Chapter Two

Nick slowly walked into the small room, his arm slung around Julia's shoulders. Stepping in further, he saw his baby sister laying in a mess of tubes and machines. It shocked him to see BJ in such a state. She was asleep, "I don't want to wake her."

Julia raised her hand to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. BJ was so young. "Why did she do this to herself, Nicky?" Julia asked, afraid to step closer to the bed.

Nick on the other hand, felt the need to get closer. He sat himself in the chair next to his sister's bed, taking the frail hand in his, "I don't know, Jules…" He rubbed BJ's palm in a soothing motion, "I don't know…"

Julia sighed and forced the tears away as she built the courage to walk closer. The room was dim, and silent filled only by the beeping of the machines. She stood next to Nick with her hand on his shoulder.

BJ's eyes fluttered softly, before opening. "Ni… Nick?" she choked out.

Nick's face grew bright as he heard the soft voice, "Yeah… Yeah, Beej, it's me. I'm here now…"

"It hurts, Nick… everything hurts…" BJ sighed closing her eyes and cringing. "Make it stop…" she pleaded.

Just that statement made Julia cry. She couldn't stand seeing her ‘little sister’ the way she was.

Nick felt tears in his eyes as he raised BJ's hand to his lips. "I know it hurts, Honey… You got pretty beat up in that car wreck… There's not even a car left!" he teased lightly, not knowing what she'd meant by 'hurt.'

BJ's body convulsed as she turned her head, and vomited. She coughed, her body still shaking. Julia went to the door and called for a nurse to clean the mess.

Nick shook his head, "It's gonna be okay, Sweetie. Is there anything you want me to do? How can I make you feel better, Beej?"

"Make them go away!" she said loudly, "Get them off me! Make them go away!”

Nick looked at Julia in alarm then back to the young girl in front of him, "What? Bobbie, what? Make what go away?"

"The bugs, Nick, the bugs! Get them off me!" BJ yelled.

The nurse came in, and asked Nick to hold BJ in a sitting position while she changed the pillowcase she had puked on.

"Mister Carter, she's going through withdrawal. She'll say and act in ways you won't understand. All you can do is reassure her," the nurse said as she left the room.

He was confused, but quickly let the nurses words sink in… with drawl. BJ was hallucinating thinking there were bugs crawling on her. "BJ… Honey, there's no bugs… No bugs," he struggled to stay composed and took her into a hug, "No bugs."

"It hurts, Nick. Nick, it hurts… Make it stop, Nicky," BJ begged.

It was too much for Julia to watch and she ran from the room. She stood leaning against the door she'd closed after she left, her hand covering her mouth, and tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Nick… I love you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… I'm sorry…" BJ mumbled.

Nick watched Julia run for the room as water spilled from his own eyes. He rocked his baby sister back and forth, "It's… it's okay, Baby… It's alright now. It's gonna be okay now. Nicky's here with you. He's not leaving. I love you, Beej… I love you so much and it's gonna be okay now."

"I know you hate me now, Nick. I know… and I'm sorry. I'm so stupid…" BJ sobbed.

"No," he stated firmly, trying to get a better grip on her body while still being careful of the tubes, "No, I do not hate you and you're not stupid. You're just going through a hard time… but it's okay now."

"No, it's not okay. I fucked up… and you hate me. And mom hates me… And dad hates me…" She went through the entire family, insisting that they all hated her.

"They don't," Nick whispered in her ear, "If any of us hated you… we wouldn't be here right now." He could tell she wasn't thinking clearly.

"Julia hates me…" she responded quietly.

"No… Why would you ever think that? She came all the way here to see you, Sweetie."

"She's here?" BJ asked softly, her eyes falling closed.

"Yes…" he thought for a moment. Julia was in no condition to see BJ again today. He stared at BJ's droopy eyes, "And she's gonna come see you really soon, but for now… do me a favor and go to sleep. Okay?"

She nodded. "Stay here?" her voice slurred.

"Of course I will… I've always taken care of you before, right?" he kissed her forehead, "Big brother to the rescue."

"I haven't seen you in so long, I missed you. You were gone… Why weren't you here?" BJ asked quietly, her eyes twitching as she looked at her big brother.

"Because," he swallowed, "I… I was on tour… and recording… and… promoting. I'm sorry, BJ… I wish I had been here."

"I wish you had been here too," she whispered before falling into a deep slumber.

Nick choked back a sob and held the girl for her comfort as well as his own. "Why Beej? Why didn't you just come to me?" he asked the sleeping form, "I would have taken care of it…" He stayed that way until the nurse came in to inform him he had to leave.

