A week later everyone is in Los Angeles at a party for a new pop group whose debut album has just gone platinum. Mitzi says to Isabella, "My album's coming out next week and a party like this will be thrown for me in no time."

Isabella looks her in the eyes and say, "I wish you luck Mitzi." She walks away leaving Mitzi wide-eyed with her chin on the floor. "Hey Nick." she says.

"Hey Bella. What did you just say to Mitzi to shock her?"

"I wished her luck."

Nick raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I personally won't buy her album but is she comes out with a song I like I'll listen to it. There are a lot of artists I like but I'm not really a fan of."

"That makes sense. Other than BSB what music are you a fan of?"

"I listen to everything. Pop, rock, country, classical, is doesn't matter. I grew up listening to Alabama with my grandmother and Journey with my brother."

"Journey?" asks Nick.

"Yeah. Steve Perry has got the greatest voice. His range is so amazing as is yours. I would put you right up there with him." Nick blushes. "I think if you two did a duet it'd be incredible."

"I would love to sing with him."

"There's someone else I'd like to hear you sing with. She sings a different type of music but I think it would sound good."

"Who?"

"Martina McBride." She laughs and adds, "I can hear you two trying to out sing each other with the high notes."

Nick laughs too. "Yeah, she's got a great voice." He sees Mitzi staring at them.

"I'll talk to you later." He goes over to Mitzi. Isabella watches sadly wishing Nick would break her hold on him.

"Looked like you were having a good time." proclaims Mitzi.

"We were talking about music." states Nick.

"She makes you hot. I'll just have to cool you down." She tosses a drink in his face. Everyone who saw it gasps in shock. In a flash Isabella runs over and grabs Mitzi's hair. She slaps her across the face and shoves her to the floor.

"YOU LITTLE..." screams Mitzi jumping up with her fist in a ball ready to hit Isabella.

"Try it, I dare you." says Isabella. "Unlike Nick I fight back." Mitzi knows she's serious so she backs off. "I have something called self-respect." She turns to Nick and says, "It's a wonderful thing you should get some."

Suddenly she notices people are staring at her and realization sinks in. She runs out crying. Nick runs to the men's room. Kev and Howie go after Isabella, Bri and AJ go after Nick. Mitzi is left standing with everyone staring at her.

Outside Kevin and Howie try and comfort Isabella. "It was like I was watching it happen. I didn't realize..."

"Isabella we know you were just sticking up for Nick." says Howie.

"Maybe it's something we should have done." says Kevin.

"I hope I didn't make things worse for Nicky. With Mitzi or the public."

"Hopefull this will end things with Mitzi and let us worry about the public."

In the men's room Nick is washing his face. "Nicky?" says AJ with a hand on Nick's shoulder.

"You okay Frack?" asks Brian.

Nick laughs. He grabs a paper towel and dries his face. "Oh I was just publicly humiliated of course I'm fine. Where are they anyway?"

"Mitzi and Isabella?" asks AJ.

"Yeah."

"Kev and Howie enter after Izzy and Mitzi was left standing." says Brian.

"I don't blame Bella, she was just standing up for me. She's right I don't have any self-respect." He starts crying. Brian and AJ hug him. He pushes them away. "No." he say wiping away his tears. "I gotta get out of here."

"Let's all go." says AJ.

"I'll go find the others and get the limo to pull around back so you won't have to face everyone." states Brian.

"Thanks." says Nick.

In the limo Isabella asks, "Where's Mitzi?"

"I didn't see her anywhere." declares Brian.

Once in her hotel room Isabella heads for the shower. When she comes out she hears a ruckus in Nick's room. "You don't want me fine!" yells Mitzi. "You'll be begging me to come back to you because you can't get any better. You're such a loser you pathetic moron. I don't know why I bothered with you... Oh yeah I needed you to get my career started but now I don't need you anymore. Goodbye and good riddens. Now I can have a man instead of a little boy." She stomps out of the room and slams the door.

Isabella knocks on the adjoining door. "Nick?" She expects to hear him yell for her to go away but hears nothing. Her heart begins to race, she knocks again. "Nick?" She hears footsteps and the door opens. She gasps at the sight. Nick is standing before her with a busted lip, bloody nose, and swollen eye, blood from his face running down his neck and chest.

"Look at what I let her do to me." he says.

Isabella pulls him into her room. "It's okay I'll fix it." She goes and gets some towels and ice. After she gets the bleeding stopped she washes the blood off of him and places the ice packs on his face, all she can see is a part of his face. "I'm sure you'll be okay but do you want to go to the ER?"

"No. The press will have a field day if they find out I keep going to the hospital because of mysterious injuries. How would I explain this anyway?"

Isabella doesn't answer his question she just says, "You're safe now she's not coming back unlike when you dumped her and she stalked you."

"I really love her. I don't know why. She wasn't bad at first then she changed. I thought she loved me even though I knew what she was doing to me was wrong. Maybe she had this planned the whole time, and our relationship was all a lie." He breaks down and sobs.

Isabella gathers him in her arms and practically in her lap. "It'll be okay I promise." she says rocking him. "I'll take care of you." She raises his head and looks at him. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Nick takes a deep breath. "I was almost asleep when she came in. She had the spare key.

Flashback

Mitzi slips into Nick's room. He's laying on the bed on his stomach. She grabs his hair and yanks his head up. "Hi Honey I'm home." she says and shoves his face down in the pillow.

He rolls over to face her. "Mitzi. What are...you doing here?"

"I just came to get my things and to give you a few things."

"Like what?" he asks.

"This." she says backhanding him in the mouth. He falls back across the bed.

"Get up!" Nick slowly sits up. Mitzi then punches him in the nose and right eye. He holds his throbbing face as she yells at him while she packs her things.

Present

"I heard everything she said." says Isabella. She takes his face in her hands. "Nickolas she is wrong. You are not a loser or a moron. You are not pathetic. Like I told you the night we met you are a wonderful man. Sure you have little boy qualities but that's just one of the many great things about you. Also, you can do better than her. You are loved, truly loved more than you know right now but you will find out." Nick sees the tears in her eyes.

"You always say that you get hugs from the fans and the guys but you don't get the proper hug. Is this the proper hug?" she asks wrapping her arms around him.

Tears fall from Nick's eyes, he wraps his arms around her. "Yes." he whispers. Against her ear causing her tears to fall. After a long moment he looks up at her. "Can I stay in here tonight? I don't think I could bear to go back in there."

"Of course you can stay in here." They stand up off the bed and Isabella turns down the covers. "Which side do you want?"

"It doesn't matter." answers Nick. Isabella climbs in and scoots over, Nick lays down beside her. He stares at the ceiling. "Bella?"

"Yeah."

He looks over at her. "Hold me."

"Of course." She wraps her arms around him and soon they fall asleep.

>>>>>

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