Okay, here's the new chapter peeps. It gets a little..mature, if you will near the end so if you're not into that...just skip over it i suppose..I'm really hoping everyone likes this chapter...I'm pretty sure I do. As always, Read, Enjoy, & Review! The more I know you like the story, the easier it is for me to write it.

Chapter 33...

Raquel rubbed her eyes, yawning. She couldn't remember when she fell asleep but she felt surprisingly rested. The last thing she remembered was crying on Jeff's shoulder. Jeff must have carried her to her room after she drifted off. She sat up, leaning against the headboard, looking around her darkened bedroom. She faintly see the pictures on her dresser. One was of her and her mother from a photo shoot they did a few years earlier. Another was a picture of her with Brianna and their father. Frank hated the picture but Raquel loved it. If anyone needed to know anything about their family all they had to do was look at that picture. Frank was standing in the middle, big proud smile on his face. Raquel was to his left, looking just as happy though in reality she hadn't wanted to be there. And Brianna was on his right, arms crossed, not a hint of a smile, glaring at Frank out of the corners of her eyes. There was another picture of her and Troy from Halloween. She was dressed as a cat and he was a construction worker. She pulled her knees up to her chest, closing her eyes. There were memories attached to each of those pictures. She could remember those days vividly. She could remember what shoes her mother was wearing. She could remember Brianna rolling her eyes and making faces behind their father's back as he talked to everyone who would listen about a surgery he was soon to perform. She remembered Troy laughing when a busty blonde came up and hit on him, telling him how manly he looked in his costume. Those memories were wonderful but she would give any one of them up just to remember a face. To remember the face of the man who hurt her. She could remember feelings but feelings didn't help. Recalling how scared she was didn't tell the police how to find her attacker. She needed to do something. There had to be some way to get her brain to work the way she needed it to. She could hear someone moving in the kitchen and remembered that Jeff was still there. He was always there for her it seemed. How there relationship had changed so drastically was beyond her. The days when she said she hated him seemed light years away. Now she felt safer knowing that he was around. He and Matt had spent all of their time off in LA visiting her. She jokingly called them her crutches once. Matt was a big help too, and a great friend but things with Jeff were just...different. She wasn't sure exactly how but she didn't really care.

There was a knock on the door and turned on her bedside lamp, "Come in."

"Have a nice nap?" Jeff smirked, leaning into the room.

"Any sleep is good sleep," she ran a hand through her hair.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Jeff smirked, pointing behind him.

The door opened wider and Matt appeared, holding up brown paper bags, "I brought food."

"Well then you're more than welcome," Raquel felt the corner of her mouth lift. Matt disappeared, most likely into the kitchen but Jeff was still leaning into the room. She could see that he was studying her and she looked down at her hands, letting him.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, "I'm fine. I'm frustrated but I haven't figured out any way to fix it yet so..."

She shrugged, not knowing where she was going with that sentence.

"Why don't you come out here and hang out with us before Matt eats all the food?" he suggested.

She smiled, "Yeah..I'll be out in a minute."

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Maria hung up her phone, slipping it into her purse as the lights went down. Brianna would probably be upset with her for making the call but she did what she felt needed to be done. Fortunately she had a few minutes alone while Brianna was backstage pep-talking Brooke and the dancers. John was quiet when Maria told him what she saw when she came into the penthouse. Then, he told Maria that he had to go and he'd call her back. She didn't need an outraged response to know what her friend was feeling and what he would do. She trusted that he would know how to handle it.

