Summary: Nick is struggling to make it day by day. Justin is trying to survive stardom. They both live two very different lives, but when they meet on a cold winters night a friendship begins. Will there be more then friendship? Do opposites really attract?

Paring: Justin/Nick (Timbernick)

Rating: PG-13 and Up

Warning: This is slash, meaning there will be male/male sexual relations mentioned in the story. Also, this story should also get a HET warning for those of you that don't like HET content. There are other couples in this story other then Justin and Nick and a few of them happen to be male/female couples. If you don't want to read chapters with explicit HET content then go ahead and scroll down to read the EDITED chapters.

Authors Note: I am really grateful to have a great friend writing this story with me. How we have it worked out is that I write whatever Nick says, and my good friend Kris writes all of Justin's lines. If this is confusing, or if you have any questions about the format feel free to e-mail me and I'll try and help clear anything up.

Status: Incomplete

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Eddie opened Kelly's bedroom door slowly a huge smile on his face as he pushed his sunglasses up on his head. "Look who’s back...back again..." He joked as he walked into the room.

Kelly smiled when she looked up from her book and saw Eddie. "Hey..."

"How are you doing?" Eddie asked as he walked around the bed and sat on the edge next to Kelly.

"I'm OK," Kelly said as she tossed the book aside and stretched out her legs under the covers. "How was San Diego?"

Eddie groaned. "Let's just say I'm VERY glad to be home."

"Why...was it THAT bad?"

"The Morales family is HUGE. I think there were probably almost two hundred family members at this thing and half of them drive me insane....Oh and Manny decided to come out to all of them on the first they we were there so the rest of the time family either teased him, asked all sorts of questions or ignored him." Eddie said with a shake of his head. "It was definitely an experience I don't care to do again."

"Guess he took all the attention away from great Aunt Maria...at her own wake."

Eddie laughed out loud at that. "I seriously had NO idea I had an Aunt Maria until a few days ago."

"And you STILL went to the wake and funeral... What a good boy."

"My grandmother threatened to shove her knitting needles up my ass." Eddie giggled. "Those were her exact words."

Kelly laughed out loud at that. "Oh wow."

"Yes and I really don't care for things being shoved up my ass."

"I hope not."

Eddie rolled his eyes and laughed. "Wrong Morales."

"Yeah...exactly."

"So how was your last few days?" Eddie asked as he gently rubbed Kelly's blanket covered leg.

"Boring. "Let's see. Sunday...Lynn made me brunch, and I spent the rest of the day reading and watching basketball. Monday...I did nothing. I slept all day, pretty much. Yesterday...same thing...but I DID watch a couple movies. And today...I FINALLY left the house to go to the doctor."

"Sounds very exciting. I think I would of dragged you along to visit relatives with me if you weren't sick so be thankful." Eddie giggled.

Kelly smiled. "I wouldn't have minded. I'm gonna flip if I have to stay in this house much longer."

Eddie smiled as he continued to rub Kelly's let through the blanket. "Only a few more days of bed rest and then I may just take you out for a drive or something. Maybe along the beach."

Kelly's smile grew. "Actually...the doctor said I'm doing well...and can be off bed rest tomorrow as long as I feel up to it."

"That's awesome!" Eddie said smiling big.

Kelly nodded. "I know."

"Have you talked to anybody back in London the last few days?"

Kelly nodded. "I've been talking to Justin every day...Mel a couple times."

"No Marty or Nick?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I DID talk to Nick once when I called Justin...but...not Marty. Not yet."

Eddie sighed. "I called Marty back the day before I left we talked for maybe ten minutes but then he said he had to go."

"Is he OK?"

"I don't know." Eddie answered honestly.

Kelly sighed. "I'm gonna call him. Justin thinks I should...and so do I."

Eddie nodded his head. "I think it would help. I don't know how to get through to him anymore."

Kelly nodded. "I'll call him later."

"How are Justin and Nick?" Eddie asked. Just curious to what was going on back in London.

"They're good...very good. I mean...Justin's still having a hard time, of course..." Kelly said...scratching her stomach through her thin white tank top. "...but they're doing good. Justin says they're getting a lot closer, and Nick's really helping through this."

Eddie smiled big. "That's great to hear. I could tell they were getting a lot closer even before I left."

"Yeah...that's what you said."

"Do you think they say 'I love you' and stuff yet?" Eddie asked curiously.

Kelly nodded. "They do. He told me."

Eddie's eyes actually went wide. "Wow...I'm really happy for them I'm just sort of shocked."

"I know what you mean."

Nicky says:

"I mean Justin must really love him. Cuz he doesn't say shit like that just for the heck of it."

"He DOES love him."

Eddie giggled. "Awe, how cute."

Kelly smiled as she nodded again. "I know...I'm happy for them. Justin needs this in his life right now."

"I'm sure with Justin, Nick feels the most stable then he had in years." Eddie said with a sigh, not being able to even imagine what it felt like to be Nick.

"Yeah...I'm sure you're right."

"So, what are we doing today?" Eddie giggled as he kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed next to Kelly.

Kelly giggled. "Hmm,,,gee...I wonder."

"Sit here?" Eddie giggled.

"I feel bad. It HAS to be boring for you."

"I just spent the last few days with a bunch of latin speaking relatives. I'm ready for peace and quite." Eddie giggled again. "I'm surprised I'm still not speaking Spanish right now."

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "You can if you want to."

"Nah...I'm ready to speak English again." Eddie smiled, letting out a content sigh.

"I bet you ate plenty the last few days, too," Kelly pointed out...knowing how Eddie's family was about pushing the rice and beans and other Spanish dishes.

Eddie groaned at that. "I think I ate too much. My stomach was killing me last night."

Kelly giggled. "It's OK...you needed it."

"I think I could of laid off the beans though." Eddie laughed. "Didn't settle well."

Kelly made a face. "You're disgusting."

Eddie laughed again. "I'm a guy...we're supposed to be disgusting."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Which is why I'm always saying I need more female friends."

"Does Manny count?" Eddie asked, trying to not laugh. He had SO much fun teasing his baby brother about his slightly flighty ways.

Kelly gently swatted Eddie's arm. "Stop that."

"What...what did I say?" Eddie asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You're so mean to your poor brother."

"But you haven't seen him in like a year or something." Eddie giggled. "College did something to him."

"Something like what?"

"He says he knew he was gay before college, but now he's actually ACTING like it." Eddie laughed shaking his head.

Kelly shrugged. "As long as he's happy."

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah I really don't care but it's fun to bug him sometimes."

"Just make sure you don't accidentally hurt his feelings."

Eddie nodded his head again thinking how hurt his brother had looked over the last few days. "I know...we were sharing a room in my parents house cuz of all the family around and I know for a fact he cried himself to sleep each night because of some of the shit our cousins were saying to him. I mean they were fucking calling him names."

"That's fucked up."

"I know I was so pissed at them."

"Poor Manny."

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, and he's such a sweetie so he just took it in stride."

"Did YOU say anything to them?"

"I punched my cousin." Eddie giggled getting an innocent look on his face.

"No!"

Eddie bit his lower lip and nodded. "Uhh...yeah."

"Wow."

"Yeah my dad got beyond pissed at me." Eddie blushed. "He actually sent me to my fucking room. When I tried to protest saying I'm not ten anymore he told me to shut my mouth and do as I was told." He giggled.

Kelly laughed. "And I bet you did."

"My dad is a big man." Eddie giggled.

"I know."

"I would of been stupid to not do as I was told. He would kick my skinny ass."

"Your ass isn't THAT skinny."

"My dad could be a sumo wrestler." Eddie laughed shaking his head.

"And your dad isn't THAT big."

"Are you sure you know my family?" Eddie teased as he turned over and stuck his butt in the air. "See my ass is TOO skinny." He laughed goofing around.

Kelly laughed as she reached up and smacked his ass. "Sit down."

"Yes ma'am." Eddie said as he sat back down like a good boy.

"I missed you, ya know. I was so bored without you."

Eddie smiled. "I missed you too even though I was far from bored."

"I would have been OK had I been allowed out of bed."

"Yeah I know how that goes. Bed rest sucks big time."

Kelly sighed. "I'm so antsy. I am NOT good at sitting still."

"Just be thankful you can actually get up and move around if you want to." Eddie pointed out with a small smile. "And tomorrow you will be able to."

Kelly nodded...smiling at Eddie. "I know."

"When I was on bed rest it was for more then a month. I mean I couldn't move around on my own anyway so I was stuck in bed. Now THAT sucked." Eddie said making a face at the memory.

"I can only imagine."

"I hope you never have to find out."

"Me too."

"Not being able to use your legs for the good part of a year. That was probably the most humbling experience of my life." Eddie continued, not able to get his mind off the topic as he thought about it.

"Yeah...but baby...look at you now," she said to Eddie for what felt like the millionth time. "You've come so far...and THEN some."

Eddie smiled and nodded, turning his head to look at Kelly. "Which is exactly what is going to happen with you. Your life might feel overbearing at times but years from now you will look back on it and see how far you came."

Kelly smiled back. "I really hope so."

"I know so."

"You're so sweet."

Eddie smiled big. "I try."

Kelly sighed and dropped her head back against the pillow. "This sucks. "I wanna get outta bed."

"Okay let's spring this joint." Eddie joked.

"Let's go sit outside. It's so nice out."

Eddie smiled and nodded. "Okay, that sounds like an idea. J has those really nice lounging patio chairs."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah." She stretched again, then threw the covers off of her and stretched one more time...forgetting that all she was wearing was the flimsy white tank top and a pair of pink and white striped boy shorts underwear.

Eddie quickly looked away before he would find himself staring and racting to Kelly practically only in her underwear in front of him. "Sounds like a plan then."

"I'm sick of being in bed," Kelly said...not getting up yet. "It makes me feel lazy."

Taking a deep breath Eddie turned back to Kelly and laughed. "I can understand how it would make you feel like that." He said knowing he could be a man and handle seeing her like that...he hoped.

Kelly groaned and rolled onto her stomach. "Rub my back?"

Eddie bit his lower lip as he couldn't help but let his eyes trail down Kelly's body stopping on her ass that was clearly visible in the boy shorts panties. "Of course." He said as he reached over and started to rub her back.

"You don't have to massage it. Just...like...rub it," Kelly said quietly...just seeking the comforting feeling of a hand on her back.

"Okay." Eddie said simply as he gently rubbed her back.

Kelly sighed contentedly. "Feels good."

"I'm glad." Eddie said as he let his hand move up under her shirt to rub her bare back. He wasn't really sure why he did that, but for some reason it seemed right.

Kelly groaned quietly as she closed her eyes. "THAT feels better."

"I'm glad." Eddie whispered as he tried to pay attention to making Kelly feel good, not how great it felt to have his skin against hers.

"You're too good to me," Kelly said lazily...feeling as though she could fall asleep under Eddie's gentle touch.

Eddie chuckled. "I try." He said as he continued to rub her lower back his hands moving to her sides to rub them.

"Why, though?"

"Why...what?"

"Why are you so good to me?"

"Because I want to and I love you." Eddie stated as if the answer was obvious.

Kelly giggled. "Oh right. Duh."

Eddie laughed too as he couldn't help but let his eyes trail down Kelly's body again, stopping at her perfect bottom. He knew he was torturing himself but he couldn't help it.

Kelly let out a content sigh. "This feels so nice. Thank you." She found the feel of Eddie's warm hands on her skin to be comforting and relaxing.

"You're welcome." Eddie said as his head shot up, Kelly talking to him got him out of his trance and he felt like he had done something wrong.

Kelly noticed a hint of urgency in Eddie's voice. "You OK?" she asked...not opening her eyes.

Eddie nodded his head even though Kelly wasn't looking at him, which he was thankful because he was sure his face was bright red from embarrassment and from the heat his body was feeling all of a sudden. "Yeah, I'm cool."

Kelly opened her eyes and turned her head a bit to look at Eddie. "We don't have to go outside, ya know. You can lay down with me if you want."

"You don't want to go outside?" Eddie questioned.

"It doesn't matter."

"I don't care either." Eddie giggled.

"Then lay down with me."

"I thought I was rubbing your back."

Kelly giggled. "You can lay down...AND rub my back."

"Ahh I see." Eddie laughed as he laid down on the bed and continued to gently rub Kelly's back.

Kelly turned her head...resting her cheek on the pillow so she could look at Eddie. "Yeah...like that," she said with a smile.

Eddie hoped that Kelly couldn't see the slight lust in his eyes that he knew was there. She didn't need to know that what was happening was causing his body to react. Hell he didn't care and he wasn't uncomfortable in the least, there was just so much he could do to control that.

"Are you gonna be bored if we don't go outside right now?"

"I’m far from bored." Eddie whispered, he was having too much fun watching Kelly.

Kelly chuckled. "OK."

Eddie just simply smiled as he looked into Kelly's eyes.

"I missed you," Kelly said again.

"I missed you too."

"I didn't get a kiss hello."

Eddie leaned over and gave Kelly a gentle kiss yet not just a peck on the lips.

Keeping her lips on Eddie's, Kelly propped herself up onto her elbows to make the kiss easier.

Eddie knew he shouldn't do it, but he did anyway and deepened the kiss just a little. He had missed Kelly's kisses.

A tiny groan slipped out of Kelly's throat as she kissed Eddie back.

Not listening to the warning signs going off in his head, Eddie deepened the kiss even more by letting his tongue out of his mouth and gently pushing inside of Kelly's. He was ready to pull back out if she seemed to hesitate any.

The fingertips of Kelly's right hand lightly grazed Eddie's slightly-stubbly chin as she willingly parted her lips for his probing tongue.

Eddie moaned softly into the kiss as he let his tongue explore the insides of Kelly's mouth. His hand still moving up and down her bare back.

Kelly's hand slid a bit farther up until it was resting on Eddie's cheek as she continued returning his slow-yet-passionate kiss.

Eddie knew he should have pulled back when he felt the familiar stirring at his groin but he couldn't get himself to stop the kiss. Instead he just shook off the uneasy feeling and went with it, knowing he could handle it if he needed to.

Kelly finally had to break the passionate kiss for some air, but kept her lips on Eddie's with soft nibbles as she breathed.

Eddie's own lips nibbled at Kelly's as he too tried to catch his breath.

Kelly pulled back briefly to look at Eddie. "Is this...OK?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Eddie replied with a small smile.

Kelly smiled back. "Are you sure? Cuz...we can stop..."

Eddie shook his head with another smile. "I don't want to stop." He said, even though he knew he was torturing himself.

Kelly giggled quietly. "Me neither." Her arm got tired from holding her up, and she rolled onto her back...the move forcing Eddie's hand to slide onto her stomach.

"We can sit here and make out all day, sounds fine to me. " Eddie giggled a she gently rubbed Kelly's tummy.

Kelly rolled her eyes playfully. "Why am I not surprised?"

Eddie giggled and shrugged his shoulders. "I have NO idea."

Kelly laughed and shook her head.

Eddie leaned over Kelly a bit as he kissed her nose. The whole time making sure to keep the lower half of his body away from hers.

Kelly giggled, then softly kissed Eddie's lips.

"I like your lips." Eddie mumbled against Kelly's lips.

"So you've said."

"I know."

"Yours are pretty nice, too," Kelly said with a quick nibble to them.

Eddie pulled back and got a mock offended look on his face. "Just pretty nice?"

Kelly giggled. "OK...I love them."

"Much better." Eddie laughed as he pressed his lips hard to Kelly's again. He didn't know why but he was REALLY in the mood to kiss. Well, in the mood for a lot more then that but he would take what he could get.

It was Kelly's tongue that started the deeper kiss, this time...as it slid out of her mouth to find it's way into Eddie's.

A low moan escaped from Eddie's throat as he let his own tongue sneak out to meet Kelly’s for a sensual kiss. When he felt himself harden more in his jeans he knew he was torturing himself even more but he didn't give a shit.

Kelly slid both her hands up to Eddie's neck...her thumbs running over the underside of his chin as she continued kissing him.

Eddie's hands stayed put on Kelly's tummy. His fingers moving slow patterns on the soft skin as he kissed her back with all he had.

Kelly broke for air again. "You're such a good kisser," she said as she placed a soft kiss on his chin.

Laughing, Eddie smiled. "You are an amazing kisser." He said sounding out of breath showing that the kiss has definitely effected him.

"I get the feeling you like it."

"Of course." Eddie smiled.

"You sure you wanna be doing this?"

"I said I did." Eddie smiled again. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Good question."

Eddie laughed as he looked down into Kelly's eyes.

"What's so funny?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, I'm just happy."

Kelly smiled. "Me too."

Eddie shifted a little. 'More parts of you then others' he thought to himself. "I'm glad me being here makes you happy. He said to Kelly.

"It does. It makes me very happy," Kelly said quietly.

Eddie couldn't help himself and leaned forwards again and pressed his lips to Kelly's for another kiss.

Kelly returned Eddie's kiss, then looked up at him. "How'd this all happen, Ed?"

"How did what happen?" Eddie asked confused.

"This...us...all the kissing, and stuff..."

"I don't know...but it actually feels right to me...does it feel right to you?" Eddie asked softly.

Kelly nodded. "I wouldn't be doing it if it didn't feel right."

Eddie smiled as he looked into Kelly's eyes. "Okay, good."

"I mean...to be honest...when you first came to see me in the hospital, I just thought I wanted to kiss you because I'd been so lonely."

"Yeah, at first I just knew I needed to make you feel better." Eddie admitted too. "I mean I have had feelings for you for a while now but I wasn't really sure what they were until I came here."

Kelly nodded. "And then...each time you kissed me, the more I realized that it was YOU I wanted to be kissing."

Eddie smiled and giggled. "I wana be kissing you too."

Kelly giggled as she pulled Eddie a little closer to her...her hands on the back of his neck guiding his face to her own neck.

Being a goof, Eddie stuck his tongue out and licked Kelly's neck.

Kelly giggled a little louder. "Eeeww...gross!"

Eddie chuckled as he let his tongue back into his mouth. "You taste yummy."

"Well I DID take a shower this morning," Kelly said with a laugh.

"Hmm well I really like your soap." Eddie mumbled against Kelly's neck as he inhaled the smell of her soap. The combination of that smell and the one that he knew as Kelly was intoxicating and inflaming the insides of his body even more. But he still didn't pull away.

Kelly laughed again...her hands still on the back of Eddie's neck. "Thanks," she said...the giggled when his sunglasses fell off their perch atop his head and bounced to the bed. "Woops."

Eddie laughed as he looked to where his sunglasses had fell. "Oh well." He giggled more as he smiled down at Kelly.

"They're gonna break if you leave them there," Kelly said...extending one of her arms over Eddie's shoulder to pick the glasses up.

Eddie reached behind himself to grab the glasses and then moved onto his back to set them on the night stand closer to him. The whole time forgetting that his jeans were bulging at the crotch area a little more then usual and you could tell while he was lying on his back.

Kelly looked over at Eddie from where she was still laying on her back, and laughed quietly as she let her eyes trail down his body. "Wow...YOU'RE one of THOSE guys, too."

Eddie scrunched up his face in confusion. "One of what guys?"

"That gets hard by just LOOKING at a chick.”

Eddie looked down at himself and then smiled sheepishly. His face getting a little red. "You caught me."

Kelly giggled. "Hard not to."

Feeling a little weird, Eddie turned onto his stomach even though it didn't feel the greatest and then turned his head back to Kelly. "Sorry."

Kelly rolled onto her left side to better look at Eddie. "What for?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulder. "I dunno."

"Don't be sorry," Kelly said as she settled her right hand on Eddie's back. "I'm flattered...I think," she said with a chuckle.

Eddie bit his lower lip. "You should be...cuz you're beautiful."

Kelly giggled again. "And that makes you hard?"

Eddie laughed "Not normally." He said shaking his head. "I was sharing a house with a million relatives I didn't get more then a like two minute shower the whole time I was there." He said wondering if Kelly would get his drift.

"You're disgusting."

"Gee...thanks." Eddie said with a playful pout.

Kelly laughed...just looking at Eddie as she gently rubbed her hand over his back.

"This is kinda embarrassing." Eddie giggled as he relaxed as Kelly rubbed his back.

"Why?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I shouldn't have had that reaction."

"It's normal, baby...don't worry about it," Kelly said soothingly.

"I know...I just don't want you to think I'm a horny pervert." Eddie whispered.

"You're a guy. Shouldn't I be worried if you WEREN'T?"

Eddie laughed and smiled. "Maybe."

"I don't think that, though."

"Okay." Eddie said still smiling. "I just didn't want to make you feel uncomfy."

"I don't think that's possible."

"Oh I'm sure if I got up and started dancing nude that would make you uncomfortable." Eddie teased.

Kelly laughed. "I doubt that...you're fuckin hot."

"I wouldn't do it anyway." Eddie laughed. "Now THAT would be embarrassing."

Kelly laughed again, then got serious...her hand coming to a stop on Eddie's back as she spoke. "For real, though...I've known you for a long time, Eddie...like...years. And...I love you...and I trust you. I honestly think that the only thing you could ever do to make me uncomfortable would be to...like...force yourself on me. And...I don't ever think that would happen."

Eddie's eyes went wide and he shook his head like crazy. "I could NEVER do that." He whispered firmly.

Kelly nodded. "I know."

"When we do that...it will be because we both want to." Eddie said not realizing he was saying when...and not if.

Kelly nodded again. "I know. Like I said...I trust you."

Eddie smiled. "I'm glad...I trust you too." He said and then thought of something. "There is one thing that no girl has been able to do when she's been with me...that I'm going to let you."

Kelly was suddenly very curious. "No girl has been ABLE to do...and you're gonna LET me...?"

"Well...maybe do is the wrong word." Eddie giggled. "But...uhh I've never let any of the girls I've been with see me with lights on." He said softly. "Cuz of my scars and stuff...I've always been really self-conscious about it."

Kelly widened her eyes. "Are you serious?" she asked quietly

Eddie nodded his head. "I always made sure the lights were off and then just got to action cuz I didn't want anybody to see them."

"You mean...ALL the girls...EVERY time...no matter HOW drunk you were...?"

"All the times I can remember and there is only like one time I don't remember for sure at all." Eddie said with a sigh. "And I'm not sure what I did but it was kind of like routine for me."

"What about back when you were with that one girl for like...years?"

"I wouldn't let her either." Eddie whispered. "She was actually with me when I got in the accident, so she understood."

"Oh...I didn't know," Kelly said quietly. "But...before that...?"

"I never had sex before the accident."

"Oh," Kelly said again.

Eddie smiled a little. "I got in the accident when I was sixteen. Me and my girl Tina were actually planning on having sex on our six month anniversary. But I got in the accident three weeks before that. So it had to wait almost a year."

Kelly sighed. "Life can be crazy sometimes, huh?" She was actually glad Eddie was opening up to her about it all.

Eddie laughed and nodded. "Tell me about it.”

"Ya know...this might seem kinda strange for me to say...and for you to hear...but in a way, I actually think your scars are beautiful. I mean...the ones I've seen, anyway." As Kelly spoke, her hand on Eddie's back moved to slip just under his t-shirt to finger the small scar she knew was on his lower back at his waistline. "They're a part of who you are."

"The other ones are a LOT bigger then that though." Eddie whispered. "Cuz my hip bone's broke in like three places and one punctured my bladder." He laughed. "I was a mess."

"But you can't SEE a scar on your bladder."

Eddie laughed. "Well duh...but the way they had to go inside to fix it wasn't clean and got infected and they had to go back inside. So now the scar which was supposed to be small and go away is now huge and ugly about this big actually." He said as he turned over and traced a line right above his groin all the way across his hips.

"I still don't know how I didn't see it," Kelly said thoughtfully as she let her hand fall off Eddie and onto the bed...then she looked up at him when she came to a realization. "Oh...cuz it was very dark."

Eddie smiled and nodded his head. "Exactly. I turned the lights off the second we were both in your room and on the bed."

Kelly laughed. "So you even did it to little old me."

"Old habits die hard I guess." Eddie smiled more. "But I need to break it sometime."

Kelly shrugged. "Yeah...but only if you're comfortable."

"I am...I want you to see." Eddie whispered, looking into Kelly's eyes

Kelly smiled at Eddie. "You can show me any time, ya know. You don't have to wait until...then."

Eddie laughed, thinking about that. "Yeah...you're right."

"I'm glad you feel comfortable with me."

"I feel VERY comfortable around you." Eddie smiled. "I'm actually sitting here hard and not doing anything about it." He laughed. "That doesn't happen. Normally when girls see me like this it's before something is going to happen. Normally other times I take care of it before anybody else can really see." He laughed again. "No idea why that is really."

Kelly laughed. "You're too much."

"Why thank you." Eddie said smiling a big cheesy smile.

Kelly's hand subconsciously found it's way just under the front of Eddie's t-shirt and onto his hard stomach as she curled a bit closer to him...her need for contact coming back. "It's strange, though...ya know? How if you didn't get in that accident, you'd probably be playing pro baseball right now instead of dancing...and we never would have met."

Eddie turned his head to the side to look at Kelly. "You've got a good point." He said with a smile. "I like the way my life has turned out. I can't even imagine myself playing professional baseball anymore."

"*I* can't imagine you not dancing. You're just SO talented."

"I was a pretty good ball player too though." Eddie laughed. "Not that I'm trying to be stuck up."

"I'm sure you were."

He wasn't sure why he did it but before he could stop himself, Eddie had Kelly's hand in his as he unbuttoned the top button on his button fly jeans and gently eased her hand into his pants. He wasn't doing it to be perverted but to let her feel the long thick scar right above his groin.

Kelly looked at Eddie questioningly as he slid her hand into his baggy jeans...but then sighed quietly when she realized what he was doing. His hand still on hers, she used her fingertips to gently feel out the length of the scar.

Eddie jumped almost three feet in the air when Kelly's fingers on his scar made his cock come to a full attention. He had never expected THAT reaction. Blushing bright red he took their hands out of his pants and looked down at his lap like a little boy who had done something wrong. He hadn't wanted Kelly to think he was putting her hand down his pants for THAT.

Kelly had to laugh quietly. She KNEW why Eddie had put her hand in his pants, and SHE wasn't expecting such a reaction either. Resting her hand back on his stomach just above his open jeans, she looked up at his face. "You OK?"

"Uhh yeah." Eddie said still blushing bright red. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be," Kelly said...her hand moving lower to work on the rest of the buttons on Eddie's jeans. "Just...let me?"

Eddie's breath sucked in and he tensed up a little when Kelly started to work on the rest the buttons on his jeans but he took a deep breath and relaxed. "Okay." He said with a nod of his head, not exactly sure what he was agreeing too but he didn't really care.

Kelly continued unbuttoning Eddie's jeans as she sat up, and moved to straddle his legs. Her right hand worked its way into his boxers and pulled out his full erection. As soon as it was free, Kelly leaned down and wrapped her mouth around the swollen head. She had no idea why she was doing it...and she certainly hadn't planned it...but it felt right.

Eddie's eyes went wide as he propped himself up on his elbows to look down at Kelly. He couldn't believe she was doing that. "K...Kel...what are you...doing?" He stuttered as he attempted to keep himself under control. Well as much as he could with his dick in the girls mouth.

Kelly pulled back right away...and wiped her hand over her mouth as she sat up on Eddie's legs. "I...I'm sorry," she said nervously. "I thought..."

Eddie smiled as he reached up and gentle ran his fingers against Kelly's cheek. "That wasn't really a cue to stop, but I don't want you feeling like you HAVE To do it. I'm fine on my own."

Kelly shook her head. "I wasn't feeling like I HAVE to do it."

"Okay." Eddie said as he sat up a little more so he could kiss Kelly lightly. "But if you're going to do it...take my pants off...I wana do this right."

Kelly sat there quietly for a moment...deep in thought.

"You don't gota baby." Eddie said as he looked into Kelly's eyes. Hoping she understood that.

"I just...I don't know. Now I kinda feel like I shouldn't," Kelly said quietly.

"Then don't." Eddie smiled as he let his hands move up to her hair.

Kelly let out a nervous laugh. "God, I'm a bitch."

Eddie raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you calling yourself names like that?"

"I KNOW you know what I just did, here. I started blowing you without even thinking about it...and when you questioned me, I decided maybe I shouldn't. That's pretty bitchy."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "Nah, It's not bitchy. You are allowed to second guess yourself. Especially when you weren't thinking." He said with a small smile.

Kelly sat thinking quietly for a bit again...looking down as she traced a finger back and forth along Eddie's scar.

Eddie bit his lower lip. He wasn't going to mention how crazy that was driving him. Or the fact that it seemed like Kelly found a new one of his G-spots that afternoon. "I know it's huge and ugly." He said not surprised his voice sounded like it should right now...that he was turned on like crazy.

"I don't think so..."

"Yeah well it's definitely sensitive that's for sure." Eddie giggled and wiggled at the tickling sensation that was driving him crazy in more ways then one.

Kelly giggled. "Is it?"

"Uh huh...tickles." Eddie laughed.

"Oh yeah?"

Eddie bit his lower lip and nodded his head. "Among other things." He mumbled before laughing again.

Kelly laughed, too...then impulsively leaned down to lick the tip of her tongue along the scar.

Eddie's hips bucked up off the bed unninvolentarily as her tongue worked over his scar.

Kelly laughed a bit louder as she sat back up. "And you're telling me you've never let a girl get at this thing before?"

"Nope...nobody." Eddie giggled.

"I feel special. I'm your first," Kelly teased.

Eddie laughed again. "Glad I had something left for you." He teased.

"Oh THAT sounds good," Kelly said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well you should be happy...you found another one of my spots." Eddie giggled. "In a very embarrassing way."

"Why's it embarrassing?"

"I put your hand down my pants to feel my scar and then bam I'm as hard as a rock. I wasn't expecting THAT at all."

"Uhh...me neither," Kelly said with a giggle.

Eddie looked down at his crotch again and shook his head annoyed at himself. "Sometimes people's bodies don't do exactly what you want them to do."

Kelly studied Eddie's face for a minute before taking hold of his cock, and leaning down to suck on the head again.

Eddie was going to question Kelly again, but thought better of it. If she really didn't want to be doing it she would stop on her own.

Resting her left hand on Eddie's stomach, Kelly gently pumped his shaft with her right one as she sucked and licked on the swollen head.

"Damn...Kel." Eddie moaned, he couldn't remember her being this good before. Then again with him that was her first time. Now she had, had practice. And he quickly shook that thought away because he didn't like the idea of picturing her sucking off two or possibly three of his good friends.

Kelly stopped moving her mouth in order to try and take a bit more of Eddie's cock in...her left hand fisting into the bottom of his shirt.

Just then Eddie thought of something and he quickly pushed her head away gently. "Kel...you shouldn't be doing that...you aren't healthy enough." He whispered in a deep husky voice that Kelly had only heard on one occasion years ago. "Let's wait...until you are totally up to speed...so you don't get yourself so tired...okay?" He asked praying she wouldn't be upset.

Kelly reached up to wipe her mouth again as she looked at Eddie. "What?"

Eddie bit his lower lip as he let his hands run through her hair. "I think we should wait...to do this...until you are a little better. I mean you aren't even off bed rest yet. I'm not saying I don't want you to, cuz I do. But I want you well again first...okay?"

Kelly took a long, deep breath. "I suppose there's no sense in arguing."

"Nope." Eddie giggled a little. "I'm sorry, Kel. I just wouldn't feel right about it...knowing you still aren't well." He said really feeling bad.

Kelly nodded, then reached down to fix Eddie and button his pants back up before rolling off him and onto her back.

Eddie turned onto his side, his dick screaming at him for turning down the blow job since it knew it was past the point of going down on it's own. But he didn't care about himself right that second. "You're mad at me aren't you?" He asked softly.

Kelly shook her head...looking up at the ceiling. "No. I mean...I know you're just worried about me. I'm just frustrated."

"I know you're getting annoyed at people treating you like you can't do anything yourself. I've been there Kel. But I also know that if you push yourself too hard too quickly you'll regret it."

Kelly nodded. "I know...you're right."

Eddie chuckled a little. "I turned down a blow job...damn I really AM changing." He joked, wanting to lighten the mood some.

Kelly laughed. "Guess so. Either that or I wasn't that great the first time, and you didn't wanna put yourself through the torture again."

"Oh yes the terrible torture of getting your dick sucked and cuming like crazy...it's the worst possible thing in the world." Eddie laughed with a playful roll of his eyes. He then thought of something and cocked his had to the side to look at Kelly. "Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a guy...and do what I just said?"

Kelly turned her head to look back at Eddie. "No," she said with a laugh.

"Hmm...I've wondered what it was like to be a girl a few times...I mean not like I would WANT to be a girl. But it popped into my head a few times wondering how this or that felt to them." Eddie shrugged as he turned to lie on his back again figuring out that was the best position for him to be in right then.

Kelly shrugged. "Things feel good enough the way I am, so..."

Eddie giggled. "Good to know a sex change operation isn't on your to do list."

"HELL no," Kelly said...rolling onto her left side and resting her right hand on Eddie's stomach again.

"Good cuz I love you the way you are."

"Thanks," Kelly said...her hand going back under Eddie's shirt to caress his stomach again. "I called my real estate agent on Monday," she said...starting to remember things from the past few days she'd wanted to talk to Eddie about.

"Oh yeah and what did she say?" Eddie asked as he tried to relax with Kelly rubbing his tummy.

"It's what *I* said. I told her to put the house on the market."

"So you're really going to sell it?" Eddie questioned.

"Yup...it went up for sale yesterday."

"Where are you going to live now?"

Kelly sighed quietly. "I don't know. I guess I'll stay here a few more days...until I feel good about doing everything for myself, ya know? And then I guess I'll go to a hotel, or something until I find a place. I don't wanna be here when J and Nick get back next week."

Eddie turned his head to look at Kelly. "Bebe...I don't think they would mind if you stayed with them. Hell they are probably expecting it."

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. It was different when I was having Justin's baby," she said quietly.

"You are still one of his best friends." Eddie said softly. "Baby or no baby he wouldn't mind you sticking around. "

"I know..." Kelly said...looking down as her fingertips drew small circular patterns on Eddie's stomach below the pushed-up hem of his t-shirt. "...but it just wouldn't feel right to me."

"Why not?" Eddie asked curiously.

"Cuz...I don't know...it just wouldn't."

"Because Nick is there too?"

"No. More like...cuz they'll be here together. They need their space. And...I guess I need mine, too...in a way."

Eddie nodded to show he understood how Kelly felt. "That makes sense, just don't feel like you have to leave too quickly because I know they probably would love to have you around. Plus Justin needs to be able to pamper you a little since he hadn't been here to do it yet."

Kelly smiled. "I know...but I'm sure he'll do it in plenty of other ways."

Eddie giggled. "He'll make you feel like a princess."

Kelly smiled at Eddie sincerely. "I don't need Justin to make me feel like a princess."

"Well you make me feel like a prince." Eddie whispered as he looked down at Kelly's hand on his stomach that was rubbing soothing circles.

"I do not."

"How do you know?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow. "You don't know how you make me feel."

Kelly shrugged...looking down at her hand on Eddie's stomach again. "I guess you're right," she said quietly.

Eddie smiled as he watched her hand move on his stomach. He still couldn't believe he was sitting there as turned on as he was and he was perfectly okay to just be lying there like that. If he hadn't felt it before, he sure could now...he had definitely changed.

"Have you ever been to Puerto Rico? Or...I mean...were you born THERE...or here?" Kelly asked randomly, then chuckled. "I saw a commercial last night for Puerto Rico vacations, and I realized that that was something I don't know about you."

Eddie laughed. "I was born there but we moved to the states when I was a few months old. We actually lived in Florida until right before Manny was born then moved to LA."

"So...have you been there at all since?"

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah we went back there for a family reunion thing when I was in high school. But that was the last time."

"Do you wanna go back? I mean...in the commercial it looked so beautiful...like paradise, really."

"It is really nice if you like beaches." Eddie laughed. "Cuz that's pretty much all that it is."

Kelly laughed softly. "So...you don't wanna go, then?"

"I didn't say that." Eddie smiled. "I like beaches as long as I don't get stung by another jelly fish."

"Wanna take me there someday?"

Eddie smiled big and nodded his head. "I think that sounds like a really good idea."

"Mmm hmm..." Kelly responded...rolling over onto her stomach to get more comfortable, and never taking her hand off Eddie's stomach. "I think I wanna go to Disney World first, though. I mean...not Disney out here...but the REAL Disney in Florida. I haven't been in SO long...besides for work, I mean," she said as she propped her chin up on her free left hand.

Eddie giggled. "That sounds great, I love it there. I went so many times as a kid, but then we moved and we stopped going. I remember thinking it was cool that I was moving from Orlando to LA cuz I would have Disney both places."

Kelly laughed. "You sound like you wanna go with me, or something."

Eddie put on his best puppy dog face. "Can I come with you...pweeeeeze."

Kelly laughed and leaned over to give Eddie a quick kiss on the lips. "Of course."

"See, told you, you treat me like a prince." Eddie mumbled against Kelly's lips, a big smile on his face.

"I do not."

"Well...if not please keep that up." Eddie giggled as he sighed contently. He loved what Kelly was doing to his stomach.

"Keep what up?"

"Rubbing my stomach like that."

Kelly giggled. "Feels good?"

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, really good."

Kelly smirked as she playfully rolled her eyes. "In a sexual way, right?"

"No...in a comforting sort of way. I'm already having enough issues with the sexual thing as is." Eddie laughed.

Kelly laughed again. "Well I'm glad I...comfort you."

"You do...and I hope I do the same for you."

"You know you do," Kelly said...then rested her head down beside Eddie's on the pillow. "Tomorrow...if you don't mind...can you take me for a drive? The real estate agent told me about a few places I wanna go look at. It'll give me something to do...and a reason to go out."

"Sure, that sounds like fun actually." Eddie said with a smile.

Kelly made a bit of a face. "It does?"

Eddie shrugged. "Sure, driving around could be nice. I mean we don't just HAVE to look at houses while we do it."

Kelly shook her head. "Not houses, I don't think. Maybe...an apartment...or a town house, or something."

"Right." Eddie said with a nod of his head. He then groaned.

"What's the matter?"

Eddie laughed a little as he sat up more on the bed. "I've gota pee." He said knowing that was going to be a problem with still being as turned on as he was. He hadn't been totally honest when he said the stomach rubbing wasn't turning him on. It wasn't really making things worse but if it was going to get better that wasn't helping.

Kelly took her hand away from Eddie. "Go ahead."

Eddie bit his lower lip as he weighed his options. He was still going with what he felt was right, and having Kelly 'help' him out wasn't going to work. But he also felt like shit for going into her bathroom to jerk off. Sighing he knew he was in a rut. "I'll just wait." He said with a smile as he tried to think of something else besides his protesting bladder.

"You could have had that problem fixed," Kelly said quietly...noticing Eddie's frustration.

Eddie smiled and nodded his head. "I know...and I'm probably being the stupidest guy on the planet...I just don't feel right about it."

"Why not?" Kelly asked...still really not understanding the whole thing. She felt well enough to do it...which is why she'd tried in the first place.

"We're supposed to be taking things slow. I kinda wana take you out before you blow me." Eddie said softly, looking down at his hands as he picked at a hang-nail.

Kelly looked away from Eddie and up at the ceiling. "Oh," she said quietly...suddenly feeling like trash.

Eddie turned his head to look at Kelly when he could feel the change in her mood. "Don't feel bad, baby...please." He said as he gently reached up to brush some hair out of her face. "You didn't know...hell *I* didn't even think about it until you were doing it." He looked down again. "I'm sorry If I made you feel bad."

"You didn't," Kelly said...still looking up. "I mean...I DO feel shitty, but not because of you...because of me. This all just kinda proves my point."

"What point is that?" Eddie asked, a confused look on his face.

"I'm turning into a tramp."

Eddie's eyes went wide and he shook his head quickly. "What...NO you aren't. Kelly, you are FAR from a tramp. You were trying to help me out and normally I would have been totally for it. It's just right now my brain is all mixed up and my hormones aren't matching it. I'm trying to do things right by you, but neither of us really knew that until a few minutes ago. So please don't ever say that about yourself."

Kelly shook her head in confusion. "Neither of us knew WHAT until a few minutes ago?"

"That I wanted us to wait. I mean here I was totally making out with you. Shoving your hand down my pants thinking I didn't really care what you did. But then once you did it, it hit me that this wasn't okay. That this time around I wana take my girl out on a date before we fool around."

Kelly dropped her head to the left to look at Eddie. "But...why?" As much as it wasn't a bad thing, she really didn't understand why...or how...Eddie was changing so much and so quickly right before her eyes.

"Because...I wana make it special. I want to take you out to at least dinner some place before we come back and mess around. I want everything with you to be totally different then any of the other girls I've slept with. Cuz you're special." Eddie whispered, looking down again. The more Kelly questioned him, the more he felt like he was being stupid for making such a big deal about it.

"Why ME, though?" Kelly asked in a whisper.

Eddie thought about that question for a couple of minutes before he spoke. "Because I trust you." He responded simply as he thought some more. "Because I have loved you as my best friend for years and recently that changed. I trust you more then any other girl I've known to know that you won't think I'm stupid for what I'm trying to do. You won't try to talk me out of it but ask me questions to help me through it. Because I think you are the most beautiful woman in the world and I want to treat you special like you really truly are. You deserve the world and if at all possible I wana give you that."

Kelly's eyes had filled with tears by the time Eddie finished speaking. "That's all so sweet, Ed..." She was going to say more, but her voice trailed off.

"But you don't believe it?" Eddie asked turning his head to look at Kelly.

Kelly shook her head as she sniffled quickly. "No...it's not that. It's just...I've heard similar stuff before...and..."

"Oh." Eddie said softly.

"I just always end up getting hurt in the end." Kelly paused, then laughed bitterly. "Or pretty damn close to the beginning."

"Which is one reason why I don't think we should be that intimate yet. I think both of us need a little more time. Cuz if we jump into that kind of stuff and something ends up happening, then it's going to be a million times worse." Eddie tried to explain as best as he could even though this was totally foreign territory for him.

Kelly nodded quickly. "I see what you mean. I just...I feel so stupid for trying that with you now that I know that's how you feel."

"We all make mistakes, especially when we don't really know what is going on." Eddie said with a small smile. "I forgive ya for trying to blow me. Even though right now my dick is screaming at me, I know WE made the right choice in stopping."

Kelly nodded. "OK...I'll trust you on this one. I just didn't think it'd be a big deal...since...ya know...we've done it before..." Her voice was quiet, as she still felt like a fool.

"We were drunk and horny friends back then. We're...well a little more then that now...at least I think so." Eddie said thoughtfully as he really started to think about 'what exactly are we?'

Kelly looked at Eddie and raised an eyebrow. "We're...more than friends?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "It seems like it...to me. I mean...ugh I dunno what I mean." He said running his hand over his head in frustration.

Kelly reached for Eddie's wrist to pull his hand away from his head. "Don't...you'll mess up your braids."

"Sorry." Eddie giggled a little as he fidgeted in his seat a little. There were too many factors that were frustrating him at the second that he was getting a little antsy.

"So...tell me. If you think we're more than friends...then what do you think we are?"

Eddie bit his lower lips and shrugged. "I'm not really sure." He admitted softly.

"Oh."

"I wana ask you to be my girlfriend, but I don't know how you would take it." Eddie said with a small smile on his face as he looked down at his lap, sounding a lot like a third grader.

Kelly took a deep breath. "*I* don't know how I would take it, either. I mean...what happened to going slow...and just dating?"

Eddie laughed as his other hand went up to run over his hair, not realizing what he was doing. "Damn I'm getting so confused. I mean yes I wana take things slow...that's why I don't want us to fool around. But then I say that we're more then friends which is why we shouldn't fool around too. It's just one big confusing mess."

Kelly reached up to take Eddie's hand away from his hair again. "It is kinda confusing, I guess," she admitted, then laughed quietly. "But...if we're just friends for now...can we still make out?" she asked...trying to lighten the mood.

Eddie smiled and nodded his head. "Of course. Friends with benefits, but not too many benefits." He giggled.

Kelly took another long, deep breath. She really wanted to figure this out. "So...you feel like we're more than JUST friends...right?"

"Yes." Eddie said with a nod of his head. "But I don't feel like we should rush into a relationship."

Kelly nodded. "And...you DON'T want to date anyone else...right? And...I'm not talking just sleep with. Do you want to DATE anyone else?"

Eddie shook his head. "No, at least not at his particular moment in time. And I really don't see that happening."

"OK..."

"How do YOU feel things should go?" Eddie asked, realizing that their conversation had been mostly aimed at what HE wanted.

Kelly shrugged. "What you said sounds about right, I guess."

"You guess?" Eddie asked curiously. "Tell me what you feel, Kel."

Kelly shrugged again. "I don't know. I mean...we're obviously more than friends right now...and we agree on that...so I guess I just don't get why we can't actually just SAY it. Like...maybe you're not my boyfriend...and I'm not your girlfriend...and we're not like...together or dating yet. But...are we at least...like...seeing each other?"

Eddie thought about all that Kelly just said and a smile came over his face. "That is exactly what is happening. We're not technically boyfriend and girlfriend yet but yeah...we can say that we're seeing each other."

"Are you sure you're OK with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Kelly shrugged. "Just checking."

"Okay." Eddie smiled and then took a deep breath. He felt like a jerk doing this but he couldn't help it. "I'm going to use the bathroom...I'll be back in a few." He said as he got up off the bed.

Kelly nodded and sat up on the bed. "OK...go ahead. I'm gonna put some clothes on," she said with a laugh as she looked down at her underwear.

Eddie giggled. "Might be a good idea." He said with a smile as he headed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Kelly laughed as she got up off the bed and stretched. Then she went over to her pile of clothes on one of the chairs, and started digging through for some sweat pants.

It took Eddie a few minutes to finally convince himself he HAD to do what he had to do other wise there was going to be a major problem happening. Taking a deep breath he tried to erase images of Kelly just outside the bathroom and jerked himself off.

Kelly slipped some baggy gray sweats over her underwear, then took a seat in an empty easy chair...bending her knees up and resting her feet on the chair as she waited for Eddie to come out of the bedroom.

It was probably close to ten minutes before Eddie finally came out of the bathroom. With a sheepish look on his face he went to sit in another chair that was next to Kelly.

Kelly turned her head to look at Eddie and chuckled as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Feel better?" she asked knowingly.

Eddie blushed and nodded his head. "Yes, much."

Kelly giggled again. "Was it good?"

"Was what good?" Eddie asked, blushing more cuz he really did know what Kelly was talking about.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Stop playing dumb."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "Not really cuz I had to pee so bad that it like hurt when I did it."

Kelly laughed and wrinkled her nose. "Gross."

Eddie pouted. "Hey...I can't help it." He teased.

Kelly laughed a bit harder and shook her head. "I can't believe you just went into the bathroom to jerk off."

"I had to pee!" Eddie exclaimed as he giggled. "It is impossible for a guy to pee while he's hard."

"So I've heard."

"So don't laugh at me." Eddie said in a little kids voice as he pouted playfully.

"I can't help that you make me laugh."

"Yeah but you're hurting my feelings." Eddie said in the same tone of voice with the same pout.

Kelly got up and went to stand in front of Eddie's chair. "For real?"

Eddie giggled and shook his head. "Nah, not really. Even though I was beyond embarrassed to even do that...with you out here."

Kelly shrugged. "Why?"

"It's just kinda nasty and not polite." Eddie laughed.

"Suits you perfectly, then," Kelly teased with a giggle as she sat down on Eddie's left leg and curled her legs and feet up into his lap.

Eddie automatically wrapped his arms around Kelly protectively. "Thanks for putting up with me...even if I'm confusing and seem to contradict myself a lot. I'm still trying to figure everything out with myself at the same time."

Kelly nodded. "I understand that...and I promise I'll try my best not to say or do anything to make it any more complicated for you."

Eddie smiled as he kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, that means so much."

"I'll do all I can to help you through a smooth transition."

"Yeah the transition from pimp to normal." Eddie giggled.

Kelly giggled as she buried her face in Eddie's neck. "Exactly."

Eddie hugged Kelly tightly. "I think this will be good for both of us. Taking things slowly and just doing it one step at a time." He whispered.

"Yeah..." Kelly agreed, then laughed softly against Eddie's neck. "...as long as we can still make out."

"Of course." Eddie giggled. "I don't think I could go cold turkey."

"Me neither...not being around YOUR lips all the time," Kelly said before placing a feathery soft kiss on Eddie's neck.

Eddie let out a content sigh and closed his eyes for a second. "I think I would have problems being around YOUR lips all the time."

"Oh yeah?" Kelly asked with a kiss to Eddie's chin.

"Mmm Hmm." Eddie moaned softly. The feeling of Kelly's lips on his chin and neck was soothing and felt really good.

Kelly giggled softly and kissed the tip of Eddie's nose. "You're adorable."

Eddie giggled. "Thanks."

Kelly reached up to cup Eddie's face in her hands and gently sunk her teeth into his lower lip.

"That is my lip you have." Eddie mumbled as Kelly's teeth had his lip. Humor in his voice the whole time.

Kelly released Eddie's lip and smiled. "That a problem?"

Eddie giggled and shook his head. "Nope."

"Didn't think so," Kelly said...then quickly kissed Eddie's lips before moving off of his lap.

"Where ya going?" Eddie asked as he watched Kelly get off of him.

Kelly reached out her hands for Eddie's to help him up. "Let's go out and get some air."

Eddie got up out of the chair and took Kelly's hand. "We could both use some air." He said as they walked out of the room.

Kelly stopped at the doorway. "Wait...I should get a sweatshirt, or something...just incase. This top's kinda flimsy."

"Yeah and it IS still January." Eddie giggled as he stepped back into the room. He found a hooded sweatshirt of Kelly's lying on a chair near the door and picked it up. "Will this work?"

Kelly nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem." Eddie smiled as he took Kelly's hand again once she had the sweatshirt on.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Marty took a seat on the couch in his room and dialed Eddie's number. He would have called his cell but he didn't want to mess things up if he was with Kelly.

Manny rinsed his mouth as he finished brushing his teeth, then went down the hall to the guest room to grab the ringing phone. "Hello?"

Marty wasn't sure why but he found himself smiling when he heard Manny's voice on the other end of the phone. "Hey, Manny...It's Marty." He said totally forgetting to ask for Eddie.

"Hey, man," Manny greeted Marty as he took a seat on the bed. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, we just got to Spain a few hours ago. Now I'm just relaxing in my room." Marty replied as he relaxed back against the couch.

"Got a new roommate yet since Ed left?"

"Actually I'm lucky and get my own room now." Marty chuckled. "Tell Eddie he can be gone all the time." He teased.

Manny chuckled. "Yeah...well...you might get your wish. I think he's pretty content here, right now."

"He at home or with Kelly?"

"He's with Kel, right now. They're out looking at apartments again...for the second day in a row."

Marty sighed, he couldn't help it but he felt like his territory was being stomped on. HE was the one who helped Kelly find her house. Now it was

Eddie who was helping her. "That's cool."

