PART 25<bR><bR>
Brian sighed, "Practically everyday...sometimes several times a day.  I lost track of the number of messages he left for you."  "Brian...I never got any of those messages...I swear to you...don't you think I would have been on the first plane back to Nick if I thought that we had a chance? Wait...what did you mean me and Michael?"  Brian closed his eyes and leaned back against the headboard of his bed, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as a chill ran down his spine.  By the time he had finished telling Ellie about the photograph the chills had turned into a deep sense of foreboding.  Ellie was crying softly down the phone and he waited until she was able to speak again, "El?"  "Brian...I'll be there as soon as I can...keep him safe for me."<bR><bR>

*The next afternoon*<bR><bR>

Nick groaned tiredly, "Bri...why do I get the feeling that there's something that you're not telling me?"  Brian coughed nervously, "Nick...I just thought it would be a good idea for you to get out of the hotel for a little while...get some fresh air."  Nick sighed and leaned back against a tree as he watched people strolling in the park, "Yeah...sure.  You talked to my mom didn't you?"  Brian looked over at Nick, "Did you think I wouldn't?  For God's sake Nick...don't you care about yourself at all? You're making yourself sick Frack...and I'm not going to stand by and watch you!!"  Brian looked at his watch, "Damn...I promised Kev we'd be back for dinner at 6...we'd better go."  "I'm really not hungry Bri..." Nick responded, then, seeing the expression on Brian's face he rolled his eyes, "Fine..."<bR><bR>  

Kevin paced around his hotel suite nervously, bringing a slight smile to Ellie's face.  "Kevin, I think you're more nervous about this than I am..." she said softly.  He sighed deeply and turned to look at her, "That obvious?"  Ellie looked down as a cloud passed over her face, "Kev...what if we can't?"  Kevin walked over and knelt in front of her, "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it...IF we come to it...you want to be with Nicky and I know damn well he wants to be with you.  That's gotta count for something."  Kevin looked down at his watch, "They should be here any minute...I'd better go."  He planted a kiss on the top of Ellie's head, "Good luck..."  Ellie closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair, her heart beating so loudly she was sure it could be heard all the way down the hall.  The door opened, startling her and she looked up, her eyes meeting Nick's as he walked into the room still talking to Brian.  Nick stopped and stared at her until Brian pushed him into the room and shut the door behind him.  Nick immediately turned around and tried the doorknob, only to find it locked.  Ellie watched him, her heart leaping into her throat, "Nick..."  At the sound of her voice he whirled around and glared at her, "What the fuck are you doing here?" he snarled.  Ellie's eyes widened, "I would have thought that was obvious Nick...I came to see you. For some reason Brian and Kevin thought you'd be happy to see me.  I can see that they were wrong...I'm sorry I bothered you, I'll just go..."  She bent down to pick up her bags, not noticing that Nick had walked over and was now standing right behind her.<bR><bR>

"I don't understand how it could be so easy to leave me..." he said softly as if afraid of startling her.  Ellie jerked up and turned around, staring at him, "You think it was easy for me to walk away from you?  You made love to me that night Nicky, at least that's what I thought...and then that morning everything changed...why Nick?"  Nick looked down, "I told you I loved you and you told me you were leaving to go on tour, how was I supposed to react??"  Ellie's face went very, very pale, "You what?"  Nick sighed, "Are you trying to make this worse?  I said, how was I supposed to react?"  "No" she said, "Before that..."  Nick looked puzzled, "What, that I told you I loved you?  It's not like it mattered to you!"  Her eyes grew wide and she felt herself going weak at the knees, "When...Nicky, when did you tell me that?"  Nick looked even more confused, "The morning after we made love for the first time, you told me you loved me and I told you the same thing.  Ellie, what's going on?"  Ellie's hands were over her mouth, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, "I never heard you..."  "What?" Nick couldn't believe what she was saying, "You...how can you not have heard me?"  She looked at him, "I went to take a shower, don't you remember?" The color drained out of Nick's face, "No, no, no, no...please tell me this isn't happening...you never heard me?"  Ellie shook her head, unable to speak.  Nick sagged against the wall, "Oh my god...Ellie..."  He slid down the wall to the ground and rested his head in his hands, "All this time...you didn't know."  Ellie knelt on the ground in front of him, "Nicky?" she pulled his hands away from his face and bit her lip when she saw the tears running down his face.  She held his hands, "Nicky..." she whispered, "Do you still?"  He looked up at her, "With all of my heart..." he whispered.  Ellie felt the tears begin to roll down her cheeks and then suddenly she was in his arms and his mouth covered hers.<bR><bR>






