"Yeah, that is harsh.." Theresa said as she heard the doorbell ring. She saw that no one else heard it and went to open the door. "Hey Leigh Anne, Hey Amanda. Their all in the family room. It doesn't look to good in there," she warned.
Leigh Anne and Amanda walked in and their mouths dropped. They saw Karen falling apart and Kevin trying to explain to their now angry management at what they had gotten themselves into. They looked over at A.J. trying to stop Brian. Leigh Anne looked at Amanda, "Let's go help him." They headed over to them.
"Brian? Please calm down, sit down or something. I know you're angry at what Mr. Walsh had done to Karen but please you're not helping us by doing this..." A.J. begged.
"Let me try." Leigh Anne interrupted. A.J. backed away and went to sit on the couch with Amanda. Leigh Anne turned to Brian. She pulled him away from the wall and stood in front of him. "Brian, Stop." Leigh Anne said forcefully. "You can't pity yourself right now, you have to be strong for Karen, remember?" Brian stopped and looked at Leigh Anne. "I know you can't have her right now and to hold her, but in order to let her know you love her and care about her without saying it, you have to be strong for her, let her know she's not alone."
Brian gave Leigh Anne a hug. "Thank you Leigh Anne, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Meanwhile, Nick was trying to make Karen stop crying. "Karen? Please stop crying, I don't want to see you like this. He's not going to take you away from me, he won't! We're all here for you and you know that we're going to win. Please Karen talk to me...." he begged. Karen wouldn't say a word, she just kept crying. "Will you please talk to me? I love you remember? He can't hurt you, look around the room, all your friends are her to support you. With our support you have the power to overcome this.." His voice was trembling from trying to keep his tears from falling as he lifted her chin up to meet her eyes. "Karen.. I need you to be strong..." he whispered.
Not knowing this everyone was watching Nick say this, tears arose in everyone's eyes. Leigh Anne walked over. "He's right Karen, you have all of us to support you 100 % you're a part of us now, we can't lose you." she said.
"I agree." Theresa said. "We're here for you."
Karen looked around at all the tearful eyes when her eyes met Brian's. He quickly turned away. This time she started crying over joy. She was glad to have met such wonderful people. "Thank you." she said quietly. "You guys are the best, I don't know what I'd do with out you..." Everyone went to give her a hug.
Then Kevin's cell phone rang. "Hi... uh huh, uh huh, thank you Lou.. yes I know, thank you... bye." He turned to look at everyone else. "That was Lou, he said he found us a good lawyer and he's going to come over tomorrow morning,to hear Karen's side of the story and tell us what is going to happen if this goes to court."
Karen got up and walked into the den. She wanted to be alone. Leigh Anne followed her. "Karen? Are you okay?"
"Uh.. yeah.." she said.
"I know you're going through a rough time right now and I know about that whole Brian situation. He told me yesterday."
"He did?"
"Yes, I don't want to place more problems in your mind but I've seen the way you look at him, you're probably wondering why he's acting so protective." Leigh Anne mentioned.
"Yes..."
"Karen, he loves you..."
"He what?"
"He loves you... he told me himself... but he knows he can't have you because you're in love with Nick. When I was going out with him he was protective like that with me and trust me he's going to do his best to protect you."
'Brian loves me?' Karen repeated. 'But....'
"Karen, please don't let what I just told you bother you, please.. don't tell Brian what I told you either... he'll kill me but I think you should know..." Leigh Anne said getting up.
"Leigh Anne, how long has he liked me?"
"Well, I knew he's liked you all along but that night you guys spent, he finally knew for sure..." Leigh Anne looked at the troubled girl in front of her, "I know this was probably the last thing you wanted to hear from me with all this happening but seeing him trying to stay away while you are falling apart is tearing him up because he knows he can't be with you...."
"Okay thanks," Karen sat their stumped. "What am I going to do?" she said this out loud to herself.
"You're going to get through this..." Nick said sticking his head into the door. "..and I'll be right beside you the whole way through." he said.
He sat down next to Karen on the couch and put his arm around her shoulders. She just laid in next to him hoping for comfort and warmth, but all she could think about was Brian. 'He loves me?'
