So this is pretty much the end of the hospital stay. And for you fans of Nic and Spiederman, it doesn't necessarily end pretty, but don't worry, it'll get better eventually. And reviewers? Much love. Oh, this story should be completely up by the time my Spring Break ends on Sunday and then the updates will be more sporadic. Sorry.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

The following morning, Nic woke up to Sophie sitting up in her bed, eating a banana, with Spiederman nowhere in sight.

"Hi, Nic!" Sophie cried cheerfully.

"Hi, doll," Nic smiled, sitting up in the uncomfortable bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," the girl answered. "Vin went to get me some coloring books cause the doctor said that we still can't go home yet. It snowed," she added happily. "And Christmas is only in four days!"

Nic got out of the bed and ran a hand through her mostly decent-looking hair, even after sleeping on it wrong. "Did he have you call your parents?"

"Nope," Sophie shook her head. "Can I?"

"Yeah," Nic nodded, pulling her Razr from her bag. She dialed Jude, handed the phone to her niece, and stepped into the hallway to give her some privacy.

"What are you doing?" Spiederman asked a minute later as he approached with a bag of coloring books, crayons, and playing cards. "Sophie's awake."

"No kidding," Nic muttered. "I put her on the phone with Jude and gave her some privacy. Is that okay?"

He made a mocking face and sat down with her on the floor, folding his feet to keep any nurses from tripping. "I was just asking, Nicole."

"Please, do not call me that," she requested.

"You call me Vincent," he pointed out.

"Only when necessary," she replied. "So, how will we handle things when we can leave? Like joint custody of our Goddaughter with her parents in between?"

"I guess," he sighed. "I just don't think it's wise that you and I be friends for a while. Not until Monica eases up a bit."

"Fine," she agreed, standing up. "I'm not even sure I want to be friends with a guy who lets his fiancé choose who he does and doesn't see." And with that, she walked back into Sophie's room and slammed the door in his face.

"Why did you do that?" Sophie asked, handing Nic her phone. "That wasn't very nice, Nic."

"I know it wasn't, Soph, but sometimes, he just deserves it," Nic answered, sitting in the chair next to the bed. "What did your parents say?"

"That they love me and they're sorry they're not here," Sophie replied. "But it's okay, cause I feel okay and you and Vin are here, which is almost as good."

Nic smiled. "I think we're better. Or, at least, I know I am," she joked. "So, are you super excited about Christmas?"

"Yes!" Sophie squealed. "What did you get me?" she asked slyly.

"Coal," Nic replied with a serious look on her face. "Don't think your dad didn't tell me about you getting in trouble at dance class a lot."

Sophie's face fell. "It's only because I'm kinda better than all the other girls. Even Sadie says so and she's a teacher!" she whined.

"Just because you're better doesn't mean you get to rebel," Nic pointed out wisely. "I've been better than your dad at everything our entire lives but I don't brag."

"Nic, I'm sorry," Sophie apologized sadly. "I'll be nicer, I promise."

"We'll see," Nic shrugged vaguely. "Be good until Tuesday and maybe I'll surprise you."

"Okay," Sophie muttered. "Did Vin get me any coloring books?"

"Yeah," Nic said, going to open the door. "She wants her coloring books."

"Does that mean I can come in, princess?" he asked icily, getting up off the floor. "How nice of you."

Nic picked up her bag off of the table and stormed out of the room.

"I'm making you guys fight," Sophie whispered sadly. "I hate when I do that."

"Soph, no," he shook his head. "Nic and I have issues on our own. You're about the only thing we can ever agree on."

"Vin, can't you guys just be friends?" she asked him. "That's all I want for Christmas."

"Liar," he laughed. "You want everything."

"But mostly for you guys to be okay," she told him honestly. "I hate it when you fight."

He sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "So do I. Unfortunately, it's all we're gonna do for a while."

"But why?" she whined. "It stinks, Vin."

"Yeah, it does," he muttered, watching her color in silence.

Nic sat in the cafeteria, reading the newest issue of Cosmopolitan, which she'd bought in the gift shop, while sipping a hot chocolate.

"Can I sit?" a young girl, who she noticed was the girl Spiederman had been talking to, asked, taking a seat. "Thanks."

"Holly, right?" Nic mused, putting her magazine aside. "You and Spiederman are acquaintances?"

"Yeah," Holly nodded, tightening her ponytail. "So, more fighting?"

"You say that like it almost surprises you," Nic smirked. "Trust me, it's not so uncommon."

Holly smiled. "Does he fight with Monica a lot?"

"I don't know," Nic answered. "I only got back to Toronto last Friday."

"Boy, you work fast," Holly noted. "I mean, he said they were completely happy until you came back and that now, everything is all chaotic. He never mentioned that it's only been a week."

"I'm good at ruining lives," Nic laughed. "It's a Quincy gift."

"Whose life did Tommy ruin?" Holly wanted to know.

"Geez, what are you, the next Mary Hart?" Nic teased.

"Hey, he said the same thing!" Holly cried. "And no, I've just always been a big Boyz Attack/Jude/SME fan."

