Nick woke up to find Jeff hovering right over his face. "JESUS- Jeff what the hell?!" Nick woke startled.

"Sorry babe" Jeff cuddled close to him "I've been waiting for you to wake up. Remember we were going to the community center today?"

Nick sat up abruptly with a suspicious look on his face. "Remind me why we're going again?" he questioned.

"You promised to start teaching me how to kick box remember?" Jeff lied smoothly.

Nick remembered the promise very well. "Yeah, I know, but just be prepared to have your ass handed to you babe" Nick grinned. "It's more than just dodging and swinging, you need muscle to pack a hit."

As if to prove a point, Jeff swiped at Nick with his right hand. Nick caught his wrist before it could even come close to his face. "See what I mean, my fragile little minx" Nick snarked back. Jeff just scoffed and tried to pull his hand away but Nick used his strength to drag Jeff onto the bed and catch him in an inescapable smother hug.

"Alright you go change into workout clothes, and bring your gym bag" Nick reminded him.

Jeff hopped away to the bathroom and hollered back at Nick "By the way, Emma is coming with us!" Nick frowned at that remark and muttered to himself "yeah, I'm sure she is." He got up and grabbed his bag to pack with his change of clothes. 'Revenge is a dish best served cold Emma, it's on.'

The trio headed down to the car and took a leisurely drive to the community center. It was Saturday so there were a lot of people around, taking various classes or using their free time to work out. Nick paid for their day passes to use the gym and they went to put their stuff in a locker. Nick wasn't sure how long Jeff and Emma were going to hold out on their secret plan, but he was guessing they wanted him to tire himself out. He decided to go easy on Jeff and stay alert. He wasn't about to let them know he was onto them.

"Alright babe lets wrap your hands up so you don't hurt your knuckles" Nick offered. They got in the ring and Nick instructed Jeff on proper technique. "Alright, keep your arms up in front of your face to protect it. Now when you take a hit try to lean into it to prevent your opponent from gaining momentum in their hit" Nick instructed carefully. When he was confident that Jeff understood enough they began lightly sparring. He let Jeff throw a few hits and he lightly tagged him as well. Nick would stop and correct Jeff often to make sure he was learning as best he could.

Jeff looked over to Emma when Nick was re-wrapping his hands. She gave him a stern nod with her arms crossed as if to say 'let him have it.' when Nick was finished he turned back to Jeff and asked if he wanted to have a real match. Jeff eagerly nodded his head and quickly readied himself. As soon as Nick gave the signal Jeff threw a fast punch at him. Nick blocked it and made a returning swing. Jeff missed his block and was hit directly on his left cheek. He fell to the floor and began massaging his jaw. Nick got down on his knees to make sure Jeff was alright.

"You ok babe?" he laughed, until he noticed blood trickling from Jeff's lips. "Oh crap you're not ok….. Where's your mouth guard? You were supposed to be wearing it for this exact reason!" Nick sighed exasperatedly. Jeff gave a pained grimace "I forgot, I was so excited to spar."

Nick buried his face in his hands tiredly. "You do realize we have to go to school and make sure you didn't get seriously hurt right?" he explained.

Jeff shook his head quickly. "It doesn't hurt, I swear! Besides, school is closed on Saturday remember." Jeff looked to Emma for help.

"He's right Nick, let's just take him to the county hospital and see what they can do" Emma agreed. Jeff didn't look pleased with the new arrangement either but allowed Emma and Nick to lead him back to the car. The car ride there was silent as Jeff jittered his leg up and down and looked desperately out the window. Nick noticed and gave him a smile of encouragement.

They parked near the entrance despite Nick's argument to go to the ER. Emma made a point to say it really wasn't an emergency. When they arrived in the lobby Emma asked the receptionist at the main hub a few questions Nick and Jeff could not hear.

"She said we should go this way" Emma stated calmly. She led the two boys down a slightly busy hallway. Nick was growing more concerned as they were nowhere near a med bay for Jeff. Suddenly Emma stopped and ushered the two into a busy ward.

