A/N - I don't normally like when writer's start off by profusely apologizing for not posting sooner. We all have our lives and things happen and get in the way and all that good stuff...such is my life, as well. However, it was finished last week and I could have / should have posted it, but was swept away on Friday to Indianapolis, IN to see Darren's concert...and then went to Chicago and saw him again the next day. Can I just say AMAZING time...great music, great people. Just...wow. If you have the chance, GO! :)
Big thanks to everyone hanging with me. And to those of you who are also reading / following Special Delivery, thanks for that as well! Glad to have you along! Have a great weekend! :D

K

CHAPTER 41

Jeff sat silently in the car the whole way home. The drive was short, and made even shorter with the way Nick was whizzing around the morning traffic, but Jeff didn't notice, and if he did, he certainly didn't care. Nick kept sneaking glances at Jeff and what he saw hurt his heart. Jeff sat motionless, staring out the passenger side window, unblinking, as if he were in shock. Tears had dried on his face and he looked destroyed. The anger inside Nick was near to bursting out and exploding all over the car, and it took a Herculean effort not to scream and rail his frustrations out then and there. But that wouldn't help matters…it wouldn't help him and it wouldn't help Jeff. Phone calls and plans needed to be made, and he would wait until he got back to the apartment to do it. After shifting into fourth gear, Nick reached for Jeff's hand and found that he was shaking…trembling to the point that it really concerned Nick.

"Jeff….baby….please look at me." Nick said softly.

Jeff turned his head slowly and looked Nick in the eyes. The devastation there was enough to make Nick nauseous. He couldn't help but think that this was his fault. He'd held on to Jeff and dragged him into this mess. There was no doubt whatsoever in his mind who was behind this bullshit story, and he planned to find out exactly what was supposed to come of it. Nick let out a short snuffling sound that could have been a laugh, which caught Jeff's attention. When Jeff met his eyes again, he was almost frightened with what he saw there. Nick was furious; totally, completely and thoroughly furious.

"God help the troubled soul that set this mess in motion. Someone will pay….dearly." Nick whispered to no one in particular, still staring out the front windshield.

When they got back to the apartment, Jeff was just as quiet and lifeless as he'd been the whole way home. It was so unlike him that Nick was worried even more. Jeff was full of life, he was fun and happy and radiant. This Jeff…..this Jeff was defeated and looked to have given up. Given the implications of what went down this morning, Nick was sure a thousand things had gone through Jeff's mind on their way home. All of them seemed to take a little bit more out of Jeff as the minutes passed by. He slumped down on the sofa, held a pillow to his chest and laid his head on the arm rest.

"Nicky?" he said softly.

"Yeah, babe?" Nick said, sitting down next to him.

"He did this, didn't he? It's the only way I can fathom it. I've never done anything remotely close to what this anonymous person suggests. The very thought of it makes me want to gag. Hurting a child that way…." He broke off with a sob. Nick put his arm around Jeff and squeezed, holding him tightly to his chest.

"I know….I know, Jeff. I can't say for sure, but you have my word and my promise that I will find out, no matter what it takes. I'm certain nobody at the school is taking the allegations seriously. Although I understand her position…having to ask you to let them straighten things out….I know, Jeff, just from what you told me, that your friends will stand by you. They'll figure it out. There is no sexual misconduct, therefore there is nothing to 'find' and it will all be cleared up and any suspicions put to rest, I'm sure of it." Nick said, trying his very best to calm Jeff and reassure him.

"I think I'm screwed, Nicky." Jeff said quietly. "Doesn't matter that I didn't do anything. The allegations have been made. Once word gets out, and I'm not stupid enough to think that it won't, the parents will be on edge. They won't want their sons in my class. It'll be like high school all over again…..social pariah. Speculation will be made with my colleagues. People I thought were my friends will now be saying 'I always wondered about him….' And no amount of anything I do will be enough to take it away. And God help me if they find something that even remotely makes me look guilty, whether there's a child involved or not. The justice system is not infallible, Nicky. If there's a message to be sent…a point to be made, someone is going to jump on that bandwagon and I'm toast." He said with a resigned, deflated half smile. Jeff dropped his gaze to the pillow he was still clutching to his chest and laid back down, defeated. Nick's heart broke into a million pieces.

Kurt woke with a start, realizing that he'd fallen asleep on the sofa, and now it sounded like someone was in his apartment. And he smelled coffee. And what the freaking hell, it was only 8 am. Oh yeah, his dad and Carole were here. Awesome.

