Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 01:01:33 -0800 (PST)
From: slpwriter <slpwriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-81

Hello, Everyone!

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

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

Now on with the story.

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

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

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

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

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

and finally:

"What I feel for you" by Thack.


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

Enjoy.


Previously on "My Everything".....


"Nick!" Jeff said, in shock, as he glanced up at
Danny.

When Nick realized that he had let Jeff's shocking
secret out of the bag, his eyes widened.

"Shit!" He cursed, as he whirled around to look at
Danny.

Everyone in the room, could see that Danny was beyond
devastated now. For his tears were falling freely now.
He glanced over at Jeff.

"Is this true, Jeff?" Danny asked him, his voice
cracking with emotion. "Are you really not in love
with me, anymore?"

Nick looked back at Jeff, who looked visibly guilty at
that moment, and Jessica had her hand to her mouth, in
shock, unable to say anything at that moment.

The silence in the room was unbearable. But it wasn't
silent for long.

"WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE JUST TELL ME THE TRUTH?!" Danny
screamed. "I DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH!"

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

I pulled into the parking lot and parked the SUV and
shut off the engine. I got out and locked the doors.
Then, I headed towards the apartment.

I unlocked the doors and entered the house. Then I
turned and closed the door behind me.

I then entered the kitchen and hung my keys back up on
the wall hanger. Then I headed for my bedroom to get
undressed so that I could get that shower that I said
I wanted, earlier.

I went into my room and got out of my clothes. Then I
took them to the laundry room and threw them into the
hamper to wash in a while.

As I was heading for the bathroom, I heard the
doorbell ring, suddenly. I frowned.

"Who could that be?" I wondered. "I'm not expecting
anyone."

Before I went to the door, I walked back to my room to
grab my bathrobe. I put it on and then headed to the
living room to answer the door.

When I opened it, I came face to face with two police
officers. One was Caucasian with dark hair, dark eyes,
and an athletic build. He look anywhere between mid to
late 20s. He was cute too.

The other one was African American, with jet-black
hair and dark brown eyes. He was heavyset. He was not
cute at all. He appeared to be in his mid to late 40s.
I was really curious as to why they were standing here
on my doorstep.

"May I help you, Officers?" I asked them, curiously.

"Are you Sean Perry?" The cute officer asked me.

"Yes, I am." I said. "What can I do for you?"

The younger officer handed me a manila envelope.

"This is for you." He said. I accepted the envelope
from him, curious as to what it was.

"What is it?" I asked, as if it were dangerous.

There was silence, but only for a brief second. Then,
the older officer spoke.

"A restraining order." the younger officer stated.

My eyes widened in shock. "What was going on?! Why was
I being served with a restraining order?"

"A restraining order?!" I asked, shocked as hell.
"Why? What did I do, officers? Please explain this to
me?"

The older officer started to say something, but
someone interrupted from behind them.

"Yes, officers, please do." A voice rang out. "This
little home wrecker needs to know what he's dealing
with now!"

When the owner of that voice appeared in my doorway,
my eyes narrowed.

"I should have known that you were behind this!" I
snarled at my intruder.


**********
CHAPTER 81
**********

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

I came face to face with Joe Simpson, Jessica's
father, who stepped up behind the officer. I frowned
at him.

"I don't know why I'm so surprised that it was you who
got this restraining order against me." I said,
holding up the manila envelope that the policeman had
given me, in anger. "I would have expected this from
that bratty daughter of yours!"

Joe brushed past the officers and entered my
apartment. He stood in front of me, staring daggers at
me, but he didn't say anything. Not yet, anyway. I
wasn't finished yet. I was curious about something.

"I'm surprised that you came here, alone." I said to
him, wondering where his wife was. "I'd think that
your wife would want to be here to see me get served
with this restraining order."

Before, Joe could answer me, another voice was heard.

"I am here." We all heard a female voice say.

The officers, Joe, and I turned and saw Tina Simpson
walk into my home. She stood right next to her
husband.

"So, you did come after all." I said, my voice
monotone. "I didn't think that you want to miss this."

"Well, it's gets even better." Tina said, turning and
motioning towards the door. "Neither will they."

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, as I turned
to see what she was pointed at. That's when I saw two
more people enter the house. I frowned in shock as I
came face to face with Nick's and Drew's mom, Cate,
and their father, John."

"Oh, great." I said, in a serious tone when I saw
them. "A room full of meddlers."

I then turned back and looked at Joe again.

"And I thought that your bitchy daughter was bad
enough!" I added, my anger rising.

Joe glared at me. There was a fire in his eyes that
I'd never seen before. But that didn't intimidate me.
I could take care of myself if things got out of hand.

"I warned you never to talk about my daughter that
way!" Joe said, the tone of his voice, almost
intimidating. "If you see that side of Jessica, it's
because she's trying to keep her family together and
from what she's told us, and what we've seen with our
own eyes, you pose a huge threat to all of that!"

"Well, at least now I know why Jessica is such a
bitch!" I fired back at him. "It obviously runs in the
family!"

That was all it took for Joe's temper to reach the
boiling point.

"WHY YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Joe exploded, as he lunged
at me. But he didn't get far. "I'LL POUND YOU TO
PIECES!"

The officers, who were still standing there leapt into
action and grabbed Joe before he could get his hands
on me. I had been ready for Joe in case he tried to
attack me tonight. I glared at Joe, in anger.

"OH MY GOD!" I yelled. "IF ANYONE NEEDS A RESTRAINING
ORDER AGAINST THEM, IT'S YOU!! CALM YOUR ASS DOWN
BEFORE YOU HAVE A STROKE OR A  HEART ATTACK!"

Joe growled, in anger as he struggled to get free of
the officers who were holding him back, away from me.

"And for Pete's sake, take some Prozac!" I said, in a
lower voice. "You sure could use some right now!"

"Mr. Perry is right, Mr. Simpson." Officer #2 said to
Joe. "Calm down before you get yourself into something
you can't get out of!"

"Alright!" Joe said, lowering his voice. But he was
still kind of loud. "You can let go of me, now!"

