Did you ever love somebody, So much that the earth moved? Did you ever love somebody, Even though it hurt to?
Did you ever love somebody, Nothing else the heart could do? Did you ever love somebody, Who never knew?
Did you ever lay your head down On the shoulder of a good friend? And then have to look away somehow, Had to hide the way you felt for them?
Have you ever prayed the day would come, You'd hear them say they feel it too? Did you ever love someone, Who never knew?
And if you did, Well, you know I'd understand I could, I would More than anybody can
Did you ever love somebody, So much that the earth moved? Did you ever love somebody, Even though it hurt to?
Did you ever love somebody, Nothing else your heart could do? Did you ever love somebody, Like I love you Like I love you Like I love you
-Did You Ever Love Somebody? by Jessica Simpson (CD: Dawson's Creek soundtrack) -Song submitted by TINO24BSBKEV-
~*~ January 23rd, 1998 ~*~
16 year old Sheridan Harper sighed as she flipped through her family's mail, not finding anything to her liking (unless you consider bills 'interesting'), until she reached the last piece of mail. Sher's eyes widened as she read the name that was in the return address section. A wide grin graced her beautiful, and youthful, face as she tore, excitedly, into the envelope. She read the letter and then read it again... and then again. She was so happy he'd written her. Nick had gone on tour to Europe and hadn't written her, his neighbor and best friend, since he'd left, which was four months before.
Sheridan smiled again, while placing the letter back into the envelope. Nick was coming home in 2 days - 3 days before his 18th birthday. She couldn't wait! "Oh, I have to get so many things! Gotta get him a birthday present... Maybe a new outfit, for me..." she murmured to herself as she raced up the stairs to her mom's bedroom. "Mom, I need to borrow the car!"
~*~ The 25th ~*~
Sheridan rushed around her bedroom, getting ready. Nick would be home in, approximately, an hour and a half and she was feeling rather flustered. This wasn't just 'the guy next door', this wasn't just her neighbor, her best friend... this was the guy she had been in love with since she was in diapers.
"Sheridan!!" Angela, Sheridan's mother, called up the stairway.
"Yeah, mom??" she called back down to her.
"I just saw Nick drive up."
"Okay, thanks." she closed her bedroom door and looked out her window, over to Nick's house.
Not wanting to interrupt his family time, she decided to wait for him to call her, and sat down on her bed, flipping the TV on.
~*~ 8:30 p.m. ~*~
Sheridan heard her phone ringing in the far off distance. Realizing that somewhere between Full House and 90210 reruns she must've fallen asleep, she awoke herself fully and reached to grab her phone. "Hello?" she asked groggily.
"Sheridan Sugar?!"
"Nickers?!" Sher jumped up onto her knees, her face beaming with joy.
"Ohmygosh! I've missed you!" Nick grinned goofily, excitement in his voice.
"Ooh, I've missed you too! I can't believe you're home," she smiled lightly, calming down a little.
"Will ya come over??"
She nodded.
When Nick didn't receive an answer, he laughed, "Sheridan, I can't see you when you nod."
Sheridan smirked. "I'll be over in approximately 2 minutes." with that, she hung up the phone and raced out of her bedroom.
~*~
"You're getting slow. Took ya 3 minutes. But hey, who's counting?" Nick grinned, before pulling her into a tight bear hug.
Sheridan giggled. "Sorry, Nickers. My mom stopped me for a second to tell me some... uh, stuff."
"'Stuff'?" he led her into the family room and sat down with her on the couch.
Oh, Lord. He might've only been gone for 4 months, but he looked hotter than ever. "Yeah... 'stuff'," she blushed. "See, my mom saw your family drive off-"
"Yeah, they went to buy some ice cream."
"Right. Well, anyway, when I went downstairs and told her that I was coming over here... she just took the time to-"
"Have 'the talk' with you," Nick laughed.