"I can see your eyes open over there, Kurt. Want some coffee?" Burt asked.

"I've been asleep for all of two and a half hours, dad. Just let me gnaw on the beans, because apparently I'm going to need the caffeine today." He snarked.

"Don't be a smart ass, kid. Nobody said you had to wake up just yet."

"I'm not used to any noise here, dad, except for Captain-Screws-A-Lot next door." Kurt said, nodding in the direction of Sebastian's apartment. "Any little sound is going to wake me up. And I'm awake now, so I may as well get on with it." He said, hauling himself up off the sofa. He walked over and reached under the sink to grab Brian some food and filled his bowl. The cat usually skidded to a halt, knocking the bowl over, the minute Kurt set the dish down, but today he was absent, and probably hiding from their guests.

"So, wanna tell your ol' man what was going on in the hallway last night?" Burt prompted.

"Not really, as it's not any concern of yours, mon pere." Kurt said with a wicked grin and raised eyebrows.

"You're not too big for me to turn you over my lap and swat your rear end, Kurt. I open the door to find you on your knees in front of a guy you've only recently just met and you don't think I'd be concerned?!" Burt said with a little more heat.

"Dad, for the love of God, I dropped my damn keys! I bent down to pick them up and lost my balance. I nearly fell into the door, ass first, and I grabbed Blaine's legs to stabilize myself! THAT'S what you saw when you opened the door!" Kurt smirked. "And I think I'm a little miffed that you think THAT'S something I'd do in the hallway of my apartment building anyway!" he yelled, his voice getting a little higher with his agitation.

"Well, generally, I wouldn't think things like that, Kurt, but then, generally, THESE are not something I'd think I'd find in my SON'S apartment either." Burt said holding up the bag Blaine had brought the previous day.

"Oh holy shit…." Kurt mumbled.

Jeff dozed off on the sofa with his head laying in Nick's lap. Nick had been running his fingers through Jeff's hair trying to calm him down a little bit. When he was safely snuffling, Nick eased off of the sofa and retrieved Jeff's phone from the hall table.

"Hi hon, what's up?" Mrs. Sterling said cheerfully.

"Um…hi, Mrs. Sterling, it's Nick. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time? I'm sorry to call, but there's something I need to speak with you about. Can you spare a few minutes this afternoon?" Nick asked.

"Nick, is Jeff ok?" she asked, sounding curious and a little nervous.

"Jeff is healthy and whole, Mrs. Sterling, but something happened this morning that I'd like to discuss with you. Can I take you to lunch?" Nick asked.

"Color me intrigued, Nicholas. Give me your number and I'll text you the address. No, scratch that. I'll come home for lunch today. I'm right around the corner from Jeff's apartment complex. I'll text you that address instead." She said.

"Thanks, Mrs. Sterling. What time works best for you?" Nick asked.

"Let's say around 11:00…and Nick, please stop with the 'Mrs. Sterling' thing. It makes me feel old. Call me Caroline, please."

"Very well, Ms. Caroline. I'll see you at 11. Here's my number…." He said, rambling off the digits. Please feel free to keep it in your phone and call for any reason, any time. And thank you." Nick said, disconnecting the call.

Picking up his own phone, he made another call, this one to the pilot of the plane he came in on.

"Mr. Duval?" he answered.

"It's me, yes. Can we be ready to fly to Chicago around 2 pm this afternoon?" Nick asked.

"I'm certain it's no problem, sir. I'll do my best to clear it. Should I run into any complications I'll call you immediately, sir." Thomas answered.

"Thank you, Thomas. Me plus one this time."

"Yes, sir. I'll see you at 2 pm, sir."

Nick left Jeff a note saying he was out shopping, which was not a lie. He needed to pick up his suit from the dry cleaner down the street and he needed something comfortable to fly in. The note asked Jeff to call when he woke up, and stressed that Nick was doing anything and everything he could to head off the shit storm. He also asked Jeff to pack, and told him they were going home…well, to Nick's home - eventually. Nick felt helpless, as if he couldn't do a damn thing from here.

He made a mental note to himself, while standing in the line at the cleaners, to call an old classmate from Harvard. He had a few questions, and wondered if he might get the man to make a phone call on his behalf.

His last phone call was to Janice, his personal assistant and sometimes secretary. He trusted her with anything and everything he needed done quietly and personally.