"Only if you promise us that you're not going to go
after Mr. Perry again!" Officer #1 said to him, not
loosening his grip even for a moment.

"Alright, I wont!" Joe said. "Now, please let go of
me!"

The officers slowly took their hands off of him. When
they saw that Joe wasn't going to go after me again,
they lowered their hands to their sides.

"You're damn right you won't come after me, again!" I
snarled angrily at him. "Because then, it's all over
for you! If you even try to attack me, I'll have you
thrown in jail so fast, your head would spin!"

"Now, we know that you're lying." Tina Simpson said,
as she put a hard on her husband's arm. "You wouldn't
dare do that."

"Oh no?" I asked her, then added. "You just watch me!
I have nothing to lose, compared to all of you who
have everything to lose!"

I turned and looked over at Cate and John who were
standing there, watching me, closely. I took a moment
to acknowledge their presence.

"So, tell me, Cate?" I said, crossing my arms over my
chest again. "What do you and your husband think of
this restraining order? Do you think that it's
necessary?"

Cate answered without hesitation.

"Actually, yes it is." She replied. "It will ensure
that you stay away from my son, and my daughter
in-law. And if you truly care about my son, as much as
you say you do, then you'll agree that this is what's
best for everyone."

I turned away and walked towards the kitchen. Before
heading into the doorway, I stopped and turned around.

"Maybe that's how you see it." I said, a hint of anger
in my voice. "But how will you convince Nick of that?"

"That's where you come in." John Lachey said, lowly.

"Me?" I asked, frowning. I started to wonder what they
were up to. I was surprised that they'd want anything
from me, since they viewed me as a home wrecker.

Tina Simpson then turned to the officers.

"Could you give us a moment alone with him, please?"

The officer looked at her, and then back at me. Seeing
that they weren't sure that it was a good idea to
leave me alone in there with Joe, Tina, Cate, and
John, I nodded at them.

"It's alright, officers." I said. "You can wait
outside. These people have 10 minutes to say what they
have to say and then they can leave. Keep an eye on
your watches. If Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, as well as Mr.
and Mrs. Lachey are not outside by the time 10 minutes
are up, I expect you to come back and knock on the
door to signal it. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." The young cop said. Then he turned to his
partner. "Come on, James, let's head back to the car.
There are some coffee and Donuts awaiting us there."

"I'm right behind you, Derek." James, the heavyset
cop, said to the younger cop. "Let's go and dig in."

The officers then left and closed the door behind
them. After they were gone. Cate turned back to me.

"Here's what we expect you to do." Cate Lachey said.
"You're going to convince Nick that this is what is
best for him, and his family. And the only way for you
to do that is to break all ties with him. If you can
do that and convince our son that you want nothing
more to do with him, then we will lift this
restraining order and you can go on with your life,
without our son in it."

My mouth dropped open in shock when I heard what they
all wanted me to do. In other words, Nick was going to
lose my friendship all over again. And I knew how hard
he had fought to get it back. And I knew how hard I
had fought to finally forgive him for everything he'd
put me through in the past. I was not about to lose
Nick again. Not unless I had no choice.

"And what happens if I can't or won't convince Nick?"
I asked them. "You know your son, Cate. When Nick
makes up his mind about something, there is no
changing it. Nick will do what he feels is right for
him."

"That's true." Cate said. "But, if you can't or won't
convince my son that you can't be in his life anymore,
then the restraining order will remain in effect,
indefinitely. You will not be allowed to go anywhere
near Nick or Jessica, or their place of residence when
you are in Los Angeles."

I then realized that this restraining order must only
be in effect in the Los Angeles county only. So, if
Nick were to come here to see me, then there was
nothing they could do to stop it."

"So, in other words," I said, with a small grin on my
face. "If Nick comes here to see me, then there's
nothing you can do because the restraining order is
only effective in Los Angeles, California."

I could see the anger in all of their eyes when they
could not deny that I was right about that. If Nick
wanted to see me, that wouldn't count as me, violating
the restraining order because it would take place in
my own residence.

"You know what?" Joe finally spoke up, in an angry
tone. "I don't know how and I don't know when, but one
day, I am going to bring you down, Sean Perry! I
promise you that!"

And with those final words, Joe Simpson stormed out of
my house. Tina ran after him to try and calm him down.

Cate and John both turned to leave too, but before
they did, I saw Cate turn back around.

"I meant what I said, earlier." Cate said. "You will
have one chance to make things right and end your
involvement with my son. Once you do that, you stay
away from Nick! You are not what he needs in his
life!"

"And that bitch, Jessica, is?" I asked her. "Trust me,
she will hurt your son, more than I ever could. Nick
deserves better. And since it can never be me again,
hopefully, it will be someone else!"

John Lachey glared at me.

"Our son is who he belongs with!" He said. "And as
long as you're not in the picture, it will stay that
way!"

Finally, I'd had enough. I didn't want to deal with
them, anymore.

"Alright, your time is up." I said, in a serious tone.
"Get out!"

As they started to leave, I then remembered something
that I was sure that they'd want to know about.

"By the way," I said, as they were opening the door.
"How do you think Drew's going to react when he finds
out about this?"

Hearing me mention Drew's name, They both turned and
looked back at me. I could see their concern for their
baby son, written all over their faces. They obviously
had no idea that Drew was back in town. Nick must not
have had a chance to tell them yet.

"You've heard from Drew?" Cate asked, now interested
to know how her son was. "How is he?"

"He's fine." I asked him. "As a matter of fact, he's
back in town. He showed up on my doorstep earlier
today and he spent Christmas Day with me, Nick, Danny,
Jeff, Kandi, and Justin. And my friends, Jake and
Michelle.

They looked overjoyed that Drew was back, but at the
same time, they were both jealous that I'd heard from
him first before they did.

"Of all the people he has to come to first," Cate
said, rolling her eyes. "Why does it have to be you?"

I rolled my eyes, in response to that question.

"I think you two already know the answer to that." I
said, harshly. "After what Drew did, breaking up my
marriage to Nick, it shouldn't come as some surprise
that Drew would want to see me first. After all, I'm
the one person he has to make amends with, besides
just Nick!"

