Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:27:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kirk Landers <ilj4ever44@yahoo.com>
Subject: Phases- part 21

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.

Hope you are all still enjoying!  Here's part 21
entitled, "Now What?"

'NOW WHAT?'

     Leo finished packing the last of his things and
was now just waiting for Nick and Kurt to pick him up
when Tristan stopped by his room.

"Well, this is it," Leo said, "I'm off today."

"Yeah," Tristan replied, "Is it bad that I kind of
wish you were in rehab a little longer?"

"No," Leo replied, "I get it."

"I'm going to miss you Leo," Tristan said giving Leo a
hug.

"It's only for a little bit," Leo said. "When you get
out we'll be together again."

"I want to thank you," Tristan said.

"For what?" Leo asked.

"For saving me," Tristan replied, "I never would have
gotten this far with out you."

"Me neither," Leo said. "You helped me so much.
Helped me see the light again."

"Leo, your friends are here to pick you up," one of
the counselors said knocking on the door to Leo's
room.

"I guess this is it," Tristan said.

"Okay, well you have my cell phone number and my
address," Leo said. "Call me when you check out,
okay?"

"I will," Tristan said.

"Thanks for the bottle cap," Leo said holding the
bottle cap Tristan gave him.

"You're welcome," Tristan replied giving Leo a hug
goodbye. "I'll see you soon."

"Definitely," Leo said, the two then slowly kissed one
another goodbye.  Leo then grabbed his bags and left
the room and went outside to where Nick and Kurt were
waiting by the car.  Before he got inside the car he
looked back once more at Tristan and they both gave
each other a brave smile as they waved goodbye to each
other.  He then packed his stuff in the car and left
the rehab center.

"We are so proud of you Leo," Nick said as they were
driving.

"Yeah, you've grown so much since being there," Kurt
said.

"Thanks," Leo said.

"You excited?" Nick asked.

"To tell you the truth I'm nervous," Leo replied. "I'm
actually out.  There's no counselors to keep an eye on
me or anything.  It's different."

"You'll be fine," Kurt said confidently. "I know it."

"Thanks," Leo said, "I'll miss Tristan a lot too."

"How did things go with you two?" Kurt asked.

"Well, after I talked to you the other day we kissed,"
Leo said.

"You did?" Kurt asked excited.

"You and Tristan are starting something up?" Nick
asked, completely unaware.

"Yeah," Leo said. "Him and I like each other a lot."

"Where have I been?" Nick asked. "I didn't know any of
this."

"Well, a lot has been going on," Kurt pointed out.

"Speaking of which," Leo said, "How did it go with
Ryan?"

"It didn't," Kurt replied, "I didn't talk to him."

"I thought you went to Florida?"

"I did, but when I saw him with his daughter he looked
so happy that I couldn't interfere with that," Kurt
said, "He found a new life and I don't want to
complicate it for him."

"Did you confront Reese?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Kurt replied, "I told him to leave here.  I'll
find out at work tomorrow if he actually took that
advice."

"I'm sorry about all that," Leo said. "I can only
imagine what you're going through."

"Yeah, it sucks," Kurt sighed, "But I can't dwell on
it.  I have to move on."

"Good for you," Leo said, he then turned to Nick, "So
what about you?  What's going on with you and Luke?"

"We're taking it slow," Nick replied.

"Really?" Leo asked disappointed.

"Leo," Kurt warned.

"I'm just saying that Nick can do so much better," Leo
said. "Why go back to him?"

"Leo, I love him," Nick said. "That's all it comes
down to for me.  I still love him."

"Well, what he did to you was not okay," Leo said,
"He's a jerk if you ask me."

"Leo," Kurt said again, "Zip it."

"Leo, did I say anything bad about Jesse when you
wanted to get back with him?" Nick asked.

"No, but that was different," Leo said, "Jesse and I
didn't break-up because he started seeing someone
else."

"Leo, remember how much you didn't like it when Nick
was all over protective of you?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Leo replied.

"Well then don't do it towards him," Kurt said.

"But you guys don't understand," Leo said.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked curious.