Nick took a seat on the many chairs in the waiting area and Emma grabbed a few forms before returning. She sat down and handed them each a clipboard with papers attached.

"What are these for?" Nick questioned in a confused manner.

"Fill them out and I'll explain when you're done" She responded.

"But-" he was cut off by Emma glaring intently at him, so he shut his mouth and answered the questionnaire. Nick was a bit curious as to why the questions were getting really personal. When he answered all of them Emma took his form and turned it into the receptionist along with hers and Jeff's. When she sat back down she handed him a piece of paper to read.

"Ok, now I can tell you what that was about" she stated. Nick read the form and paled at its contents. He felt sick to his stomach at what he'd just done. He answered a Red Cross donor eligibility questionnaire.

"But- but I thought….. The community center?" Nick stuttered.

You really thought I was THAT drunk love?" Jeff scoffed "that's was a lie so you would let your guard down when we left to come here."

"How did you know we'd be going to the hospital?!" Nick spat hastily.

"It's simple, I told Jeff to take a hit for the greater good" Emma concluded.

"But the blood, he's bleeding, I really did hurt him…." Nick muttered.

"No, you actually didn't" Jeff admitted. He spit a small capsule into his hand. "Fake blood Nicky. We got you good."

"Jeff's acting has gotten much better too, I really believed he was scared shitless on the drive here" Emma added slyly.

"Well I'm not doing it" Nick argued stubbornly.

"Yes you are Nick, it's for the community, and you need to give back as a med student especially. We're all doing it" Emma countered.

"Yeah Nick! Wait what?!- We're ALL doing it? I thought I just had to fill that out for believability!" Jeff panicked.

"Get a hold of yourself man" Emma shook Jeff by the shoulders "and Nick, I have your tablet with ALL your textbooks on it. Its hidden and you'll never find it without my help."

Nick gaped at her with his mouth hanging open furiously in a wide O. he just stared at her angrily for a few minutes as he thought over his chances of getting out of this with all his stuff intact. He sighed in defeat and stress as he concluded the only way to get his books back was to cooperate with Emma. "Alright" he said quietly "I'll do it."

The trio sat in silence for a while. Nick was shivering partially from fear and partially because it was so damn cold in the room.

Emma was called back first. She stood and turned to Nick. "If I come out and you are gone or refused I promise you your classes will be harder without all your notes."

Nick sat rigid in his seat until he was called back by a young woman with silky brown curls.

"Nick Duval? Hi how are you, my name is Rachel and I'll be taking charge of your donation today" She greeted. Nick stood hesitantly and turned to Jeff.

"You don't have to do this Jeff, Emma has nothing on you."

"No. I'm doing this. I'm sick of you being the strong, tough, brave one" Jeff pouted.

Nick shrugged his shoulders "alright then, I'll see you in a few" he retorted as Jeff was taken to the back by a tall slender Asian man.

Nick followed Rachel to a private room where she shut the door and the two sat down. "Alright, I'm going to go over some of the questions you answered and then we'll do a quick check to make sure you're healthy."

Nick nodded his head stiffly. Rachel went through all the very personal questions with Nick one more time. Towards the end he was blushing.

"Ok now I'm going to take your temperature and check your pulse." She placed a disposable thermometer under Nick's tongue and applied a blood pressure cuff around his arm.

"Hmmm, your pulse is a little quick, nervous?" She smirked. "Your temp is normal. Now all I have to do is test your iron levels to make sure you're not anemic."

"How do you test that?" Nick asked hesitantly. As if on cue, Nick heard Jeff yelp from the other room, which caused himself to jump as well.

"I have to prick your finger with this lance and test a drop of your blood with this strip." Rachel explained. Nick nodded thickly and held out his hand shakily. Rachel cleaned his middle finger quickly and in a blink pricked Nick's hand. He flinched in surprise and then Rachel squeezed a few drops of blood onto a testing strip. "Looks good, you're ready to go Nick."

