Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:46:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kirk Landers <ilj4ever44@yahoo.com>
Subject: Phases- part 18

Copyright and Disclaimer:
1. This is a fictional story with fictional
characters.
2. No one is to steal this story under any
circumstances.
3. This story deals with relationships and not sex, so
if you're looking for a story with a lot of sex in it,
this isn't the story for you.


Welcome back!  Hope everyone is doing great!  I've
been working hard on these stories and think that
these next set of chapters will be better than the
first set, so I hope you enjoy them!  Here's the kick
off to season 2!  This chapter is entitled, "Phase
Two"

'PHASE TWO'

     It's been two months since Leo first went into
rehab,two months since Nick and Bradley began dating,
and after a month of kissing and flirting Kurt and
Reese started up an inter-office relationship with one
another and have been a couple for a month now.
Things have been going fairly well for the three guys.
 Leo has taken it day by day, but is getting a lot
better, the rehab has been very effective for him.
He's gotten a lot of help due to the counseling
sessions, the group therapy, and meeting people who
know what he's going through.  Nick and Kurt go and
visit him every Sunday and spend the day up there with
him and give him the scoop on what's been going on
back home.  Nick has been enjoying his time with
Bradley, the two have had a fun, no strings attached
relationship with one another, they just go out, have
a good time, and leave it at that.  It's taken a lot
of the pressure off of each other by not making
anything exclusive.  Kurt was now in a relationship
with Reese, he accepted the fact that Ryan might not
be back and made it a point to move on and he feels
that he has found the right person to move on with in
Reese.  The only set back is that they are trying to
hide their relationship from people in the office
since there is a strict no inter-office dating policy
and especially with the editor and another employee.
As a result the two have to sneak around in the
office, but always find time to sneak in a kiss or two
here and there.

     It was the end of another date between Nick and
Bradley, the two barely made it in the front door
before they were all over each other kissing and
tearing off each other's clothes.

"So, did you like the movie?" Nick asked between
kisses.

"Hated it," Bradley replied, "Only thing that got me
through was the thought of you naked."

"You didn't get enough of me naked on our last date?"
Nick asked as they stumbled into the bedroom, never
for a second taking their hands off one another.

"I can never get enough of you naked," Bradley
answered as him and Nick collapsed on the bed.

"Well let's get started then," Nick said taking
Bradley's shirt off.

"Wait, before we do, I wanted to talk to you about
something," Bradley said.

"What's that?" Nick asked.

"What are your thoughts on the subject of us?" Bradley
asked.

"Us?" Nick asked, not really wanting to have a talk on
the status of what they are to one another.

"Yeah, I mean, do you like me?" Bradley asked.

"Would I have you here half naked in my apartment if I
didn't like you?" Nick asked.

"You know what I mean," Bradley said, "Do you see
yourself being with me, exclusively."

"Time for the talk huh?" Nick asked, knowing that
there was no way around this conversation.

"Well, we've been dating for a month now," Bradley
replied, "I would just like to know where I stand with
you.  I know where you stand with me.  I just want to
know if we're on the same page with each other."

"I see," Nick said moving on the bed so he was sitting
next to Bradley.

"Am I someone you can see yourself with?" Bradley
asked hopeful.

"You are," Nick replied, "You are definitely someone I
can see myself getting serious with."

"I have a feeling there's a 'but' coming up here,"
Bradley sensed.

"Yeah," Nick said, "'But,' I ended my last
relationship because I didn't have the time to give
that person the attention they deserved because of
Leo.  Leo is my family, I have to make sure he's okay
before I can give my full attention to someone else.
Until he's out of rehab I'm not someone who can be
good in a relationship right now."

"Okay," Bradley replied fully understanding where Nick
was coming from.

"I like you," Nick assured, "A lot.  But I don't want
to make promises to you now, I might not be able to
keep if something happens with Leo.  Are you okay with
that? Can we just date and have fun for right now?"

"Yeah," Bradley said, "Yeah, that's fine."

"Thanks," Nick said giving Bradley a kiss, "Now where
were we?"

With that Nick grabbed Bradley and pinned him down on
the bed as he started kissing his neck and unbuttoning
his pants.

