Chapter 17:

Courtney woke up the next morning with only four and a half hours of sleep. It was now seven thirty. She got out of her bed quietly not waking Nikolas and Nathan and going into the kitchen part of her loft. She started making coffee and went over and sat at the bottom of Ryans feet. He woke up like two minutes later. "Hey. When did you get back." he asked her as he sat up. "About three and keep your voice down." she said as he was speaking really loud. "Sorry and why?" he said looking at her. "Just do it and I'll tell you in a minute why but I have a question." she said looking at him. "Okay what is it?" he asked her. " I want you to stay til tomorrow." she said. "Why?" "Will you stop asking why and because I'm throwing a party for my foundation sort of like a benfit tonight and I want you to be there." she said looking at him. "Will you?" "And what am I supppose to tell mom or my girlfiend?" "Um maybe that you decided to stay one day longer and I thought you and your girlfriend broke up?" she said. "Or do you not remember to tell the truth?" "Oh I know how to tell the truth its just she'll flip." "Who?" "Brittney, my girlfriend." he said."I thought she wasnt your girlfriend." Courtney said again. "Well not right now but once I go back we will be agaain. It works like that. We argue break up be good for two weeks anddo the cycle again.""Wow, thats not healthy and I dont care Im your big sister and I said your staying." she said back to him. "I'll think about it now tell me why we are pratically whispering. Who else is here?" he asked. "Nathan." she said. "Wait I thought your ex boyfriends name was Nikolas." he was confused now. "Yea my boyfriend's name is Nikolas." she said. "Oh I get it you two got back together last night." she just nodded her head. "And already your cheating on him with some guy named Nathan? Wow, I would have atleast given it two weeks before I did that Court." "First off I'm not a cheat, second off, Nathan is his little boy and he is here also." she said looking at him. "I want you to be niceto him when he wakes up." she said knowing what her brother was thinking. "Why should I? Not the way he yelled at you the other night and to be honest I dont know why your back with that asshole." he said looking at her. "Listen Im the bigger sibling and I dont tell you who to date and who not to date and Nikolas is the person I want to be with and he is the one Im going to be with it so except it." she said as she got up and went and got some coffee.

After pouring her cup of coffee she asked Ryan if he wanted any and said no thanks. She went and sat beside her brother. They were watching cartoons like they use to when they were kids,when she saw somebody out of the cornor of her eye. She turned her head and saw a little boy with big brown eyes just staring at her. "Come here, sweetie." she told the little boy who walked slowly over to her not taking his eyes off Ryan. "Ryan, stop that!" she said hitting her brother. "What?" he said. "Your scaring him." she said as she reached her arms out to pick the little boy up. "Hey honey. Did you sleep good?" she asked him. He nodded. "Feel better?" she asked him and again he nodded. "This is my brother Ryan, he came to visit." she said looking at Nathan but pointing to Ryan. "Ryan this is Nathan." "Hi. Nice to meet you." Ryan told Nathan. "High five." Ryan said as Nathan smiled and gave him a high five.

They sat there watching cartoons with Nathan until thirty minutes later Courtney heard her name. "Did I just hear my name or am I hearing things?" she said looking at Ryan. "I heard it too." he said. "Oh. It must be Nikolas." she said. "Sit here honey, I'll be right back." she said as she got up and placed Nathan beside Ryan and walked over to her bed. She climbed on top of the bed and looked at Nikolas who was laying on his side. "Have a good night sleep?" she asked. "I had better." he replied. "Wow, gee thanks." she said. "Hey atleast the better nights of sleep were with you." She just smiled. "Are you still tired?" "Just a little but I've gotta get up I cant sleep all day." he said sitting up. "Sure you can." "No I cant. I got to much to do today." he said looking at her. "Oh like what?" she asked him. "Well spend time with you and Nathan and then go to the benefit and a few other things." he said. "What are those 'few other things'?" she asked him. "You'll see." he said. Pulling her into a kiss. She kissed him back but then pulled away. "Thats right Nathan and your brother are here." he said. "You got it. Come on so you can meet him." "I dont really want to meet your brother after what happened the other day." "It'll be fine. I told him to be nice." she said. "Fine lets go." he said getting out of bed.

They walked into the living room area and as soon as Nathan saw Nikolas he said "Dada." pointing to Nikolas. Nikolas went and sat on the chair beside Courtney's end of the couch and Nathan went and sat with him. "Ryan this is Nikolas, Nikolas this is Ryan." Courtney said. Neither of the two said anything. A few minutes later she spoke again. "Ryan is my younger brother by my mom and Nikolas is my boyfriend." she said looking at the both of them. Still nothing. 'Damn it' she thought. "I told you two to be nice and you cant even say hello to each other? I mean damn get over the grudge that you have against one another and just be nice for me. Im not telling you to be best friends but first off Ryan you dont pick and chose who Im with and Nikolas you cant chose my brothers, sorry I cant even do that." she said looking at the both of them. "Wow gee thanks and Im sorry Im not going to talk to a guy who treats you like shit." Ryan responded. "What? Thats a lie. Not once have I ever treated Courtney like shit." Nikolas shot back. "Yea okay then what was all the yelling and everything else and the way you talked to her the other day." "I told her I was sorry and that was the only time we ever argued like that." Nikolas said back. They argued for a few more minutes before Courtney couldnt take it anymore. "Shut up! Both of you!" She yelled. Nathan jumped. He never heard Courtney scream like that. He was just sitting on the floor playing with the weebles wobbles that he had got earlier."I had enough okay. Get along. Atleast for me." she said. "Fine." Ryan shot back at her. "Im Ryan her stupid ass brother." he told Nikolas who earlier in the arguement called him that. "Im Nikolas her jackass boyfriend." the name Ryan called him earlier. "Whatever. Its a start." Courtney said about the name calling. "I have an idea." she said. "Whats that?" Ryan was pissed. He had a short temper just like Courtney."How about you two go to breakfast lunch whatever while I take Nathan with me to get ready for the party tonight and I can drop him off at the babysitters.." she said. "Fine." Nikolas said."Fine. Let me go get a shower." Ryan said as he got up and went to the bathroom.