***

Julia walked away from the door and everyone's stares. She walked outside into the bright California sun and dialed her home phone number on her cell. She sighed listening to the ringing.

AJ chuckled as his two year-old daughter started moving her body to the music. While making supper, he'd put on the radio and Aurora received her very first dance lesson. "That's it Baby!" he laughed, "Move those arms!"

Hearing the telephone ringing, he snatched the girl off the floor to go into the next room. Once there, he picked it up, "Hello?"

Julia sighed at the sound of his voice. "Hey, Baby…" she got out before she started crying again.

AJ gasped as he heard his wife start crying, "Honey? Baby Doll, what's wrong…? Oh no… BJ… She didn't…"

"No… no… she's still alive… but she's… oh God Alex she's so young! She's a mess…" Julia choked out.

"Julia… What's wrong with her?" he asked, not knowing the details.

"You know the BMW Nick bought her?" Julia asked.

"Yeah… for her birthday… so?"

Julia went on to tell him the details about the cops and the drugs. "Alex, she's… she started puking, and hallucinating as I stood there. I felt so… helpless. And poor Nick… oh my God…" Julia said as the tears fell again.

"I'm so sorry, Honey... I'm so sorry... How are you? Are you okay? And what about Nick?" he replied with concern.

"I'm just really… shaken up. Nick's going through hell," Julia said simply, "Pure hell. He feels he should have been here. Been here with BJ. There are cops outside the room. Once she's released she's going to be arrested."

"That's... that's AWFUL!" AJ exclaimed, outraged, "No, I don't think so! We'll do something, Baby... You give me the word and I'll get lawyers on it right now!"

"I don't know, baby. I don’t know what the family wants to do about that. She broke the law. I just don’t know... speaking of babies..." Julia stated desperately trying to get BJ off her mind, if even for a moment. "How you handling our little bundle?"

AJ glanced lovingly at the child in his arms, "She's a pistol... but she's great. She's about to fall asleep." He raised her, "Rory... Rory, wanna talk to Mama?" He placed the phone against her small ear.

"Hey baby…" Julia said and heard the girl giggle causing her to smile. "You being a good girl for daddy? That’s good… Good night sweetie… I love you," Julia said with a tear as she spoke to her daughter. She suddenly understood how Jane felt, and sighed.

"She's all smiles," Alex's voice floated through the phone, "She's been missing you all day… Just like Daddy has…"

"I know, I miss you two like crazy…" Julia spoke softly.

"Come back to us soon, okay?" he whispered, "I love you, Jule..."

"As soon as I can," Julia smiled, "I love you, too." She didn't want to hang up, yet. So she waited for him to end the call.

Alex chuckled, knowing what she was doing, "You know I'll talk to you all night if you want me to, Julia…"

"I just… I wish you could hold me right now," she whispered, hating the way she was feeling.

"Me too, Baby. Just pretend like I am, okay? Pretend like I'm there with you and I'm keeping you safe. I'm doing the same thing, I'm just not there right now."

"Okay," She sighed. "I'm just so scared. I don’t know what I would do if I was in Jane's shoes. I don’t even want to think about it…"

"Jules… We both know that although Jane loves her kids dearly, she's not the best mother," he spat bitterly, "We're never gonna be in her shoes…"

"I know, but that’s her daughter in there. Aurora's never gonna do that is she?" Julia suddenly felt scared, "What if ... what if somewhere along the line… I screw up… and she does… Oh God Alex…" Julia said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I know but, that’s her daughter in there. Aurora's never gonna do that is she?" Julia suddenly felt scared, "What if… what if somewhere along the line… I screw up… and she does… Oh God Alex…" Julia said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No, that's not how it's gonna be," he stated, "BJ messed up… and Rory's gonna mess up too, Baby… Just hopefully not in that way. Let's not worry about it until it happens, eh?"

"Okay," she agreed. "You're too good to me."

"I know," he teased, "But you deserve it. Now, calm down… Stop crying… Go to sleep… And dream about my sexy body on top of you all night."

"I don’t even know where I'm sleeping tonight, we're still at the hospital…"

"I'm sure Nick has something figured out…"

"I'm sure, I just never asked," Julia said and smiled, "You know how I am."

"Yes, I do…" he laughed, "Well… I have a sleeping baby here now…"

"Okay, put her to bed, I'll call you later. When I go to sleep.”

"Alright… I love you Julia… and it's gonna be just fine. Tell Nick and the Carter clan that I love them?" he sighed.

"Okay, I will. I love you, too. Kiss Rory for me," she said with a smile.

"Will do, Hun… Buh bye…"

"Bye…" she waited to hear the click.