Meanwhile, at Kurt's apartment him and Reese were
sitting on the couch kissing.  For the month they have
been dating Reese has tried to take their dates with
one another into the bedroom, but Kurt was more old
fashioned than any man he has ever dated.  Kurt was
one who was the eternal romantic, and didn't want to
have sex until there was a deep connection with the
other person and though Kurt liked Reese a lot, he
wasn't ready to have sex with him yet.

The two had just finished having dinner that Reese had
cooked for them.  Reese loved to cook, especially when
it was for Kurt.  When he worked at Update magazine
where he met Kurt he was the style editor, he was
always interested in fashion, he always went to New
York Fashion Week every year and went to the fashion
shows in Paris as well.  After his stint at Update
magazine, he moved to New York and worked at Fashion
magazines which is the biggest fashion magazine in the
country.  While he enjoyed working there, he couldn't
wait to get back to California, especially after his
run in with Kurt in Las Vegas.  While he thought just
that one night and that one kiss with Kurt would get
the long infatuation he had with him out of his
system, he found that Kurt was all he thought about
when he returned to New York.  He soon found out
however that Kurt had finally gotten together Ryan
when Nick was in New York visiting Adrian and the
three of them had dinner together.  So Reese put the
idea of Kurt out of his mind and continued on with his
life in New York.  But, when West Coast Style was
looking for a new editor, he quickly jumped at the
chance, while it didn't have the full prestige that
Fashion had, it was a respected magazine and it was in
California, where Kurt was.
    Reese got Kurt and couldn't be any happier.  He
was very careful however that Kurt was not aware of
the fact that he was the reason Ryan left.

"Dinner was amazing," Kurt said taking a break from
their kissing and taking a sip of his drink. "I never
had such a great filet in my life."

"I'm glad," Reese said, "I took a few cooking classes
when I was in Paris."

"Impressive," Kurt said. "After you left Update, you
just got this amazing life where you travel and see so
much.  It's amazing."

"Well you know, working at West Coast Style, you're
sure to get a lot of those same perks.  Even more
since you're dating the editor," Reese said with a
wink.

"No no," Kurt quickly said, "I want to make sure that
I don't get any free rides here just because we're
dating.  At work I want you to treat me fairly like
everyone else there."

"Why?" Reese asked, "I can take you to some amazing
places through work."

"Because I don't deserve that," Kurt said, "Other
people have been working at that magazine for years.
They are the ones who earned that right to do things
like that.  Let me put in my time first."

"Are you sure?" Reese asked.

"Positive," Kurt replied.

"You're very noble," Reese said, "Very fair to others.
 I like that."

"Thank you," Kurt said giving Reese a kiss.

"So, we've been dating a while now," Reese said.

"Yeah, about a month," Kurt replied.

"Do you think it's time we take things a step
further?" Reese asked.

"Meaning?" Kurt asked, although he knew what Reese was
getting at.

"Would you like to take this date into the bedroom?"
Reese asked hopeful.

"Reese," Kurt began, "I'm just not ready for that
yet."

"It'll be good," Reese said kissing his neck.

"I'm sure it will be," Kurt said, "But I'm just not
ready to do that."

Reese sighed, "Okay."

"Just give it some time," Kurt said, "It will just
make it that much better when we finally do."

"Yeah," Reese said, "Well, in that case, I should
probably get going."

"You don't have to go," Kurt said.

"No, I should," Reese said getting up, "We both have
work tomorrow and it's already past midnight."

Kurt nodded, "Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Reese said as he put his
jacket on and headed towards the door.

"All right," Kurt said, he then stopped Reese, "Are
you upset?"

"No," Reese lied, "It's fine."

"Thanks," Kurt said giving him a kiss, "I'll see you
tomorrow."

"Good night," Reese said as he left.

    The next day at the rehab center, Leo was taking a
walk in the garden that is on the grounds when another
patient, Tristan, came up to him.  Tristan and Leo
have become friends while being at rehab together.
Tristan arrived at the rehab center a couple weeks
before Leo got there, so they really went through the
steps of recovery together, which has helped them
bond.  Leo found that little bit little, he was
getting better and every day the pain of losing Jesse
has become a little less, which he was grateful for.
Tristan was in a similar situation as Leo, he lost his
three best friends in a car accident as well,
afterwards he spiraled out of control, drinking,
drugs, anything he could to numb the pain of dealing
with his friends loss.  The two became a team during
their time in rehab, both encouraging the other to be
strong and not give up.