It was almost an hour later before they were all ready to leave. "Please, please, dont kill each other. I need and love you both and I dont want nothing to happen to either of you." she said looking at Ryan and Nikolas."Fine." They walked out to the door and down to the garage. "Be safe." Nikolas told Courtney as he helped her with her car door. "I will and you too. Remember what I said." she said loud enough for Ryan to hear. "I promise." Nikolas said as he kissed her. "I love you" she said as he walked over to his car. "Love you too and call me when your done." "Will do" she said. They pulled off in seperate directions.

Ryan and Nikolas went to Kelly's. The whole car ride was silent and the beginning part of breakfast was too. When they walked in they sat down at the table to the left. After the waitress took their order Nikolas got up and said. "I'll be back." and walked off behind the counter. It was about ten minutes later before he returned. "Where did you go?" Ryan asked. "I had to ask Mike a question." He said. "Listen, I know we dont see eye to eye but I want you to know that I was an ass the other day and Im not usually like that I just didnt want my heart broken and I thought that was the best way to protect it but it wasnt it still got broken. I love Courtney and I would never hurt her." He told Ryan "I understand. I would probably have acted the same way you did. I didnt know she didnt tell you about me." "Yeah and I probably would have acted the same way you did if it was my sister Lulu." he said. "Oh you have a sister? How old?" "She's 17 and she'll actually be at the party tonight." "Cool, I guess I'll meet her there." "Wait dont you have a girlfriend?" He asked Ryan. "Yeah Im just looking for somebody to hang out with tonight but what did you have to ask Mike?" he asked Nikolas who just looked at him.

When they all met back up together at Courtney's place it was a lot later. Nikolas and Ryan had to go get tuxs and Courtney had to get her hair done and she was waiting for Carly. Carly is never early. Shesalways late. She was thirty minutes late today. They went back to her loft to get dressed after she dropped Nathan off with Audry who was babysitting him and Cameron. Elizabeth and Lucky were also going to be at the party tonight. She met up with Lulu at her loft that way Ryan would have somebody to go with. Ryan or Nikolas didnt know she called her and she hasnt talked to them since that morning when she left them. She was a little worried wondering if one was dead and the other in jail she didnt know.

Carly left the loft after she got dressed and borrowed a pair of earings from Courtney so she could meet up with Sonny and go with him. Courtney and Lulu finished getting ready. Lulu was wearing a long black glittery dress that Courtney helped pick out. She had a silver neckless that was her moms and silver dangling earings. Courtney was wearing a spaghetti strap red dress that went all the way to her knee and then was cut off diagonally to her ankle. She was wearing the braclet and neckless Nikolas got her and earings she had for a long time. It was about seven o'clock when Nikolas called Courtney and asked her if she was ready and she was.

Ten minutes later Nikolas and Ryan showed up at her loft. "I didnt know you were going to be here." Nikolas said to his sister who answered the door. "Well Courtney asked me if I wanted to get ready with her and just go with you guys." she said. "Oh okay. Well where is Courtney?' he asked. "Um not sure. She was just here." Lulu said looking around her. "Im right here." she said coming up behind her. "Lulu this is my brother Ryan and Ryan this is Nikolas's sister Lulu." Courtney said introducing the two of them. "Nice to meet you." They said to each other. "Okay do you's wanna take two cars or one?" Courtney asked. "Two." Nikolas and Ryan responded at the same time. "Lulu take my brother with you and Nikolas, me and you can go in my car." she said. "Fine with me." he said. "Be safe." Nikolas said. Ryan was going to drive Lulu in her car because he didnt like being the passenger especially in a girls car. "So how was the day with Ryan?" she asked. "Pretty good. We get along now." "See I told you you would. You just had to give it ime." she said holding his hand. "You probably thought one of us would be in jail and the other dead." he said looking at her as they were stopped at a red light. "Yeah I did. I told Lulu and Carly that.." she said. "I know you better than you think." he said. "I know."

They arrived at the party and were talking to everybody. Ryan was having fun dancing with Lulu and meeting the other teens and Courtney was busy talking to Carly and Elizabeth occasionally as Nikolas stood beside her with his arms around her waist. It was now 11:55 and Nikolas asked to borrow Courtney from everybody. He took her outside and it was snowing. "Nikolas?" she said. "Yes?" "Why are we outside? Do you not realize that its cold and snowing?" "Well because I wanna talk to you and I realize that it is snowing and I thought this would be the perfect way to talk ." he said making their way over to a bench that was in the courtyard. She sat down on the bench and he sat beside her. "I love you." he said looking at her. "Oh no. What did Ryan say to you?" she asked. "Nothing why would Ryan say something to me? What does he have against you?" he asked her. "A little too much. We did grow up together." she said looking at him."Well then what are we going to talk about and why?" she asked. "We are going to talk about the future and-" he said as he got down on one knee as the clock struck twelve andpulled out a black box and opened it. Inside was a white gold ring with a diamond in the middle and diamonds all on the band and engraved inside was the words 'I Love You' "Courtney Leigh Matthews, will you be my wife?' he asked her

A/N: Did you like it? I hoped. I put a lot of thought in how to do the proposal and I thought this would be good. Feedback is always loved regardless if its good or bad I still wanna know.