Nic smiled. She liked those kinds of fans who were faithfully loyal, no matter what happened. "Tommy ruined Jude's life, duh. I mean, do you think that when she won Instant Star that she expected to fall in love with her 22-year-old producer? No. And then, when he up and left a few years ago? That killed her. He's been consistently changing her life for almost six years now."

"Yeah, but at least they got a great marriage out of it," Holly pointed out. "I mean, you knew him before Jude; don't you think he's better off now?"

"Much," Nic confirmed. "And according to her longtime best friend, Jamie, so is she. I'm just saying that for Quincy's, ruining lives has become an art form."

Holly smiled. "Well, there's something to be proud of," she joked. "So, do you still love him?"

"Who?" Nic asked, even though she wasn't stupid. "My brother? Of course I do."

"Oh, you're funny, too," Holly smirked. "You know who I mean."

Nic eyed her. "How do I know you won't use what I say against me?"

"Cause I'm a kid," Holly answered. "And selling your life story to The Tattle is bogus."

"Right," Nic smiled. "And yeah, unfortunately, I do."

"I thought you might," Holly nodded quietly. "Why don't you just tell him that?"

"Gee, and make him hate me that much more?" Nic scoffed. "Pass on that."

Holly stared at Nic over the cafeteria menu and then put it down. "Look, I don't know you, and I only know him through magazines and TV interviews, but I know that the chemistry between you is there."

"Right, and by chemistry you mean tension," Nic noted. "Vincent Spiederman now sees me as nothing but a girl he once dated."

"Did you buy him anything for Christmas?" Holly interrupted.

"Yeah," Nic answered. "Why?"

Holly shrugged. "Just wondering."

"Right," Nic smirked, sipping her drink. "Well, only Jude knows what it is and hopefully, it'll stay that way. Unfortunately, I can't count on that cause she tells Tommy everything."

"Like a good wife," Holly added. "My parents tell each other everything and I don't think that's so bad."

Nic sighed. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'm not married, nor have I ever been, so I wouldn't know, would I?"

"Would you marry Spiederman?" Holly asked. "I mean, did you ever think about it?"

"Kid, I picked out our kids' names," Nic laughed. "Cameron or Brit Spiederman."

"Cute," Holly smiled. "Does he know that?"

Nic thought back to the night at the park, which had only been three days before. "Uhh, he knows about Cameron. Brit's one I keep to myself."

There was a momentary silence as Nic perused her magazine once more and Holly watched her intently. Even though she'd just spent a night in a hospital bed and was wearing the same white thermal and red Victoria's Secret sweatpants as the previous day, she still looked gorgeous, with her dark wavy hair framing her face.

"Take a picture," Nic finally mused. "It'll last longer."

"Sorry," Holly immediately apologized. "It's just that, well, you guys make a better couple. Even in appearance. I mean, her platinum blonde hair clashes with his dirty blonde hair. It doesn't bode well for pictures. Not that we ever see any of them though."

"Oh, I'll send you a copy of their Christmas photo," Nic laughed. "It's adorable."

"I'm sure," Holly grinned, looking at her watch. "Well, I'm due back at the nursery five minutes ago, so I'm gonna head up." She stood and looked at Nic once more. "Good luck."

Nic watched her go before calling out, "With what?"

"You'll figure it out," Holly replied vaguely, leaving the cafeteria behind.

Spiederman sat in Sophie's room, watching her color, listening to the silence. He was amazed at how content the seven-year-old could be while sitting in a hospital bed, even though she should've been home by now.

"Vin?" Sophie said softly, breaking the quiet. "Where's Nic?"

"Don't know," he answered. "Probably looking for lives to ruin."

She stared at him blankly. "Why would she do that?"

"Soph, Nic being here right now isn't good," he explained, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Yeah huh," Sophie nodded. "I missed her. Mommy and Daddy and Sadie and Kwest missed her. Didn't you miss her?"

"At first," he nodded, "but then I started dating Monica again and I forgot all about Nic." Lie. That was all a lie. He was lying to his Goddaughter. "And I know that you like having her back, but for me, it's not good."

"You're being mean," she whispered. "And I don't like it."

"Sophie, you're too young to understand," he sighed. "Nic and I have major problems between us that aren't going to be solved for Christmas; I'm sorry."

But Sophie didn't respond. Instead, she went back to her silent coloring and he sat back at the table, reading the paper that a nurse had delivered.

Suddenly, the door opened and Nic entered, carrying a bag from the gift shop. She pulled out bags of Doritos, Mountain Dew, candy bars, and a DVD of Cinderella.

"I figured you'd be tired of the crap they're feeding you," she shrugged, giving the junk food to Sophie. "And it was either this movie or Dirty Dancing."

Sophie pouted. "I love that movie. I want a dog named 'Baby,' but Daddy said I can't cause Lex is allergic."

"Yeah, letting her eat all that crap is sure to be good for her," Spiederman sneered. "At least we're in a hospital."

"Soph," she began, ignoring his comment, "how are you feeling?"

"Well, sometimes I get a little tired, but I'm okay," Sophie answered. "So, are you happy Christmas is in four days?"