 "How did you sleep last night?" Tristan asked as him
and Leo walked through the garden together. "Any more
dreams?"

"No," Leo replied, "It's going on three nights now
with out the dreams."  Leo had been having a
reoccurring dream since he went to rehab.  It always
started out with everything the way it used to be, he
and Jesse were together and everything was fine, they
were laughing, having a good time, then suddenly Jesse
would disappear and Leo would spend the rest of the
dream running all over looking for him and would end
up at the hospital and finding Jesse laying in the
hospital bed in a coma.  It haunted Leo every night,
but then three days ago, the dreams stopped coming and
Leo was finally able to get a peaceful nights sleep
for the first time since Jesse fell into a coma.

"That's great," Tristan said, "Maybe it won't be too
long until you can go home."

"Maybe," Leo replied unsure.  "The idea though of
leaving here is a little scary."

"I know," Tristan said, "I feel that same way.  I
worry that once I leave here I'm going to go back to
the drinking and drugs again."

"Yeah," Leo sighed, "It's scary."

"But you're not alone," Tristan assured Leo, "We're a
team remember?  We're going to make it through this."

"Thanks," Leo replied gratefully, "But what's going to
happen when we both leave here and go our separate
ways?"

"Maybe we don't have to," Tristan said. "We're friends
now.  We can still be there and help each other once
rehab is behind us."

"I just worry that once I leave here, it'll be too
hard to adjust to life again that I won't make it,"
Leo said.

"You'll make it," Tristan assured him, "I know you
will.  Since I met you, you've shown that you are
determined to make it through this.  That's a lot
better then how I was when I first got here."

"Yeah?" Leo asked.

"Are you kidding?" Tristan asked, "Remember how hard
it was for me to be here in the beginning?  I hated
it, I was so angry at my parents for bringing me here.
 But then I met you and you really helped me work
things out."

"I don't think I should get that much credit," Leo
replied.

"Yes, you should," Tristan said. "You're a lot
stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"Can I ask you something?" Leo asked.

"Of course," Tristan replied.

"Do you think you'll ever be able to go a day with out
thinking of your friends?" Leo asked.

"No," Tristan answered honestly, "Just like you'll
never go a day with out thinking of your boyfriend,
but the reason we're here is so we can think of them
and not feel like our world is over.  We're here to
realize that life goes on."

"Every day I think of Jesse and it just makes my heart
stop cold for a bit," Leo said. "I just want that to
stop."

"Well, you stopped having the nightmares," Tristan
said, "Maybe the pain that accompanies thinking of him
will stop next."

"Hope so," Leo sighed, he looked at his watch, "We
should get going.  We have that group therapy session
in a couple minutes."

"All right," Tristan replied as he and Leo headed off
to therapy.

 Over at West Coast Style, Kurt was in his office when
he saw Reese walk past the open door and heading for
his office.  Kurt quickly got up to catch a word with
him.

"Reese," Kurt called out.  Reese stopped and turned
around putting on a smile for Kurt.

"Good morning," Reese said coolly, "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see if you were all right," Kurt
replied.

"I'm great," Reese smiled, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I know you were a little upset about last
night," Kurt said.

"Don't worry," Reese said, "It's fine."

"Okay, good," Kurt said, he then lowered his voice so
no one can hear, "So am I going to see you later
tonight?"

"Uh, sure," Reese said, "I'll let you know."

"All right," Kurt said, "I'm just finishing up an
article and then I'm going to leave for the day."

"Okay," Reese said turning around and heading for his
office.  Kurt couldn't help but feel a little stung at
the cool treatment he got from Reese, but he couldn't
get into it, not around the people at work, so he
brushed it off and went back to his office.  When Kurt
sat back down at his desk he let out a little sigh, he
knew Jesse was always on the moody side, but since
they've started dating he's noticed it more.  Whenever
Reese didn't quite get his way he would be very cool
towards Kurt, but after a bit of time he would get
over it and be the sweet, romantic, and fun guy he
normally is.  However, whenever Reese got in one of
his moods Kurt couldn't help but think of Ryan, he
knew it was bad to compare, but things just seemed to
go better when he and Ryan were together.  Kurt went
into his desk drawer and pulled out the picture of him
and Ryan together that he kept hidden.  He then picked
up the office phone and called Ryan's cell.

