After circling around endlessly for hours, Jessica was exhausted. Coping with everything that had gone on in the past 24 hours was emotionally draining. Especially when she had to do it alone. There was no one to hold her hand, no one to wipe away her tears and no one to tell her everything would be fine. Despite her exhaustion, Jessica didn�t feel like sleeping. Where would she go anyways? She could always check herself into a hotel. But just the thought of being alone in an empty, lonely hotel room was too much for her.

As she stared at the scenery that was moving rapidly in front of her, she wanted nothing more than to forget. Forget that Justin had ever existed, forget what he had done to her and how close he had come to taking Nick away from her.

Nick. Thinking of him now, she realized how unjust the secretive manner in which she�d left him was. She knew he was probably worried sick about her. Things were better this way though. He would be hurt at first, but in the long run he was better off without her.

It didn�t matter that she missed Nick�s comforting arms around her or hearing his voice. All that mattered now was that she couldn�t hurt him anymore. Nick was free from her now. Free from the burden of protecting her.

Focussing her attention back to the road, she was surprised to notice where she was. Subconsciously, she had somehow managed to steer herself towards the beach. A cold chill ran up and down the length of her back as she took in her surroundings. She looked around slowly not wanting to be there at all. She knew however, that if she truly wanted to cleanse herself of the past this was the only way to do it. The past wouldn�t stop haunting her unless she learned to accept it.

She slowed the car, cutting the engine. For a few minutes, she sat in her car, unable to bring herself to get out. She didn�t want to face her past. Jessica finally gathered up enough courage and slowly opened the door. She slammed the door shut with a loud bang before she had a chance to change her mind. She headed down the beach, her feet leading the way. It was as if they had a mind of their own. They directed her towards the docks - the place where her whole life had changed forever. As they came into view, a lump rose in her throat.

The docks to her symbolized pain. They were a constant reminder of what Justin had done to her. All the memories of that night came flooding back to her as she approached them. She forged on however, desperately seeking release. She wanted so badly to just let go of the past. She needed closure and this was the only way she could think of attaining it. Jessica lumbered towards the docks, dragging her feet as she walked.

The wind whipping through her golden tresses, she stood watching the crashing waves. She watched them in silent fascination for a few minutes. Gazing out at the foaming waters ahead of her, her mind began shifting gears. The events that had transpired on this very dock a year ago flashed before her eyes like a film without sound. She remembered all the tears, the fear and even all the pleading screams.

Falling to her knees, she collapsed in a heap onto the docks. Her body convulsed with heart-aching tears. She cried for the innocence lost, the horrible emotional scars that she would suffer for the rest of her life and also for Nick and all that she had put him through.

Nick�s car careened down the street as he tailgated dangerously. Horns bleeped and blared at him but he was oblivious to that.

After he�d calmed down earlier, he�d logically rationalized that Jessica was probably with Lila or Elizabeth. It was part and parcel of the grieving process that she�d want to share everything with her best friends as well. She�d been through so much in the past 24 hours without them. She needed their consolation too.

He�d called the beach house to check up on her, not willing to go over there and intrude on her space. An angry AJ had picked up the phone and informed her that he and Elizabeth were the only ones home. Jessica hadn�t been by all night. He immediately panicked, but remained calm long enough to think of the one place where she might be. The beach. It was logical that she would go there yet wasn�t the best idea � especially if she�d gone alone. All the memories and the pain were still too fresh in her mind. It would definitely be a traumatizing and painful experience for her.

Jessica had been through more than her share of pain and suffering recently. She didn�t need or deserve any more of it even if this time it was self-brought on. That was why he had to find her quickly. He wanted to be there to hold her and comfort her throughout her grief. She didn�t have to go through this alone. He would help her.

Slowing down, he turned onto a side street leading to the deserted beach. His life didn�t seem worth living without her by his side. Jessica needed him just as much as he needed her right now.

Cutting the engine, he jumped out quickly. He saw her car parked slightly askew not too far from his. He took off in its direction, his feet treading lightly as he ran. When he approached the car, he noticed a worn duffel bag that had been carelessly left unzipped in the backseat. The open bag revealed an assortment of clothes and toiletries. Nick�s heart sank as he realized that Jessica�s disappearance wasn�t intended to be temporary. She was planning on walking out of his life � possibly forever.

I can�t let that happen. He wouldn�t stand by and let the only girl he�d ever cared for slip from his grasp. We need each other too much.

His heart beating wildly, he scanned the empty beach furrowing his brow. He finally spotted her huddled figure upon the docks. Even from afar, he could feel her pain. It tore at this heart to see her in such misery.