"Nick, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she said when she answered.

"Hello, Janice. Always nice to hear your voice." Nick said sweetly.

"Shit." She said, seriously. "What now?" Nick laughed at her, well aware that she knew something was up from his tone.

"I know you'll probably think that this is beneath you, and I hope you'll indulge me this time and do me the favor. I don't trust anyone else to do it, and it needs to be done asap. I'd do it myself, but I'm driving and I don't have my laptop with me now. Can you help me?" Nick asked.

"I'll do what I can, you know that. What's up? Hit me with it."

"How fast can you type? Do you want to write this all down or just type it as I say it?" Nick asked.

"75 words per minute…give me a second to open my laptop….ok….go." She said.

"Ok, today's date, please. To: David Duval, From: Nicholas Duval, Re: Resignation, effective immediately."

"Wait…WHAT?" Janice screeched into the phone.

"Dad, it's SO not what you think!" Kurt said, his face flaming now.

"Oh? Because I'm wondering what else you'd be using handcuffs for, Kurt?" Burt said. At this point, he was trying not to laugh, but he would never let Kurt see that. He was enjoying watching Kurt squirm too much.

"Ok, dad…really, it's not that, it's just….give me that!" he said, swiping at the bag. Burt pulled them back out of his reach.

"No can do. Explain this!" Burt said a bit louder.

"Explain what?" Carole asked, coming out of the bathroom from her shower.

"These!" Burt said, extracting the handcuffs from the bag.

"Annnnnnnd that's my cue, I'm outta here…." Carole said without emotion and walked back to the bedroom to get dressed and out of her bathrobe.

"OH MY GOD, DAD!" Kurt screeched. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and shook his head, wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Then his phone buzzed.

8:12a from Blaine: Ok, I hear that you're awake. Can I bring you breakfast?

8:13a from Kurt: Um…probably not the best time, Blaine. (a;slkdjfkhfkasdf holy shit)

8:14a from Blaine: uh…ok? But I made you blueberry pancakes and they'll just go to waste if you don't want them? There's enough for everyone!

8:16a from Kurt: It's your funeral, come on over.

Blaine wasn't sure what to make of that, but he grabbed the platter of pancakes and headed over to Kurt's. He knocked once and pushed the door open a little, announcing his arrival.

"Morning!" he said with a big smile. "I hope I can get a better start today. I'm sorry about last night, but it was late and…." He began, but Burt cut him off.

"And what do YOU know about these?" he asked Blaine, seriously struggling with holding in his laughter now at the look on the poor boy's face.

Blaine was certain he was under water. The sound of the ocean rushing in his ears was deafening. Kurt's dad had the bag…the handcuffs, and he and Kurt hadn't even been able to discuss them yet. Gently, he put the platter of food on the kitchen counter and took a deep, calming breath. He bit his bottom lip and risked a glance at Burt. Kurt wasn't even able to look him in the eye.

"Ok….ok, that's a fair question I guess. Allow me to show you, then?" Blaine began.

"Oh, please, by all means, go right ahead. I'm just dying to know what these are all about!" Burt snarked back, now barely able to hold back his grin.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked softly.

"Hmmm?" Kurt answered, smiling sweetly and way past humiliated now.

"Kiss me? The way you did last night when we left the bar….in front of the diner where that guy was yelling about hell and damnation."

"Uh…Blaine?" Kurt questioned, motioning with his eyes to his father standing just feet away.

"Just…please, Kurt." Blaine said, reassuring him.

Kurt stepped over to Blaine, who was now leaning on the kitchen island. He leaned in to kiss Blaine, softly at first, feeling his discomfort all the way to his toes and back. Blaine kept his hands on either side of his hips, gripping the counter top. The kiss began slowly, sweetly, but as the seconds passed, they both smiled into it and Kurt relaxed a bit, grinning and still sweetly kissing Blaine. Without warning, Blaine snaked his hands up to Kurt's shoulders and around his neck, twining his fingers in Kurt's hair. Immediately Kurt froze and shoved away from him, the look of discomfort and utter terror on his face enough to effectively cool any rising flames that may have been there seconds before. He'd jerked back into the refrigerator and fisted his hands, the color draining from his face. Burt was stunned.

"What did you do to him?!" he yelled.

"Dad….dad it's….it's ok." Kurt reassured him. Taking a deep breath, Kurt looked Blaine in the eye and said "I think that pretty much says it all, don't you?" Blaine simply nodded sadly.