"Hello?" he heard Ryan's voice ask.  Kurt was quiet
for a moment, suddenly feeling overwhelmed at the mere
sound of Ryan's voice.  "Hello?" Ryan asked again.
Kurt then hung up the phone.  He knew he couldn't turn
to Ryan anymore, Ryan had his daughter to deal with
now and didn't want to burden him with his troubles.
Besides, he felt weird at the idea of talking to Ryan
about Reese anyway.  Kurt shook off his frustrations
and went back to writing his article.

After Kurt finished his article he quickly submitted
it into Reese before heading out for the day.  He went
over to Nick's place and then the two drove up to go
visit Leo.

"He just seems upset because I didn't want to have sex
with him," Kurt said as the two were driving on the
freeway. "I should have sex with him if I'm not ready
right?"

"Absolutely," Nick agreed, "Although, why are you so
resistant to have sex with him?  You two have been
dating a while."

"I'm just not ready yet," Kurt replied. "You know me,
it has to feel right for me to do it."

"You are old fashioned," Nick laughed.

"Why is that so wrong?" Kurt asked, "I shouldn't sleep
with someone just to sleep with someone.  I like it to
mean something."

"Didn't you two have sex in Vegas?" Nick asked.

"No," Kurt replied, "We did other stuff, but we didn't
do sex."

"I see," Nick said. "Well, what are you waiting for?
Some sign that tells you he's the one?"

"I guess," Kurt said.

"Kurt, you're never going to get that," Nick said,
"Did you get that with Ryan?"

"No, but I didn't have to," Kurt said, "It just felt
right from the start with him."

"You're doing the same thing with Reese that you did
with Scott," Nick pointed out, "You're just waiting
for some clear sign.  That's not how it works."

"It's not quite the same with Reese as it was with
Scott," Kurt said.

"How so?" Nick asked.

"I still think of Ryan every now and then," Kurt
replied.

"Really?" Nick asked. "You never told me that before."

"I didn't want to," Kurt said, "I thought if I didn't
talk to him, then I wouldn't think about him."

"Well it obviously didn't work," Nick said.

"Obviously," Kurt added. "I just think of how good it
was with him.  Him and I just meshed together really
well.  It's not quite like that with Reese.  I like
him a lot, a lot more than I did Scott, but something
is just kind of off.  Sometimes, I feel really good
with him and other times I just feel kind of put off
by him."

"If you're not fully into him, then why are you with
him?" Nick asked.

"It's going to sound lame," Kurt replied.

"What?" Nick asked.

"I just hate the idea of being alone," Kurt replied.
"I know it's horrible for me to say, but I just like
being with someone and I do like Reese.  I'm not just
using him, I like him."

"Kurt, I know you're afraid of being alone, but you
can't just settle if it isn't what you really want,"
Nick said.

"Yeah, but I think that maybe Reese can be and I'll
see where that can take me," Kurt said. "It's just
that something feels off with him."

"Every relationship has it's pros and cons," Nick
said.

"Speaking of," Kurt said, "How was your date with
Bradley last night?  You two have been dating a
while."

"It's going well," Nick said, "We had 'the talk' last
night."

"What talk?" Kurt asked.

"The talk about whether we should be a couple or not,"
Nick replied.

"What's wrong with that?" Kurt asked, "I just assumed
you two were a couple.  You go out every week."

"I know, and I like him, don't get me wrong," Nick
began, "But I just don't want to deal with another
relationship I might not be able to fully commit too."

"You don't think you can commit to Bradley?" Kurt
asked.

"It's not him.  I just don't think I can commit to
anyone while Leo is still in rehab," Nick said.

"Nick, you have to stop this over bearing protection
you have over Leo," Kurt said, "He's doing a lot
better.  He can handle things with out you always
watching over him.  You have to live your life and let
him live his life."

"Kurt, look what happened the last time we let him
live his life," Nick said, "He ended up in rehab
because of it.  I can't let that happen again.  And
until I know he's okay to stand on his own, I can't
commit to anyone right now."

