, in pain. "KANDI, YOU"RE
HURTING MY ARM!! AND LET GO OF MY HAIR! ARE YOU
INSANE?!"

Kandi was plenty angry. And this time, she let Jessica
have it again.

"You try that again, and you'll get worse than what
I'm doing right now!" Kandi threatened. "If I hear
anymore nasty words out of your mouth, I'll twist off
your breasts, break your nose, and send you to the
hospital hairless and full of broken bones! Then,
we'll see if Nick wants to stay with you after all of
that!"

"You wouldn't dare?!" Jessica squealed, in a scared
voice, as she struggled against Kandi's tight grip.

"Well, if you want to keep that beautiful face and
body of yours, you better watch out who you're messing
with next time!" Kandi said to her.

Justin was ready to step in now.

"Sweetheart, calm down." He said to Kandi, calmly.
"You're starting to stress yourself out."

Kandi realized that Justin was right, since she was
starting to shake.

"I'll be alright in a minute, honey." Kandi said. "I
just have one last thing to say to this blonde whore!"

Kandi turned back to Jessica, who was still trying to
get free.

"I'm going to let you go now." She said. "But when I
do, you are going to go upstairs and change into some
dry clothes. And, from now on, you're going to behave
like a woman, not a spoiled brat! Do I make myself
clear?!"

"Fine!" Jessica said, in frustration. "Let me go now,
please?!"

Kandi issued one last warning to Jessica.

"Don't test me!" She hissed at Jessica. "You will
regret it!"

Kandi let go of Jessica and Jessica ran in the
direction of the house to get away from Kandi, and to
get changed into another pair of dry clothes.

When she was gone, Kandi took a deep breath and calmed
down. Justin put his arms around her.

"Are you ok, sweetheart?" He asked her.

Kandi nodded.

"I'm ok now, Baby." She said, wrapping her arms around
him. "I just needed to let Jessica know just who she
was dealing with. At least now she knows not to mess
with me, anymore."

Justin smiled at her. Then he put his arm around her.

"Come on." He said, gesturing towards the house.
"Let's get you inside and upstairs into bed now. The
doctor said that you need your rest and I'm going to
make sure that you get it."

Kandi smiled at Justin. She didn't think it was
possible to love him more than she did at this moment.
But everyday, she was loving him more and more.

"That sounds great right about now, Honey." She said,
yawning a bit. "I could use a nap right now after I've
been in the hospital almost all morning."

"Alright." Justin said. "Let's go inside."

Justin and Kandi walked back towards the house.

*******************************************************
IN JEFF'S CAR.............

"Sean, are you sure that you want to leave things like
this, between you and Nick?" Jeff asked me, as he
drove. "Are you sure you really want to do that?"

I saw Jeff glance at me, in his rear-view mirror for a
second, as he tried to see my reaction. Danny turned
his head and looked at me, also.

I shrugged.

"No, Jeff, I don't want to." I told him. "But I have
no choice. Nick just doesn't see just how insecure and
scheming his wife really is. He won't listen to me, so
I have to back off and let him find out on his own.
Besides, I can't take the insults and abuse anymore. I
shouldn't have to, and I won't."

"I see your point, Sean." Danny replied. "But do you
really have to go as far as putting your friendship
with Nick on the line?"

"Yes, Danny, I do." I said, sadly. "It's the only way
Nick will take me seriously. Some time apart from him
will do me some good right now, anyway."

"Why do you say that?" Jeff wanted to know.

"Well," I started explaining. "Nick and I, both, have
different lives now." Nick has responsibilities to
Jessica and their little girl. Family is what he
should be focusing on right now, anyway, as much as it
sickens me to have to admit it."

"I have my own life and responsibilities back in
Orlando. I have to get back to my life and to my
friends, Jake and Michelle. I need to set things right
with them after the way  I left things with them,
before I came back to Los Angeles earlier this
morning."

"You mean with the fight that you had with them after
you stood up for Nick?" Jeff asked me.

"Yes." I confirmed for him. "Jake and Michelle are
really going to need my support right now. Especially
now that they both are planning on getting married and
expecting their first child."