She led him out of the room and further into the back of the clinic where there were several chairs set up. Emma was in one of them already donating, and Jeff was being set up and he looked very pale. "Nick" he whispered weakly "Nick I don't want to do this anymore."

Rachel took note of their connection and placed Nick in a chair facing Jeff. Nick saw the man in charge of Jeff getting the bags ready and fiddling with a really big needle, oh god Nick felt sick thinking about it. He tried to smile at Jeff to reassure him but all that came out was a very loud nervous laugh.

Rachel was talking to him again, he had to focus. "Alright I'm going to have you squeeze this ball a few times for me Nick." She pressed a few spots on the crook of his arm and when she was satisfied she made two parallel lines to indicate her mark. "Ok Nick, I'm going to clean your arm now with iodine." She scrubbed his arm vigorously and it made Nick extremely jumpy. Meanwhile Jeff was having his mark made on his own arm and watching Nick intently because he was ahead of him.

Rachel tied a tourniquet around Nick's upper arm and handed him his ball again. "Nick I need you to squeeze this ball three times and the third time you will hold it ok?"

Nick couldn't find his voice so he just nodded wordlessly.

Alright Nick you can do this.

One…

Rachel found her mark again.

Two...

She had the needle in her hand.

Three…

Nick squeezed his eyes shut at the last second and felt a sharp stick in his arm. His eyes flew open and he gasped in surprise. Nick forgot Jeff was watching, and now Jeff had assumed Nick was in pain and he was starting to cry.

"Jeff, hey Jeff, it's alright. It's not that bad really; I was taken by surprise babe. Just breathe and don't look" Nick tried to sooth.

Rachel covered his puncture site with a square of gauze and left Nick to help calm Jeff down. Nick could feel his arm turning colder as the blood flowed out of him. He watched carefully as Jeff was stuck and he flinched more so from nerves than pain.

"See, I told you it wasn't bad" Nick mouthed to him.

Jeff looked panicked anyway. "Nick I hate having it sit in my arm like this" he whined.

"I know jiffy I feel the exact same way and it's freaking me out" Nick replied. "Ten minutes and you'll be done."

Time moved slowly for Nick as he looked at the pictures around the room to distract himself. It wasn't working well at all and he kept glancing back to his arm and flinching away every time. Soon enough Emma was done and that was Nick's clue that he and Jeff were getting close as well. Rachel returned at that exact moment.

"Well Nick you are a speedster, I just need a few vial to test and you're done" she smiled charmingly.

After a few more agonizing seconds Rachel gently removed the needle from nicks arm and had him apply pressure to the site while she ran to grab a wrap. Jeff was somehow already wrapped up and lying with his eyes closed in his seat. He must have been faster than Nick, but he was not looking very well.

When Rachel returned Nick asked her to check on Jeff and make sure he wasn't going to pass out. She placed a towel on his head and reclined his seat so his legs were elevated. Jeff's eyes snapped open and he started whining "Nick! No no please, no I'm fine!" he panicked.

"He doesn't like to lean back, it makes him anxious." Nick explained. "It's alright jeffy; nothing is happening to you, you're just resting alright."

Jeff relaxed a bit but he was alert enough to indicate he was not going to faint.

After five minutes the nurses allowed them to get up and have some water and snacks in the rest area. Emma was already there having some Oreos and orange juice.

"EW, I bet that tastes terrible together" Nick commented. She stuck her tongue out at him.

They rested for a while and Emma drove home because she was the most composed of the three of them.

"So, thoughts you two? Was that really so terrible? You saved three lives" she chatted.

The boys glanced at each other in the back seat and gave Emma a reproachful look.

"Message received then."

They sat on the couch for the rest of the night, and watched scary movies. Jeff threw up after 'Sweeny Todd' and Nick called it a night.

A/N: update time finally, I hope you like it. it was a slow start to write it but quick to finish. I will try to get the next chapter up by next weekend.