"Nothing," Leo dismissed, not wanting to reveal his
secret about Luke and him to the guys, "Whatever, just
do what you want, just keep him away from me."

"Leo, if you don't stop I'm going to take you back to
rehab," Kurt joked.

"Well it wouldn't be so bad," Leo said, "I'd be with
Tristan."

"It's good to see you happy like this again," Nick
said. "It's been a long time."

"I know," Leo said, "I finally feel like I'm going to
be okay."

"Good," Kurt said, "Lets go out tonight and celebrate.
 We'll go out to a nice restaurant."

"How about that new Japanese restaurant that opened up
by my place," Nick suggested.

"Sounds perfect," Leo said.

When Nick dropped off Kurt and Leo the two went up to
their apartment and helped Leo settle back in.

"Good being home?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, it's great," Leo replied as he set his bags
down in his room.

"Do you want anything?" Kurt asked.

"No, I'm okay," Leo answered.

"How about a something to drink?  I can make some
lemonade," Kurt suggested.

"Kurt, I'm okay," Leo replied, "You don't have to
treat me like glass.  I won't break."

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, "I think I'm doing it more for
me.  I can use the distraction."

"What's wrong Kurt?" Leo asked.

"Just the whole situation with Ryan," Kurt sighed.

"You miss him a lot huh?"

"So much," Kurt said sitting down on the couch, "I
just wish he were here."

"Why don't you call him?" Leo asked sitting next to
Kurt, "It's not too late."

"It is," Kurt replied, "He's with his daughter now."

"So?" Leo asked.

"You should have seen him with her," Kurt replied, "He
was carrying her, she had these beautiful big brown
eyes just like Ryan and this big smile on her face as
he was giving her a kiss on the cheek.  And the look
on Ryan's face was just pure joy.  I couldn't disrupt
that relationship between them now.  She finally has a
dad and he seems so happy as a father.  Everything
that's been going on has just been a lot to take you
know?"

"I know," Leo said.

"I just wish my life was back to the way it used to
be," Kurt sighed, "As boring as that may have been, I
just want things to go back to normal."

"They will," Leo encouraged. "Kurt, you are one of the
nicest, most caring people I know."

"You liar," Kurt replied with a little laugh.

"No, I'm serious," Leo said. "You are always taking
care of people and watching out for people.  How many
times have you stopped fights between me and Nick?
Kurt, you're the best friend everyone wishes they had.
 You will find love again, because no one is more
deserving of it than you."

"Thanks Leo," Kurt said giving him a hug.

"And I think we're all starting to do a lot better."

"I guess.  Are you doing a lot better?"

"I will be," Leo said. "There's just one thing I
really need to do now."

"What's that?" Kurt asked.

"Would you mind taking me to see Jesse?"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Leo said, "I need to say bye to him."

"What do you mean, goodbye?" Kurt asked.

 "I'm not going to see him any more," Leo replied.

"Really?" Kurt asked surprised. "Are you sure about
that?"

"Yeah," Leo replied, "I have to move on and if I
continue to go there then I will never be able to."

"I see," Kurt nodded understanding. "When do you want
to go?"

"Can we go now?" Leo asked.

"Yeah sure," Kurt replied.  The two grabbed their
jackets and then headed down to the hospital.

After Nick dropped off Kurt and Leo he went over to
Luke's place where the two had made plans to spend
some time together to re-connect.  The two were
sitting out on his balcony that over looked all of the
city and talked about the past and their possible
future.

"So how's Leo and Kurt doing?" Luke asked.

"They're good," Nick replied. "How's your family?"

"They're great, my sister is pregnant again," Luke
said.

"Again?" Nick asked, "This is going to be her fourth
kid right?"

"Yeah," Luke replied, "This one is a girl too."

"Wow, four girls, I'm sure Drake is happy about that,"
Nick quipped.

"You kidding?  Drake loves having all girls," Luke
said, "He thinks boys will be too much work."

"Well, he may have a point there," Nick said, "Boys
turn into men who end up being nothing but trouble."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Luke laughed.