"That's great news, Sean." Jeff said to me. "Tell Jake
and Michelle that Danny and I said "congratulations."

"I will, Jeff." I said to him. "I'm sure they'll
appreciate it."

"I'd like to meet Jake and Michelle sometime." Danny
said, sounding really interested in them. "They sound
like really good people."

"They are, Danny." I said, nodding my head. "I'm so
grateful to have Jake and Michelle in my life.
Especially Jake. He saved my life when I was prepared
to take my own. He helped me to see that I still had
alot to live for when I thought I had nothing. I
couldn't have asked for a better friend than Jake."

When I finished saying all of that, Danny grew silent,
and so did Jeff. I saw Jeff's eyes look over towards
Danny and then I saw Jeff grab Danny's hand and
squeeze it.

It was then that I realized how I must have sounded. I
had insulted Danny and threw the fact that he was no
longer my best friend, in his face. It was
unintentional, but I'd still did it, nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, Danny." I said, apologetically. "I didn't
mean that the way it sounded. Please forgive me."

"Don't worry about it, Sean." Danny said, a sad note
in his voice. "I understand. I can see why Jake is
your best friend. He was there for you when I couldn't
be. You're right about him. He definitely is the
better friend."

I picked up on the sadness in Danny's voice at that
moment. I know that it had to have been really
difficult for him to say that. He still considered me
his best friend, despite everything.

"Danny, don't be so hard on yourself." I said, softly.
"You're not totally to blame for what happened back
then. I have to take responsibility for my part in our
friendship going sour."

Now, Danny and Jeff, both, were shocked to hear that
admission from me.

"Are you serious?" Danny asked me. "Sean, it wasn't
your fault. It was mine."

I started to object, but Jeff spoke up before I could
get a word in.

"Actually it was all of us." Jeff explained. "Nick,
Drew, Justin, and Kandi, had their part in it, as well
as myself."

Here, Jeff started to choke up a little.

"I feel more responsible than anyone because I feel
like I took your friendship away from you both." Jeff
sniffed. "It was unfair of me to allow Danny to stay
with me after the way things ended with you and Nick,
and you got thrown out."

"But, Jeff." I started complaining. "Danny wanted to
stay with you. I can't say I blame him. He loved you
back then. Even I could see that, despite my anger
over the situation."

I looked down and saw that Danny still had his hand
around Jeff's and was squeezing it lightly.

I looked up and saw Jeff, wiping at his eyes in the
rear-view mirror. I reached forward and laid my hand
on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Besides, I'm as much at fault as anyone for Danny and
I not being best friends again."

Now, this threw both Danny and Jeff for a loop.

"How is it your fault?" Danny asked. "You didn't do
anything."

"Exactly, Danny." I replied, hoping to get my point
across. "I didn't do anything. I didn't reach out to
you when I should have."

Danny frowned, not quite getting it just yet. So, I
continued to refresh his memory.

"Do you remember on the day I left, you said that you
wouldn't abandon me and that you would be there for me
even though you didn't really agree with what the guys
were doing to me?"

Danny nodded, as he remembered the events of that day,
which seemed like so long ago. Which it had been.

"Yes, I do." He said. "I also remember saying that at
least Nick and the rest of us all still cared about
you enough to have at least one person in your life
that you could count on. But I still chose to stay
with Jeff."

"I know." I said. "And my point is, I didn't reach out
to you when I should have. I was so blinded by my
anger over being disowned, I didn't let myself
remember that fact. The fact that you were still going
to be there for me. But I decided that I didn't want
to hear from anyone, so I decided to just start a new
life and leave the past behind me."

"I see what you're getting at, Sean." Danny said. "But
I still don't blame you for being angry and bitter.
You were justified."

I nodded, as we all grew silent, thinking about the
situation. I knew that it was all water under the
bridge now, but I still hadn't fully forgiven everyone
yet. But I had softened up to them a little bit better
than how I'd been before. So stony cold.