AJ hung up the phone and walked to the bedroom. He'd let Aurora sleep in their bed tonight.

Julia heard the click, and put away her phone. Walking back into the hospital with a sigh. She saw Jane sitting in a chair with her head in her hands.

She knew Jane never was a perfect mother, but Julia had a sort of understand of how Jane must have been feeling. She walked over to her, and knelt wrapping her arms around her.

"From one mother to another, I'm sorry," Julia whispered.

Jane reached up and rubbed Julia's arms, "Thank you… We'll be okay, it's just hard right now. I'm glad that you guys came. All… three of you."

Julia smiled as Nick walked out of the room, rubbing his eyes.

Nick looked from person to person in the hallway. He saw his father… and his two sisters sleeping… There was his mother and Julia, smiling weakly. He waved and continued. There was one person he wanted to see and he couldn't find her in his sight.

Sadie walked back towards the waiting room with Aaron, glad she'd thought to take him to get him something to drink.

Nick spotted his girlfriend rounding the corner and suddenly felt his emotions start to run wild. His chest was pounding as he fought for control of the situation.

Sadie saw Nick standing there and she could see his mind working. She simply opened her arms to him as she continued to walk towards him.

His mind raced as he trot toward her. He fell into her embrace, his body shivering slightly. "Sadie… I don't know what to do," he choked, "She's so upset… in so much pain…"

She just held onto him as tight as she could. "Baby, there's nothing you can do," she whispered and stroked his hair, "You just have to reassure her that everything's okay. That you love her still."

"I did… She don't believe me! Through it all, she thinks I hate her…"

Sadie sighed as she heard the man she loved say this, "She's just scared, Nicky."

"I'm scared too!" he pulled back, "I'm scared shitless, but still… I'm here and… God… I just should have been here and none of this shit would have happened! Just… FUCK!"

"Nick, no one could have known this would happen, it's not your fault. I was here, we were all here, and we had no idea…" Aaron offered, startling both Sadie and Nick. Neither knew he was still standing there.

Nick whipped around to face his brother. His face flushed with embarrassment before reaching out to hug his younger sibling, "How are you, AC?"

Aaron accepted the hug, "I'm hanging on. How are you?"

Nick chuckled, "I think you just heard how I am…"

Aaron pulled out of the hug, and ran a hand through his hair, looking much like his brother. "She knows you don’t hate her," was all Aaron said.

"I know…" he smiled, not wanting to bring his brother into it, "Where are you guys staying, Aar?"

"Mom and Dad got reservations at the hotel down the street," Aaron said.

Nick scratched his head. "Do you think… that they… may have some rooms left? I forgot to call…" he said sheepishly. He hadn't realized how irrational he'd been acting until looking back on it.

Aaron shrugged, "They might. I don't know how much longer Mom and Dad are going to stay…"

His older brother's eyes went dark, "What do you mean ‘going to stay’?"

"At the hospital… I don't know when they plan on heading to the hotel," Aaron said, "I want to stay all night, I don't know if they'll let me."

Nick nodded, "Right… Well… AC, I think I gotta agree with Mom and Dad if they want you to go… It's better that way." He placed an arm around Sadie, "We're not staying the whole night either… but we'll get back here early. That okay, Babe?"

Sadie nodded, "Sounds good."

"Okay…" he saw Aaron's tired face smile at him. "You wanna head to the hotel with us, AC? I can get you a room there…"

Aaron nodded.

He saw Julia and called her over, "Hey Jules… Wanna tuck in for the night? I'll tell my parents and we can be off. Aaron's coming with us…"

Julia nodded, yawning as the jet lag was catching up with her.

"Alright," he walked away leaving the three of them only to come back a couple minutes later, "Okay… Aaron, they want you to room with someone. Too young to be by yourself. And no pouting, it's not my choice. So… Jules?" he pleaded, "We can get you guys a suit so you can both have your own room… but… can he stay with you? I'd leave him here, but he's so tired."

Julia nodded, "Yeah, that's no problem.”

"Great," Nick sighed, not even thinking of how Aaron may feel rooming with his bro's ex girlfriend. That's just not how Nick saw Julia, "Let's go then…" He led the way holding Sadie's hand, an arm around his little brother and tossing Julia a thankful smile.

Julia followed behind the three and sighed. She still wasn't sure how Aaron felt about her now that Nick and her were no more. She smiled lightly back at Nick and ended up sitting next to Aaron in the car on the way to the hotel. He avoided her, looking out the window. She had no idea how to tell what was going through his mind. She sighed again and looked out her window at the California night.