"I missed your family a lot," Nick said.

"They miss you too," Luke replied, "They were so
excited when I told them you and I were trying to work
things out again."

"Yeah?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, they want you to come over for dinner as soon
as possible," Luke replied.

"That would be fun," Nick said. "I would love to see
them."

"Yeah?" Luke asked with a smile.

"Of course," Nick replied.

"I'm glad, I thought you might think it was too soon
to see them again," Luke said.

"Well, I'm not really sure about what the rules are
when trying to start up a relationship again," Nick
said. "Do you think it's too soon?"

"No, I would love it," Luke said. "Thank you.  Is it
okay if I give you a hug?"

"I think hugs are allowed," Nick smiled as the two
hugged one another.  Luke closed his eyes remembering
how good it felt to be in Nick's arms.  Nick also
enjoyed holding Luke again, the way he smelled, the
sound of his breath against his ear.  It was
everything he remembered and loved.  The two slowly
looked at one another and then leaned in and kissed.

"Are kisses allowed?" Luke asked.

"Probably not," Nick replied, but he didn't pull away
from their kissing.

"You think we should stop?" Luke asked between kisses.

"Yeah," Nick replied, but kept on kissing.

"You think we should take this into the bedroom?" Luke
asked.

"Oh yeah," Nick replied as the two hurried to Luke's
room.

 At the hospital, Kurt and Leo walked up to Jesse's
room.

"You sure you're okay to do this?" Kurt asked, "You
want me to go in there with you?"

"No," Leo replied, "I need to do this on my own."

"Okay," Kurt replied, "I'll be right out here if you
need me."

"Thanks," Leo said as he went into the room.  When he
walked in he let out a deep breath when he saw Jesse.
Still laying there helpless, tubes all over him,
monitor beeping to check his heart rate.  But despite
all that, he still had that same handsome look, the
same slight smile he always seemed to give off even
when he was serious.  Leo went over and sat next to
him and held Jesse's hand.

"Hey you," Leo began. "It's been a while since I last
saw you.  I don't know if you can hear me right now,
but I'm just going to say this and hope somehow you
hear what I need to say."  Leo took a deep breath
before he continued. "I wasn't doing so good after the
accident.  In fact, I was a mess.  I used alcohol to
numb what I was feeling.  Living in a world where you
and I were broken up was tough enough, you can only
imagine how I felt about living in a world that you're
not really in."

Leo gently touched the side of Jesse's face,
remembering the soft touch of his skin when they used
to kiss.

"But I got better," Leo continued, "I went to rehab
and got the help I needed.  Nick and Kurt have been
really helping me get through everything.  Someone
else too actually helped me out a lot.  His name's
Tristan, he's a really nice guy, very caring and
loving.  He reminds me of you a bit actually.  Him and
I have gotten really close.  For a while I felt as if
I was cheating on you, but you're not coming back to
me are you?  So I guess I really do have to move on.
A part of me is hoping that you'll wake up right now
and we can just pick up where we left off, but I know
that's not going to happen."

Leo began thinking of everything the two went through
over the years, all the love all the tears, good and
bad times.  This time though when he thought of all
those things he didn't feel like falling apart and
drinking, instead he felt stronger, he felt gratitude
for what him and Jesse had.  He leaned over and kissed
Jesse on the forehead.

"I love you," Leo said, "And don't worry, Tristan
really is a good guy."

Leo then got up and left the room.  When he got out he
let out a huge sigh.  Kurt came up to him and put his
arm around him.

"You okay?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Leo replied, "I am."

"Come on, let's go home," Kurt said as the two walked
away together.

Back at Luke's place, Nick and Luke were lying in bed
together after just having sex.

"I don't think that was considered taking it slow,"
Luke said.

"No, not at all," Nick replied.

"Do you regret it?" Luke asked.

"Well, it wasn't our best judgement," Nick replied,
"But, no, I don't regret it."

"Me neither," Luke said.

"I should get going though," Nick said getting up and
getting dressed, "I'm supposed to meet Kurt and Leo
for dinner."