"Well..." Sher chuckled. "We had 'the talk' a while ago. But tonight was more like a 'brief discussion'."
Nick nodded, feeling slightly embarassed.
"So, um anyway..." Sheridan laughed. "Maybe we should change the subject..." she faded off till her voice was completely gone.
He smiled lightly at her. "It's alright, Sher. I mean, we should have known this would come up sooner or later, with us."
"What, you and me having sex?" okay, so she couldn't help but be a tad bit hopeful!
"Well, yeah. I mean, you know our parents. They always have some sort of weird idea in their heads."
Weird. Weird? 'Oh my gosh, he thinks having sex with me would be 'weird'! He must think that's the most disgusting thought!' she felt her face burning... she was embarassed, humiliated, depressed beyond belief! "Yeah... our parents always have... weird... ideas... or uh, something," she mumbled, looking like she was a million miles away.
"You okay, Sher?" Nick scooted closer, looking concerned.
"Y-Yeah... Nick, I-I gotta go. 'Cause um, I've got school tomorrow and-"
"Sheridan... since when do you go to school in the summer?" he smirked.
Sheridan gulped and stood up, Nick soon following her lead. "Nick, I just gotta go, okay? I'll call you later."
She knew if she didn't leave then, she'd lose her virginity that night (not like that would be so bad!) by raping her best friend (okay, but that would). Without looking over at Nick, Sheridan ran out of his house and back over to hers.
~*~ The 27th ~*~
"Okay, so then she just ran out of the house?" Brian asked increduliously.
"Yeah. It was totally weird. I really don't get her sometimes." Nick rolled his eyes, while his fingers, deftly, pressed the buttons on the Play Station controller.
Brian couldn't help but start laughing, causing him to lose the game... yet again.
"I won, I won! You suck, you suck!" Nick chanted, childishly, causing Brian to roll his eyes at him, but continue laughing. "What is so hella funny??"
"'I really don't get her sometimes'," Brian mocked in a high pitched squeel. "Gee, Nick. Open your eyes. She's madly in love with you! It's so obvious, you dumbass."
"No, she isn't!" Nick spat, stubbornly. "We're friends. Best friends. It'll always be that way. She knows that and she likes it that way, as do I."
"Nick, wake up and smell Sheridan! She's not some little kid anymore! Instead of playing in the sand box, you listen to music; instead of playing with G.I. Joe's and Barbie dolls, you play with... well, Nintendo's - but that's beside the point..."
"What is the point, Bri?" Nick sighed, restlessly.
"The point is: instead of taking baths together, she blushes when you take your shirt off! Nick, she's not the little girl that you used to play in the mud with... she's 16, maturing - quite nicely, I might add - and she wants to jump your bones. Get it through your thick head. She's... in... love... with... you." he stated slowly, emphasizing each word.
"Just shut up, okay? You came over to play Nintendo, not to tell me how much my best friend loves me. It's not true, and it never will be, so just drop it." Nick pressed Reset on the Play Station system.
Rolling his eyes, Brian mumbled, "Fine." and went back to their game.
Part 2...
~*~ August 12th, 1999 ~*~
((I think there was a tour going on at this time, in real life, but oh well!))
"Nick, Sheridan's leaving now!" Jane, Nick's mom, called up the stairs to him.
"I know. I'm coming." Nick sprinted down the staircase, only to be stopped by his mother.
"Wow, aren't you looking snazzy? Who you 'dressed to kill' for?" Jane laughed, loving the fact that her son was blushing. She always could make him look like a tomato with eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
Nick was wearing baggy jeans, a white t-shirt, a button-up shirt over it (left un-bottoned), and a blue, backward's baseball cap. ((AN: OOH, I love with he wears hats! *sigh*))
"Mom, we're friends!" Nick whined. "Gosh!"
She rolled her eyes. "You took her to her Prom... and every other dance!"
"As friends!"