Nick dragged their bags into the classy hotel room. Getting himself, his girlfriend, best friend and brother checked in took away just about the rest of his energy. He fell onto the beg with a groan, covering his eyes with his hand. Yes, he was tired, but wouldn't be able to sleep. This he knew.

Sadie walked over to the bed and looked at Nick lying there. "Roll over," she demanded.

He removed his hand and cocked an eyebrow at her, "Roll over?"

"Roll onto your stomach," she replied softly as she knelt on the bed.

Nick sighed lazily and did as told, too tired to make anything of it.

She sat on him, straddling his behind. Silently and slowly she began to work the knots out of his back, using small circular motions with the heel of her hand.

Nick moaned as he learned what she'd been planning to do, "Oh… Sadie… you're too good to me." He tensed as she hit a painful knot.

"There?" she asked with a smile as she gave the sensitive spot some attention, "Better?"

"Mmm hmm…" he breathed. He giggled softly as she worked down his back, suddenly giving one laugh as she accidentally tickled his side, "Sadie!"

"Sorry…" Sadie chuckled. She wished there was something more she could do, but there wasn't. She sighed softly as she worked her hands back up and rubbed his neck.

Nick felt a familiar tingle run up his spine as she touched his neck. He let out a gentle moan.

"You like that?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yes," he arched to her caress.

"Where does it hurt, Baby?" she asked softly.

"My whole body hurts, Sadie…" he gulped, "I'm so stressed… not a part of me is completely relaxed."

She leaned down so she could whisper his ear, "Well, is there something I can do to relax you?"

He shuddered, "Like… what?"

Sadie kissed his earlobe, "Whatever you want…"

Nick's voice was low, "I don't want you to do anything… just because you know I want it. Baby, you don't have to…"

"I just want to take your mind off it… even if it's only momentarily," Sadie said, feeling her emotions run wild. She hated seeing him like this.

His breathing became ragged as he thought of what he could ask her to do, but no. He wouldn't ask her to do anything for him… But anything she wanted to do was fine by him, "Do what you want to, Baby…" He was touched that she was so concerned.

She got off him, "Roll back over…”

He slowly rolled onto his back, still being sore.

She sat on his tummy and leaned down, kissing his forehead, his swollen eyes, then his nose, and finally his lips.

Nick leaned up into the kiss, his hands finding their way to Sadie's covered thighs, "I'm sorry for treating you like shit today…"

"Don't apologize, you were upset. I understand,” she ran her hands up his shirt, tossing it to the floor.

His body trembled and he took a shaky breath, "Still… I shouldn't have… I wasn't even thinking about you and how you'd feel…"

"It's okay," she smiled as she removed her own shirt before leaning back down and kissing him again. Her hands roaming down to his sides, where she tickled him lightly.

He wiggled away while laughing, "Sadie, don't!"

She stopped tickling him and smiled before capturing his mouth again, kissing him with everything in her. It was so intense, she moaned into his mouth.

Nick's hands groped at her bra, terribly wanting to rip it off. So he did. He heard her surprised protest as she saw her lacy bra tore in half. "Sorry…" he whispered, "It was in the way."

"You'll just have to buy me a new one," Sadie sighed, kissing him again. She moved to his jaw line and down his neck to his chest where she kissed, sucked, and lightly bit his nipples.

His fingers latched onto her head, pushing her closer to his skin. He could feel butterflies in his stomach every time she bit down. For some odd reason, he liked a little pain and Sadie knew this.

She chuckled and pulled away blowing lightly on the wet skin. She moved downwards and played with his belly button a bit before moving to his jeans. She took off his belt and undid the button, lowering the zipper with her teeth.

"Oh fuck…" he grit his teeth as he felt the pressure of Sadie's mouth on his crotch, "Damn it, Girl… If you don't do something fast, I'm gonna cream my shorts…"

Sadie rolled her eyes with a grin. Sitting up, she took off his pants and boxers at once. She licked up his leg until she was hovering over his cock, gently licking the tip before taking it into her mouth and sucking lightly.

Nick whimpered at the attention, "Oh my… Sadie… No… Stop…"

Sadie was shocked and looked up at him. "What? Why?" she asked hurt.

Nick gave her a warm smile as he took her face in his hands. He struggled to get up, sort of painful. Kissing her lightly, he whispered, "Because, Baby… I don't want that right now. As incredible as it feels, I just… wanna make love. Can we?"

"Anytime…" she whispered, giving him a small kiss.

He lay back down and mumbled jokingly, "You take it… I have NO energy for leading tonight." He ran a hand across her cheek, "I love you…"

"I love you too," she said and kneeled, undoing her pants. Within seconds, they joined Nick's on the floor and she slid herself onto him. She moaned as he filled her.