Nic nodded and sat on the edge of the girl's bed. "Definitely; it's my favorite holiday, you know that."

"Are you still deciding if you're gonna get me anything?" Sophie wondered. "Cause I promise to be good in dance class from now on."

Nic smiled. "Soph, do you honestly believe that I wouldn't buy you a Christmas present? Come on, you know me better than that."

"Then what did you get me?" Sophie wondered excitedly, pushing aside her coloring books. She gave Nic the puppy dog look she'd inherited from her father, causing all people to melt.

"No way!" Nic cried, covering her eyes.

"Please?" Sophie pouted. "Nic, please?"

"Dang it," Nic sighed in defeat. "Well, how about I just give you a hint?"

Sophie nodded. "Okay!"

"Umm, Smokin' Oken?" she said, remembering that was something from the show.

"That's from Hannah Montana!" Sophie squealed shrilly. "Did you get me something with that?"

Nic shrugged. "I told you enough."

And with that, Sophie sighed contentedly and went back to coloring.

"She's so peaceful when she sleeps," Spiederman noted later in the afternoon while Sophie napped and he and Nic sat around, trying to separately occupy themselves. "And when she wakes up, it's like she's always trying to discover the secret to life."

"That or what all her Christmas presents are," Nic smirked. "Of course, what she wants most, she's definitely not getting."

Spiederman didn't have to ask to know what she was talking about. "I know."

"I'm not even sure I can give her second best," she added.

"Which is what?" he asked. "Orlando Bloom wrapped in a bow?"

"Funny," she said dryly. "No, I don't even think you and I can be friends."

He stared at her momentarily before looking out the window. "Maybe someday."

"Yeah, when Liam wakes up nice," she put in sarcastically. "Come on, Spied; you and me? Not friends. Boyfriend-girlfriend? Sure. Each other's most hated? Definitely. But friends? No."

"Right," he whispered. "Cause that would be just horrible."

"Awkward more likely," she said. "We didn't start out like friends so we wouldn't even know how. We're very Ryan and Marissa in that way."

"Ryan and Marissa?" he repeated just as it hit him. "Right, The OC. Nice pop culture reference."

"I try," she shrugged.

The rest of the day was spent with Sophie sleeping on and off while Nic and Spiederman worked on avoiding each other profusely. He'd go off to talk to Holly and she'd talk to her friend Kiley from Montana on her cell phone. Later that night, just as things seemed to be calming down between them, disaster struck in the form of a phone call from Barrie.

"Hello?" Spiederman answered, putting his Sidekick to his ear. "Hi, Mon."

"Hi," she said softly, almost as if afraid of talking to him. "How's Sophie?"

"Sleeping," he replied, leaning back in the reclining chair. "She's been up though, coloring and driving me and Nic crazy these days."

There was silence on her end. "So, how are things with Nic? Is she around?"

Spiederman looked up at Nic, who was reading The Devil Wears Prada again, in the chair next to Sophie's bed. "She's, uhh, not here now. I think she's down in the cafeteria."

Nic's head shot up at the mention of this. She rolled her eyes, closed the book, and watched him talk to his fiancé.

"Well, the news said the roads should be cleared by tomorrow, so you'll probably be released," Monica offered. "That's good news, right?"

"Yeah," he whispered, trying not to look back at Nic. "Sophie's all pumped about Christmas, so the next week or so, leading up to the wedding, should be exciting for everyone."

"I can't wait," she told him as he heard voices in the background. "Oh, Vince, I've gotta run; we're going out to eat. I love you and we'll talk later."

"Love you, too," he said just as he hung up.

"Love you, too," Nic mocked. "Oh, no, Nic's not here; well, I'll tell you that so you don't rip out what's left of my puny spine and display it in your closet." She gagged. "God, I feel inadequate just being around you."

"Look, you don't know what it's like to have your ex come back to town two weeks before your wedding, Nic," he snapped. "It's a difficult time for me, okay?"

"Right, and reading about the engagement in every publication made me want to go buy you a wedding gift," she shot back dryly. "Can I just ask you a hypothetical question here, Spied?" He nodded reluctantly and she continued. "When SME wins their first Grammy, which at this point, is inevitable, and you go up there to thank people, what will you say? 'I'd like to thank my wife and keeper, Monica, who I wouldn't be able to do anything without because she dresses me and tells me who to talk to and just completely runs my life so well.' Puke, Spied. I mean, come on. That's so not you."

"You have no right to say who I am anymore," he said bitterly. "You gave that up the night you refused to live with me."

Nic stared at him angrily. "Why is it that every time we fight, you bring that up?" she whispered. "I'd rather talk about my parents than talk about that."

This caught him off guard. He then knew how much she hated herself for leaving because she never talked about her parents; ever. "No," he said, shaking his head, "you don't get to make me feel bad now, Nic. None of this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. I wouldn't be marrying Monica, Sophie wouldn't be in the hospital, and you wouldn't be so unhappy and alone."

"I hate you!" she spat, throwing her book at him. She stood up, climbed into the spare bed, and laid down on her side. "You can rot in Hell for all I care."

Spiederman didn't respond. Instead, he picked up her book, put it in her bag, and sighed.