"I guess...except that she hasn't found anything she likes yet."

Marty laughed a little. "She can be a tad picky, but that's good when it comes to buying something like that."

Manny rested back on the bed and turned the TV on. "Eddie said she's most likely going to rent instead of buy."

"Probably a good idea." Marty agreed. "The only reason I bought my condo was because it was on the beach and I knew it would be easy enough to sell when I want to."

"That's the deal with selling the house. She just put it on the market

Tuesday...I think...and there are already crazy offers."

"I'm sure. I mean It's a really nice house."

"I've heard...but I never saw it."

"I saw it even before she bought it." Marty said with a sigh. "I still can't believe she is selling it."

"I don't know all the details, but Eddie said something about her not wanting all that space now that...well...ya know...the baby's gone,"

Manny said cautiously.

Marty sighed again. "Yeah I know, it makes sense, it's still a bummer that's all." He then thought of something. "Is she trying to find a place before we come back at the end of next week?"

"I don't know, really. I haven't talked to Ed all that much since earlier in the week. He hasn't been around much."

"Oh...okay."

"What's up? You sound kinda down."

"Nah I'm okay." Marty said softly.

"Alright...if you're sure."

"I'm just ready to come home." Marty answered. "I think all of us are."

"Soon, right? Like...a week, or so?"

"Yeah it was a week yesterday actually. I'm counting down the days."

"Why do you wanna be home so bad?"

"This tour hasn't exactly gone the best for any of us." Marty replied. "It can be over any time now."

"That's two bad. You guys usually have a great time, don't you?"

Marty smiled thinking of all the great times. "Yeah, but it's hard to have a great time when your two best friends are gone. Justin has been worried sick about Kelly and well I've been having my own issues. It's just been a big mess."

"Wanna talk about anything?" Manny asked...just trying to be friendly.

"Nah....it's okay." Marty answered back. He wasn't sure why but he felt a little weird talking about his problems with Manny. It wasn't because he didn't think he would understand, but more that maybe he would understand a little too well. Then there was also the funny tickly feeling he got when talking to the younger man that was scaring the shit out of him.

"Alright. I suppose you'd rather talk to Ed, anyway."

"I could...but I don't think he would really understand."

"Why not? You guys are mad tight."

"Yeah but he isn't struggling with his sexuality." Marty pointed out and giggled a little. "At least I don't think so.":

Manny laughed heartily. "Definitely not."

"Probably a good thing, your parents would probably have a heart attack." Marty laughed again.

"Probably. But...I don't think we'll EVER have to worry about that with

Eddie. He's too much of a ladies' man."

Marty nodded "You're right, but then again so am I." He sighed. "Was I...ugh I don't know."

Manny took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, man. I know what you're going through is tough...but...it DOES get better."

"How did you know...that you were...gay?" Marty asked softly.

"I don't know, really. I just...always was. I never liked girls."

"Were you like checking guys out at school instead of girls or something?"

"Yeah...yeah...exactly."

Marty sighed and ran a over his buzzed hair. "I never had feelings like that until I was in college."

"But...you still always liked girls, right?"

"Yeah I like girls. I know I'm Bi...not gay if I'm even that." Marty sighed again. "I'm still not sure what I feel."

"I guess you just need to let things happen, then."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Have you thought about trying anything with guys...or...have you already DONE that?"

"I had a three some with a guy and a girl back in college but that was the last time I've ever been around a guy sexually. And even then he was just there we never touched each other we were just doing stuff to her."

"So...then...how do you know?"

Marty licked his lips. He couldn't believe he was about to admit this, because really this was the first time he said it out loud. "Having the guy with me...was what turned me on enough to fool around with the girl. I mean she did too...but the guy right there with me was what did me in.

And since then other guys have turned me on too."

"Wow. It makes sense, though. I mean...did you like...WANNA touch him?"

Marty felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "Yes." He said quietly.

Manny chuckled. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah there is if you thought you were straight."

"But...maybe you're not."

"I know I'm not." Marty said after taking a deep breath. That was the first

time he ever allowed himself to even think that and he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"And like I said..." Manny said gently. "...there's nothing wrong with that."

Marty closed his eyes. "I know."

"It'll get better, man...trust me."

Marty smiled a little. "I know it will."

"I'm sure all your friends understand. I mean...since a lot of them aren't straight themselves."

Marty had to laugh at that. "I know it's pretty crazy. It's almost as if it's an epidemic."

Manny laughed. "What about the girls?"

"All of them seem straight as far as I know." Marty laughed again. "I mean Kelly is for sure...and Mel...but then there is this new girl Sue ...she's different."

"Why's she different?"

Marty shrugged. "I don't know really she just is. And very flirty. She still hits on Nick like you wouldn't believe. Then again she doesn't know."

"No one does, right?"

"Nobody besides, Kelly, Eddie, Mel and Johnny."

"Must be tough on those two, then."

"Nick had major problems with it at first." Marty said with a sigh. "He was really clingy and I think Justin almost gave up."

"But they're OK?"

"They seem to be more then okay these days." Marty smiled.

"Good to know," Manny said...then chuckled. "Shit...I'm kinda jealous."

Marty laughed. "Why cuz they are in such a great relationship...or because Nick is with Justin?"

"The relationship...even though I'd do Justin in a hot minute."

Marty snorted and then laughed again. "I dunno...he is hot but like TOO close of a friend."

"Understandable. But...then again...so was Kelly."

"Yeah I know...but for some reason that just seems different." Marty laughed. "Then again maybe I just can't imagine it cuz he like belongs with Nick."

"That's true."

Marty sighed. "I think I'm gonna go though, cuz I wanna take a nice bath and then go to bed early. I'm beat for some reason. Talk to you again...soon?" He asked almost nervously.

Manny laughed. "Sure...if you keep calling when my brother's not home."

"What if I wanna call and talk to you?"

Manny smiled to himself. "That's fine, too."

Marty smiled. "Okay then...talk to you later." With that He quickly hung up the phone and took a deep breath trying to make the tickly feeling in his stomach go away. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He said out-loud to the empty room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only half of Nick's stuff was literally thrown into his room the other half of it with him in Justin's room. Now he sat on Justin's bed and watched him get settled in for their less then a week long stay in Spain. "Do you have a show here every night?" He asked as he kicked his shoes off so he could bring his legs up into an Indian style position.

Justin nodded. "Pretty much. Saturday through Wednesday nights."

"Yeah so just not tonight and the day we go home." Nick said once he thought about that a second.

Justin nodded again. "Yeah...and I'm pretty sure I'll be leaving in the middle of the night on Wednesday. I found out today they want me to do the Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson, so I'm going straight to Houston."

Nick's eyes went wide. "Whoa...that's cool."

Justin shrugged. "I guess. I mean...it IS...but I just wanna go home to see Kelly."

"Still singing at the Super Bowl and with Janet sounds really cool." Nick giggled.

"I've done it before," Justin said with another shrug as he hung a shirt up.

Nick nodded his head. "Well...I'm sure I can keep Kelly company or her keep me company...either way." He giggled.

Justin chuckled. "You may have to duke it out with Eddie to get near her."

Nick made a face at that. "Okay I guess I'm just doomed to be lonely then." He said with an overdramatic sigh to show he was just messing around.

Justin laughed again as he carried his toiletry case into the bathroom.

"Poor little me." Nick said in a whoa as me sort of tone as he spread his legs out and flopped back on the bed looking up at the ceiling.

"Drama queen," Justin mumbled as he returned to the bedroom. "Why are you here, anyway? You DO have your own room, don't you?" he asked with a laugh.

Nick propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Justin. "You didn't seem to mind when I was in your room all the time when we were in London."

"Umm...I hid it well?" Justin teased.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Uh huh...sure that's it. If you didn't really want me there you would of thrown a fit."

Justin widened his eyes in mock shock. "Are you calling me a diva?"

"If I'm a drama queen then you Mr. Timberlake are a diva." Nick said with a smirk. "Sounds like we fit perfectly together."

Justin laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Do you want me to leave?" Nick asked seriously this time. "Cuz if I'm crowding you, you can tell me to go any time."

Justin shook his head. "I'd tell you if I needed a night alone. Cuz...sometimes...I just do."

Nick nodded his head in understanding. "Okay I totally understand that." He said with a smile as he watched Justin going about putting things away again. From his position on the bed he could watch each muscle move under his clothes and admire his boyfriends beautiful body.

Justin finally sat on the bed with a tired sigh. "OK...that's it. The rest can stay in the suitcase."

"Mine is just staying in the suitcase." Nick giggled as he reached over to touch Justin's back. "Well besides my bathroom shit."

"I hate unpacking and packing."

"Which is why I didn't do it." Nick said as he let his hand slide up under Justin's shirt to rub his bare back.

Justin took a long, deep breath. "I'm stressed...and tense. I think I need a hot bath."

Nick removed his hand and gently pushed on Justin's back. "That sounds

good...go ahead."

Justin nodded...then got up off the bed and headed into the bathroom to start running the bath water.

Nick sat up on the bed and stretched his arms over his head. He then got up and walked to the bathroom door. There he just leaned against the door frame and watched Justin prepare his bath.

Unaware of Nick's presence, Justin pulled his shirt off and dropped it to the floor, then sat on the edge of the tub...staring into the water as it rose.

"Is everything okay?" Nick asked softly as he walked into the room and stood behind Justin. His hands going to his shoulders.

Justin looked up at Nick and nodded. "Yeah...why?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "You had a far away look on your face. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

Justin gave Nick a small smile. "I'm OK...just thinking too much...as usual."

"I'm going to ask about what...but you can tell me to fuck off and leave you alone if I'm pushing you." Nick said as he let his finger tips run over Justin's shoulders a bit.

Justin shrugged. "About Kelly...and...the baby. About Marty. About you...us."

"What about me...and what about us?" Nick asked, remembering that he had told Justin if he was prying that he could tell him to shut up.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough for you...like I'm not giving you everything you need."

"Why would you think that?" Nick asked curiously. Wondering himself if there was anything he had done or said that would make Justin think something like that. Something that was far from how he felt.

Justin shrugged his shoulders again. "I don't know. Cuz I'm always tired...I'm always upset about sumthin lately...and I'm...I'm not very...physical with you."

Nick smiled a little as he sat down on the tub next to Justin. Taking his hands off his shoulders he took his boyfriend's face in his hands and made him look him in the eye. "I love you. We all get tired and we all get upset. Hell and there are times when *I* don't feel like being physical. Stupid things like that don't make me not want to be with you. Don't make me feel like I should be with anybody else. It's those little things that make up who you are...the person that I love."

Justin smiled at Nick. "Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you about something like that." Nick whispered, still holding Justin's face in his hands.

Justin nodded his head a bit. "OK."

Nick moved his hands and used one of them to lean over and turn off the water when he noticed the tub was full. Leaning over for a quick gentle kiss, Nick stood up. "Take your bath, baby."

Justin nodded again, then stood up to take his sweats off before climbing into the tub.

Nick stood and watched Justin for a second before he turned and left the bathroom. Once back in the bedroom he grabbed a book he had been reading and took it to sit on a chair that was positioned by the window.

Justin sank into the hot water with a relaxed sigh...and just sat quietly for a bit before he called after his boyfriend. "Nick...?"

Shaken from the murder mystery he was reading he put the book down on his lap and pushed his glasses up on his nose a little. "Uh huh?"

"What are you doin?"

"Trying to find out who killed Martha Cook." Nick laughed.

Justin laughed quietly. "Can it wait?"

Nick put the tissue he was using for a bookmark back in the book and set it on a table by the chair. "Yeah...she's dead already anyway, I don't think she cares."

Justin laughed again as he rested is head against the side of the tub.

Standing up, Nick walked the short distance to the bathroom and leaned against the door again. "You rang?"

Justin smiled at Nick without lifting his head. "Yeah..."

"Did you need something?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No."

Nick smiled as he walked farther into the room. "Just want me to come in here and look goofy?" He giggled.

"No...I wanted you to come in here and get in the tub with me."

Nick raised an eyebrow as he stripped his shirt up over his head. "You want me in there...with you?" he smirked.

"Mmm hmm."

"Okay." Nick said as he stripped out of his own sweats and then climbed into the tub so his back was against the opposite side as Justin's.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Uh huh...very good." Nick smiled as he settled in, making sure to keep his feet away from Justin.

Justin sighed contentedly as he closed his eyes again. "I needed this."

Nick let out a contented sigh of his own. "Me too...and I didn't even think I did."

"I usually like to have a bath every night."

"Doesn't sound like such a bad way to spend an evening." Nick smiled as he let one of his hands move to Justin's knee under the water.

"Relaxes me...specially after a show."

Nick nodded his head. "That totally makes sense."

"Good for stress."

"I'm sorry you're so stressed baby." Nick said softly as his hand continued to gently rub Justin's knee.

"I'll be OK."

Nick smiled. "I hope so."

"I will...I just have some issues to deal with."

"Are those things you mentioned to me really issues?" Nick asked, wondering if there was more to it then Justin was telling him.

"Yeah...of course."

"Well, Kelly's doing well from what I can tell. The baby...well yes that will take some time to finally get over or at least some what get over. Marty...he's a big boy and I think he'll finally figure himself out soon. About us well you know how I feel."

Justin smiled and nodded. "I know."

"So...try to relax a little and remember that everything is working itself out. And if you ever get so stressed talk to me about it and maybe I can find a way to help." Nick said smiling back.

"I DO talk to you," Justin said as he sank a bit deeper into the water.

Nick's eyes went wide. "I know you do...I didn't mean to make it sound like

you don't."

Justin chuckled. "OK...good."

"I'm glad you feel comfortable telling me things." Nick said as he started to gently rub Justin's leg again.

"I do. I think I pretty much always have."

Nick nodded his head. "I think you have too...which has always meant a lot to me since that must mean you trusted me. Hell you trusted me like BIG time from the very beginning since you invited me with you and stuff."

Justin nodded his agreement. "That is SO true now that I think about it. It's that's definitely not something I'd normally do."

Nick giggled. "That's good to know...cuz I'm not sure what I would think if another fan just started hanging with us on tour." He teased.

"Not gonna happen."

"Awe, I feel so special."

"You are," Justin said sincerely.

Nick couldn't help but smile his big famous Carter smile. "You're special too."

"Oh am I?"

"Of course." Nick smiled more as he moved around a bit in the large tub so he was sitting Indian style closer to Justin. "You're very special to me."

"Why?"

"Because you are my boyfriend and I love you." Nick answered softly. "I don't know what I would do without you. You mean everything to me."

"And you totally feel that way after knowing me for only just a little more than two months, huh?"

Nick blushed a little and looked down at his lap as he nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Good...cuz I do, too."

Another huge smile spread over Nick's face as he looked back up at Justin. "Really??"

Justin nodded his head a bit...a smile on his face. "Of course."

"It still shocks me a little...I mean I NEVER in my wildest dreams thought you would ever feel the same way about me that I do about you." Nick admitted, still looking at Justin.

"Does it feel weird..." Justin asked curiously. "...that you were a fan for so long...and now..."

"Honestly." Nick said taking his hands off of Justin's leg to take his hands in his. "I don't think of you the same way anymore. Besides the fact that you do shows every night and have body guards I forget you are the same person I idolized over."

"For real?"

Nick nodded his head. "Knowing the real you is totally different then just watching you from afar. With me you're my boyfriend. I see you totally different then anybody else would...cuz what we have is just between us."

Justin nodded. "That's true," he said thoughtfully. "But...does it suck at all that now you don't look at your favorite singer the same?"

"I still love that Justin too." Nick giggled. "Which reminds me you still owe me a CD."

"Right..."

"Or I could just make you sing for me." Nick teased.

"I sing enough."

Nick giggled and nodded his head. "I know, baby I wouldn't make you do that."

"It's more fun when it's spontaneous, anyway."

"True." Nick said as he looked down at their joined hands as he let his thumb stroke over the top of Justin's hand.

"You should get out and see some of Madrid while we're here."

"I was planning on it." Nick said and then looked up when he remembered something. "I hate to ask this...but could I like have some money to buy my grandparents a present. They came here to Madrid on their honeymoon years ago and I think it would be cool to get them a little something."

Justin nodded...a small smile on his face. "Absolutely. That's sweet of you."

"They need it." Nick said with a sigh. "After all they are dealing with...with Aaron." He said his brothers name softly looking down again so Justin wouldn't see the pain on his face.

Justin gave Nick's hands a comforting squeeze, then changed the subject. "I have a thought..."

Nick looked up. "About what?"

"Well...I was thinkin that if you come on tour with me again anytime soon...if I GO on tour again anytime soon...I should get you a paid job on the tour staff."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "What would I do? I'm not very qualified in anything. I don't even have a high school diploma."

Justin shrugged. "So...? I'll come up with something."

Nick thought about that a second and smiled. "I like that idea. I would feel better knowing I'm not having to use your money all the time. I mean I know you don't mind and stuff...it would just make me feel a little better."

Justin nodded. "That's what I thought."

Smiling more, Nick leaned over and gave Justin a gentle kiss. Pulling back a little he looked into his boyfriend's eyes. "Thank you...you may not think you are...but you're very good to me."

Justin smiled. "I'm glad."

Pulling back all the way, Nick backed up a little more not wanting to crowd Justin since this was his bath and needed a time to relax.

"I'll find something fun for you to do."

Nick giggled. "I would have fun doing you." He teased, not exactly sure why he said that.

"Pervert."

"But you love me anyway."

"Yes...I do. For some reason I just can't help myself."

Nick giggled. "It's cuz I'm so sexy."

"That's part of it."

"And cuz I'm cute and cuddly and lovable."

"Yes...yes...and yes. And you're sweet...and funny...and thoughtful."

Nick smiled. "Thanks."

"Thank YOU. You're good for me."

"I try." Nick whispered as he moved so he was sitting between Justin's legs, but he didn’t scoot back too far because he didn't want to be in his way, but he did kinda want to cuddle.

Justin brought his hands up to massage Nick's shoulders a bit. "You keep me in line."

Nick laughed. "What would you be doing if I wasn't here keeping you in line."

Justin shrugged. "Who knows?"

"That is a little scary." Nick giggled as he took a deep breath trying to relax himself. He was a little worried that Justin would notice how tense he was now that he was massaging his shoulders.

"I was never THAT bad," Justin said as he rubbed his thumbs into the backs of Nick's shoulders.

Nick whimpered a little when he felt Justin's thumbs needing his tense shoulders. "I'm sure you've done a few crazy things though."

"Who hasn't?"

"Good point." Nick giggled.

"But I'm a good boy now."

"Uh huh...but it's okay if you're bad every once and a while. As long as we're bad together." Nick smirked.

Justin laughed. "We'll see."

"My brother wont be coming to live with us." Nick said out of the blue.

"What? What happened?"

Nick looked down with tears in his eyes as he thought over the short conversation he had, had with Aaron two days ago. "I...It just won't work out." He said softly.

"No reason?" Justin asked quietly...not really wanting to pry.

A few tears dripped into the water as Nick tried to think of a way to tell Justin want happened that wouldn’t sound totally stupid and childish. "I...well he just wasn't nice to me when I talked to him the other day." He sniffled. "Called me names."

"What do you mean? What kinda names?" Justin asked as he trailed his fingertips down Nick's shoulders.

"He...He called me..." Nick couldn't even get himself to say the word. Taking a deep shaky breath he finally whispered, "A faggot." He knew it was probably stupid that it bugged him so badly, but he knew Justin knew how badly he hated it...how many memories it brought back. How it would hurt so much to hear his brother say it.

Justin took a deep breath. "Oh my God," he whispered...wrapping his arms around Nick's waist from behind. "I'm so sorry."

Nick sank back against Justin and turned in his arms so he could burry his face in his boyfriend's chest. "It...it hurt so bad...he's all I got...and...and now.."

"What's making him do this?" Justin asked quietly. "I thought he never had a problem with it."

"I was calling him to talk to him about coming to LA to live with us for a while...and well he was talking about taking this girl out that I had never heard of. So I asked what happened to his other girlfriend and he said that she was out of the picture since the other girls dad wasn't too happy with Aaron for almost getting her pregnant. So then he started talking about how this new girl was so great in bed. So I told him that I didn't want to hear about it and how he shouldn't even be doing that....and then he said something about how I can't tell him what to do and since when I was perfect...and that at least he's...he's not...a faggot." Nick explained as fresh tears fell down his cheeks.

Justin sighed as he leaned back against the tub...hugging Nick against him. "I'm so sorry," he said again. "I wish I could do something."

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "There is nothing you can do...and it's okay...it doesn't really matter."

"Of course it does, Nick...he's your brother."

"Yeah." Nick said with a sigh of his own as he continued to rest his head against Justin's chest.

"So...I take it ya'll didn't make up before you hung up...?"

Nick bit his lower lip and lifted his head so he could look up at Justin. "I...kinda hung up on him. I...I couldn't sit there and listen to him anymore. I know it was childish and stupid but It just hurt." He rambled.

Justin nodded. "I know it did. And...I hate that he made you feel like this."

"He probably didn't know what he was saying." Nick said as he moved away from Justin a bit.

"You really believe that?"

Nick shrugged as he took a deep breath trying to clear his head. "I don't know what to believe anymore...when it comes to my family."

Justin nodded slowly...then thought quietly for a moment. "Stay here, Nick...relax a little. I'll be back, alright?" Justin carefully got up and climbed out of the tub as he spoke.

"Where are you going?" Nick asked as he watched Justin get out of the tub.

"Don't worry about it...just relax," Justin ordered gently as he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom. He came back a minute later with a small tumbler of ice and Scotch. "Here," he said...walking to the tub and handing the glass to Nick.

Nick eyed the drink for a second before he took the glass bringing it automatically to his lips. "Thanks." He said with a small smile.

Justin nodded. "You're welcome. I'll be back," he said...then went back out into the bedroom.

"Okay..." Nick said as he watched Justin leave again. Shrugging he went back to sipping his drink.

Justin closed the bathroom door, then grabbed Nick's phone off the end table where he'd left it, and scrolled through the phonebook until he found Aaron's name. He took a deep breath and sat on the bed as he waited for an answer.

Aaron was sitting on a bench in the park when he heard his cell phone ringing. Taking another long drag on his cigarette he picked the phone out of his backpack and put it to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Aaron?"

"Yeah...who's this?" Aaron asked, not recognizing Justin's voice.

"It's Justin."

Aaron was quiet for a second as he tried to think of WHO Justin was...but then it came to him. "Oh...hi." He said nervously.

"Enough with the pleasantries. What the hell did you say to your brother?"

"I have a feeling if you're calling me then you already know what I said."

"Care to explain?"

"He was butting into my business telling me what I should or shouldn't do...when he has no room to fuckin talk." Aaron exclaimed.

"First of all...he wasn't butting in. He was trying to show you that he cares...and that there ARE actually people who wanna provide you with some supervision. And second of all...he has all the fuckin room he wants to talk. He's not doing anything wrong and you know it. You just want him to get mad at you so he'll distance himself and you can go about fucking up your life without anyone getting in the way."

Aaron snorted and shook his head. "You don't know that the hell you're talking about. I was just too young and naive to notice it before...that this taking it up the ass shit is disgusting. I can't believe he's gotten you to believe it."

"Whoa...you need to slow down. You know nothing about me. You're making assumptions about me just like everyone else out there. I'm a normal human...and I have my own thoughts. No one makes me believe anything. You brother didn't FORCE me to fall in love with him."

Aaron sucked in a deep breath when he heard Justin say that. He cleared his throat and looked around the park nervously. "Justin...tell Nick I love him...but you guys gotta stop calling me...please just do that...okay." He said sounding panicked.

"What? No, Aaron. Your brother's worried about you. I'M worried about. Why won't you just communicate with us...with him. Look...he really wants you to come to LA and stay with him."

"I...I can't." Aaron looked around nervously again. He didn't know why he was so scared he was in the park all alone...nobody could hear him. Taking a deep breath he relaxed a little. "My dad he knows about you...if he knows I've been talking to you...it won't be good."

"What do you mean he knows about me?"

"He hard me talking to Nick on the phone last week. We were talking about you and I said your name and that you were Nick's boyfriend." Aaron whispered, sounding guilty. "I didn't mean to cause trouble...honestly...but my dad started yelling and going crazy and told me if I continue to talk to Nick or you that he'll...he will tell about you."

"No...I don't think he will," Justin said nervously. "He's too upset to talk about it. Tell me what's going on."

"You don't know my dad, Justin." Aaron whispered again. "If he says it...he'll do it."

"Says what?"

"I don't know what exactly...but he said he would expose you. He's done it to Nick all around our town. He can do it to you too...but Nick doesn't have as much to lose as you do."

Justin tried his best to swallow the boulder-sized lump that suddenly formed in his throat. "He...what?"

"I'm really sorry...I didn't know he was listening. He wasn't even home." Aaron said sounding scared to death. "So, just don't talk to me anymore...don't let Nick call me...he's still pissed at me...so that should be easy enough."

Justin took a long, deep breath. He didn't have time to think about it...he just had to deal with it. "Look, Aaron...I want you out of there. You're not safe there. Not only because of your dad, but you're letting your behavior get out of control...and doin all kinds of shit you know ain't right. You need to get out...now. Not to mention you're breaking your brother's heart, too."

"I...I'm trying to keep him safe." Aaron whispered. "By doing stupid shit...I'm getting my dads mind off of him...off of you."

"Fuck your father!" Justin blurted out without even thinking...then took another deep breath to try and calm himself. "Look...me and Nick...we're in Spain another week...but...I have good friends in LA waiting for us to get back. Can I get you on the next plane out there? I'm sure he'll even head back early if you want him to."

"No...I don't want him to do that." Aaron said shaking his head like crazy. "I can go by myself...I'm old enough. I...I can't go back though...to get stuff cuz my dad is feeding my grandparents shit now too." He then freaked. "Are animals allowed on airplanes?"

Justin had to smile at the fact that Aaron was listening to him and considering his offer. "Yes...yes they are. And don't worry about your stuff. We'll get you whatever you need."

Aaron let out a sigh of relief as he got up off the bench and started to head to his grand parents house. "I just gotta figure out how to smuggle an old cat and his carrier out of my grandparents house." He actually giggled.

Justin chuckled. "I'm sure you can manage."

Just then Aaron thought of something and stopped in his tracks. "My dad will know where I went...he...he'll...Justin I can't come...you'll be in deep shit."

Justin sighed. "Forget about me, OK? I can handle your dad."

"Are you sure.."

"I'm sure. I just want you safe...and I know Nick does, too."

Aaron smiled a little as he walked up the steps. "Thanks man...you should hate my guts for what I said to him." He said not wanting to use names as he walked into the house. He began to look around on the floor for the old cat.

"I don't. Now listen...can you get to the airport?"

"Yeah I can manage." Aaron said as he picked up Benny and then carried him to the garage to get his carrier.

Nick walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and looked at Justin oddly.

Since he was looking down at his lap, Justin didn't see Nick some into the room. "Aight. Sit tight for a few. I'm gonna get everything set up, and then I'll call you back."

"Kay...I'm out of the house anyway...I'll just head towards the airport."

Aaron said as he walked out the garage door with Benny in his hands.

Nick walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. His eyebrows pushed together in confusion.

Justin looked up at Nick as the older man sat down. "Don't walk. Grab a cab, or sumthin."

"I'm going to catch a bus." Aaron explained.

'Who are you talking too?' Nick mouthed to Justin.

"OK...I'll call you right back," Justin said before hanging up Nick's phone.

"I didn't hear my phone ring." Nick said as he noticed Justin was using his phone.

"It didn't," Justin said as he set Nick's phone down and picked up his own. He put it up to his ear after hitting a number on the speed dial.

Nick watched Justin closely, not sure if he liked this secret stuff very much.

"Hey Tina. Listen...I need a favor. I need a ticket on the next available flight from Indianapolis to LA."

Nick's eyes got wide and he stood up from the bed, a look of anger in his eyes. What the hell had Justin done?

"Yeah...Aaron Carter. I don't know...hold on..." Justin looked over at Nick. "What's your brother's date of birth?"

"What the hell Justin?" Nick exclaimed. He didn't get it...Justin was supposed to not like his brother right now...not be sending him on airplanes. And not to mention what the hell was he doing calling him?

Justin took a deep breath. "Just tell me his birthday, Nick."

"December 7th 1987."

Justin repeated the date into the phone, then gave Tina some more info before hanging up, and trading his phone for Nick's again to call Aaron back. He sighed as he looked over at his angry boyfriend.

Nick threw his hands up in the air and stormed out of the bedroom.

Aaron picked up the phone on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, Aaron. Everything's all set. Now...lemme see...it's midnight here now...which means it's three PM in LA...which means it's like...sixish where you are?"

Aaron looked down at his watch. "Yeah, it's almost six."

"OK...your flight's not til ten, so you have plenty of time. You have an ID, right?"

"I have my driver’s license so yeah."

"OK...just take it to a Delta counter, and they'll be able to check you in.

Call me when you get on the ground in LA, and I'll tell you where to go from there."

"Okay...thanks Justin." Aaron said with a smile even though Justin couldn't see it. "Nick really won when he found you. You're a great guy."

Justin smiled. "Thanks. Make sure you tell him that next time you talk, cuz I don't think he's too happy with me right now."

Aaron giggled a little. "He may have a hot head sometimes but his heart is still kind and easy to break." He said almost as a warning. "Oh and tell him that I have Benny...that might cheer him up."

"I will. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks...talk to you when I get there." With that Aaron hung up the phone.

Justin put Nick's phone down, then took a long, deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face a few times.

Nick had a blanket wrapped around his body as he stood outside on the balcony, smoking a cigarette. He practically never smoked anymore unless he was beyond pissed off and trying to calm himself down.

Justin threw some sweat pants on, then went out into the lounge to look for Nick. When he saw his boyfriend out on the balcony, he went out to join him...not saying anything as he stepped up beside him.

Nick knew Justin was standing beside him but he didn't say anything. Instead he just stared out at the city below him and took a long drag on his cigarette blowing the smoke out his nose.

Justin turned to face Nick, and leaned forward to press his forehead against the older man's shoulder. "Aaron's flying to LA tonight. I'm gonna call Kelly and see if she'll watch him til we get back."

"Why?" Nick simply asked as he turned his head to look at Justin. A look of hurt and confusion in his eyes. He felt betrayed.

Justin didn't lift his head off of Nick's shoulder, so he didn't make eye contact with him. "I called him...because I was pissed and I wanted to find out why he hurt you. And he said..." Justin paused and took a shaky breath. "...he said that he was pretty much trying to get you mad at him so you'd stop calling and your dad wouldn't overhear him talking about us...again. Cuz...he knows about me...about US...and he's threatened to out me if Aaron keeps contacting you."

Nick gasped as he pulled back a little, taking Justin's face in his hands and lifting it up so he would look at him. "Shit...Justin...I'm sorry."

Justin managed a small smile. "Don't be."

"But wait a second....if he's threatening to out you...why the hell are you inviting Aaron to LA...my dad is for sure going to say something."

"Because, Nick. He's unsafe there...not only because of your dad, but because of the rebellious behavior he's taken up. You can't let that go on. WE can't let it go on."

Nick felt tears come to his eyes. "Y...you're willing...to risk being outed...to save my little brother?"

Justin thought about it for a second. He really had no idea what he was doing, and he was probably making a huge mistake, but he felt as though it was a chance he had to take. "Yeah...I guess I am," he said quietly.

Without another word, Nick wrapped his arms tightly around Justin. "God I love you." He whispered in the younger man's ear as he held him close.

Justin laughed almost nervously. "I must really love you, too. Either that...or I've lost my fuckin mind."

Nick pulled back a little and wiped his eyes as he looked back into

Justin's. "I don't know how I can ever thank you so much for this. You have already done so much for me..."

Justin shook his head. "Don't mention it."

"I promise you if my dad does anything to hurt you...he's gonna pay." Nick said getting any angry look at his face but this time it wasn't directed at Justin.

Justin shook his head again. "Nick...if it happens, it happens. Let's just hope that if he DOES pull that shit, my fans'll be able to understand the fact that I was exploited...and I won't lose all that many."

Nick thought of something. "Will people really believe what a random guy from Indianapolis says anyway?"

Justin shrugged. "Who knows? I mean...people try to make up shit about me all the time, so maybe no one will take him seriously."

Nick bit his lower lip. "If they find out Aaron left...it will only be a matter of time before he my father does say something. If he says he will...he always does."

Justin shrugged again. "Then he does."

"Was he even going home before he got his plane?" Nick asked, worried for his little brother now.

Justin smiled. "He just ran in to get Benny."

Nick had to bust up laughing at that. "He goes in the house to get one thing and he comes out with the cat?"

Justin nodded. "Yeah. When I told him you were pissed at me, he said to tell you he's bringing Benny so you'll cheer up. And...he said to say he loves you."

"I love him too...but never expected him to get Benny." Nick giggled smiling big. "Benny hates him."

"He must be doing it for you, then."

"I'm still gonna have to get him for that faggot comment." Nick said still smiling. It didn't bother him so much anymore since he knew why Aaron had done it.

"I'm sure he'll forget all about it...and I highly doubt he meant anything he said."

"I know...I'm sure he didn't." Nick said as he took the blanket off his arms and quickly tied his towel again before it slipped off.

Justin took a deep breath. "I should call Kel."

Nick nodded his head as he took Justin's hand in his and led him back inside. "Yeah, tell her she's about to get a sixteen year old house guest."

Justin laughed then groaned. "She's gonna LOVE this."

"Yes and it's all YOUR fault...she can't blame me one bit." Nick teased.

Justin went into the bedroom and took a seat on the bed as he reached for his phone. "She won't," he said...dialing, then waiting for an answer.

Since Eddie was closer to the phone he reached over and picked it up. "Hola."

Justin quickly took the phone away from his ear to look at it and make sure he called the right cell phone. "Hey...Ed?"

Eddie laughed at the confused tone in Justin's voice. "Yes, Justin you called the right phone. Our Miss Kelly is indisposed at the moment."

Justin chuckled. "What's she doin?"

"Takin a bath. We just got back from apartment hunting and she's relaxin...want me to give her the phone?"

"I'm...actually kinda scared to talk to her."

Nick couldn't help but bust up laughing when he heard Justin say that.

Eddie giggled too especially when he heard Nick cracking up in the background. "Uh oh...what did ya do man?"

Justin sighed. "Nick's little brother's in a little trouble...and needs somewhere to go...so...he'll be landing in LA at...oh...I'd say about midnight local time."

"How little we talking?" Eddie asked trying not to laugh knowing that Kelly would be ticked that this was dropped on her. She wasn't one to like spur of the moment things.

"Well...not TOO little. Sixteen."

Eddie couldn't help but laugh now. "Ohh...you are SO gonna get it." He taunted Justin.

Justin groaned. "I know."

"Be thankful you aren't here right now or she would have your balls."

"I know. Damn. She's always 'bout to have my balls for sumthin."

"And not in a pleasant way." Nick giggled as he climbed onto the bed behind Justin and wrapped his arms around his waist playing with the hem of his sweats.

"Should I give her the news...and let her call you back to bitch you out...or let you get it over with now?" Eddie smirked.

Justin sighed. "I guess I should talk to her."

Eddie got up off the bed and then walked the phone into the bathroom. "Hey, Kel...J's on the phone." He smirked and giggled not able to help himself.

"Hey Ed...wait..." Justin quickly spat into the phone.

"Chicken." Eddie whispered into the phone.

"No...I just wanna ask you sumthin before you give Kelly the phone."

Eddie leaned against the counter. "Sure."

"How is she? I mean...how is she REALLY?"

Eddie glanced at Kelly relaxing in the tub. "Fine, Justin...maybe not one hundred percent but getting there."

Kelly looked over at Eddie suspiciously...knowing that he was talking about her.

Justin sighed again. "I just...I wish I could be there. But...my mom called when she got back to Tennessee last night, and she said you're being great with her. So...thanks, man."

"Don't even mention it." Eddie said with a smile. "She'll be here when you get home in a few days." He said as he pushed himself off the counter and walked to the tub ready to hand the phone to Kelly. "Wanna talk to her now?"

Nick continued to hold Justin from behind, his fingers still moving back and forth over the waistband of his sweats.

"No...wait..." Justin said again as he leaned into Nick's embrace a bit.

Eddie rolled his eyes a little. "Okay...but she's beginning to look at me funny wondering what the hell is going on."

"That's OK. I wanna know what's up with ya'll," Justin said with a quiet chuckle.

"Oh gee...thanks let me get the death glare." Eddie laughed. "And not much is up...we've just been busy apartment hunting...what's up in good old...uhh Spain now right?"

"Spain's chill...but you KNOW that's not what I meant."

Eddie sighed as he glanced at Kelly before walking back out of the bathroom. He knew he would get it for this but he had to leave for a second. "What exactly DID you mean?"

Being very evil, Nick let his right hand slip down into Justin's sweats a little bit.

Kelly watched Eddie leave the bathroom, then laughed quietly as she relaxed back against the tub.

Justin gripped Nick's wrist almost subconsciously to stop his hand from going any lower. "You KNOW what I meant, Eddie," he repeated. "You and Kel...what's the deal?"

Nick pouted playfully but removed his hand and placed it safely on Justin's thigh.

"We're friends." Eddie answered honestly. "We are going to take things REALLY slow. You know go out on dates and stuff."

"Mmm hmm..." Justin laced his fingers with Nick's on his thigh as he waited for Eddie to provide more information.

Eddie laughed. "There really isn't much more to say. We've kissed a few times but that's it. That's all I want it to be right now."

Justin smiled. "Aight. Well...good for you, then. I know it's gotta be hard, though."

"Hard for what?"

"I mean...the just kissing thing."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders even though Justin couldn't see it. "It is sometimes...but not really as bad as I originally thought."

"Damn...and this coming from YOU of all people. Must really mean sumthin to you, then."

"Yes, the horny freak is taking it easy for once." Eddie laughed rolling his eyes. "If you and other guys can handle not messing around much then why can't I?" He knew Justin hadn't been into it much...well not nearly as much as he had Marty had.

"I totally see your point, man. And believe me...I meant nothing by it. I really AM happy for you guys. I mean...Kelly needs a good man. She DESERVES a good man."

"You were good for her too, Justin." Eddie made sure he pointed out. "But thank you...hearing you say that means a lot."

"Just take care of her. But...I don't really need to tell you that."

Eddie smiled. "I will...I'll take care of our girl...you take care of your boy."

Justin laughed. "Will do," he said...then paused to take a deep breath. "Aight, dawg...put her on so she can tear me a new asshole."

"Oh man." Eddie busted up laughing as he walked back into the bathroom and handed Kelly the phone. "NOW he wants to talk to you."

Kelly giggled as she reached her hand out of the water, dried it on a towel, and took the phone from Eddie. "This is gonna be good, huh?"

Eddie snickered as he moved to take a seat on the bathroom counter. He wanted to see her reaction to this.

"What's up, baby?" Kelly said into the phone as soon as it was up to her ear.

"I need a favor," Justin blurted out right away...without any form of greeting first.

Kelly narrowed her eyes. "What kind of favor?" she asked...therefore leading Justin to explain the whole situation with Nick's brother.

Nick let his left arm wrapped around Justin's stomach the whole time while his right hand was still laced with Justin's.

Eddie continued to sit on the counter and watch Kelly's reaction to what Justin was saying.

Kelly finally closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Hold on...let me get this straight. You want me to go to the airport to pick up Nick's brother...and take him back here...to LIVE with me...for a week?"

Justin sighed. "Uhh...yeah. Pretty much."

"I had nothing to do with it!" Nick called into the phone giggling.

Kelly took a long, deep breath. "Well...J...you know I'd do anything for you guys...especially if this kid's in trouble. But...shouldn't Nick come back early to be with him? I'm sure he needs his brother. Is he planning on coming back soon?"

"I don't know," Justin answered honestly...then looked over his shoulder at Nick. "Are you gonna go back early?"

"I hadn't planned on it." Nick answered honestly too. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"Kelly's just wondering...thinking Aaron might need you."

Kelly glanced over at Eddie as she waited for Justin to start talking to her again.

"I'm not sure if I can handle seeing him yet." Nick said softly. "Even if he hadn't meant what he said...it still hurt really bad."

Justin sighed. "I don't know, Kel...he doesn't think so."

"Well I don't think I can do it on my own, Just. I mean...I'm much better...but I still lose energy real quick..."

"I can help." Eddie said speaking up.

Kelly sighed again. She felt overwhelmed. "What do you think, J?"

Justin took a deep breath and let go of Nick's hand to rub his forehead. "I don't know. I guess I jumped the gun in assuming it'd be OK without asking you first."

"I'll go back." Nick said taking a deep breath of his own. "It's my responsibility...he's my brother not Kelly's." He said moving to get off the bed.

Kelly heard Nick over the phone and suddenly felt guilty. "J...I don't want him to think I'm saying no. I'll do it."

Justin glanced at Nick. "She'll do it, Nick."

"But she shouldn't have to." Nick said with a sigh.

"But she will."

"Justin..." Kelly spoke up. "...I'm gonna give the phone to Ed. Give him all the info while I finish my bath."

Justin smiled. Kelly was such a good friend. "Thanks, baby girl...I owe you."

"Yeah you do," Kelly said with a laugh, then handed the phone out toward Eddie.

Eddie took the phone back. "Your balls still intact man?" He teased as he headed back out into the bedroom so Kelly could finish up in peace.

Feeling awful, Nick moved to sit on the chair he had been sitting in earlier and looked out the window with a sigh.

Justin chuckled. "Yeah. I love that girl."

"Let's just hope this kid isn't any trouble." Eddie said as he took a seat on the bed.

"I really doubt he will be. He's scared."

"Is Nick okay?" Eddie asked, wondering if the problem that was happening with Aaron effected Nick too.

"He'll be fine, I think. He just needs some time."

Eddie sighed as he got out a piece of paper. "Alrighty...I guess I'm supposed to jot down all the info on his flight and shit."

Justin rattled off everything they needed to know...from Aaron's name to his flight number and arrival time. "Got it?"

"Yup, I got it." Eddie said once he had all the information written down.

"OK. I'll let Aaron know ya'll are picking him up. I mean...if you're goin with her."

"Yeah I'll be there. She can't really drive too much yet."

"Thanks, Ed...I owe YOU one, too."

"Uh huh." Eddie giggled. "But take care J...and one of us will call you when he's here safe and sound."

"Aight man. Later."

"Later." Eddie hung up the phone and put the paper with all the information in his pocket so he wouldn't forget it.

Justin hung up the phone, then got up to walk over to where Nick was sitting. "Everything's all set."

Nick looked up at Justin and put a forced smile on his face. "Thanks, Justin."

"Kelly was worried she couldn't handle it...with her condition, and all...but she's got Eddie. They have everything under control."

"I really should go help them." Nick said softly, still looking up at Justin, pain written in his bright blue eyes.

Justin shrugged. "Only if you want to."

"I don't think it really matters WHAT I want."

"Of course it does. If you don't feel ready to see him yet, then stay. If you really think he needs you, then go."

Nick sighed. "I KNOW he needs me...but I'm being chicken shit and to fucking scared to go. I felt like I lost him. I prepared myself to shut him off for the rest of my life after he said that. Cuz So many horrible memories come into my mind when I hear that word. You don't know what it's like to have your father scream and yell at you that you're a faggot and that he hates you." Nick whispered as he looked away when tears fell from his

eyes.

Justin took a deep breath. "You're right...I don't. But...Aaron's not your father, Nick. He loves you no matter what."

"I know that." Nick whispered again. "But hearing the only family member I have left say that to me...made me feel like everybody was leaving me."

Justin sighed quietly as he turned to go into the bedroom. He came right back with Nick's phone, and handed it over to him. "Call him."

"Isn't he on a plane?"

Justin shook his head. "Not for like...another three hours."

Nick looked at the phone Justin was holding out to him and took it. Taking a deep breath he got Aaron's number and called him. Once he answered he started one of the most intense phone calls he had ever had with his brother.

Once Nick was into his phone call, Justin went into the bedroom to give him some privacy. He turned on the television, then curled up under the covers to watch TV while he waited for Nick.

Almost an hour later, Nick came walking back into the bedroom his face tear stained and he looked positively drained.

Justin was sound asleep by the time Nick was done with his phone call. His mouth was slightly open, and he was snoring softly...the TV remote still in his hand.

Nick smiled a little at Justin as he took the remote out of Justin's hand and covered his boyfriend up with the blankets before going into the bathroom.

Justin shifted a bit under the covers...and came out of his light sleep.

"Nick?" he called...looking around the room through sleepy eyes.

Nick didn't hear Justin because he was busy trying to wash the tears away from his face.

When he heard the water in the bathroom running, Justin rested his head back down, and waited for Nick to be done.

Another ten minutes past before Nick walked out of the bathroom and headed to his bag to find some sweats or PJ pants to put on since he was still in his towel.

"How'd it go?"

"Shit." Nick shrieked, jumping a little when he heard Justin talking to him. Standing up with his towel down. "You scared me to death." he laughed a little, his voice raspy from all the crying.

Justin chuckled quietly. "Sorry."

Bending down again Nick grabbed the PJ pants and slipped them on. "It's okay."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"You're tired...you need to go to sleep." Nick said as he headed back into the main room to turn off the lights and make sure the door was locked.

"I can go back to sleep in a minute," Justin said as Nick returned to the bedroom.

Nick climbed into bed next to Justin, automatically snuggling up to his boyfriend. "We just talked a lot...about what our parents have done to us over the years."

"Are you still upset with him?"

"It wasn't that I was upset with him...I mean not after you talked to him and he explained what was going on. I was just hurt." Nick whispered.

"Did ya'll get past that?"

Nick nodded his head. "Yeah, but not until I think I cried a river and my head is pounding."

Justin kissed Nick's head. "Go to sleep, then."

"Thank you...for helping me...helping us." Nick whispered as he snuggled up to Justin as close as he could.

"Any time. I'm really glad I could help."

"Love you." Nick said as he leaned up a little so he could give Justin a soft kiss on the lips.

"Love you too, babe." Justin sighed quietly as he closed his eyes to sleep again. The affect that the whole thing might have on his career was the furthest thing from his mind. He was just glad hat things were settled with Nick and his brother...and that Aaron was going to be OK.

Nick snuggled down and closed his eyes. He was so exhausted that he fell right to sleep.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

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Kelly set her brush down on the dresser after tying her hair back into two low pigtails, then took a minute to study her profile in the mirror. "Do YOU think I need a boob job?" she asked Eddie...still looking at herself as she flattened her baby blue tank top tight against her small-yet-perky breasts.

Eddie spit the water out he was drinking. "What!?"

Kelly let go of her shirt and turned her head to look at Eddie. "My boobs. Are they too small?"

"No!" Eddie said almost too quickly and then blushed. "I mean no...they're perfect."

Kelly giggled. "Oh, please."

"What you don't believe me?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kelly shrugged. "I just think they're small."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think you should get a boob job...that just makes things look fake."

"So...you DO agree that they're small."

"They aren't huge...which is a good thing cuz you would fall over." Eddie giggled. "I think they are perfect for you cuz you are a petite girl."

Kelly shrugged again. "I don't know," she said...looking down at her chest.

Eddie got up and wrapped his arms around Kelly from behind. "I think you're beautiful."

Kelly smiled...her stomach fluttering a bit at Eddie's words. "Thanks," she said softly...her eyes meeting his in the mirror.

"But you can start looking ugly any time now. You're going to have a hormone crazy teen in the house." Eddie teased.

Kelly rolled her eyes and laughed quietly as she habitually settled her hands on Eddie's forearms that were wrapped around her. "Oh, please.

He's not gonna wanna have anything to do with me."

"I hope not...cuz I'll kick his little ass." Eddie teased again as he turned his head to look at the clock and noticed it was almost eleven fifteen. "We should go pretty soon...I hate LAX even at midnight."

Kelly nodded. "OK...in a few minutes," she said...not wanting to move from Eddie's embrace yet.

Eddie wrapped his arms around Kelly a little tighter. "Yeah...In a few minutes."

Kelly giggled quietly as she watched Eddie in the mirror.

"Do you want me to stay at the house with you while he's here?"

Kelly shrugged. "You think it's a good idea?"

Eddie shrugged back. "I dunno...I mean do we know what kind of trouble the kid is in?"

"Justin said it was rebellious stuff...like drugs and sex."

"Sounds like a normal sixteen year old boy to me." Eddie giggled.

"I wouldn't really know."

"That's cuz you've never been one before." Eddie said giggling more.

"Definitely not," Kelly said as she leaned back against Eddie a bit more.

Eddie continued to hold onto Kelly. "I remember being a horny sixteen year old." he laughed shaking his head. "Damn...awkward years."

"I think it's totally different for girls."

"What was it like being a sixteen year old girl?" Eddie asked, actually curious.

Kelly shrugged. "All you wanna do is fit in. You have to make sure you wear all the right clothes...and hang out with all the right people."

"Yeah it's like that for guys too...but I'm not sure if it's that much of a big deal."

"I guess there's sexual pressure, too...but there really wasn't for me. I was always dancing in my free time, and hanging out with all you older guys."

Eddie laughed. "Yeah you lucked out not having to deal with the guys your own age. Instead you got stuck with Mart and Me." He said with a evil laugh.

Kelly rolled her eyes again. "Yeah...lucky me."

"I wonder if Aaron looks anything like Nick." Eddie thought of out of the blue.

"Who knows."

"How are we supposed to find him...if we don’t know what he looks like?"

"Justin said we're supposed to meet him at that area in baggage claim where you pick up your pet cages...cuz he's bringing a cat."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "A cat...coming to Justin's house...that is different."

"I know. He HATES cats," Kelly said with a chuckle. "But...I guess he'll do anything for Nick."

"How adorable." Eddie giggled. "I think our Nicky boy has J whipped."

"Ya think?"

Eddie nodded. "But not in a bad way because I think it goes both ways. They really love each other. It's obvious since Justin is doing all of this for Aaron."

Kelly nodded her agreement. "Yeah...you're right."

"I'm glad...cuz J need somebody to love him that understands him."

Kelly just nodded. She didn't want to say out loud that Justin could have had just that...with her.

Eddie looked at the clock again and removed his arms from around Kelly.

"We really do need to go now."

Kelly sighed quietly as she turned to face Eddie. "And what if I wanted to be ALONE with you tonight?"

"We'll put the kids to bed and then you can have me all night." Eddie smirked, giggling.

"Very funny."

Eddie kissed Kelly's forehead before he backed up all the way and walked to put his shoes on. "We can't leave him there all by himself. He's bound to be scared to death."

"I know that," Kelly said...making her way over to the closet for a sweatshirt and some sneakers. "I just realized that you haven't spent the night here once since I've been out of the hospital," she pointed out as she sat beside Eddie to put her own shoes on. "Does that seem weird to you?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "A little maybe."

"Why do you say that?"