Nick gave a nice, long, pleased sound as he felt his girlfriend's walls close around him. He couldn't help lifting his hips to try to snuggle deeper. He could tell Sadie appreciated it by the tremble of her thighs.

Slowly, she started moving her hips against him, riding him. Her eyes closed lightly in pleasure.

Nick's body felt weak from the all the stress he was put under that day. As much as he tried, he couldn't find the strength to meet her in her thrusts as they usually did in that position. It was starting to get irritating as he knew his orgasm wasn't far away.

Sadie could sense his frustration, so she sped up leaning back. This caused his dick to hit all the right spots. "Nicky, cum, Baby… cum with me…" she moaned.

He gasped as she switched the angle, "Babe… I… Oh…" Quickly, he gave the rest of his energy, pushing up while pulling her down on him. He was slamming into her G-spot while hitting his tip on her far wall. "OH FUCK!" he cried out, cumming in spasms.

The repeated hits pushed her over the edge. Sadie screamed Nick's name as she milked his cock. She collapsed on top of him as she tried to catch her breath. "God, I love you…" she whispered, kissing his chest.

"I love you too," he panted, hugging her tight to his body. His throat tightened as he felt his next question rise. But he had to do it… It was that important to him, "Sadie?"

"Yes?" she responded quietly.

He closed his eyes and swallowed, "Marry me?"

Sadie felt her heartbeat quicken, "Nicky, I love you. But I don't… I'm not… I can't get married. Not yet." She didn’t dare look up at him.

Nick's whimpered before he could stop it. His arms loosened around her, "We've been together for almost four years, Sadie… If you love me then…"

Sadie felt the tears coming. "Nick, I do love you, you know that! I just, I don't want to get married!" she exclaimed, regretting her statement as soon as the words left her lips.

Nick's heart seemed to break with that one sentence. He sat up and pulled the blankets around his body, suddenly feeling kind of… dirty. His eyes watered as he turned away from his girlfriend. Finally, his shoulders shook as sobs left his lips.

"I don’t understand why you want this so bad. I'm not going anywhere. I don't know why you need a piece of paper to say that. I'm so sorry," she whispered, sitting up next to him.

"If you don't understand… then… fine…" he stood pulling on his boxers, "After three and a half years of being together like this… It's all… so familiar." He stared at her. He decided he needed to get out of that room for while. "I'm going to the vending machine," his voice sounded clogged as he wiped his eyes, "You want?"

"I want you to talk to me," she whispered with tear filled eyes, "I'm sorry, Nick."

It hurt to see her upset over him, but he was hurting too, damn it. "If you're that sorry than why can't you just… I don't understand. Why won't you? I thought you WANTED to be together… What did I do to make you change your mind?"

"I still want to be together, Nick! It's just, I mean, no one accepts us. I know that doesn't matter to the relationship, but it matters to me! Your family hates me because I'm not perfect like JULIA. Because I'm not a dancer like JULIA. Because I'm not a beautiful model like JULIA. It drives me crazy! I want to be accepted by your family and I don’t think marrying you will help them accept me," Sadie confessed, the whole while looking at her fingers as tears rolled down her cheeks, "I'm sorry, Nick."

Nick shook his head. As bad as he felt for making her cry he couldn't help, but feel the pang in his heart. His voice had a slight tremble, "So… you're telling me that… you won't marry me because of what other people think."

He stared at her before continuing, "You think that I give a shit what my family thinks, Sadie? If I did… I don't think I'd be asking you this question every fucking time I think there's a chance you'll say yes… If it's worth the heartbreak to hear you say no every time, then don't you think it's gotta be pretty Goddamn important to me? No, you're not a dancer… No, you're not a model… Maybe you're not what they expected me to end up with… but you're more than I ever dreamed. I love you so much… You're perfect to me…" his voice rose, “And that's why it hurts me so fucking much, Sadie Pierce."

"I'm trying to be honest here. I… I don’t understand why you’re pushing this. I do want to get married just… not now," she looked up at him.

His eyes got wide. He'd just poured out his heart and soul to her and all she could come up with was ‘I don't understand’? Nick lowered his head as he bit his lip to keep his tears in.

"I don't know why you're so unwilling, but I'm sorry for whatever I did you make you feel this way…" he added quietly, "I just hope it doesn't end up like me and Jules…" Before she could respond, he stepped out the room’s door and headed down the hall.

Sadie fell backwards on the bed and rolled over. Burying her face in the pillow, she sobbed and then, fell asleep.

