| Chapter 9 "You what?!" Gideon asked. Nick and Tara both cringed. "We love each other," Nick told him for the third time. Nick and Tara were sitting on the bed in Nick's room, holding hands. They watched as Gideon paced back and forth in front of the windows. Jade was standing next to Tracy, her hand over her mouth in disbelief. "But you can't," he said. "That's why we need you to petition the counsel for us," Tara said. Gideon stopped and looked at her, "Oh no. I will do no such thing." "Gideon, please...," Nick started. Gideon held his hand up, "Nick, I will not ask the counsel for that. I can't." Nick sighed in frustration. Tara squeezed his hand, then looked back to Gideon. "Gideon, we know how this looks. But this wasn't an overnight decision. We've been making our way back to each other for a long time now, it's just that neither of us wanted to admit it," she said. "What about your other halves?" Jade asked. "We talked about it," Nick said, "It wouldn't be fair for us to go back to them feeling the way we do about one another. With or without the counsels approval, we are telling Brian and Lyn about how we feel." "It looks like you've already made up your minds then," Gideon said. They both nodded. "Please Gideon. We don't want to go against the rules, but if you refuse to help us, we will find another way," Tara said. Gideon looked over at Tracy and Jade, "What do you think?" "They really love each other, we have to try," Tracy said. Jade sighed, nodding her head, "It's never been approached this way. There has to be an exception to every rule." Gideon turned and looked out the window, debating. "If I do this, you will abide by the counsels ruling? Whatever it is?" he asked. "We will," Nick said. "And if they say it is still forbidden, then what?" he asked, turning to face them. "We will still love each other," Tara said, "No ruling will ever take that from us, but we will do our best to follow the rule." Gideon stared at the two for a moment, seeing the love they felt for one another in their faces. "You may be required to make an appearance," he said. Nick and Tara both held their breath. "We have no problem with that," Nick said. Gideon sighed heavily and shook his head, "Alright, I'll petition the counsel." Tara jumped off the bed, hugging him, "Thank you." Gideon laughed, "Don't thank me just yet, they may refuse the petition." "Thanks for even trying," Nick said, putting his arm around Tara's shoulders as she stepped back to him. "I think they may be ready to see the others," Gideon said, looking at Tracy and Jade, "I'll be back as soon as I can." Tracy and Jade nodded as he vanished from the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian walked into the computer room. Lyn was sitting at a desk, furiously typing away. He walked up behind her, bending down and wrapping his arms around her. "You getting much done?" he asked. Lyn looked up at him, "Yeah, almost finished. You look better." Brian smiled, "I feel better. I think maybe I had a bug or something." Lyn turned from the computer screen to face him, "Brian, we haven't come this far with each other for you start lying to me now." He looked shocked, "What?" "I know you've been worried about something. You can't hide it from me, I know you to well," she said. He stared at her, seeing the worry in her eyes. "Lyn, I'm really OK. I was overly tired for a few days, it happens sometimes, that's all," he said. She looked confused, "What do you mean it happens sometimes? No one should be that tired, and just dismiss it as something that happens." Brian pulled a chair over and sat down, "Well it just does with me. Ever since my heart surgery, every so often this happens. I've asked the doctors about it, and they've run tests. They can't find a reason for it, and it's not endangering my health, so I just accept it." "Bri, there has to be a reason for it," she said. He shrugged his shoulders, "If there is, they haven't found it in years of regular check ups." "Why haven't we noticed it before?" she asked. "I can usually keep it hidden when it happens, but with us all in the same house right now, and all the stress we're all feeling, I just couldn't this time," he said. Lyn took his hand in hers, "Bri, don't ever feel like you can't tell me what's going on with you. I love you, and it hurts me to know that you don't trust me enough to share things with me." Brian's mouth dropped open, "No, that's not it at all. I do trust you, it's just that I didn't want you to worry about me." She laughed, "Bri, what do you think I've been doing this entire time?" "I'm sorry Lyn, I never thought about it like that," he said, pulling her into a hug. She held him tight, "Well next time think, OK?" He laughed, releasing his hold on her, "I will, I promise." "Do the guys know?" she asked. He shook his head, "No, I never told them. You know how Kevin gets, he'd be all fatherly to me, and drive me nuts. I'd have to kill him, then Kris would be mad at me....." Lyn slapped his arm, "Alright, I get the point. I won't tell them, but promise me something?" "What?" he asked. "The next time this happens, go see Uncle Ted and let him run some tests," she said. "OK, I promise," he said, leaning in and kissing her on the nose. She laughed and touched his cheek, "You're a mess, you know that?" "Yeah, but you love me anyway," he said, getting up. "Yeah, I do," she said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later that evening, everyone was sitting around the table. They had given up watching the monitors. Nick's camera had been out all day, and Tara wasn't in her room. They had noticed a lot of activity in the hall outside Nick's room, and figured that whatever was going on, they would eventually find out. Howie and Lyn had made a supper fit for a king, and they were all enjoying the meal. Brian was almost back to his old self, goofing around and trying to lighten the mood when he could. "God Bri, that was lame," A.J. said. "What? I thought it was funny," Brian protested. "Yeah, you would," Kevin teased. "Fine," Brian said, putting his plate in the dishwasher, "Just be that way then." "We will," Howie said, laughing. Lyn put her plate away and followed Brian in the living room. He smiled at her, "You feel like going for a walk?" "Sure," she said. They headed for the door. "We're gonna go for a walk," Brian called. "K," Kevin said as they left the house. "Kev, have you noticed that they've been going for a lot of walks lately?" Howie asked. Kevin looked over at him, "Yeah, what about it?" "I don't know, just they seem.....closer lately I guess," he said. "How could they not?" A.J. said, "Look at what they're having to deal with." "True," Howie said, sighing as he got up from the table, "I'm gonna go call the wife," he said smiling. Kevin laughed at him, "D, you have that look again." "I can't help it. I love that I can finally call her that now," Howie said. "Well tell her hi for us," Kevin said. "Will do," Howie said going to his room to make the call. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian and Lyn sat down in the sand, watching the waves. It had become their nightly routine, to take a walk, and spend time with each other. Only on this night, they didn't walk down the beach, they just walked straight from the house to the water. They were out of the lights, but still could be seen if anyone was looking. "Bri, how come we aren't going on down further?" Lyn asked. "I don't feel like walking that far," he said, smiling at her. "But we could be seen here," she said. "Who's gonna be looking? The guys will be glued to the monitors or the TV, and I'm sure Tara and Nick are to busy to be gazing out the windows. Besides, we aren't gonna be doing anything, I just want to sit here with you," he said. Lyn scooted closer to him, leaning on him, "You really are feeling better then?" "Yes, I am," he said, looking down at her, "You're still worried about that aren't you?" "So sue me," she said, "I love you. I have the right to worry about you to." Brian laughed, "OK, but I really am alright." She looked up at him, searching his eyes. He did look more like himself, and the brightness was back in his eyes. "If you say so," she said, smiling up at him. They stared out at the water, watching the moon dance across the waves. "Bri, when do you think they will let us see them?" Lyn asked. He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure." "Have you thought about how we are gonna tell them?" she asked. He nodded, "Yeah, a lot. I keep searching for the best way to do it, but I don't think there is a best way." "Me neither," she said, sitting up and facing him, "I know that they will feel something from us the minute we see them." "Yeah, we might can hide it from the guys, but those two will know immediately," Brian admitted. "I guess, we just tell them that we need to talk with them, and just say it," she said. "As cruel as it sounds, I think you're right. We just lay it on the table and then deal with what happens next," Brian agreed. "I'm nervous," Lyn confessed. Brian smiled at her, "Would it help if I said I was to?" She shook her head, "No, but thanks for sharing anyway." They both laughed. Lyn looked over to see Brian staring at her. "What?" she asked. He reached up and gently caressed her cheek with his hand, "I love the way you look in the moon light. It's almost like you're glowing from the inside out." Lyn blushed, "Stop it." He shook his head, "Never. I'm never going to stop telling you how much I love you, I can't." Lyn reached up and took his hand from her face, interlacing their fingers, "I love you," she whispered. Brian smiled, pulling her to him, "I love you to," he said, leaning in and kissing her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So how do we do this?" Tara asked. Nick shrugged his shoulders, "I've been thinking about it all day. There's just no good way to do it." Tara sighed, "I know. I can't imagine how much we are gonna hurt them. I feel so bad." Nick took her hand in his, "I do to, but we can't go back to them and live a lie either." "I know that," she said, looking over at Tracy, "You have any suggestions?" Tracy looked up from the chair she was sitting in. She had been chaperoning the pair all day. "Um, not really. These things have a way of working themselves out though. I wouldn't worry to much about it," she said. Nick and Tara both stared at her. "How can you say that?" Nick asked. "Yeah Tracy, we are about to totally uproot their lives by this," Tara said. Tracy shrugged her shoulders, avoiding eye contact with them. Tara and Nick exchanged glances. "You know something don't you?" Tara asked. Tracy didn't say a word. "Tell us," Nick said. She shook her head, "I can't." "Tracy, what's going on? If this is something that can help us, you need to spill," Tara said, walking over to her. Tracy looked from her to Nick, then back down at the floor, "Look out the window." Tara and Nick looked at each other confused, then walked over to the window, looking out. They both saw them at the same time, their eyes growing wide, and their mouths dropping open in shock. "Oh my God," they both said. Nick reached over and held Tara's hand as they both stood there watching Brian and Lyn kissing passionately on the beach below. "How long?" Tara asked. "Since before we brought you back," Tracy answered, "They've been trying to hide it from everyone." Nick looked over at Tracy, "You knew this entire time and you didn't tell us?" "I promised not to," she said. "But you know what we've been going through," Tara said, turning to look at her. Tracy nodded, "I do. They've been doing the same thing. You're both worried about hurting the other." Nick walked back over to the bed, pulling Tara with him, and sat down. "Brian and Lyn, who would've thought," he said. Tara looked at him, "We did this you know? We pushed them together like this by distancing ourselves from them." Nick nodded, "I guess we did." They both sat in silence, trying to sort out their feelings. In a way they were relieved, but they were also somewhat hurt and shocked at the same time. Tara looked at Tracy, "Do they really love each other?" She nodded, "As much as you two do." "Wow," Nick said, "I don't know if that makes this harder or easier." Tara laughed, "Me either, but we need to tell them as soon as we can, wether Gideon is back or not." Nick nodded, "Yeah we do." "We were going to let you see them tomorrow anyway," Tracy said. "Tomorrow then," Nick said. Tara nodded, "Tomorrow." Chapter 10 |