I paused for a moment, seeing the shocked looks on
their faces for the way I was talking down about Drew.

"Oh, please?" I sneered at them. "Don't look so
shocked. If it wasn't for Drew, Nick and I probably
would still be together today!"

That admission from me, raised a few eyebrows. I
didn't realize it right then, but just from saying
that, I'd confirmed every suspicion they'd all ever
had about me.

Cate and John looked at each other and nodded. Cate
turned back to me, her eyes narrowed and her
expression stony cold.

"We were right about you all along." She said, in an
ice cold voice. "You are after our son!"

I shook my head, objecting to their accusations.

"You're wrong." I said. "All I'm trying to do is be a
good friend to Nick. I actually supported your son in
his decision to be with that spoiled brat he calls a
wife! Well, not anymore! Jessica has messed with me
for the last time! And, so have all of you!"

I lifted up the manila envelope that I had in my
hands.

"This restraining order has Jessica's name written all
over it!" I snarled as I slammed it down on the small
table beside me. "And she's not going to get away with
it!"

I looked back up at them, in contempt.

"Now, get the hell out of here!" I said to them. "And
don't bother showing your faces on my doorstep,
again!"

"That's fine by us!" John Lachey fired back. "We're
leaving. But you remember what we said: You have one
chance to talk to our son and convince him that you
don't want to be involved in his life anymore! After
that, you stay the hell away from him! From both of
our sons!"

After saying all of that, John and Cate both left and
slammed my door behind them.

I turned around and picked up the manila envelope and
started ripping it open. I pulled out a binded legal
document and opened it up, revealing that there was
indeed a restraining order against me.

I read over the fine print and saw that it prevented
me from going near Jessica Simpson or Nick Lachey.
That I was considered an endangerment to Jessica and
her unborn child. I laughed at that part.

"Unborn child? Ha!" I said to myself. "There is no
child! And, I'm going to prove it!"

I picked up the phone and started dialing a number. I
waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Nick, it's me." I said. "I need to see you. Can you
come back over here? There's something that I need to
discuss with you."

"Sean, this really isn't a good time right now." Nick
said, in an angry tone.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked, noticing the anger in
his voice. "You sound angry."

"Oh, I am angry!" Nick said. "But you wouldn't believe
me if I tell you what's happened. Not in a million
years!"

I frowned, wondering what was going on. Nick sounded
furious about something.

"Well, then come over here and talk about it with me."
I offered. "I'm a good listener, you know that."

"I can't right now, Sean." Nick said. "I have to go.
I'll call you back later. I have to deal with
something first."

"Alright." I said. "Goodbye, Nick."

I heard him say goodbye and I hung up the phone with
him. I set the handset back on the console, and picked
up the restraining order documents again and continued
to read them.

After I was finished, I looked up as I felt a burning
fire within me that I'd never felt before. This was
definitely the last straw!

"Damn you, Jessica Simpson!" I snarled, fiercely.
"Damn you!"

My eyes narrowed.

"You'd better enjoy being Mrs. Nick Lachey while you
still can!" I said, in a fiery tone. "Because your
days with him are numbered!"

*******************************************************
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE HOTEL, IN NICK'S ROOM......

"Danny, Nick, please try to understand." Jeff said,
addressing both Nick and Danny. "What just happened
between Jessica and I was not what it looked like."

"He's right, guys." Jessica said to Nick and Danny.
"That kiss you saw between us, was just that: A kiss.
It didn't mean anything.

"Well, you sure as hell could have fooled us!" Danny
said, in a low, angry voice, as he wiped at his tears.
"How could you do this to me, Jeff?"

Jeff suddenly felt uncomfortable talking about this,
in front of Jessica, so he came up with a solution.

"Danny, how about you and I go back to my room and
we'll talk about this, ok?" Jeff offered. But, Danny
declined.

"No way!" Danny said, forcefully. "Nick has just as
much right as I do to want answers from you, so
whatever you say to me, you can say it in front of
Nick too! We both deserve the truth!"

"Alright." Jessica said. "You want the truth, I'll
give it to you."

There was a pause, as everyone else waited for her to
continue.

"I was the one who kissed Jeff first." Jessica said.
"It happened because he was sticking up for me, which
is something you haven't done enough of lately, Nick.
It actually felt good for once to have someone who was
on my side, instead of Sean's! Jeff actually gave me
hope that I could maybe work things out with you and
get you to forgive me for what happened earlier with
Sean! That kiss was only out of gratitude. It was not
meant to be interpreted as anything else!"

"Look, Jessica, I'm sorry If I haven't been more
supportive," Nick said. "but you have to understand
that I have alot of shit to sort out right now."

"Like what?" Jessica said. "What could you possibly
have to sort out that's more important than our
marriage and our family? huh?"

Nick was amazed that she could ask him that.
Considering everything that had gone on since he came
back home, you couldn't blame him for not being
himself at the moment.

"Well, let's see..." Nick started to say, in a
sarcastic tone. "First of all, I'm still trying to
find a way to get along with Drew, because I'm still
furious with him for betraying me the way that he did
when he sabotaged my marriage to Sean, and then
there's you and your constant jealousy and hatred that
you have for Sean. You refuse to cut Sean a break,
you've attacked him, what? Two or three times now?
I've lost count! And now, I find you kissing up on my
best friend? When are you going to grow up?!

"Hey!" Jeff said, coming to Jessica's defense. "Come
on, Nick. Don't treat your wife this way. It wasn't
her fault. I should have pushed her away the second
she kissed me, but I didn't. I'm sorry."

"You stay out of this, Jeff!" Nick said. Then he
pointed to the door. "As a matter of fact, I want you
to leave! Besides, you have some explaining to do with
Danny of why you're not in love with him, anymore, so
I suggest you go and do it! Right now, I need a moment
alone with my wife!"

"Alright, fine." Jeff said, in defeat. "I'll be in my
room."

He turned to Jessica and gave her a guilty look.

I'm sorry about all of this, Jessica." He said. "I
didn't mean for this to happen."