"Nick... she's a beautiful girl. Do you honestly think no one asked her to the dances? She turned them all down to go as 'just friends' with you. Look, don't pull that 'we're friends' stuff with me. You know we have it on camera when you kissed her at her door on Prom night."
"I kissed her cheek!"
"Which could've led to more if Aaron hadn't squeeled 'Haha! He kissed her!' loud enough for Australia to hear."
"It wasn't going any further than that. Why are you bringing this up now? She's leaving anyway. Can't you guys just drop the 'don't you see that you love each other?!' lecture's for a second, while I go say g'bye to my best friend?" Nick left the house, feeling absolutely annoyed.
They'd - as in, Sheridan and Nick - had to put up with conversation's like these for the last year. Nick had to hear the 'She loves you, you idiot!' side, while Sheridan heard 'We know you love him, so just admit it!' side... something she always denied.
Sheridan looked up from where she was standing, putting her luggage in her trunk. She was about to head off to New York to go to college at the NYU. She spotted Nick come out of his house and watched him as he headed over to her. Jane and Nick's siblings soon followed, wanting to say goodbye to her also. When Nick reached her, he pulled her over to a tree, away from their families.
"You better call when you get there," he smiled at her, tugging gently at her dark brown hair.
Sheridan returned his smile, though it quickly turned sad. "I will. I'll miss you, Nickers."
Nick sighed, "I'll miss you too, Sheridan Sugar."
"Sher, you're gonna be late," Angela called to her daughter, not wanting to interrupt her and Nick's goodbye, but knowing she had to.
"I know. I'm comin'," she called back. Turning back to Nick, she whispered, "I gotta go now."
He nodded and gave her a hug, pulling away, ever so slightly, a few moments later. His face was so close to hers that when he smiled she could feel his icy, fresh breath tickle her nose. She wouldn't be coming back to visit until her Thanksgiving break, so she wouldn't be able to see Nick's face for about 3 months. She'd been away from him for longer than that, almost every time he'd gone on tour, but she had a feeling it'd be some of the hardest 3 months of her life.
That thought gave Sheridan the courage and confidence for her next move. She leaned her face up to his, and kissed him deeply, her tongue twisting with his in a way he'd never experienced before. When Sheridan pulled away, she sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted from off of her shoulders.
"You do realize that you just earned me a lifetime of those little conversations that our parents have been having with us for the past year, don't you?"
Sher giggled as she nodded. "Yeah, and I get to go to college and don't have to stick around to hear what our parents are gonna say about it. But... I also know that I just made it ten times harder, on myself, to leave."
Nick just looked down at her, feeling the same way, but not having the courage to say it. Okay, so yeah... maybe in that kiss he did feel something. And maybe he was slowly coming to the realization of how deep their love really went. But she was leaving for college! She'd be all the way up the coast and he would rarely see her, until she graduated. By then, she most likely would be over him, having fallen for some preppy, college boy, and he'd be left with heartache. So why say anything?
Sheridan sighed, "I don't regret it though, Nick. I'll talk to you later." Walking back over to her family, and Nick's, she gave everyone hugs and kisses and promised to call, write, e-mail, and visit - as soon as school would allow. Giving one last, quick glance in Nick's direction, she jumped into her car and drove off towards the airport.
~*~ Approximately 3 Months Later ~*~
Something in your eyes Makes me want to lose myself Makes me want to lose myself in your arms There's something in your voice Makes my heart beat fast Hope this feeling lasts the rest of my life
If you knew how lonely my life has been And how long I've been so alone And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along And change my life the way you've done
It feels like home to me It feels like home to me It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from It feels like home to me It feels like home to me It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
A window breaks down a long, dark street And a siren wails in the night But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me And I can almost see through the dark there is light
Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me And how long I've waited for your touch And if you knew how happy you are making me I never thought that I'd love anyone so much
It feels like home to me It feels like home to me It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from It feels like home to me It feels like home to me It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
-Feels Like Home, by Chantal Kreviazuk (CD: Dawson's Creek soundtrack) -Song submitted by TINO24BSBKEV-
"Sheridan!!!" the Carter clan, minus Nick - who was still upstairs in his bedroom, squeeled simultaneously, each giving her huge hugs.