"We would spend the night in each others rooms all the time. And we haven't for a while."

Kelly nodded as she stood up, and slipped on her gray zip-up hoodie over her tank top. "If you DID stay here tonight...would you wanna stay in this room...with me?"

Eddie thought about that a second. "I would If you wanted me to...But if not I could go stay upstairs in any of the other many rooms."

"That's not what I asked. The question had nothing to do with me. I wanted to know if YOU wanted to stay down here...with me."

"And I said I would only want to if YOU would want me to."

Kelly laughed. "Forget about me. Do YOU want to sleep WITH me?"

"You know I do...in ever sense of the word." Eddie laughed.

Kelly laughed again...blushing a bit. "Well...for right now...I'm only talking in ONE sense."

"Of course." Eddie smiled.

"OK...so then...sleep with me tonight?"

"Okay...I'll sleep with you tonight." Eddie smiled some more as he stood up.

"But now we have to go get ourselves a munchkin."

Kelly took a deep breath...shoving her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt. "Yeah."

Eddie grabbed his own sweatshirt and pulled it over his head before walking out of the room with Kelly. Shoving his hands in his pocket he found his keys and headed out into the cool January night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelly looked down at Eddie's watch as she clung loosely to his arm...her small hands gripping his bicep. "He should be out any time."

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate LAX?" Eddie laughed as he leaned back against the wall with Kelly waiting for Aaron. His flight landed five minutes earlier.

Kelly giggled quietly...leaning her head on Eddie's shoulder that she was clinging to. "Yes..." she said...her eyes going back and forth between the luggage carousels and the pet pick up area. "...you told me."

Aaron walked down the stairs to the baggage area his only bag on his back. His hands were shoved in his pockets nervously as he looked around lost trying to make sure he knew where the place to pick Benny up was.

Kelly laughed and her jaw dropped when she spotted the young blonde boy wandering around twenty or so feet away from them. "Holy shit."

"What?" Eddie turned to look at Kelly, scared something was wrong.

"That has GOT to be him." Kelly couldn't believe the way the boy resembled Nick.

Aaron spotted the area where he was supposed to be and quickly made his way through all the people and up to the counter. He talked to the man and soon Benny's cage was handed to him.

"I feel like a spy." Eddie giggled.

Kelly giggled...pulling away from Eddie and taking his hand in hers. "Come on...we should go meet him."

Once Aaron had Benny he backed away from the counter and looked around trying to figure out what he was supposed to do next. It was then that he noticed the two people walking towards him.

Eddie walked with Kelly towards the teen. Once they were in front of him he smiled. "Aaron Carter?"

Aaron nodded his head nervously. "Uhh yeah...you’re Eddie...right?"

Eddie nodded back. "Yup...that would be me." he then turned to Kelly. "And this would be Kelly."

Kelly smiled brightly...not letting go of Eddie's hand. "Hi, Aaron. How was your trip?"

"It was okay...kinda long." Aaron said smiling back. "First time I ever flew any place."

"Yeah flying is one of those things that you kinda have to get used to." Eddie said with a smile. He then looked towards the bag area. "Do you need to get your bag?"

Aaron shook his head. "This is all I have."

"That's it?" Kelly asked curiously.

Aaron nodded. "Yup, it's just me and Benny and my school stuff."

"Well...Okay then the car is out this way." Eddie said leading the way out the doors.

Kelly looked over at Aaron as they slowly headed for Eddie's car. "Is there anything you're gonna need tonight, Aaron?"

Aaron shook his head. "I'm okay." He said trying his hardest to not to be a burden on them since he was a sudden guest and they were doing him a huge favor.

Kelly nodded. "Alright. We probably have everything you need at Justin's house, anyway."

Aaron thought of something though. "I do need something for Benny to eat." He said softly, knowing he needed to keep the old cat alive for Nick's sake.

"OK. Ed...can we stop at the grocery store?"

"Of course." Eddie said as they finally got to his truck and unlocked the doors.

"Do you wanna sit in the back with Benny?" Kelly asked Aaron in a friendly tone as she walked around to the passenger side of the car.

Aaron smiled and nodded as he climbed into the four door truck and buckled himself in. His hand on Benny's cage protectively.

Kelly climbed up into the truck and buckled up, too. "I know your flight was long. Are you hungry?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder at Aaron.

Eddie backed out of the parking spot and worked on maneuvering his way out of the crazy LAX airport streets.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "I am a little...but I can just pick myself some chips or something up at the store it's no biggie."

"Don't be silly," Kelly said with a shake of her head. "You need something with a little substance. Do you like McDonald's?"

"Of course." Aaron giggled a little.

Eddie slammed on the brakes when a guy drove out right in front of him. "Fucking idiot!" He yelled.

Kelly gasped and put her hand on her chest. "Damn...that scared me to death."

"This is why I HATE LAX." Eddie grumbled as he finally got out of the airport area and headed for the freeway.

Aaron giggled a little. "Ahh yes, the LA traffic I've heard so much about."

"Ignore him," Kelly said to Aaron. "He's usually not this nasty."

"I don't like dumb drivers either." Aaron said with a shrug. "So I understand."

Kelly laughed. "Great. Maybe you two will bond."

Aaron smiled and then remembered something. "How are you feeling?"

He asked, just realizing that he was talking to THE KELLY he had heard SO much about.

"Fine...why?"

"Nick told me about what happened." Aaron said as he looked into

Benny's cage when he started to meow.

"Oh...he did?" Kelly asked after swallowing a small lump in her throat.

Aaron nodded his head as he looked back at Kelly. "Yeah he was worried about you...and mentioned it once while we were talking on the phone."

Kelly nodded. "Well...I'm OK...thanks."

"Good...I'm glad." Aaron said with a small smile.

Kelly turned her head to look out the window as she started thinking about all that had been going on.

Aaron bit his lower lip much like Nick always did feeling like he said something wrong. He decided to not say anything else for a while. Instead he just talked quietly to Benny.

Eddie glanced back in the rearview mirror to see what Aaron was doing when he had been quiet for a few minutes.

Kelly took a deep breath before she finally spoke to Aaron again.

"So...you're gonna be staying out here for a while, I hear?"

"I'm never going home." Aaron said quickly.

Kelly nodded. "OK...well...this is a cool place to live."

Aaron smiled and then giggled. "I would say yeah it is cuz I could meet famous people...but then again I remember I'm going to be LIVING with one."

Kelly smiled. "Can't get much more famous than Justin."

"I still can't believe my brother is dating him. I mean my little old Brother."

Kelly chuckled. "Believe it."

"It will be weird to see at first." Aaron admitted.

"I'm sure it will be," Kelly agreed. "But...they're both just so...normal. They fit together."

Aaron smiled. "Nick is so happy."

Kelly nodded. "I haven't seen him in a while, but that's what I've heard."

"I haven't seen him since the middle of December." Aaron whispered. "I miss him."

"He misses you, too."

Aaron wanted to complain that he wished he would of been home with him when shit was going down...but he knew it would only be worse. "I can't believe Justin was willing to bring me down here even though my dad is probably going to out him."

Kelly sighed as she settled back into her seat. "J mentioned that."

"Thank you for being willing to do this." Aaron said softly. "You didn't need to."

"Don't mention it," Kelly said...then turned to look at Eddie. "You're quiet," she said softly...her left hand resting on his thigh.

"Trying to make sure I don't get us killed." Eddie said as he turned to look at

Kelly for a quick second before looking back out front as they drove down the highway.

Aaron went back to talking with Benny as the old cat continued to meow,

beyond ready to get out of his little cage.

Kelly moved her hand back away from Eddie's leg, then turned her head to look out the window at the city lights that were whizzing by the car.

Finally coming to Justin's exit Eddie took it and then headed slightly in the opposite direction to go to Ralphs for the cat food.

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to get tonight besides cat food?"

Kelly asked Aaron...still looking out the window as they headed down the familiar road toward the grocery store.

"I guess I could get a toothbrush." Aaron said as he too looked out the window but everything looked unfamiliar to him.

Eddie pulled into the parking lot. "I'll stay out here and call Justin to tell him Aaron got here safely." He suggested.

Kelly nodded, then opened the door to climb out of the car. "Come on, Aaron."

Eddie watched Kelly and Aaron head into the store as he took out his phone and dialed Justin's number.

Justin slid his hand into his jeans pocket for his ringing phone, and looked out the window as he answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey man." Eddie said once Justin answered the phone.

"Hey, Ed...how's it goin? Did Aaron get in OK?" Justin asked as he checked his watch.

"Yup, now we're at Ralphs getting cat food and a tooth brush." Eddie giggled.

"What's he like?"

"Looks almost exactly like Nick just thinner and younger. He seems like a good enough kid from what we can tell in the last half hour."

Justin took a deep breath...still watching the buildings pass by outside the limo. "OK. And Kel...is she OK with everything? I know she wouldn't have said no to me even if she wanted to."

Eddie looked out the car window watching late night shoppers go in and out of the store. "She seems okay. I think she was a little uncomfortable though cuz Aaron mentioned what happened with the baby and all. She wasn't expecting him to know about that."

"I guess Nick musta told him," Justin said...not really aware himself.

"Yeah, but I'm sure he meant no harm in it."

"I'm sure. So...you think this kid's gonna be OK? And...I mean...what about him stayin alone with Kelly? I'm not too sure about that now that I think of it."

"He just seems like a scared to death kid right now. He hasn't done anything really weird." Eddie said. "But I'm staying with Kel at least for tonight and if she wants me to stay until Nick gets home then I will."

"Thanks, Ed," Justin said with a sigh of relief. "I'm still trying to get Nick to go back early. I think he needs to be with his brother."

"Why doesn't he want to come back?" Eddie asked curiously.

"They had a bit of an argument. Aaron said some things that hurt Nick...even though he didn't mean them."

Eddie sighed. "And overly sensitive Nick is taking it pretty hard?"

"Exactly."

"Sometimes I think that guy has too big of a heart." Eddie said with a small smile. "It gets broken way too easy."

"You're tellin me."

"But you know you love him for it."

"Yeah...one of the many things..." Justin said.

Eddie smiled, he was happy to hear that Justin had really found somebody. "Where are you headed? You sound like you're in a car."

"Yeah...to a morning radio show."

"Ohh how exciting." Eddie laughed.

"Yeah...right. But listen...I'm here, so I gotta go. Call if you need anything, OK?"

"Yup and I'm sure Aaron will call Nick tomorrow. Take care J."

"I will. You too...and take care of my girl."

Eddie smiled. "I will...bye." he hung up the phone and rested back against the seat to wait for Kelly and Aaron to come back.

Aaron carried the basket of cat food down to the toothbrush Isle and began to look through them trying to find the kind he liked.

Kelly folded her arms over her chest as she watched Aaron. "So...you think you're gonna be happy here?"

Aaron shrugged his shoulders as he placed the toothbrush in the basket. "I hope so...cuz I can't go home."

Kelly nodded. "Well...Justin's got a great place...with lots to do...so I don't think you'll be bored."

"I'm sure I won't be." Aaron said with a smile as he headed to the front of the store to pay for the things he had.

"Think you'll be going to school?" Kelly asked as she stepped behind him in line.

"I don't know. I really don't know much of anything." Aaron admitted. "I'll talk it over with Nicky when he comes home."

"Probably a good idea."

Once it was his turn, Aaron took out his wallet and paid for the few cans of food and the toothbrush.

"Do you miss him?" Kelly asked.

"Who?" Aaron asked playing stupid as he took his bags and headed for the doors.

Kelly followed right behind him. "Your brother."

"Of course I do. I haven't seen him in like two months."

"Understandable," Kelly said...walking with Aaron to Eddie's Escalade. "Is there anyone at home you're gonna miss? Friends...a girlfriend, maybe?"

"Sure. I had friends, but my girlfriend's dad wont let me see her anymore. So I would be missin her anyways." Aaron explained as they walked to the car.

"That's rough."

Aaron nodded his head. "Yeah and he was really stupid about it too. I mean he wont let me see her just cuz I almost knocked her up."

Kelly swallowed hard...trying to take the remark as a stupid comment from a teenager. "Well...were you careful...about...things?"

"I tried to be." Aaron said with a shrug as the opened the door to the truck and got in. "Sometimes it's hard." He said as he buckled up.

Kelly watched Aaron get into the truck, then shook her head before climbing in herself.

"Get everything you need?" Eddie asked glancing back at Aaron.

Aaron nodded his head. "Yup, Ben will be fed for a few days at least."

Kelly buckled up then looked at Eddie. "Let's just grab him some McDonald's on the way home."

Eddie nodded as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of home and McDonald's. "That was where I was planning on heading."

Kelly nodded, then turned to look out the window.

Eddie pulled up into the drive through of McDonalds and turned back to look at Aaron again. "Okay what do you want?"

Aaron thought for a second. "Two number One's and a number seven only one drink and that will be a coke."

Shaking his head giggling a little, Eddie ordered Aaron's order and then turned to Kel. "Want anything?"

Kelly shook her head...her hand moving to rest over her stomach. "No, thanks."

Eddie told the people that was all they needed and then drove to the next window.

Aaron reached into his wallet again and handed Eddie a fifty dollar bill. "Here."

Eddie took the money with wide eyes but didn't say anything just paid for the food and handed Aaron the change.

Kelly watched the whole exchange...just shaking her head again. She

had a bad feeling about something.

After a few seconds the food was ready and Eddie handed it to Aaron before he drove off and finally headed for home.

Aaron took the food and started to nibble on some of his fries. "Thanks for stopping."

"No prob." Said Eddie with a small smile as he drove home.

"I have a room all ready for you, Aaron," Kelly said...referring to the bedroom she'd set up when she found out the boy was coming.

Aaron smiled around his straw. "Thanks, Kelly."

"You're welcome," Kelly said a bit distantly.

Once Eddie stopped at a traffic light, he turned to look at Kelly. "Everything okay?" He asked quietly, wondering if something happened while she had been in the store with Aaron.

Kelly looked at Eddie and nodded with a small smile on her face. "Yeah."

"Okay." Eddie said, not so sure about that but he didn't push the issue as he drove the rest of the way to Justin's house. About ten minutes later he was pulling into the long drive way and parking the car. "Here we are."

Aaron's eyes went wide. "Holy shit!"

Kelly giggled as she unbuckled and got out of the car. "Nice, huh?"

"Nice is an understatement." Aaron laughed as he too got out of the car. He put his backpack on his back and then held onto Benny. "Uhh could somebody help me with the grocery bag and my dinner?"

Eddie nodded as he grabbed the things Aaron had said and helped him carry them into the house.

Kelly followed Eddie and Aaron into the house, and made sure to lock up behind them once they were inside.

"I'll go take this stuff into the kitchen. You can show Aaron his room." Eddie suggested as he walked towards the kitchen with the food.

Kelly nodded. "OK. This way, Aaron," she said...leading the boy up the front staircase.

Aaron followed Kelly up the stairs, Benny still in his hand. "Is it okay if he's up here. Or should he be some place else?" He asked gesturing towards the cage.

"I'm sure it's fine," Kelly said...taking Aaron into the guest room at the top of the stairs. "Just make sure he's in the cage when you go to sleep...or in bed with you. I wouldn't let him roam around."

Aaron made a face at the idea of having Benny in bed with him. "Ohh don't worry he'll be in his cage." He giggled.

Kelly laughed. "OK. Bathroom's through there," she said...pointing at the door across the room.

"Thanks." Aaron said with a smile as he put Benny's cage on the ground and opened it to let him out and roam around a little since he had been in there for so long. Just then he remembered something he should of gotten at the store. "Shit"

"What's wrong?"

Aaron giggled a little as he watched the old cat move slowly around the unknown room. "Does Justin happen to have a box and some sand?"

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "For...?"

"He's strictly an indoor cat." Aaron said wondering if Kelly would get the hint.

"Oh...um...well...I don't know."

"I'm sure a box with ripped up news paper will work for tonight." Aaron said, not wanting to make things complicated.

Benny walked up to Kelly and rubbed against her leg and looked up with his big green eyes and meowed.

Kelly jerked her leg back a bit...as she was startled. "Umm...OK...I'll go check," she said...then headed down to the garage.

Eddie looked at Kelly curiously as he walked through the kitchen to the garage. "Whatcha doin?"

"Trying to find a box, and shit," Kelly answered as she rummaged around.

Eddie laughed. "I would help you find it if I knew what the shit was."

"Something to out in it...for a litter box. Like...newspaper, or something."

"Ahh for the cat." Eddie said as he walked through the garage looking for something like Kelly said. "I don't think I've ever seen such a clean garage. This is insane." He laughed.

Kelly laughed. "Cuz he pays someone to do it," she said as she pulled a box out of one of the recycle bins. "How bout this?"

Eddie turned to look at the box and nodded. "That looks good. I'm sure anything will work until we can get him something real tomorrow."

"What should we put in it?"

"I think newspapers will be the best thing. I mean there is bark dust right there but that doesn't seem good. He might get slivers." Eddie said as he grabbed a bunch of newspapers.

Kelly nodded. "OK...whatever you say."

Eddie put the news papers down and walked to Kelly. "Kel...something is wrong."

Kelly looked at Eddie with concern on her face. "With what?"

"You...you're acting weird." Eddie said as he looked Kelly in the eye. "Did something happen when you were with Aaron in the store?"

Kelly shook her head. "No, sweetie. I'm fine."

Eddie still didn't buy it but let it drop once again. "Okay well let's get this stuff back upstairs before the kitty poops all over the house."

Kelly nodded and headed back into the house. "We definitely don't want THAT to happen."

Aaron actually had Benny down in the kitchen eating. The poor cat was chomping on his food like he was starved.

"Well somebody was hungry." Eddie laughed as he looked at the cat and then at Aaron who was chomping on his own food at the counter.

Kelly smiled. "I'll take the box upstairs, Aaron," she said...then headed out of the kitchen.

"Thanks." Aaron said with his mouth full.

Eddie bent down and started to pet Benny. "Cute cat."

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "I guess, he's Nick's pride and joy. I never cared for him much."

"Well I'm sure Nick appreciates you bringing him with you." Eddie said with a smile as he stood up and walked to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"If I hadn't Nicky would never had seen him again." Aaron pointed out "That would kill him."

Eddie nodded as he leaned back against the counter and took a sip of his water. "Yeah."

After she set the box up in Aaron's bathroom, Kelly came back down into the kitchen. "Is there anything else you need?" she asked...automatically going to stand right in front of Eddie.

Aaron shook his head as he finished off his first meal and moved onto the next one. "Nope I'm good."

Eddie smiled at Kelly and put his hands on her hips.

Kelly turned and leaned back against Eddie. "Do you need some clothes to sleep in, or something? I wasn't sure...so I put a couple of Justin's sweats and t-shirts in one of the dressers."

Aaron smiled. "Thanks that will be fine I'm sure." He said as he continued to eat.

"I remember being able to eat like that." Eddie whispered to Kelly, giggling.

Kelly laughed. "You still could if you tried hard enough."

"Yeah and I would spend like a hundred years in the gym trying to work it all off."

Aaron yawned before putting a handful of fries in his mouth again.

Kelly sighed quietly...leaning back against Eddie a bit more. She found herself eager to spend some time alone with him...just so she could relax and clear her mind.

"You guys don't gotta wait around for me. I think Ben and I can find our way back to our room." Aaron said.

Kelly shrugged. "It's OK. I wanna make sure you're all set."

Aaron shrugged back a he went back to eating. His right hand shaking a little as he put a fry into his mouth. He wiggled a little in his seat getting uncomfortable. It had been hours since he had gotten what he needed.

Eddie watched Aaron out of his eyes curiously as he continued to hold Kelly to him.

Kelly took a long, deep breath. She had a feeling she knew what was going on with Aaron, and she hoped she could deal with it.

By the time Aaron was done with his food his hands were shaking worse but he tried to hide it. "I think I'm going to head to bed now." He said as he got up to throw his trash away.

"You sure you don't need anything else?" Kelly questioned.

Aaron could think of something he needed but that was upstairs in his bag. He had been shocked the security at the airport hadn't picked it up but he wasn't going to complain. "Nope, I think we're good now." He said with his best smile as he bent down to pick Benny up who was busy washing his face after his good meal.

"OK," Kelly said...her eyes on the teenager.

"Night, night." Aaron said with a wave before he headed up the back stairs since that was how he found his way back down he had an idea how to find his way back up.

Kelly sighed. "I don't know about that kid."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked.

"I don't know. I just...have a bad feeling."

Eddie hadn't been around Marty when he was having his issues a few months ago. SO Kelly could recognize the symptoms better then he could probably. "He seemed fine to me."

"He's all shaky and nervous. He's in withdrawals."

Eddie's eyes went wide and he turned to look a the stairs that Aaron had just walked up. "No shit?"

Kelly nodded. "Will you go up and check on him?"

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, but how in the world do you help somebody going through that?"

"I don't know. There's no one specific way.”

"Okay...I'll be right back." Eddie said as he ran up the stairs. When he got to Aaron's door he knocked on it.

Aaron paused as he sniffled the white powder up his nose. "Shit!" He whispered to himself as he quickly shoved the stuff back into his backpack and shoved it under the desk. "Come in." He called, hoping his eyes weren't showing the effects of the drugs already.

Eddie opened the door and walked into the room. He could feel Aaron's nervousness and knew something was up. "I just wanted to come up and give you your toothbrush." He said remembering he had taken it out of the bag of cat food and put it in his pocket.

"Oh...thanks." Aaron said as he took the toothbrush Eddie was handing to him.

Sighing, Eddie knew things weren't good when Aaron's hands didn't shake anymore. "Okay...well uhh have a good night." He said needing to go talk to Kelly since things seemed worse then they did before.

Aaron smiled big. "You too."

Eddie walked out of the room trying to shake the look in Aaron's eyes away. He made his way back down the back stairs and into the kitchen where Kelly still was.

Kelly looked up at Eddie as he entered the room. "Well?"

"We've got a problem." Eddie said with a sigh as he ran a hand over his head.

Kelly sighed, too. "I knew it."

Eddie took a deep breath. "He's got whatever the shit is in the house. Cuz I went up there and he was tweaked out and not shaking anymore."

"Oh God. You have to find out what it is, Ed."

"How am I supposed to do that. I can't go searching his stuff."

"I don't know," Kelly said...rubbing her hands together. "Talk to him. Tell him you know what's up."

"Maybe we should call and talk to Nick." Eddie suggested. "He would know how to deal with this better. And maybe if you talk to him he'll get his ass here."

Kelly took a deep breath. "Or...maybe we should just wait til morning...and talk to the kid first when he's sober before we worry Nick...?"

"What happens if he's never sober." Eddie pointed out.

Kelly shrugged. "We'll try him first thing in the morning and see."

Eddie sighed and nodded. "Just our luck we get stuck with a fuckin drug addicted sixteen year old."

Kelly sighed and shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"I still think you should call Nick." Eddie said. "Just in case he wants to get here. Cuz it's day there and would be easier and better if he wanted to catch a flight out."

Kelly sighed again. "Could you call him? I just don't have it in me."

"Okay I'll call him." Eddie said as he got the phone off the counter and dialed Nick's phone number.

"I'm gonna go get changed," Kelly said quietly before heading for her room.

Eddie nodded. "Okay." He said as he listened to the phone continue to ring.

Justin reached for Nick's phone in his pocket. He checked the caller ID before answering it. "Hey, Ed."

"Justin?" Eddie said confused. "I was sure I dialed Nick's number."

"You did. He went out with Mel and left his phone in my room. I took it just incase there was an emergency, or something."

"Oh." Eddie said and took a deep breath. "Well...I guess I could call Mel's phone then...cuz I really need to talk to him."

"Why? What's wrong?"

Eddie didn't say anything for a minute. "We believe Aaron is doing drugs. And I don't mean like pot or shit like that...strong stuff."

Justin sighed. "Nick had a feeling."

"We don't know what he's doing...and I mean he's like doing it...here in the house."

"Shit..."

"Can you call Nick and tell him. Cuz we REALLY need him here. I'm sorry if there is some stuff that makes him not want to come...but we can't do this on our own." Eddie said, sounding frustrated because he was at a total loss at what he was doing.

Justin sighed again. "Yeah. Yeah, man...I'll call him. I'm sorry about this, Eddie."

Eddie took a deep breath. "Don't be...nobody knew how bad he was."

"I'll call him right now, dawg...and we'll get back to you."

"Okay thanks, J. Talk to you in a little while."

"Later," Justin said before hanging up the phone.

Eddie hung up the phone and sighed. He hoped Justin could get a hold of Nick and convince him he needed to be back in LA.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Here, Nick," Mel said...handing her phone across the cafe table. "It's Justin."

"Thanks." Nick said with a smile as he took the phone from Mel. "Hey baby." He said cheerfully.

Justin took a deep breath. "Nick...we got a problem."

Nick's eyebrows scrunched up at Justin's tone. "What kind of a problem?"

"It's Aaron. Eddie's like...ninety-nine percent sure he's on something...and that he just did it in the house."

"Shit." Nick groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Do they know what?"

"No...Ed has no idea. But...he's kinda panicking...cuz he doesn't know how to deal with it."

Nick took a deep breath. "I'll call and get the first flight out. If he's desperate to use the shit in a house full of almost total strangers then he's in deep." He said knowing from personal experience.

Justin sighed quietly. "I think that's a good idea, baby."

"I guess I'll just see you when you get home after the Super Bowl." Nick said softly. He didn't want to go and was still worried about it but he was going to forget his fears for his brother.

"Yeah...I guess so. Just over a week...that's it."

"Can you call Ed back and tell him I'm on my way so I can call and arrange the flight?" Nick asked, trying to not feel sad that he didn't get to say goodbye to Justin.

"Yeah...of course. I'm glad you're going, Nick. Aaron needs you...and you can help take care of my girl, too."

Nick smiled a little. "I think she's fine with Ed."

Justin laughed. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Ahh yes she's safe with me cuz I wont bone her." Nick teased.

Justin laughed again. "Anyway...I have your phone...so whenever you wanna call me...or anyone else...just use the house phone."

"Oh right...yeah I'll do that. I'll call you when I get there. Or even when I get to the airport." Nick said with a sigh and took a deep breath. "I love you...and am going to miss you."

Justin smiled. "I know, Nicky. I love you, too...and I'm definitely gonna miss you. But...we'll both be hella busy...and the time'll fly."

"I know. I'll talk to you in a few hours." With that Nick hung up the phone before he would change his mind and told Mel what was going on and used her phone to call to get a flight.

Justin sighed quietly as he ended his call to Nick, then called Eddie back.

Eddie picked up his phone on the first ring. "Hey, J."

"Hey. It's all set. He's gonna get the next flight. By the time ya'll need to pick him up, it'll be mornin there...so I'll call you with the info then."

Eddie let out a sigh of relief. "Okay...that was quick I didn't expect you to call back that quickly."

"Me neither...but he didn't even think about it. He knows he needs to be with his brother."

"That's good cuz he need him." Eddie said as he notice somebody else was calling him. "Hold on a sec J...somebody else is callin." He said before switching lines. "Hello?"

"Hey Ed...it's Nick. I just called to give you my flight info." Nick said into the phone before he rattled off all the stuff.

Once she had washed up and dressed in her little pink shorts and tank top PJs, Kelly made her way back to the kitchen to see what was taking Eddie so long.

"Okay, thanks Nick...I've got it all down." Eddie said as he wrote down all the info on a memo pad Justin had next to the phone.

"Okay see you in a few hours then." Nick said with a sigh.

"Yup, in a few hours...bye man." Eddie then hung up with Nick and turned back to Justin. "Still there J?"

"Yeah...I'm here. So anyway...it's a long ass flight, so by the time he gets to LA...it'll actually be like...one in the afternoon, or so...right?"

Kelly walked over to lean against the counter...folding her arms over her chest as she watched Eddie.

"Yeah his flight will be in at 1:35 in the afternoon." Eddie said. "He was the one who just called and he told me that. He said actually pretty impressed that Nick was making his own flights and stuff.

Justin smiled to himself. "OK...good. So...ya'll are cool, now?"

Eddie laughed. "I think so. I wanna try and sleep now."

Kelly's heart fell a bit when she heard that...as she'd really been hoping to spend some quality time with Eddie.

Justin chuckled. "OK. Kiss my girl for me."

"Oh you don't even have to ask me." Eddie giggled. "Bye J...have a good rest of the day."

"Later, man. Thanks."

Eddie hung up the phone and took a deep breath. "Nick is on his way."

Kelly let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"I guess Justin didn't really have to convince him much at all...which is good."

Kelly nodded. "I'm sure he knows that as much as he wants to be with Justin, he should be here."

Just then Benny came wondering down the stairs since Aaron had been so out of if he had forgotten to put him in his cage or shut the door.

Eddie nodded. "Yeah you're probably right. I just hope he knows what to do once he's here."

"Me, too," Kelly agreed as she looked at the cat. "That thing needs to be in the cage."

Eddie turned to look at Benny who was sniffing around his new world. "Which means I have to take him into the danger zone." He said making a face at the thought of going back into Aaron's room.

"I'll do it," Kelly said as she stepped away from the counter.

Benny found a spot right under the sink by a heater vent and decided he would curl up there. So he was doing a few circles before he lied down with his paws tucked under his chest.

Kelly stopped and looked down at the cat. "Should we just leave him?"

Eddie smiled a little. "He looks pretty settled. But he might not be able to find his way back to his make shift litter box."

Kelly sighed and leaned down toward the cat. "So I'll take him up," she said...her tank top riding up a bit, and her tiny shorts down a bit as she bent over.

"Okay I'll head into your room and get ready." Eddie said heading out of the room.

Like Nick had said, Benny was a big lump and you could do anything to him and he could care less. He looked up at Kelly when he noticed her bending down to him and didn't mind at all when she picked him up.

Kelly lifted the cat off the floor, then put him back down right away when she realized he was much too heavy for her in her tender condition.

"Eddie..." she called toward her room. "...I can't lift the cat."

Eddie couldn't help but bust up laughing as he walked back down the hall to the kitchen. "Oh God that's funny." He said as he picked up Benny. "Come with me?"

"Don't make fun of me," Kelly said as she followed Eddie up the stairs. "I shouldn't be lifting, anyway."

"I know...It just sounded funny how you said it." Eddie giggled as they headed up the stairs and to Aaron's room. The door was open and he walked in and groaned at what he saw.

Aaron was passed out on top of his bed fully clothed and the drugs he had used were not put away anymore but out on top of the desk.

Obviously he hadn't been expecting to pass out.

Kelly folded her arms over her chest again...as if to cover herself in her tiny pajamas... as she looked into the room from the hallway...not wanting to go in.

Eddie took Benny to the bathroom and shut the door thinking he could roam the bathroom at night and he would be okay. He then walked over to the drugs on the table and looked down it. It was a white powder so he automatically suspected cocaine but he took some on his finger and tasted it making a face.

"Coke?" Kelly asked from her spot in the hallway.

"No." Eddie said as he tried to place what it was. He took a deep breath. "I'm thinking either crystal meth or powdered H." He said shaking his head as he glanced over at the teen on the bed.

"Jesus Christ," Kelly breathed out.

He turned to walk towards the bed. He wasn't too surprised to notice that Aaron had thrown up on himself a little and his eyes were rolled back in his head. He was still breathing but not as well as he should be. "Kel...I think you need to call 911."

Kelly's arms dropped, and she made her way into the room. "What?"

"He ODed." Eddie simply said as he checked Aaron's pulse.

"What the fuck..." Kelly mumbled...going straight to the phone to dial 911.

"God, you stupid kid." Eddie exclaimed as he turned Aaron on his side as he started to puke again as he was passed out. His body rejecting the amount of drugs that was in his system.

Kelly looked at Eddie nervously once she hung up the phone. "They're on their way."

Eddie turned to Kelly. "I'm sorry, baby...that you have to be a part of this." He said feeling terrible since she herself wasn't perfectly healthy yet.

"It's OK. I'm...umm...gonna go open the door...and put some clothes on."

"Okay." Eddie said as he looked down at Aaron again.

Kelly quickly left the room, and went downstairs to put on some sweats and a t-shirt over her PJs, and then unlocked the door and waited for the paramedics.

Only like two minutes after Kelly had called, the paramedics were at the house and running up the front steps.

"Up the stairs," Kelly directed the paramedics as they blew by her.

The paramedics ran up the stairs and saw Eddie standing in the doorway. They ran right to Aaron and started to work on him talking back and forth to each other.

Eddie stepped out into the hall but watched from the door. His stomach was in knots. It wasn't fair that a kid was going through something like this.

Kelly remained at the bottom of the stairs...not wanting to see what was going on up in the bedroom.

After another five minutes the paramedics finally had Aaron on a stretcher and were carrying him out of the room and down the stairs.

Eddie followed them down and then went right to Kelly wrapping his arms around her. He knew it probably wasn't easy for her to see this especially since neither of them knew if the kid was going to be okay.

"One of you can ride with us if you want." One of the paramedics said.

Eddie shook his head. "We'll follow behind." He said not sure if Kelly would want to go at all.

"Are we even allowed?" Kelly questioned. "We're not family."

"From what Mr. Morales said upstairs you're the only two people he knows in town." The same paramedic said.

Eddie nodded his head. "That is correct."

"Then I think you would be okay." The paramedic said before he quickly ran out of the house after his friend who was putting Aaron in the ambulance.

"Go with him, Ed," Kelly said quickly. "He shouldn't be alone."

"Are you sure?" Eddie asked turning to look at Kelly quickly. "We were supposed to spend time together tonight."

"You said you were gonna go to bed, anyway."

Eddie got a confused look on his face. "I did?"

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...but...it doesn't matter right now, anyway. We can't let him go alone."

"I know." Eddie said as he turned to look out the open door again. "I'm sorry." He said as he leaned in to give Kelly a soft kiss on the lips. "I'll call you in the morning to tell you what's been going on."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...OK."

One of the paramedics came running back up the steps. "Are either of you coming with us?"

Eddie nodded his head as he let go of Kelly. "I am." He said after taking a deep breath. With one last wave he ran down the steps after the paramedic and got into the back of the ambulance with Aaron.