***

Julia and Aaron walked into the room. Julia set her bags on the floor and looked around the suite. "Hungry? I can order room service," she suggested as Aaron shut the door.

"No thanks," he mumbled sitting on the couch. How could Nick throw him in with Snooty Bitch over there?

Julia blushed at his harshness. "Which room do you want?" she asked again, giving him first pick of the rooms in the suite.

"I don't care... I'm only gonna be in here one night," he stated, glaring at her coolly.

Julia shrugged it off, walking into one of the rooms and throwing her bag on the bed. She walked back into the living room area and sat on a chair, "Want to order a movie?"

Aaron stared up at her, "Why?"

"Something to do…" Julia said as she heard a moan through the wall.

Aaron's ears perked up and shook his head, "I am NOT hearing this… Tell me I'm hearing things…"

Julia smirked and blushed. "No, you're not… Always the vocal one…" she mumbled.

"Please… Tell me they're not…" he chuckled, "Damn… Sounds like he's having a pretty good time."

"I'm sure he is..." she said with a laugh and a shake of her head as she turned the TV on. She turned it up loud in an attempt to drown it out the moans.

"OH FUCK!" was distinctly heard over the television.

This sent Aaron into a fit of giggles, "I can't… I think he's TRYING to be heard!" He was actually thankful for the distraction. He didn't enjoy being unfriendly to Julia, she just wasn't his favorite person.

Julia laughed out loud, "I wouldn't put it past him. He knows we're right here." She smiled, somewhat glad that the ice had been broken.

They heard muffled voices. Aaron finally spoke, "At least they're done now. Hopefully worn out for the night… except… I'm glad to see that he's being taken care of."

Julia nodded, "Me too, she really loves him."

"Glad someone does…" he muttered before adding, "I really like Sadie."

"She's a sweet girl," Julia said, trying to read him.

"Yeah, she really is," he sighed, "I saw her… My parents and brother were busy and my sisters were sleeping. I just needed someone. She was there. She was the only one that wasn't busy… or not interested in being with me…"

"It’s not that he didn’t want to be with you… He just wanted to be with his girlfriend, the one he loves. You could have come to me before, Aaron."

"Who said I wanted to be with you?" he spat.

Julia’s jaw dropped. "You know Aaron, HE dumped ME," Julia announced, "You have no reason to jump down my throat. I know you're upset about Beej, but you don't know the circumstances of what happened between Nick and I."

"I KNOW THAT YOU TREATED HIM LIKE SHIT!" he screamed standing up, "I NEVER LIKED YOU, JULIA STOUGHTEN! JULIA MCLEAN! EVER! The only reason I ever put up with you was because Nick ‘loved’ you and my parents ‘adored’ you! You were BJ's best friend, Leslie and Angel's role model… To me you were a pain in the ass. And I'm glad Nick got over you." He let out a deep breath, not knowing if he'd regret what he'd said later.

"So the truth comes out. Well, I'm sorry I was such a pain in the ass, Aaron." Julia stood. She didn't know why, but she was crying. That had really hurt her, "But I'm glad Nick ‘got over me’ too, because… now he's happy and that's all I ever wanted."

Julia walked towards the exit. She snatched her key and slammed the door on the way out.

Aaron looked away from the door, suddenly wishing he was back at the hospital. He was sorry he'd hurt her, but still felt the same. Walking into his room, he closed the door and bolted it, not wanting to have to deal with Julia when she came back. And also not wanting Julia to have to deal with him.

Julia didn't know where she was headed, but she stopped for a bottle of water at the vending machine. She got it and went to walk towards the elevators when she ran into someone, dropping her change. "Sorry…" she mumbled, before bending to pick up the money.

"It's okay," Nick mumbled back, not realizing who it was. He gave a short sob and grabbed his pop. He'd gotten two, one for him and one for Sadie. God, he loved her so much. Why couldn't she just…?

Julia heard the person sob. She looked up at Nick as she finished picking up her change, "Nick, you okay?"

He jumped in surprise, "Jules? Oh… uh… hi." He looked away, covering his face yet still seeing hers, "I'm fine. What's wrong with you?"

She chuckled, "Aaron hates me. Apparently, he's always hated me. I can deal. You thinking about Beej?" Julia placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Uh… yeah… ya know," he stuttered.

"Don't lie. Did something happen with Sadie?" Julia asked, "Cuz it sounded like some GOOD things were going on…"

Nick's face went beet red. "Oh… God… I'm sorry, Jules… and Aaron heard it too?" he gulped, "I'm sorry… I wasn't even thinking…"

"Always the loud one… Don’t worry about it. He's not scarred for life," her smiled fell, "So what's got you crying?"