I looked up and glanced at Jeff's reflection in the
rear-view mirror and noticed for the first time, since
the morning of Nick's disappearance, that Jeff's
bruised lip was almost healed. I then took my
opportunity to address that subject and offer an
apology for it since it seemed like Jeff and I were on
good terms now.

"By the way, Jeff, how's your lip?" I asked him.

I saw him run his finger across his lip, feeling it
for himself.

"It's doing ok." He said. "It's not as bad as it was
before. It's almost healed."

"Good." I said, smiling. "And I'm sorry about that by
the way. I wish I hadn't hit you."

"Me too." Jeff chuckled. "It hurt."

We all laughed a little at that. Leave it to Jeff to
try to lighten up the mood a little bit.

"And I apologize to you too, Danny." I said to him.
"Hurting Jeff, hurt you as well and I could see that
at the time, even though I didn't care."

"It's ok, Sean." Danny said, smiling at me. "Apology
accepted."

"Thanks, guys." I said, sitting back and getting
comfortable in my seat. We still had a half hour drive
ahead of us.

*******************************************************

BACK AT THE LACHEY HOUSE............

Kandi was upstairs, in her's and Justin's room, laying
down on the bed. She was reading a book to pass the
time while Justin brought her up some food and water.

When she'd come to the good part in her book, Justin
came back into the bedroom with some fresh fruit and a
glass of water.

"Here you go, sweetheart." Justin said, softly.
"Nourishment for my beautiful fiance."

Kandi looked up at Justin and smiled, as she put her
book down.

"You're so sweet, Justin." She said, as she reached
for the glass of water. "Thank you."

Justin reached over by the beside table and picked up
a prescription bottle off of it. He opened it up and
took out two tablets.

"Here, Babe." He said, holding them out to her. "Take
these."

Kandi grabbed both of them and put them into her
mouth. Then she took a long sip of her water and
swallowed, making sure they went down her throat.

"There." She said, sitting the glass of water back
down on the tray Justin had set in front of her. She
grabbed a freshly cut apple wedge and started chewing
on it. Then she noticed something.

"You know, Justin, it's pretty quiet around here."
Kandi observed, frowning a bit. "Where's Jessica? Is
she downstairs?"

Justin shook his head.

"No, I think she went somewhere." Justin replied. "I
noticed her car was gone when I was coming back
upstairs."

Kandi eyes raised at that and she visibly brightened.

"So, does that mean what I think it does?" She asked,
in a seductive voice.

"Yep." Justin said, as he sat on the bed next to her.
"We have the whole house all to ourselves."

"Well, in that case." Kandi said, leaning towards
Justin. "Let's take advantage of the time that we
have."

Kandi kissed Justin slowly. Justin kissed back and
then lay down with her, as they prepared to make love
together.

*******************************************************
LATER, AT THE LAX AIRPORT.............

Jeff, Danny, and I, walked into the LAX airport
together. While Jeff and Danny tried to keep a low
profile, I went and got in line to check  on my flight
information.

While I waited, my thoughts kept going back to Nick. I
was still frustrated with the fact that he couldn't
see Jessica the way I saw her. I questioned why Nick
would even want to stay married to her after all the
hurtful things she said and did to me since the first
day I came back to Los Angeles.

As much as I loved Nick, I realized that I had to stay
strong and not give in to my guilt over what I'd said
to him earlier. I knew that I had to step back and let
Nick handle his own life. And that also meant the same
thing for me.

It was time for me to move on.

After I'd finally gotten everything taken care of at
the airline counter, I turned back towards the waiting
area to look for Danny and Jeff.

*******************************************************
MEANWHILE, AT THE SIMPSON HOUSEHOLD..............

Jessica knocked on the door to her family's house. In
a few minutes, her mom answered the door.

"Hi, sweetie." Tina said, when she saw her. "How did
things go with your husband?"

Jessica didn't answer right away, which gave her
mother a chance to look her over more. Her mouth
dropped open when she saw Jessica's cut lip.

"Oh my god, honey!" Tina exclaimed. "What happened to
your lip?"

Jessica entered the house and her mother shut the door
behind them. Jessica then turned back to her mother.