He took off towards her, his powerful legs propelling him as fast as they could. He slowed as he approached the docks. Her heart-felt sobs echoed throughout the night as her body shuddered. Guilt stabbed at his heart as he listened to her ceaseless sobs. If he hadn�t failed her, maybe she wouldn�t be in so much pain. Nick moved forward slowly approaching her from behind. Sinking to his knees, he wrapped his arms tightly around her shaking body.

Jessica didn�t even flinch as he touched her. She felt his strong arms around her and knew instantly out of instinct that it was him. She felt her body relax and press against his for comfort.

Her tears calmed slightly but didn�t subside. Nick buried his face in her hair as he tightened his grip around her. As wrong as she knew it was, Jessica gave in to his embrace. For a few minutes, she was cradled in peace, all the memories and the horrible pain forgotten as Nick held her silently.

AJ hung up the phone quickly, too preoccupied to even notice Nick�s worrisome tone. He turned back to Elizabeth, anger that had momentarily slipped his mind, filling his body once again. �What happened?� he demanded.

Elizabeth stared back at him unable to speak. She looked into his eyes, searching for a way out of this mess she had created for herself. As she stared into them, she noticed they were filled with anger. Despite the anger in them however, Elizabeth saw something. It was something quite powerful, something indescribable. It went far beyond the lines of compassion or even concern. What she saw could only be described as love. Love of the purest sort.

Elizabeth though back to all the meaningful stares she and AJ had shared in the past. The look in his eyes now, was far more intense than anything she�d even seen.

It was in that second that the enormity of her actions seeped in. She had allowed jealousy to overpower her. In a matter of minutes it had almost become a part of her, causing her to take matters into her own hands. She had done something unthinkable by attempting to assuage her own jealousy at AJ�s expense. Elizabeth swallowed hard desperately trying to fight the ever-rising lump in her throat. What have I done? she wondered as she averted her eyes to the ground.

�I asked you a question Liz?� AJ demanded, his eyes flashing angrily.

�I� She�� Elizabeth stuttered unable to formulate the words. She kept her head bent low, not wanting to see the pain and anger that she was certain would be evident in AJ�s eyes.

�You what?� he barked drawing nearer to her. He gazed at her anxiously, his gaze icy cold.

Her surroundings began to blur as her sorry tears unwillingly escaped her eyes. AJ stared at her disgustedly unable to bring himself to feel any type of remorse for her at all.

Elizabeth finally managed to bring herself to look into his eyes. She wished she hadn�t. They reflected anger, hurt and pain. These emotions were all so familiar to Elizabeth. �I told her,� she whispered, �that you pitied her. That the only reason you were with her was because you felt sorry for her,� she finally managed to choke out.

AJ remained speechless, choosing to torment her silently for a few moments. Elizabeth anxiously awaited any sort of response from him, unsuccessfully attempting to gauge his anger. She hung her head dejectedly disgusted with her own actions.

�There are a lot of things I would expect from you,� he told her quietly. �But this�is unthinkable,� he finished angrily, his voice remaining low. v�I�m sorry. I never meant�� she was cut off by AJ.

�It wasn�t enough that you hurt me once was it?" he began yelling. �What? Is this my payback for the way I treated you?� he questioned seething. �What happened between you and me was between us. You didn�t have to bring her into it," he roared.

�I�m sorry. AJ I�� she was silenced again as AJ angrily dismissed her apologies with a thrust of his hand.

�From now on I don�t want to talk to you, I don�t want to see you and frankly I don�t want to know you.� He turned on his heel and stalked towards the door. �This was low Elizabeth. Even for you,� he said before he marched out of the room leaving her alone.

Lila glanced at her dainty watch anxiously. A cool breeze rustled through the air as she stood waiting for Brian. Brian had called earlier to inform her that he had a surprise for her. He hadn�t given her any details just that her presence was requested at the beach tonight at 9. �Hopefully we�ll be celebrating something very special tonight,� he had told her evasively.

Despite her reluctance at first, Lila had agreed. She was hoping that tonight would be a reconciliation of sorts for she and Brian. They hadn�t fought, but Lila was certain that Brian had picked up her distant attitude recently. Often Brian knew Lila even better than she knew herself so it was inevitable that he had sensed the tension between the two of them.

Lila desperately wanted to get their relationship back on track. Maybe once things were back to how they used to be, she would be able to delve into her secret with Brian. She had to wait for the perfect moment to tell him though. She didn�t want to just spring her pregnancy on him too suddenly. She wanted him to come to terms with it first. After all, their precious little son or daughter�s life depended on a solid relationship between its parents. Lila wasn�t about to endanger their child�s life in any way.

Therefore, she had decided it was best if she bide her time for now. She would eventually tell Brian when the time was right. She knew it would have to be soon however, because her pregnancy wouldn�t be so easy to conceal in a few months.