Kelly watched the ambulance pull away, then went back into the house.

~~~~~~~~~

Eddie walked out into the waiting room area and picked up the phone. It was now almost nine in the morning and he finally had news to tell Kelly. Dialing the number he leaned back against the wall and waited.

Kelly groaned as she reached for her phone on the nightstand. She'd only just fallen asleep two hours before. "Hello?"

"Hey, baby." Eddie said sounding just as tired since he hadn't slept at all yet.

Kelly struggled to sit up when she heard Eddie's voice. "Hey..."

Eddie ran a tired hand over his head. "The doctor just now came out and told me what is going on..."

"So...what's up? How is he?"

Closing his eyes, Eddie took a deep breath. "What he took was Crystal Meth and he took a LOT of it..." He paused and shook his head. "From what they could tell is that he's been doing it for at least a few months now. He's in a coma, Kel." He said the last part quietly his voice braking a little. "They don't know when or if he'll ever wake up."

Kelly gasped quietly. She was shocked. "Oh my God."

"Are you okay picking Nick up alone?"

"Yeah...I guess so," Kelly answered as she reached up to rub her eyes. "My God...how am I gonna tell him?"

Eddie thought about that for a second. "Do you think I should call Justin and warn him first? Cuz I have a feeling Nick is going to have a really hard time."

"I think we should let Nick tell him. I don't wanna call him and make him all nervous before Nick even knows what's going on."

"I think you're right." Eddie said with a sigh.

"Yeah. You OK?"

"As good as I can be know that one of our best friend's baby brother is possibly dying." Eddie said as a few tears came to his eyes. "I just think of how it could be Manny ya know."

Kelly sighed. "Yeah, baby...I know."

"But I should probably go. I wanna go sit with him just in case he does wake up and I can't have my phone in there."

"Yeah...you should."

"Bye baby." Eddie said before he hung up the phone and headed back to Aaron's room.

Kelly sighed as she hung up her phone...tears in her eyes. She had no idea what to think about the whole situation.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Nick walked quickly down the same stairs Aaron had only hours before towards the baggage claim. He hiked his backpack up onto his back more and took his headphones off his head as he walked to his airlines area.

Kelly was waiting outside the baggage claim exit...leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest.

After what seemed like forever, Nick finally saw his bags going around and picked them up. Once he had everything situated in his arms he began to look around for Eddie or Kelly.

Kelly saw Nick come outside and pushed away from the wall. "Nick," she called...starting after him.

Nick turned his head when he heard the familiar voice call his name. He smiled big and walked over to Kelly. "Hey girl." He said as he put his bags down to give her a big hug.

Kelly let herself get wrapped in Nick's arms...taking the time to get herself together. She didn't know how she was going to break that news to him. "Hey, baby. How was your flight?"

"Long." Nick laughed as he pulled back a little but still hugging Kelly. "It's a lot more fun when you aren't alone."

Kelly smiled. "Yeah. I know."

"Where's Ed?" Nick asked as he looked around trying to see if he could spot the other familiar face.

"I came alone," Kelly said...running a hand through her hair.

"Oh right, probably needed somebody to stay behind and make sure Aaron didn't do something stupid." Nick laughed shaking his head. "My dumb brother."

Kelly nodded quickly. "Yeah. Umm...let's go to the car," she said...taking the keys to Eddie's truck out of her pocket, and picking up one of Nick's bags.

Nick smiled at Kelly. "Thanks." He said, glad she had picked up the light one knowing at least two guys who would give him crap for making her lift something to heavy.

Kelly was quiet throughout the walk to the parking lot...and as she opened the car and put the bag in.

Nick threw his bags in next to the one Kelly had and then turned to look at the young woman. "Okay....something is wrong."

Kelly nodded and took a deep breath as she leaned against the truck. She knew she had to tell him. "Yeah...something IS wrong, Nick. It's...it's Aaron."

Nick swallowed hard as he watched Kelly's body language and automatically knew whatever it was, wasn't good at all. "Oookay..."

"He...umm. He's at the hospital. Eddie's with him..."

"What happened?" Nick asked softly as he opened the passenger side door of the truck and got in.

Kelly took a deep breath as she walked around the car to get in herself. Once she sat back in the seat, she looked over at Nick. "He OD'd...on meth...last night."

Nick's big blue eyes got wide and tears pooled at the bottom of them but he wouldn't let them fall. "Is...he okay?" He asked softly.

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. He's...he's in a coma right now. The doctors are just waiting."

Nick felt sick to his stomach and closed his eyes tightly trying to make everything just go away. "Take me there...please." He practically whispered.

Kelly nodded...then quickly buckled up and started the car.

Nick was silent the whole ride to the hospital. He couldn't believe since he had talked to Eddie just hours before that his little brother had been hospitalized.

A half hour had passed by the time they finally made it to the hospital, and Kelly parked the car. She pulled a piece of paper out of the cup holder and read over it. "He's on the fourth floor...room four fifteen."

"Are you coming with me?" Nick asked as he took the piece of paper from Kelly.

Kelly swallowed hard. "Ummm...you want me to?" She wasn't sure she was ready to be back in the hospital just yet, but she wanted to be there for her friend.

Nick shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want to burden anybody. "Nah...you don't gota. I mean what good will it do anyways if he's in a coma." He said sounding way too calm as he opened the door and got out. "Thanks for the ride."

Kelly pulled the keys out of the ignition and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Wait...I'll come."

"You don't have to." Nick said again.

"I want to," Kelly said...getting out of the car and walking around to meet Nick.

A look of relief flashed over Nick's face as he walked with Kelly into the hospital. "Okay...but only if you're sure."

Kelly nodded as she took Nick's hand. "I am."

Once they took the elevator up to the fourth floor, Nick was getting nervous. He HATED hospitals but even more so when it was a loved one that was in them. Taking a deep breath he toughened up and walked with Kelly down to room four fifteen.

Kelly let go of Nick's hand once they were outside Aaron's door...letting him take his time in going in alone.

Nick slowly opened Aaron's door but had to back up quickly shaking his head as the tears finally started falling like crazy from his eyes. "No." He whispered as he backed up across the hall not wanting to go inside.

"Go ahead," Kelly said quietly. "Eddie's in there."

Eddie had already gotten up and was walking out into the hall. "Hey Nick...come on it's okay." He said reaching his hand out for his friend to take.

Nick shook his head again as the tears continued to fall from his eyes. If he actually went in and saw Aaron lying there lifeless in the bed then it was real. It was real that his brother was dying...the last family member he had that cared for him.

Kelly put a hand on Nick's arm. "He needs you, honey. You're all he has."

Sobbing, Nick nodded his head and tried to stand up straight and look strong when in reality he wanted to fall down and curl up into a little ball. Without another word to Eddie or Kelly he walked into Aaron's room and took a seat by his bed.

Kelly's eyes filled with tears as she watched Nick disappear into the room.

Eddie wrapped his arms around Kelly from behind and sighed. "If that boy doesn't survive we're going to have a major problem." He said softly.

Kelly nodded with a sniffle as a few of her tears spilled over.

"I don't know how to help him." Eddie said with a sigh as he watched Nick falling apart right before their eyes.

"I don't know if we can."

"Somebody needs to call Justin."

"Do you think he should hear it form Nick?"

Eddie nodded his head as he watched Nick sob in the chair next to his brother's bed. "Yeah...he should and I think just hearing Justin's voice might help some."

Kelly nodded. "Probably. But he probably needs some time alone with Aaron, first."

"Unless it's just making things worse." Eddie said with a sigh and shook his head. "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing."

"None of us do."

Eddie was about to respond when out of the corner of his eye he saw Nick move quickly in the room and then the distinct sound of somebody getting sick was heard. "Christ...why can't we get a fucking break!" He exclaimed getting frustrated.

Kelly looked up at Eddie with wide eyes...wondering what they should do.

Eddie let go of Kelly and walked into the room and straight for the bathroom. Nick was balling his eyes out as he rested his head on the toilet seat. "Hey...Nick come on let's go get you calmed down a bit and then you can come back and see Aaron." He suggested knowing Nick was going to hurt himself if he didn't get calmed down.

Nick didn't say anything but let Eddie help him up and get him a cup of water to wash his mouth out. Once he was a little more presentable they both walked back out into the hall where Kelly still was.

Kelly looked at Nick with sad eyes. "Baby...are you alright?"

"No." Nick whispered as he walked away from them and went to sit over on a chair that was part of a small waiting room.

Eddie sighed and ran a hand over his head he then walked over to Nick. Taking his cell phone out he got Justin's number and pushed send before putting it to Nick's head.

Still sobbing, Nick tried to give the phone back to Eddie but Eddie shook his head firmly.

Justin's phone rang a few times before his voicemail finally answered...as he was in the middle of a show.

Nick shoved the phone back at Eddie. "It's ten o'clock in Spain...not leave me the fuck alone!" He exclaimed before lying down on the chair and curling up in a little ball.

Eddie's eyes went wide and it took him a lot to not yell back at Nick. But he knew he was hurting so he just backed off.

Kelly shed a few more tears as she stared at Eddie helplessly.

"He needs to talk to Justin." Eddie said, knowing he was the only person who could get Nick to calm down at least a little.

"But he can't right now."

Eddie nodded. "Exactly...which means we get to just sit back and watch.

Kelly shook her head and let a few more tears fall. "This is awful."

"I know." Eddie said as he wrapped his arms around Kelly again. "Why hadn't I just taken the fucking drugs from him since I knew he was doing it!"

"You tried, baby."

"No I didn't...I left and came downstairs."

"But what could you do?"

"Taken them away so he couldn't of had them to overdose on them." Eddie said softly, totally blaming himself for what had happened.

"Eddie...he was gonna do it regardless. He probably had more. And if not...he would have gotten it somewhere."

Eddie sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe." He whispered.

"For sure."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Justin didn't get a chance to check his messages until he got back to his hotel room after the show. When he noticed a missed call from Eddie's cell phone, he dialed the number back...wondering what was going on at home.

Eddie felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and quickly took it out. It was almost three hours later and Nick was still sitting in the waiting room either sobbing or staring off into space and he and Kelly were pretty much forced to sit and watch him fall apart. Looking at the caller ID he let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God." he said quietly as he flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. "Hey, J." He said in a tone of voice that sounded shaken and beyond tired.

Justin heard Eddie's voice and knew something was wrong. "Ed? What's up? What's goin on?"

Eddie knew he and Kelly said that Nick should be the one to break the news but right now he had a feeling Justin had the right to know before he handed the phone to his terribly upset boyfriend. "Aaron was admitted into the hospital early this morning." He started...

Justin's breath caught in his throat as he sat on the bed. "He...what?"

"He ODed on Chrystal meth. Kelly and I had to call 911 and they rushed him here." Eddie continued.

"Oh my God." Justin's voice was breathless. He was in shock. "Umm...where's Nick?"

Eddie took a deep breath as he looked at the shaking man across the room. "Sitting with us falling apart." He said softly.

"I need to talk to him," Justin whispered.

"I was hoping you would say that." Eddie said as he got up from where he was sitting and walked to Nick. He kneeled down next to him a little scared to say anything since Nick had blown up at him earlier. "Hey Nick...Justin is on the phone and he wants to talk to you." He said gently.

Nick just continued to sob and hiccup he hadn't even heard what Eddie had said.

Eddie took a deep breath, the phone still to his ear. "J, I'm going to put the phone by his ear...say something to him, okay?"

Justin swallowed hard...silently praying he could handle the situation. "Yeah."

Eddie did what he said and put the phone to Nick's ear and waited.

"Nick...?" Justin started quietly...then took a deep breath. "Nick...it's me, baby. It's Justin."

Eddie watched as Nick's breath got caught in his throat obviously registering Justin's voice. He continued to hold the phone by Nick's ear hoping that maybe the younger man would say something.

Nick licked his lips. "J...Justin..." He said in a raspy whisper.

"Yeah...it's me," Justin responded. "Are you OK, baby?"

Nick reached up with shaking hands to take the phone from Eddie. "No." He whispered in response to Justin's question.

Eddie smiled a little and backed up. He reached for Kelly's hand once he was across the room and slowly led her out of the waiting room waiting to give Nick some space.

Kelly took a look over at Nick as she walked out of the room with Eddie. Her heart was breaking for her friend.

"What happened, Nick?" Justin asked in a quiet, calm tone.

"Aaron..." Nick started and then cleared his throat. "He...he's in a coma..."

Justin swallowed again. "In...a coma?"

"Y...yeah..." Nick licked his lips again. "T...they don't think he's gunna make it." He whispered as he started to break down again.

"What? They don't think..." Justin paused to collect himself. "Why don't they think he's gonna make it?"

"I...if he doesn't wake up in a few days. He probably brain damage...like bad." Nick whispered as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes but they kept coming and coming.

Justin took a long, deep breath. "Listen to me, Nick. I know you're gonna argue with me, but I'm telling you right now. If he's not awake by this time tomorrow, I'm coming home."

"But you can't..." Nick whispered. "You didn't come home for Kelly...she was like family and it was yur baby."

Justin sighed. Nick was right. "I know...but..."

Nick took a deep breath. "I would be lying if I didn't say I would like you home...but I would never ask you to."

"Well...let's just see what happens, OK?" Justin knew that going home and skipping the rest of his tour...and the SuperBowl...would be a bad move on his part...but he was torn.

"Don't come home." Nick said even though it was obvious he was crying again. "I'll be here when you get home in less then a week. Everybody is couting on you."

Justin sighed. "We're dropping it for now," he said...then cleared his throat. "How's Aaron now? You're talking to him and stuff, right?"

Nick bit his lower lip and shook his head even though Justin was miles and miles away and couldn't see it. "I kinda lost it...Eddie had to take me out of the room...at least I think that's what happened...I don't really remember." He sniffled.

"Nicky...I know it's hard, baby...but...Aaron needs you right now. Now...I don't know much about this shit, but I know that when people are in comas, then can hear what you say, and feel you touch them, and stuff. You should be in with him doing all that. He need to know you're there...and you love him."

"I know." Nick whispered. "I...it was just so much of a shock. I had NO idea when I got off the plane this afternoon that this had happened."

"It must have happened while you were traveling."

"Probably....I haven't had much of a chance to talk to Eddie or Kelly about it." Nick said with a sigh. "God...I'm such a baby..."

"No...you're not. You're just scared," Justin said calmly...soothingly. "But...right now you need to be strong for Aaron. He's so weak and vulnerable...and he needs you."

"You know being strong isn't really my biggest strong suite." Nick mumbled. "I"m better at being the pussy who cries all the time and freaks out at every little thing."

"Don't say that," Justin said...his voice taking on a slightly firm tone. "Now stop thinking about yourself, Nick...and get in there and be with your baby brother."

Nick's jaw clenched. "Gee, thanks a lot." He said in a sarcastic tone. "You're big help." He exclaimed, not realizing deep down that it was really the total opposite. Justin WAS helping him.

Justin sighed...trying not to take Nick's attitude personally. "The only reason why I'm NOT helping is because you're not letting me," he said strongly.

"Not much help you can do when yur miles away." Nick spat out quickly before he realized what he was saying and once he had he regretted it like crazy. "Oh shit...baby...I'm sorry." he whispered, tearing up again knowing he fucked up.

Justin said...forcing himself to stop his own tears and keep his cool. "Yeah...you're right. Not much I can do from the other side of the world, is there? Some boyfriend."

"Honey....I really am sorry." Nick sniffled. "You are helping me. Just talking to me. I didn't mean it. You are a great boyfriend. Don't listen to me I'm just being shitty I don't know what I'm saying."

Justin sniffled quickly...still refusing to cry. "No...you're right. I should be on the next plane out. Fuck the tour...fuck the SuperBowl...fuck everything."

Nick's heart melted hearing Justin say that. "I love you." He whispered. "So damn much. You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that."

Justin sighed again...taking a deep breath. "I'll talk to Johnny. He'll have my ass...cuz it'll make him look bad...but I'll do it...if that's what you want."

Nick swallowed hard. "Of course I want you home." He whispered. "But only if YOU want to. Cuz I do know you love me and that I'm important so don’t feel like you have to do this to prove that to me or anything. But I also know that your shows are important and everything else you do. So please don't do this unless YOU want to."

"I don't know what the hell I want," Justin said with a sigh. He felt obligated to be in both places...and didn't know what to do. He also knew that Nick had been right about the Kelly thing. How could he go home to see Aaron if he hadn't gone home for the loss of his own child? Granted...Kelly hadn't wanted him to go home...and Nick did...so there was a difference. But it still sucked. "Let's go with my original plan. Let's see how he is in a day or so."

Nick smiled a little. "Okay...that sounds good." He then thought about something. "This is a really shitty thing to talk about right now but I just realized that umm...well." He paused. "Nevermind."

"What, Nick?" Justin prodded.

"Who's payin for this." Nick whispered. "The hospital stay...and well I have a feeling once he's well enough physically...he's gunna have to go some place for the addiction..."

"Don't worry about anything, OK? Just worry about helping Aaron through this."

"Okay...and I know this is kind of a dumb thing to say but....Don't worry about us. Cuz we're okay. Just worry about what you have to do." Nick knew saying that was pretty much pointless cuz he remembered how Justin was when Kelly had been in the hospital. Granted somebody’s brother who he never had met was a little different...but still.

"OK. And...don't worry about calling me all the time, OK? Just if there's a major change or you need to talk to me. I want all your attention on Aaron. Kelly and Ed will keep me updated.

"I'll try...cuz it's not easy to sit and watch somebody who is just lying there and waiting for them to wake up." Nick said softly.

"I know...so try and get yourself some rest too...OK? I'm sure they'll give you a cot and let you stay with him twenty-four seven."

"Yeah...even though it might be nice to go home and sleep in my own bed...at least once." Nick said with a small smile trying to not let himself get down. "I might go snuggle up in your big huge bed...as long as it's okay with you that is."

Justin smiled. "Of course."

Nick took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm ready for life to be normal again." He said with a sigh. "Then again I'm not really sure what that is anymore."

"Me neither, baby."

"Well...I at least want my friends and family safe and healthy. I want things to calm down a bit so you don't have to be constantly stressed and worried about what is going on here." Nick said knowing Justin would be doing just that.

"Just...don't worry about me, OK? You think about Aaron...and you...that's it."

Nick smiled a little. "You know I can't stop thinking about you."

"THINK about me...don't WORRY about me."

The smile on Nick's face got even bigger. "You thinkin about me?" He asked with a sexual tone to his voice. He was just trying to be silly and take at least a few more minutes to just be silly before he had to go back and face the music.

Justin took a deep breath. He didn't want Nick to get off topic. "Knock it off, Nick. You need to be serious right now. Your brother's in a coma and you haven't even been with him."

"And I never said I wasn't going to go be with him." Nick stated. "But yeah...I'll knock it off." He said in a weird tone of voice.

"I didn't indicate you said that. You just...you need to be with him now, Nick."

"Yeah...well I was just trying to joke around at least for a second to get myself loose enough to not break down again when I go in and see him." Nick said with a sigh.

Justin sighed, too. "Look, Nick...I'm not trying to upset you or piss you off. You just...you need to do this."

"I know you aren't." Nick started. "I just get really moody when I'm scared and unsure of things. I'm sorry."

"You're strong enough to handle this, Nick. I know you are."

Nick took a deep breath. "I hope so."

"I know so," Justin said quietly.

"Thank you for calling and talking with me." Nick whispered feeling sad that he would have to hang up the phone soon.

"Any time. Now...don't forget. Call if you need to talk, or whatever...but I want you to stay focused on your brother...OK?"

"Love you." Nick whispered again.

"I love you, too."

Hearing Justin say that still made Nick smile like crazy each time. "Well, guess I should head back now. I'll hold down the fort here and make sure everything is all cool for when you get home." He said as he tried to be strong cuz he knew everybody was counting on him to do so.

"Alright, Nicky. Tell Aaron I said hi, OK?"

"Tell, Marty and Mel I say hi too. And everybody else. I miss all you guys." Nick said honestly. He had only been home for a few hours but missed the body guards and the crew members he had gotten to know.

"We miss you, too...and I miss you guys. Kiss my girl for me...OK?" Justin didn't even realize he was telling Nick the same thing he'd already told Eddie. He really did miss Kelly badly.

"If I wasn't best friends with her I would so have to be jealous. Cuz only *I* can be your girl." Nick giggled.

"That's twisted," Justin said with a small laugh.

Nick giggled again. "Okay, I'll settle with being you're boy. Kel can be your girl."

"Deal."

Nick took a deep breath. "Okay, now I really am leaving. Love you so much." He made a kissing noise in the phone the smile still on his face.

"Bye, baby."

"Buh bye." With that Nick hung up the phone and took a deep shaky breath. He felt so much stronger when talking to Justin but he knew he had to keep that in his mind as he got up to look for Eddie to give him his phone back.

Eddie and Kelly were sitting in two chairs right outside of Aaron's room talking quietly.

Nick made his way over to the pair and handed Eddie his phone. "Thanks." He said with a small smile.

Smiling back, Eddie took the phone. "Feelin better?"

"Yeah...I am." Nick answered with a nod.

Kelly took a deep breath. "How’d Justin take the news?"

"He's going to be spending the next week worrying like crazy...of course." Nick said as he leaned back against the wall next to them. "But he really helped me."

"I knew he would." Eddie said sounding quiet proud of himself.

"I’m glad you got to talk to him," Kelly said...then stood up and stretched a bit.

"Oh yeah he told me to do this." Nick giggled as he moved so he was in front of Kelly and gave her a big hard kiss on the lips even letting his tongue move into her mouth a little before pulling back, giggling. He knew Justin didn't like that he was being goofy but that was how he helped get on with what he had to do.

Kelly widened her eyes and looked at Nick as soon as he pulled back from the kiss. "What the hell..."

Eddie's eyes were just wide. He wasn't even sure what to say to that.

Nick blushed a little. "Justin told me to kiss you for him...so I thought hey if I'm gunna do it...might as well really do it." He giggled.

Kelly laughed a bit...her hand reaching up to wipe over her mouth. "I don’t think he would have kissed me like THAT."

"I would hope not." Nick smiled. "Cuz I would have to get all jealous."

Eddie laughed shaking his head. "You are insane, Carter."

Kelly took a deep breath and folded her arms over her chest...getting serious again. "So...are you gonna go in?"

Nick nodded his head. "Yeah...why don't you guys go home and get something to eat and rest a little. I know you must be tired."

Kelly reached out a hand to touch Nick’s arm. "Are you gonna be OK?"

Nick nodded his head again. "Yeah...I'm going to be fine...I just kinda gota do this on my own." He said hoping his friends didnt' feel like he was kicking them out and didn't appriciate them.

Eddie smiled a little. "Okay...but we're just a phone call away ya know. If you need us just call and we'll be here in a flash."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...call whenever, OK?"

"Okay." Nick said as he gave both of his friends a big hug. "Thank you both so much. You two are great." He said before he walked into Aaron's room and right over to the chair by his bed.

After making sure Eddie was tucked comfortably into her bed and had fallen asleep, Kelly took a long, hot bath...then dressed in some pajama shorts and a tank top before making her way to the laundry room to wash some clothes. After that, she talked to Mel on the phone, then curled up on the couch to watch a movie...and managed to get about an hour of sleep herself. Getting restless, she finally headed back to the laundry room to fold some of the clothes she’d washed.

Rubbing his eyes like a little boy, Eddie padded his way into the laundry room where he heard a radio playing. "Watcha doing?" He asked with a yawn.

Kelly turned to look toward the doorway as she neatly folded a t-shirt. "Hey," she said with a small smile. "I was wondering how much longer you were gonna sleep."

"How long as it been?" Eddie asked still sounding half asleep and a little unsure of his surroundings.

Kelly shrugged. "Like...five or six hours. It’s almost nine o’clock."

Eddie's eyes went wide. "Damn, no wonder i feel so groggy." He said with another yawn. His body desperately trying to wake up.

Kelly chuckled softly...putting the t-shirt in a laundry basket, and reaching into the dryer for something else to fold. "Go back to bed if you’re still tired."

"I'm not really tired. I think I slept too much now my time clock is all screwed up." Eddie explained as a hand went to scratch his bare chest.

Kelly’s eyes followed Eddie’s hand to his chest, then moved back up to his sleepy face as she folded a pair of pajama pants. "You sure?"

"Positive." Eddie said as he stood there totally forgetting he was only in his boxer shorts that were hanging low on his hips.

Kelly turned her attention back to getting the laundry folded. "You can go home if you want, ya know. I’ll be fine by myself. I’m a big girl."

"I don't wana go home." Eddie said. "I mean what if Nick calls us. We should both be in the same place ya know."

Kelly shrugged...leaning into the dryer to pull the underwear and socks out of the bottom, and add them to pile of clothes in the basket. "If you think so."

Eddie thought about that for a minute. "I can go if you want me to."

Kelly glanced over at Eddie before opening the washing machine to put the load into the dryer. "I didn’t say that."

"Maybe not in those words but you seem to be trying to think of reasons why I should leave." Eddie pointed out.

Kelly stopped what she was doing and leaned her hip against the machine as she looked over at Eddie. "No...I’m not. I want you to stay...I just don’t want you to feel like you HAVE to."

"I want to stay." Eddie said simply.

Kelly smiled. "OK...good."

Eddie watched Kelly for a minute. "I should make you do MY laundry too." He teased.

Kelly laughed with a shrug as she went back to transferring the wet clothes into the dryer. "I wouldn’t mind. It would give me something to do."

"You could stop with the clothes and kiss me." Eddie giggled wiggling his eyebrows. Ever since he woke up he was in a mood.

Kelly laughed again. "Jesus, Ed...can I finish what I’m doing?"

Eddie bit his lower lip and pretended to think about that. "Ohh...I guess if you must."

"I must." Kelly was quiet as she finished loading the dryer, tossed in a fabric softner sheet, then turned it on.

While Kelly worked on the clothes, Eddie had taken a seat on a stool in the corner of the room and was patiently waiting.

Kelly finished up with the clothes, then took a deep breath as she turned to look at Eddie. "OK...so...what are we gonna do now?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "How about we talk about what is going on. Because I know you're holding things back that you need to get out."

Kelly leaned back against the dryer and folded her arms in front of her protectively. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on Kel. You sent me right to bed the second we got home. And now you are still acting really distant. That isn't like you."

"I sent you to bed because you were up for like...a day straight...and you needed some sleep."

Eddie sighed. "Okay...whatever." He said as he got up off the stool. "I'm going to go put some pants on." He said before walking out of the room.

Kelly watched Eddie leave the room, then sighed a shaky sigh as she, too, left the laundry room and made her way to the kitchen. Once there, she opened the refrigerator and leaned in to look for something to make for dinner.

Eddie walked to Kelly's room and found his pants on a chair and put them on. He then put his wife beater back on and walked to the kitchen not realizing that was where Kelly was. He walked past her though and grabbed a cup to fill it with water.

Kelly took a deep breath as she closed the fridge and opened the freezer. "Is frozen pizza OK?" she asked...having heard Eddie in the kitchen. "I don’t feel like cooking."

"Fine." Eddie said simply as he filled his cup with water from the water cooler.

Kelly took the pizza out of the freezer and set it on the counter, then turned the oven on to preheat. Once that was done, she slowly walked over to where Eddie was standing at the water cooler, stepped behind him, and pressed her forehead against his back. "Don’t be mad at me," she said in a near whisper.

Eddie sighed. "I'm not mad at you." He whispered back.

"Yes you are," Kelly said...not moving away from Eddie. "You just walked out on me...and now...you’re not speaking to me."

"I just feel overwhelmed so I’m being moody." Eddie replied as he rested back against Kelly a little.

Kelly slid her arms around Eddie’s waist and joined her hands at his stomach. "You’re mad because I’m not talking."

"A little." Eddie admitted as he let his own hands go to rest on Kelly's.

"I don’t know what you want me to talk about, though."

"I want to know how you're feeling about what you saw last night." Eddie whispered. "That was really traumatic and hard to see."

Kelly nodded against Eddie’s back. "Yeah...it was. I’ve been trying to block it out...cuz it was horrible."

Eddie nodded his head too. "Yeah...I still think it was all a dream."

"I’m sorry I wasn’t like...I don’t know...more involved. I just...I couldn’t."

"I totally understand." Eddie said as he spun around in Kelly's arms so he was looking at her. "You were there this afternoon."

Kelly nodded. "I had to be...for Nick. But...I wasn’t there for YOU last night...cuz I freaked. And...I’m sorry for that."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I was okay"

Kelly moved her hands to run them up and down Eddie’s arms. "I know you were...but still."

"Seeing Nick this afternoon was hard though." Eddie admitted.

Kelly nodded. "You should have seen his face when I told him."

"The poor guy." Eddie sighed.

"I’m sure he’s handling things better now that he talked to Justin. Justin has a way with people that are infatuated with him...trust me."

Eddie had to laugh at that. "I will take your word on that."

Kelly giggled quietly as she buried her face in Eddie’s chest. "Thanks."

"You know when I went to the bathroom?" Eddie started. "I overheard some of Nick and Justin's conversation. I think Justin was actually saying he would cancel the tour and the Superbowl and come back if Aaron doesn't wake up by tomorrow."

Kelly pulled her head back to look up at Eddie. "What did you hear that made you think that?"

"I just heard Nick say something like how he can't come home cuz it wouldn't be right if he comes home for this and didn't for you." Eddie said softly.

"Oh," was all Kelly said before burying her face in Eddie’s chest again.

"We really gota stop spending time in hospitals." Eddie said as he hugged kelly.

Kelly nodded her head, then pulled back from Eddie when the preheat timer on the over went off. She walked to the other side of the kitchen, took the pizza out of the box, and put it in the oven.

"He's going to be okay though." Eddie said with a nod of his head as he leaned back against the counter.

"He has to be," Kelly said as she put the pizza box in the trash. "He’s so...young."

"And very stupid." Eddie grumbled shaking his head.

"Yeah...definitely," Kelly agreed with a nod. "But...I mean...those kids DID have a rough childhood."

Eddie thought about something. "Nick mentioned he had sisters too....are they okay?"

Kelly nodded. "As far as I know. It's just Nick that the parents disowned...and they started to do the same with Aaron since he wants a relationship with Nick."

Eddie made a face. "That is really cold."

"Yeah...tell me about it," Kelly said distantly as she reached up on her tiptoes to get some plates out of the cupboard.

"I'm glad he was here though...when this happened. I think he has a better chance of turning out okay."

"You're probably right."

"Just I wish he would have waited at least a few days to do it." Eddie laughed a little. "At least then we would of known the kid."

Kelly nodded...folding her arms over her chest again as she leaned against the counter. "Yeah...it was kind of awkward...especially for you, I'm sure."

"I'm glad Nick was coming though. Even before this happened."

"Yeah...definitely. Thank goodness."

Eddie was quiet for a second as things started to come into his head. "Do you find it strange that he had so much money?"

"Not anymore. I mean...I'm sure he was dealing," Kelly said as she went over to take a seat at the small table in the breakfast nook area of the kitchen.

"Did Nick ever say anything about addiction problems in the family?" Eddie asked, trying to find out all he could so he knew what to tell the doctors.

Kelly shrugged. "I think Nick used to do some shit back in his partying days, but I don't know how bad it was," she said as she crossed her left leg over her right under the table...her tiny pajama shorts riding up her leg a bit. "Hopefully he'll be honest with the people at the hospital."

Eddie bit his lower lip as he noticed Kelly's shorts riding up. "Yeah...but then again with the live style he was leading back then it would have been hard for him not to at least do something."

Kelly nodded. "So it might not have been an addiction like it is with Aaron."

"And if it was he sure as hell cleaned up his act." Eddie said as he tried to get his gaze from Kelly's legs but he couldn't seem to move.

"Yeah...that's true," Kelly said as she subconsciously uncrossed her legs, and her right one started bouncing up and down...a bit of a nervous habit. "I mean...he really is a great guy."

"Do you find it a little weird how it seems that Nick Carter has found his way into all our hearts so quickly?" Eddie asked as he finally joined Kelly at the table.

Kelly shrugged her shoulders. "Yes and I no. I mean...SO much has happened SO fast this past month or so that I'm not surprised. And he seems like a genuinely nice guy."

"Good point." Eddie said with a nod of his head.

Kelly leaned back in her chair and just studied Eddie for a bit.

Eddie watched Kelly looking at him and then looked down at himself before looking back at Kelly. "What?"

Kelly chuckled. "Nuthin."

Eddie cocked an eyebrow. "Why ya lookin at me like that then?"

Kelly laughed a bit louder. "What? You're hot. Can't I enjoy the sight?"

"I'm just wearing sweat pants. How hot can that be?"

"You have no idea."

"Well...I like those little shorts." Eddie said with a smirk as he looked down at Kelly's thighs again.

Kelly laughed...blushing a bit as her eyes moved away from Eddie's face and down to the table. "Stop. They're pajamas."

Eddie smiled. "I like um." He said moving his gaze back to her face too knowing with the mood he woke up in earlier he didn't need to be looking at that.

Kelly's eyes met Eddie's again. "Are you still gonna have your braids done again tomorrow?"

"I kept the appointment and will go unless something happens with Aaron." Eddie said not realizing how much he actually bonded with the boy when he had spent the night in the hospital.

Even though he hadn't been awake it was like something happened.

Kelly nodded. "You should take them out tonight...and give your scalp a good scrub," she suggested...sliding to the edge of her chair and leaning toward Eddie so that one of his legs was between hers. "Although...there's nothing wrong with the way you wash the braids by rubbing some shampoo over your do-rag and rinsing," she added with a laugh...carefully taking the white do-rag that he was currently wearing off his head to examine the braids.

"What...you don't think that works?" Eddie laughed as he let Kelly examine his braids. He always felt kinda naked when he didn't have the do-rag on but he didn't say anything.

"No...it does," Kelly said with a chuckle as she reached a hand up to touch a couple of the braids. "I mean...your hair always smells good...and you never have dandruff, or anything."

"I must be special then." Eddie laughed again.

"Or just clean."

Eddie giggled. "Or that...but yeah I should probably take them out. And turn into a poofball." He said making a face knowing his hair stuck out all over the place in a mess when it just got the braids out.

Kelly let her hand drift down to the back of Eddie's neck as she giggled quietly. "Yeah...you DO have some crazy-ass hair."

"I sometimes think my father is really a black person. I mean I feel like I have black people hair." Eddie laughed meaning nothing bad about black people but that was just how it seemed.

Kelly smiled. "You do. A lot of Puerto Rican guys have that hair."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "And how many Puerto Rican guy do you know?"

Kelly shrugged. "Enough. I just know one better than the rest."

"Oh and do I know this guy?"

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. But I don't have to talk about it right now...cuz I still owe him a kiss."

Eddie pouted a little. "Awe man...does that mean you gota leave to go be with him then?"

"Why...don't want me to go?"

"No." Eddie said softly like a little boy, being silly.

"OK...so how bout I kiss YOU instead?"

Eddie's face lit up. "I would like that very much."

Kelly giggled as she slid a bit closer to the edge of her chair, then leaned in to kiss Eddie lightly on the lips...her fingertips softly caressing the back of his neck.

Eddie moaned a little the feeling of Kelly's fingers on his neck and the kiss just felt so good.

Before Kelly had the chance to take the kiss any further, the oven timer interrupted her, and she pulled away from Eddie. "Pizza's ready," she said...moving to get out of her chair.

"Damn pizza." Eddie mumbled a playful pout on his face.

Kelly laughed giddily as she made her way to the oven to take the pizza out. "You'll get over it."

Eddie continued to pout. "No I wont."

"You act like I'm never gonna kiss you again," Kelly said as she closed the oven and set the pizza on the counter.

"How do I know you will." Eddie said a she watched Kelly closely as she moved around the kitchen.

Kelly giggled. "You KNOW I will," she said as she looked around for a pizza cutter, then started slicing the pepperoni pizza.

Eddie licked his lips but not for the pizza. "Good...cuz even if you wouldn't want me to kiss you I might just do it anyway." He teased.

"You'd never have to force me. You know damn well I can't resist you," Kelly said matter-of-factly...putting the pizza cutter in the sink, then going to the fridge for drinks.

Hearing Kelly say that made Eddie shiver. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "Control yourself Morales." He mumbled to himself.

Kelly glanced over at Eddie when she thought she heard him say something. "Huh?" she questioned as she closed the refrigerator door with her hip.

Eddie looked up. "What....oh nothing." He said quickly.

"OK," Kelly said...taking two sodas over to the table and settling them down. "Come on..." she said...reaching both of her hands out for Eddie's. "...come eat."

"Where are we going to eat?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow as he stood up. "Why not here at the table?"

Kelly laughed. "We are...but you gotta come get your pizza. I'm not your bitch."

"Oh...my mistake." Eddie smirked as he grabbed hold of Kelly's ass and pulled her close for a heated kiss. He didn't know what was getting into him but he couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself tonight.

Kelly let out a quiet gasp of shock when Eddie pulled her close and suctioned his mouth to hers. She certainly hadn't been expecting that.

Eddie pushed his tongue inside of Kelly's mouth and kissed her passionately for a good few minutes before pulling back like nothing had happened and walked over to get his pizza.

Kelly remained where she was...her feet planted to the ground...as she was still trying to absorb what had just happened. She hadn't been kissed like that in a long time.

Eddie grabbed a few slices of the pizza and then headed back to the table. As he walked past Kelly he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Better get your pizza before it gets cold." He said before licking her ear and walking to sit down at the table.

Kelly continued to stand in her spot...her eyes focusing on Eddie as he sat in his chair right in front of her. "What the...are you serious right now?"

"Am I serious about what?" Eddie asked before taking a bit of his pizza. A smirk still at the corners of his mouth.

Kelly reached out and lightly pinched Eddie's arm before walking away toward the counter.

Eddie put his pizza down so he could hold his arm. "Owe! what the hell was that for?" He said watching Kelly walk to the counter.

Kelly didn't answer...just looked at Eddie with a smirk as she put a slice of pizza on a plate for herself.

"Darlin...I kissed you...I didn't inflict bodily harm." Eddie pointed out as he rubbed his sore arm before going back to eat his pizza.

Kelly rolled her eyes as she returned to her seat at the table. "I didn't pinch you THAT hard."

"And I didn't kiss you that hard." Eddie laughed knowing that was FAR from the truth.

Kelly laughed, too. "You're a liar."

"Maybe..." Eddie smirked before taking another bit of his pizza.

"You're definitely lying. You almost kissed my face off," Kelly said before taking a bite of her own pizza.

Eddie giggled. "You mind?"

Kelly laughed through her mouthful of pizza. "Not exactly."

"Didn't think so." Eddie smiled sweetly before going back to eating his pizza.

Kelly crossed her legs under the table...accidentally kicking Eddie's leg with her bare foot. "Sorry."

Jolts of electricity ran through Eddie's body just from the short contact and he found himself swallowing the pizza hard and almost choking on it. "Don't worry about it." He said with a small cough.

Kelly had to laugh as she sipped her Coke. "You're a horny bastard, Morales."

"Who...me?" Eddie asked with a look of mock shock on his face. "What gives you that idea?"

"I KNOW you, Ed."

Eddie just laughed as he got up from the table and once again leaned down and whispered in Kelly's ear. "I guess my cover is broken....you've found out the truth." He joked before licking her ear again and then going back to get more pizza.

Kelly laughed as she reached up to swat him away. "Get your gross pizza mouth away from me."

Eddie just simply stuck his tongue out at Kelly as he turned his back to her to get more pizza. Teasingly moving his toned upper body a little more then he needed to pull the pieces apart that hadn't been cut all the way through.

Kelly sighed and looked away from Eddie...turning her attention back to her pizza.

After getting his pizza he took it back to the table and ate it quietly for a few minutes.

Kelly finished off her slice of pizza, then looked over at Eddie as she sipped her soda and recrossed her legs. "Does this seem weird to you at all?" she asked...finally breaking the silence.

"Sitting here eating pizza?" Eddie asked with a confused look on his face.

Kelly shook her head. "No...you know what I mean."

"Me kissing on you and stuff?" Eddie asked again because he really wasn't sure what she was talking about.

Kelly sort of nodded and shrugged at the same time.

Eddie thought about it a second. "I guess it does a little...but not really at the same time."

Kelly nodded her head slowly...thinking about it, as well.

"Sorry if I went too far." Eddie apologized.

Kelly widened her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, no...not at all."

Eddie smiled a giggled a little. "Okay..."

"I just...I don't know. It seems kinda strange. Like...it feels so good...but it's like...we're doing something wrong."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked, once again confused.

Kelly shrugged again. "I'm not even sure. It just feels like we shouldn't be doing this."

Eddie nodded his head slowly. "Okay...then we wont."

Kelly widened her eyes again. "No. I...I don't mean I wanna...NOT do it."

"You are a seriously confusing person tonight..." Eddie giggled.

"Not confusing. CONFUSED," Kelly said...then sighed quietly. "I'm sorry...I'll stop talking now."

Eddie got up and moved so he was sitting next to Kelly. "No...baby...I don't want you to stop talking."

"I'm just making you more confused...and that's not my intention."

"I Just wana know what you mean. Which part of this do you feel wrong?"

"Nothing specific. I just feel like...we're doing something wrong. Or like...sneaking around."

"Who would we be sneaking around from? We're both single..." Eddie pointed out.

Kelly nodded. "I know...but...what about Marty? I mean...does he know?"

Eddie blushed a little and nodded his head. "Yeah I told him like oh gosh...last week sometime."

"Told him what, exactly?"

"That we're exploring something between us that neither of know howh it's going to go." Eddie explained. "And he gave us his best wishes and said he would kick my ass if I hurt you. That seems like a thing for guys to tell me latley." He giggled.

Kelly giggled. "What can I say? A lot of guys love me and wanna take care of me."

"You're a very lucky woman. " Eddie said with a smile.

Kelly nodded. "In that way...I am."

"If you think about it. At least all the guys have hurt you in some way....never did it purposely." Eddie pointed out. "At least it doesn't seem that way to me."

"You're right."

"I hope I never hurt you...in any way." Eddie whispered

Kelly smiled. "I know you never will...on purpose."

"I am sorry if I was stepping bounds eralier...with my teasing and stuff."

Kelly shook her head. "You weren't...I promise. To be honest...I like you like that."

Eddie giggled. "Really...you liked me all sexual and shit?"

Kelly nodded and shrugged at the same time. "It's you."

"I though that was the person I was trying to get away from."

Kelly shook her head quickly. "No. I mean...I like your playful, sexual personality...THAT'S you. I don't mean the sexual part of you that sleeps around."

Eddie thought about that a second. "So it's okay if I'm playful and sexual person as long as I'm only doing it with one person."

Kelly shrugged her shoulders a bit. "That's not for me to say."

"Yeah...maybe not...but it does have to do with you. Cuz you are that one person I'm going to be doing it with." Eddie said quickly before biting his lower lip nervously as he looked at Kelly.

Kelly swallowed hard. "Doing...what with?"

"Being sexual and playfully flirting...all that good stuff."

Kelly smiled. "That's OK."

Eddie was quiet for a second. "You're okay with that?"

"With you being like that with me?"

"That you're the only one I'm doing it with." Eddie said softly.

Kelly's eyes were locked on Eddie's. "Would it be selfish of me to say that I WANT to be the only one you're...doing it with?"

Eddie shook his head. "No...because I would want it to be the same way with you." He answered honestly.

"You mean...like...YOU want to be the only one I'M all flirty with?"

"That's fine."

"Do you wana be my girlfriend too?" Eddie asked as he looked back up into Kelly's eyes. He knew they talked about not doing this for a while...but for some reason it just seemed right to him.

Kelly laughed nervously...trying to deal with her uneasiness. "Why do I feel like you're about to break into an NSYNC song?"

That made Eddie laugh nervously too. "That never occured to me."

Kelly licked her lips and swallowed hard. "Is it a good idea?" she asked quietly.

Eddie s hrugged his shoulders. "I honestly...really don't know."

"Well...do you think it's better that we just keep...seeing each other like this? Or just...I don't know...commit to each other without taking things too fast...?"

"I think I've wanted to date you since we first met and you were just sixteen years old...and that if I wait anymore I'm going to go insane." Eddie said even shocking himself at out blunt he was being.

Kelly took a long, slow, deep breath. She'd known that Eddie had feelings for her, but she had no idea that they ran that long and that deep. "Umm...what do you mean...you're going to go insane?"

Eddie laughed nervously. "I don't really know what I meant by that...actually."

"Tell me," Kelly said quickly. "Tell me exactly what you're thinking...what you're feeling."

"I just feel like...maybe waiting isn't the best idea anymore." Eddie answered.

"OK...and why do you feel that way? Do you think you'll wanna go after someone else in the mean time?"

Eddie shook his head. "No...I just wana be with you." He answered honestly.

"What do you mean...be with me? Cuz...you know we can't..."

"No!" Eddie exclaimed getting frustrated...not at Kelly but at his feelings. "I don't mean sexually...I mean all together...everything."

Kelly couldn't help but smile. "So...basically...you wanna be my man."

Eddie bit his lower lip and just nodded.

Kelly's smile turned into a small giggle. "OK."

A huge smile began to form on Eddie's face. "Really?"

Kelly nodded. "Really."

"Okay...cool." Eddie giggled sounding like a middle school boy.

Kelly chuckled quietly as she leaned in and kissed Eddie softly. "OK...so...now what?"

Eddie giggled again and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have a fuckin clue."

Kelly smiled and got up out of her seat. "OK, then. I'm gonna clean up the kitchen," she said...taking their plates to the sink.

Eddie watched Kelly his heart pounding a mile a minute. SO many things were going through his mind and so many feelings going through his body. He felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster.

Kelly had finished cleaning up the dishes and putting the leftover pizza away, and was wiping down the counter when she finally looked over at Eddie. "You're awfully quiet."

"Just thinking." Eddie replied with a smile on his face.

"Wanna tell me what you're thinking about?" Kelly asked as she rinsed out the sponge and put it away.

Eddie giggled a little. "Right this second I'm thinking about how domestic this feels. You making dinner and now cleaning up after it....Us like this."

Kelly shook her head with a laugh. "Oh no, honey...this is NOT how domestic would go. I would NOT be doing all the cooking and cleaning."

"You don't want me cooking Darlin...You would get food poisoning." Eddie giggled. "But I am pretty good at cleaning." He said as he got up and wrapped his arms around Kelly from behind and kissed the back of her neck.

Kelly smiled...tilting her head to the side a bit. "So I guess we'd make a good team, then."

"Mmm Hmm...we do." Eddie whispered as he continued to kiss all over her neck.

Kelly took a deep breath...then spoke without much contemplation. "So...let's do it, then."

"Do what?" Eddie mumbled against Kelly's neck.

Kelly turned around in Eddie's arms so she could look at him. "Move in with me. I mean...we've done all this looking for apartments already. Let's find one together...for US."

Eddie's eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally found the words. "Really...you want us to move in together...what about all this shit about being independent and needing your space?"

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm not thinking straight...but it's what felt right just now. I can still live with you and be independent if you don't dote on me and try to do everything for me. And...well...we'll get a big enough place so we could BOTH have space if we need it."

Eddie thought about it a little and then smiled. "Okay...that sounds like a plan...only one problem though..."

"What?"

"Manny."

Kelly shrugged. "Let him keep your place. I mean...under the condition that he can get a job and pay for it."

That reminded Eddie of something and he giggled and then started to bust up laughing.

Kelly looked at Eddie curiously. "What's so funny?"

"You promise not to say anything...and I know this might shock you...but you gota promise." Eddie said through giggles.

"Of course I promise. Now...what?"

"Marty has feelings for my baby brother. He told me so. I was so damn shocked." Eddie said still giggling cuz the whole idea was so insane to him.

Kelly widened her eyes. "He WHAT? Marty? And he TOLD you?"

"Well...kinda. I had to shake it out of him. He just wouldn't shut up about like two phone calls he had with Manny. So finally I got him to admit that he did think he was beginning to LIKE my brother."

Kelly shook her head slowly. "Wow."

Eddie nodded his head. "My thoughts exactly...I was like in shock."

"So...all that aside...would you rather stay at your place with Manny than move in with me?"

"Hell no." Eddie laughed.

"Then what are you gonna do with him?" Kelly asked with a laugh.

"He can move in with Justin and Nick and start a threesome."

"Be real."

"I'll do what you said. Keep my place and let him have it."

"But what if he can't pay for it?"

"I'll pay for it." Eddie said with a shrug.

Kelly smiled. "That's so good of you."

Eddie shrugged. "What can I say I'm a good big brother."

You are...but...just don't let him slack and not work cuz you're paying for his place."

"That was exactly what I was thinking. I was thinking I'll tell him I'll pay for it until at least May...and if he doesn’t have a job by then and no money then he's screwed."

Kelly nodded. "Good call."

Eddie smiled and went back to kissing the back of Kelly's neck and nibbling on her ears.

Kelly closed her eyes and sighed contentedly as she reached up to wrap her arms around Eddie's neck.

"I love kissing you." Eddie mumbled against Kelly's neck where he continued to lightly suck and kiss at the skin.

"Mmm...I love you kissing me, too."

"Good cuz I don’t plan on stopping any time soon right now."

Kelly giggled. "That's fine...but are we gonna stand in the kitchen all night?"

"But making out in the kitchen is fun." Eddie teased as he moved his mouth up to Kelly's ears to nibble on them.

Kelly giggled again. "True...but it feels kinda wrong...cuz it's Justin's kitchen."

That idea made Eddie pulled back. "Okay...now I just have pictures of him and Nick making out in this very spot and that’s just wrong." He said with a shiver.

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know about THAT...be he made out with ME in here."

Eddie's eyebrows scrunched up. "Okay that is definitely not an image I want." He said as he drug Kelly out of the kitchen.

Kelly giggled happily as she followed Eddie...willing to let him lead her.

"Where the heck am I taking you." Eddie laughed when he realized no idea where he was going.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Some place you haven't made out with J." Eddie giggled.

Kelly chuckled. "The bedroom...the one I'm in now."

Eddie laughed. "To the bedroom it is." He said leading her there.

Kelly continued to smile as she followed Eddie. "What are so anxious for?"

"No idea." Eddie laughed as they walked into the room.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

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Kelly let go of Eddie's hand, and climbed up onto the bed...resting back against the pillows with a relaxed sigh. "Are you sure it's a good idea for us to live together?"

"I think it will be fine." Eddie said as he joined Kelly on the bed, lying down next to her.

"I think so, too. I mean...we know everything about each other. I don't see a problem with us living together."

"And we can get like separate bedrooms and stuff too." Eddie added. "For the first part...and if we need space later on."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...that sounds good."

Eddie turned on his side so he was looking at Kelly. "I feel like the best man in the world...cuz YOU'RE my girlfriend...I can't believe it."

Kelly smiled at Eddie. "Believe it."

"I meant what I said...I wanted this since you were sixteen...but that wasn't exactly legal." Eddie giggled.

Kelly laughed at that. "Definitely not."

"But now you're legal." Eddie whispered as he moved closer to Kelly.

"Very much so..."

"So we're really going to do this...this moving in together stuff." Eddie said with a big smile on his face. It was more of a statement then a question.

"I really don't see why not. I mean...like you said...we can start easy. Separate bedrooms, and stuff...cuz we don't wanna rush our relationship...right?"

Eddie nodded his head. "Right...but not like we can really rush it...well physically anyway. We've got doctors telling us no, no." He giggled.

Kelly laughed softly. "I know...but still. I think it's a good idea to take it slow regardless."

"I know...it is." Eddie agreed.

Kelly looked deep into Eddie's eyes...a smile on her face. "I feel good about this, now."

Eddie smiled as he moved closer to Kelly so he was resting his head on the same pillow she was. "I know it seems right now."

"You make me feel good about myself," Kelly said...turning herself a bit to face Eddie better. "That's hard to do."

"How do I do that?" Eddie asked.

Kelly smiled again. "It's just...the way you are. But...mostly the way you look at me."

Eddie giggled. "It's hard not to look at you like that. You're so beautiful...and I can't believe you're mine."

"Why can't you believe it? I mean...I'M the one who should be in disbelief. I don't GET guys like you."

"I will remember to not bring that up to Justin or Marty." Eddie teased. "They may begin to think something is wrong with them."

Kelly shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with them. You're just...different."

Eddie got a very cute confused look on his face. "How so?"

"I don't know. You just...you're different. Like...not only are you incredibly sexy...and so amazingly sweet...but you're like...a bad boy, too. You're totally rough around the edges. I mean...come on. You were a gang banger when you were a teenager, and you cleaned up to THIS. That takes heart, baby."

Eddie laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I DO clean up pretty nicely huh." He said with a smirk on his face. "But you like that I'm a 'bad boy'?" He asked using finger quotes.

Kelly shrugged. "Yeah...kind of. But...that's just a tiny part of the whole package...ya know?"

"Yup all that shit makes up good old Eduardo Manuel Morales Jr." Eddie laughed making a face at his own name.

Kelly giggled quietly. "God, I love that. What's it gonna take for me to get you to whisper sweet nothings to me in Spanish?"

Eddie giggled. "Hmm...I dunno but it IS going to cost you."

"You SHOULD do it for free."

"Yeah but I'm not a gentleman. So I charge." Eddie teased.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I should have figured."

Eddie giggled. "Would you believe me if I said I don't speak Spanish?" He said looking innocent.

"Of course not! I've heard you speaking Spanish like...a million times!"

"Rats." Eddie laughed pouting.

Kelly chuckled. "It's OK. Save it for the right moment."

"Okay." Eddie said with a smile as he looked up at the ceiling.

Kelly moved a bit closer to Eddie...draping her right leg over his, laying her arm across his waist, and burying her face in his neck...all with a content sigh.

Eddie wrapped his arms around Kelly and sighed a content sigh of his own. "I could get used to this."

"It would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Yup just snuggling together." Eddie said with a smile. "Just...soon I don't know how good I will be with JUST cuddling." He giggled.

Kelly lifted her head a bit to look at Eddie. "Well...no one said it has to be JUST cuddling now."

Eddie giggled again. "I know...I was just saying."

Kelly sighed dramatically. "But then again...you DID say that we have to go on an actual date before we do any of...that."

"Yes but that was when I was thinking we would go on an actual date before I asked you out." Eddie pointed out. "And I have taken you to McDonalds and out to pizza a few times while we've been apartment hunting."

Kelly giggled. "If those were your idea of dates, then we need to talk."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "I DO know what a date is...and how to take a girl on one....so NO that wasn’t a date...but..." He bit his lower lip and giggled. "I'm kinda rethinking the no foolin around till the date thing."

Kelly laughed again. "Yeah...cuz you're a horny bastard...AND a pervert."

Eddie pouted. "No I'm not. If I really was THAT much of a horny bastard I wouldn't have been able to go over two weeks without anything besides jerkin off."

Kelly rolled her eyes again. "You've only been here like...a week and a half."

"Yeah...but I haven't been with anybody since before I left for London." Eddie pointed out.

"Since New Years you said...right? That's going on almost four weeks."

Eddie's eyes went wide. "Damn...how did I manage that?" He giggled.

"Hmm...I don't know," Kelly said thoughtfully. "But...maybe you deserve a little lovin...just for being such a good boy."

"Oh yeah?" Eddie asked with raised eyebrows.

Kelly shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe."

Eddie shrugged back. "I don't really need a reward for going almost a month without sex." He laughed.

Kelly nodded. "OK, then," she said before burying her face back in Eddie's neck.

“Would be nice though.” Eddie giggled.

"Damn boy...you need to decide what you want."

Eddie laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “All I said was I DONT really need a reward...but sometimes rewards are nice even though we don’t feel like we need them...right?”

"So...basically...you want some lovin."

“I will feel like a freak if I answer yes to that.” Eddie laughed.

"Why? I'm your girl. Better to ask me for it than go elsewhere."

Eddie moved a little from Kelly and rested his hands at his sides a smirk on his face. “Okay then...will ya love me...my girl...pweeze.” He teased.

Kelly laughed out loud at that. "Now you're killing the mood."

Eddie didn’t say anything to that instead just pushed Kelly onto her back lightly and then climbed on top of her. Then he leaned down and captured her mouth in one of his breath tacking deep, passionate kisses.

It took mere seconds for Kelly's entire body to go weak in response to Eddie's kiss. She didn't know what it was about Eddie...or the way he kissed her. But if she didn't know before, she definitely knew at that point that his was the most amazing, bone-tingling kiss she'd ever experienced.

Eddie’s hands moved to run through Kelly’s hair as h continued to kiss her. If was even possible he managed to deepen the kiss even more taking the kiss to an even higher level then he had before.

When Kelly finally pulled back for air, her eyes fluttered open to fix on Eddie's. "I remember you being a good kisser..." she started in a quiet voice. "But THIS..."

Eddie giggled huskily. “Glad you liked it.” He whispered in the same tone. His long muscular body still resting over her smaller frame.

"Liked isn't the word," Kelly assured Eddie as she ran her thumb over his slightly swollen lips...her eyes glancing at them.

Eddie’s tongue snuck out of his mouth to lightly lick Kelly’s thumb that was running over his lips. “Good...cuz I thought the kiss was beyond amazing.”

Kelly nodded her head. "It was, baby."

Smiling, Eddie leaned his head down again. This time going to kiss and nibble Kelly’s neck a little bit.

Kelly groaned quietly...her hands moving the back of Eddie's Neck. "Mmm...feels good..."

Eddie didn’t respond just continued to kiss all over Kelly’s neck. His hand still running slowly through her hair.

Kelly giggled quietly as she enjoyed the feel of Eddie's soft lips on her neck. "I can't believe this is happening...and that it can happen like...every day if I want it to."

“Whenever you want.” Came Eddie’s mumbled voice as he moved his mouth up to nibble on Kelly’s ears.

"Hmm...whenever?"

“Yeah.”

Kelly giggled again. "THAT'S a nice thought."

Eddie giggled huskily in Kelly’s ear. “I thought you would like that.” He whispered.

"I do." Kelly tilted her head to the side a bit as she raked her fingers up over Eddie's braids.

Eddie let out a soft moan when he felt Kelly’s hands in his hair. Sure, that wasn’t exactly one of his spots but it did feel really good to have his hair played with. Pulling away from her neck he looked down into her eyes and smiled.

Kelly smiled back up at Eddie. "What?" she questioned in an almost childlike tone.

“Nothing.” Eddie giggled. “I just think you look very beautiful when you’re happy and feel good.” He said softly.

"Thank you. But...isn't it funny that...even with all the shit going on lately...I always seem to be happy...AND feel good...when I'm with you...?"

Eddie smiled. “Well...I think that’s a good thing though...right?”

"Of course it is. I mean...I don't think you get it, Ed."

“I guess I don’t.”

"You don't. I mean...as much as I really thought I was in love with Justin and Marty...and as good as they both made me feel...I NEVER felt as good as I do with you. I'm at my lowest right now, and you're still making me smile...and laugh...and want to be alive."

Eddie swallowed hard. He had NEVER had anybody tell him something like that before. “Wow...baby...that’s really...special to hear you say to me. I mean I’m glad I make you feel like that. Because you have a LOT of reasons to be alive and to smile and to laugh.” He giggled. “And to have an extremely sexy boyfriend lying on top of you.”

Kelly laughed quietly. "What did I do to deserve THAT?"

“I have NO idea...but whatever it is you gota keep doing it cuz I REALLY like being here.” Eddie said with a smirk.

Kelly smiled brightly. "And you sure as hell are sexy. I mean...damn. I just look at you and wanna do dirty things to you."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah...and what dirty things may that be?”

"Use your imagination."

“But that ain’t fun.”

Eddie giggled. “Why don’t you show me.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think I'm that kind of girl?"

"Maybe..." Eddie said with a raised eyebrow. "I dunno."

Kelly looked up at Eddie and narrowed her eyes...pouting a bit. "Hey!"

Eddie giggled as he leaned down to kiss Kelly's nose. "I know you ain't that kinda girl."

Kelly laughed...but placed her hands firmly on Eddie's chest and pushed him away from her. "Get off me, you jerk."

Eddie let her push him off and fell so he was lying on his back on the bed again. "Hey...I'm not a jerk." He said pointing right back.

"Oh yes you are. You think I'm one of THOSE girls."

"I do not!" Eddie said firmly...not sure if Kelly was joking around or not. "I would never think that."

Kelly turned her head to look at Eddie when she realized he was being serious. "Ed...I'm playing. I KNOW you're the last person who'd think that about me."

Eddie let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay good..."

"Sorry if I had you thinking I meant it."

"I thought you were joking...but I just wanted to make sure." Eddie said with a smile.

Kelly chuckled. "Yeah...because you're OH so cautious of my feelings."

"I am!" Eddie exclaimed giggling.

"I KNOW you are," Kelly said...still laughing a little herself as she leaned over Eddie a bit...looking down into his chocolate brown eyes.

Eddie looked up into Kelly's eyes. "I hope Nick's okay there by himself." He said knowing that they were trying to forget about that but it was important.

Kelly nodded. "I know. I've been thinking that, too. But I DO think he needed time alone with his brother. And besides...I think he'd call if there was a change...or if he needed us." Kelly started absently rubbing her right hand over Eddie's washboard stomach through the thin fabric of his wifebeater. "I KNOW he would."

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, you're right with everything you said." He smiled a little. "Even though he kinda freaked on us at first....he's been really brave with it all. I mean he's just a really emotional person as is."

Kelly nodded again. "Yeah...I mean...I don't know what I'd do if it was my..." Her voice trailed off, and she took a deep breath before finishing in a softer voice. "...if it was MY sister."

"I know if it was Manny I think I would be going postal right now. I mean I would be so scare and so god damn pissed at him all at the same time." Eddie said with a sigh, not really wanting Kelly to think about her family right now only knowing it would make her even more upset.

Kelly gave a quick nod, then rested her head down on Eddie's chest.

"So you're not gunna show me all those dirty things you wana do to me?" Eddie said with a straight face even though he was ready to bust up laughing. He wanted to keep the mood light.

Kelly giggled. "There are too many to show you them all."

"Ahhh...I see."

Kelly laughed again as she leaned up off of Eddie, and moved over him to straddle his hips. She knew that they both wanted it...and that they could both use the distraction. "Well...I suppose I could show you a couple."

Eddie smiled and moved his hands to rest on Kelly's hips as she straddled him. "Okay...if you wana." he giggled.

"Of course I do."

"Okay then." Eddie smirked

"Hmm...I think I'll start...here..." Kelly said quietly as she leaned down to place soft, feathery kisses over the left side of Eddie's neck.

Eddie moaned softly and tilted his head to the side a little bit. "Hmmm...good place to start."

Kelly laughed a breathy giggle against Eddie's skin as she deepened her kisses a bit...sucking and nibbling as she moved her hands up to his strong biceps.

Eddie's fingers rubbed Kelly's hips as she continued to kiss on his neck. It did feel really good and couldn't help the slightly louder moan that escaped his lips.

Kelly kissed up Eddie's jaw-line...kissed the small patch of hair on his chin...then trailed her lips down the right side of his neck.

"Feels...good." Eddie whispered as he closed his eyes. Kelly's lips felt really good.

"That's the point," Kelly whispered back before taking a gentle nibble at Eddie's earlobe.

Eddie gasped and closed his eyes tightly trying to keep himself under control even with Kelly's mouth on his ear.

Kelly had to laugh at Eddie's reaction. She passed the very tip of her tongue up the length of Eddie's ear before moving down to kiss the top of his right shoulder.

Eddie's body was buzzing by the time she was kissing his shoulder. The ear kissing had done him in and was now definitely turned on. "You trying to kill me?" He teased in a husky voice.

Kelly lifted her head and looked at Eddie with a bright smile...her face just inches from his. "No! Why would I wanna do that? I just GOT you."

"I don't know...maybe all you wanted to do was get me all hot and bothered once and then dump me?" Eddie giggled.

Kelly put a thoughtful look on her face. "Hmm...."

Eddie pouted at the thoughtful look on her face. "Hey! that would be mean!"

Kelly laughed. "Baby, are you kidding? I'd be crazy to let a guy like you go."

"Okay good." Eddie giggled shifting a little under Kelly.

Kelly sat up over Eddie, and slowly trailed her hands down his chest and to the bottom hem of his wifebeater. "I think this needs to go," she said...gripping the shirt a bit.

Eddie simply just lifted his arms over his head as if telling Kelly without words to go ahead and take it off.

The look on Kelly's face was one of satisfaction as she pulled the shirt over Eddie's head and tossed it aside. Her hands immediately went to his bare chest. "God I love this," she said with a giggle.

"Love being all sexy with me...or love my chest?" Eddie teased.

"Well...I meant your chest...but...I think I love bein all sexy with you, too."

"That's good to know." Eddie laughed as he just looked up at Kelly as she looked down at him.

Kelly finally leaned down to place a few soft kisses over the top of Eddie's chest...way up by his collar bone.

"You have very sinful lips." Eddie giggled as he closed his eyes and tried to relax.

Kelly giggled quietly as she sat back up, and allowed her hands to explore Eddie's cut, muscular torso. "Sorry."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "What are you sorry for?"

"My lips being so sinful."

"I like that they're sinful. They make me feel really good."

"Well I'm glad. I wanna make you feel good."

"Well you are, baby..." Eddie said thrusting his hips up lightly to show Kelly exactly what she had been doing to him.

Kelly chuckled quietly. "You dirty dawg."

Eddie's eyes went wide. "What...I didn't do nothing...that is all YOUR doing."

"I guess I should be proud of myself, then."

"You went after my ear...I don't think you could do that and not get this reaction." Eddie giggled. "But yes you should feel proud of yourself."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "So it shouldn't matter to me that any old girl kissing your ear could get you hard."

"Yeah, but it wasn't just any old girl." Eddie pointed out knowing he couldn't say what Kelly wasn't true because normally any girl could do it and make him hard. Then again he wondered if that would still happen.

"Yeah...sure...whatever."

Eddie cocked his head to the side looking at Kelly. He was trying to figure out if she was really upset or not.

Kelly let out a quick laugh. "Whatever...who cares. All I know is any old girl won't be doing it again."

"Nope, definitely not." Eddie said with a smile. "NO girl besides you is touchin my ears...or any other body part for that matter."

Kelly cocked an eyebrow. "No guys either...right?"

Eddie got a disgusted look on his face. "Oh HELL no."

Kelly laughed. "Good."

"I'll leave the ass fucking up to Justin and Nick." Eddie laughed just being funny.

Kelly wrinkled her face. "Gross."

Eddie laughed again. "Exactly my point...gross."

Kelly giggled...burying her face in Eddie's neck and kissing it softly. She then lifted her head again to look back down into Eddie's eyes. "You're so beautiful..." she said quietly...then laughed again as she leaned over to kiss the Puerto Rican flag tattoo on his left shoulder. "...my Puerto Rican Papi."

Eddie smiled as he looked up into Kelly's eyes. "Only yours...nobody elses."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...we've already been over that."

"Just thought I would say it again." Eddie chuckled as he let his hands trial down Kelly's back till they were resting on her ass over her tiny little pajama shorts.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Eddie nodded his head. "Of course....Anything."

"OK. Well...I know it's really important to you to like...clean up your act right now. And...I'm sure you can do it...since you've already like...gotten yourself out of a gang, and everything. But...I still don't understand what makes you think it's time to settle down with just one girl. You just...it's so not you."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know exactly. It just seems right to me. I mean I'm watching everybody kind of figure themselves our right now. I mean first Justin finds deep down inside his true self and is probably feeling better then he has in a long time. And then Marty has finally come to terms with it too. I just feel like this is something *I* have to do to feel better about myself. I haven't been happy with my lifestyle for quite some time now. I just all of a sudden got the strength to do something about it."

Kelly nodded her understanding...her eyes still locked on Eddie's. "But...why me, though? I mean...you have SO many options."

"For the reason I have been saying all night tonight. I've wanted to be with you since you were a teenager. Now's my chance."

Kelly smiled and leaned down to kiss Eddie's nose. "You're so sweet."

Eddie blushed a little. "I try."

Kelly lowered her head and placed a deep kiss on Eddie's collar bone. "You taste sweet, too."

"God...You're lips are sinful I tell ya." Eddie moaned his eyes closing.

Kelly giggled quietly as she trailed a few kisses down the center of Eddie's chest...her hair falling down against his skin.

Eddie giggled a little when he felt Kelly's hair tickling his chest and stomach.

"What's so funny?" Kelly asked against Eddie's chest.

"Your hair tickles." Eddie replied as his hand started to kneed Kelly's ass through her shorts.

"Sorry," Kelly mumbled as she kissed her way to Eddie's left nipple, and carefully sucked it into her mouth.

A low moan escaped Eddie's mouth, his nipple hardening in Kelly's mouth. "No need to...apologize." He replied in a husky voice.

Kelly liked the reaction she was getting from Eddie, and continued teasing his nipple by flicking his tongue over it.

Eddie moaned again, this time a little louder. Even though his nipple couldn't really get any harder...another part of his body was doing it instead.

Kelly finally abandoned Eddie's nipple, and slowly trailed her lips and tongue all the way down his chest to his chiseled abs...where she immediately started running her tongue through the crevices between the hard muscles.

"Shit...Kel." Eddie groaned in pleasure and moved his hands up to run through her hair.

Kelly looked up at Eddie's face. "What, baby?"

Eddie smiled at Kelly with heavy lidded eyes. "That felt good....really good."

Kelly smirked. "What did...this?" she teased before working her tongue over Eddie's stomach again.

Eddie's stomach muscles trembled and clenched up as Kelly worked her tongue over it. "Y...yeah...that." He said in a near whisper.

Kelly finally leaned up a bit, and subconsciously licked her lips as she reached for the waistband of Eddie's sweats.

Swallowing hard, Eddie looked down at Kelly as she reached for his sweats. "You can...if you want to." He said thinking Kelly was thinking about taking them off. Sure, he was still a little self-conscious about her seeing his huge scars and things but he knew he had to just forget about that.

Kelly smiled up at Eddie...keeping her eyes on his as she lowered his sweats and boxers just enough to set his hard dick and balls free. "You sure?" she questioned...recalling that he'd stopped her the last time she tried to go down on him.

"Yeah...I'm sure." Eddie whispered huskily as he looked down at his now free dick. Taking a deep breath he let himself relax and let Kelly do what she wanted to do...what they both wanted her to do.

Kelly gave a quick nod before turning her attention back to what she was doing. Her hands gently gripping Eddie's hips, she leaned down to place several soft kisses over his biggest, most hated scar.

Eddie's eyes rolled back in his head when he felt Kelly's lips on his scar. Up until days before when Kelly had touched the scar he had never known how sensitive it was or how much it turned him on. His cock twitched next to her face.

Kelly moaned quietly against Eddie's skin. She was loving the reaction she was getting from him, and wanted more. After licking her lips again, she took hold of his big, thick erection in her right hand, and lowered her mouth over the swollen head.

"Damn..." Eddie let out the words almost as a hiss as his eyes rolled back in his head again. Kelly's lips were seriously evil and made him feel so good.

Kelly made it a point to lick the precum off the very tip of Eddie's cock, then her lips began sliding up and down the top part of his cock...letting the first several inches in and out of her mouth...as her hand worked the lower half.

With eyes closed tight, Eddie's hands moved to Kelly's hair and gently gripped it between his fingers as he let himself get carried away in the pleasure Kelly was giving him.

When Kelly needed to pull back for air, she continued pleasing Eddie by running her tongue all over his cock...not wanting him to go without attention while she caught her breath.

For some reason, Kelly's tongue licking up and down and all over his cock was turning him on even more then the sucking she had been doing earlier. His body was already trembling and he found his hands gripping her hair a little rougher then before.

Kelly groaned at how erotic Eddie's hands in her hair felt. She continued working on him by sliding her tongue and her moist lips all over his large erection as her left hand slipped down to cup his swollen balls.

Eddie closed his eyes tightly and groaned deep in his throat. It was taking a lot of will power to keep control and not lose it so quickly. But he wouldn't allow himself to do that...not when it felt SO good.

Kelly paused her actions to lick her lips and swallow quickly...then went back to sucking on Eddie's dick...her head bobbing a bit faster than before as she devoured his first several inches over and over again.

Eddie's whole body tensed up and he felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge. He knew for sure now that Kelly definitely was as good as he remembered her being. "Fuck...baby...close..." he said through a groan.

Kelly moaned softly as she kept up her pace. She was loving the fact that she was turning Eddie on so much...and had him so close to orgasm.

With Kelly's name coming out of his mouth quickly...Eddie's whole body shook as he came hard inside Kelly's mouth.

Kelly groaned deep in her throat as she struggled to swallow all that Eddie's hard orgasm had to offer...her hand gently squeezing his balls to milk it out of him.

Once his orgasm ended, Eddie lay limp on the bed his eye still closed tightly as he tried to come down from the intensity of it.

Kelly's mouth eagerly yet carefully cleaned Eddie off, then she licked her lips as she pulled his pants back up for him.

Finally feeling a little more in control of himself, Eddie opened his eyes and looked down at Kelly with a big cheesy smile on his face. "Wow." He some how managed to say in a tired out whisper.

Kelly giggled almost shyly...sitting up on her knees as she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth.

Eddie giggled as he looked at Kelly wipe her mouth. "I got you messy."

Kelly smiled. "It's OK."

Eddie couldn't help the yawn that escaped his lips and he blushed. "Sorry."

"Why are YOU yawning?" Kelly questioned as she moved off Eddie to sit on the edge of the bed. "*I* did all the work."

"No idea." Eddie laughed as he reached up to pull Kelly down next to him and kiss the top of her head. "Once the doctor gives the go ahead...I have EVERY intention of making you feel just as good as you made me feel."

Kelly chuckled. "Good...cuz you owe me," she teased...pulling away from Eddie again. "I need to go wash up," she said quietly...getting up off the bed.

"I'll stay right here...my legs feel like Jell-O." Eddie laughed as he closed his eyes to rest a bit while Kelly washed up.

Kelly made her way to the bathroom, where she washed her face, then grabbed her toothbrush to brush her teeth.

Eddie couldn't help it but he was slowly drifting off to sleep as he waited for Kelly. His eyelids doing the fluttering thing where you're trying to stay awake but your body isn't letting you.

Kelly finally got back to the bedroom, and laughed when she saw Eddie falling asleep on her bed. "Hey..." she said quietly as she climbed back onto the bed. "...don't think you're going to sleep without kissing your girl goodnight."

Eddie's eyes opened up all the way and he smiled apologetically. "Sorry, baby...I didn't meant to fall asleep." He said as he rubbed his eyes trying to get himself more awake.

Kelly smiled at him. "I know," she whispered as she settled beside him on the bed.

"You still sure it's okay that I stay here with you...like this?" Eddie asked as he snuggled up to Kelly.

"It's OK with me...but you don't have to if you're uncomfortable with it."

Eddie giggled a little. "I just snuggled up closer to you. I think my body was getting comfy for the long hall."

Kelly smiled as she settled against Eddie...resting her head on his chest. "OK...so stay, then."

Eddie closed his eyes again and let out a content sigh and then remembered something. Leaning up a little bit he laid Kelly's head down on her pillow again before pressing his lips to hers for a rather intense goodnight kiss.

Kelly couldn't help but moan into the kiss. Eddie's kisses just made her feel so good.

After kissing for a good few minutes, Eddie finally pulled back and lied down again. "Night, baby...sleep tight." He whispered.

"Mmmm...you too."

Sighing contently once again, Eddie closed his eyes and let himself relax and fall asleep...dreaming of things he and Kelly will be able to do now that they were together.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in her hand, Lynn grabbed the cordless phone and quickly dialed Justin's cell phone. It had been about two days since she had talked to her son and was getting a little worried. Normally they didn't go more then a day without contacting one another.

Justin took a deep breath as he looked up from the movie script he was reading, and reached for his ringing phone on the table. He checked the caller ID, then set the thick packet of paper down as he answered the phone. "Hey, mama."

"Hey, honey. How are you?" Lynn asked in her normally cheerful tone.

Justin sighed. "I'm OK, mama," he said honestly...then took a long, deep breath. "I just...Nick had to go back to LA...so..."

Lynn was surprised to hear that Nick wasn't still in Spain with Justin. She sometimes worried about both of them since Nick seemed to always need to be around her son. "He went back to LA?" She questioned.

"Yeah." Justin was a bit hesitant to tell his mother why Nick had left. He didn't want her thinking bad about Nick and his brother because of what had happened to Aaron.

"But why...you only have less then a week left on tour." Lynn pointed out. "And he probably didn't get a chance to see Spain."

"Yeah...I know." Justin took yet another deep breath. He had to tell his mother the truth. He didn't know why he was worried...because his mother was not judgmental in the least. "Ma...I had his younger brother fly out to LA to meet up with Kelly and Eddie because he was having problems at home."

Lynn smiled a little. She always knew her son was a very considerate person and he only got more and more so she thought. "Well, it's good then that he went to be with him." She said. "I was thinking that you guys had a fight or something."

"No...we didn't. But mama...he wasn't gonna go be with Aaron. He went there because...well...cuz...Aaron OD'd on Chrystal Meth the night he got to my house."

Lynn gasped. "Oh God...this is Nick's kid brother...who is only sixteen right?"

Justin sighed. "Yeah. Apparently, one of the rebellious behaviors he had goin on was doin drugs."

"Is he alright?" Lynn asked softly as she ran a hand through her hair. Thanking her lucky stars that HER son had never been like that as a teenager or now for that matter.

"Well...he's still in a coma right now. Things were lookin pretty bad when Nick got there like...I don't know...fifteen or so hours ago. But I just talked to him a short while ago, and he said that the doctor said things are lookin up. Like...Aaron's vital signs are getting closer to normal, and stuff...and some of his reflexes are workin. So...we'll see."

"Poor Nick...I bet this has been really hard on him." Lynn said imagining the sensitive young man trying to deal with his sick brother in a place that was still so new to him.

"It HAS been. I mean...damn...he just about had a breakdown when he first got there. But I talked to him...and Kel and Ed talked to him...so he's stronger now...more with it. He's doin OK."

Lynn let out a sigh of relief. He felt the need to be protective over the young man too like she was her own son. "Good...I'm glad he's doing okay and being strong."

"Yeah. I think he finally realizes that he needs to be that way for Aaron."

"It sounds like he can really be tough and strong when he needs to be. I mean he just got done helping you through with the Kelly situation." Lynn pointed out. "He's a lot stronger then I'm sure either of us would have expected."

"I know. But...I've been just kinda sittin here with my thoughts for the last few hours...and ya know what I came up with?"

"What did you come up with?"

"Well...I think it's a lot easier for him to be a strong person...for himself...when he's kind of on his own and HAS to be strong. Or well...maybe not alone...but away from me. Does that make sense? Like...I think it's good for him to be there dealing with this...because it shows him how strong he can be without me directly by his side."

Lynn thought about what Justin was saying for a second. "I think you're right, honey. It's good that you boys are having some time apart. I mean in a way it's probably bringing you closer. Just imagine how nice it will feel to be home with him again."

Justin smiled at the thought. "Yeah...I know. Besides...I know he has Kelly and Eddie there if he needs someone...so I feel better about it."

"Right...how are those two?"

"Pretty good last I really talked to them. I think they're gettin closer."

Lynn smiled. "They seemed rather close when I was there with them. I could tell he cares a lot for her by the look in his eyes."

"I hope so. I mean...I don't doubt him cuz I know he's a good guy. But...damn...that girl just needs a good guy who's gonna do her right, ya know?"

"She does." Lynn agreed

"He'll take care of her," Justin said surely. "I know he will."

Lynn smiled. "I know he will too. So you don't have to worry about her, honey. I know you do even without meaning to. But you have your own live and relationship to worry about too."

"I know...but I do love her. And well...even though the baby's...gone...I still feel like we have a special connection. Something tying us together."

Lynn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Pray silently to herself that what Justin said wouldn't cause problems in the end. That both their separate relationships wouldn't suffer because of their strong feelings they still had for each other. "I know you do, honey." She finally said.

"I'll always love her, mama...even if it's never more than on a friend level. She's part of my family."

"She will always be a part of our family." Lynn answered with a smile. "I love that girl like the daughter I never had."

Justin smiled again. "I know. And thanks again, mama...for all you've done to help take care of her."

"Whoever my son loves...I love. Well as long as that person takes care of him too." Lynn added.

"She more than takes care of me."

"Then I have nothing to worry about. You're in good hands."

"How are things with you and dad?"

Lynn smiled big thinking about that. "We're good. He's taking me to Hawaii next month for Valentines. He just told me this morning."

"Wow...really? That's great, ma."

"Yeah I mean we've been there quite a few times but It still makes me all happy inside to think about going back." Lynn said still smiling. "Or maybe it's the fact that Paul wants to take me...on a special vacation."

"He loves you, mama," Justin said knowingly.

"He better." Lynn giggled.

Justin chuckled. "He does."

"Are you and Nick planning anything for your birthdays?" Lynn asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

"No. I mean...I don't think either of us has even thought about it with all that's going on. Now we won't even be together...so..."

"Oh right...well that's a shame...and isn't it your one month anniversary?" Lynn asked, giggling to herself that she would even remember that.

Justin smiled. "Yeah...yesterday, actually. But I didn't wanna say anything to Nick...he's got too much goin on."

"You better be careful...he might think you forgot...and that could get you in the doghouse." Lynn teased.

"I know...I'll just wait till things settle down."

"Yeah, you can celebrate both your birthday's and your anniversary when you come back."

"Yeah...as long as Aaron's OK."

Lynn sighed. "I'm sure he will be. If he's anything like his big brother he's stubborn and a trooper."

Justin laughed quietly. "Yeah...we'll see."

"Does it feel weird not having him with you?" Lynn asked, wondering how he son felt with the absence of his boyfriend.

"Yes and no. I mean...I'm used to being alone after the whole US tour, and all."

"Yes, but you haven't really been away from each other for the past month and a half." Lynn pointed out.

"Yeah...I know," Justin agreed. "But like you said...maybe a little time apart is good for us."

"You're right." Lynn said and then glanced at the clock. "Well, I'm going to let you go. I've got some things I have to do around here. But call me to tell me what's going on with Aaron when you find something out."

"OK, mama. I will."

"I love you honey, take care."

"Love you too, ma...bye."

Lynn hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair a little bit. She didn't understand why it seemed like God kept putting more hard things on her son's plate. It seemed like it was about time things calmed down a little bit...at least in her eyes.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Nick took Eddie's cell phone out of his pocket that the other man had let him barrow and quickly dialed Justin's number.

Justin reached into the front pocket of his hoodie and pulled out his ringing phone. "Hey, Ed," he said into the phone after seeing his friend's name on the caller ID.

"Actually it's me." Nick answered once he heard Justin on the other end. "Ed let me barrow his phone." He said sounding hyper and upbeat.

Justin smiled. "Oh...hey," he said as he got up to walk to the lounge in the back of the bus. "Happy birthday. I was planning on calling you, but isn't it like...the ass crack of dawn out there?"

Nick smiled too as he settled down in the chair in Aaron's room. "It's like five in the morning I think...I'm not sure. But I wanted to call you and tell you Aaron woke up a few hours ago."

"What? You're kidding." Justin's eyes were wide as he dropped onto the couch.

"Nope...not kidding." Nick said sounding happier then he had in days. "He's not talking or anything like that but he was awake. They took him in to do a shit load of tests and stuff a few minutes ago. So, I thought I would take that time to call you."

Justin took a long, deep breath. "That's great news, Nick."

"Yeah but he's not out of the water yet." Nick said with a sigh. "But I'm just glad he's awake."

"Well it HAS to be a good sign."

Nick nodded his head even though Justin couldn't see it. "Yeah, it is."

"Great birthday present, huh?"

"Shit...it IS my birthday isn't it." Nick laughed. "Damn I had totally forgotten."

Justin laughed, too. "Yes...it is."

"Guess I've just had more on my mind then thinking about birthdays."

"Yeah...I know. I'm sure we both have."

Hearing Justin say that made Nick wonder if something was wrong with Justin on the other side of the world. "You okay? You sound a little down."

"No...I'm fine. I've just beein doing a lot of thinking about stuff."

"Wana talk about it?" Nick asked gently. "I'm going to be sitting here bored for probably a good few hours so I've got the time."

"There's nothing to talk about, really. I've just been thinking about you and your brother...and thinkng about Kelly a lot."

"Kelly's fine...she seems to be getting stronger and stronger every day I see her. Ed's taking good care of her." Nick said softly. "And Aaron and I are fine too."

"Yeah...I know...I'm sure. I just...I keep thinking about the baby, ya know?"

Nick smiled a little. "I know...and it's good you're still thinking about it."

"I can't help but think that seeing Kelly is gonna be really hard."

"It probably will be...but you can't really hide from her forever." Nick pointed out. "Not that you would do that, I'm just saying."

Justin sighed. "I couldn't imagine doing that."

Hearing Justin sounding so down, made Nick wish he was back in Spain and could give his boyfriend a hug. "Everything will be okay,baby...just you see."

Justin took a long, deep breath. "I know...as soon as everything blows over."

Nick giggled a little. "You are definitely in a meloncoly mood."

"Nah...not really...just tired. I fly to Houston tomorrow night after the show."

"I wish I could fly to see you." Nick said softly. He had missed his boyfriend very much the last few days...but until now he hadn't tried to bring it up.

"I know...but I'll be home Sunday night. Not much longer. Just like...four days."

Nick sighed. "Yeah...I know."

"And you especially need to be in LA now that Aaron's awake...so..."

"I know that...I just wish I could be two places at once." Nick said softly.

Justin chuckled. "Well you can't."

"What I REALLY need to do is go home and shave and take a shower...I think I must look like the creature from the black legoon."

"Well why don't you go for a bit when Aaron's asleep, or sumthin."

"I will once they have him back. They told me to stay put until he's back from his tets."

"Yeah...good idea. Maybe they'll be able to tell you something else after the tests."

Nick took a deep breath. "Yeah.." He then paused for a second. "The hospital had to call my parents..."

"I figured that might happen. How'd it go?"

"I don't really know. All I know is that they called them." Nick closed his eyes. "And that means they know where both of us are."

"Yeah..."

"I hope they don't come...I don't know if I can face them."

"Don't face them, Nick. Just...leave if they show up."

Nick bit his lower lip. "But I'm supposed to be helping Aaron..."

Justin sighed. "I know. I just...I wish there way something I could say...or do."

"There isn't anything." Nick whispered. "And in reality this is going to probably screw you over even more. My father for sure now is going to know about us."

"Oh well. What can I do?" Justin said nonchallantly...trying to be tough about it.

"Freak out and dump me?" Nick said, only half joking.

Justin laughed. "Yeah...right."

"I would just hate to know that because of me your career is ruined."

"We don't even know what's gonna happen, Nick...so let's take it one step at a time...OK?" Justin reached up and nervously ran his hand over his head. He hadn't had his shave touched up in a couple weeks, so his curls were quickly returning.

"Okay." Nick agreed as he shifted in his chair. "What were you doing before I called?"

"I'm on the bus on the way to soundcheck."

"Oh...fun." Nick said with a sigh...he missed being able to go do things like that with Justin. Sure it had been kinda boring at times, but it was special to him in a weird way.

"Actually...I'm glad tomorrow's the last one for a while. I need a break from all this."

"Yeah...that makes sense."

"I've actually been checking out a few movie scripts."

Nick's eyes went wide. "Wow...really?"

Justin chuckled. "Yeah...just considering a few offers."

"What are the movies about?" Nick asked.

"I haven't read over em all yet...so I'm not sure."

"What about what you have read over?"

"One's some sappy love story...NOT for me."

Nick laughed out loud at that one. "Yeah definitely wouldn't be for you. You're far from being sappy and lovey." He teased.

"Oh THANKS."

Nick giggled. "Welcome, sweetie."

"Anyway...new topic."

"Okay...you pick...we can talk about anything you wana." Nick said, smiling...just happy to be talking to Justin.

"I don't know..."

"You do realize our one month anniversary past us buy a few days ago..."

"Yeah...I know. I just didn't wanna bring it up when we were talkin, and stuff. You have other shit on your mind."

Nick smiled. "I know I wasn't bringing it up cuz I was mad you didn't say something sooner. I just thought I would mention it is all."

"Yeah...I know."

"You owe me dinner when you get home." Nick teased.

"Hey...why ME?"

Nick laughed. "No idea."

Justin chuckled. "Whatever."

"Or we can just stay home and snuggle." Nick said with a dreamy sound to his voice.

"Possibly."

"Or I will just grab Benny and snuggle with him if you're going to be a poop about it." Nick said pouting playfully.

"Or you could do that...yes."

"You're more snuggly though."

"Yeah?"

"Yup and less furry."

Justin laughed. "I hope so."

Nick laughed too. "Well you definitely don't have much body hair...and Benny definitely isn't one of those sphinx cats that have no hair."

"I haven't seen him yet, so I wouldn't know."

"Yeah and once you're home I'm sure you'll make sure not to see him much anyway." Nick laughed.

"Yeah...probably."

"Why don't you like cats?" Nick asked curiously.

"I don't know...I just never did. I hate the way they rub all up on you, though."

Nick laughed at that. "I hate how dogs are all yippy and shit and jump all over you."

"My dogs do NOT do that."

"And MY cat doesn't rub all over."

"Sure."

"He doesn't." Nick whined.

"Don't whine...it's unattractive."

"Yeah well wouldn't be the only part of me that is unattractive."

"Umm...yeah it would," Justin said...then laughed.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Me whining is the only part of me that isn't attractive?"

"Pretty much."

"What is your FAVORITE part about me?" Nick asked curiously.

"Umm...everything?"

Nick smiled and blushed a little. "Really?"

"Of course."

"The same goes for you. I think every inch of you and every part about you is attractive."

Justin smiled. "Thanks, baby."

A shiver went through Nick's body when Justin said that. "I still shiver and shit when you call me that." He laughed.

Justin laughed. "Why?"

"I have NO idea. It just sounds really...hot...when you say it I guess." Nick said, trying to think of why.

"Must be my drawl," Justin teased...throwing a little extra South into the sentence.

Nick couldn't help the small groan that escaped his lips. "You're evil Timberlake."

Justin chuckled quietly. "Nah...not me."

"Yes you...you know what you talking like that does to me."

"True."

"Not fair when you aren't home." Nick pouted.

Justin laughed. "Get over it," he said playfully.

"If we were both in privet places I would definitely start something with that." Nick laughed. "But too bad for us I'm in a hospital."

"And I'm on my damn bus with my whole team."

Nick sighed an over dramatic sigh. "This sucks."

Justin laughed. "No it doesn't. You'll be fine."

"Nut uh." Nick said playfully pouting. "You got me all hot and bothered with your sexy accent...and I miss you and those things put together aren't good."

"You'll be fine," Justin said again. "Let's change the subject. How's Kelly doing? I haven't talked to her in a couple days."

"She's good...her and Ed have been apartment huting like crazy. Those two are damn picky. They bring by all these booklets for me to help them look through and they are all beyond nice...but they think they suck." Nick laughed, happy for the disraction.

Justin laughed at that. "Kelly hasn't found anything yet, huh?"

"Nope and I guess they totally had to start looking for something else cuz they need two bedrooms now." Nick laughed. "It's pretty comical."

"I thought she just wanted a one bedroom place."

Nick bit his lower lip when he realized that Justin didn't know about them moving in together. "Uhh...yeah she does..."

"How come? Last we talked about it she wanted something just big enough for her."

"She does." Nick said again, sounding nervous.

"Aight...what's goin on?"

"What makes you think something is going on...nothing's going on."

"I can tell by the way you're talkin."

Nick took a deep breath. "I don't know what yur talkin about."

"Just tell me what's going on with Kelly, Nick."

"Her and Eddie are movin in together." Nick blurted out quickly.

Justin's eyes widened. "Get out."

"It's the truth."

"Wow...for real?"

"Yeah...they told me about it a few days ago." Nick said, wondering if he should tell Justin about them offically being a couple now too.

"Really. Hmm...wow. So...they're getting serious with each other, then? Or are they just moving in as friends?"

Nick bit his lower lip. "Eddie asked Kel to be his girlfriend back the night I got here."

Justin had to smile. "Well...I guess that's a good thing...huh?"

"They are adorable." Nick giggled. "Kinda reminds me of us when we're being silly with each other."

"Well with Eddie that's gonna happen. He's a clown."

"He is...and it makes me miss you more seeing them." Nick said with a sigh. "But four more days..."

"Yup...four days."

"Can we skip time now and make it four days. And If I go home right now then you'll be there?"

Justin chuckled. "No...unfortunately."

"Drat."

Justin laughed again. "Yeah."

"I think I'm going to go hop the next plane to Texes and surprise you tomorrow." Nick teased. "And you can do nothin about it."

"I'll refuse to see you."

Nick pouted. "No you wouldn't...would you?"

"You need to be with your brother."

"But I wana see you too." Nick said softly, knowing he wasn't leaving...even though he wanted to.

"I know...and I wanna see you...but...in four days."

"I don't wana wait four days."

"You have to, baby."

Nick was quiet as he tried not to cry.

"Four days..." Justin said quietly. "...that's it. And now that you're brother's gonna be doing better...it'll fly by."

"Can't I come see you for a night." Nick whispered.

"No, Nick. That's crazy. The flight isn't worth it...and I'm not even gonna be in one place long enough."

Nick closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay."

"Do you remember one of the things I told you when we decided to date?"

"You said a lot of things." Nick said softly.

"One of them was that sometimes you were gonna have to deal with being away from me."

Nick sat up in his chair more and took a deep breath. "I know that." He firmly...not wanting Justin to think he was just being stupid and clingy again.

"You'll be alright."

"Of course I will...I know how to be by myself." Nick said in the same tone of voice. "I've done it for years...I'm sorry for wanting to see you." He said getting defensive.

Justin sighed. "Don't do this, Nick."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't get like this...with the being sorry for wanting to see me shit. That's ridiculous."

"Well...you make me feel like a stupid kid when you say stuff like I need to learn how to be away from you and that I'll be alright. This has nothing to do with me being okay without you. I just miss you. I'm not going to die if you aren't with me." Nick stated

"You're overreacting, Nick," Justin said calmly. "I never implied that you said you were gonna die if you don't see me. And damn...I'm just telling you you'll be fine because I don't know what the fuck else to say. You keep on saying you miss me and wanna see me. What am I SUPPOSED to say?"

Nick closed his eyes and took deep breaths, not really sure why he was getting so weird. "I know...I'm sorry I guess I'm just so scared that you think I'm getting clingy again...and I don't want that."

"Being scared that you're gonna get clingy is what's making you clingy," Justin pointed out logically.

Nick laughed a little. "You lost me."

"You're worried about being clingy...and that's what's making you seem clingy. Like...all the apologizing, and shit."

"Oh..." Nick said as he thought about that for a minute.

"Yeah..." Justin said quietly. "I mean...if you wanna tell me you miss me and wanna see me...but know you can't...don't get pissed at me when I try to comfort you and make things seem OK."

Nick took a deep breath. "I really didn't mean to get pissed. I have no idea why I did that." He said running a hand through his hair. "I normally NEVER blow up like that."

"Forget it...no big deal."

"You don't hate me?" Nick asked with a small giggle.

"STOP!" Justin ordered with a laugh.

Nick closed his mouth and then giggled again. "Yes. Sir." He laughed.

Justin sighed. "Well I'm at the arena so I should go."

"Okay...have a good show, baby...I'll call you later to tell you what happened with Aaron's tests."

"Yeah...and call me as soon as he is talking...cuz I wanna talk to him."

"Okay I will...Love you."

"Love you too, Nick."

"Bye."

"Bye, baby."

Nick hung up the phone and sighed, looking at the clock knowing he shouldn't call Kelly and Eddie yet since it was still only six in the morning.