"Kandi did this to me." Jessica said, bitterly. "All
because of the fact that I called Sean a
husband-stealing slut! Which he is!"

Tina's face crumpled.

"Don't tell me that Nick's left you and went back to
Sean?!" She said, hoping that she was wrong.

Jessica shook her head.

"No, that hasn't happened." Jessica told her. "And
it's not going  to."

"How do you know that for sure, Jessica?" Tina asked
her, confused.

Jessica smiled, widely.

"Because I got what I wanted." She told Tina. "My
telling Nick that I'm pregnant, also got rid of Sean
as well. He's probably on a plane back home right now,
even as we speak."

Jessica paused for a moment and looked around the
house, noticing how quiet the place was.

"Where's my little girl?" She asked Tina. "I came by
to pick her up now and take her home."

"She's upstairs." Tina said. "I just put her down for
a nap shortly before you got here."

Jessica's expression changed to guilt. She didn't like
the fact that she had to wake up Nicole just because
she had to take her home.

"I really hate to wake her up, Mom." Jessica said,
quietly. "She must be really tired."

"Don't worry about that, Sweetie." Tina said, waving
it off. "As active as she was today, nothing will wake
her up. Besides, you don't have to rush off right now
do you? I'd like to hear the whole story about how
things went back at the house when you told Nick you
were pregnant."

Jessica sat down on the couch and her mother sat next
to her. Jessica then started telling her about what
had happened back at the Lachey house.

"Well, when I told Nick I was pregnant, he wasn't
thrilled about it. Because at the time we had agreed
to not have anymore children for awhile. At least not
for a couple more years. And then Nick stormed off and
left me alone by the pool with everyone else."

"Everyone else?" Tina asked, in confusion. "Who else
was there?"

"Well, at the time there was just Nick, Jeff, Danny,
and Sean." Jessica pointed out. "But Ben Affleck and
Matt Damon were there too. Sean must have asked Nick
if he could invite them over."

"Ok." Tina said, then asked. "What happened after Nick
left?"

Jessica's anger resurfaced again, as she remembered
the events that had happened a few hours ago.

"After Nick left, Sean and I got into it and he
accused me of getting pregnant out of insecurity! Then
he made me think that he slept with Nick back in
Orlando back when Nick had disappeared. And then he
said that he slept with Nick this morning again while
I was gone earlier. That's when I let him have it and
I punched him in the face."

Tina's eyes bulged when she heard that. Then she
smiled.

"Good for you, honey." She said, sounding ecstatic.
"Now maybe Sean knows not to mess with you now. What
did he do after you hit him?"

"Well after that he told me to shut up and cool off."
Jessica said. "Then he pushed me into the swimming
pool."

"No he didn't?!" Tina was shocked over that little
piece of information.

"Yes he did." Jessica said, bitterly. "I was just as
shocked as you are when he did that."

"I can't believe that bastard." Tina said. "But I
probably should be thankful that he didn't do worse to
you."

Jessica looked up at her mother.

"You mean like hit me?" She asked out-loud. "To tell
you the truth, I'm almost surprised that he didn't. He
sure looked like he wanted to. You should have seen
Drew's face after Sean took a beating out on his. I
wouldn't put it past Sean to be violent with me. But
he wasn't. I wonder why."

"Well, I think you know what you have to do to ensure
that that doesn't happen." Tina said.

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Jessica asked,
frowning in confusion. "What do I have to do?"

Tina paused for a moment as she thought about it. Then
she spoke again.

"It's kind of risky, but I think it will work." Tina
said. "Nick will be mad at you for doing this, but
hopefully he'll see that you're only doing this for
your own protection."

"What is it?" Jessica asked, still not sure what her
mother was getting at.

Then, Tina made her answer known.

*******************************************************

BACK AT THE LACHEY HOUSE....................

Kandi and Justin came downstairs, both of them dressed
now, and headed into the kitchen to get dinner ready.

"After what just happened upstairs, I'm famished."
Kandi said, as she started grabbing things out of the
refrigerator to start cooking for dinner. "How would
you feel about having homemade beef stew for dinner?"