"Hey are you okay?" Nick asked.
"Yeah I'm fine...now that you're here." she said. She nuzzled her head into his neck. She tried to fall asleep but couldn't.
Everyone in the family room started to talk at once, except Brian. "I can't believe this is happening?" one person said.
"That guy is such an asshole." someone else said.
"Why can't he leave her alone?" another person said.
"Guys! Please this isn't going to help!" Brian said standing up. "We're suppose to be supporting her... don't sit around talking about this jerk, he's a waste of our time..." he went up to his room. He laid in his bed, he couldn't fall asleep, he just starred at the ceiling and pictured that night he had with her. He then walked over to his sock drawer and found the ID bracelet he bought awhile ago. He looked at it with sadness. 'I wish I could give this to her... but Nick would take it the wrong way...' he placed it back into his sock drawer. And laid back on his bed. 'I'm going to do everything in my will power to make sure she stays with us, with Nick, with me, with all of us..' he promised himself.
Downstairs, "Well, it's getting late, but I don't want to leave Karen." Dawn said.
"Well, you could all stay over if you want." Kevin suggested.
A chorus of "Yeahs" went around the room. A.J. and Amanda took the extra room upstairs. Leigh Anne went to the rec room and took the cot. Dawn and Theresa stayed in the family room on the couches. Everyone got ready for bed and went to sleep.
Meanwhile, in the den, Nick looked down at Karen, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Nick I'm fine, don't worry about me, it's just that this whole thing has put so much on my mind."
"I understand." Nick embraced her tightly.
"Nick, I'm going to go and try to fall asleep in my room.." she said.
"I'm coming with you..." he offered.
"No, I want to be alone tonight.. sleep in here alright?"
"Okay..." he said understanding what she had been through was difficult, but he wanted to be with her the whole way through.
She gave him a peck on the lips and went up to her room. She had saw that everyone was still there and spending the night. She was pleased to see she had lots of support and a group of great 'NEW' friends.
She went to her room and sat on her bed, she couldn't get Brian off her mind. He loved her all along... 'I remember Nick telling me that Brian planned to set us up though. If he liked me why would he do that??'
It was about 4 am, she still couldn't fall asleep so she got up and went into the backyard and sat on the swinging bench. She grabbed a blanket with her. She sat out there looking into the sky, praying that everything turns out fine.
Up in Brian's room, he sat up, he too couldn't sleep. He heard the swing in the backyard swinging back and forth, he got up and looked out his window. He saw Karen sitting there with a blanket. He looked at his clock, '4:15 am.. why is she up still?' He put on a robe and went down to join her. As he headed towards the backyard, he ran into Nick, "Oh hey, you're still here."
"Yeah, I guess everyone's spending the night here."
"What are you doing up?" Brian asked him.
"Just came to get a glass of milk. Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Oh umm.. I came to get a drink too." he lied.
"Karen explained to me that everything was a mistake, is that true Brian?"
"Yeah.." Brian sighed. "A mistake.."
"Well I'm going to go back to sleep.." Nick said.
Brian sat in the kitchen as he held his head in his hands. He then remembered Karen sitting outside. He made his way out there. "Karen?"
She looked up surprised. "Hi..." she said quietly.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm okay... I just couldn't sleep.."
"Yeah neither could I. I can't believe him... he can't take you away from us.."
"No, Brian that's not what's on my mind.."
"Then what is..."
"You..."
"Me?" Brian asked surprised.
"Yes, why didn't you tell me you liked me?"
"What?" Brian said. "Who told you that? That's not true," he said trying to deny it. "I'd never do that to Nick..."
"So you don't..."
"No..." He decided to change the topic. "Well, I'm sorry about my attitude earlier..."
"It's not a problem, you were only trying to watch out over me..Thank you for that." she said. She continued to look around the backyard, 'My life is a total mess...'
Just then, Nick stood at the window watching the two sitting out there talking. 'The way they look at each other, just kills me. Maybe she does belong with Brian. She keeps telling me she wants to be with me, but she would be perfect with Brian.... Whenever their together, their always smiling...God, I do love her, but I can't sit here and be in the way... and I can't sit here and keep wondering if her and Brian are an item behind my back..' Nick had tears in his eyes.