~~~~~~~~

It was about nine in the moring by the time Nick made his way into the house, throwing his keys on the table by the door. Aaron had come back to his room about half an hour before but he was still pretty groggy and the doctors told him to go and get cleaned up and then come back later for the results of the tests and then hopefully he would be awake.

Kelly heard someone come in the front door, and walked out of the kitchen toward the foyer. She smiled at Nick. "Hi, hun," she greeted him as she wiped her hands on a dish towel.

Nick smiled back. "Hey, girl." He said giving her a hug.

Kelly got up on her tip toes to hug Nick back. "How's Aaron?"

"Awake." Nick said simply like it was no big deal even though there was a huge smile on his face.

Kelly's eyes widened when she pulled away from Nick, and she smiled brightly. "Really? That's great!"

Nick giggled and nodded. "Yup...he woke up around three this morning...but they were doing all these tests and stuff on him."

"Any results yet?"

"No...supposed to be another few hours. I'll go back then." Nick said as he pulled back from the hug. "Thought I would come home for a little while, while he sleeps."

Kelly nodded. "Good idea. Eddie's on his way over for breakfast. Wanna join us?"

"He didn't stay here last night?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow...knowing that Eddie had been staying over a lot.

Kelly shook her head with a laugh. "No...he has a home."

Nick laughed. "Good to know...wouldn't want the poor man to be homless." He said as he followed Kelly to the kitchen.

Kelly walked over to the oven and opened it to check on the cinnamon rolls she was baking. "He stayed over that first night you were at the hospital...then the night before last...but that's it."

NIck bit his lower lip as he sat down at the counter. "Uhh...Kel...why didn't you tell me that Justin didn't know about you two movin in together?"

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. No reason. I only didin't tell him cuz the last time we talked was just for a short while...and it never came up."

"Oh...okay."

"I'm not hiding it from him if that's what you think."

"Good...cuz he knows now." Nick laughed.

Kelly chuckled. "OK...no big deal," she said as she put the coffee on.

"My parents might be coming into town." Nick said with a sigh.

"Cuz of Aaron?"

"Yeah, cuz the hospital had to contact them."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...makes sense."

Nick nodded back. "Yeah it does...but I really don't want my father in the same town as me."

Kelly leaned against the counter...her eyes on Nick. "So...stay away from him."

"How can I stay away from him...if I'm supposed to be at the hospital helping Aaron." Nick asked.

Kelly took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, sweetie. I wish I had an answer for you."

Nick sighed as he rested his head on the counter. "My life is a fuckin mess."

"Well...not everything about it is."

"Sometimes I wonder." Nick whispered.

"Well...what about Justin...and your friends?"

"You guys are all great." Nick said with a small smile in Kelly's direction. "But sometimes I still don't feel like I belong."

Kelly nodded. "Well I have to admit from experience that it IS a difficult lifestyle to get used to."

Nick nodded his head. "It really is a lot harder then I expected."

Kelly nodded again. "I know it is, baby...trust me."

"I'm not sure if I can do it." Nick whispered, looking up finally admitting what he had been feeling.

Kelly walked over and took the seat beside Nick. "What makes you think that?"

Nick took a deep breath refusing to cry. "I'm just not sure if I can be the boyfriend of a celebrity. I feel like I'm being more needy then I can be and it's just causing problems."

"Well...I can understand why you act needy sometimes. I mean...you don't really have a major connection to your family...and you're a little insecure in your relationship with Justin because sometimes you think you're not good enough for him...right?"

Nick bit his lower lip and nodded his head. "Yeah...I still think he would be better off without me."

"I don't," Kelly said firmly as she reached up to push her stray bra strap back up her shoulder and under her tank top. "I'm not sure I've ever seen him so happy."

"You haven't seen him for a while." Nick pointed out. "Maybe he isn't happy anymore."

"But I talk to him all the time...and he's always happy when he talks about you...which he does in EVERY conversation we have, might I add."

Nick giggled a little. "He better."

Kelly chuckled. "He does...I swear."

"Has he talked to you about how he feels about my dad possibly outing him?" Nick asked softly. "He acts like he's okay when we talk about it but I know he's just putting on a show for me."

"Of course he is...and he knows that you know he's terrified. He just wants you to know that he'd do anything for you...deal with anything for you."

Nick's eyes filled with tears when he heard Kelly say that. "I just hope my father doesn't do that. I hope he realizes what he would he could possibly be screwing up."

Kelly sighed quietly. "Just...don't worry so much about it, Nick. If he does it, he does it. Justin will find a way to deal with it...and he has people that are professionals at dealing with shit like that...so..."

"I'm a worry wort I can't help it." Nick giggled.

Kelly smiled. "Everything will work out. Now...why don't you go grab a shower and relax a little before breakfast?"

Nick nodded his head and got down from the stool. "I'll be back." With that he walked up the back steps and to his room.

A few minutes later, Eddie used his key and walked into the house. "Honey, I'm home!" He said through a giggle.

Kelly had to laugh. "I'm in the kitchen," she called as she got up on her tip toes to get some plates and bowls out of the cabinet.

Eddie walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Kelly placing little soft kisses to the back of her neck. "Mornin." He mumbled as he put the single long stem rose in front of her on the counter.

Kelly looked at the rose as she settled back down on her flat feet and set the bowls on the counter. "Ohh...it's beautiful," she said happily...then turned in Eddie's arms. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Eddie said before he pressed his lips to Kelly's for a proper good morning kiss.

Kelly groaned quietly into the kiss...her hands moving up to cup Eddie's face. "Sleep well?" she asked once the kiss ended.

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "Eh...as good as I can when you aren't sleeping next to me." He smiled. "Did YOU sleep well?"

Kelly chuckled. "I did, actually. I was exhausted when I went to bed last night."

"Rub it in, why dotcha." Eddie teased sticking his tounge out at Kelly.

Kelly laughed before giving Eddie a quick kiss. "Hey...great news..."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...?"

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...Nick just came in. Aaron woke up this morning."

"Really?" Eddie asked with wide eyes and a smile on his face. "How is he doing?"

Kelly shrugged. "He's not talking yet, but his reflexes are working. They'll have some tests results when Nick gets back there later."

Eddie nodded still smiling. "Well that's good." Just then he thought of something and laughed. "A good birthday present for Nick."

Kelly raised her eyebrow. "It's his birthday?"

Eddie nodded again. "Yeah I heard him talking to Aaron about it one of the days we came to visit."

"I had no idea."

"I didn't think anything about it until now." Eddie said and then noticed Kelly was cooking. "You making breakfast?"

Kelly looked at Eddie blankly. "Uhh...yeah. I DID call you like...forty-five minutes ago to invite you for breakfast."

Eddie laughed blushing a little. "Oh...yeah you're right."

Kelly giggled as she moved away from Eddie and started searching through some of the kitchen drawers. "You're too young for memory loss."

"I think I lost it when I was busy jerking off in the shower this morning to images of my very sexy girlfriend." Eddie said with a sexy smirk, being perverted as he went to sit down at the counter to watch Kelly.

Kelly tossed Eddie a look of mock disgust. "You'd better be kidding," she said...finally finding the birthday candles she'd been looking for.

"That I lost brain cells from doing it...or that I did it at all?" Eddie asked laughing.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You're such a perv," she said...going to get the fruit salad she'd made out of the fridge.

"Who's a perv?" Nick asked as he padded down the stairs dressed in tight fadded jeans and a white button down shirt.

"Nobody." Eddie giggled, wiggling his tongue at Kelly.

Kelly rolled her eyes again. "THAT should answer your question."

Nick made a face. "Ewww..Hetero sex...God help me." He giggled walking to pick a grape out of the salad Kelly was holding.

Kelly used her hip to bump Nick out of her way. "Get outta here."

"My house." Nick pointed out as he went to sit down next to Eddie

"It is not," Kelly pointed out in return. "You're just renting space...like me," she said with a laugh.

Nick glared at Kelly and pouted playfully. "Why do women always have to be right." He grumbled.

Eddie laughed shaking his head. "NO idea man."

Kelly laughed again as she set the fruit salad on the counter in front of the guys, followed by some bowls and forks. "Shut up and eat."

"So mean." Nick laughed as he put some salad into his bowl and began to eat it.

"We going out looking at apartments again today?" Eddie asked as he too put salad into his bowl.

Kelly shrugged. "If you want," she said as she took the tray of cinnamon buns out of the oven.

"Have you guys narrowed it down yet?" Nick asked through a mouth full of fruit.

"Not really," Kelly answered as she put cinnamon buns on plates for Nick and Eddie.

"Thank you, baby." Eddie said leaning up to give Kelly a kiss on the cheek before digging into his cinnamon bun.

"I'm sure you'll find something soon. And if not I'm sure Justin won't mind you staying here." Nick said with a smile.

"I know he won't mind," Kelly said as she stuck a candle in Nick's cinnamon bun. "But...I need my own place." She lit the candle with a match, then smiled brightly at Nick. "Happy birthday."

Nick's eyes went wide and he couldn't help the huge smile that was on his face. It had been YEARS since he had even remotly had a birthday part. "Awe...you didn't have to do that."

Kelly leaned over the couter to kiss Nick's cheek. "Blow it out. Make a wish."

Nick closed his eyes tightly just like a little kid would and he made a wish before blowing the candle out.

Eddie sat next to him and smiled. "I bet he wished that Justin would give him a blow job."

"I so did not!" Nick exclaimed, smacking Eddie's shoulder.

Kelly reached over and smacked Eddie's other shoulder before grabbing herself a bowl of fruit salad.

"What...It sounded like a pretty good wish to me." Eddie pouted rubbing his shoulders.

Nick looked down at his cinnamon bun thinking about what he HAD wished for.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You act like you never get head," she commented before she popped a grape itnl her mouth.

"Good point." Eddie giggled before taking a bite of his cinnamon bun smirking at Kelly.

Nick was quiet as he eat just a bunch of things going through his head.

Kelly looked at Nick for a moment. "Nick...you OK?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Nick said looking up with a small smile

Kelly looked right into Nick's eyes. "You sure? Cuz you can talk to us, ya know."

Nick shook his head, not wanting to talk about it because there wasn't any point. "Nah...I'm cool."

Eddie looked at Nick with a raised eyebrow and then at Kelly and shrugged his shoulders. "Kay man...but she's right..you can talk."

"We're always here," Kelly added.

Sighing, Nick looked down at his food again. "But what would be the point of me telling you that I feel like shit cuz my boyfriend isn't here with me on my birthday? Cuz like always that would just be pointless cuz there is nothing the fuck I can do about it."

Kelly glanced at Eddie...not really sure what to say to Nick.

Eddie bit his lower lip, not really sure what to say either. "You're right..." He answered thinking that was the only thing he COULD say.

Nick looked at Eddie and got off his stool. "Thanks for breakfast and everything, Kel. I'm going to head back to the hospital now." He said before walking out of the room before he would either blow up or break down. He felt like he was a emotioal time bomb these days.

Kelly looked at Eddie quickly, then put her fork down before following Nick toward the front door. "Nick...hold up."

"I'm late Kel." Nick said even though he knew Kelly wouldn't buy that. It had been less then an hour since he had come into the house.

"Just...hear me out," Kelly said...stopping in front of Nick and crossing her arms over her chest. "You and I both know that Justin would like nothing more than to be with you on your birthday...so don't hold this against him. The most important thing to you right now is your brother's well-being, so that's what you need to focus on."

Nick let out a frustrated sigh. "I know that." He said sounding on edge.

Kelly took a deep breath. "Just...calm down and keep your head on straight, OK? You know that when Justin gets home, he'll more than make up for not being here on your birthday."

"I know that...I'm not mad at him, Kelly." Nick said shoving his hands in his pockets that were starting to shake. He didn't want to tell anybody that this drug addiction thing going on with his brother was really putting him on edge...remembering his own addictions he never totally got over.

Kelly nodded slowly. "OK. Just...cheer up...and just be glad that Aaron's getting better...and that you're here for him."

Eddie was watching the exchange from the door and the shaky hands didn't go past him and he felt a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Nick put on a smile. "I'll be fine...I'll call you if I find anything else out." With that he opened the door and walked out.

Kelly watched Nick leave, then sighed as she turned to head back to the kitchen.

"He's scaring me." Eddie said as he walked back into the kictchen with Kelly.

"Why?" Kelly asked as she took Nick's vacated seat and crossed her legs.

Eddie took a deep breath not really wanting to say this. "His hands were shaking like crazy...that's why he shoved them in his pockets."

"What do you think that means?"

"I really don't know." Eddie admitted. "You know him better then I do...does he normally shake like that?"

Kelly shrugged. "Not that I've noticed."

"If I didn't know him like I do...I would say that he was fidgiting like Aaron was that night..."

"Nick?" No..." Kelly shook her head. "...his drug days were over years ago."

"Maybe so...but he was just a kid living on his own. I hightly doubt he got help. So I have a feeling all this stress...and then the topic of Aaron's drug addiction..might be triggering old feelings." Eddie said and then sighed. "Probably a long shot...but I do know that boy is about ready to snap."

Kelly sighed. "Well...hopefully he'll keep his head on straight...and deal with things the right way."

"What he needs to stop doing is getting upset at things he can't control."

Kelly nodded. "Exactly...but he doesn't get it."

"I don't think all the wires are working right in his head sometimes." Eddie laughed. "He's very dense...emotional and so damn sensative. Sometimes I wonder if there is more to that then we know."

"Yeah," Kelly said thoughtfully. "I know what you mean."

"I mean something could actually be medically wrong with him." Eddie said thoughtfully too. "I mean sometimes he thinks a lot like a little kid."

"Yeah...that's true. I never thought of that."

Eddie bit his lip and got a very thoughtful look on his face. "That never occured to me until today."

"Me neither."

"I wish we knew more about him."

Kelly sighed. "Maybe once everything with his brother gets settled he'll start worrying about himself."

"If he even knows he has a problem." Eddie pointed out with a sigh of his own.

"Yeah..."

"I wish I knew what to do to make him feel better about things. I mean I just seemed to make it worse." Eddie said sadly.

"No you don't. We're not making it worse. We just...can't do anything to make it better."

Eddie sighed again and nodded. "I know...but I feel like there is something we can do. Because you can tell he's almost scared to talk to us because he knows our reaction...because quiet frankly he tells us the same thing over and over again."

"I don't know WHAT to think."

"Me neither."

Kelly sighed. "I think I'll go shower and get dressed...then we can keep ourselves busy by apartment hunting some more."

Eddie nodded his head. "Okay...sounds good. I'll clean up the kitchen."

Kelly hopped off her stool and kissed Eddie's cheek. "Thanks," she said before heading for her bedroom.

Eddie smiled before he got up too and started to busy himself with cleaning the kitchen. Washing the dishes and putting away the left over food.

Kelly showered quickly...then straightened her hair and dressed in jeans and a pink baby tee before coming out of her room.

Eddie had the whole kitchen spotless by the time Kelly was done he was just washing off the counter when she walked in.

Kelly smiled as she walked up to Eddie. "Thanks. Looks like you went above and beyond."

"Needed to keep myself busy." Eddie replied as he went to put the dirty wash rag into the laundry room.

"What about you?" Kelly asked as she grabbed her small white zip-up hoddie from the back of one of the kitchen chairs and put it on. "How are YOU?"

Eddie smiled. "I'm perfectly fine...how are YOU?"

Kelly shrugged...looking at Eddie as he came back into the room. "I'm OK."

"Good..I'm glad." Eddie said as he wrapped his arms around Kelly.

Kelly smiled up at Eddie. "So...where we lookin today?"

"Well, it almost seems like we've looked everywhere." Eddie laughed. "Cuz we do wana stay in this general area."

Kelly nodded. "Well...actually...I was looking online this morning, and I found something that really caught my eye. I'd like to show you."

Eddie smiled. "Really...okay then we'll go wherever this place may be."

Kelly went to get a piece of paper off the kitchen table. "Here are the directions," she said...handing the paper to Eddie as she grabbed her small pink Coach purse off the counter.

Eddie looked over the directions quickly before nodding. "Alrighty I can find that." He said as they headed out of the kitchen and towards the door.

Kelly laughed as she followed Eddie. "Lead the way, my knight."

"That is a scary thought." Eddie laughed as they headed out the door and to his truck.

Kelly glanced over at Eddie once she was buckled in. "It's not exactly an apartment. It's more like...a villa, I guess."

"What exactly does THAT mean?" Eddie asked as he too buckled up and backed out of the driveway.

Kelly shrugged. "You'll see. If you like it, you like it. If you don't, you don't."

Eddie nodded. "Okay."

Kelly sat quietly looking out the window for a few minutes before she spoke. "Ya know...Marty's gonna be back the day after tomorrow," she said without turning her head to look at Eddie.

"Yeah he will..." Eddie answered as he drove down the street, his eyes straight ahead.

"I still haven't really talked to him about...everything."

Once at a red light, Eddie turned to look at Kelly. "You're going to need to."

Kelly nodded, then turned to look at Eddie. "I know...and I will. I'm just kinda nercous about it."

"I can understand that." Eddie said with a small smile as he started driving again. "To be honestly, I'm actually kind of nervous to see him again too...cuz I mean sure I've talked to him about US but it's going to be different now that he's going to see it."

"Yeah...I know. And I haven't even talked to him about the whole baby thing yet, either."

"It's not like it was HIS baby." Eddie pointed out.

"I know...but he was there from the beginning..." Kelly's voice trailed off as she turned to look out the window again.

Eddie nodded his head in understanding. "I know he was...so yeah I guess you're right you two need to talk about that. You need to talk about everything."

Kelly just nodded...keeping quiet as she settled back in her seat.

"Do you think we should talk to Justin about how we think something could be wrong with Nick...I mean to make him act like this?" Eddie asked out of the blue as he got onto the highway the directions Kelly gave him told him to. "I mean maybe it doesn't matter and I'm just making a big deal out of nothing."

"I don't know. I mean...maybe Justin's started to figure it our himself."

"Either that or he thinks Nick is just being annoying and stupid." Eddie said with a sigh, knowing that was what he was beginning to think. "He does have annoying qualities but I mean I don't think he's doing it on purpose anymore."

"I don't think so, either."

Eddie got off at the right exit and was quiet for a minute before speaking again. "And I hope he has more sense then his brother with that hand shaking shit."

Kelly sighed quietly. "I'm sure he does. He hasn't given us any other indications that he uses drugs."

"You're right."

"He's got a lot to deal with right now. He's bound to be wound up and uptight."

"I'm just scared of when he's going to finally explode." Eddie said as he continued to follow the directions Kelly had given him.

"Well...maybe he won't. I mean...maybe he'll be able to keep himself in check...or maybe he'll even get help if he needs it."

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, maybe."

Kelly sighed again. "But...I guess it's not really for us to deal with."

"He doesn't have anybody else TO help him. If not us."

"Yeah...you're right. But...maybe we should wait til he ASKS for help."

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, I know. I just feel like if we don't do something then we're going to have another Carter go off the deepend. We were going to wait for Aaron to tell us he needed help but now he's in the fucking hospital." He said softly, not looking at Kelly even though they were at a red light.

Kelly sighed quietly in frustration. "Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, then."

"I don't know what to do either, baby." Eddie whispered. "I'm sorry If I sound like I'm getting pissy with you."

"No...it's OK."

"I just hate to see my friends hurting right in front of my eyes." Eddie said. "And I feel like if we don't do something we're dismissing his problems. You saw the way he walked out of the house earlier, I think he's beginning to think we don't care or something."

"But what did we do that made him walk out of the house like that?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know. I think he was getting frustrated with himself more then anything. And we both told him stuff that he doesn't want to hear. I think he keeps thinking the more he says he wants Justin home...that Justin will come."

Kelly shook her head a bit. "I've talked to Justin about this. He made it clear to Nick before they decided to try a relationship that they're gonna have to be apart sometimes."

"Right, but even if Nick says he understands...I don't think he does." Eddie pointed out as he pulled up in front of where Kelly had wanted them to go. "Something isn't sparking right in his brain. It's like he's hearing things but they aren't going in." Then something hit Eddie. "Has he ever told you about having to be alone for long periods of time?"

Kelly nodded as she looked out the window at the small table set up for the open house. "Yeah...we've talked about it a bit. Maybe he has abandonment issues, or something."

"Would make sense." Eddie said as he turned the truck off. "It could be a like Post Traumatic thing. Which means he could seriously be scared to death of Justin being gone."

"Since other people have left him alone, he probably thinks J will do the same."

"The only problem with that is. Justin is the type of person that if Nick keeps this up, his whole thing is going to blow up in his face. Justin will WANT to leave him." Eddie sadi with a sigh.

Kelly sighed, as well. "Yeah. Justin can't deal with a clingy, needy partner. And I mean...who can blame him, really? He's been hurt too many times."

Eddie reached his hand up to scrach his head, a nervous habbit. "Then they are pretty much doomed..unless Nick can get over this...which if it's really a Post Traumatic thing it might take cousoling and stuff like that."

"I guess we can just hope that Nick gets help if he really needs it."

"Yeah." Eddie agreed as he opened his door. "Okay, let's try and forget this and do what we came to do."

Kelly nodded with a deep breath, then opened the passenger side door.

Eddie walked around the car to Kelly's side and once she was out, he automatically wrapped his arms around her in a big hug and kissed the top of her head. "It will all be okay. Everything we're both worried about witll work out."

"I hope so," Kelly said quietly as she buried her face in Eddie's chest.

Eddie continued to hold Kelly for a good few minutes. "Both Nick and Justin are strong and if they are meant to be then they will be fine. They love each other so damn much for either of them to give up."

Kelly nodded her head in agreement as she returned Eddie's hug.

After a few more minutes, Eddie pulled back and took Kelly's hand in his. "Okay, Miss Kelly...show me this place of yours."

Kelly smiled as she walked with Eddie. "I haven't been here yet...just saw pictures on the internet."

"Ahhh...I see." Eddie giggled as they followed a sign that said the managers office was in that direction.

As they waited to talk to the agent, Kelly took a look around the front yard. The small villa was a tropical light pink color and had a white roof and white doors and windows...and the lush greenery and palm trees surrounding the house gave it a resort-like feeling.

Eddie looked around a little too. "What happened to getting a small apartment that wouldn't give us much space to cludder up?" He teased.

Kelly giggled. "It's not that big inside. And besides...we want space at first...remember?"

"Yeah but then we decided that we would just use all the extra space to fill it with junk."

Kelly looked at Eddie with confusion. "We did?"

"Yeah we talked about it before we went to bed the other night. Maybe you were half asleep." Eddie giggled. "But don't get me wrong this place is definitely worth checkin out."

Kelly smiled...leaning into Eddie a bit as they waited. "That's a cute little front porch," she observed...pointing to the small porch that looked just big enough for a couple of chairs.

"It is." Eddie agreed as he too looked over at the porch.

Kelly smiled at the woman sitting at the table once it was finally their turn. "Good morning."

The woman looked up and smiled. "Good morning."

"Umm...hi. We'd like to see the place. Is there a tour that we're supposed to go on, or should we just walk around ourselves?"