"Are you kidding?" Justin asked, grinning. "That would
be great."

"Aright then." Kandi said, smiling. "Beef Stew it is."

Kandi finished getting all of the supplies out of the
refrigerator and she set about getting everything
ready to start making the stew. Justin was helping
her.

While they were cutting the Potatoes and carrots, as
well as the other vegetables, They heard the door open
from behind them.

They turned around and came face to face with Nick.

"Hey, Nick." Kandi greeted him. "Are you feeling any
better now, hon?"

"Not really." Nick said, as he dropped his keys on the
kitchen table and sat down at the table. "I had to get
out of here and think for awhile."

Kandi and Justin both looked at Nick, in concern. He
seemed emotionally drained. He looked it too. Whatever
his last conversation with Sean was, it really took
it's toll on him.

"By the way, where is everybody?" Nick asked, looking
up at them.

Kandi and Justin both looked at each other and then
Kandi looked back at Nick.

"Well, your wife left earlier but we don't know where
she went. Unless she went back to her mother's to pick
up your daughter." Kandi told him. "And Jeff and Danny
both took Sean to the airport to catch his flight."

"What?!" Nick asked, standing up in shock. "Sean was
really serious about leaving?"

"Yes, he was." Kandi said, sadly. "I can't say I blame
him with the way Jessica acted earlier today."

Nick ran his hand through his hair, in desperation. He
knew he needed to do something. He couldn't let Sean
leave like this. He knew he had to go and set things
right with him before he left.

"I've got to go after them." Nick said, grabbing his
keys and heading towards the door. "I can't let Sean
get on that plane and just leave like this. Not until
things are resolved between the two of us."

"But Nick, Sean's flight leaves in a half hour." Kandi
told him. "You're not going to make it in time."

"Yes I will." Nick insisted. "I have to. I'll see you
both later."

"Good Luck, Nick!" Justin called out after him, as
Nick left the house.

Nick ran to his car and got in, as he quickly fastened
his seat belt, and started the ignition.

"I've got to get to you, Sean." Nick said, in
determination. "I've got to make things right between
us again. I can't lose your friendship now. Not after
I fought so hard to get it back."

Nick backed the car out of the driveway and then
started heading for the LAX airport.

"I just hope I can reach you in time............."

As Nick drove through the busy city streets, an
emergency alert came on the radio, signaling that
police expected traffic to be tied up for about an
hour until the accident scene was cleared.

"Oh no!" Nick said, as he noticed that it was just up
ahead. "No! No! No! This is not happening!"

*******************************************************

BACK AT THE AIRPORT........................

I sat down in the waiting area with Jeff and Danny
while I was waiting for my flight to be called.

As I looked over at Danny, I noticed that they were
both wearing sunglasses and baseball caps to disguise
themselves, so that they wouldn't be noticed by any
fans. They couldn't deal with that right now.

"I'm going to miss you guys, alot." I said, trying
hard to fight back the tears that were starting to
fall down my face. "I don't know when I will get a
chance to come back and see you again."

"We're going to miss you too, man." Jeff said, softly.
"It's not going to be the same here without you."

I looked at them both and an amused smile came over my
face.

"You mean because you don't get to see anymore rounds
between me and Jessica?" I joked, weakly.

"No." Jeff said, as he and Danny started laughing.
"But that is funny."

"What we mean is that we all have had a great time
getting close with you again." Danny said. "Maybe it's
not like we were, but we're becoming close again in
some way, don't you agree?"

"Yeah." I said. "And I've enjoyed getting to know you
both again, very much. It's just sad to see it come to
an  end right now. At least for the time being."

We all got silent again, not sure of what to say. But
then Jeff broke the silence.

"I have to go to the men's room." He said, getting up.
"Will you both be alright here until I get back?"

"Yes, Jeff, we'll be fine." I said. "Go ahead."

"Alright." Jeff said. "I'll see you in a few.

Jeff headed off to the men's room, leaving Danny and
me alone together. When he was gone, Danny leaned
towards me a little more and whispered to me.