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Brianna stood to the side of the stage, watching as the club owner started Brooke's introduction. Brooke looked over her shoulder anxiously and Brianna gave her a reassuring smile. The owner finished and the beginning of the song My Space began as the dancers freestyled onto the stage. Brooke held her mic up, casting one more glance back. Bri gave her a thumbs up and Brooke began her verse, walking out onto the stage. Brianna watched, leaning against some equipment trunks. She had a horrible headache and the booming music wasn't exactly helping but she couldn't leave. She looked down at her wrist, frowning at the bruise Nick gave her. She found herself thinking that it was the only thing he'd given her in a long time and laughed. She knew nothing about her fiancée manhandling her was funny but tired as she was, it was either laugh or cry. She couldn't understand him anymore. She meant it when she said he was obsessed. He was so convinced that she and John were having some sort of an affair that he couldn't seem to think about anything else. As much as she wanted to say that his suspicions were unfounded, they weren't. Not completely. Physically she hadn't cheated on him but she couldn't stop thinking about John. Everything managed to remind her of him somehow. When she was upset, he was the one she wanted to talk to. When she was happy he was the one she wanted to tell. She felt guilty but it wasn't her fault. For someone who was constantly bitching about her lack of attention, Nick certainly didn't do much to try and get it outside of acting like a five year old. He didn't make her feel special. He didn't make her laugh. He didn't do anything but upset her. She looked down at her engagement ring. The ring that everyone seemed to think she didn't know was purchased with Troy's money. A bitter laugh escaped her again and she shook her head. Nick wanted her to give him everything without giving anything back. She wasn't sure she even wanted anything from him anymore. Now wasn't the time to make that decision. She was stressed out and desperately in need of rest. She looked at the stage, trying to focus on Brooke's performance, making mental notes of things to compliment everyone or things that still needed some work. Brooke was doing a great job as were the dancers. Janna was still mouthing the words but aside from taping her mouth shut Brianna wasn't sure there was a way to get her to stop. My Space ended with everyone perfectly in place and Brianna smiled when Natalie looked over at her before the next song started.

"Brianna!"

She turned around, smiling when she saw Troy.

"Come on," Troy took her hand. "Let's go get a drink."

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"I'll be right back," Raquel said, standing up from her seat on the couch.

"Where ya goin?" Matt asked.

"My salad needs more dressing," Raquel said, taking a step toward the kitchen.

"Sit down, I'll get it," Matt offered.

Raquel shrugged, sitting back down and Matt got up and went into the kitchen.

Jeff watched his brother leave, frowning.

"What's the matter?" Raquel asked. "Don't like your chicken?"

Jeff didn't realize Raquel was looking at him.

"It tastes a little funny," Jeff lied, putting the food down. The chicken was great, his brother however, was the one that seemed a little off. He had for a while. Everyone was concerned for Raquel and did everything they could to help her but Matt doted on her like a hand servant. It wouldn't have concerned him if it weren't for the fact that it didn't start with the attack. He'd been following Raquel like a lost puppy for a couple weeks and it made Jeff a little nervous. Yes, his brother most definitely had a crush and when he fell, he fell fast and hard. As far as Jeff knew, Raquel didn't think of Matt in that way and even if she did, she wasn't in any condition for a relationship and probably wouldn't be for quite a while.

Matt returned with the salad dressing and Raquel gratefully accepted it, "You're wonderful. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Matt smiled a somewhat dopey smile and Jeff leaned back against the couch, praying this didn't end where he thought it would.

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2:15 A.M.

Nick was sitting on the couch, nursing another beer and staring blankly at the television when he heard the doorbell. He considered not answering it. Brianna had her keys, Troy was with her, Gia was out with her boyfriend and anyone else who would be coming by wasn't important. The bell rang again and he put his beer down, frowning in the direction of the door. Who the hell was it? It was 2 in the morning, not a great time for unexpected visitors. Whoever it was, they were fucking impatient because before Nick could move, the bell rang again. He got up, walking over, ready to send whoever it was on their way.

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John felt his fists clenching again as he waited for the door to open. It seemed like every time he got them to relax they would just ball into fists again. He hoped he could control himself when he came face to face with the person he came to see. His intent wasn't to beat the hell out of Nick. If it happened it happened but he wasn't going to open with a punch to the face, that would do nothing but get him arrested. After Maria called him and told him she saw Nick looking like he was about to hit Brianna, to say John was pissed was an understatement. His signing ran an hour and a half long and after that he had a brief newspaper interview over dinner. Once his business was taken care of, John booked the soonest flight to LA and now here he was, waiting for Nick to open the damn door. He rang the bell again and finally the door opened and Nick stood in front of him, looking annoyed and a little drunk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

John walked past him into the penthouse and Nick turned around, obviously feeling challenged, "I didn't say you could come in here."

"I didn't ask for permission," John shrugged.

Nick's jaw clenched and John reminded himself that he was dealing with an inebriated cop who had a serious grudge against him not just some idiot he could knock around without any repercussions.

"You cant just walk in my house-"

"Last I checked it wasn't your house," John cut him off. "We need to talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you," Nick said, taking a drink from the beer in his hand.