Burt was still unsure of what happened. "Someone want to explain, please?" he said uneasily.

"I, uhm….I'm kind of a touchy feely person, Mr. Hummel. Not creepy, I hope, but I like to hold hands, hug people to show affection, nudge shoulders here and there, put my arms around Kurt. Kurt….um….he doesn't do so well with that, as I'm certain you're well aware…with everything that happened, and he gets upset….very upset and frustrated with himself when I….I forget and I move to put my arms around him. I thought if I...um….if I wasn't able to move my hands, then maybe Kurt would be more comfortable…with me…with us….hanging out together." Blaine finished, eyes on the tiled floor now, then the countertop, then Burt….then back to the counter.

"Blaine…." Kurt breathed out, meeting the other man's eyes with a little, loving grin. How was this man so sweet and compassionate? He was willing to make himself quite uncomfortable to make sure Kurt was comfortable around him. Kurt moved toward him again, and Blaine instantly shoved his hands to the side, gripping the counter top once again to keep his hands away from Kurt. Burt still hadn't spoken. Kurt leaned into Blaine's chest, laying his head on the shorter man's shoulder and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist. Blaine's hands remained on the counter. It nearly killed him. He just wanted to be able to hold Kurt...to touch him without Kurt crumbling apart at just the thought of it.

"Oh….ok….well….I guess that makes a whole lot of sense. Unorthodox, maybe, but….whatever works for you. I'll uh….get Carole for breakfast." Burt said quietly, looking rather sheepish, and heading down the short hallway to the bathroom.

"Last night…." Kurt said softly in Blaine's ear, "you kept your hands in your pockets. We linked arms, but yours were shoved down deep into your pockets the whole way home, weren't they?" he asked.

"I was terrified that if I touched you, the spell would be broken and we'd lose everything we'd gained last night. Touching your face at the door was a gamble that I hadn't planned on taking. My hands had a mind of their own, and your skin…God, Kurt….so perfect…so beautiful…" he said, looking into Kurt's eyes. "May I?" he asked, raising one hand to Kurt's cheek. Kurt nodded his approval. Blaine leaned in to kiss him softly, smiling, and then he said lowly "I can't wait to see you try and eat these pancakes quietly, considering the effect they had on you last time." Kurt's eyes widened and he pushed back from Blaine.

"You're an evil, evil man, Blaine Anderson!" he said laughing.

"Hi, mom." Nick said into the phone, barely able to control the words coming out of his mouth.

"Hi, baby, how are you?" She said, very sunny and upbeat this morning.

"I'm…I'm ok…no, I'm not really ok. I'm in Ohio with Jeff, but…mom, I'm coming to Chicago this afternoon, and I need you to make sure everyone's at the pent. Even dad. Especially dad." Nick said calmly.

"And Bailey?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah…yeah, her too."

"Nicholas, is everything ok? You sound…strained… a bit." She said, concerned now.

"No, mom. Everything is very far from ok. Physically, I'm fine…Jeff's fine. I'll be in around 3:30 or so, mom. I'll let you know then."

"Ok, baby…how's Jeffrey?" she said, a hint of a smile in her voice now.

"He's not well, mom. He's not physically 'hurt', but… something's happened. We'll discuss it when I get there, ok?"

"Nicholas, I don't like this. I don't like the tone of your voice or the fact that I can tell you're seething and just wanting to blurt something out but you're not. Is this something to do with your father?" she asked.

"Yeah, mom. It is…but it concerns me too. Jeff and I will be there this afternoon. Please don't tell anyone anything. As far as they know I'm coming home alone, ok?"

"Nick…do you think that's wise with your father here?"

"Mom, it's the only way to do this now. I love you." He said, and hung up.

Several phone calls later, he was feeling a little less apprehensive about Jeff's "case", and he was on his way to Caroline's. This was going to be awful, and he was certain that after today, she'd hate him. After all, he'd begun this whole thing, and convinced Jeff it would be ok. It was anything but ok now, though.

"Hi, Nick, come on in!" she said. "Oh! Look at you! Such a nice boy, flowers…for me?" Caroline said as she ushered Nick in the door. "And you're even wearing clothing this time, how sweet!" she grinned widely.

"Yes ma'am." He said, blushing furiously and trying to hide his own megawatt grin. "A bouquet for Gram as well. Here." He said, handing Caroline her bouquet.