"Just go ahead and look around yourself." The woman said with a smile. "There are two other couples in there right now but if you don't mind that you can go right ahead in."

Eddie looked at Kelly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Thank you," Kelly said to the woman, then looked at Eddie. "Wanna go in...or do you wanna wait?"

"We can go in, I don't really care." Eddie said with another shrug of his shoulders.

Kelly smiled...excited to see the inside. "OK...come on."

Holding onto Kelly's hand Eddie walked with her up the steps and onto the cute little porch before walking into the house.

Kelly led Eddie through the open front door and the small entry hall, and straight through to the open living room and kitchen area. The walls were a crisp white, and the carpeting and tiling a bright sea foam green. "Wow...this is nice," Kelly said softly...looking around at the brand new appliances and the small island counter,

"It is...I always wanted stainless steel appliances." Eddie said as he lightly touched the silverish looking fridge.

Kelly had to laugh as that as she walked the few steps to the carpeted living and dining area. "Like you'll USE them."

Eddie laughed as he followed Kelly. "I never said I was going to use them. I just think they LOOK cool."

Kelly looked at Eddie and smiled. "Not like you'll have to use them, anyway...since you'll be living with a girlfriend who'll be perfectly willing to cook for you every night." She batted her eyelashes for effect.

"Damn, I'm going to be pampered." Eddie laughed smiling at Kelly as he looked around the living room area. "This is REALLY nice."

Kelly nodded. "It is," she agreed, then walked to the glass door that opened out onto a small back porch. She gasped quietly when she saw the view. The porch was about twenty feet away from a river...on which a small cruising boat was just passing...and on the other side of the narrow river was a golf course putting green. "This is amazing."

Eddie walked up and wrapped his arms around Kelly from behind. "Yeah, but none of us golf." He joked.

Kelly laughed. "That doesn't matter. Maybe we can watch and learn." Her eyes were wide as she took in the bright green grass, and all of the tropical shrubbery surrounding them.

"I'm not sure I wana learn golf." Eddie laughed.

Kelly took a few more seconds to look around, then turned to look at Eddie. "Well...let's see the rest of the inside before you decided you hate it."

"When did I say I hated it?" Eddie asked in confusion as they backed away from the window.

Kelly chuckled. "You didn't. But I get the feeling the golf thing bothers you."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "Golf is just a boring sport. I never did understand it."

Kelly gave a quick nod. "Fair enough," she said before heading to a door in the entry hall. "Must be a bedroom," she said as she peeked inside.

"Would appear that way." Eddie agreed as he looked into the room. "Is that a walk in closet?" He asked curiously, sounding excited.

Kelly walked into the spacious room, and laughed happily. "There are TWO walk in closets," she said...looking at the closets on either side of the small hall that led to the bedroom's private bathroom...with a toilet, double sinks, and a shiny, ceramic shower/tub combo.

"I don't think I'm going to wana leave the bathroom." Eddie said in awe.

Kelly giggled...grabbing Eddie's hand. "Let's find the other bedroom."

Eddie nodded his head as he let Kelly lead him out of the room. "Do I dare ask how much this place is going to cost us?" He asked, actually pretty much saying he was really thinking of buying the place.

"I'm not sure. I decided not to look up how much the monthly rent was before we looked at it." As she spoke, Kelly headed down the narrow hall that was across the entry way, and through the open door at the end of it...into another spacious bedroom...this one with another glass door onto the same back porch that overlooked the river. "Wow..."

"This must be the master bedroom." Eddie said as he too looked out the back door with wide eyes.

Kelly nodded slowly. "It must be," she said almost distractedly as she walked through the room, and through a doorless archway that led into a tile-floored room...where there was a walk-on closet directly across from a large Jacuzzi tub...and a little vanity area with a sink and mirror.

"Ohh...now THAT is cool." Eddie said pointing at the Jacuzzi tub as he walked up behind Kelly.

Kelly walked across the room, and through the door that led to the rest of the master bath...which included a glassed-in shower. "This place is incredible."

"I think I'm in heaven." Eddie said still looking around in awe.

"What's in here?" Kelly asked as she opened the other door in the bathroom and went through it. "Oh...laundry room."

"You expect me to know." Eddie laughed before Kelly had opened the door. "Ohhh...nice."

The door at the other end of the small laundry room opened back out to the hallway that connected to the entry way. "Ed...this place is gorgeous. And so...secluded and quiet."

Eddie nodded his head in agreement. "But it's confusing." He laughed. "How did we get here...from there?"

"Get where...from where?"

"We went in through the bathroom...and ended up back here...it's a maze." Eddie laughed

Kelly giggled. "You'll get used to it."

"Hopefully...if not I will haller if I need you to help get me out." Eddie teased.

Kelly laughed again...then slowly made her way back to the main room. "So...what do you think?" she asked seriously.

Eddie looked around a little more before he turned to Kelly smiling. "I love it...and I mean that."

"For real? I mean...tell me if you hate it."

"I really do love it." Eddie said looking Kelly in the eye.

Kelly smiled. "Me too."

Eddie pulled Kelly in for a hug and then pulled back to look in her eye. "It doesn't matter how much it costs either."

Kelly shook her head. "I'm sure we can handle it."

"We could handle it with just one of us." Eddie laughed.

Kelly laughed. "Well...I guess we should go see about filling out an application, or something."

Eddie nodded in agreement. "Yeah we do need to do that."

"OK...let's do it, then."

Taking Kelly's hand again they headed back out the front door and to where the lady was sitting. "Excuse me...but we're very interested in the place...is there anything we should fill out?"

The woman's eyes went wide and smiled. "Well...of course...are you thinking about actually buying it or would you like to be on a waiting list?"

Kelly looked at the woman curiously. "A waiting list to rent it?"

"I meant if you wanted to put your name down to show you were interested but then still go look around at other places." The woman explained. "That way we wouldn't exactly give it off to somebody else without consulting you first."

"I think we're ready. We want the place." Eddie said before glancing at Kelly. "Right?"

"Umm...I think so. We haven't seen anything else yet...so..."

The woman took out two pieces of paper and put them on clipboards before handing them to Kelly and Eddie. "Okay then...go ahead and fill out these application forms."

Eddie took his clipboard and went to sit on a bench that was in the front yard.

Kelly sat beside Eddie, and crossed her legs before going to work on her form. She laughed when she got to the annual income question. "When I applied for the house, they didn't believe my answer to how much money I make."

"I know what you mean. The first apartment I rented after I had been working for a while laughed at me. Cuz I totally didn't look like I made as much as I do." Eddie giggled as he filled out his own form.

"Make sure you put me down as your co-applicant."

"No I thought I would put Pamela Anderson." Eddie teased. "Of course I'm putting you down."

Kelly laughed and glanced over at Eddie's form. "Why do we have to fill out two, anyway? Both have the same info."

"Not exactly." Eddie pointed out. "Our current addresses are different."

"They are going to want to talk to my landlord and shit...since i'm renting right now."

Kelly shrugged and went back to filling out her form.

Eddie bit his lower lip and glanced over at Kelly's paper like he was a kid cheating on a test.

Kelly laughed when she noticed Eddie reading her paper. "Lemme guess. You don't know my birthday."

"Uhh...no of course not." Eddie said blushing.

"You don't...do you?"

"It's November something..."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Twenty-fourth."

"I was going to say that!" Eddie laughed, blushing.

"Do you even know what year?"

"I do know that...1982."

Kelly smirked. "Good job."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Yur 21...and I know how to do math."

"Do you know MY birthday?"

"October fourteenth...nineteen seventy-eight," Kelly said in a cocky tone. "I'm a woman...I know everything."

"Damn I'm old." Eddie grumbled hearing his birth year. "And yes, woman do know everything...I've learned from my mother to agree to that." He added, giggling.

Kelly giggled as she turned her attention back to her application.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Nick sat down on a bench in a little courtyard outside of the hospital and took a deep breath. The day had been beyond crazy and emotionally draining and he was happy to have gotten away for a few minutes. Taking out the barrowed cell phone, Nick dialed Justin's number and waited.

Justin groaned as he reached for his ringing cell phone. He'd just gotten settled in the bed in his hotel room, and was so close to finally falling asleep. "Hello...?" he greeted the caller sleepily.

Nick smiled a little when he heard Justin's sleepy voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, baby." He said as he relaxed back against the bench.

"Hey. You didn't, really. I just got in bed...just got to Houston."

"Wow, we're in the same country again." Nick giggled a little. "How was your flight?"

"Long," Justin said with a groan as he rolled onto his side and curled up under the covers. "And the time change has like...totally fucked me up. It would be like...nine in the morning right now where I just came from...but instead...now it's eleven o'clock the night before."

"I know exactly what you mean. I remember how that felt." Nick said still smiling, just happy to hear Justin's voice after the day he had. "I'm glad you made it safe, though."

"Yeah...I was gonna call, but I wasn't sure how or where to reach you."

"I would of understood if you didn't. And I’m not sure if I would have gotten the call if you had tried."

Justin yawned quietly before he spoke again. "So what's goin on there? How's Aaron?"

"He's getting there. Right now he's having trouble moving the right side of his body...but the doctors think with physical therapy he should be perfectly fine. He's leaving the hospital in two weeks they think, and then going to some place to rehabilitate him for the drug stuff." Nick said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Two weeks? Wow...that seems like so long."

Nick sighed. "He really fucked himself up...they have to make sure everything is working right. He's still having trouble talking. It's just gunna take time to get him back to normal...but he will."

Justin sighed quietly. "I'm so sorry about all of this, Nick."

"It's not your fault, Justin. If anything I should be thanking you. Only God knows what would have happened if he would of done this back home."

"Well thankfully we don't have to worry about that."

Nick took a long drag on his cigarette before talking again. "My parents are here."

"Have you talked to them?"

"I spent the whole fuckin day with them." Nick said sounding way too calm, almost eerily so.

"And...?"

"My mother tried to baby me, and my father blamed me for fucking Aaron up."

"You've gotta be fuckin kidding me."

Nick shrugged his shoulders even though Justin couldn't see him. "Doesn't surprise me."

"How are you handling it?"

"I'm fine." Nick said after taking another drag on his cigarette

"Are you sure?" Justin knew that Nick sounded a little too relaxed.

"I'm still alive." Was Nick's response as he rubbed his sore ribs from where he had just happened to have got in the way of his fathers fist.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?"

Nick put his cigarette out and lit up another one. "It means what I said."

Justin took a deep breath. He didn't want to get frustrated with Nick...not when he was so tired, and they were still so many miles apart. "Tell me what's going on."

Nick sighed, he was trying to keep his tough composure from the day even up for Justin, but it was becoming too difficult. "Don't ask me that...please." He whispered, sounding more like himself. "I'm trying to stay strong."

"You can talk to ME and still stay strong in front of THEM."

"You don't need me braking down on you either, Justin." Nick said literally starting to shake from all the pressure and pain from the day.

Justin sighed again. He didn't know how to get through to his boyfriend sometimes...or most of the time. "OK, Nick. But...if you don't wanna talk, I'm gonna go...cuz I'm seriously sleep deprived right now."

"I wana crawl into a dark hole and die." Nick said softly as tears came to his eyes.

Justin swallowed hard at those words. "Please don't say that," he practically whispered.

"My whole body aches and I feel like I've been brainwashed or something." Nick sniffled. "And this is just cuz my parents fuckin came into town."

"I'm not surprised they have that effect on you...after the way they've treated you all your life."

Nick sighed. "If I have to hear my mother tell me one more time that her and my father love me and want me home so we can be a family again...I'm going to explode."

"Ignore them, Nick. I know it's hard...but ignore them...and avoid them at all costs."

"I'm planning on it. I think I'm going to stay home tomorrow. I'm not going to be able to move anyway."

"What do you mean?"

Nick licked his lips. "My father had fun showing me how much he loves me."

"What the fuck did he do to you?"

"It's okay Justin...I'm fine."

"Why you gotta fuckin lie, Nick?" Justin asked...his voice raising a little.

"I'm not lying!" Nick said his voice raising the same Justin's had. "Broken ribs and a sore knee is nothing compared to what he normally does."

"He hit you? He had the nerve to put his fuckin hands on you?"

"Yup, cuz I’m his faggot son and can't protect myself."

Justin took a long, deep breath. "Stay away from him. And I'ma call Lonnie right now and have him get one of my LA men assigned to you."

Nick shook his head quickly and then winced. "You bring one of your men in and it will only be worse."

"Why? Your father couldn't handle them."

"Yeah, but then It'll be like showing him he won. I mean I'm so weak I have to have my little rich boyfriend come to the rescue."

Justin let out a frustrated sigh. "Well ya know what then, Nick? I guess I can't fuckin help you...because I don't know what the fuck else I can do if you won't let me help you the way I know how."

Nick closed his eyes. "Justin...I didn't mean it like that." He whispered. "I'm sorry...I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so fucking confused, and I hurt all over and all I wana do is go hide until this is all over...but I can't do that."

"Yes you can. Just...go home until your parents are gone. Kelly and Eddie will keep an eye on Aaron for you. And hell...I'll be home in a few days."

"I will." Nick said, knowing that was best. "And if you really thinking having somebody come is a good idea, then we can do that too." He smiled a little. "It makes me feel special and important, not weak. I don't give a fuck what my father would think."

Justin managed a small smile. "Are you being serious... ore are you just sayin it cuz you know it's what I wanna hear?"

"You know I think it's cool having body guards." Nick giggled a bit. "What I said before is what my father would say. I personally like having a little rich boyfriend who takes good care of me."

Justin's smile grew as he snuggled a bit deeper under the covers...a bit more comfortable with Nick's state of mind. "Good. But I'm not little."

"Nope, not in any sense of the word." Nick giggled and then sighed a content sigh but wincing again.

Justin let a loud yawn out. "Are you sure you're gonna be OK?"

"Sure...I really am okay, baby."

"Promise?"

Nick smiled as he stood up with a groan. "I promise...black and blue are my favorite colors."

"Don't even joke like that. The thought makes me sick."

"Then it's a good thing you aren't here" Nick whispered.

"Just...go home...take a hot bath...get some sleep...and call me in the mornin...aight?"

"I will, I'm already at the truck." Nick said as he unlocked Justin's truck and got into it. "Get a good night's sleep, baby...and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Aight. I love you...OK?"

"I love you too." Nick said with a smile. "Night."

"Night, Nicky."