"So, what does this mean where your feelings for Nick
are concerned?" Danny said. "You told me earlier that
you're still in love with him. Is that still true,
even now?"

"Yes, Danny." I said. "A part of me will always love
Nick. But as Jeff was driving us here, I got to do
alot of thinking and I made some decisions and came to
the conclusion that there's no future for Nick and me.
That means I'm ready to let him go and move on."

"What does that mean?" Danny asked me. "Are you just
going to give up on Nick altogether?"

I nodded, as I wiped at my eyes again, the tears
starting to overwhelm me.

"I have no choice, Danny." I said. "Nick has made it
very clear that he loves Jessica and intends to stay
with her. He doesn't love me anymore. I know because I
can see it in his eyes every time he looks at me. The
love that he once shared with me is gone. I have to
accept that and move on."

"But, Sean." Danny replied. "How will you know for
sure if you don't tell Nick how you feel?"

"I already know, Danny." I insisted. "All I have to do
is look into Nick's eyes and see it. It's not there
anymore. If Nick does love me now, it's purely
platonic. I know that he cares about me, but it's only
friendship. It has nothing to do with love."

Danny gave me a look that I read correctly. He still
didn't agree with my decision.

"I still think that you should tell him, Sean." Danny
replied. "At least then, Nick would know how you feel.
Maybe it would change everything."

The way Danny was pushing me to tell Nick the truth
about my feelings was really starting to get on my
nerves.

"Damn it, Danny!" I whispered, fiercely. "Don't you
understand that I can't do that?! I have to support
Nick's marriage to Jessica, and not because I have to,
but because it's what Nick wants! I have no business
telling Nick my true feelings because he's not mine
anymore and he never will be again. No matter how much
I want it."

I looked up and saw Jeff come out of the men's room
and start heading in our direction. I turned back to
Danny at that moment, intent on finishing up with what
I had to say to him.

"I'm trusting you not to tell anyone, including Nick,
about what I've told you right now." I said to Danny,
the seriousness clear in my eyes and in my voice.
"Don't you dare betray me!"

I finished up with Danny at that moment. Before Danny
could say anything, Jeff had returned to the waiting
area.

"Hey guys." Jeff said, noticing the seriousness
between us. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing, Jeff." I said, shaking my head. "Don't
worry about it."

Jeff looked back and forth from Danny to me, and he
could no doubt sense the tension between Danny and me.

"It's not nothing." Jeff said. "Something is wrong. I
can feel it."

Jeff had no idea just how right he was. After all, he
knew Danny and could read him like a book. As for me,
he still knew me pretty well too. At least enough to
know when something was wrong.

"As I said, Jeff, don't worry about it." I said again,
hoping that Jeff would let it go. "I'm just a little
on edge right now, that's all."

Before Jeff could give a response, we all heard the
boarding call for my flight being announced, saying
that all people needed to board the plane now.

I stood up and looked at both Danny and Jeff, knowing
that I had to say goodbye.

"Well, it looks like this is it." I said to them both.
"I'll miss you guys, alot."

Jeff was the first one to pull me into his arms. He
hugged me strongly, but only for a brief moment. We
were still in public and we had to make sure that we
kept our public displays of affection to a minimum.

"We're going to miss you too." Jeff said, lowly. "More
than you'll know."

Jeff released me and Danny came over and took his
turn, hugging me close.

"Take care, Sean." He said. "And be safe, always."

Then he leaned in and whispered into my ear.

"Your secrets are safe with me."

I smiled as I pulled back from our embrace.

"Thanks, Danny." I said. "You and Jeff be safe as
well. And send Justin and Kandi my love, alright?"

"We sure will." He said. "Goodbye, Sean."

"Goodbye, guys." I said, as I turned around and
grabbed my things.

I walked to the security gate, where the guard was
beginning to open the gate to let me through. But
right before I went through, I turned around and face
Danny and Jeff one last time.

I saw them wave to me one last time before they turned
away and started walking away.