"You know, sooner or later you're going to have to
stop being so overprotective of us."

"The day that happens is going to be the day I die,"
Nick smiled, "I can worry about my best friends, can't
I?"

"Don't ever stop, but don't let it get in the way of
being with someone if you really like them," Kurt
reasoned.

"I know," Nick said.

"Do you?  Because it seems like you're going to let
another great guy slip away," Kurt said. "I just think
you're using Leo as an excuse."

"An excuse for what?" Nick asked.

"You're afraid of commitment," Kurt pointed out.

"I am not," Nick said.

"Oh please," Kurt said as they pulled into the parking
lot at the rehab center. "You're a huge
commit-a-phobe."

"How am I a commit-a-phobe?" Nick asked.

Before Kurt could answer Leo greeted them at the
entrance.

"Thanks for coming to visit me in the middle of the
week guys," Leo said giving them a hug, "You didn't
have to."

"We wanted to," Nick said.

"Leo, isn't Nick a commit-a-phobe?" Kurt asked.

"Totally," Leo agreed.

"What?" Nick asked shocked Leo would agree.

"Look at your track record," Leo pointed out. "Your
last 'relationship' was with a guy who lived all the
way across the country.  You're completely afraid of
commitment."

"Tell me why I wanted to drive an hour to come visit
you today?" Nick asked sarcastically.

"Because you love me," Leo said as they made their way
to the garden area and sat down on a bench together.

"Why would I be afraid of commitment?" Nick asked.

"Do you really want us to say?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah.  Tell me," Nick said.

"Luke," Leo simply said.

Nick took a moment to absorb that.  It can all be
traced back to his old boyfriend Luke, the man who had
left Nick for someone else.  Since then, as much as
Nick tries to deny it, he hasn't been able to sustain
a successful relationship.

"We're not saying that you're out of line being afraid
to commit to someone," Kurt said. "It's perfectly
understandable."

"Completely," Leo agreed. "Luke turned out to be an
ass.  It was horrible, inexcusable and completely
disgusting."

"Wow, you really don't like him huh?" Nick asked. "You
two were so close when him and I were together."

"He just left you for someone else," Leo said. "He
just one day decided to walk out on you.  He's a
jerk."

"Nick, we're just a little worried that you'll let a
good guy slip away because of that fear," Kurt said.

"And from what you've told me about this Bradley.  It
sounds like he's a good guy," Leo said.

"He is," Kurt assured, "Bradley's a great guy."

"Well as fun as it is analyzing my problems with men,"
Nick said, not wanting to get into the subject of
Luke, "We came here to see you, Leo."

"So when do you think you'll be able to leave here?"
Kurt asked.

"Soon maybe," Leo said. "Counselors are saying that
I'm doing really well."

"How do you feel?" Nick asked.

"Pretty good," Leo said. "I feel for once like my
world isn't crashing down around me."

"Good," Kurt said rubbing Leo's back.

"Hey Leo," Tristan said walking by.

"Hey Tristan," Leo said, "Come over here and meet my
friends."

Tate came up and shook hands with Nick and Kurt.

"Tristan, this is Nick and Kurt," Leo said introducing
them.

"So you two are the best friends he can't stop talking
about," Tristan said.

"We've heard a lot about you too," Kurt said, "How are
you doing?"

"I'm doing good," Tristan said. "Leo's been helpful in
getting me through everything here."

"Glad Leo's good for something," Nick joked.

"Ass," Leo shot with a smile.

"Well I'm going to go read for a bit before dinner,"
Tristan said, "It was really nice meeting you guys."

"You too," Nick said.

"We'll see you later," Kurt followed.

"I'll stop by and get you on my way to dinner," Leo
said.

"All right, take care guys," Tristan said walking
away.

As he walked away Nick and Kurt both noticed how good
looking Tristan was.  Nice physique, strong jaw line,
dark hair and intense green eyes.

"Wow," Kurt said, "I'd be in rehab to so I can have an
excuse to look at him all day."

"He's cute," Nick agreed.

"You think?" Leo asked oblivious.

"Oh come on," Kurt said, "Don't tell me you don't know
a good looking guy when you see one."