"It's ok, Jeff." Jessica said, putting a hand on his
arm. "It wasn't your fault. Go and talk with Danny in
your room, while I straighten this all out with my
husband."

"Alright." Jeff said. "Nick, once again, I'm sorry,
and I'll see you later."

Nick just looked at him, with no emotion on his face.
Then he turned to Danny.

"Listen, Danny." He said to him. "If you're angry with
me for not telling you that Jeff was not in love with
you, anymore, that's fine. But, it wasn't my place to
tell you. Jeff was supposed to be the one to tell you
this. I'm sorry about the way you had to find out,
with me, blurting it out. I didn't want you to find
out like this."

"It's ok, Nick." Danny said, as he wiped at his tears.
"I understand. You wanted to respect Jeff's wishes, so
don't worry about it."

Then Danny looked up at Jeff.

"I'll meet you in your room." He said, quietly.

Then he left Nick's room and headed for Jeff's. When
he shut the door, Nick turned back to Jeff and
Jessica.

"I didn't want to ask this question in front of Danny,
Jeff, but I'm going to ask it now." He said. "Are you
in love with my wife?"

Jeff frowned and looked at Jessica, momentarily. Then,
he looked back at Nick.

"No." He said, seriously. "Despite what that kiss
could have looked like, I'm not in love with your
wife. It's someone else."

"Who?" Nick and Jessica who said, in unison.

*******************************************************
OUTSIDE NICK'S ROOM...............

As Danny started walking towards his and Jeff's room,
he ran into Kandi, Justin, Drew, and Casey, who were
just coming out of the elevator. Kandi was the first
one to notice Danny's shocked demeanor.

"Danny?" She asked, concerned when she saw his
tear-stained face. "What happened, sweetie? What's
wrong?"

"Everything." Danny said, as he pulled his key card
out of his pocket. "I just found out that...that.."

Danny couldn't go on. He sobbed as he swiped his key
card through the door. When, it unlocked, he headed
into his room and left the door open for the others to
follow.

Kandi, Justin, Drew, and Casey entered the room and
Casey shut the door behind them to give them privacy
from unwanted eavesdroppers who could be passing down
the hall. Drew, who was holding Nicole, lay her
sleeping form down on the spare bed that was in the
room.

"Why don't we take this into our room, Danny?" Kandi
asked us. "Since Justin's and my room is adjoined to
yours, we can just cut across the room here."

"That's probably a good idea." Drew said. "if you
decide to get loud, you don't want to wake up Nicole
here. Although, I probably should have taken her
straight to Nick's room."

"No, Drew, you do not want to do that." Danny said.
"Nick is in there with Jessica right now and he's
furious with her. Hell, so am I, after we both caught
Jeff and Jessica in an embrace, kissing each other?"

There were a number of gasps heard around the room
after he said that.

"What?" Drew asked, in shock.

"Are you serious?!" Justin asked, just as shocked as
everyone else. "I can't believe it!"

"Well, see if you can believe this." Danny said,
bitterly. "It gets worse. Right after Nick and I saw
them together, Nick started arguing with Jeff and he
let a major bombshell slip."

"What was that, hon?" Kandi wanted to know.

"I found out that Jeff is not in love with me,
anymore." Danny said, his voice, cracking. "So, it
looks like our relationship may be over."

"Oh, sweetie." Kandi said, as she sat down next to
Danny and gave him a hug.

"Where is Jeff now, Danny?" Drew asked him. "Is he
still in Nick's room?"

Danny couldn't answer him, in between his sobs, so
instead he just nodded. Then, Drew stood up.

"I think I'd better go pay my brother a visit." Drew
said. "He might need my support right now. That is, if
he'll accept it."

Drew started walking towards the door, but turned back
when Casey called his name.

"Do you want me to come with you for moral support?"
Casey asked Drew. Drew shook his head.

"No, that's ok, Casey." Drew told him. "This is
something I need to deal with, by myself."

"Ok, then." Casey said, walking over to Drew. He
planted a kiss on Drew's lips. "Good luck."

Drew smiled at him.

"Let's hope I don't need it." He said, as he opened
the door and walked out.

Casey closed the door behind him and turned back to
see Kandi, still comforting Danny, who was crying hard
now. Justin was standing nearby watching them.

"How could this have happened, Kandi?" Danny said, as
he cried in Kandi's arms. "What did I do to deserve
this?"

*******************************************************
BACK IN NICK'S ROOM.................

"I can't tell any of you, yet." Jeff said. "I have to
tell Danny first, so I'd better get going."

Jeff brushed past Nick and headed for the door. When
he opened it, he came face to face with Drew, who had
just walked up to the door and was getting ready to
knock.

"Drew!" Jeff said, in surprise. "Hi buddy. What's up?"

"Hi, Jeff." Drew said. "I just heard about what
happened between you and Jessica from Danny. He's
devastated."

"I know." Jeff said, the guilt written all over his
face. "And I never meant to hurt him, but I can't help
that I feel the way that I do."

"Well, why don't you go over to your room and talk to
him?" Drew said. "Kandi, Justin, and Casey are with
him right now."

"I will right now." Jeff said, slapping Drew's arm,
lightly as he passed by him to leave. "See you later,
Drew."

Drew entered the room and shut the door. His eyes fell
on Nick, who was still angry, and had his arms crossed
over his chest, and Jessica, who was wiping away her
tears.

"Where's Nicole?" She asked him.

"She's in Jeff's room." Drew explained. "I had Casey
keep an eye on her, until I came over to find out
what's going on. She's sleeping right now."

"Good." Jessica said. "She's had quite a day today, so
she's got to be tired."

"She sure is." Drew said. "When do you want me to
bring her back over here?"

"After Jessica and I are done, talking, Drew." Nick
said. "Now, could you please give us some privacy?"

"Sure." Drew said. I'm going to go and get Casey and
then we're going back to our hotel to get some sleep."

"Ok, Drew." Jessica said. "We'll see you later, ok?"

"Ok." Drew said, and he turned to go. When he was at
the door, he turned around and looked back at Nick.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, Nick, don't
hesitate to call me, day or night." Drew said.

"I'll think about it, Drew." Nick said, quietly.