"I… I love her, Julia. I love her so much and it's like she can't see it. It doesn't even phase her when I…" he stopped.

"Hmm… what? When you what?" Julia urged, leaning against the wall and sinking to a sitting position on the floor. "Sit and talk with me."

Nick blew air out as he plopped onto his butt, "I asked her to marry me."

"Oh… and?" Julia asked, trying to sound surprised.

Nick turned his head away. His voice was weak, "And she said no… This'll be the third time."

"The third time in a matter of how long?" Julia asked as she took a long drink from her water.

"S-since we got together…" he whispered, "I don't know… I'd say the first time was… a few months ago."

"Three times in a matter of a few months? Don't you think you're pushing the issue?" Julia asked softly.

Nick glared at her, "It's important to me."

"I understand that, Nick. She's twenty-one, fresh out of college, and… she's facing all this negativity about being with you. If you keep forcing this, she'll end up hating you and you'll lose her," Julia answered gently.

Nick's face remained emotionless as he closed his eyes, "If she doesn't show me some sort of sign of caring about this… she's gonna lose me." Feeling threatened and misunderstood, he got up to go back to his room.

"Nick!" Julia called out.

Nick turned his tear streaked cheeks to face her, "What?" His voice was hardly audible.

"She is forever. She told you she wants to get married. I know she did, she told me she did," Julia said, thinking back to her wedding reception so long ago, "Don't lose her. Don't let her go over this."

He looked wounded as he continued walking, not taking time to respond.

Julia just sat there and shook her head. She tried her best. What more did he want? He's so stubborn sometimes. She finished her bottle of water, and stood heading back to her and Aaron's room. She walked in, and saw his door shut. She sighed and went into hers, she pushed the bag off her bed, and lied down.

***

Nick opened the door slowly, not wanting to wake Sadie if she was asleep. He stepped in with a sigh, settling down on the couch to try watching some TV. Maybe he'd fall asleep… He took a chug of his coke.

Sadie stirred. "Nicky… come to bed…" she called softly, still half asleep.

Nick nodded, "I will."

"I love you," she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

Nick grunted in shocked relief to hear her say those words. He quickly shut off the television and got up. He snuggled the back of her neck, wrapping his arms around her stomach, "I love you…"

"Forever…" she whispered before falling back asleep.

Nick held on to the body tightly, never wanting to let go. Wanting to believe everything she said, but… He gave a small whimper as he pressed himself closer, seeking that comfort… that security.

Sadie rolled over, linking her legs with his. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him as close as possible. Dreams of Nick filled her head and she sighed in her sleep. Was it that hard to just say yes?

***

AJ lay in bed watching Letterman, quietly so he wouldn't wake the sleeping child that lay on his chest. The phone rang, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He answered quickly hoping that he wouldn't wake Rory, "Hello?"

"Alex?" Julia's soft voice asked.

He smiled. "Hey Baby, what's going on?" he asked quietly as gently rubbed his daughter's back.

She sighed, happy to just hear her husband's voice. "Nothing," she whispered, "It's not going too well here though… and NO. Before you ask, no Beej did not die."

"Well, that's good. If she's alive, what's not going well?" he asked shutting off the TV so he could pay more attention to her.

"Well…" she chuckled, "First off… Aaron hates me and I'm rooming with him. What a stroke of luck. And then… to add to it, the Love Birds got into a… a pretty big… pretty major fight."

"What? Run that by me one more time? Do I have to kick some sixteen year old ass?" AJ asked jokingly.

"No, no…" she shook her head, "It's not his fault… I think he's just overwhelmed and… I don't think Nick ever really told him the whole story. I don't think he actually hates me, he's just not too fond of me at the moment."

"Ah, I see… So, why are you rooming with Aaron?"

"Nick put me here!" she laughed, "He didn't want to leave Aaron alone of course, but he wanted to be with Sadie tonight… cuz he's so upset about his sis, ya know? So I guess, I'm kinda on baby-sitting duty. I don't mind, but I didn't know Aaron felt that way. He just blew up at me."

AJ nodded not realizing she couldn't see him, "How's Jane and Bob handling all this?"

Julia rolled her eyes, "They're not… Bob's acting like it's not happening and Jane isn't doing too well… She's always been good at pretending she's in control. Aaron is obviously upset, I didn't even get to talk to Angel and Les… they were asleep… and BJ… You know about BJ already. They don't even notice how it’s affecting their children…"

AJ sighed, "I had a feeling they wouldn't. Is Nick okay?"