"Okay," Luke said, "Can I see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll call you," Nick said putting his shirt on.
"Luke, from now on though, we need to take it slower."

"I agree," Luke said, "Definitely take things slower."

"I'll see you later," Nick said giving Luke a kiss.

"Did you want to see my family this weekend?" Luke
asked.

"Yeah, sounds great," Nick replied as he hurried off.
"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Good night," Luke called out.

 Nick met up with Kurt and Leo at the restaurant and
was very quiet when they all sat down together.

"Everything all right?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Nick replied quickly, "Everything is great."

"You're such a liar.  What's up?" Leo asked.

"Nothing," Nick replied, "I just saw Luke this
afternoon."

"Oh barf," Leo groaned.

"Leo," Kurt warned, "You said you'd be better."

"You're right," Leo said, "I'm sorry.  So what
happened?"

"We talked," Nick began and then whispered under his
breath, "Had sex."

"You sleaze," Kurt teased. "Only a day after the first
date?"

"Well, technically it wasn't the first date," Nick
replied.

"Three years ago doesn't count," Kurt said, "Spill
it."

"I didn't mean for it to happen," Nick said.

 "How do you not mean for it happen?" Leo asked,
"Oops, sorry I didn't mean to stick my dick there."

"Okay, that was a disgustingly graphic statement,"
Nick replied.

"Yeah, I'm going to be horrified by that all day now,"
Kurt replied. "So how was it Nick?"

"It was good, great, well, it was amazing, mind
blowing even," Nick said, "But that's not the point."

"What is the point?" Leo asked.

"The point is, him and I are supposed to be taking
things slow," Nick replied. "And then we go and sleep
together."

"Well, do you regret it?" Kurt asked.

"No," Nick replied.

"Then I really don't see the problem," Kurt said.

"The problem is that I still have some anger towards
him and I can't fully let myself be with him if I'm
still holding on to that anger," Nick said.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Kurt asked.

"It's not exactly something I can easily talk to him
about," Nick replied, "What do I say? 'Hey Luke, I'm
still pissed at you.  Just wait until I get over it.
It's only been three years.'"

"What do you want him to say to let go of your anger?"
Kurt asked.

"That's the thing, he's already told me that he's
sorry and that he regrets it," Nick said, "I should be
feeling good about the situation."

"Or maybe it's just because Luke is an ass," Leo
chimed in.

"Leo, if I'm going to start dating him again, I need
you to be a little nicer okay?" Nick asked.

"I know, I'm sorry," Leo said, "But I just remember
how hard it was for you when you two broke up.  I'm
just worried he'll do it again."

"Maybe that's why you're still mad," Kurt suggested,
"You think it will happen again."

"Well it's not like he can promise me it won't," Nick
replied, "I just have to learn to trust him again,
which is going to take time."

"I'm sure you two can work it out," Kurt said.

"I'm going with him this weekend to see his family
again," Nick said.

"Wow, already going back to see the family?" Kurt
asked.

"What about taking it slow?" Leo asked.

"You think it's too soon for me to see his family?"
Nick asked.

"If it's too soon for you to get intimate," Kurt said,
"It's probably too soon to see the family again."

"Yeah, you're right," Nick nodded. "I shouldn't go."

"Good call," Leo said.

"So how are you doing Kurt?" Nick asked.

"I'm okay," Kurt replied

"I still can't believe Reese did that," Leo said.

"Me neither," Kurt replied.

"I think you should at least call Ryan," Nick said,
"Let him know what happened."

"And what would that do?" Kurt asked. "He would still
be in Florida while I'm here.  I just have to face
that Ryan and I just aren't meant to be."

"You two were so good together though," Nick said.

"But he'll find someone else," Leo encouraged.

"Yeah, you're a great catch," Nick said, "I'm sure
another guy will come along and sweep you off your
feet."

"Hopefully not a psycho this time," Kurt quipped.

"Yeah," Nick replied before thinking how much things
have changed with the three of them, "Have you guys
noticed how much has changed lately?"