Drew nodded, sadly. He could tell that Nick was still
not quite ready to trust him, but he understood why.
He had alot of work ahead of him.

"That's all I ask, Nick." Drew said. "I'll wait for
your call about when I can bring Nicole back over
here. Later."

Drew turned and left the room. After the door closed,
Nick turned back to Jessica.

"Alright, we need to talk." He said to her. "And not
about what I just walked in on between you and Jeff.
That's only one of the worst things you've done
tonight. The other is what you did to Sean earlier by
going after him like a wild animal. Do you care to
tell me what the hell you were thinking?!"

"I couldn't help it, Nick!" Jessica complained. "That
man ticks me off! He's obviously not going to rest
until he gets you to divorce me, and then get you back
into his bed!"

"Oh, please, not this again!" Nick said. "Jessica, I
understand how you feel, but I'm sorry. I disagree
with you. Sean is not going out of his way to get me
to divorce you. Sean does not operate that way!"

"Oh no?" Jessica said. "Then, why do you suppose we
are having so much trouble in our marriage right now?"

Nick just shook his head.

"You know why we are having so much trouble." Nick
said, a little too harshly. "Because of you and your
own insecurities. You have nothing to worry about. I
don't love Sean anymore, and he doesn't love me,
either. I have told you that, time and time again, but
the words just never seem to penetrate that thick head
of yours!"

"Nick!" Jessica exclaimed, in shock. "How dare you
talk to me like this! I have very good reason to feel
insecure about Sean."

"Really?" Nick asked, sarcastically. "Then, give me
one."

"Alright, I will!" Jessica said, her voice starting to
rise. "For starters, I've caught him looking at you
from time to time, when he thinks that I don't
notice!"

"So what?" Nick asked, shrugging. "Sean's a red
blooded guy just like every other man out there, gay,
bi, or straight. And I was his husband at one time.
So, I'm sure his staring at me, means nothing. He
knows that I'm a married man. He knows that he can
look, but he can't touch."

"Well, I know he'd love to touch you again." Jessica
said. "That much is pretty obvious."

Nick was sick and tired of arguing with her. And he
was tired of trying to convince her that she didn't
have to worry about Sean anymore. In fact, he was
totally done.

"You know what, Jessica?" Nick said, throwing up his
hands, in defeat, and frustration. "I'm done trying to
get through to you!"

Nick has his fists clenched, like he was ready to
explode, but he didn't. He did the total opposite.

"This is no marriage." Nick said, in anger. "You're
never going to trust me."

And with those final words, Nick turned to leave the
room. As he did, Jessica called out to him.

"Nick wait!" She yelled at him. But the only answer
she got was the door slamming behind her, as Nick left
the room.

Jessica sat down on the bed and buried her face in her
hands, as she started to cry. Then, her cell phone
started ringing. She answered it.

"Hello?" She asked, in her emotionally distraught
voice.

"Honey, it your mother." She heard Tina say. "I just
wanted to call and tell you that we served Sean with
the restraining order. So, your problems with Sean are
going to be over soon! You can rest, knowing that Sean
will not be allowed to come near you, or Nick whenever
he is in Los Angeles, California. So, maybe this will
keep him from visiting Los Angeles, either."

"Great!" Jessica said, clutching her hand to her
chest, in relief. "That's the best news I've heard all
day!"

"But, don't celebrate just yet, sweetie." She heard
Tina say, all of a sudden. "We're going to have to
deal with the fact that Sean can still see Nick here,
because the restraining order is only effective in Los
Angeles county."

"Don't worry about that, Mom." Jessica said. "I can
deal with that. Nick's only going to be here for my
performance tomorrow, and then he'll be heading back
to Los Angeles with me and our daughter the next day."

"Good." She said. "By the way, where is Nick right
now?"

Jessica knew that her mother was going to ask where
Nick was, eventually.

"He stormed out of here just before you called." She
said. "We just had another fight about Sean."

"I'm sorry to hear that, honey." Tina said. "I'm sure
he'll be back once he cools off."

"Not unless, he's heading in Sean's direction."
Jessica said. "I'm sure Sean would love to use this
restraining order against me right now and tell Nick
about it."

"I don't think that he will, honey." Tina said. "We
made it clear to Sean that he only has one choice. To
break all ties with Nick. If he can do that, and agree
to stay away from Nick, we will lift the restraining
order and he can go on with his life, alone. If he
refuses to make Nick understand that he can't see him
anymore, then the restraining order stays in effect,
indefinitely. Either way, we  win."

"I hope you're right." Jessica said. "Because after
the way Nick laid into me, earlier, it wouldn't
surprise me if he gets angry enough that he decides to
go through with that legal separation that he talked
about back in Los Angeles."

"He won't." Tina replied. "Now, I have to go. Your
father and I are heading back to our hotel to get some
sleep and then we'll be by tomorrow to have dinner
with you and then take you to your performance later
that night."

"Ok." Jessica said. "I'll see you then."

"Ok, honey." Tina said, then added. "Oh, and before I
forget, tell Nick that his parents are here as well
and that they want him to come by the hotel tomorrow
so that they can talk to him. They'll be here at the
same hotel we are staying at, in room 304. We're in
303."

"Ok, Mom." Jessica said. "Get some rest and Nick and I
will see you tomorrow."

"Alright, goodnight, sweetheart." She said. "Your
father also says goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mom." Jessica said, with a smile. "Tell
Daddy that I love him. I love you, too."

"I will, hon." Tina said. "I love you too. Goodnight."

Jessica hung up the phone and put it away. Then, she
started looking around in her purse for something.

"Where's my date book?" She asked. "I need it so that
I know what all I have planned for tomorrow. It's
gotta be here, somewhere."

She emptied out her purse and searched through the
contents, on the bed. Still, she couldn't find it.

"I don't get this." She said, with a frown. "I know I
had it with me when I came to Orlando earlier today.
When did I have it last?"

Suddenly, realization dawned on her when she had last
seen it.

"Oh no!" She said, putting a hand to her hand. "I left
it on Sean's coffee table in his apartment."

Jessica didn't like it, but she knew that she needed
that date book and that she was going to have to go
back to Sean's to get it.