"He was doing okay… until now…" she rubbed her temples, "He's so concerned about Beej. You know how much he loves his family… but now… he just got worse."

"Why?" AJ asked worried.

"God… I don't know why he had to do this now… Just adds to all the stress," she took a deep breath, "He asked Sadie to marry him… He proposed and she… Alex, Sadie said no. Nick is devastated."

AJ's jaw dropped, "She said no?" His voice broke at the end of the question showing his surprise.

"Yes… He's… Nick is a wreck. He actually told me that… that she's losing him. That Sadie is LOSING Nick."

"Damn… why? I don't understand…" AJ said, "He's going to leave her because she doesn’t want to get married…?"

"It's important to him, Alex!" she cried in frustration, "And I don't think he means he's going to leave her… I think he means that she's… just… losing him. Know what I mean?"

"No… I don't…"

"She's… losing his trust, AJ… He asked me to marry him and I kept saying no. Remember? And I still said that I was in love with him, but I just ‘didn't want’ to get married. All he can see is a repeat of history and it's hurting him a lot more this time around. You and me know Sadie isn't going to leave… but he… You know Nick!"

"Ahh… I get it now… yeah, I can see where Nick's coming from," AJ said softly, "I'm so happy our relationship isn't complicated. I love you."

Julia smiled and giggled, "Our relationship is anything, but simple, Alexander McLean… but I love you too. Nick is just being hard headed. He's hurt, scared and unprepared. So he's flipping…" She twirled the cord between her fingers, "I miss you…"

"How is our relationship not simple?" he asked, not letting it go.

"I don't mean that it's hard, Alex… Just with the fans and everything, with Rory… It's perfect, but complicated as all marriages and partnerships are. It's all worth it for you, Baby."

"Cuz you can't get enough of my sexiness," he teased, "I love you. When are you coming home. I can't sleep."

She laughed, "I'll come home as soon as I know BJ's gonna be okay. And when Nick's semi-okay."

"BUT NICK’S NEVER GONNA BE SEMI-OKAY!" he whined.

"You'd better hope so if you want me home any time soon," she sighed, "You know I can't leave not knowing if he's okay, Alex…"

"I know…" he practically groaned.

"Mama?" Rory asked from Alex's chest.

"Uh oh, guess who Daddy woke up…" AJ said into the phone.

Julia grinned ear to ear, "Put her on… Maybe she'll talk a little this time…"

"Here, Rory, talk to mommy," AJ said handing the two year old the phone.

"Mama?" the small voice asked.

"Hi Baby!" Julia's pitch rose, "How are you, Sweetheart?"

"Mama!" she shouted back, "Where you are?"

AJ smiled at his daughter with the big phone in her hand. She looked too cute.

"I'm with Uncle Nicky..." she replied, using Aurora's name for Nick. She was one of the few people allowed to call him ‘Nicky.’

"Dada me candy!" she giggled. AJ's slapped his forehead. He should have known she was going to blow his cover, especially since he told her, ‘Don’t tell mama!’

Julia laughed, "No wonder you're in such a good mood…" She shook her head, "I miss you, Honey… Do you miss me?"

"You home now?" she asked, looking at Alex.

"In a few days, Baby… Can I talk to Daddy now? I love you…"

"Lob you!" she exclaimed and held the phone out to Alex who took it smiling.

"Lay back down now," Alex said and Aurora laid back down next to him, "Hey…"

"Hi… God, I miss you guys so much already… And I've only been gone… less than twenty-four hours…" she sighed.

"It's driving me crazy. It thrills me that I won't have to leave you and Rory home when we go on tour," AJ responded. "It would drive me to drink, seriously," he whispered hoping Aurora would fall asleep again.

"Alex… you know you have me to turn to before that… Right?" she asked seriously.

"Yes, I know. But… it doesn't matter because you'll be there," he said with a smile, "I will never have to turn to that again. And that's one of the reason's I love you so much. You're always there."

"And I always will be… but… not if I die from lack of sleep! AJ, I love you and Aurora, but I'm going to sleep now…" she whined, "Okay?"

"Okay," he laughed, "Love you."

"I love you too… and the little thing laying next to you… Is she back asleep yet?"

He checked, "Almost…"

"Good… She'll be up early tomorrow morning though…" she yawned, "Good night Baby… For millionth time tonight, I love you and I miss you…"

"I love you and I miss you too. I’ll see you in your dreams," AJ whispered.

"You know it," she hung up and turned off the light. She was out almost instantly, having been comforted by her husband's words.

AJ smiled after hearing the click. He hung up the phone and clicked off the light, kissing Aurora's head before letting sleep take over.