"Night, baby." Nick said before he hung up the phone and threw it into the passenger seat before backing out of the parking space and heading home.

~~~~~~~~

Kelly was about five minutes from Marty's house when she picked up her cell phone and dialed the number to Eddie's apartment. She nervously ran a hand through her hair as she pulled up to a red light and listened to the phone ring on the other end.

Eddie wiped his wet hands on his jeans and reached for the phone on the counter. "Talk to me."

Kelly chuckled. "Hey."

"Hey, baby...what's up?" Eddie asked a big smile on his face when he heard Kelly's voice on the other end.

"Nothing," Kelly replied, then took a deep breath before pulling away from the traffic light. "Are you SURE you won't meet me there?" she asked in a bit of a whiny tone.

Eddie sighed. "Honey, we talked about this...you need to talk with him on your own first."

Kelly sighed, too. "I know, I know. I'm just so nervous. I mean...we never really even talked about our breakup."

"Which is why you NEED to talk to him." Eddie said gently. "He's the same guy he always has been, Kel. He won't like blow up at you or something."

"I know that."

"Then there is nothing to worry about."

Kelly took another deep breath. "Yeah...I know. I'm just being a wuss."

Eddie laughed. "I never said anything about you being a wuss."

Kelly chuckled. "Well I am."

"Well, whatever you think." Eddie laughed again. "Call me when you get home...and tell me how things went."

"Yeah...I will. Maybe I'll stop by your place so we can call Justin. It's his birthday."

"Whoa, you're right!" Eddie said with wide eyes. "I totally forgot it was the thirty-first."

"Yeah...so...I'll stop over on my way home, then?"

"Yeah, I'll be here."

"OK...see you in a while, then."

"Bye, babe."

"Bye." Kelly hung up her phone, then tried to sort through her thoughts as she finished the drive to Marty's place.

Eddie hung up the phone and went back to washing the dishes.

When Kelly got to Marty's condo, she parked Justin's car in the small driveway, then took a long, deep breath to calm herself before getting out, and going to knock on the front door.

Marty was in his room working on unpacking all of his things when he heard somebody knocking on the door. Putting down a hanger on the bed he walked quickly to the door and threw it open. A huge smile spread across his face when he saw Kelly standing there. "KEL!" He exclaimed.

Kelly smiled as soon as she saw Marty. "Hey. Sorry I didn't call..."

"It's okay, I was just unpacking...no big deal." Marty said as he moved aside so Kelly could come inside.

Kelly stepped inside, then turned around to look at Marty...her smile growing a bit. "You look great. Europe was good to you."

"I need a hair cut." Marty laughed as he ran a hand over his longer hair.

Kelly shrugged. "It's fine. Really."

"You're looking good too." Marty said as he led Kelly into the living room to sit down. "Everybody says you're feeling better."

Kelly nodded, then stopped to look at Marty again once they got to the living room. "I DO feel better...physically, at least. But mentally...emotionally..." She paused to take a deep breath. "...it's a challenge...every day."

Marty nodded his head in understanding. "That only makes sense. It was a really terrible thing that happened to you. I'm really sorry, Kel." He said softly, knowing he hadn't said that to her yet.

Kelly nodded quickly...her eyes filling with tears. "I know. Thanks."

Seeing Kelly tear up made Marty's heart melt. He reached over and placed a tender hand to her back and gave it a gentle rub. "You have a lot of support though...of people to help."

Kelly nodded again...sniffling as she reached up to wipe her eyes. "I know I do."

"And a really great boyfriend to take care of you." Marty said softly a small smile on his face. Sure, it hurt him knowing Eddie was now in the position he was less then a month ago...but he knew Kelly was in great hands and knew Eddie would make her happy.

Kelly nodded slowly...looking up at Marty. "Marty...I'm sorry...I should have talked to you about Eddie..."

"I didn't exactly make any effort on my part to talk to you either." Marty pointed out, wanting Kelly to know there weren't any hard feelings.

Kelly shrugged...finally taking a seat on the couch. "I just...I really didn't know what to say to you...not since we broke up. I mean...sometimes I think about it, and I feel like I was stupid...like I had no right to break up with you."

Marty shook his head. "No, Kel...you were right." He said with a sigh. "I needed time to figure myself out."

"Have you figured anything out?" Kelly asked cautiously...not sure if it was really any of her business anymore.

Marty nodded. "Yeah...I think so. I'm not quiet so confused anymore, and have accepted things."

Kelly smiled at her friend. "Good for you, sweetie. I'm glad."

"I'm sorry how you found out about it though." Marty said softly. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me. And...I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I was just...I was so shocked."

Marty shook his head. "You had ever right to be shocked. Hell I shocked myself."

Kelly nodded. "But...you're OK with things now?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty cool about it. Not, really sure if I'm ready to go out and act on my feelings. But that will come in time."

Kelly smiled. "I'm sure it will."

"So, how is everybody else here? You're the first person I've seen since I've been home." Marty asked as he turned on the couch more so he could look at Kelly more comfortably

Kelly shrugged. "No one else is really here. Just Ed...and he's good. He's ALWAYS good."

"What about, Nick?" Marty asked. "And Manny." He said Manny's name a little softer then he had Nick's without even noticing it.

"Nick's...well...he's OK, I guess. As good as he CAN be. And Manny's alright as far as I know."

Marty nodded his head and looked around the room a bit before he stood up. "Do you want something to drink?"

Kelly shook her head. "No thanks...I'm fine."

"Okay..." Marty said, sitting back down again.

Kelly cleared her throat. "I heard that...umm...you and Manny have kinda been talking."

Marty nodded. "Uh huh....we've talked a few times."

Kelly just nodded...wondering if Marty was going to elaborate.

"He's a cool guy..." Marty said, reaching a hand up to nervously run it through his hair.

"Yeah...he is. Comes from a good family...like you."

Just then something hit him and Marty giggled a little and busted up laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Marty stopped laughing and bit his lower lip. "I well...Okay I like Manny...okay?" He said just spitting that out to get to the reason he was laughing. "If I like date the guy or something...and you and Ed are dating...if we both marry the person we're with...You and I would be related."

Kelly just stared at Marty for a second before she laughed, too. "What on earth made you think if that?"

Marty blushed. "I honestly have NO idea."

"Well...it DOES kinda make sense...cuz I always looked at you like a big brother." Kelly paused and wrinkled her face a bit. "Well...until we had sex."

Marty laughed at that. "Which wasn't half bad." He smirked.

"No...not at all."

"How are you feeling with the whole. 'The only three guys i've been with have been gay thing'?" Marty asked. "Or well Bi." He added.

Kelly shrugged her shoulders a bit as she crossed her legs and sat back against the couch. "It's hard. Well...it WAS hard, anyway. And I already warned Eddie that if he ever ends up liking guys I'm gonna fuckin kill him."

Marty busted up laughing. "I honestly don't see THAT happening."

"Me neither. But then again...I really didn't see it happening with YOU, either."

"Yeah, well I'm weird."

Kelly giggled. "It's what makes you special."

Marty giggled too. "You think there is a weird guy out there that would wana be with a weird guy like me?" He asked half serious.

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. Does Manny know you like him?"

Marty shook his head like crazy. "Oh no."

"Why not?"

"What would he want with an old guy like me?" Marty asked honestly. "I mean, he's still a kid."

"And I'm gonna tell you...yet again...that you're not old."

"To a nineteen year old I am."

"He's about to be twenty in February. He's only a year younger than me."

Marty sighed. "Yeah, I know..."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I guess there isn't one."

"Ooohhh...I know," Kelly said excitedly...sitting up a bit. "Wre should set up a double date kinda thing...like...me and Ed and you and Manny should all hang out one night...like here or at Ed's. We could do dinner and movies."

Marty giggled and smiled at Kelly being so excited. "Yeah, we could do that. We could even wait until Justin comes back and invite him and Nick too."

Kelly nodded. "Sure...OK. But first I think we should do it with a smaller group...just so you guys can be more comfortable."

"I'm not sure WHAT would make me feel more comfortable. I have no idea what I'm doing."

Kelly shrugged. "I'll be there for support."

Marty smiled and leaned over to give Kelly a big hug. "Thanks girl."

Kelly hugged Marty back, then got excited again. "Oooh...I have the PERFECT idea! Tomorrow night...for the SuperBowl."

"That sounds like a good idea...but one problem."

"What?"

"Wouldn't Nick feel sad if he wasn't invited to a SuperBowl party?"

"Oh...I never thought of that. But...sure...we could ask him to come if he's not going to be with Aaron."

"Yeah they might have a brother thing planned." Marty said with a nod of his head. "But I think that is a cool idea."

Kelly nodded and smiled. "OK. I'll talk to Eddie about it."

"So, how are you two doing?" Marty asked with a smile. "Everything going good?"

Kelly nodded...still smiling. "Yeah...everything IS good, actually. We're um...we're getting a place together. Ya know...since I obviously need to find one, and since Manny's occupying Eddie's at the moment."

Marty's eyes went wide. "Whoa...that is a step. You guys sure you're ready to do that?"

Kelly sort of nodded and shrugged at the same time. "Yeah...I mean...we're taking it easy...almost like we're just gonna be roommates. Separate bedrooms, and stuff."

Marty giggled thinking about something his mom had always said. "Guy and girl roommates very interesting." He smiled. "I think it's a cool idea...and I'm sure it'll work out."

Kelly nodded. "I think so."

"Do you think you'll have a place by the time Justin comes home?"

Kelly shook her head. "No. I mean...he'll be home Monday or Tuesday. I'll never be moved out by then."

"Good point and I'm sure he doesn't mind having you stay with him anyway." Marty said as he relaxed back against the couch.

"I'm sure he doesn't."

"So, what are your plans for the day?"

"Nothing, really," Kelly said as she checked her watch. "It's already almost three...so I'm probably just going to go over to Eddie's and see what he's up to. What about you?"

Marty shrugged his shoulders. "I'm probably just going to finish unpacking and take a nap. I'm still whacked out from the time change."

"Yeah...I'm sure. I know the feeling," Kelly said...then got up from her seat on the couch. "I'll get going...and let you get some rest. I just...I wanted to come over and make sure things were OK with us...cuz...I really do love you, ya know...and I don't wanna lose you as a friend."

Marty smiled as he stood up too and gave Kelly a friendly hug. "I love you to, Kel...and I don't think there is anything that will change that."

"I hope not," Kelly said...hugging Marty tightly.

"Take care...and I'll talk to you later and we'll figure out our plans for tomorrow." Marty said as he pulled back from the hug.

Kelly nodded. "OK. I'll talk to Ed, and one of us will get back to you later on," she said as she slowly headed for the door.

Marty walked with Kelly to the door and opened it for her once they were there. "Sounds like a plan.” With that he leaned in and gave Kelly a soft kiss to the cheek before standing up straight again.

Kelly smiled up at Marty. "I'm glad you're home."

"I'm glad I'm home too." Marty said with a smile.

Kelly leaned up to give Marty a quick peck on the cheek, then turned to walk down the driveway. "I'll talk to you later, sweetie."

"Yeah, talk to you later." Marty called as he watched Kelly walk back to the car.

******@******

Once Nick was comfortable with the TV remote, his lunch and a few magazines on the bed, he picked up the phone and dialed Justin's cell number.

Justin reached into the pocket of his hoodie for his ringing phone. "'Lo?"

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday my sexy boyfriend, happy birthday to you." Nick sang once he heard Justin answer the phone.

Justin laughed quietly...walking away from the crowd of people as he listened to Nick sing on the other end of the line. "Thanks."

Nick giggled. "No, problem. How does it feel to be twenty-three?"

"No different, really," Justin said honestly as he boosted himself up to sit on a large speaker.

"I think you would have to worry if it DID feel different." Nick laughed again as he wiggled around on the bed to get a little more comfortable. "So, Whatcha doing?"

"You called at a perfect time, actually. We're taking a quick break from dress rehearsal. I'm on the field right now."

Nick smiled. "I just heard from Eddie that we're all getting together tomorrow to watch the game at his house. That should be fun."

"Really? That's cool," Justin said...then paused to cough quickly. "How's Aaron today?"

"I talked to him on the phone a little bit ago. He seems like he's doing okay. I'm staying home today thought. He understood."

"And what about you? Have you spoken to your parents at all?"

"Nope...they wont talk to me when Adam is around and I didn't go any place without him." Nick said talking about the body guard Justin had gotten him.

Justin smiled at that. "Good...I'm glad."

"Yup but I kinda did something dumb last night." Nick laughed. "So my ribs are killing me again today."

"Why? What did you do?" Justin asked...then coughed a couple more times.

Nick didn't answer Justin's question because he was listening more to Justin's coughing. "Babe...are you getting sick?" He asked sounding worried.

"I don't know. Could be just a cold or sumthin from all the traveling and lack of sleep...and because it's been kinda chilly out here all day. But...what about you? Why do your ribs hurt?"

"I was hoping you forgot about that." Nick giggled, blushing.

"Nope."

"I was umm...watching an old NSYNC concert last night and well...uhh trying to do the dance moves." Nick said softly, blushing even redder. "And I woke up so stiff and sore this morning."

Justin laughed. "Oh tell me you weren't."

"Then I would be lying."

"That's too funny."

"I was bored...Kelly was out with Eddie. So, I needed SOMETHING to do." Nick said in defense of his stupidness.

"It's cute...but crazy. You could have hurt yourself."

"The warning is a little too late." Nick laughed.

Justin chuckled...sniffling at the same time. "Sorry. So I'm warning you now not to do it anymore."

"Honey...go inside some place while you're on a break, you need to be out of the cold as much as possible." Nick said softly when he heard Justin sniffling.

"Nah...I only got a couple minutes left, anyway. I'll take a hot bath when I get back to the hotel tonight, and I'll be fine."

Nick sighed, "Okay, but take it easy...you don't need to be getting really sick."

"I know. I'll be OK," Justin said as he shoved his free hand into the pocket of his hoodie.

"When you get back to the hotel just do what you said and then cuddle up in bed and watch a movie like I'm about to do. I'm sitting in our bed getting ready to watch some movie." Nick said, not realizing he said 'their bed'/

"What are you gonna watch?" Justin asked...thinking that that sounded like a great idea.

"I have no idea...what do you think I should watch?"

"Something funny. You don't need anything sad or sappy or anything."

Nick laughed. "Or scary...I would be up all night hiding in the bathroom or something."

"Yeah."

"You know how I said you need to take me out to dinner when you get home. Scratch that idea. I just wana stay home."

Justin smiled. "OK. Sounds good to me."

"You're more fun to cuddle then Benny." Nick giggled.

"That cat had better not be in my bed."

Nick busted up laughing at that. "Of course not, baby."

"Or else."

"Or else what?"

"I'll kick you AND the cat out when I get home."

"Uh huh...sure you will." Nick giggled.

"You think I'm playin?"

Nick pouted even though Justin couldn't see it. "You wouldn't kick me out for having the cat on the bed."

"Oh yes I would. Out of my bed, anyway."

"Yeah, well the cat ain't in yur bed so, you can keep yur pants on."

Justin chuckled. "Aight."

"Until your home and in bed." Nick giggled.

"Perv."

Nick smiled. "Of course."

Justin sighed quietly as he looked over at the stage to see that things were getting started up again. "Baby...I gotta go."

"Okay...hope the rest of rehearsal goes well."

"OK. I'll talk to you tomorrow before the game...OK?"

"Yup, talk to you tomorrow. Bye Bye...I love you." Nick said with a small smile on his face.

Justin had to smile, too. "I love you, too. Say hi to Aaron for me."

"I will...bye, baby."

"G'night," Justin said into the phone before hanging up and heading back toward the stage.

Nick hung up the phone and slowly got out of bed to go pick out a funny movie to watch.

******@*****

Kelly sat back in her chair and crossed her legs under the table as she sipped her water. "Thanks for making us dinner, Manny...it was great," she said as she looked across the table at the young man.

Manny smiled. "You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it," he said before taking another bite of his lasagna.

"Yeah, it was great, little Bro. Since when did you learn how to cook?" Eddie teased, knowing that his brother had loved cooking since they were kids.

Manny rolled his eyes. "Since when did YOU learn how to be an asshole?" he teased right back.

"I think I was born an asshole."

Manny laughed as he sipped his Coke. "I think so, too."

Kelly set her water glass back down on the table and laughed. "Knock it off, boys."

Eddie smiled in Kelly's direction. "You sure you wana spend the day with FOUR boys tomorrow?"

"No."

"Well, maybe Manny, Marty and Nick count as girls...and then maybe I have to spend the day with four girls?" Eddie said making a face.

Manny rolled his eyes again as he got up to clear his plate. "Not funny."

"I thought it was."

Kelly lightly smacked Eddie's leg under the table. "Leave him alone."

"I'm just making sure I keep up my rep of he evil older brother." Eddie said with a shrug.

"You're doing a good job," Manny said from the counter.

Eddie smiled proudly. "Okay good." He teased.

"Tell him to call Marty about tomorrow," Kelly quietly told Eddie once Manny had the water running.

"I was going to call him" Eddie said with a shrug, not getting it.

Kelly just widened her eyes at Eddie...hoping he'd get the hint.

Eddie's own eyes went wide and his mouth when into the same of an 'O'. "Hey Man...can you call Marty for me to tell him about the party tomorrow?"

"Why me?"

"Cuz."

Kelly rolled her eyes at Eddie before turning her attention back to Manny. "We'll call him if you want. I just thought you might wanna invite him over."

Manny shrugged as he came back to the table for more dishes. "I can do that."

"What?" Eddie mouthed at Kelly when she rolled her eyes at him.

Kelly giggled and kissed Eddie quickly. "You're cute when you have no clue."

Eddie scrunched up his face, totally clueless

Kelly rolled her eyes again with a giggle, then got up to carry some plates to the sink. "Go ahead and call him, Manny. I'll finish cleaning up."

Manny smiled at Kelly as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. "Thanks, girl," he said before disappearing to his bedroom.

Once Manny was out of the room Eddie walked to Kelly and leaned against the counter. "So...Mart really does like him, huh?"

Kelly nodded. "He told me today."

"That is a little strange. I'm not all that sure how I feel about that." Eddie admitted. "My best friend wanting to date my little brother..."

Kelly looked up at Eddie from the sink full of dishes. "Well...if you really have a problem with it, then I think you should let them both know before something gets started."

"I don't really have a problem with it. I just don't know how I feel about it right now. I'm sure I will get more used to the idea." Eddie said with a smile. "Cuz I want them both to be happy...and I know they are both great guys."

Kelly nodded. "They really are. And I KNOW they'll both appreciate your support, baby."

"I know." Eddie said softly before he went to helping Kelly with the dishes.

Once they had all the dishes washed and put away and the kitchen cleaned up, Kelly leaned back against the counter and looked at Eddie. "So...what do you feel like doing?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

Kelly cocked her head to the side as she studied Eddie's face. "You alright?"

Eddie smiled and nodded his head. "Yup, I'm perfectly okay."

Kelly smiled back. "OK."

Eddie was quiet for a second as he tried to listen for his brother talking in the next room. Curious to what they were talking about.

Kelly realized that Eddie was trying to eavesdrop, and laughed as she took his hand and pulled him toward the living room. "Come on."

"But..." Eddie pouted as he let Kelly pull him into the living room.

Manny, meanwhile, was in his room...waiting for Marty to answer his call.

It was taking Marty a minute to find his cell phone because it was berried under clean laundry on top of his bed. Finally finding it he put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Marty? Hey...it's Manny. Welcome home."

Marty couldn't help the huge smile that came onto his face at Manny's voice. "Hey man, thanks."

"How was your flight, and everything?"

"Long, but good." Marty replied. "I'm very glad to be home."

"I'm sure," Manny said as he had a seat on his bed. "So...have heard about this little SuperBowl get together over here tomorrow?"

"Kel and I kinda talked about it this afternoon but it wasn't a for sure thing yet."

"Oh...yeah. Well...I guess it is now. No big thing, really...just Kelly and Ed...and Nick...and you and me." Manny quickly cleared his throat. "I mean...if you wanna come."

Marty sat down on his bed and ran a nervous hand over his head. "Yeah...I would like to come."

Manny smiled. "Alright...good. I guess we're getting together around two, or so...since the game starts around three."

"Okay cool...should I bring anything?"

"Umm...I don't know. I don't think so, though. I'm sure we're jut gonna order some food, or something."

"Okay cool...that sounds good." Marty said before he was quiet, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't sound totally stupid.

"So...umm...what else is going on with you? How've you been?"

"I've been fine...Mostly work and stuff while we were over seas. And lots of laundry and unpacking once I've been home." Marty laughed.

"How about you?"

"Same old shit. School, and stuff. Classes start back up this week."

"Ewww that sucks big time." Marty giggled. "I'm so glad I'm not you." He teased.

Manny laughed. "Eh whatever. I'll get over it."

"You're a teaching major right?" Marty asked, making sure he remembered...wanting to know everything about the younger man.

"Elementary Education."

Marty smiled. "The little people."

"Yeah...I like them the best."

"I do too. I have nieces and nephews of all ages and I like the little ones the best. My older ones are freaky." Marty giggled. "Teenagers are scary."

Manny laughed. "Yeah...they definitely are."

"Better watch it oh young one. You were one only like a year ago." Marty teased.

"Kinda still am, I guess...til two weeks from now."

Marty let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh to be young again."

"Oh, please. You act like you're ancient."

"I am." Marty laughed.

Manny laughed quietly. "You are not. Jeez...you sound like my brother."

Marty giggled. "I am older then your brother."

"By what? Like...a year?"

"Yeah." Marty laughed again, happy that he and Manny seemed to be talking and joking around comfortably.

"So you must be pretty tired after your trip, huh?"

"I am sort of but I slept in until like one today." Marty replied. "I might go to bed eary too, I dunno."

"That's probably a good idea."

Marty just remembered something. "Are you dissappointed that you didn't get to come to London?"

"Nah...not really. It was much more important for Ed to be here with Kelly."

"Yeah, I agree." Marty bit his lower lip, feeling like being daring. "What are you doing right now?"

"Nuthin, really. Just finished dinner."

"Do you maybe wana like get ice cream or something?" Marty asked, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.

Manny had to laugh. "Believe it or not, I was actually thinking of asking you the same thing...but I was too chicken shit."

Marty laughed too. "Damn...good thing I managed some sort of guts to ask even though I was about ready to chicken out too."

Manny laughed again. "So...should I meet you somewhere?"

"You could meet me here at my place and we can get ice cream on the boardwalk." Marty suggested.

"Yeah...OK...sounds good. I um...I'm pretty sure I remember how to get there."

Marty rattled off directions to his condo anyway just in case Manny did get lost. "Does that make sense?"

Manny chuckled. "Yeah...I got it."

"Okay, so see you in a little bit?" Marty asked as he stood up and walked to his closet wanting to find the perfect thing to wear.

"Yeah...in a little bit," Manny agreed as he, too, got up.

"Okay see ya." With that Marty hung up the phone and started to trash his room trying to find something to wear.

After Manny had changed into a pair of clean jeans and a black t-shirt, he went out into the living room to find Kelly and Eddie laying on the couch kissing. "Oh, Jesus."

Eddie pulled back and smiled up at his little brother. "Hey bro...come to watch the show." He teased.

Kelly laughed as she looked up from where she was sandwiched between Eddie and the back of the couch. "Sorry...we'll be more discreet next time."

Manny laughed and rolled his eyes. "Don't sweat it."

Eddie looked Manny up and down. "Going some place?" He asked noticing he was dressed in nicer jeans then the ratty ones he was wearing before.

Manny smiled...his face heating up a bit. "I'm...uh...going to meet Marty...for ice cream?"

"For real?" Kelly asked excitedly.

Manny chuckled. "Yeah."

Eddie smiled at his brother and didn't make some smart ass comment like normal. "Good for you. I'm sure you'll have a great time."

Manny nodded. "Thanks. I'm sure YOU will, too."

"You bet." Eddie giggled.

Kelly chuckled softly. "By, Manny. Have fun."

Manny waved as he headed for the door. "Thanks...see ya later."

Meanwhile back at his house, Marty had finally decided to wear a semi tight pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt. Looking in the mirror he was happy to see he didn't look half bad.

Less than twenty minutes later, Manny was knocking on the door to Marty's condo.

Taking a deep breath, Marty walked to his door and opened it with a smile on his face. "Hey, Manny."

Manny smiled at Marty as he shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "Hey. You um...you look good. It's been a while."

"You look good too." Marty said as he let his eyes look Manny over quickly. "Just let me grab my keys and we can go." He said as he walked in a little to a small table by the door.

Manny just nodded, and waited for Marty on the front step.

Once Marty had his keys he stepped out onto the front porch and shut and locked the door. "Alrighty, now I’m set." He said as he gently touched Manny on the shoulder and led him down the steps and over to where they could get onto the board walk from his condo.

Manny looked around as they started walking the short distance to the boardwalk. "This is a great location you have here."

Marty smiled as they walked along. "I know I love it."

"I don't think I've ever actually been to this boardwalk."

"Well, now you have." Marty said as he stood with his hands at his side. It took a lot of will power to not reach the small distance and take Manny's hand in his as they walked.

Manny nodded...still looking around as they walked. "So...how've you been since we last talked? I mean...do you think you've figured anything else out?" he asked as he slid his hands back into his jeans pockets.

Marty took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Well, I'm not sure if I figured anything new out, but I've come to terms with it now, I think."

Manny nodded again as he looked over at Marty. "Well...that's definitely an important step."

"Yeah, and it feels a LOT better now that I'm cool with it. I never knew how much it was bothering me."

Manny smiled. "I'm happy for you. I know it's a really good feeling."

"When did you feel like you were...ya know gay?" Marty asked as they continued to walk.

Manny chuckled quietly. "I really don't know if I even remember. I think I've always been this way. I don't ever remember being attracted to girls."

Marty laughed too. "Well, that's cool though. Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Manny nodded. "Yeah...a couple...but I don't think I've ever been in love or anything like that."

"You would know if you have...believe me." Marty said with a small smile.

"YOU have?"

Marty nodded his head. "Yeah..."

"Must be nice."

"Yeah...but not when it falls apart in the end." Marty said softly. "That really sucks."

Manny nodded again. "I'd think so."

"The last time I was walking down here...life was a lot simpler." Marty laughed a little as he looked out at the ocean.

Manny looked from Marty's face out to the ocean. "Why do you say that?"

Marty looked over at Manny. "I don't really mean that in a bad way. It's just the last time I was down here was with Kelly...before I really let myself think about being Bi. Sure, I've come to terms with it, but I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about it, ya know."

"Yeah...but maybe the best thing to do is to not actually think about what you're going to do about it...but to just go with the flow, instead."

Marty bit his lower lip as he looked at Manny again. "I know, that's what I'm trying to do." He said softly.

Manny gave Marty a small smile. "Good...that's probably the best thing."

Marty wasn't sure if Manny had gotten the hint that he was trying to figure things out with HIM. "Yeah, I'm sure it is." He replied as he started to walk again.

Manny stopped walking when he saw a sign for ice cream. "Is this the place you wanted to go to?"

"Yup." Marty replied with a smile. "They have the BEST banana splits I've ever had." He said as he reached for the handle on the door and pulled it open for Manny.

"Thanks," Manny said as he walked into the ice cream parlor and up to the counter.

Marty walked up and looked at the menu on the wall across from him even though he knew exactly what he wanted.

"The banana split sounds good now that you mention it..." Manny observed as he read the menu. "...but I don't think I could eat all of it after the dinner I just had."

"We can split it." Marty suggested and then giggled. "Splitting a banana split."

Manny laughed, too. "OK...as long as you don't want your own."

"Nah, I just ate too." Marty said with a smile as he walked down to the register and started talking to the young kid there. "We'd like a banana split with..." He looked over at Manny. "What do you want on it?"

Manny shrugged. "Whatever."

Marty thought for a second and then started listing off stuff he wanted on it. "With chocolate surip, chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream and lots of cherries."

Manny laughed. "Sounds good to me."

Giggling, Marty waited for the guy to get the order straight and then he took out his wallet to pay. "I like chocolate."

Manny nodded his agreement as he grabbed some napkins and spoons off the counter. "I LOVE chocolate."

Marty smiled big. "Well, then you should LOVE this." He said giggling as the guy handed over the HUGE banana split. "Let's go eat outside it's a nice night." He said as he lead the way out the door.

Manny followed Marty outside, then took a seat at one of the small cafe tables. He looked out over the water as he set the napkins down and handed Marty one of the spoons. "What a view."

"It's great isn't it." Marty said as he sat across from Manny, putting the banana split between them.

"It really is."

Marty took one of the spoons and dug it into the large pile of ice cream and put it to his mouth. The whole time looking at Manny, he couldn't help it.

Manny smiled at Marty after swallowing his first bite of ice cream. "Wow...that's good."

"Told you." Marty giggled as he got another spoonful

"Thanks...for the ice cream."

Marty shrugged his shoulders. "No problem...I asked you to come...I'm glad you agreed."

Manny shrugged, too as he finished off another bite of ice cream. "Why wouldn't I? I was glad to get to see you."

"I was looking forward to getting to see you since we started talking on the phone." Marty admitted.

Manny smiled. "Yeah...me too. I always thought you were a pretty cool guy."

"I always thought you were cool too. Even though you were just a kid." Marty giggled.

Manny rolled his eyes. "I am NOT just a kid."

"I said you WERE just a kid. When I first met yur brother you were a little guy."

"Yeah...you've know Eddie for like...what...seven or eight years, now?"

Marty nodded his head as he popped a cherry into his mouth. "Yeah, so that would of made you like eleven or twelve."

Manny chuckled. "OK...so I WAS a kid."

"But I don't see you like that anymore." Marty said with a smile. "You grew up...big time."

Manny blushed a bit as he looked down at the ice cream. "Thanks."

Marty bit his lower lip as he looked at Manny while he was looking down. "Into a very handsome man." He said softly.

Manny looked up at the older man. "Really?"

"Really." Marty said with a smile as he looked Manny in the eye.

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

Manny was quiet as he fed himself another bite of ice cream.

Marty looked at Manny for a few more seconds before he too quietly ate some of the ice cream.

"So...um...you haven't seen Eddie yet since you've been home, have you?"

"No." Marty answered. "You and Kel are the only two people I've seen."

"Kelly seems to be doing a little better."

"Yeah she does. But then again I really don't know what she was like before."

"I only saw her once while she was in the hospital...and she was a mess."

Marty sighed and nodded his head. "I can only imagine."

"From what Eddie says, she's doing a lot better physically...but she's still not to great emotionally."

Marty nodded his head. "That is to be expected. She went through so much."

Manny nodded, too. "Yeah...I know...and it sucks cuz she seems like such a sweet girl."

"She'll be okay though." Marty said with a nod of his head. "She's strong."

"She has to be."

Wanting to change the subject...and knowing he had to talk about it at some point. Marty took a deep breath and looked over at Manny again. "I know this is going to seem sudden and probably freak you out but...I think I'm beginning to have feelings for you...more then just friendly..." He stopped and sighed. "I probably shouldn't even have said anything."

Manny's eyes were wide by the time Marty finished saying what he had to say. "You...what?"

Marty bit his lower lip and shook his head. "Nothin...never mind."

Manny took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. "I just...wow...I wasn't expecting that."

Marty didn't know what to say anymore, he just looked down at the melting ice cream and wished the ground would swallow him whole.

Manny swallowed hard, then looked over at Marty. "I'm not like...freaked out...if that's what you think."

"Okay." Marty said softly, feeling like a fool for even saying anything.

"Like I said...I think you're cool, too...and maybe you could say I have a bit of a crush on you...but...given all you've gone through lately, I think we should take it easy for now."

Hearing Manny say he had a bit of a crush on him is what caused Marty look up with hopeful eyes. "Really? You do?"

Manny let out a quiet laugh. "I do what...have a crush on you?"

Marty just nodded his head.

"Yeah...I do. I mean...I've thought you were hot for a while now."

It was Marty's turn to let out a quiet laugh. "Well, I think yur hot too."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Marty said with a smile.

Manny took a bite of the melting ice cream, then cleared his throat. "But...yeah. I mean...I think it would be cool to hang out and get to know each other better, and stuff...but we should definitely go slow."

Marty nodded his head totally agreeing. "Of course...I mean we barely know each other."

"Yeah...and I mean...what's Eddie gonna think?"

Marty had to giggle at that. "He'll probably be traumatized for a while...but he'll get over it."

Manny chuckled. "He deserves it. He stole your girl."

"Yeah, so I'll take his baby brother." Marty made a face. "Okay that didn't sound quiet right."

"No...it didn't."

Marty was silent again as he looked behind himself at the ocean. He still couldn't believe he had actually said all that he did. Now, he wasn't exactly sure what to do next.

"Everything OK, Marty?" Manny asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Yeah." Marty said as he turned back to look at Manny. "Just thinkin."

"Wanna talk about anything?"

Marty thought for a second and shrugged. "Yeah...I guess so. I mean I'm not even sure WHAT to talk about...even though I know we kinda have to."

Manny shrugged. "Just say what's on your mind."

"I guess...being attracted to you still kinda freaks me out." Marty admitted.

"Why's that? Just cuz I'm a guy?"

Marty nodded his head. "Well, yeah."

"But why? Cuz...I mean...you must have been attracted to guys before to realize that you're bi."

"Sure...but I never really was attracted to them knowing I wanted to do something about it. Up until this month I never really put it all together."

Manny nodded slowly as he leaned forward in his chair and folded his arms on the table. "What do you wanna do about it?" he asked softly.

Marty shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Manny. "I don't really know...I just know I like you."

"OK. No pressure."

"What do YOU want to do about it?" Marty asked, knowing it would help him if he knew how Manny felt.

Manny shrugged. "I already told you that I wanna hang out and get to know you better. But...I wanna take things at your pace."

Marty nodded his head. "Yeah...and I think this may be one of those things that I kinda have to well...experiment to feel more comfortable. Not that I'm uncomfortable now really."

"Well...that's good...cuz I don't wanna make you uncomfortable."

Marty smiled. "You don't."

Manny smiled back. "Good."

"Well...I wasn't actually expecting to blurt that out tonight." Marty giggled as he picked up his spoon again.

"Don't worry about it. It's a good thing for you...like...a stepping stone."

Marty laughed again. "You make it sound like I'm in AA or something."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't." Marty said with a smile

"I'm glad you invited me out for ice cream. I'm really enjoying myself."

Marty smiled more. "I'm glad we're doing it too." He said as he took another bite of ice cream. "Do you wana go walk on the beach or something after?"

Manny nodded with a smile. "I'd like that."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Eddie watched Manny go with a smile. He still had Kelly in the same position on the couch. "That is cute." He giggled.

"Yeah...it is...but are you sure you're gonna be OK with it if something happens with him and Marty?"

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"OK...good. I want them to be happy."

"Me too." Eddie said as he turned back so his face was facing Kelly's and he pressed her more back against the couch again. "Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

Kelly laughed and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Is that ALL you think about?"

Eddie shook his head. "Nah...but close." He smirked.

"I've noticed."

"You weren't complaining a few minutes ago." Eddie pointed out.

"I could never complain about you kissing me."

"Good." Eddie mumbled before he pressed his lips to Kelly's again.

Kelly groaned quietly as she fell into the kiss...lifting her right leg a bit and draping it over Eddie's left hip.

Eddie moved a little so Kelly was practically lying on the couch and he was on top of her. He deepened the kiss more, making it more heated. It had been a few days since they had made out like this because they had been so busy with house hunting and visiting Nick and Aaron in the hospital.

Kelly's hands slid up the back of Eddie's neck to his head. They settled over his do-rag as she spread her legs a bit to allow him to settle over her more comfortably.

Eddie settled between Kelly's legs as he ended the kiss to start placing kisses over Kelly's neck.

Kelly giggled at the ticklish feeling of Eddie's soft lips on her neck.

Pulling back, Eddie looked down into Kelly's eyes. "That tickles?"

Kelly giggled again as she moved her hands to the back of Eddie's neck. "Yeah."

"Hmm." Eddie said before he moved his lips over to nibble on her left ear a little bit before kissing his way back to her mouth.

"Mmm...well...you didn't have to stop it," Kelly mumbled against Eddie's lips.

"Didn't wanna tickle you." Eddie mumbled against Kelly's lips.

Kelly let out another quiet giggle. "I liked it."

Eddie didn't respond in words, just went back to kissing Kelly's neck instead.

Kelly let out a groan that was a bit louder than the last one. "Mmm...feels good, baby."

"Glad." Eddie mumbled as he continued to kiss all over Kelly's neck. Every once and a while sucking and biting gently on the skin.

Kelly trailed her hands down Eddie's back to the small of his back...where she smacked him lightly. "Hey...no hickeys," she said playfully.

"I'm not gonna give you a hickey." Eddie laughed against her neck as he sucked more and then moved to another spot.

Kelly groaned again...laughing at the same time. "Damn that feels good."

Eddie giggled as he let one of his hands move up to her breasts. Taking one in his hand he needed it through her t-shirt as he continued the assault on her neck.

Kelly gasped quietly when she felt Eddie's hand on her. "Hey...gettin fresh now?" she teased.

"Mmm hmm." Eddie said as he trailed kisses up to her mouth again and kissed her deeply.

Kelly couldn't help but laugh softly again. "I...never said...you could get...fresh...with me," she got out between kisses.

Eddie pulled back and moved his hand. He looked down at Kelly with a raised eyebrow. "Oh...okay then I'll stop."

Kelly opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but then closed it and just pouted a bit.

Eddie laughed a Kelly's pout. "You LIKE me touching you like this don't you?" He said moving his hand back where it was before.

Kelly moaned and bit on her lower lip for a second before she answered. "Maybe."

Eddie smirked as he let his hand kneed her breast a little more as he looked down at her face to guage her reaction.

Kelly's eyes fluttered shut as she slightly arched her back under Eddie's touch.

Smiling, Eddie moved around on top of Kelly a bit to get more comfortable. Taking a chance, Eddie let his hand moved down and then up under her shirt and over he bra covered breast to give it the same attention as before.

Kelly let out another moan as her hands clenched into the bottom of Eddie's t-shirt. "God, Ed..."

"I'm hoping that is a good reaction." Eddie said through a groan of his own. Hearing Kelly moaning and groaning in pleasure was making him feel good too.

Kelly laughed quickly. "Of course."

"Good." Eddie said as he leaned down for a passionate kiss. His hand still working on her.

Kelly slid her hands up the back of Eddie's t-shirt as they kissed, and her fingers started tracing lazy patterns on his warm skin.

Eddie let out a low groan when he felt Kelly's hand on his heated skin. After a second he pulled back just long enough to pull his t-shirt over his head and smile down at Kelly.

Kelly had to laugh as she looked up at Eddie. "What are YOU so anxious about?"

"I was hot." Eddie stated with a shrug.

"Liar."

Eddie shook his head. "Uh huh...I am hot." He said smirking.

Kelly wiggled her eyebrows. "Yeah you are."

"Thanks." Eddie giggled as he moved his other hand under her shirt too,

and up to her other breast.

Kelly chuckled. "Wow...you're on a mission, aren't you?"

Eddie laughed. "I am not."

"Yes you are."

"What mission would that be?"

Kelly shrugged. "I dunno."

"I just wanna make you feel good." Eddie said.

Kelly was still smiling as she looked up at Eddie. "Yeah...and you seem pretty anxious to do it."

"You seem like you don’t want me to."

Kelly shook her head. "No, baby...that's not true at all. I'm just trying to play with you and have a little fun. I'm sorry if you're taking it the wrong way."

Eddie took a deep breath. "Okay...I just don't know how far is too far...since we can't really be doing much of this…ya know?"

Kelly nodded her understanding. "I know."

"But its not like I don't wanna do what we can either." Eddie said almost more like he was talking to himself than to Kelly.

Kelly had to laugh. "You're so cute."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "How is what I said cute?"

Kelly shrugged. "It's not what you said. It's like...the way you said it...the way you look."

"Okay." Eddie smiled as still lay there half on top of Kelly.

Kelly took a deep breath. "So...now what?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

He said as he moved his hands out from her shirt.

Kelly smiled at Eddie sincerely. "Baby...you don't have to stop."

"I don't wanna hurt you." Eddie whispered. He was scared if he made Kelly feel too good and her body reacted that it could hurt her.

"Hurt me how?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno...like if I made you feel really good...maybe it would hurt...ya know," He rambled not sure if he was making any sense.

"Wait...you mean like...if I have an orgasm?"

Eddie shrugged again, not sure why but he was kinda embarrassed.

"Talk to me, sweetie," Kelly said gently...lightly trailing her fingers up and down Eddie's arm.

"Yeah...that's what I meant."

Kelly chuckled. "So why didn't you just say it?"

Eddie giggled and shrugged. "I don't know." He bit his lower lip. "I thought maybe I was being too sure of myself or something by thinking I could even do that....without you know actually having sex."

Kelly laughed again. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," she said...gently poking Eddie's shoulder. "Actual sex is the probably the thing that's the LEAST likely to make me cum."

Eddie laughed with a raised eyebrow. "THAT is interesting."

"Is it?"

"Well, I don't know cuz I mean I don't really know what it's like to be a girl," Eddie pointed out. "I do know that I've made girls cum while having sex but it does sometimes take a little more then just actual sex to get them there," He said, kind of thinking out loud.

"Well I'm not saying I DON'T cum having sex...but...I guess you could say I respond better to clitoral stimulation."

Eddie's eyes went wide. "That for some reason was something I NEVER expected to come out of your mouth." He laughed.

Kelly laughed out loud...her head dropping back a bit. "Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I just don't hear those words in conversation much." Eddie laughed some more.

"Guess you don't talk to ME enough, then."

"You mean the words clitoral stimulation come out in a lot of your conversations?"

"Well...no."

"Anyways, I just don't wanna hurt you, Kel." Eddie said, going back to the reason why they were talking about this in the first place.

Kelly smiled. "You won't, baby...and if you do...I'll tell you."

Eddie nodded his head again, but didn't do anything. He still wasn't exactly sure what he had been given permission to do.

"OK...so...why you just looking at me like that?"

"Cuz I kinda forgot what I was going to do next." Eddie giggled, slightly embarrassed. His hands finding their way back up Kelly's shirt though, without actually knowing it.

Kelly laughed quietly. "Looks like you got the right idea."

Eddie got a confused look on his face until he looked down and realized where his hands were. "Oh, yeah guess I do." He laughed as he squeezed her breasts through her bra once again.

"You're just such an expert..."

"Oh yeah." Eddie said with a roll of his eyes. He then looked Kelly in the eye. "Can I take this off?" He said as he lifted her shirt up a little.

Kelly gave a quick nod as she lifted her arms. "Well you ARE an expert. Don't even TRY and pretend like you don't know what you're doing."

"Been a while. I might be a little rusty." Eddie giggled as he pulled Kelly's shirt up and over her head. His tongue sticking out to lick his lips at the sight. "So, beautiful."

Kelly giggled as her cheeks blushed a bit.

Eddie let his hands trail up her stomach again, this time touching her soft skin. "It's true...I think you're beautiful." He whispered as his hands reached her breasts again.

Kelly moaned quietly. "Thank you," she whispered in response.

Eddie let his hands wander down her sides and to her back. When he reached the clasp of her bra he looked her in the eyes again. "May I?"

Kelly smiled and nodded again. "But tell me first...are you always this polite?"

"Sure." Eddie said with a nod of his head as he unhooked Kelly's bra and brought the straps off her shoulders. "I don't think I could ever strip a girl of her clothes without asking permission some how.

"Really...?" Kelly questioned as she easily slid her arms out of the straps.

"If the girl was really a slut or something that I wouldn't even bother to ask...it was normally because she had her clothes off before I could even say anything." Eddie giggled as he tossed Kelly's bra onto the floor where her t-shirt was.

"OK..." Kelly said as she wrapped her arms around Eddie's neck. "...good to know you don't think I'm a slut or something."

"You're far from a slut, baby." Eddie whispered as he leaned down for a heated kiss.

Kelly laughed into the kiss as she returned it passionately.

After a good few minutes of kissing, Eddie finally broke it for much needed air and so he could trail kisses down Kelly's neck and down the valley between her breasts.

Kelly leaned back down on the couch with a quiet groan as she moved her hands up onto Eddie's head.

Hearing the soft groan, made Eddie smile as he moved his kisses over the top of her left breast. He placed soft kisses there before he took the nipple into his mouth and sucked on it a little.

Kelly gasped quietly as her back arched a bit under Eddie. "Damn."

Eddie giggled against her chest as he continued to suck on her nipple a little bit. Every once and a while he would bite it softly.

Kelly cried out quietly in response to a slightly harder bite...then laughed. "Holy shit, Ed...you could drive a girl crazy like that."

"Isn't that the point?" Eddie asked lifting his head, smirking down at Kelly.

Kelly giggled. "Maybe."

With another smirk, Eddie leaned down again, this time giving the right breast the same attention as the left one had.

Kelly closed her eyes and moaned a bit more loudly as she used her hands to hold Eddie's head to her chest.

Knowing Kelly was feeling so good was turning Eddie on. He moved so he was straddling one of her legs, trying to get a comfortable position for his growing erection. He loved knowing he was making Kelly feel good though and could care less about himself.

Kelly slid her hands down Eddie's neck to the backs of his shoulders as she laughed quietly...feeling his erection solid against her thigh.

"Something funny?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow once he had lifted his head up again.

Kelly shook her head...a bright smile on her face. "No, baby."

"Okay." Eddie said with a big smile on his face too.

Kelly trailed her right hand back up Eddie's back and around to his cheek. "Your smile is beautiful."

Eddie blushed and shook his head. "Nah...YOURS is beautiful."

"Thanks...but yours is, too."

"Thanks." Eddie said with an even bigger smile before he leaned back down to start trailing kisses down Kelly's tummy.

Kelly laughed giddily as her hands gripped the tops of Eddie's shoulders. "That tickles."

Eddie laughed too. "Yeah, I'm sure it does." He said, as he stuck his tongue out when it reached her belly button.

Kelly giggled loudly again...her body jerking a bit.

Laughing more, Eddie pulled back and licked his lips. "You are very ticklish."

"Sorry...I can't help it."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Eddie said as he leaned all the way up again to kiss Kelly on the lips again.

Kelly laughed yet again as she kissed Eddie back. "Isn't this kinda...strange...that we're laughing so much...right now?"

Eddie found himself laughing again and then stopped quickly, only to giggle. "Yeah, it IS a little weird."

"But is it...bad?"

"I don't think so." Eddie said shaking his head. "I mean it's not like we're not turned on by what we're doing, ya know."

"Yeah..." Kelly agreed with a nod. "...and it feels good...to be like this with you."

"It does." Eddie agreed as he placed feather light kisses on Kelly's cheeks.

"I'm just so comfortable with you," Kelly confided as she trailed her fingertips up and down Eddie's biceps.

Eddie nodded his head in agreement. "I know, it almost seems like we've been together for years instead of weeks."

"Well we kinda have. Just not...TOGETHER, together."

"Good point." Eddie said as he shifted on top of Kelly again when that position wasn't really comfortable anymore.

"You alright?"

Eddie nodded and smiled. "Of course, why wouldn't I be alright?"

Kelly shrugged. "Just being nice."

"You are nice." Eddie giggled as he placed another set of soft kisses to Kelly's face.

Kelly subconsciously arched her body up against Eddie's for a brief second. "I try."

It was Eddie's turn to let out a soft groan when he felt Kelly's body move against his. "You wouldn't have to try very hard. It's just in your nature to be nice."

"Why thank you."

"Mmm...and it must be in your nature to taste nice too." Eddie giggled as he started to lick Kelly's neck,

Kelly giggled, too. "Well it's in YOUR nature to make ladies feel good."

Eddie giggled. "I try, but not sure if I succeed all the time."

"I highly doubt you've ever failed."

"I'm not perfect." Eddie said with a smile

"I think you're pretty close," Kelly said sincerely.

Eddie smiled more. "I think we're perfect together." He said as he moved around again and positioned himself on Kelly so his crotch as against hers. "Soon...I will show you how perfect we fit together too." He said pushing against her a little as a promise.

Kelly smiled back. "If I let you," she teased.

"Of course." Eddie giggled.

Kelly looked at Eddie with a bit more seriousness on her face. "Ed...if we've never...done any of that...then how do you know we fit together perfectly?"

"I don't know for sure." Eddie said. "But we've got such a great emotional connection. I know we must have a great physical one too."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...we'd have to."

"You wanna continue what we were doing, or do you just wanna cuddle and watch a movie or something?" Eddie asked, not sure if Kelly was 'in the mood' anymore.

Kelly chuckled. "I thought YOU were in charge here."

Eddie laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't exactly looking at it like that." He said with a smile. "Plus, we never know when Manny could come back." He said making a face. "I dunno if I really want him seeing my girl topless."

Kelly laughed. "I'm not so sure he'd actually enjoy it."

"Still." Eddie giggled. "Yeah, you might actually scare him or something." He teased.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Oh thanks."

"Well it wouldn't turn him on. I mean it would be like you seeing another girl naked or something." Eddie said and then got a playful thoughtful look on his face. "Hmmm...that would be interesting..."

Kelly shook her head. "Stop right there...don't even think about it."

Eddie busted up laughing. "Don't worry, babe. You are enough for me."

"I hope so," Kelly said with a bit of a pout.

"Oh baby...believe me you are." Eddie said as he took a second to really look Kelly up and down. His cock twitching in his jeans where it was positioned against her.

Kelly noticed the way Eddie looked at her...and was well aware of his reaction. She swallowed hard and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Maybe you were right," she said quietly. "I should get dressed."

Eddie nodded his head as he slowly moved to get up. Once standing up he stretched his arms over his head and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. The timing just wasn't right to be doing what they were doing, he had felt it too.

Kelly sat up and reached for the clothes on the floor. The first thing she grabbed was Eddie's t-shirt rather than her own, but she put it on, anyway. When she was done, she stood up and moved to stand behind Eddie. "I'm sorry," she said quietly...then wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed the middle of his back.

"Sorry for what?" Eddie asked as he turned his head a little in attempt to see Kelly behind him.

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. I guess for leaving you all hard with nowhere to go."

Eddie giggled and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be okay."

"I know...but still."

Eddie turned around in Kelly's arms and gave her a soft kiss to her lips.

"Let's just watch something on TV, kay?"

Kelly nodded...her eyes on Eddie's. "OK. Or...I could go home..."

"Only if you want to." Eddie said with a shrug. "I mean your roomy might be bored." He giggled talking about Nick. Kelly had told him what Nick had done to mess up his ribs again.

Kelly just shrugged...still looking up at Eddie.

Eddie smiled. "You can stay here though...I don't mind?"

Kelly nodded. "For a while...let's watch a little TV."

"Okay." Eddie said as he sat back down on the couch after reaching for the remote.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marty laughed as he and Manny made their way up the stairs to Eddie's apartment. "I'll just have my friend take a look at the car tomorrow. I'm sure it's nothing really major."

Manny sighed. "Either way...it sucks. I can't believe it wouldn't start. Damn piece of shit car..."

"You'll have to ask your big brother for a new car." Marty laughed as they stopped in front of Eddie's door. His hands got shoved in his pockets as he rocked on his feet nervously. He felt like a teenager again after his first date.

"Yeah right. He's already paying for my place to live."

"True." Marty said with a nod as he took a deep breath. "Well...I had a great time, thanks for agreeing to come out with me."

Manny smiled. "Thank YOU...for the ice cream, and all."

Marty smiled back. "You're very welcome."

"So...you uh...wanna come in? Ya know...since you DID drive me all the way home."

"I don't wanna impose on anybody." Marty said but then nodded his head when he realized he was talking about going into his best friends house.

"Sure, maybe for a little bit."

Manny smiled as he reached into his pocket for his keys. "Good."

"I haven't said 'Hi' to Ed yet anyway."

"That's right. He'll be glad to see you."

Marty nodded his head. "Yeah, hopefully at least." He giggled as he waited for Manny to get the door open.

Manny fumbled with his keys for a moment before finding the right key.

"Here we go," he said...putting it the lock to open the door.

Marty giggled at Manny as he watched him fumble with the keys. "Butter fingers tonight?" He teased.

Manny laughed as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He almost ran right into Kelly...who was just a few feet from the door with her keys and purse in one hand, and her t-shirt and bra in the other. "Oh...hey guys."

Manny smiled at her. "Hi, Kel."

Marty smiled at her too. "Yeah, Hey Kel." He said, his eyes trailing to her hand with her t-shirt and bra in it. He felt something boil in the pit of his stomach but he wasn't exactly sure what it was.

Kelly tried her best to ball up her clothes in her hand and hide what she was holding. "Did you guys have a nice night?"

"Yeah we did." Marty said with a smile in Manny's direction.

Manny nodded. "Yeah...til my damn car broke down."

Kelly made a face. "Oh no."

Eddie walked in from the living room in time to hear that. "That car finally decided to die on you, little bro?"

"Most definitely."

"That sucks," Kelly said.

"Yeah, so I drove him home." Marty said, for some reason feeling out of place.

Eddie then noticed his best friend was in the room and his eyes went wide. "Whoa...Mart!" He exclaimed, walking over and give him his friend a big hug.

Marty hugged his friend back and then laughed. "Wow, we should be on different continents all the time if I get a welcome back like that." He teased.

Manny looked at Eddie. "Marty thinks you should buy Me a new car."

Eddie laughed and looked at his friend. "Oh he does, does he?"

Marty laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "You have the money for it...he needs it."

Eddie laughed again. "Maybe if he's really good." He said in his brother's direction.

Manny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right...like you'd actually buy me a new car."

"Ya never know." Eddie smiled.

Marty took a deep breath. "Well...I think I'm going to head back home. I need to get some rest."

"You...um...don't have to leave..." Kelly said...looking at Marty. "...I was just leaving...and you and Ed probably have some catching up to do...so..."

"I know but maybe we can meet for lunch tomorrow or something since I really am tired." Marty said looking at Eddie.

Eddie smiled and nodded. "Sure, but aren't you coming here for SuperBowl."

"Oh yeah." Marty giggled. "So I will see ya anyway."

"You really have to go?" Manny asked Marty quietly.

Marty bit his lower lip. He didn't want his and Manny's time to end now either. "I...uhh guess I don't."

Eddie raised an eyebrow in Kelly's direction. Wondering if she was getting the same feeling about the other guys that he was.

Kelly met Eddie's eyes, then looked at the other guys. "Well...like I said...I was leaving...so..."

"You guys can have the place to yourself too if you want." Eddie said. "I was just going to go take a shower and relax in my room.

Marty looked at Manny and shrugged...not sure what to say.

Manny shrugged, too. "You can stay...it's up to you."

Kelly chuckled, then turned to Eddie. "I'm really gonna go now."

Eddie gave Kelly a kiss on the lips and showed her to the door. Wondering what exactly was going on between his brother and best friend. "Night, baby." He whispered.

"Night," Kelly said before opening the door, and heading down the driveway to Justin's car.

Manny watched Eddie close the door, then raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Did we interrupt something?" he asked...making it obvious that he was noticing Eddie's shirtless chest.

Eddie laughed and shook his head. "Nah...we were just watching TV." Which was true, that was all he and Kelly had been doing for the past hour.

"Uh huh...watching TV without your shirt on...which was on Kelly." Marty smirked.

Manny chuckled. "She WAS carrying her own clothes, bro."

"I didn't say we had been watching TV the whole night." Eddie smirked back. "Just you wouldn't have interrupted anything."

Marty rolled his eyes and laughed. "Go take a cold shower, Ed." He said noticing Eddie wasn't exactly in a normal state still. He was better than he had been at first but sitting with Kelly watching TV after and trying to calm down hadn't worked as well as he would have liked.

Manny nodded his agreement. "Good idea."

Eddie blushed a little and with a wave he walked out of the room and down the hall to his bedroom to shower.

Marty watched Eddie go and giggled again. "That was funny." He said to Manny with a smile on his face.

Manny shook his head. "Looks like the poor guy got no play tonight."

"Kel's still probably not totally up to speed yet." Marty said as he walked into the living room and sat down.

"Oh I'm sure," Manny agreed as he followed Marty into the living room. "Can I get you anything? Something to drink...or..."

Marty shook his head and patted the seat next to him. "Come and sit down next to me." He said with a smile.

Manny smiled and went to sit to Marty's right on the couch...leaving a bit of space between them.

Taking a deep breath, Marty reached over and took Manny's hand in his. He had wanted to do that while they were at the ice cream shop but had thought better of it.

Manny swallowed hard as he looked down at Marty's hand holding his between them. For some reason, he wasn't expecting the older man to be so forward.

Seeing Manny's reaction, Marty quickly dropped his hand...feeling like he had made the wrong decision. "Sorry." He said softly as he put his own hand in his lap again with his other one.

Manny laughed nervously. "No...It’s OK. I didn't mind...I was just kinda surprised."

"Yeah..." Was all Marty said, still not making any move to do it again, still too embarrassed.

Manny took it upon himself to reach over and take the hand that was in Marty's lap. "I said it was OK."

Felling Manny's hand holding his, made Marty smile a little as he looked at him. "Okay."

"So...wanna...talk, or something?”

Marty shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno...I just know I didn't want the night to end."

Manny smiled. "Well that's sweet."

Marty smiled too. "Well...I can be sweet sometimes."

"I've noticed."

"Can I kiss you?" Marty asked, being daring. He was curious and wondered if kissing a guy now would be different now that it wasn't just in the heat of the moment and part of a threesome. With somebody he actually had feelings for.

Manny shrugged a bit. "If you think you really want to."

"I don't wanna unless YOU want to."

Manny laughed quietly. "Of course I do."

Marty smiled as he moved over making the space between them go away. Their thighs now touching. Taking a deep breath he turned and brought his hand up to gently touch Manny's cheek...looking into his brown eyes.

Manny smiled softly as he waited for Marty to make his next move.

Taking another deep breath Marty moved his hands to the back of Manny's neck as he leaned over and gently placed his lips to the younger man's.

Manny let his eyes close as Marty kissed him...just going with the flow and letting the older man take control of the moment.

Little shivers went through Marty's body when his lips touched Manny's. It had been a while since he had felt something like that. Letting himself relax he deepened the kiss a little bit.

Manny relaxed a bit, too when he realized that Marty was comfortable with the kiss...resting his hands on the other man's thigh as he kissed him back.

Marty kissed Manny back with the same slow, tentative kiss for a good minute or so until he felt more sure of himself. He let his tongue sneak out of his mouth and lick lightly over Manny's lips asking, not forcefully for entrance.

Manny pulled back when he felt Marty's tongue against his lips. "Are you sure?"

Marty licked his own lips and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm sure." He said, looking Manny in the eye to show he was serious.

"Cuz...ya know...I know you're new at this, and all..."

"I know...but I want this." Marty whispered as he let his fingers run over the back of Manny's neck where his hands were still resting.

"But how do you know that?" Manny asked gently. "I mean...this is the first time you've even seen me in almost a year."

Marty shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't explain the connection he felt to Manny with words. "I don't know...I just...do."

Manny swallowed hard and shrugged a bit. "OK, then."

"But...again only if YOU want to." Marty said softly. "Because this isn't just about me."

Manny laughed. "It sure as hell isn't."

Marty giggled and smiled. "It better not be just about me...that would be boring."

"Yes it would."

"So..." Marty shifted a little closer to Manny.

Manny quickly licked his lips. "What about Kelly?"

Marty looked at Manny questioningly. "Last time I checked she was making out with the other brother."

"No...I mean YOU and Kelly. Are you over her? Cuz...I saw the look on your face when you saw her leaving in Ed's clothes."

Thinking about that a second, Marty nodded his head. "Yes...it WAS a little weird to see that...but then I saw the way they looked at each other when they said good night...I KNOW that is where she belongs. Seeing she is taken care of kind of like set my heart free...if that makes any sense."

"And it really happened that quickly?"

Marty shook his head. "No...I've had over three weeks to think things over."

"But wasn't this the only time you've seen them together?"

"Yeah...I just meant that I've had three weeks to think over my relationship with her."

"And...?"

"What we had wasn't right. Yes, I love her but it wouldn't be healthy for us to be a couple. It's best if we move on." Marty said, speaking the truth

"Why do you think that?" Manny asked...genuinely curious.

"Why do I think what?

"That it wasn't right...or healthy?"

"Because she needs somebody who can give all his attention without having feelings in the back of his head that he really wants to be doing this with a man.." Marty explained.

"And you think that person is my brother?"

Marty nodded his head and smiled a little. "He really loves her. You can see it in his eyes."

Manny made a bit of a face. "I'm not sure he's ever used that word before..."

"Maybe not but that doesn't mean anything."

"I guess not."

"If she trusts him...then we need to trust him too." Marty said as one of his hands dropped from Manny's neck onto his thigh.

"I really think she does. I mean...you have no idea how much she was depending on him when she was in the hospital and stuff."

Marty smiled. "Then I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"I guess not," Manny said again.

Marty didn't say anything just looked into Manny's eyes...as if trying to memorize him.

"Isn't this just a little...weird...to you?"

"Yes." Marty admitted.

Manny just nodded.

"But not really in a bad way."

"Really? Cuz I already feel like we're rushing things."

Marty thought over what Manny was said and he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."

"I just don't think we jump into anything."

Marty nodded. "Yeah...that wouldn't be good." He said, still not moving away from Manny.

"We don't even know how Ed feels about this."

"He left us alone." Marty pointed out, giggling a little. "I think for Eddie that is the only 'okay' we're going to get."

Manny chuckled. "Maybe."

"You know how he is. He never gives anybody a straight out answer."

"I hope he's being straight with Kel," Manny said...thinking out loud. He was finding himself caring more and more for the young woman.

Marty nodded and sighed. "I know...but like I said before we just have to trust him to do the right thing."

Manny laughed. "Maybe we need to have a talk with him."

"Yeah...but not now." Marty said making a face between a pout and a grossed out one. "Cuz he's busy in the shower...and we're sitting here....talking.” He giggled.

"Soon..." Manny said...genuinely concerned. "He needs guidance when it comes to a real relationship."

“Do we know what to tell him?” Marty asked softly. “I mean I’ve only had one real relationship...and it didn’t end on the best note.”

Manny shrugged. "Well...we know how he is...and we know how Kelly needs to be treated...so..."

“True.” Marty said with a nod of his head.

"Maybe it'll do him some good."

“Hopefully.” Marty said as his fingers absently started to play with Manny’s jeans.

Manny looked down at Marty's hand on his leg. "Cuz...I mean...I really don't think he wants to lose her."

Marty nodded his head. “I know he doesn’t. And I know he wants to be the guy who doesn’t hurt her. Cuz he knows all about the rest of us who have.”

"But none of you did intentionally...as far as I know."

“No.” Marty shook his head and sighed as he relaxed back against the couch a little more. His hand still playing with the fabric of Manny’s jeans.

"We don't have to talk about this."

Marty shrugged his shoulders. “It’s okay I don’t mind.”

"It's up to you."

“Well...we aren’t really kissing anymore...so what else would we talk about?”

Manny raised an eyebrow. "Do I get the impression that you'd rather be kissing?"

Marty tried to look innocent. “Uhh...of course not.”

Manny laughed. "Liar."

Marty giggled and shrugged his shoulders. “Okay...maybe.”

"I thought so."

“Sorry.” Marty giggled

"Don't be sorry."

“Okay.” Marty said as he looked down to finally notice what his hand was doing and he blushed.

Manny noticed the pink in Marty’s cheeks and laughed softly. "What?"

“I didn’t notice what my hand was doing...or where it was.” Marty said, but not moving his hand from Manny’s upper thigh.

"It's OK. I would have told you if it was bothering me."

Marty smiled and nodded. “Okay...good.” He said as he looked up at Manny’s face again.

Manny took a deep breath. "So...tomorrow should be fun."

“Yeah it should.” Marty said as he moved his hand finally. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Manny nodded. "Me too."

“It’s going to feel kind of funny watching Justin on TV while we’re all here.” Marty laughed.

Manny chuckled. "I'm sure."

Taking a deep breath, Marty moved away from Manny and stood. “I really should go. I’m beat and need to rest up for the party tomorrow.”

Manny quickly stood up, as well. "Are you sure it's not cuz I'm making you uncomfortable?”

Marty walked the few feet and wrapped Manny in his arms and kissed him hard on the lips. This time pushing his tongue inside, thinking he would be daring and sneaky to prove that Manny wasn’t making him uncomfortable.

Manny's eyes went wide and his body stiffened when Marty planted the heated kiss on his lips.

Feeling him stiffen, Marty pulled back quickly, knowing he had made a mistake. “I...I gotta go.” He said turning around quickly.

Manny spun on his heels to follow Marty. "Whoa...wait. Without even saying goodnight?"

“Goodnight.” Marty said still not looking Manny in the eye. He was embarrassed and felt foolish.

Manny reached out to gently lift Marty's head to look at him. "Let's do this right."

Marty looked at Manny and swallowed hard, not sure what to do anymore.

Manny leaned in and gave Marty a sweet yet deep kiss on the lips.

Marty moaned softly into the kiss as he kissed him back. His hand moving back to the back of Manny’s neck again.

Manny kissed Marty for a brief moment longer before pulling back and smiling. "THAT'S how you say goodnight."

Giggling like a school kid, Marty pulled back and smiled. “Thank you for showing me. I’ll remember that next time.” He said as he opened the door. “See you tomorrow?”

Manny nodded. "I'll be here."

Marty gave Manny one last pack on the lips before he walked out of the apartment and down the stairs to the car, a huge smile on his face.

Eddie moved from where he had been standing in the hallway and moved to stand next to Manny. “Good save, little bro.” he said with a smile.

Manny looked at Eddie with mild shock on his face. "What are you talking about?"

“I saw the last few minutes of what was going on out here.” Eddie said, meaning everything from Marty kissing Manny to Manny kissing Marty.

"You were spying?"

“No on purpose.” Eddie said, trying to defend himself.

"OK...and...?"

“How do you feel about Marty?” Eddie asked, knowing from watching his friend in action for a few minutes that he really liked his little brother.

Manny shrugged. "I don't know. He's cool...why?"

Eddie took a deep breath. “He’s known to fall hard if he lets himself. Just be careful.”

Manny nodded. "I will."

“Okay good...now I’m going to go get water like I came out here to get...and then go to bed. I’ve got a headache.” Eddie said as he moved into the kitchen.

Manny followed Eddie to the kitchen. "What gave you a headache?"

“I don’t know.” Eddie said as he swallowed a few Advil with his bottle of water. “Just one of my headaches.”

"Gonna be OK?"

Eddie smiled and nodded. “Of course...I’ll be fine just need to sleep.”

Manny cleared his throat before speaking again. "Are you sure you're not like...stressed out...or something?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "Why would I be stressed out?"

Manny shrugged. "I don't know...maybe something with Kelly?"

A small smile formed on Eddie's face at the mention of his girlfriend. "Things with Kel and I could never be better."

"You sure?" Manny questioned his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Why do you think something is wrong between us?" Eddie asked curiously.

"I don't. Just wondering how it is now that...ya know...Marty's back."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders again. "They seem to be fine. I mean I haven't spent much time with Marty yet, but Kelly seems to be happy with how things are going with them. She WAS worried about it, but I think things went a lot better then she had expected. Why, did Marty tell you different?"

Manny shrugged again, too. "Not really."

"Okay then...things are fine." Eddie said as he threw his empty water bottle in the recycling bin. "I'm gonna go sleep this headache away now..."

Manny nodded. "Yeah...aight."

With a wave, Eddie headed down the hall to his room and shut himself inside. He hadn't been worried about things until Manny started talking...now he wondered if Manny knew something that he wasn't telling him.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Nick wrapped a big fluffy towel around his waist before he picked up the cordless phone by the bed and dialed Justin's number. It was just after eight in the morning his time and had a feeling Justin would both be up, and at the hotel since it was only 10 in Texas.

Justin coughed a couple times as he turned on his cell phone and lifted it to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Hey, baby." Nick said as he flopped down onto the bed. "How are you?" He asked softly. He could hear the gruffness to Justin's voice and knew the man was sick but he was going to let Justin tell him exactly how he felt.

Justin sniffled. "Fuckin shitty," he said as he stopped in the hall to wait for the elevator...his voice indicating that his nasal passages were all clogged up.

"Yeah, I can tell...you sound all backed up." Nick said with a sigh. "At least you have a few hours to try and clear it up before you have to sing." He said, not sure if Justin wanted him to make a big deal and baby him over being sick or not. This was the first time he had, had to deal with this.

Justin sniffled again. "Yeah..." he said...then paused to cough a few times. "...I'm going to some clinic now...Johnny's makin me."

Nick brought his legs up into an Indian style position on the bed as his left hand played with the material of the towel as he talked. "I'm sorry, you're sick...when you're home tomorrow I'll take care of you. It's about time I get to repay you for how well you took care of me those times *I* was sick."

Justin managed a small smile. "Thanks...but I'm fine. And you don't owe me anything."

"What If I wanna take care of you?"

"Well...I suppose I can't stop you," Justin said as he started pacing in front of the elevator a bit as if trying to get some privacy from the two members of his security that were escorting him.

Nick could tell Justin was seeming distressed about something. "J...do you want me to let you go?"