"I have no choice." Jessica said, as she put
everything back into her purse and zipped it up. "I
have to go back for it."

She grabbed her hotel key, and the keys to the
Mercedes and left her room, intent on getting her date
book back.

*******************************************************
MEANWHILE, BACK IN JEFF'S ROOM.......

Drew entered Jeff's room to see Danny, still sitting
on the bed, crying. But now, he was looking up at
Jeff, who was standing just at the foot of the bed, in
front of him. Kandi and Justin, were standing nearby,
and Casey was coming over to him when he'd seen Drew
enter the room.

"Hey, sexy." Casey said, as Drew shut the door. He
then planted a kiss on Drew's lips. "How did it go
with Nick?"

Drew shrugged. "Not that good." He said, a bit sadly.
"I really do have my work cut out for me. I never
realized, until that very moment, how extensive the
damage really is between Nick and me. His trust in me
has been completely shattered."

"What did he say when you talked to him?" Jeff asked
him.

"Actually, we didn't do much talking." Drew said. "I
was back out the door, almost as quick as I'd come in.
I'd gone over to ask him and Jessica when they wanted
Nicole back. Nick just said that he had to talk with
Jessica and asked me to leave."

Casey looked at Drew, feeling sympathetic towards him.
He didn't like to see Drew sad, but he understood why
Nick was still being distant from Drew. Everyone did.

"Give him time, Drew." Casey said, as he pulled Drew
into his arms. "You'll get back his trust again. He
just needs time to sort out things."

Drew sighed, heavily, as he threw his arms around
Casey, accepting his hug.

"I know, Baby." He whispered. "I may not be able to
change the past, but I will do my best to become a
better person, in the future."

"You're already doing it, Drew." Danny said, once he
was able to speak again. "You're giving Nick the space
that he needs and you're not pressuring him into
anything. That says alot right now."

"He's right, Hon." Kandi said, extending out her hand
to Drew. Drew took it and she squeezed his hand,
gently. "Nick won't admit it right now, but I'm sure
he appreciates the effort that you're making to
respect him and honor his wishes. Nick won't stay mad
at you, forever. Deep down inside, he still loves you.
Never lose sight of that."

Drew smiled as he listened to Kandi. Little by little,
she was giving him hope that maybe, just maybe, things
would be alright between him and Nick again. And that
Nick would eventually forgive him for his betrayal.
Maybe even sooner that he thought.

"Thanks, Kandi." Drew said, quietly. "I don't know
where I'd be without your support. Despite my betrayal
to Nick, and all of you, I'm glad you're still able to
be there for me."

"You're welcome." Kandi said. "But don't thank me.
You're the one who turned over the new leaf."

Now, Everyone was curious about that. Kandi wasn't the
type of person who forgives very easily. It took her
quite a while before she had been able to forgive
Danny for how he had hurt Jeff, years ago, before he
had realized that he was in love with Jeff.

Drew frowned.

"I did?" He asked, astonished. "How?"

Kandi smiled at him.

"When, you showed up, unexpectedly, here in Orlando
this morning." She revealed. "When I'd gotten over the
shock of realizing that you were back, as well as when
you re-introduced Casey into our lives, I saw
something within you that I hadn't seen before. I saw
this glow about you, which told me that you were
finally happy and that you'd finally found love. And
that made me understand that that was what you were
desperately reaching out for when you went to the
lengths that you went to and betrayed Nick, in the
process. Seeing you, with Casey, was what convinced me
that this experience helped you to grow up and learn
from your mistakes. And, I just want to say that I'm
very proud of you."

Drew was almost brought to tears by Kandi's
revelation. He was so touched by it.

"You're right about one thing, Kandi." He said. "I
have grown from this experience. Let's hope that Nick
agrees one day."

"He will." Jeff assured him. "As your handsome
boyfriend there, said: "Just give him time."

When Jeff said that, he brought up a sore subject.
It'd reminded Danny that Jeff was no longer in love
with him, anymore. And now, he wanted to know why.

"Speaking of boyfriends." Danny said, out-loud. "I
need some time alone with Jeff so I can figure out if
I still have a boyfriend or not."

"Right." Kandi said, getting up. "We'll leave the two
of you alone so that you can talk."

She turned to Drew and Casey.

"Do you two want to wait in our room until Nick calls
about his daughter?" She asked them. Drew and Casey
looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"Actually, no." He said. "We're going to go and head
back to our hotel now." He said. "But, first, I'll
call Nick's room to see if he's ready to have Nicole
back.

"Alright." Kandi said. "Come and use our phone in our
room."

Then, Kandi, Justin, Drew, and Casey walked through
the doorway, adjoining Danny and Jeff's room and Kandi
turned back and closed it, so that they could have
some privacy.

Finally alone, Jeff turned back to Danny.

"Listen, Danny." He said. "I know how you must feel
right now."

"You have no idea what I'm feeling right now!" Danny
said, in an upset tone. "How do you think it feels
when your boyfriend tells you that he doesn't love you
anymore?!"

"Danny, that's not true." Jeff said. "I never said
that I didn't love you. I will always love you. It's
just...."

Jeff was having trouble continuing, as his voice was
becoming unsteady and his emotions were getting the
better of him.

"Just what?" Danny asked him. "Go on. Say it."

Jeff looked back up at Danny as he tried to figure out
a way to tell him what he was feeling, without
devastating Danny anymore than he already was. But, it
was Danny who decided to ask the tough questions.

"What happened, Jeff?" Danny asked him, as the tears
kept coming. "What did I do wrong to make you feel
this way?"

It was killing Jeff to see Danny hurting like this.
Even more so, that he was asking if he did something
wrong to make Jeff feel the way that he was.

"Baby, you haven't done anything wrong." Jeff said,
just as the first set of tears ran down his face.
"It's not you. It's me. I'm not myself right now and I
haven't been for weeks."

Now, this was news to Danny. He'd had no idea that
Jeff had been having some problems for awhile.

"Jeff, what are you talking about?" Danny asked him.
"I don't understand."