I turned and walked through the corridor, anxious to
board the plane and maybe get some rest during the
flight back home.

*******************************************************
ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER..............

Nick raced through the airport, scanning the waiting
area  to see if Sean was still around. When he didn't,
he started looking around to see if Danny and Jeff
were still around.

To his surprise, he found them both, still there, at
the airport, inside the coffee shop. They were talking
and having coffee together.

"Danny! Jeff!" Nick called out to them, racing inside.
"Where's Sean? I have to talk to him before he gets on
that plane."

Danny and Jeff were shocked to see Nick there, at the
airport.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Jeff said, as he sipped his coffee.
"But you're too late. Sean already boarded the plane.

Nick started shaking his head, in denial.

"No." He said, forcefully. "No, I refuse to believe
that. Which gate did he leave from? I need to go there
and find out if he's really gone or not."

"Suit yourself, man." Danny said. "He left at Gate B
which is just down the corridor from here."

"Thanks." Nick said to them, just before he took off
running.

He got to the gate, just as the guard was getting
ready to leave her post.

"Excuse me, Ms." Nick asked her. "I need to talk with
a friend of mine who just boarded a plane in this
area."

"I'm sorry, sir." The guard said to him. "You're too
late. "That flight just left about 5 minutes ago."

Nick's heart sank when he heard that. He hadn't gotten
there in time. Not even to say goodbye to Sean.

"Thanks." He said to the security guard, who nodded
and left to answer a page she got on her walkie
talkie.

Nick walked over to a chair near the gate and sat down
on it.

"I never got to save our friendship." He said. "Hell,
I didn't even get to say goodbye. I've lost you again.
Forever."

Nick buried his face in his hands and took deep
breaths, trying not to break down. But he wasn't
successful.

Jeff and Danny walked into the area where Sean had
been, just in time to see Nick break down, crying.

Jeff walked over and sat down near Nick and put his
hand on Nick's shoulder, squeezing it gently, offering
his comfort and support the best that he could.

"I'm sorry, man." Jeff said to Nick. "I had no idea
that you were even coming to the airport."

Nick raised his head and wiped at his eyes.

"Neither did I, Jeff." Nick said, in between sobs. "It
was a "spur of the moment" thing. I realized that I
had to try to get my friendship with Sean back. I
didn't want things to end like this. I told Sean that
once he walked out the door back home, that there was
no turning back. Then I yelled at him and said that he
never cared about me. I was so angry, I had to get out
of there. Then, while I was driving, I realized what
I'd done and I had to come back and apologize."

"I went back home, and Kandi and Justin told me that
Sean had left. So, I left to head down here and got
stuck in traffic because there was an accident on the
highway which was tied up for a long time. Then, I get
here and find out that Sean has left."

Nick wiped at his eyes again, as more tears blurred
his vision. He was sick with guilt over what he had
said to Sean earlier. But that wasn't all he was
feeling.

"Now, I have to move on, somehow, without Sean in my
life again." Nick said. "God, I worked so hard to get
Sean to come around. And now when he finally forgives
me for what I did to him, years ago, I end up losing
his friendship again."

"Nick, don't blame yourself." Danny said, sitting on
the other side of Nick. "This is not your fault. And
as much as I hate to say this, If you want to blame
someone for this mess, then blame your wife. She's the
reason this has all happened. All because she can't
stand seeing you and Sean getting close again."

As Nick listened to everything that Danny was saying,
realization slowly began to dawn on him just how right
Danny was.

Jessica was the one responsible for driving Sean away
and ultimately, she'd succeeded in taking any chance
Nick had had, in regaining Sean's trust and
friendship.

Nick sighed and stood up. He was really mad now! Jeff
and Danny saw just how mad he was.

"Come on, you two." Nick said to the two of them.
"Let's go home. I have some unfinished business to
settle with my wife!"

Nick stalked out of the airport, with Jeff and Danny
right on his heels.

They all got into their cars, Nick in his, Jeff and
Danny in theirs, and they all started driving back to
the Lachey house.




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

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

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

Stay tuned.

slpwriter@yahoo.com