"Yeah," Kurt replied, "Things have been crazy."

"But I think we've grown a lot," Nick said. "Leo has
gotten out of rehab and gotten control of his life
again, Kurt you have a good job and now have freedom
to explore dating, and I'm rekindling things with
Luke.  I think this is going to be a good time for us
from now on."

"We'll see," Kurt said.

"Hopefully Tristan gets out of rehab soon so we can
start things up on a more official basis," Leo said.

"Leo, it's really great that you're moving on," Nick
said.

"Yeah, I went and said bye to Jesse today," Leo said.

"You did?" Nick asked.

"Yeah."

"How was it?" Nick asked.

"You know, I actually felt okay," Leo began, "I was
able to go in and say bye to him and for once my world
didn't feel like it was coming apart.  Just felt like
I was putting an end to a very long chapter of my
life."

"And now you can start a new one," Nick said. "That's
great.  We've been keeping an eye on him while you
were at rehab."

"Thank you," Leo replied, "It's too bad there hasn't
been any change in his condition."

"Well, it hasn't gotten worse," Kurt pointed out,
trying to find the positive, "That's good."

"I should call his parents this week and see how they
are," Leo said.

"Kurt and I went and saw them this past week," Nick
said, "They seemed okay.  Sad, but they're getting
through it."

"Thanks for doing that," Leo said.

"Of course, we love Jesse a lot too," Kurt said.

"Yeah, and while I'm never going to stop loving him, I
finally feel like I can move on," Leo said.

"That calls for a toast," Nick said raising his glass.
 Kurt and Leo both lifted up their glasses as well.
"To Leo, welcome home."

"Welcome home," Kurt repeated.

"Thanks guys," Leo said as they clinked glasses.

That night after dinner when the guys went home they
all went into their rooms to contemplate their new
beginnings, their new chapters of their lives.  At
Nick's place he was laying down in bed and looking at
old pictures of him and Luke when they were together.
He kept a small shoe box filled with pictures of the
two of them, pictures with his family, pictures with
Nick's family.  While he really wants things to go
back to the way they were with the two, he knew they
needed to take things slow.  He picked up the phone
and called Luke.

"Hey, I didn't think I'd hear from you until
tomorrow," Luke said answering his phone.

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you about something,"
Nick said.

"What's up?" Luke asked.

"Listen, I really want things to go back to how they
were between us," Nick began, "I really do.  But we do
need to take things slow and build up to that.  Do you
get what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know," Luke replied, "Are you starting to
regret what we did?"

"No," Nick replied, "I don't regret it, I just think
from now on we need to be a little smarter in how we
go about this.  So I don't think I should be going
over to your family's place just yet."

"Okay," Luke replied, "Absolutely.  I don't want to
rush this, I really want it to work this time."

"Me too," Nick said.

"And Nick," Luke said, "Thank you again for giving me
another chance.  I won't screw it up."

Hearing the sincerity of Luke when he said that made
Nick let go of some of his anger, while there was
still a lot that needed to be built up, he felt more
confident that this time it would last.

Over at Kurt and Leo's place, Kurt was in his room
taking the photo album he made of him and Ryan
together and flipped through it a bit before putting
it away in a box of his own.  He then went around the
room and took other pictures of the two of them
together and put it in the box.  He closed the box up
and put it in his closet.  It's now time for him to
try and move on and say goodbye to the hope of him and
Ryan together.

In Leo's room, Leo had his own box with stuff of him
and Jesse.  He put the pictures in his room inside the
box.  He went to his bag he didn't unpack yet and
pulled out the picture of him and Jesse he had in
rehab.  He kissed the picture and put it inside the
box.  He put the box under his bed and sat down
realizing how for the first time, he felt okay about
moving on.  He dug into his pant pocket and pulled out
the bottle cap Tristan had given him.  He smiled as he
looked at it and then held it tightly in his hand
smiling at the thought of Tristan and him together.



To Be Continued...

With any comments, questions or feedback please e-mail
me at ilj4ever44@yahoo.com.  Thanks so much!  Hope to
hear from you!