"Is he gay?" Nick asked.

"I don't know," Leo replied.

"How do you not know?" Kurt asked. "You have the best
gaydar out of all of us."

"I'm not looking for guys so I don't really notice,"
Leo answered.

"Well you might want to think about looking," Kurt
said, "More specifically in Tate's direction."

"I'm not ready for that," Leo said. "First let me come
to peace with what happened to Jesse, then we'll take
baby steps to that."

Kurt smiled understandingly.

"Has you're mom come out lately?" Nick asked.

"Actually she was here yesterday," Leo replied.

"That's great," Kurt said. "I'm glad you and her have
built up a relationship again."

"Yeah," Leo said. "My dad still doesn't want to see
me, but I guess one parent at a time."

"Well I'm glad she's back in your life," Nick said.

"And I have you to thank for that," Leo said.

"I'm just glad I could help," Nick replied.

"Oh, I have something for you," Kurt said handing Leo
a bag he'd been holding on to.

"What's this?" Leo asked.

"Just some stuff I got from the magazine today that I
thought you might like," Kurt replied.

Leo opened the bag and pulled out two pairs of True
Religion jeans, a Theory shirt and a Hugo Boss jacket.

"This stuff is awesome!" Leo exclaimed. "Thank you."

"Just a little gift for doing so well here," Kurt
said. "Keep it up and I may take you to a fashion show
in a couple months."

"Seriously?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Kurt replied.

"Thanks so much," Leo said.

"No problem," Kurt said. "We're just glad to see your
doing so much better."

"I am," Leo said. "I never thought I would say this,
but I really like it here."

"Yeah?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Leo answered. "Everything is so peaceful
here."

"And it seems to be helping you a lot," Nick added.

"Absolutely," Leo said. "Being here has been really
good for me.  I don't want to leave here until I know
I won't put you guys through any more drama."

"Don't worry about us," Kurt said, "Just take care of
you."

 The three talked for a couple more hours before Kurt
and Nick headed out and went back home.  On the drive
home Nick couldn't get the idea that he's afraid of
commitment out of his head.

"Do you really think I'm that afraid to commit?" Nick
asked.

"Yeah," Kurt replied. "I think so.  Can I suggest
something with out you getting pissed?"

"Sure."

"I think maybe it might help if you talk to Luke,"
Kurt said. "I think he's the key to you being able to
open up to a relationship again."

"Talk to Luke?" Nick asked. "You're kidding right?"

"No, I really think it might help," Kurt said.

"The guy who left me for someone else?  You saw how I
was after we broke up," Nick said. "You really think
that I should talk to him?"

"I just think that maybe if you can forgive him then
maybe you can embrace a relationship again," Kurt
said. "But if you don't think it's a good idea."

"It's a terrible idea," Nick said.

"It was just a suggestion," Kurt replied.

"It was a bad one," Nick said.

"You said you wouldn't get pissed at me," Kurt said.

"I'm sorry, but that's never going to happen."

"Okay," Kurt answered holding his hands up in
surrender, "Sorry I brought it up."

 Nick continued the drive home not getting the idea
out of his mind.

Back at the rehab center, Leo and Tristan were eating
dinner together at a table.

"Your friends seem really great," Tristan said.

"They are," Leo replied, "I don't know what I would do
with out them."

"It's good to have that," Tristan said sadly.

"I'm sorry," Leo said not thinking about how sad it
would be for Tristan to remember that his best friends
are dead. "I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," Tristan replied, "I was just remembering
how close my friends and I were.  We were a lot like
you and your friends."

"You have me now," Leo offered.

"Thanks," Tristan said, "It's just tough, you know?"

"I know," Leo replied.

"I'm glad you stopped having your nightmares," Tristan
said, "Because I haven't stopped mine."

"Just give it time," Leo said.

"I just wonder, why me?" Tristan asked, "Why am I here
and they're not?"

"I ask myself that every day," Leo replied. "But
sometimes there aren't always answers.  We just have
to accept what happened."

"I know, but it sucks not having the answers," Tristan
said.

"I know," Leo answered.

"I really do need to thank you Leo," Tristan said.

"For what?" Leo asked.