PART 26<bR><bR>

*Brian's room--a couple of hours later*<bR><bR>

Kevin paced back and forth while Brian tapped his foot impatiently. Finally AJ burst out laughing, "You two are worse than a couple of expectant fathers!  We haven't heard any yelling from down the hall, or any doors slamming, that's gotta be a good sign."  Kevin sighed and sat down, "I hope you're right...Rae practically bit my head off when I told her what we were planning....I think she was afraid that we'd make it worse somehow..."  Howie's eyes widened, "I don't see how it could have gotten any worse?  Bri you said Ellie hadn't gotten any of Nick's messages? What's up with that?"  Brian looked over at his friends, "I don't know...I'll ask her about it again later...but I agree with you...I don't think things could have gotten much worse.  At least this way if they can't work things out there will be some closure for Nick.  I..." he looked down at the carpet, "I don't think I could take it if Nicky got sick again.  He needs to get himself together and move on."  Kevin stood up, "Ok, I can't stand this.  I'm going to go down and check on them."  He grabbed his room key and took off before anyone could object and walked down the hall to his suite.  He listened at the door for a moment, and hearing nothing, slid his key into the lock and cautiously opened the door.  He looked into the room and then pulled the door closed, walking back down the hall and into Brian's room with a broad smile on his face.  AJ, Howie and Brian looked up expectantly as he walked through the door, "They're curled up asleep on the couch together...I'd say that's a good sign!"  Brian breathed a sigh of relief, felling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, "Thank God..."  Howie jumped up, "Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm starved--you want to go out and get something to eat?"  Kevin nodded, "Sounds like a plan.  I left the security lock off so they can get out of the room now if they need to..."<bR><bR>

*Kevin's room--later*<bR><bR>

Ellie woke up to find Nick gazing down at her with a smile on his face, "Mmmmm...why are you looking at me like that Nicky?"  Nick's smile grew wider, "I can't believe you're here...I guess I was just making sure I wasn't dreaming..."  Ellie laughed and pulled his face down to hers for a kiss, "Does this feel like a dream to you?"  Nick pulled away moments later, his breathing ragged and his voice husky with emotion, "If this is a dream I have no intention of waking up...ever..."  Ellie wrapped her arms around his neck, "Me either...but I don't think it's a dream..."  She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent and then looked up at him, "Say it again..."  Nick sat up, pulling her up with him and cupping her face in his hands, "Elise Rose Sandler, I love you, I love you, I love you..."  Ellie smiled shyly, "I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of hearing you say that."  "That's a good thing because I don't plan to stop saying it...even though I'd much rather show you how I feel about you..." Ellie looked down, "Nick...I want to be with you more than anything...but we have so much to work out still..."  He kissed the top of her head, "I know that.  Right now though I'd like to get something to eat...you game?" Ellie nodded and ran her fingers lightly down Nick's chest, "Yeah...we need to put some meat back on these bones of yours..."  Nick laughed and climbed off the couch, reaching down to pull Ellie up so they could go out in search of food.<bR><bR>

*A park near the river*<bR><bR>

Nick leaned back against a tree and watched Ellie finish the rest of her sandwich, loving the way she looked in the moonlight,  "El..how did Brian and Kev get you to come back?"  Startled, she looked over at him, "I was at Michael's office..." she stopped as she saw Nick flinch at the sound of Michael's name, "Nick?"  "I'm fine...go on..." he responded.  "Ok, well, I was there when Brian called.  He was very, very angry with me.  Nick...he told me about your checkup...he also told me about the messages you'd been leaving...Nicky, you have to believe that I never got any of them.  If I'd known that you were trying to reach out to me I would never have stayed away...all I wanted was a sign that you really cared about being with me..."  Nick looked down, "And I thought I'd given you that sign...god Ellie, when you left all I kept asking myself was how you could walk out on me after I told you I loved you.  It was as if you didn't think that was enough of a commitment from me...yet there was a time when I never thought I'd say those words again...I'd never planned to let myself care for someone that much ever again..."  Ellie felt the tears start to sting her eyes, "And then you said them and I walked out anyway...god Nick, what you must have been thinking..."  Nick looked away for a moment and then back at her, and she could see in the moonlight that his eyes were bright with unshed tears, "Ellie...tell me about Michael..."<bR><bR>



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