Jeff turned away and ran his hands through his hair,
as he tried to hold back his continuing tears, at the
same time, feeling overwhelmed by everything that he
was feeling right now.

"Jeff, the first thing you have to do is tell me what
the problem is." Danny said to him. "The only way
we're going to resolve anything is if you tell me
what's wrong, so that we can deal with it and come up
with a solution."

Jeff turned back to Danny. He knew that he had to
resolve things with him. But he couldn't spend all
night stalling. He had to resolve it now.

"First of all, I'm kind of in love with someone else."
Jeff said. "But it doesn't matter anymore because I
can never have that person."

Danny frowned, wondering something. He had a feeling
that he knew who Jeff was talking about.

"You're not talking about Jessica are you?" He asked.
"You're in love with that tramp?!"

Danny's insult to Jessica must have hit a nerve,
because Jeff lost it.

"No, I'm not!" Jeff said, loudly. "And don't call her
that!"

"Why not?!" Danny asked him. "She calls Sean a slut
because she thinks that he wants to steal her husband
away from her, and then Nick and I walk into his room
and find the two of you in an embrace. Jeff, she had
her hands all over you! You don't think I'm entitled
to my opinion of her, now?!"

"Now, you're over-reacting!" Jeff said. "I already
told you that the kiss between Jessica and I was not
what it look like! I am not in love with Jessica!"

Danny exploded then. He was sick and tired of getting
the run-around.

"WELL, THEN WHO ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH?" Danny shouted
at him. "WILL YOU AT LEAST TELL ME THAT?!"

Jeff froze at that moment. He didn't know what to say
or do. But, one thing he did know is that he couldn't
do it. He couldn't tell Danny who it was.

"Danny, I can't." Jeff said. "I can't tell you who it
is."

Danny's eyes narrowed.

"You can't or you won't?" He asked, his voice
dangerously low.

Jeff looked back up at him, the guilt written all over
his face.

"I can't." He said. "I'm sorry."

Danny nodded as he tried once again to hold back his
emotions.

"I'm sorry too." He said, as he went to the closet and
opened it up. He grabbed his suitcase out of it.

Jeff frowned.

"What are you doing?" He asked, as he watched Danny
walk over to the bed with his suitcase and set it down
on the bed.

Danny then walked over to the dresser drawers and
started taking things out of it. Then, he walked over
to his suitcase and started throwing things into it.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Danny asked, in
disgust. "I'm getting out of here! Since you obviously
can't or won't give me the answers that I need, I need
to get away from you! I need some time to think and
deal with things on my own!"

"You can't!" Jeff exclaimed. "Where would you go?"

"I don't care!" Danny said, in between sobs. "Any
place is better than being here with  you, right now!"

Danny finished up packing and started to pick up his
suitcase, but Jeff's hand came down upon it, stopping
him.

"I'm not going to let you leave like this." Jeff said,
softly. "You shouldn't drive when you're upset like
this."

Danny sighed, in frustration over Jeff's trying to
stop him.

"I will be fine, Jeff!" Danny snapped at him. "Now,
would you please remove your hand so I can leave?"

"No!" Jeff said, forcefully. "I don't care what I have
to do, I am not going to let you leave this hotel like
this! You remember what almost happened to Sean a few
years ago?! I'll be damned if I take the risk of
something like that, happening to you!"

Now, Danny was starting to get mad. And when Danny did
get mad, you'd better be prepared.

"Well, it's nice to know you care so much!" Danny
said, laying on the sarcasm, thick. "Now, I'm warning
you, Jeff! Get out of my way!"

Jeff stood in front of Danny and stood his ground.

"No way, man!" Jeff said. "I am not moving!"

In a final attempt to try to show Jeff that he meant
business, Danny stepped towards him a bit and gave him
a hard shove backwards. Jeff staggered back a bit, but
didn't fall. He regained his balance just in time.

"I'm only going to say this one more time, Jeff!"
Danny shouted at him. "Move or you'll be sorry!"

Jeff shook his head no, and that finally pushed Danny
to the breaking point so unexpectedly, that Jeff was
not prepared for what happened next.

Danny's fist came into contact with Jeff's jaw as he
punched Jeff, across the face.

Jeff reeled from the blow and fell down to the floor,
coughing.

"That was for kissing Jessica!" Danny said to him.
"And for lying to me all these weeks about your
feelings!

Jeff didn't get up. He was still stunned by the fact
that Danny had hit him.

"Goodbye, Jeff." Danny said. "We're through!"

Danny took that moment to grab his luggage and his
keys to the rental car and leave the room, slamming
the door behind him.

Jeff picked himself up off the floor and rubbed at his
jaw where Danny had hit him. The tears finally came
full force.

Jeff crawled over to the bed and fell down upon it. He
curled up into a fetal position and clutched one of
the bed pillows close and then buried his face into it
and cried his heart out.

Oh god, Danny!" Jeff sobbed. I'm so sorry!"

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

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

Jessica pulled into the parking lot and shut off the
engine. She got out of the car, locked it, and headed
to Sean's doorstep. When she got to the door, she
knocked on it and waited. No answer.

She knocked again. No answer.

"Sean?!" She yelled out. "Sean, are you in there?!
It's me, Jessica! I left my date book in there and I
need it for the concert tomorrow!"

Still, she got no response. All she could hear was the
waves crashing against the shore.

This time, she tried the door, and to her surprise, it
was unlocked. She let herself in and immediately went
over to the coffee table, remembering that that was
where she had left her date book.

But, it wasn't there.

"That's strange." Jessica frowned. "I know it was
here."

Then, she started running around, opening drawers, and
looking under the sofa and couch cushions, intent on
finding her date book. She became so engrossed in what
she was doing, that she had no idea that she was about
to be caught red-handed.

Just then, the door slammed. Startled, Jessica looked
up and saw me, standing there, with a cold look on my
face.

"What the hell are you doing here, Jessica?!" I asked
her, in anger. "Get out, now, before I call the
police!"

Jessica stood up and frowned at me.

"I would like nothing better than to leave!" Jessica
said, angrily. "But, I had to come back because I left
my date book on the coffee table here, and now it's
not there. Do you know where it is?"