"Fine by me," John shrugged.

"Get the fuck out," Nick said.

"I'll leave when I'm done," John said, feeling his shoulders tense. "I talked to Maria a few hours ago."

"Oh great," Nick rolled his eyes. "That bitch has no business meddling in my business."

"That bitch is a good friend of mine so I suggest you watch your mouth before you piss me off more than you already have," John glared.

"Fuck you," Nick glared back.

"No fuck you Nick," John pointed. "It takes a special kind of asshole to raise his hand to a woman."

Nick was quiet.

"You're a real tough guy huh?" John asked. "Grabbing 125 pound women and shakin' em around a little, that's real bad ass."

"I didn't hit her," Nick said.

"But you wanted to, didn't you?" John stepped closer to him. "She made you so mad you just wanted to smack her, didn't you?"

"Shut up," Nick said but John could see in the other man's eyes that he was right. If Maria hadn't gotten there when she did, Nick would have hit her. That confirmation was enough to make John want to put his fist through Nick.

"What I do with my fiancée is none of your god damn business," Nick said. "You lost her. I'm the one who has her now."

"But you're scared I'll get her back," John said. "Isn't that why you're so pissed off all the time? Because you think she wants me?"

"Get the fuck out."

Nick came at him but before he could touch him, John grabbed his shirt, slamming him hard against the wall, knocking his beer to the floor.

"This is my business you son of a bitch," John said, getting right in his face. "Because if you ever hurt her, I will end you. You understand that?"

John looked down at his own hands, seeing that he was holding Nick's shirt so tight he was shaking. If he didn't let go now, he was going to do something stupid. He pushed Nick one more time, just so his head would tap against the wall before releasing him. Nick didn't move as John walked toward the door, walked out, and slammed it shut behind him.

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"There's gotta be some way to get him to stop snoring like that," Raquel smirked, leaning against Jeff. They were on one couch, still wide awake and Matt was on the other, sound asleep and snoring like a buzzsaw.

"He's been like that since we were kids," Jeff shrugged, his arm around her. "If he doesn't snore I'm scared he's stopped breathing."

Raquel laughed, "Do you hold a mirror under his nose?"

"I'm not that nice," Jeff smirked. "I just hit him with a pillow until he wakes up."

"Just like a little brother," Raquel laughed.

"That's right," Jeff nodded.

Raquel smiled, settling further into her seat on the couch. Jeff made a pretty good pillow. He was firm, yet comforting and he smelled good. She looked down at his hand that was resting on her arm. Her eyes traveled up the tattoo on his forearm and then she turned, looking up at his face. His eyes were fixed on the TV, his jaw comfortably set. He must have felt her looking and he looked down at her, smiling, "Can I help you?"

"Just don't move," she said. "I'm very comfortable and if you disturb my peace I'm liable to get very upset."

He laughed, shaking his head, "Well then I'll just sit here all night to make sure you're comfortable."

"You should," she laughed, resting her head against him again. She didn't want to admit it but she really didn't want him to leave. When she was around Jeff things were easy. There was no pressure. No expectation. He wasn't staring at her waiting for her to break down or to have some flashback. Matt's snoring got louder and he rolled over onto his stomach, his head hanging over the edge of the couch.

"Should we help him?" Raquel laughed.

Jeff shook his head, "As long as he's still snoring, he's okay."

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Brianna sat on the bed, flipping through the channels. She still couldn't get to sleep and it was starting to drive her crazy. She'd opted to stay in a hotel, not wanting to go home and have another stupid argument with Nick. She just didn't have that kind of energy. She thought about calling John again but it was late and she didn't want to wake him up just to listen to her whine. She laid down, looking up at the ceiling, watching the blades of the fan spinning around. She was still in her dress since she didn't bring anything with her. Troy and Maria had both offered to stay with her but she told them to go and get some sleep and she'd have breakfast with them in the morning. She checked into her favorite hotel, turned off her phone and put a do not disturb sign on the door. She closed her eyes and finally felt sleep begin to take over. Before she drifted off though, she heard knocking on the door. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling even more frustrated now. What the hell is wrong with people? You try to get a little peace and quiet in a nice hotel after a very stressful couple of weeks, all you want is a little sleep and they cant even obey a god damn do not disturb sign? She got up, her eyes heavy lidded as she walked toward the door, unlocking it and opening it slowly. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw John standing in front of her. In that very moment, the dam broke. All of the emotions she'd been struggling to keep at bay seemed to bubble over and she felt tears fill her eyes and spill over.