Sheridan laughed, returning hugs and kisses. "Hey, everyone! Happy Thanksgiving!"
"You too"'s went around the room, until slowly, one by one, everyone filed out of the entryway and into the dining room, anticipating dinner.
BJ lingered behind, to talk to Sher. "Nick's in his room."
"You think that's the only reason I came here? Helloooooo! I love all of you!" Sheridan giggled, quietly.
BJ grinned. "Yeah... sure. Anyway, he's still upstairs getting ready, 'cause he kinda' took a nap and didn't wake up to his alarm clock. But he said, when you get here, that you can go on up there, if you want."
"Nah, it's okay... I'll hang with all you guys. I'll just wait till he comes down."
"Aren't your parents coming over?"
"Yeah, they're on their way..."
They walked into the kitchen and joined everyone else, who was chatting happily.
~*~ 10 Minutes Later ~*~
Nick could hear everyone talking and laughing downstairs and every now and then he'd hear Sheridan laugh her cute, trademark giggle. He didn't know why, but he was extremely nervous to see her. After she'd left, he'd realized just how much he loved her... making the last 3 months a living hell for him, without her right next door.
Mustering up all the courage in the world, Nick slowly opened his bedroom door, walked down the staircase, and into the dining room. Sheridan's back was to him, but he just knew she looked as beautiful as ever, if not more. He cleared his throat, causing her to look up from where she was looking at some goofy magazine with BJ.
"Nickers!" Sheridan beamed, practically falling out of her chair in her haste to get to him quicker than nature would permit. Soon enough she was in his arms, in a tight hug. They almost suffocated each other to death, but they didn't really care.
"Hey, Sheridan Sugar," Nick whispered with a big smile. His face was nuzzled in her hair, while hers was buried in his shoulder. "Miss me?"
She took her face out of his shirt and looked at him. "More than you know."
He stared at her for a while, until they realized everyone was watching them. Blushing slightly, they broke away and went to sit down with everyone at the table, of course sitting next to each other. Under the table, Nick's hand rested gently on her leg.
~*~ Late That Night ~*~
Nick and Sheridan walked to the front door, everyone else behind them, talking happily. The two stopped at the door and turned to look at each other, smiles on their faces. When everyone in the room grew silent, they looked at their family members to find them watching them.
"What?" they asked simultaneously.
Angela grinned, "Oh... Just that you're standing under the mistletoe."
Sher looked above her and sure enough, there was mistletoe hanging above her and Nick. "Uhhh... Sorta' got the wrong holiday, you guys. Mistletoe goes for Christmas, remember?" she smirked, knowing they'd done it on purpose.
Jane rolled her eyes, "Go on, Nick. Kiss her!"
"Yeah, it's tradition!" BJ piped up, grinning.
"Tradition for CHRISTMAS!" Nick laughed. "Last time I checked my calendar, today was November 25th, not December 25th."
Aaron sighed, "Nick, you're insulting Sher. You don't wanna kiss her or something?"
Nick glared at his brother, before turning to Sheridan to find her biting her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing. He pulled her closer to him, by her hips. "You think this is funny?" he murmured.
Sheridan let a little giggle escape, by accident. "Just kiss me, okay?"
"Okay," he lowered his mouth to hers and gave her a short and gentle, yet meaningful, kiss. When he pulled away, he caught sight of the glimmer in her eyes. He smiled when he realized everyone had left the room. "I love you," he suddenly beamed.
Sher grinned, "I love you too. Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. Carter."
Nick wrapped his arms around her. "It surely was a Happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Carter."
They both giggled, opened the door, and walked outside, so Nick could walk her home.
The End