Gazing around she took a deep breath, the salty air intoxicating her nostrils. She glanced impatiently at her watch yet again. She hated surprises. Spontaneity was definitely one of her weaknesses. Every minute of her life had always been planned and calculated down to the very next second. Lila was the sort of person that could be expected to be prepared for every situation imaginable. I wonder what Brian has planned for tonight. The suspense was killing her.

She fidgeted with a lock of her hair restlessly as she smoothed her dress out. She wore a short backless sheer soft pink number. The dress clung to her body emphasizing her every curve perfectly. The soft pink hue complemented her delicate features, pale complexion, and shining green eyes beautifully.

Lila thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a pair of strong but gentle arms circled her waist. In one sudden motion a thick blindfold was wrapped and tied securely around her eyes. Brian�s sweet voice filtered through the air. �Sorry to keep you waiting baby.�

�Brian? What are you doing?� Lila asked a smile playing upon her lips.

�I told you it was a surprise didn�t I?� he asked mischievously. �Hold onto my hand,� he isntructed slipping his large hand over her small one. Slowly he began walking, leading Lila with an outstretched arm.

An excited yet slightly anxious smile twitched at Lila�s lips as she gripped Brian�s hand tightly. Her mind raced in anticipation as he led her down carefully down the beach. The ground beneath her soon became more uneven as the continued walking. �Careful,� he said as she stumbled slightly. �Almost there,� he whispered in her ear.

Finally they stopped and as Lila felt Brian undoing the blindfold an excited chill ran up her spine. As the blindfold fell from her eyes, Lila gasped slightly. They were standing atop the pier, the crashing foaming water providing a perfect backdrop beneath them. The view from there was magnificent. A few feet in front of them lay was a small picnic blanket. A wooden picnic basket and two champagne glasses adorned it.

�Surprise,� Brian whispered huskily. Awestruck, Lila remained still as his face slowly inched closer to hers. As his lips brushed against hers softly, Lila could feel the void she�d been experiencing for some time now disappear. She kissed him back passionately, the tension she�d become so accustomed to over the past few days slipping away.

They pulled apart breathless, but both feeling completely rejuvenated. Staring into her eyes, Brian clasped her hand tightly as he led her slowly to the blanket. Completely magnetized by one another, they sat across from each other. Lila could feel her body tingling as Brian leaned in to towards her.

Cupping her face gently he looked meaningfully into her eyes. �I love you,� he whispered.

The sincerity in Brian�s voice prompted Lila�s eyes to mist over immediately. �I love you,� she whispered back almost simultaneously. She wished Brian could know how much truth there was in those three simple words.

How she had survived without Brian in her life for so long recently was unfathomable. These past few days without him near, without his arms around her, without the touch of his skin had been utter torture for her.

As Lila stared into his eyes her own eyes emanating all recently repressed love and affection she felt for him, she suddenly felt guilt stab at her heart. It was a heart-aching feeling that Lila suddenly couldn�t escape. Brian�s romantic words and gestures just made everything worse. It made her plan seem more sordid and her actions more deceitful.

Brian noticed the sudden wistful look that took over Lila�s features and decided he�d waited long enough. What he was feeling couldn�t be suppressed for much longer. �Lila,� he said softly reaching up to stroke her face lightly. �From the first day I met you, I knew that you were the only one for me. From the moment I looked into your eyes, I knew that I never wanted to kiss anyone else, never wanted to touch anyone else and never wanted to be with anyone unless it was you,� he whispered. �You complete me Lila. Without you, the world around me ceases to exist. You complete my soul.�

�Brian��

�Wait let me finish,� he instructed softly placing a finger to her lips. �I want you to be the first person I see every morning and the last person I see before I go to sleep at night. I want to you to be with me for now and for always. Lila,� he paused �I want us to grow old together and someday down the road have kids together.�

Fear and guilt clutched at Lila�s heart as Brian�s words resounded in her head. She knew what was coming next. Her surroundings began to swoon around her as she felt her throat tightening.

�What I�m trying to say is,� Lila couldn�t watch as he slowly reached into his pocket. Her head began pounding and her vision blurred as Brian slowly rose and then dropped back down to one knee.

No! This can�t be happening. Not now. I don't deserve this, Lila panicked. She didn�t even see the ring as he held his arms outstretched in front of her. All she saw was his face. It was filled with such sincerity and honesty that it took Lila�s breath away.

Her eyes darted worriedly around the beach searching for even the slightest possible diversion. Everywhere she looked though, all she saw was his face and heard was his soft voice. She gripped the edges of the blanket, her knuckles turning white as she did so.

Lila�s heart pumped furiously. The guilty tears tugged at the corners of her eyes already and threatened to spill momentarily. �Will you marry me?� Brian asked softly.

[Next Chapter].[Table of Contents].