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The door opened and John looked at Brianna, not sure what to say. She looked exhausted. Her makeup was smudged, her hair was messy and she was still wearing a dress. When she saw him, she looked surprised for a moment and then her eyes got misty. Misty eyes turned into full blown tears and John did the only thing he could think of to make both of them feel better. He moved forward, taking her face in his hands, and kissed her. He guided her back into the room, deepening the kiss, his tongue delving deep into her mouth as he closed and locked the door behind them. The only light in the room was coming from the television but he didn't need it. He could feel everything he needed right in front of him. John's hands tangled in her hair and she clenched the front of his shirt. He kissed her so hard and for so long that he could barely breathe but he couldn't seem to pull away. His hand slid down her back, grabbing her zipper and pulling it down. She started pulling up the bottom of his t-shirt and he knew that he needed to pull away so she could get it off. Before he did, he pulled her closer, kissing her more feverishly. They were still moving further into the room and he inadvertently backed her up against a chair. He took advantage of the position, pressing his hips into hers, wanting, needing her to feel what she was doing to him. She started pulling his shirt again and he pulled away just long enough for her to get it off. With the shirt tossed behind him, he took her lips again moving them away from the chair and toward the bed. His hand moved over her back again and his pants grew tighter when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He struggled to get it off without having to stop kissing her. He pulled it forward and she slid her arms out and pushed it down over her hips, leaving herself in just her panties. John reached down to unzip his pants but she beat him to it, unbuttoning and unzipping them in seconds. He pushed them down, almost tripping over them as he moved her closer and closer to the bed. Her hands were on his neck and shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. When one of her hands moved down his chest and over his stomach, John knew that he wouldn't make it through any foreplay. He'd wanted this from the second he saw her again and he couldn't wait any longer to be inside her. The backs of her knees hit the bed and she sat down, pulling him with her. He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties, sliding them off as she scooted back onto the bed. She reached for his boxers and suddenly John felt compelled to tell her something. To make sure she knew why he was there and what this was about. After a few seconds, he ended their kiss, and breathing heavily, he told her, "I love you."

She stared at him for a few seconds and he wasn't sure if she wasn't speaking from shock or because she was breathing even harder than he was. He realized that he was tightly gripping the sheets in anticipation of her response. She reached up, her soft hand finding the side of his neck and she kissed him, speaking against his lips, "I love you too."

His tongue found it's way back into her mouth and he pulled his boxers off, dropping them to the floor. He spread her legs and when his hand brushed her thigh he became acutely aware of the effect he was having on her. She giggled self consciously and he smiled, gently biting her bottom lip. She took him into her hand and he felt every muscle in his body tense in the most pleasurable way. He removed her hand though, sticking to his no foreplay decision and replaced it with his own, slowly guiding himself into her. She gasped and he stopped, looking into her eyes to make sure he hadn't hurt her. She was biting her bottom lip but the corner of her mouth lifted enough to show him that she wanted more. Soon their bodies were moving together, he couldn't tell if she was trying to keep up with him or it was the other way around but he knew that he never wanted to stop what he was doing. As they moved faster and faster, a sheen of perspiration covered her body and he couldn't think of anything in the world more perfect than the way she looked at that very moment. Her back arched, eyes closed, hands clenched in the sheets. She was matching his thrusts with increasing speed and her tightness and the sound of her moaning was almost too much for him to take. He leaned down, taking her lips and driving into her harder and deeper, making her moan louder. Her hands were on his back now and he would be surprised if her nails didn't draw blood. Her breathing quickened and her legs tightened around him as she reached her climax, pulling her mouth away from his as she yelled his name. He didn't last much longer, his face buried in the side of her neck as he yelled, "Fuck!"

She fell back against the bed, still trying to catch her breath and he rested on his elbows above her, feeling dizzy. He rested his forehead on her collarbone, softly kissing her chest. He kissed her again and realized that she was trembling. Concerned, he looked up at her, "You okay?"

She pulled him up, kissing his lips and nodding, "That was...wow."

"Yeah," he agreed. "It was."