"Nah...nah...it's aight," Justin replied with another sniffle.

"Okay..." Nick said, not sure if Justin was telling the truth or not. He understood if Justin didn't feel comfortable talking to him while he was obviously out in public.

"So what's goin on at home?" Justin asked as he finally stepped onto the elevator.

"Not much that I know of. I haven't talked to anybody yet this morning. I'm not even sure if Kel is up yet." Nick said as he scooted back so his back was resting against the head board of the bed. "I'm supposed to be at Ed's at noon."

"Ya'll watchin the game together?" Justin asked before clearing his raspy throat.

"Yeah...I'm gonna feel a little out of place though." Nick admitted.

"How come?"

"Cuz everybody is going to be coupled up but me."

"What do you mean? Just Ed and Kel..."

"The point of doing this party was to kinda get Marty and Manny together more. So, in a way it's like a double date for them. I have a feeling I was just invited because they felt like they had to." Nick stated.

"I'm sure they want you there. Trust me. And besides...they'd never make you feel left out."

Nick sighed. "I know that, I don't even know why I was thinking different."

"I'm serious. They won't," Justin assured his boyfriend as he headed off the elevator and through the hotel lobby.

Nick smiled a little. "Yeah, and only *I* can say that I get to see my boyfriend on TV." He giggled.

Justin smiled. "This is very true."

"Dancing with Janet Jackson." Nick laughed out loud. "I like Michael better then I do her but eh...can't complain."

"Michael's strange," Justin stated as he climbed into the back of the hired SUV and got comfortable.

"True, but I still think he's cool...Then again I'VE never met the guy and you might have." Nick said with a small yawn.

"Performed with him," Justin said as he closed his eyes.

Nick giggled with a fake evil laugh. "Oh, the people I may get to meet.

Having a famous boyfriend has got it's benefits." He teased.

Justin chuckled. "Yeah..."

Nick pouted a little, still feeling bad Justin was sick. "I'm sorry you're sick, baby."

Justin sniffled and took a deep breath. "Thanks...but I'll be OK. I HAVE to be OK."

"Which really sucks." Nick said with a sigh. "If you're sick you should be able to go to bed and sleep so you can get better. Not have to go out and perform in the cold."

"It's not cold."

"You said it was yesterday...so I just assumed...But that isn't the point." Nick rambled.

Justin laughed. "Yeah...it WAS cold last night...but it's not bad today."

Nick took a deep breath and ran a hand through his still wet hair. "Okay...I just worry."

"I know you do...but I'll be fine once I see the doctor."

"What can the doctor do about a cold?"

"It might not be a cold. We'll have to see."

Nick bit his lower lip. "You said it wasn't that bad...that you just had a cold..."

"I don't know what it is yet. FEELS like a cold...but we'll see."

"Yeah..." Nick took a few deep breaths to keep from freaking out. The idea of Justin being sick...and not there with him was scaring him to death.

"But...don't worry. Whatever it is will get better." Justin paused to clear his throat, then asked. "How's your brother?"

"He was fine when I talked to him last night on the phone. My parents are like staying with him twenty-four-seven and it's driving him insane."

"And what about you and your parents?"

"I haven't really talked to them." Nick said softly, which was a lie. He just didn't want to freak Justin out when he was feeling sick and everything.

"You must have spoken to them."

"Not really."

"Why don't I believe you?"

Nick sighed. "Because I suck at lying."

"Exactly...so tell me what's goin on."

"He's saying shit about you..." Nick said softly.

"Like what?" Justin asked calmly as he looked out the car window at the passing city buildings.

"That you would sleep with anybody. That you are a stuck up asshole who could get anything he wants and sooner or later you're just going to forget about me when you find somebody new and better." Nick said, saying exactly what his father had said...well most of it.

Justin took a deep breath. "Nuthin I haven't heard before."

"That doesn't mean it's okay that he's saying it." Nick pointed out. "So, we kinda got in a huge fight over that...and I well got kicked outta the hospital." He said the last part so quietly he wasn't sure if Justin could even hear him...and he would have been perfectly okay with that.

"Did you say you got kicked out?"

"Yeah..."

"Nick..."

"I fuckin punch him in the nose and brake it and he calls security. HE fuckin breaks my ribs and gives me a black eye and a bloody lip and nothing happens." Nick exclaimed. "I don't feel bad for what I did. For once in my life I stood up to the bastard."

Justin sighed. "Nick...i wish you wouldn't have done that over something he said about me. People say shit about me ALL the time...every fuckin day."

"Yeah, well my father isn't just anybody." Nick pointed out. "I can't do anything about what everybody else says. Plus, him saying shit like that about you...is putting ME down too cuz it was like saying that I need to stoop so low to even find somebody to love me."

Justin took a long, deep breath as he reached up to rub his aching head. "How badly are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, he didn't hurt me."

"Don't fuckin lie. You just told me you have broken ribs and a black eye."

"I did not lie!" Nick exclaimed, he hated it when people said he was laying and he wasn't. "That was last time...and you knew about that."

"I'm sorry," Justin said before another deep breath. "You made it sound like it just happened."

Nick smiled. "I know...I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to blow up at you. But I really am fine, baby."

"OK...if you say so. But how are you supposed to see your brother, now?"

"I can't...not for a week." Nick sighed. "I know I shouldn't have done what I did...but I couldn't just leave what he said alone...I couldn't."

Justin sighed quietly. He didn't know what to say because he didn't want to make Nick mad.

"Are you mad at me?" Nick asked softly, sounding like a little boy who was about to get scolded.

"Just upset that Aaron's not gonna see you for a week. He needs you."

Nick closed his eyes and sighed. "I know...I was stupid."

"You jumped the gun."

"I was angry. Hell, I was furious."

"I know."

"I don't regret what I did though." Nick said firmly. "For hitting him anyway. I hate that I won't get to see Aaron...but out of all the times he's hurt me over the years one fuckin broken nose isn't anything."

Justin rubbed his head again. "You can still call him, though...right?" he asked...keeping his voice low. He really didn’t want the people in the vehicle hearing his conversation.

"Yeah, and I will." Nick sighed. "But, you shouldn't even be hearing this stuff. You have to get yourself better."

"I told you not to worry about me."

"And you don't worry about me." Nick said with a small smile. "We'll worry about ourselves, until you're home then I'm going to pamper you."

"I don't need pampering."

"I know you don't."

"Does Aaron need anything he isn't getting?"

Nick shook his head even though it wouldn't do any good. "I don't think so. He hasn't mentioned anything."

"OK...good."

"I can't wait until you're home tomorrow." Nick said softly. "It's lonely here without you."

"Why? You have people there. Kelly's still living in the house with you, isn't she?"

"Technically."

"Technically?"

"She hasn't moved out...but she doesn't spend much time here. Maybe to sleep, but that's about it." Nick explained.

"She's spending a lot of time with Eddie, huh?"

Nick giggled a little. "Most of it."

"That's good, I guess."

"It is...but makes this huge house...well, huge." Nick giggled again.

"Yeah...I know."

Nick took a deep breath. "But I guess I'll let you go. Talking this much can't be good for your voice."

Justin cleared his hoarse throat. "I guess not."

"I'll stay if you wanna keep talking. I don't have to get ready for another few hours. I just thought you wouldn't want to."

"I probably should go. My throat really hurts."

"Okay, baby. Don't worry about calling me tonight if you don't feel like it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah...OK. have fun watching the game with everyone. Say hi for me."

Nick smiled. "I will, and you have fun singing with Janet."

"I'll try."

Hearing Justin sounding so down, made Nick feel terrible. "Love you, babe."

"You too."

"Bye." Nick said before he hung up the phone with a sigh.

Justin hung up his phone and slipped it into his pocket, then closed his eyes as he rested his head against the window.

After getting dressed in just a nice pare of sweats with a matching hooded sweatshirt. Nick padded his bare feet down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Kelly looked up from her bowl of cereal and the Sunday paper when she heard Nick come into the kitchen. "Good morning."

Nick smiled, but didn't say anything as he made his way to the cereal cabinet and started looking through it to see which kind he wanted.

Kelly spooned some cereal into her mouth, and carefully watched Nick as she chewed and swallowed the mouthful. "Everything OK?"

"Yeah, everything is fine." Nick said as he picked out Coco Puffs and walked to the counter to get a bowl.

"You sure?"

Nick sighed and nodded his head again. "Yeah."

"OK," Kelly said...watching Nick for a few more seconds before returning her attention to the newspaper. She wasn't going to pressure Nick into talking.

"Have you talked to Justin lately?" Nick asked as he moved to sit down at the table and eat his cereal.

"Yesterday afternoon. Eddie and I called him for his birthday."

Nick nodded. "Right, of course."

"Why?"

"Did you know he's sick?"

Kelly looked up at Nick and nodded. "Yeah. Well...I mean...kinda. He sounded all stuffed up and scratchy."

"Johnny is making him go to the doctor today cuz he's a lot worse." Nick said with a sigh.

"Good...he needs to go, then...especially if he wants to sing tonight."

Nick nodded. "Yeah I know."

Kelly glanced at Nick through the corner of her eye. "He'll be fine."

"I know." Nick said with a smile. "I'm not worried..."

Kelly laughed. "Right."

"I'm not!" Nick laughed back. "I just know he's worried about ME...and that can't be good."

"Well...you DID go and get yourself kicked out of the hospital," Kelly stated...recalling the story Nick had told her when he got home the previous night.

Nick sighed and nodded his head. "I know...but I'm fine."

Kelly nodded. "I know."

"But everybody thinks I was stupid for doing it." Nick said through a mouth full of Coco Puffs. "But nobody gets it."

"I get it," Kelly said sincerely as she pushed her empty cereal bowl away and pulled the paper closer in front of her.

"I don't think Justin does."

"*I* get it because I have a father who treated me the same way for a long time. Justin, on the other hand...he's just NOW hitting really rocky patches with HIS father. And besides that...he has Paul...which just about makes up for Randy being an asshole."

Nick sighed and looked up at Kelly. "I'm sorry, Kel...I didn't mean to bring back those memories."

Kelly shrugged and shook her head. "Don't be sorry. You didn't bring them back. They're always there."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Nick said with another sigh. "I was trying so hard to get over it though. Why the hell did he have to come back into my life?"

"Shit happens like that sometimes."

"Yeah."

"Things will happen the way they're supposed to happen."

"I'm still worried about what my father is going to do. He HATES Justin with a passion."

Kelly shook her head. "That's bullshit."

"That I'm worried?" Nick asked, confused.

"No. That your father hates Justin so much when he doesn't know a damn thing about him."

Nick smiled, happy that somebody seemed to understand. "I know, but what the problem is, is that I'm not supposed to be happy. And I am with

Justin."

Kelly nodded knowingly. "Same thing with MY father...AND my sister."

"I'm not sure where my sisters stand anymore. I haven't even told them about Justin yet. Then again, I'm sure they know."

"Probably."

Nick smiled a little. "But I know my brother loves him. Hell he says he knows he wont be alive if it wasn’t' for Justin and you guys."

Kelly smiled. "I'm glad he's gonna be OK."

"I would rather have him not even gotten into this mess." Nick said with a sigh. "I mean, cuz now he's going to be a drug addict for the rest of his life."

"Well...he DID get into it. So...just thank God that he was here when it happened...and not alone somewhere."

"I'm not sure if I've thanked you for agreeing to take him." Nick said softly.

"Cuz, I know I should have been here from the beginning, but I was being chicken shit."

Kelly shook her head. "Don't even mention it."

Nick smiled. "Okay, I wont." He giggled before stuffing his mouth with more Coco puffs.

"So...today should be fun," Kelly said as she looked down at the SuperBowl preview on the Sports page she was reading.

"Yeah, it should..." Nick said with a nod. "But I mean are you guys sure you want me to come? I would be perfectly happy staying here at home. I wouldn't want to invade your couple time and stuff."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Of course we want you to come. It's not couple time."

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, if you're sure."

"Positive."

"Is something going on between Manny and Marty?" Nick asked as he got up to put his bowl in the sink.

"I think so. Or...at least I think there WILL be."

Nick smiled. "That's cool."

Kelly sighed as she got up out of her chair and stretched a bit. "I'm gonna go take a shower," she said as she took her own bowl over to the sink.

"Okay." Nick said as he watched her coming in his direction. "Are things still going good between you and Ed?"

Kelly nodded and looked up at Nick. "Yeah...why?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "No reason, just thought I would be polite and ask how things were."

Kelly smiled. "Well...thanks. And yes...things are good."

Nick smiled back. "Good, I'm glad."

"So...will you be ready to go in about an hour? Or...did you wanna take a separate car?"

"I'm already, ready to go." Nick said as he put his and Kelly's bowls in the dishwasher.

Kelly nodded. "OK...well I'll hurry up and shower, then."

"You don't need to rush, I'll just go watch something on TV. I'm sure there is some church service on the religion channel." Nick laughed as he wiped his hands on a towel.

Kelly laughed. "Don't have too much fun," she said before heading down the hall to her room.

As Kelly walked out of the kitchen, Nick took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. All the stuff that was happening in his life was really starting to wear on him and he was beginning to think the tough guy act was starting to wear off. With one last deep breath he walked into the family room and turned on the TV. Thinking watching a church service wasn't that bad of an idea because, quite frankly maybe something like that was just what he needed.

<><><><><><><><><><>

"What did you order for food?" Kelly asked...looking at Eddie as she pulled off her red zip-up sweatshirt, draped it over the back of a chair, then adjusted her gray Patriots baby tee.

Eddie looked at all the different kinds of chips and drinks that were sitting out on the kitchen table. "Well, there's all this shit...and like five pizzas on the way."

Kelly leaned over to pick up the plate of cookies she'd set on the end table by the door. "I brought these...made them this morning."

"Ohhh...yummy." Eddie said smiling big and sneaking one of the cookies from the plate before walking into the kitchen to grab the veggie platter he had gotten too.

Nick walked into the room with his hands shoved in his pockets. Sure, these were his friends but for some reason he still felt really out of place.

"Anything I can do to help?" He asked both Eddie and Kelly.

Kelly shook her head. "You'd have to ask Ed that," she said...adjusting the plastic wrap on the cookies and setting the plate on the counter. She looked around...suddenly wondering why the place seemed empty. "Where's Manny?"

"He and Marty went on a beer run. I totally forgot to go out and buy more last night cuz I went to bed really early." Eddie explained to answer Kelly's question. "And, no thanks Nick, I think we have everything under control."

Nick nodded his head before he walked out of the room and went into the living room and sat in front of the TV to watch the pre SuperBowl stuff.

Kelly looked at Eddie questioningly. "Manny isn't even old enough to BUY beer."

Eddie shrugged. "I think they were just going to Ralph’s. So, he can just go in the store with Marty and not be the one that is paying for it."

Kelly nodded. "Oh...OK," she said...then went into the living room and dropped down beside Nick on the couch. "Anything good on yet?" she asked as she crossed her legs.

Nick wasn't really watching what was on the TV screen, but actually staring at it in space. He was shaken out of his trance when Kelly sat down though. "Hmm...what?" He asked, not having heard her question.

Kelly sighed quietly. "Nick...I thought I was your friend."

"You are." Nick answered with a confused look on his face.

"So...then why aren't you talking to me about what's SO obviously bothering you?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "There isn't anything to talk about."

"Then what's got you so distracted?" Kelly asked as she reached up to absently tug on one of her low, loose pigtails. "So out of it?"

Nick was quiet for a good few minutes before he finally said something. "I don't feel very in control of my life...and sometimes I feel like maybe I have bit of more then I can chew."

"OK..." Kelly said...looking at nick as she got more comfortable on the couch. "How so?"

"I'm not really sure..." Nick said as he ran an agitated hand through his hair.

"OK...well...what are you having a hard time controlling? Is it your brother?"

Nick half nodded and half shrugged. "It's a lot of things I guess. I mean what is going on with my brother is really hard. It scares the shit outta me knowing he's going to live with this for the rest of his life. But then there is the shit with my parents. Having my father even in the same state with me drains me. I feel like I have to be on guard twenty-four-seven. I don't remember the last time I slept." He said with a sigh.

Kelly slowly nodded her understanding. "Well...what if you stayed HERE tonight? I mean...no one would every think of looking for you here...and maybe that thought will help you relax a little, and you can get some sleep."

"Thanks...but I think I'm better at home." Nick said softly, not wanting to say that it helps him calm down after one of his terrible nightmares to snuggle with the pillow he knows Justin uses.

Kelly nodded again. "I can understand that. I know the feeling." She paused in thought for a moment, then made another suggestion.

"Well...how bout if I sleep with you? Maybe it'll help to not be alone."

A small smile formed on Nick's lips. "Really? You would do that?"

"Of course I would."

The smile faded as quickly as it came and he sighed. "Thanks...it was sweet of you but, It's okay, I'm fine by myself." He said softly. He didn't want Kelly to witness how he got when he had the really bad dreams. It had been at least a year since he had had them but they came back sometimes and it was awful.

Kelly rested her hand comfortingly on Nick's leg. "Nick...please...don't do this with me. I know you want to say yes."

"I don't wanna freak out on you, though." Nick said, not denying the fact that he DID want to take Kelly up on her offer.

"It won't phase me, Nick...whatever it is you'd freak out over, I mean. I've been through a ton of shit, too."

Nick sighed and nodded his head, all of a sudden feeling really stupid. With all the shit he had been through, he didn't think anything could compare to what Kelly had gone through in her short life. "Okay then..."

Kelly smiled brightly. "Good."

"Isn't Eddie going to feel left out that we're having a slumber party without him?" Nick teased, needing to put some sort of humor in the situation even though he didn't feel very happy.

Kelly shrugged. "Probably not. But we can invite him if you want."

Nick bit his lower lip and shrugged. "We could...but if it's all the same I would rather not." He answered honestly.

Kelly nodded. "That's fine, too. He'll understand."

Just then Marty came walking in the front door with two cases of beer in his arms.

Nick turned to see who walked in and laughed. "Are you trying to get us drunk?"

"Won't be too hard for you since you get drunk off of one beer." Marty teased.

Nick stuck his tongue out in response.

Manny came in just after Marty with a case of soda. "More for me."

"You dear brother are under age. What makes you think you're drinking at all?" Eddie asked as he put an arm around Manny's shoulders.

Manny rolled his eyes as he slipped out from under Eddie's arm and headed back to the kitchen with the soda.

Kelly chuckled. "Guess he doesn't agree with you."

Eddie glared at Manny's back. "I don't want a drunk off his ass little brother, thank you very much."

"He'll be fine. Not like he's going anywhere."

Nick giggled half heartedly as he turned to try and watch the TV again.

"I know...but still." Eddie said with a pout.

Kelly sighed quietly and rested her head on Nick's shoulder.

"Hey now." Eddie said as he flopped on the other side of Kelly. "Your head belongs over here."

Kelly giggled quietly...not lifting her head up. "Someone's jealous."

Eddie snorted. "Uh huh...of the gay guy."

Nick looked in Eddie's direction and gave him a funny look. He didn't get what was going on with the other man. He had been acting funny ever since they had shown up. Then again, maybe that was just him being in a depressed mood.

Kelly laughed again. "He may be gay, but he's had something you're desperately wishing you could have right now," she teased.

Eddie didn't say in return just pouted that Kelly could read him so well. He was in a pissy mood because of that exact reason. Not because Nick had gotten it, but because he hadn't. Of course that wasn't Kelly's fault, so he wasn't mad at her just mad at the situation.

Kelly looked back and forth between Nick and Eddie's miserable faces a few times, then took a deep breath and got up. "Well I'm gonna leave you two to your happiness and go see what the others are up to," she said on her way to the kitchen.

"Nuh uh...your brother said no." Marty teased as he reached around Manny to take the beer bottle away from him, in the process the whole front of his body was pressed against Eddie's back. He had been in a crazy mood all day and couldn't help that he had been flirting non stop at the store and since they got back.

Manny laughed as he yanked the bottle back. "Since when do you listen to my brother?" he teased before taking a long sip from the bottle.

Kelly laughed quietly as she stepped into the kitchen. "Well at least YOU guys are happy."

"Good point." Marty giggled and then turned his head to look at Kelly. "Somebody else isn't happy?" He asked, not moving away from Manny.

Kelly shrugged as she walked over to the counter and took a cookie off the plate. "Nick's all depressed...and Ed has something up HIS ass all of a sudden."

"What's his problem?" Manny asked curiously.

Kelly shrugged again as she leaned back against the counter. "I dunno."

"Well, we gotta get them to cheer up. I mean this IS a party." Marty said with a smile as he finally let Manny go and walked over to grab himself a beer since he wasn't able to get Manny's away from him.

Kelly sighed. "Why bother?"

"Uh oh...now Miss Kelly is in a bad mood too." Marty said as he walked in front of Kelly and made a face at her. "We can't have that."

Kelly had to laughed at Marty's face as Manny did the same. "I'm not in a bad mood...I'm just not in a mood to deal with THAT."

Marty sighed. "I know...but I mean I do understand Nick's depressed mood. He's got way too much shit to deal with. And if you think about it, the one person he needs isn't here." He pointed out. "Ed on the other hand, I have no fuckin idea what is wrong with him."

"Neither do I. He's been fine as far as I know," Manny interjected.

Kelly shook her head. "I don't know, either."

Nick came walking into the room with a freaked out look on his face.

"Okay...I'm coming into join you guys. Ed is driving me insane!"

Kelly looked at Nick questioningly. "Why...what'd he do?" she asked before biting her cookie.

"He keeps sighing and moaning and shit and then looking at me to see if I'm noticing. Like I'm supposed to know the magic word to fix whatever is bothering him." Nick laughed as he grabbed a bear from the cooler Eddie had put ice in.

"He didn't say anything about what's bothering him?" Manny asked as he grabbed a cookie for himself.

"Nope just kept making annoying noises. At least when I'm in a bad mood I'm quiet." Nick said before taking a long drink of his beer.

Marty laughed but then got serious. "I have no idea why he would be acting weird."

Kelly looked around at everyone. "Should I go talk to him?"

Marty and Nick both shrugged their shoulders.

Manny just laughed as he sipped his beer.

Kelly sighed and rolled her eyes, then shoved the rest of her cookie at Nick before heading off into the living room.

"Oh goody a half eaten cookie." Nick said as he looked down at the cookie in his hand.

Eddie wasn't in the living room anymore. Instead he was outside sitting on the front steps with a cigarette in his hands. He was glad he never told Kelly he was going to give up smoking.

When Kelly didn't find Eddie in the living room, she checked both bedrooms and the bathroom to find all those rooms empty, too. Figuring that the only place he could have gone was out the door, she walked out of the apartment, down the stairs, and out to the front of the building. "Hey," she said...stopping behind him on the top of the steps.

Turning around when he heard Kelly he smiled softly. "Hey."

"Can I sit?" Kelly asked...pointing down at the steps.

"Sure." Eddie said with a nod as he took along long drag.

Kelly sat down right beside Eddie on the top step...just staring across the street as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

Eddie was quiet for a minute before finally speaking. "Why aren't you inside with everybody else?"

Kelly turned her head to look at Eddie. "I was elected to come find out what's wrong with you."

"Oh, lucky you." Eddie laughed, but it wasn't a really happy sounding laugh.

"So...what is it?"

"What is what?"

"What is it that's bothering you? Why the bad mood all of a sudden? You were fine last night."

Eddie sighed, he wasn't meaning to be in a bad mood. "I'm sorry I'm in a bad mood...I'll stop." He said with a small smile, not really wanting to say WHY he was in a bad mood.

"That's fine. But I wanna know what made you feel this way."

"I'm just feeling a little tense is all." Eddie said as he lit up another cigarette, a sure sign of what he just said.

Kelly widened her eyes a bit. Eddie never smoked that much. "I can see that."

Eddie took a long drag and let it all go into his lungs. Normally he just smoked enough to kind of let some of the smoke into his lungs. But right now it was the only thing he had left to try to get rid of the tension. "But, I'll be okay."

"Well...what's got you so uptight?"

"I really want a drink." Eddie answered, knowing that was only half of his problem, but the other he felt awful for saying.

Kelly shrugged her shoulders a bit. "You could if you want, Ed. It's not like you're a recovering alcoholic and you'd fall off the wagon if you had one."

"But I don't want one." Eddie said knowing he wasn't making any sense. "I mean I do...but I don't." He ran a hand over his head. "Fuck, I don't know what I want." He laughed shaking his head. He knew he wouldn't really want the drink if the original problem wasn't going on.

Kelly wrapped both her arms around Eddie's right arm and rested her head on his shoulder. She knew he was bothered by something he wasn't telling her, but she wasn't going to press the issue. She didn't want to upset him further.

Eddie turned his head a little and pressed a kiss to Kelly's head. "I'm sorry If I’m being party pooper. Hell I think I scared Nick." He laughed a little.

"You did."

"At least I got him out of his funk."

"Yeah...but now YOU'RE in a funk."

Eddie smiled. "I'll be fine...in like two weeks." He said, wondering if Kelly would get his drift. He didn't want to say straight out what was wrong, but he wanted her to know at the same time.

"Why?" Kelly asked...lifting her head a bit to look at Eddie. "What's happening in two weeks?"

Eddie bit his lower lip and shook his head. "Nothing...forget it."

"Why won't you tell me?" Kelly asked quietly. Eddie had always been open with her...even before they were a couple.

"Because you'll feel bad and there is nothing you can do about it. Plus it's really stupid." Eddie said after taking a deep breath.

"Nothing you have to say to me is stupid."

"In two weeks you have been home from the hospital for a month..." Eddie said, trying again to see if Kelly understood what he was saying.

Kelly nodded. "And...?"

Eddie groaned. "And the doctor said you might get the go ahead to...ya know."

Kelly thought about it for a second, then narrowed her eyes. "What...sex?"

"No to plant fucking flowers...yeah sex." Eddie said, getting embarrassed so he was lashing out.

Kelly let go of Eddie's arm and leaned away from him a bit. "What the fuck, Eddie..."

Eddie closed his eyes and counted to ten. "God, I'm sorry." He whispered.

"You should be," Kelly said quietly as she stood up and headed for the door. "I don’t fuckin deserve this," she added as she went inside and headed back up the stairs to the apartment.

The guys were all in the living room watching the pre game stuff on TV when Kelly walked back into the room. "Hey...where's Ed?" Marty asked.

"He’s outside," Kelly answered...not looking anyone in the eye as she grabbed her sweatshirt and slipped it on. "I’m not feelin too good, so I’m gonna go home. Marty...could you drive Nick home later?"

"Yeah sure." Marty said as he watched Kelly closely.

"Do you want me to come home with you?" Nick asked, standing up. "We can watch the game there too."

Kelly shook her head. "No thanks, hun. I’m just gonna lay down."

"You sure you’re OK?" Manny asked in concern.

Kelly nodded as she took the car keys out of her sweatshirt pocket. "I’ll be fine. You guys have fun."

Marty waited until Kelly walked out the door before he followed after her.

"What did the asshole do?" He asked once they were in the hallway. "I know that look Kel...and it's not a sick one."

Kelly looked down at the floor as she answered...unable to look her friend in the eye. "Nothing. I’m fine. Just let me go...OK?" She had spent too many years of her life being yelled at and snapped at by her father, and it was still just as painful and humiliating.

Marty walked so he was next to Kelly and took a gentle hand and lifted her chin up to look at him. "Baby...you know he has a temper. I don't know what he said to you, but I'm sure he feels like shit for it." He had know Kelly long enough to know how she felt. "Come on and let's talk about it okay?"

Kelly shook her head...ignoring the tears that were slowly starting to burn her eyes. "No, Marty. I just wanna go home," she practically pleaded...her eyes looking down the hall rather than into her friend’s eyes.

Marty sighed and nodded his head. "Sure...okay just get some rest."

Kelly nodded, then turned to head down the hall and down the stairs.

Marty turned and walked back down the hall to the apartment.

"Okay...Manny you've gotta go talk to your shit of a brother."

Manny looked up from the TV. "What happened?"

"I don't know but Kelly is practically in tears and leaving." Marty said shaking his head. "She wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

Manny rolled his eyes. "Damnit."

Kelly, meanwhile, had gotten to the bottom of the stairs, and took a deep breath before going outside onto the steps.

Eddie was still sitting exactly where Kelly had left him. His head in his hands.

"Have fun today," Kelly said as she walked past Eddie, and down the stairs toward the car.

"Kel wait!" Eddie said as he got up and followed after her. "You don't gotta go."

Kelly spun on her heels and looked up at Eddie. "Yes...I do. I don’t deserve to be yelled and belittled, and I’m not gonna stay here and take it."

"You're right...you don't." Eddie said honestly. "I'm sorry for what I said...and how I said it. I don't know what's gotten into me."

"I don’t either..." Kelly said...managing to stay strong. "...but I’m gonna tell you right now that I DON’T like it."

"Why don’t you go back upstairs with your friends to watch Justin, I'll leave." Eddie suggested. "I’m not going to be in a party mood anyway."

Kelly shook her head. "No...I’m going home," she said...then turned to walk the rest of the way to the car.

Eddie thought for a second before he took a deep breath and ran after Kelly. "Kel...wait don't go...please."

Kelly took a deep breath...turning to look at Eddie again as she stopped beside the car. "Why shouldn’t I?"

"Because we should talk." Eddie said softly. "Because I need to apologize like crazy to show you how sorry I am."

Kelly slowly shook her head. "Not now," she whispered.

Eddie sighed as he looked down and nodded sadly. "Okay..."

Kelly opened the car door...her eyes still on Eddie. "I’ll umm...call you."

"Do you gotta go?" Eddie asked finally looking back up at Kelly. "I didn't mean to get upset at you."

Kelly nodded. "I’m going."

"If you were going you would already be gone." Eddie pointed out with a small smile.

Kelly sighed quietly, then got into the car and closed the door.

"Baby, I really am sorry. I shouldn't have taken my stress out on you." Eddie said through the closed door.

Kelly shook her head...starting the car and putting on her seatbelt.

"Kelly, Please!" Eddie practically begged.

Taking a quick glance to make sure that Eddie wasn’t too close to the car, Kelly threw it into gear and pulled away from the curb.

"Damn it!" Eddie exclaimed as he watched Kelly pull away.

Manny sighed as he slowly walked down the front steps toward his brother. "What the hell happened?"

Eddie turned to look at Manny but didn't say anything as he moved to sit on the curb where Kelly's car had been before.

Manny stepped up behind Eddie and gripped his shoulders. "Talk to me, bro. Que pasa?"

"I fucked up." Was all Eddie said, still looking at the ground with his head in his hands.

Manny took a deep breath and sat down beside Eddie. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

Eddie sighed. "I'm not exactly sure really. I just took all my stress out on her and yelled at her."

"Why would you do that?"

"I have no idea...because I'm fuckin stupid!" Eddie exclaimed shaking his head.

Manny nodded. "That WAS fuckin stupid. What the hell did she do to you?"

Eddie closed his eyes and ran a hand over his hair. "Nothing...nothing at all she was just trying to help."

"What the fuck’s your problem today, bro?"

"Nothing...I'm fine."

"You can’t fool me, Ed."

"I don't really know what is wrong. I'm just like beyond on edge."

"Why, though?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders

Manny sighed and stood up. "Fine...sit out here and mope all day."

"You would think I was dumb and stupid if I told you. Then you would get pissed at me...and everybody would be mad and." Eddie groaned. "And I sound like a spoiled brat so I will shut up now."

"Not everyone would be mad...cuz I wouldn’t tell," Manny said...looking down at his brother.

"But it is stupid." Eddie pouted. "Even *I* think it's stupid."

Manny nodded. "Fine," he said again...then turned to head back into the building.

"What the hell is everybody leaving me today!" Eddie said looking up at his brother walk away.

Manny stopped to turn and look back at Eddie. "Let’s see...cuz you’re bein a dick?"

"Fine, then I'm Just going to go so you can have a dick free party." Eddie said standing up. "Go hang with your boyfriend and your other queer friend."

Manny just stood there staring at Eddie. He couldn’t believe those words had come out of his own brother’s mouth. "What...?"

"Yeah, you heard me right. So you can get that shocked look off your face." Eddie exclaimed as he stomped off.

Manny watched Eddie walk away in complete shock...his eyes filling with tears.

Eddie got in his car and sped out of the driveway, just needing to be alone to figure out what the hell he was doing to all the people he loved.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Kelly’s mouth dropped open a bit as she laughed...although she wasn’t really that shocked. The stunt didn’t surprise her at all...she just hadn’t been expecting it. Desperate to know what he thought of it all, she reached for her cell phone and quickly dialed the number to Eddie’s apartment to get a hold of Nick.

"I'll get it." Nick said as he picked up the phone that was sitting next to him on one of the end tables. "Hello?"

"Did you SEE that?"

"Yeah what the hell was up with that!" Nick laughed, still in shock over what he saw.

Kelly laughed quietly as she snuggled deeper into her pillows. "It was great."

"Yeah well your boyfriend wasn't ripping off part of somebody else’s clothing." Nick said with a pout.

"Oh come on, Nick. He just exposed Janet’s BOOB to the world! It was awesome! He’s gonna get hell for it...but it was awesome."

Nick giggled trying to find it funny. "Yeah...you’re right."

It wasn't that he felt like Justin wanted to be touching Janet like that. It was the fact that he wasn't sure if Justin NEEDED to get hell for something like that.

"I feel bad for him, though," Kelly said. "He’s gonna hear it."

"Yeah, it's all he needs right now."

Kelly sighed. "Oh well...he’ll handle it."

"Of course." Nick said with a small smile.

"You OK?"

"Yeah I'm good. Things are just a little tense over here." Nick admitted as he looked over at Marty and Manny trying to have fun but both kind of off in their own worlds.

Kelly sighed. "Cuz of Ed."

"Yeah, sort of. He's not here though."

"Where is he?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Nobody knows he just drove off in a rage pretty much from what I hear after saying really mean shit to Manny." He had walked out of the room and into the kitchen before he said that part, not wanting to upset the younger man more then he already was.

Kelly groaned. "I can’t even imagine what he must have said to him."

"Let's just say it is something that would have offended pretty much all the guys in your life." Nick said with a sigh.

Kelly sighed. "Asshole," she whispered...her eyes tearing up.

"Worst of all he said it to Manny."

Kelly sniffled. "What’s wrong with him?" she asked desperately.

"I wish I knew." Nick said as he took at seat at one of the kitchen chairs.

"What did he say to you...did he give you any clues?"

"I don’t even know. He just...yelled."

"And I thought *I* was moody and blew up at dumb things."

"He just...he’s not like that."

"Well he better shape up or Justin is going to kick his ass or punch him if he finds out he yelled at you." Nick giggled a little.

"It’s not funny, Nick. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never seen him like this."

Nick sighed. "I know...I'm sorry. Well, is he doing anything that he normally doesn't do? Like well drinking or drugs or something like that, that could alter his mood?"

"Not that I know of."

"Anything that he hasn't had...that he's used to?" Nick knew that Eddie lived a totally different life style before Kelly had gotten hurt. He wondered if that had something to do with it.

"He hasn’t been drinking."

Nick thought for a minute. "That might have something to do with it. But I don't think he was really so into the alcohol that he would freak if he didn't have it."

"Sex," Kelly said suddenly.

"Huh?" Nick asked a little confused. "Sex?"

"No sex."

Nick tried to get straight in his head what Kelly was talking about. "No sex would freak him out like this?"

"I don’t know. I..." Kelly didn’t know what to think. Would Eddie really flip out on her because she wasn’t sleeping with him. "I don’t know."

"Well, if that's the case I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems..." Nick said, trying to analyze the situation. "I mean...it's normal for him to get kinda tense if it's been a while."

"How do YOU know?"

Nick laughed a little. "Well...I may be gay but I still am a guy...and I know how it can be. I mean I went six years without it. There was some time mostly at the beginning that it was hard. You get really irritable."

"But...I don’t understand. He’s always said it’s not a big deal...that he wants to wait..."

Nick smiled a little. "Babe...I'm sure he does. His heart wants to wait but a lot of the time his body doesn't get the message. If this is the case I bet he felt awful for even feeling how he was. Which is probably why he tried to deal with it himself."

"Maybe he doesn’t belong with me. He was much happier before."

"I really doubt that." Nick said softly.

Kelly sniffled. "It’s true. He was."

Nick stood up and walked back into the living room. "I feel that way about Justin all the time too."

"But I know them both. I don’t see it in Justin. I see it in Eddie now."

"And I don't see it in Eddie. think it's one of those things that you have to be in it to see it." Nick said before taking a seat on the couch. "Just talk to him, Kel. Don't think too much about that."

"I don’t wanna talk to him."

Nick sighed, "Okay, but I'm gonna call a cab to drive me home now. We can start our slumber party early."

"Oh...right..."

"We don't have to do anything. I'll just come home and go hibernate in my room."

"No...don’t. You can come to my room if you want."

"Okay." Nick said hoping he didn't sound too relieved. He didn't like being alone lately. It left him to his thoughts...thoughts he didn't want to be having.

"I’m in bed already."

Nick smiled a little. "So, I'm gonna hang up now so I can call a cab. I'll see you in a few minutes, okay?"

"Yeah..."

"Bye." With that Nick hung up the phone and called a cab. Twenty minutes later it was pulling up in front of Justin's house and he got out paying the driver. Reaching into his pockets he got out his key and unlocked the door walking in. "I'm home!" He called as he kicked off his shoes.

By the time Nick got in, Kelly was already passed out in her bed...having cried herself to sleep.

Nick walked into Kelly's bedroom and sighed. Tears in his own eyes when he saw the tear tracks on her face. Thinking he would give her some time to rest, he walked out of the room and then up the stairs to his own room. Looking at the clock he wasn't sure if he would be able to answer his phone or not but he needed to try. Everything was falling apart at home and he felt like he was about to break and couldn't hold it in anymore. Dialing Justin's cell phone number he waited.

"Hey...It’s Justin. Leave a message," came the sound of his boyfriend’s voicemail over the phone.

Sniffing back tears, Nick tried to find the words he wanted to say. "Hey, Justin...it's me. Call me when you can...please." He knew he sounded desperate but that probably was because he felt that way.

Once he was done with the phone he hung it up and then flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes tightly. "Please call back soon." He whispered.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Justin tipped the limo driver, then carried his bag up the walk to the front door...thankful that the rest of his luggage would be sent later. He let himself in to his house, then dropped the bag on the floor by the door as he locked it...too tired to carry it up the stairs at three in the morning. The first thing Justin did was go up the stairs in search of Nick. When he found his boyfriend snoring in his bed, he smiled brightly...then decided to go check on Kelly before climbing into bed with Nick. He headed back down the stairs, and crept quietly into her room.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Justin sighed quietly, and placed a soft kiss to Kelly’s forehead as he gently rocked her and let her finish crying the last of her tears. The first real conversation they’d had about the baby that they’d tragically lost had taken an emotional toll on both of them. “God, Kel…I can’t believe you actually thought I’d be mad at you for all of this…that I’d think it was YOUR fault.”

“I know,” Kelly said through a sniffle. “It WAS crazy of me to think like that…and to think that you’d blame me…because I know you’re not that kind of person. And now that I look back on everything, I know that the miscarriage wasn’t my fault. It just…well…like we said…it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.” Sadness was evident in the young woman’s voice. “Who knows…? Maybe we just THOUGHT we could handle being parents…but God knew we weren’t ready.”

Justin shook his head. “I don’t agree with you there. I KNOW we could have handled it, Kelly. I mean…hell. I was actually looking forward to being a dad. I was all tryin to plan out just how I was going to fit it all into my life…” Justin’s voice trailed off as he started to cough a couple of times.

Kelly smiled. “I know…me too.”

Justin sighed again. “Well…I guess the time will be right for us soon enough.”

“Yeah,” Kelly agreed quietly as she wrapped her arms more snuggly around Justin‘s lean frame. “Just…not with each other.”

“Yeah…not with each other…”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Justin sighed quietly as he closed Kelly’s door behind him. His heart went out to the poor girl. Of course...his own pain was great...but he knew it couldn’t compare to the pain that she was going through. He said a silent prayer for her as he slowly headed up the stairs.

Nick whimpered in his sleep as he wiggled around on the bed, tears in his eyes.

Justin stepped into his bedroom, and closed the door before walking in. He smiled as he walked toward Nick, but his smile faded when he saw the stressed look on his boyfriend’s face. He put a hand on Nick’s shoulder as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Nick...?"

"NO!" Nick screamed sitting up and bed and pushing at Justin, thinking he was part of the bad dream he was having.

Justin backed off a bit...his eyes narrowing in concern. "Nick...it’s me."

Nick sat up in bed breathing hard, looking off into space for a few minutes before his breathing started to even out a little, but he was still shaking as if he was really cold.

"Whoa...Nick...what the hell’s wrong with you?"

As if finally waking up, Nick turned to Justin. "J...Justin?"

Justin nodded quickly. "Yeah...it’s just me. I didn’t mean to scare you. I know I wasn’t supposed to be home till later in the afternoon...but I just wanted to get home."

Nick didn't say anything just wrapped his arms around Justin tightly barring his face in Justin's shirt as tears fell from his eyes. His emotions were so off from the lifelike dream.

Justin sighed quietly as he hugged Nick. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Nick pulled back a little. He wanted to lie and tell Justin he was fine because he didn't want to cause him any problems but how could he lie when something was obviously wrong. "I...I've been having really bad dreams." He said making a face at how that sounded. "I know that sounds childish...but that's the only way to explain it."

Justin nodded...his eyes on Nick’s. "OK...what about?"

"Everything...my parents...what happened while I was locked in that freaks house." Nick was feeling sick to his stomach as he talked about it. "I was fine for a long time...I mean this happened a lot for a few years after it all happened but I was fine...Then this last week...It's been bad." He sniffled.

Justin took a deep breath. "I’m sorry," he said quietly. He didn’t know what else to say.

Nick put on his best smile and gave Justin another hug but this time not out of desperation. "I'm glad you're home. I'm sorry you had to be greeted like that."

"It’s OK. I actually came up here a while ago, but you were sound asleep...so I went down to check on Kelly, and we ended up talking for a while."

Nick bit his lower lip. "So I guess you kinda heard that things are kinda crazy around here."

Justin looked at Nick questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't she tell you that she and Ed had a fight?" Nick said, all of a sudden not sure if he was saying something he shouldn't.

Justin sighed. "No...She didn’t."

"Oh...oops." Nick said looking sheepish.

Justin shook his head. "We really only talked about...us...about our baby," he said quietly.

Nick's eyes went wide. "Oh man...I totally forgot that you haven't seen each other since that. How did that go?"

Justin shrugged...looking away from Nick for a bit. "Fine...it was hard, though."

"I bet it was, baby." Nick said, turning Justin's face towards his and giving him a soft kiss on his lips. He then got a smirk on his face to try and lighten the mood a bit. "What exactly was that with Janet?" He said in a teasing tone to show he thought it was kinda funny.

Justin smirked and shrugged. "An unfortunate wardrobe malfunction."

"Uh huh...suuure."

Justin chuckled. "What? I’m serious."

Nick giggled too. "I think you just wanted to see Janet Jackson's boob."

"No..."

"I know." Nick smile. "I'm just giving you a hard time...ya know I love you."

Justin smiled. "Yeah...I know."

Nick's smile got even bigger. "I can't believe you're home." He then looked down at himself noticing he was still in his clothes from that day, his New England Patriots jersey and jeans.

Justin nodded, then turned his head to cough a couple times. "I didn’t wanna wait any longer than I had to."

"Oh baby." Nick said softly moving to sit on the edge of the bed with Justin. "What did the doctor say?" He asked as he rubbed his back a little.

Justin shrugged. "Not much. He just temporarily cleaned me out so I could sing."

Nick made a face. "Cleaned you out?"

Justin laughed. "Yeah...some whacked out procedure that sucked everything out of my sinuses, and shit. It hurt like hell."

"Oh man...that sounds nasty!" Nick said making a face again and giggling.

"I would rather take Sudafed."

"It wouldn’t have done the trick, though."

"True." Nick said with a nod of his head as he got up off the bed and stretched his arms over his head. "What time is it?"

Justin squinted in the direction of the bedside clock. "Almost four in the morning."

"Wow I've been asleep since like right after half time." Nick said with a groan. "And sleeping in clothes isn't fun."

Justin chuckled. "So change."

"That is what I'm doing." Nick giggled as he stripped his jersey and wife beater over his head, forgetting the huge bruises he had around his ribs and stomach.

Justin sighed when he noticed Nick’s bruises. "I wish I could beat that bastard’s ass."

Nick looked confused for a second before he looked down at himself and realized what Justin was talking about. "Oh...I'm fine it's nothing." He said embarrassed as he quickly turned around and walked to the closet where he had put a few of his shirts and things when he did the laundry last.

Justin sighed and stood up. "I’m gonna take a hot shower before I crash...help clear my congestion."

"Okay." Nick said as he put a t-shirt on over his head and stripped out of his jeans. "See ya when you come back."

"I won’t be long," a Justin said as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Once Justin was in the bathroom, Nick went to sit on the bed and turned on the TV so he would have something going to keep his mind from wondering.

Justin stripped out of his clothes and climbed into the shower...the water as hot as he could stand it.

With his legs crossed at the ankles Nick flipped channels trying to find something interesting to watch that wasn't an infomercial.

Justin had a brief coughing fit in the middle of his shower, and sighed at the discomfort in his chest once it stopped.

Nick thought he heard Justin coughing but wasn't sure so he just turned down the TV a little bit so he could listen better through the shower running.

Justin quickly finished up his shower, then dried off and wrapped his towel around his waist. He then started searching through the medicine cabinet for something to ease his ailments.

Once he heard the shower turn off, Nick got up off the bed and walked to the bathroom door. "Can I come in to brush my teeth?"

"Yeah," Justin said with a sniffle as he rummaged through the cabinet’s contents.

Nick walked into the room and walked to stand next to Justin by the counter. "Do you need me to go to the store to buy you something?" He asked, his voice full of concern. He could tell his boyfriend felt nasty and there wasn't much for colds in the medicine cabinet.

Justin shook his head. "No, thanks...I’ll be fine as soon as I find something that’ll knock me out."

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Okay." He said as he reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste and started to brush his teeth.

Justin finally found a bottle of cherry flavored Nyquil, and sneezed a couple times before checking the expiration date.

"You are actually very cute sick." Nick giggled as he spit and rinsed out his mouth.

Justin sighed. "Oh please," he said with a sniffle. "I feel like ass...I must LOOK like ass."

Nick shook his head as he moved behind Justin to rub his shoulders, wanting to relax him a little. "You do not...but I don't doubt you feel bad. But no matter how sick you are I still think you're beautiful." He said pressing a soft kiss to the back of his neck.

Justin managed a smile. "Thanks," he said as he worked on peeling the seal off the brand new medicine bottle.

"Do you have anything you have to do tomorrow?"

Justin shook his head. "Nothing. I’m not moving."

Nick smiled. "Good...that is what I was going to say you were doing. Nothing."

Justin chuckled. "Yes, sir," he said as he unscrewed the cap, and poured some Nyquil into the dosage cup. he drank it down, then refilled the cup.

"Whoa...wait you're only supposed to have one of those." Nick said, watching Justin refilling the cup.

"I know...but I need a double dose...trust me."

Nick looked skeptical but didn't say anything.

Justin noticed the look on Nick’s face, and smiled as he coughed a couple times. "I’ll be fine," he said...then drank the second cup down before closing the bottle.

"You end up in the hospital and I will kill you." Nick teased. "Since I wouldn't be able to visit you cuz I'm not allowed in the hospital still."

Justin laughed. "I won’t die."

"I didn't say you would. I said you would end up in the hospital there for I would kill you and THEN you would die." Nick laughed. "Okay lack of sleep is really messing with my brain."

"Lack of sleep? You just told me you’ve been asleep for the last like...ten hours."

"That’s the most sleep I've had in days." Nick admitted.

"Well...at least you finally got some."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, guess you're right." He said walking over to the toilet and lifting the seat without thinking twice.

Justin put the Nyquil bottle on the counter, then headed out of the bathroom to go to his room and put some pajama pants on.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Nick walked out into the room and went to sit on the bed. "Do you want me to go to my own room? He asked looking around Justin's room a bit noticing a few of his own things. "I hope you don't feel like I've taken over...since this is YOUR room...not mine."

"I don’t mind," Justin said as he burrowed under the covers...closing his eyes right away. "I just don’t want you to get sick."

"Eh, you snuggled with me when I was sick." Nick said as he climbed into the other side of the bed. He didn't move too close to Justin just stayed on his side of the bed not wanting to crowd him.

"You can’t get sick anymore."

Nick smiled a little. "I'll be fine."

Justin took a long, deep breath that came out in a couple coughs...then groaned.

"God, baby." Nick said softly as he moved over a little and gently started to rub Justin's back hoping that would soothe him enough to try and sleep.

Justin sighed quietly. "Don’t, Nick...please...I’m just too hot."

Nick reached over to touch Justin's forehead and sighed. "Babe, you're burning up." He then scooted over and got out of bed. "I'm taking your temp." With that said he walked back into the bathroom and started looking through the medicine cabinet for a thermometer.

Justin sighed and kicked his covers off...too hot to keep them on. "No, Nick. I know I have a fever. Just let me sleep it off."

"Yeah, and I knew I had a stomach flu thing back in London but you didn't let that go." Nick called back as he found the thermometer and walked into the room. "You said you were feverish last night. Having a fever for too long isn't good."

"And I saw a doctor. I’m fine."

Nick closed his eyes and counted to ten before he got even more frustrated. Without saying anything he walked back into the bathroom to put the thermometer away.

Justin finally rolled onto his back...realizing that he really couldn’t breathe well in any other position.

With the thermometer put away, Nick walked back into the bedroom and climbed back into bed. "Goodnight."

"Night, Nick," Justin replied as he put both of his hands on his forehead.

Nick turned onto his side watching Justin. Wishing there was something he could do to help him.

Justin coughed a couple times, then swallowed the lump in his throat before his mouth fell open so that he could breathe better.

Sighing, Nick gave Justin a soft kiss on his cheek before lying back on his pillow and closing his eyes trying to sleep.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Taking a deep breath, Eddie sat down on a bench on the boardwalk and took out his phone. Looking through the phone book he found Kelly's number and pushed send.

Kelly groaned when the ringing of the phone woke her. She rolled over onto her side, and reached to grab it from the nightstand. "Hello...?"

"Hi," came Eddie's tired sounding voice. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

Kelly sighed. "It’s OK."

Eddie was quiet for a minute. "Do you think I could come over...so we can talk?"

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Kelly knew that was a good idea. "Yeah...OK."

"When do you want me?"

"Now’s good," Kelly answered simply as she sat up on the bed.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." Eddie said before he hung up the phone and headed back up the boardwalk to where he parked his car.

Kelly sighed quietly as she hung up her phone. She took a second to clear her head, then got up and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Eddie pulled up into Justin's driveway and parked his car. Locking the door he walked up the steps and rang the doorbell.

Nick was in the kitchen when he heard the doorbell. A little confused, since he wasn’t expecting anybody, he walked to the door and opened it, surprised to see Eddie. "Hey man...come in."

"Thanks." Eddie said quietly as he walked into the house.

Kelly walked out of her room and by the entry hall just as Eddie was entering. She stopped as she put her wet hair up in a messy bun. "Hey," she said as she straightened her pink tank top.

Nick politely excused himself and headed up the stairs to check on Justin.

"Hi." Eddie said, not able to look Kelly in the eye. He looked awful with bags under his eyes and he was still in the jersey and jeans he had worn the day before.

"You can um...come in."

"Thanks." Eddie said as he walked farther into the house.

"Can I get you anything?"

Eddie shook his head. "No thanks, I'm fine." He said as he finally looked up at Kelly.

"You look like shit," Kelly said as she folded her arms over her chest.

Eddie laughed a little, but it wasn't a happy laugh. "I haven't been home...slept in my truck."

"Why?"

"Cuz I don't think I would be welcome back home...and just needed to be alone." Eddie answered honestly.

"Not welcome in your own apartment?"

Eddie sighed. "I don't think Manny would want to see me."

"Why? What does Manny have to do with any of this?"

"In my pissy mood yesterday I managed to insult and hurt everybody I love." Eddie said in a tone that showed he was very angry with himself.

Kelly sighed as she had a seat on the sofa. "A pissy mood...that’s for sure. And I STILL don’t even know what the hell it was about."

"I'm still trying to really figure that out myself." Eddie said with a sigh. "I just know I never meant to hurt anybody."

4"Well you did. I KNOW you hurt me. I’m not sure what you said to the others...but from what Nick said, I know you hurt him."

"I hurt Nick?" Eddie asked sounding confused. "I never said anything to Nick."

"No...Nick told me that you said some shit to Manny."

Eddie nodded his head sadly. "I said some really mean shit to him."

"That’s so not like you."

"I know it isn't." Was all Eddie said.

Kelly's eyes were on Eddie as she sat back on the couch and crossed her legs. "Did you apologize?"

Eddie shook his head. "No, not yet...but I plan to. I just couldn't face him last night...I felt to awful."

"You should. I hope you feel awful enough to never do it again."

"You sound like my mother." Eddie mumbled but then said the next part clearer. "I'm really sorry for blowing up at you yesterday too. I love you Kelly...I never meant to hurt you or make you feel bad."

Kelly took a deep breath. "I'm not gonna lie. You did. I mean...I know it wasn't even all THAT bad...but it scared me. YOU scared me. I never wanted to have to deal with that again."

Eddie looked down in shame and nodded his head. "I know and I scared myself too. I have no idea what came over me."

"I don't either," Kelly said in a near whisper. "I never imagined you could blow up like that."

"I wish I could take back everything I said and did yesterday...but I know I can't. Eddie said softly. "I just know I was really embarrassed, frustrated and stressed all in one and I let my emotions get the best of me and I blew up."

"Well...maybe you wouldn't feel so embarrassed and frustrated and stressed if you talked about what's on your mind."

"I was trying to." Eddie said as he reached a hand up to scratch his stubbly cheek.

"So...talk to me now."

Eddie was silent for a minute but nodded his head. He knew he needed to talk to Kelly if they were going to try and get things back to normal. "I guess I'm having a harder time with this no sex thing then I thought I was going to." He admitted softly. "The reason I didn't want to tell you before is because I know it’s not something you can control...and plus we decided to wait...which I still want to do it's just my body has a totally different story and it's making me testy."

Kelly looked down to examine her fingernails. "I guess you were more used to a lot of sex than you thought."

"We both know I was used to it...but that doesn't mean I want to go back to it. I meant what I said when I said I wanted to change my lifestyle. And I didn't do it for you per say I did it because it's something I need to do."

Eddie said looking over at Kelly. "It's just taking some getting used to...It's been a long time that I've actually been fidgety and weird from being horny."

Kelly took a second to process everything Eddie was saying, then reached a hand out in his direction. "Come sit down."

Eddie came and sat down next to Kelly on the couch, not saying anything. He was afraid he was just going to make matters worse.

"I think we need to talk about this whole sex thing."

"Okay..." Eddie said softly as he looked at Kelly.

"I know that I could get an OK from the doctor in a few weeks..." Kelly started...her eyes on Eddie's.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be ready, I Know that." Eddie said looking back into Kelly's eyes.

Kelly just nodded. Eddie had read her mind.

Eddie smiled a little as he reached a hand out to gently touch Kelly's cheek. "I know that, baby and I really meant what I said that I want to wait. Our relationship is MUCH more then just sex and actually I would rather have it that way since that is something I've never had before. By mentioning sex I was just hoping to make you understand at least a little bit better as to why I was being a royal pain in the ass the last few days."

Kelly nodded again. "I DO understand. I know that everything you're giving up is stuff that's really hard to quit cold turkey."

Eddie nodded too. "But that is no reason to thrash out at everybody I love, especially you because I know how much that frightens you to hear people act like that."

"You need to learn to let people help you. Especially me...cuz I owe you."

"I Know." Eddie said with a sigh. "I guess I was just trying to save my pride. It's really embarrassing to admit that the reason you are being a pain in the ass is because you've had a hard on over night that wouldn’t go away." He said blushing, looking down.

Kelly laughed quietly at that. "Sweetie...there are other ways."

"I know." Eddie laughed, still blushing. "The one way that only requires myself wasn't working."

"How could it not work?"

Eddie giggled. "It does...but then the problem comes back. That happens to me all the time when I'm really horny."

"Oh."

"I can't believe I'm talking about...that." Eddie said making a face. Sure he was used to sexual stuff, but was never really that vocal about it.

Kelly shrugged. "Why not?"

Eddie shrugged back. "Not something I'm used to talking about."

"OK...so...don't if you don't feel comfortable."

"Nah, it's okay." Eddie said with a small smile.

Kelly reached a hand up and ran it over the do rag on Eddie's head.

"Wanna take a shower...and I'll make you some breakfast?"

Eddie's smile got bigger and he nodded his head. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Nick came walking down the stairs his flip flops hitting the wooden stairs loudly. "I'm gonna go out and get more cold meds and shit for Justin. He says he doesn't need it but I'm going to anyway." He laughed.

Kelly looked over at Nick in the entry hall. "Probably a good idea, he's a mess."

"Yes he is the poor guy had to sleep in the weirdest position last night."

Nick said with a small pout on his face. "But yeah, bye guys see you when I get back." With that he was out the door.

Eddie laughed. "I thought Justin wasn't supposed to be home until this afternoon."

"He came home early," Kelly said...looking back at Eddie. "He's sick as hell, nasty cold."

"Oh yeah," Eddie said. "But I guess I'll go get that shower now."

"OK," Kelly said...getting up off the couch. "Go ahead...I'll go grab you something of Justin's to wear. Just as she started up the stairs, the phone rang. "Can you grab that so it doesn't wake J?"

"Yeah," Eddie grabbed the cordless phone off of one of the end tables in the living room and turned it on. "Hello?"

"Hello...good morning," came a polite female voice over the phone. "Kelly Konno, please."

"May I ask whose calling?" Eddie asked, knowing it could be some crazy fan trying to get a hold of either one of the famous people in the house.

"Yes. My name's Kathy Bragg. I'm her real estate agent. I'm calling about a house she put in a rental application for."

Eddie's eyes went wide. "Oh, well she is a little busy at the moment I'm the co-applicant, if you just needed to talk to one of us."

"Oh. Mister...Morales?"

"Yes, that would be me...Eddie Morales." Eddie said with a smile.

"Well, Mister Morales. I'm calling to inform you both that if you're still interested, the house is yours."

Eddie's eyes went wide once again and a huge smile broke out on his face. "Really...the house is ours?"

The woman on the line laughed quietly. "Yes. If you're still interested, you can come in to work on the paperwork."

"We are still interested. I'll tell Kelly about it. Is there any time you would want us to sign the papers?" Eddie asked trying to hide his excitement so he wouldn't make a total fool of himself.

"Would you like to come into the office today?"

Eddie thought for a minute, trying to see if there was anything that had to be done today. "I think today would work out just fine." He said when he couldn't think of anything.

"Alright, then, come on in whenever it's convenient for you. I'm here until five o'clock."

"Okay, thank you very much, Ms. Bragg. I'm sure Kelly and I will be there before you leave tonight." Eddie said politely.

"Alright, then, I look forward to seeing you both."

Eddie said his goodbyes before hanging up the phone and putting it back in the charger.

Kelly came back into the living room just as Eddie hung up the phone. "Hey...who was that?"

"Oh, nothing major. Just Kathy Bragg telling us we got the house." Eddie said like it was not big deal as he tried to keep the huge smile off his face.

Kelly's eyes went wide. "What? Are you serious?"

Eddie couldn't help it, the huge smile spread across his face and he nodded his head like crazy before he picked Kelly up and spun her around like a freak on some sappy movie, "Totally serious."

Kelly laughed giddily as she clung to Eddie. "No WAY!"

"Yes way." Eddie laughed and put Kelly down, but he didn't let her go he just held her tightly to his body. "We've got a house...our house. We just have to go down and sign the papers before five today."

Kelly gave Eddie a bright smile, "Today? For real?"

Eddie rolled his eyes playfully. "No, I'm just making it all up. Yes today for real." He said giving Kelly another big hug.

Kelly hugged Eddie back tightly, then pulled back a bit to look up at Eddie. "And...We’re sure we're ready for this...right?"

Eddie nodded his head. "We'll be fine. I mean we got through our first major argument."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah...but if you don't feel like you can communicate with me more..."

"I'll try harder, Kel. I just didn't know what to do because I knew you would feel bad and start second guessing yourself if I said I was uptight because I needed to get laid."

Kelly laughed quietly, "Maybe."

Eddie gave Kelly a soft kiss on the lips. "It's just something I have to figure out how to work with. Find ways to channel my frustration besides yelling."

Kelly nodded, "Yeah."

"God, I can't believe I yelled at you." Eddie mumbled against Kelly's hair as he hugged her tightly.

Kelly sighed quietly against Eddie's chest. "It's over. Just...please...it can't happen again."

"I will try everything I can not to let it happen again." Eddie said as he kissed the top of Kelly's head. HE didn't want to promise anything because he wasn't sure if he could keep a promise like that.

"OK...I guess that's all I can ask for."

"When do you want to go?" Eddie asked, as he pulled back a little.

"Let's go this afternoon," Kelly said...bending down to pick up the clothes that she'd dropped. "That way you can get showered...and eat...and rest a little. Then...maybe...talk to your brother...?"

"Okay, that sounds good." Eddie said as he took the clothes from Kelly. "I'll go wash up." With that he walked down the hall to Kelly's bedroom to take a shower.

<><><><><><><><><><>

About half an hour after he left, Nick came back with a huge bag full of different kinds of cold medicine…everything from decongestants to cough drops. He didn't see anybody in the living room when he walked through so he just headed up the stairs and walked into Justin's bedroom.

Justin coughed a few times from in the shower...where he was trying to get cleaned up without passing out and falling to the floor.

Hearing the shower running, Nick walked to the door and opened it slowly. "Baby, can I come in and put some things away?"

"Yeah..." Justin answered through a sniffle.

Nick walked into the room with the bag of stuff and set it on the counter and started to go through it. "How are you feeling?" He asked, hoping he wasn't bothering the other man too much.

"Like shit," was all Justin said as he continued with his shower.

Once Nick had all the stuff put away, He walked closer to the shower. "Do you need any help?" He knew Justin would have to be weak and showering when you were sick was never as fast as you would want it to go while your struggling to even stand up straight.

"No...I'm fine."

"Okay." Nick said, not wanting to pressure him. If he hadn't thought Justin was stubborn and independent before he sure did now.

"I'm almost done," Justin added after a brief coughing fit.

Nick sighed and grabbed a towel out of the little closet and brought it onto the hook when he realized there wasn't one there. He then went and hopped up on the counter to wait for Justin to be done.

Justin finally turned off the water, and sneezed with a groan as he reached for the towel he'd already draped over the shower wall.

"Oh, sneaky," Nick giggled when he noticed where the towel was.

"Huh?" Justin questioned as he dried off in the shower. He hadn't realized Nick was still there in the bathroom.

"Nothing," Nick said as he jumped off the counter and headed back into the bedroom.

Once Justin finally had his clean PJ pants and wifebeater on, he trudged out into the bedroom. "Where'd you go?"

Nick smiled from where he was sitting at the desk in Justin's room checking his e-mails. "I wanted to give you some privacy."

Justin smiled weakly as he dropped onto his bed. "No...I mean...when you left before."

"Oh, I went to Ralph’s to get you some more cold stuff." Nick replied as he deleted half of the shit he got. For some reason all the Justin Timberlake fan groups he belonged to didn't seem so cool anymore.

"Thanks," Justin mumbled as he burrowed into his pillow.

Once he was done he turned off the computer and went to sit on the bed next to Justin. "Do you want any of it now?"

Justin shook his head...not opening his eyes. "Kelly just drugged me up before she left."

"Where did Kelly go?"

"Out to breakfast with Ed, She was gonna cook...but then didn't want to."

Nick smiled. "Good, I'm glad those two are back in good terms."

"We didn't talk about it. She doesn't know I know about the fight."

"Okay." Nick said with a nod. "I never told you what it was about anyway, so technically you don't know."

"Don't tell me till I'm better...cuz I don't have the energy to kill him."

Nick giggled. "I know I was feeling the same way. I wasn't sure if I had any fight left in me." He sighed. "But I think he beat himself up for the both of us."

"Probably...knowing him."

"But, why don't you go back to sleep." Nick said giving Justin a tender, loving kiss on his forehead. "I don't want to keep you from getting well." With that he got off the bed.

"Thanks, Nick..." Justin mumbled sleepily.

Nick walked back over to the computer, wondering why he had turned it off. Turning it back on he logged back online and started to read some stuff he hadn't read in a while.

"Oh...hey..."

"Mmm Hmm?" Nick asked, turning his head back towards the bed.

"Kelly and Eddie got that house they were tryin to rent."

Nick's eyes went wide. "Oh wow, that's awesome. They showed me pictures and stuff of the house it's beautiful." He said, sounding very flaming at the moment, something he didn't do to often but sometimes like an accent it comes out.

Justin laughed quietly...noticing Nick's flamboyant moment...then sighed and closed his eyes again.

Seeing Justin trying to go back to sleep, Nick turned to look at the computer again, giggling when he found a story talking about Justin's SuperBowl incident. "Wow, they work fast."

"Hmm?" Justin grumbled...half asleep.

"Oh, nothing babe," Nick said as he started to read the short story, giggling at how real it actually seemed. It was a slash story between Justin and JC and it talked about how JC was at home watching the game with friends while Justin was performing.

"Hmmm..." Justin groaned...then concentrated again on falling asleep.

Nick continued to read the story, when something popped into his mind. "I wonder if I'll ever meet them." He said thinking out loud about meeting the rest of NSYNC.

"Hmm?"

Turning to look at Justin again, Nick laughed. "Sorry, babe, I should go in the other room."

"Hmmm..."

Nick got up and walked over to Justin's side of the bed and looked down at him. "Hmmm yourself," He giggled before leaning down and kissing him lightly on the lips.

Justin was practically asleep, and unresponsive to the kiss.

Smiling, Nick moved away and then back to the computer which he unplugged from the wall and carried it down to his own room. Setting it on the desk Justin and bought him he plugged it back in and got back to reading.

Justin wasn't alone in the room for five minutes before he fell into a deep, sound sleep...his breath coming heavy out of his mouth.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Eddie had dropped Kelly back home before he headed for his own house, wanting to talk to his brother in person. Taking out his key he opened the front door and walked in. "Man...you home?"

Manny came out of his bedroom when he heard his brother calling, "Hey."

"Hi." Eddie said softly, not sure what to say to his brother.

"Hey. Where you been?"

"I was driving around mostly." Eddie answered truthfully.

"Why didn't you come home?" Manny asked as he sat on the couch.

Eddie walked in and sat on the couch too. "I was scared you hated me and didn't want me home."

"I could never hate you...but you royally fucked me off."

"I know and I'm so sorry." Eddie said with tears in his eyes. "I don't even know how those words came out of my mouth."

Manny sighed. "I don't either. I mean...you of all people. You were ALWAYS the one to understand."

"I do understand." Eddie said as a few tears fell down his cheeks.

"I know, Ed...But you REALLY made me doubt that yesterday."

Eddie sighed. "I know, and I'm so, so sorry. I love you for who you are. I was just being a moody jack ass."

"Well I didn't deserve to have it taken out on me...and neither did your poor girl."

"Kelly and I talked and we worked things out. I explained to her what was wrong and we're okay now." Eddie said with a small smile. "Now I just hope to fix things between us."

"There's nothing to fix," Manny said quietly. "Just...stop acting like a fuckin bigot asshole."

Those words stung but Eddie knew he deserved it. "Don't worry...I will."

Manny gave a quick nod. "OK, then."

"How did the party go after I left?" Eddie asked, wanting to try and keep the conversation normal.

Manny shrugged. "Wasn't much of a party."

"Yeah," Eddie said with a sigh. "I heard something really weird happened with our boy and Janet though."

Manny laughed. "You shouldda seen it, bro."

"What exactly happened?"

"He ripped Janet's top open...plain and simple."

Eddie laughed out loud. "I'm sure Nick had a freak attack."

"He laughed...but he was probably jealous."

"Of course, he's Nick." Eddie giggled.

"Right."

"So we're cool?"

Manny sighed and nodded, "yeah."

"That isn't very convincing." Eddie said with a raised eyebrow.

"Just...go back to being my brother...OK?"

Eddie was confused by that. "What do you mean...have I been not being your brother?"

Manny sighed. "You know what I mean. Be the brother I know...not the asshole that said that shit to me yesterday."

"Okay...I can do that." Eddie said with a small smile. "I will try my hardest to not let my problems get in the way of how I act to others."

"Good idea."

Eddie stood up and stretched. "But I gotta get going now. Kel and I are going to go sign papers to get our house." He said with a huge smile.

"The one you guys applied for last week?"

Eddie nodded his head, "Yeah, that one."

"Congrats, man."

"Thank you." Eddie said as he headed for the door. "I should be home tonight...so I'll see you then? Or are you going out?"

"I should be here."

"Cool, I'll see you then." With that Eddie was walking back out of the apartment and out to his car to go with Kelly to see the house.

End of Chapters Seventy One - Eighty