A/N: Ok, so epic fail on updating my other stories. "Wasted" has not been abandoned, but I recently got hooked on the one season in existence of the show "Beautiful People." Twilight-Jasper fans will know that it stars Jackson Rathbone, pre-Twilight. If you haven't seen it yet, look it up on youtube. Total guilty pleasure right there that I am way to old to love. A lot of this may not make sense to you unless you watch the episodes. PM me if you can't find it.

So, here's a little foray into life after the "show." It takes place 6 years after the end of episode 12. Warning, there is a character death. Other than that, I really have no idea what direction this is going to take, I'm really winging it here. I just really loved the show and wanted some kind of continuation. Hope you all enjoy a little more mature Nick and Sophie.

I don't own Beautiful People or any of the characters.

Chapter 1

NPOV

Six years. It had been six years since I left New York City. I have a lot of regrets in my life, but that is one decision that I will never be sorry for. While it tore me up to leave my dad, moving away actually brought us all closer together. I was able to help my mom get herself together again. Like me, she had lost so much of herself while caught up in the world of wealth that was our lives there. Sure, she came from money, but New York City was a giant, self-absorbed mess for all of us, that we had to claw our way back from. My dad made it about a year in New York after I left. He sold off his share of Fiske Publishing to one of his most trusted advisers and followed my mom and I up to Rochester, where we were staying with my grandmother. He bought a comfortable house and we worked our asses off at repairing our family and getting back together. It worked and I have to say, I've never seen my parents happier.

Things just never worked out between he and Lynn Kerr. Looking back, I think they were both caught up in the magic of what once was and what could have been. They were both vastly different people than they were 20 odd years ago and it was a hurdle they couldn't overcome. He described it to me once as infatuation. He knew he was getting older, he knew he and mom were in a huge rut with lives full of pressure and the idea of Lynn Kerr was an escape from that. I wanted to be smug about the fact that I had said all along that she was the reason for my parent's marriage initially falling apart. But at the same time, I also felt a huge need to thank her. She was the catalyst that made my family face the issues we had hidden from in separate corners of our luxury penthouse apartment for years.

Dad had reassured both my mother and I that part of his life was over and he hadn't heard from her in years. The last thing he knew, her business partner Maddy had left her high and dry. She snorted most of the business finances and Lynn eventually had her brought up on charges of embezzlement. From what he had heard, Lynn was still able to build up a successful design house and had been a part of some of the highest profile fashion shows in New York. She had done well for herself and my dad was able to keep that part of his past where it belonged... in the past.

Which brings me one of the biggest regrets of my life so far.

Sophie Kerr.

It broke my heart to leave her. She was goodness and light in a world that was full of dark secrets and hidden agendas. People in high school used to call the crowd I ran with the "BP's." And it was true. We thought we owned the world and in reality, we probably did. The problem was, we held it over everyone and used our good fortune to satisfy our own ends, no matter what it cost. I could have never lived with myself if I had continued to drag her into all that. When I think of her, I think she may be my own version of 'the one that got away.' Sure, it was a short high school romance, but there are some people that just affect you so profoundly that you never forget them.

After moving in with my mom and grandmother, I put my nose to the books and tried my hardest not to get caught up in the clique-y, high school drama that had been such a big part of my life in New York. I had made some really good friends in high school and I now knew what true loyalty was. I concentrated on my writing and managed to graduate high school near the top of my class.

Which leads to where I am today, sitting with the other graduates here at Dartmouth University waiting for that piece of paper that would signal I was ready to take on the world on my own. I was graduating with a BA in Comparative Literature. I made it through my first two years without incident. It was in my junior year here that I got the shock of my life. I saw her across the common and panicked. Sophie was here and I was too much of a chicken shit to bring myself to talk to her. I made a career out of avoiding her. She seemed so happy and I didn't want to take the risk of dragging her down. I'm ashamed to admit that I pulled some high-profile strings to make sure we didn't end up in any of the same classes. How I managed to get through my final two years here without being spotted by her was a complete miracle, but when you go to a school that graduates about 1700 students a year it's pretty easy to get lost in the crowd. Maybe someday I would have the balls to try and talk to her.

SPOV

As I walked onto the Green with my fellow students, I couldn't help but think what a bittersweet moment this was. I wanted my parents here, but that was not to be. Life has a funny way of throwing a wrench into the best laid plans. It had always been a dream of my mom and Karen that I would go to Dartmouth. They had unyielding faith in me and I did not want to let them down. But, circumstances beyond my control led me to complete my freshman and sophomore years at NYU. I transferred here in my junior year because I just couldn't let my mom down. She made sacrifices so I could attend Brighton and my sister could pursue her modeling career. It was hard, but I wanted to see it through, for her. She deserved that, and through the tears that were threatening to fall, I smiled as I walked, knowing she was somehow here with me.

Karen and Ben had started out a volatile and passionate relationship, but they stuck. They balanced each other so well and were so happy. Karen modeled a little here and there, but had found herself content to work with her husband. She softened Ben's rough edges and he swore he would never find a better assistant. They still lived in New York, but often traveled all over the world on location shoots.

I took my seat and spent most of the ceremony reflecting on my life so far. It was so different here than in New York and I was amazed at how much I had grown. Annabelle and Gideon remained two of the best friends I had. I had a few boyfriends here and there throughout high school and college, but nothing too serious. I threw myself into my photography and earning my degree in Art History and didn't really want anything to distract me from that. Even though my father had his doubts at first, New York had been such a great experience for me. I learned so much more about myself and the world than I ever would have in Esperanza. Over the years, my parents had both commented on how sensitive and impressionable I was. Which brings me to the one thing that left me somewhat jaded.

Nicholas Fiske.

The night he said goodbye to me, I was happy to let him go. I wanted so much to believe that leaving was what he needed. I wanted to trust that he really didn't like who he was becoming in New York City, but I came to realize that maybe he wouldn't be able to change. He never tried to stay in touch and I got over him. Did I love him? Maybe I did, but in that first, puppy love sort of way. His father Julian and my mom tried to start something, but it didn't work. We Kerr women like to think of ourselves as very self reliant and I don't think my mother could handle the fact that Julian could throw money at any issue and just make it go away. As I became all too familiar with over the years, money didn't solve everything. He left Fiske Publishing and moved upstate to be with his family. I had heard through the BP grapevine at school that his parents were back together and happy. As much as it hurt to let him go, I really didn't wish him any ill will. That was a tough concept to come to terms with since he helped shatter my sheltered view of the world.

I really wanted to hear my name called so I began paying attention. They were up to the F's when I got the surprise of my life. As the dean was going through the other BA graduates, I heard him clearly read out, "Nicholas Fiske, BA, Comparative Literature."

Nicholas Fiske.

Was here.

At Dartmouth.

And had obviously been here all along.

It had to be a mistake.

So there you go. I know its short, but what I have planned next really belongs in another chapter. Let me know what you think! :) By the way, if anyone knows how to rename a chapter after it's saved, let me know. I can't seem to figure it out lol.