I nodded.

"Yes, I do." I said, reaching into my back pocket and
pulling it out. "You're looking for this, right?"

I held it up to her and she walked over to take it
from me, but I pulled it away.

"Not so fast!" I said, as I stared daggers at her.
"First, you and I have a few things to straighten out
here, sweetie!"

Jessica was dumbfounded.

"Like what?" She asked, rudely.

I turned towards the end table and grabbed the
restraining order documents and held them up to her.

"Like this." I said, waving the documents in her face.
"I want to know what the hell you were thinking
getting this restraining order against me!"

Jessica just crossed her arms and a smug look came
over her face.

"So, you were surprised, huh?" She asked me, looking
quite pleased with herself. "You didn't expect me to
do that, did you? I warned you to take me, seriously.
Now, maybe you'll learn not to mess with me and my
family anymore. And this restraining order will
definitely make my life easier, by keeping you away
from my husband!"

As I listened to her, I smiled, as I hatched up a
plan. And this plan was going to be good. I was
finally going to get the best of Jessica, once and for
all.

"Oh come on, Jessica!" I said, in disgust. "Wild
horses couldn't keep Nick away from me, or vice versa!
This restraining order is only valid in Los Angeles
county! And as long as Nick is here in Orlando, I will
see him as much as I want to! So, get used to it,
Blondie, because I'm not going anywhere! As long as I
am in Nick's life, I'm here to stay!"

"Wrong!" Jessica shot back at me. "The only place you
will be staying is right here in Orlando, Florida
where you belong! And I'll be damned if I let you have
a shot at my husband!"

My smile got even bigger when she said that. Since she
was going to make my life miserable, I was going to do
the same thing to her!

"Don't you think that if I wanted Nick back, that I
could have him?" I asked her, smugly. "But, that's
just not the case! I just don't want him, so you can
leave me out of this!"

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Jessica asked,
with arched eyebrows.

"I don't care what you believe." I said to her. "But,
you just know this: Nick may not be in love with me,
anymore, but let me tell you something, he still
desires me!"

Jessica's eyes bulged when I said that.

"Oh my god!" I gushed. "He was so romantic today when
he showed up on my doorstep with a bouquet of roses
for me. He wanted to apologize for how we'd left
things in Los Angeles, last night. And then, later
when Nick wanted to talk to me about your legal
separation, He got so emotional that he couldn't help
himself!"

"SHUT UP!" Jessica shouted at me. "YOU"RE LYING! NICK
WOULD NEVER BETRAY ME LIKE THAT!"

"Oh really?" I asked her, in amusement. Then I closed
my eyes, thinking back to my intimate moment with
Nick, earlier that afternoon.

"I can still feel his hands, all over me." I said, and
then opened my eyes. "His body pressed up against
mine! Trust me, Jessica, he wanted me! He wanted me,
bad!"

Jessica finally had heard enough. And what she did
next, caught me so off guard.

The next thing I knew, Jessica had kicked me, hard,
right between the legs, doubling me over, instantly. I
collapsed to the floor, in pain.

"Oh god, my balls!" I groaned out. "You fucking little
bitch! You'll pay for this!"

Jessica got right behind me and pulled my head up, by
the hair. Then, she placed her hand under my chin.

"Not half as much as you will!" She said, the venom in
her voice, obvious. "I'm warning you for the last
time! Stay away from my husband! Or I will make you
regret the day you were born!"

I couldn't do anything, because I was still crouched
over in the fetal position. Jessica let go of my hair
and pushed me back down to the floor.

I saw her grab her date book, which I had dropped when
she'd kicked me, and left the apartment, slamming the
door behind me. Then, a few moments later, I heard the
sound of squealing tires, signaling that she had left
the premises.

I struggled to get up, but still couldn't move. The
pain still hurt too much. "Of course, what do you
expect if you get kicked in the balls?"

As I was trying to recover from the pain, I heard
someone knock on the door, again.

I finally managed to get up and I hobbled over to the
door to answer it. When I did, my mouth fell open in
shock when I saw who my visitor was.

There, standing in front of me, dressed in a black
button up dress shirt, with short sleeves, and a pair
of gray dress pants, holding a bouquet of beautiful
flowers in his hand, was Jason Madison.

"Jason!" I said, in shock. "You're back!"

Jason smiled at me.

"Hi, Sean." He said, warmly. "May I come in?"

"Yes, please." I said, still holding a hand over my
bladder area.

Jason entered the room, frowning. When he turned
around, he decided to bring up the question of why I
was crouched over the way that I was.

"What happened?" He asked, concerned. "You act like
you've just been kicked in the groin?"

"I was." I said, as I hobbled over to the couch and
sat down on it. Jason was curious.

"By who?" He asked me, wanting to know. I looked up at
him, with an angry look on my face, but it wasn't
directed at him.

"By Jessica Simpson Lachey." I grumbled. "The most
spoiled, rotten ass, bitch, in the entire universe!"

Now, Jason was amused, for he started laughing.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I don't mean to laugh at
your pain, man, but why would Jessica Simpson kick you
like that? She seems to be one of the sweetest girls
I've seen. At least on TV."

"That's because you don't know the real Jessica
Simpson." I said to him. "You have never met her in
the flesh and let me tell you, you never will want to,
when you hear what I'm about to tell you."

I could see that Jason was curious. It was written all
over his face.

"Alright, I'm all ears, but first, I need to give you
something." He said. Then he handed me the roses in
his hand. "These are for you."

I accepted the roses and admired them. He was the
second person who brought me roses today.

"They're beautiful, Jason." I said, as my eyes filled
with tears. "Thank you."

"That's not all." Jason said. "I also wanted to give
you this."

He brought his hand to my cheek and leaned into me and
he planted a gentle kiss on my lips.

I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him in
closer, as I kissed him back, slipping my tongue into
his mouth, wrestling with his.

Little did we know that someone was walking up to the
door outside, and witnessed us, kissing, in the
window.


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

COMING UP NEXT: Who witnesses Sean and Jason in an
intimate situation?"

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

Stay tuned.

slpwriter@yahoo.com