"Nick? Is that you?" a voice said interrupting her thoughts.
Nick turned around and was facing Theresa. "Hi Theresa," he said wiping away his tears. "Long time no see."
"Were you crying?" she asked. She then looked out the window and saw Karen sitting outside with Brian. "Why aren't you out there with her?"
"Theresa, please I don't want to talk about it right now.."
"Okay.. so you probably heard the good news, Karen and I are friends now."
"Yeah I heard. I'm happy for you guys." he said and decided to walk away.
"Nick.. look, I know you want to know all those things before and I kept running away from you. But I had a reason why I couldn't tell you, I was confused." Theresa said grabbing his arm.
Nick looked at her hand on his arm. "Why can't you tell me? I'm your friend, you can trust me with anything, I just never knew why you couldn't trust me.."
"I talked to Karen that day and I explained everything to her and she understands my behaviour, that's why we decided to be friends.. " Theresa said. "Nick, let me explain, I've thought things through and I have to tell you why I've been acting so strangely before."
Nick sat down and listened intently. "I'm listening.."
"Nick, I ran out the day I saw you and Karen together at your house because I was hurt. And the day you asked her out, I yelled at her because I was jealous..."
"Jealous?" Nick asked confused.
"Yes jealous! Nick ever since I met you I liked you, not because you were a Backstreet Boy but because of your sweet, fun, and carefree personality. But when Karen told me that she'd break up with you for me, I realized she wasn't out to get me... I told her not to do that.. she made you happy and I didn't want my feelings to get in your way..." Theresa said.
'That's why she ran out like that? She liked me? I didn't know..' Nick thought confused. He looked out the window, 'Would she have broken up with me for Theresa?' he thought about it again. 'She's just like Brian, they always put others happiness before themselves, they're funny and they're just fun to be around.' he looked back at Theresa. 'Now I remember the good times we had when we were at the beach, when we were in the water... that was weird, we just froze and.. then that day I had a BBQ, that day Theresa ran out crying.. before everyone arrived, we were just about to kiss... I had forgotten about all that. Every time Karen showed up she has been on my mind since then, I haven't paid any attention to anyone else. That's why she ran out.' He spoke up. "Theresa I'm sorry, I had no clue you were interested I me.."
"It's okay, I'm over it. You're happy with Karen and I just want you to be happy." Theresa smiled.
'Theresa is beautiful... I remember everything now, no wonder she's been acting all strange, I should have known..' he sat there in confusion.
Outside, "Karen? If Nick catches me with you, he's going to flip." Brian said.
"No he won't he knew it was all a mistake, right?" Karen said. "I can still talk to you, you're my friend.."
"Yeah.." Brian said. "Hey look the sun is rising.." They sat there as they watched the sun rise. 'God I wish I could hold her...' he looked over at her. "Hey, we should head inside it's getting a little chilly..."
"Yeah.." She agreed. "Thanks for the talk Brian."
Nick watched them smile as they watched the sun rise slowly. His mind was confused, he didn't know how he was feelng. "Theresa, I have to know something..."
"Sure, what is it?"
"This.." he said as he leaned in to kiss her. This caught Theresa by surprise, but she deepened the kiss. Nick's mind all of a sudden cleared of all worries as he got into the kiss.
The back door opened and Karen and Brian stopped in their tracks. They both stood there in shock. Nick quickly turned around, "Oh, Karen.. I.. um..can explain.."
"You know what? It's okay... I'm going to my room," she said as she hurried up the stairs.
Brian looked at Nick and Theresa with huge eyes, "Is this how you get back at her?" Brian said. "We told you it was a mistake, why can't you just believe us?" Brian went up the stairs after Karen.
"Theresa, I'm sorry that was my fault. I just had to finish something that I started a long time ago. And now I know what I'm going to do." Nick too went up the stairs. "Stay right there."
Theresa stood there in shock. 'His lips were so soft.. am I dreaming?' she sat down at the kitchen table touching her lips. 'Nick just kissed me....but why?'
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