"Mom's in here. She'll be thrilled to see you finally!" she said grinning. "Mom! Nicholas is here, and he's brought you some lovely flowers!" she called back to the family room.

"Well, at least he's got some manners!" Gram yelled out, never taking her eyes off of Maury Povich on the television. "He's not the father, you twit!" she yelled at the tv.

Nick snickered as he rounded the corner slowly and stuck his head in the room. He watched her for a few seconds, grinning because Jeff had her eyes and he immediately was intimidated by the older woman.

"Well, don't just stand there starin' at me, come on in here boy!" she blurted out at Nick. She watched him like a hawk as he strode toward her, head held high, handsome and smiling broadly. Short Stuff had chosen well in this one apparently. He was a looker!

"Yes ma'am!" he said, hurrying into the room. "For you, beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady." He said smiling.

"Cheeseball!" she grinned at him. He liked her already.

"I can always take them back?" Nick said, reaching for the flowers.

"Touch my blooms and you'll be pulling back a bloody stump, young man!" Gram sniped at him, a mischievous look in her eyes. She was taking his measure, and he knew it.

"So, Nick, what brings you over today? You said Jeffrey is fine, although he hasn't answered my calls or my text from this morning. Seems Burt brought my car back last evening and there was, mysteriously, no charge for FOUR new tires. Now how can that be, Nicholas?" she interrogated him.

"I have no idea how that happened, ma'am…I'd be sure to question Burt on that. Perhaps he gave you the wrong invoice?" he said with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Or perhaps when Jeff decides to call me on his lunch break today I'll ask him what the big secret is?" she grinned.

"Yeah….about that….."

"Ok, honey, spill it. What's going on?" Caroline said, sensing that all was not as it should be.

"Mrs…..Caroline….I need you to hear me out. Let me tell you what's going on, and then you can shake the hell out of me if you want to, but…I need your word that you'll let me tell you ALL of the story, ok?" he asked.

"Fair enough." She said after a deep breath, but her eyes were cautious now.

"First things first, I want you to know that… no, I NEED you to know that I am head over heels in love with your son. I can't function correctly without him. I don't sleep well, I lose my appetite when he's not around, I can't concentrate on anything for any length of time. It's physically uncomfortable for me to be without him. I haven't known Jeff for all that long, and I know that's probably what's going through your mind right now, but I know how I feel, and I feel like I could die without him much of the time when he's home and I'm back in NYC."

Caroline tilted her head and smiled at Nick, clearly not knowing what was coming next.

"Secondly, there is nothing in this world I would not do for him if I was physically, mentally and financially able to. He's been very gracious about not accepting things, but he's going to have to get used to it. Please know that I am not bragging. I could and would do without any of the money I've made working for my father. Ms. Caroline…I fell into the family business. I went to school where my dad wanted me to go. He picked my major. I made the grades. The day I graduated from college, he took me to his company and showed me my name plate on an office door. I'd never been so sad in my life. I didn't want to work for him. I hadn't planned to, despite the number of times we'd discussed it. But I felt as though it would be disrespectful if I refused. He was my father, after all, and he had just paid a small fortune for my education. During my first year there, I started noticing things that weren't right. Business dealings that didn't seem legitimate. People suddenly retiring with years left to work, with no explanation. Emails would cross my desk that I was copied on that gave me chills. I started keeping a journal because I was beginning to be frightened of some of the things I heard and saw."

He saw the moment when it dawned on Caroline that this was less about Nick and Jeff and more about Nick and his father. And his father was clearly not a nice man. This was no surprise to her, but she was honestly fearful of what was coming next.

"It was then that I told my father I wanted out. I wasn't comfortable there. I wasn't going to be a whistleblower, but I sure as hell wasn't going to sit in that office and pretend I didn't know anything either. I left, and went to New York to work. I distanced myself from him, and from his company as much as I could without actually leaving. He is well aware of my feelings, and he knows that I will absolutely not deal with anything that's not totally legitimate and on the up and up. This is a non-negotiable point with me. I'm sure I'm a lot of things, but dishonest and deceitful are not part of those things. I run my office on my terms, and he knows this. We barely interact, and I like it that way." Nick said, pausing.

"I don't think I like where this is going, Nick." Caroline said with a grimace. "I need something to drink…would you like a glass of iced tea, perhaps some lemonade or a soda?" she asked.

"Lemonade would be fine, thank you." Nick replied. When she sat back down, he continued.