"For being here, being my friend," Tristan replied, "I
wouldn't have made it with out you."

Tristan reached over and grabbed Leo's hand and gave
it a little squeeze.

"Right back at you," Leo smiled.  Leo looked down and
saw his hand in Tristan's, he couldn't help but feel
some butterflies in his stomach.  It was a feeling he
wasn't expecting to have and not sure he wanted.

When Nick got home that night he went and thought over
the idea of meeting with Luke.  It was ridiculous,
wasn't it?  He shouldn't see Luke, should he?
Thoughts raced through his mind.  No matter how much
he tried to say he hated Luke, he knew deep down that
a part of him would always love him.  He was the only
person who Nick truly fell head over heals in love
with and a love like that doesn't just go away.  After
debating on it for an hour and walking back and forth
in his apartment with the phone in his hand, he
finally decided to give Luke a call.

"Hello?" Luke answered.

"Hey, it's Nick."

"Nick?  Hey!  How are you?" Luke asked happy to hear
from Nick.

"I'm fine.  You?" Nick asked.

"I'm doing all right," Luke answered. "What a nice
surprise.  What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you were busy at all next
week," Nick said.

"Just work, why?" Luke asked.

"I was hoping I could meet with you and talk some
stuff over with you," Nick replied.

"Really?" Luke asked, "Yeah, I'd love to get
together."

"Great," Nick said, wondering if he should regret
calling him.

"Truth be told, I've wanted to talk to you for some
time now," Luke said.

"Yeah?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Luke replied. "Just give me a call when you
want to meet and I'll be there."

"All right," Nick said, "I will talk to you later."

"Great," Luke said, "Again, it was good to hear from
you."

"I'll call you later," Nick said hanging up, he let
out a huge sigh of relief that the phone call was
over.

Kurt, meanwhile, had Reese come over to his place.  He
wanted to talk to him because he didn't like the way
they left things when he left the office that day.
When he got there the two opened a bottle of wine and
sat down on the couch together.

"Reese, can I talk to you?" Kurt asked.

"Of course," Reese replied.

"Are you upset?" Kurt asked.

"I already told you Kurt, I'm not," Reese replied.

"Yeah, but for some reason I think you are," Kurt
said. "I just need you to understand that I like you,
but I'm just not ready.  Truth of the matter is that
it's been really rough getting over Ryan."

"I see," Reese replied not liking where Kurt's going
with this.

"But you've helped me a lot," Kurt said, "And you've
definitely made me feel better and I like you a lot
and want this to work.  I just need you to give me
time."

"Kurt, you take all the time you need," Reese said.

"Yeah?" Kurt asked grateful that Reese understands.

"Absolutely," Reese said, "Take as much time as you
need to feel ready to be intimate with someone again,
even if it ends up not being me."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked confused.

"Kurt, I know you like me, and I like you," Reese
replied, "But what's a relationship with out sex?  If
this is all there is then I'll just have to go
elsewhere."

Kurt was speechless, he wasn't sure what to think.

"But you go ahead and take all the time you need,"
Reese continued.  "It's getting late.  I should
probably get going."

Kurt thought of the idea of being alone, he lost Ryan,
could he really risk losing someone else again?  Kurt
couldn't risk it, he wouldn't let himself lose another
guy he thought could be good for him.

"Wait Reese," Kurt said taking Reese's hand.  Kurt got
up from the couch and led Reese to his bedroom.

"You sure?" Reese asked.

Kurt just nodded as he sat down on the bed in his room
and began to take off his clothes.  Reese closed the
bedroom door with a smile on his face, knowing that
what he said to Kurt would affect him enough to get
him to change his mind.  He then went over to Kurt and
started kissing him and kissing his neck and down his
chest.

Hours later, Reese was sleeping with Kurt next to him
lying awake.  Kurt didn't know exactly what he was
feeling, but whatever it was, it wasn't how one should
feel after having sex, and it wasn't a feeling he
liked.  He felt almost dirty for what he did and
violated.  He didn't sleep at all that night, all he
could do was lie in bed and stare blankly at the
ceiling.



To Be Continued...

Hope you all enjoyed the kick start off of season 2!
With any comments, questions or feedback please e-mail
me at ilj4ever44@yahoo.com  Thanks so much!