"My father gets his way, Ms. Caroline. People don't tell him no often, if ever. And if they do, people get uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I told him no, and now he's quite upset with me and willing to go to extreme lengths to make me bend to his will."

"Nick, what is it he wants you to do?" she asked.

"It's not what he wants me to do, it's what he DOESN'T want me to do. He doesn't want me to see Jeff." Nick said, ending almost in a whisper. His heart was in his throat now, because the thought of losing Jeff was debilitating. "He has ordered me to stop seeing him, and I told him no. So he has taken to some very ugly measures to make me change my mind." Nick said, unable to meet her eyes now.

"And what…what does this have to do with Jeff?" Caroline asked.

The lump in Nick's throat was nearly choking him. He had to tell her…had to force the words out. He felt the sting behind his eyes, knowing that any minute he was going to make a fool of himself in front of Jeff's mom and his Gram by sobbing like a baby. It didn't matter though. He'd embarrass himself ten times over before he'd see any harm come to Jeff. He just needed to fix this, and the first step was telling Caroline what was going on.

"The um…the tires, Ms. Caroline. It wasn't something you ran over, inadvertently. The tires were purposely slashed. All four of them. I accused my father of having something to do with it and he didn't deny it. So the…um…the tires were replaced by me. I felt responsible. In fact, they were paid for on my corporate card, dad's business, so in essence he's making up for it, but he just doesn't know it yet. I can't apologize enough, Ms. Caroline." Nick said, clearly shaken.

"Oh. Ok. Nicholas, I don't mind telling you that this makes me a bit uncomfortable…this stuff of him having done this to my car. Clearly he's trying to tell us something and….." she broke off, the wetness in her eyes enough to break Nick's heart.

"Ms. Caroline, I will fix this. If it's the last thing I do, I will fix it. I can't be without Jeff, and I absolutely CAN and will do without my father first. And after this morning's little stunt…." He broke off, realizing that the worst was yet to come.

"Oh Lord, Nick, what happened this morning? You said Jeff was ok…he's ok, right?" she said, almost hysterically now.

"He is physically fine, ma'am. When I left, he was sleeping on the sofa, blissfully unaware of his surroundings, but….."

"Why wasn't he at school, though?" Caroline asked, concerned. "He has the show with the kids tonight. Today was their dress rehearsal."

"Jeff was…um…he was asked to leave the school today…temporarily. An anonymous email was sent to the school claiming that Jeff had been inappropriate with a student. He's not allowed on campus until…." He stopped, watching her face crumble before she broke down in tears. He felt like the biggest jerk ever.

"NO! Jeffrey would NEVER have done something like that….ever…he's not….he couldn't!" she wailed, now getting the full attention of Gram across the room. She headed over to console Caroline, putting her arm around her daughter and giving Nick an unsure look.

"The principal doesn't believe Jeff did anything wrong, especially with the email being sent anonymously. They're attempting to track down the sender, but legally she has to ask Jeff to stay away from the property and the students until it's settled. He didn't take it well, to say the very least. He's home asleep on the sofa. I'd planned to take him back home with me…just to get him away from here and everything going on." Nick said, feeling shitty.

"Ok, so please, go back. Who is it that is supposed to have sent this email to Ms. Inselmann? How can she just shove him out without just cause? Anonymous? Was a specific child named?" Caroline asked, one question on top of the others.

"I've made some phone calls and I have people looking into some things for me. I need to know that this is not going to become a public issue. He did nothing wrong, and making it public is unnecessary. No charges have been filed. Right now, it's all bogus as far as I'm concerned, but…." He began, but found himself unable to go on.

"But?" Caroline prompted. Nick took a deep breath and exhaled just as slowly.

"I have every suspicion that my father is behind this as well. That's why I'm going to Chicago today, to confront him. This absolutely has to stop, and he needs to realize that he WILL lose a son over it if he doesn't back off."

Caroline and Gram both gave Nick a sympathetic look, which he was grateful for. He'd been expecting hatred and sneering, and figured he deserved it, being as it was HIS dad making their lives miserable. He saw none of that, though. Caroline reached across the table and took his hand and that was it. The dam broke and tears ran down his face without warning.

"I can't lose him…." Nick sobbed. "I've just found him, and he's perfect, and…God I love him so much…I can't lose him." Caroline stood and walked over to Nick putting her arms around him softly. He buried his head against her and just let himself get it all out while she held him like she would her own son.