CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

THREE WEEKS LATER...

CORRI

Randy was sitting by her side as she waited for feedback from Brett. Her husband held her hand while she wondered if she would hear the words she hoped to.

"You've made amazing progress, Corri," Brett said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," Corri said honestly. "Ready to kick some ass and take some names."

"Do you want a drink?"

"Maybe a soda," she said with a grin. "No booze, no drugs... I'm not even tempted."

"That's great! And...?"

Corri took a deep breath. "And what happened is not my fault. It was horrible, and tragic, and fucked-up, but at the end of the day, I did what I thought was the right thing for the kid and his actions aren't my fault..." She knew it was true, even though it was hard to admit.

"And Nicky?"

"Is also not my fault, but that one's harder. Addiction is genetic... But I got the gene from my father, so I'm choosing to blame Santa's Favorite Elf."

"You're using the elf story. Good. That's a clear sign you're feeling more like yourself." He smiled. "You're ready, Corri. You're always welcome at meetings, but you don't have to come daily anymore unless you want to."

Corri smiled. "About damn time. Not that I don't love you guys, but I've had enough rehab for a while."

"Good luck to you, Corri."

"I'm proud of you, Corrinne," Randy said softly as they left the building together.

"You and the boys are three very good reasons to stay sober... Not to mention my desire to be nothing like that elf bastard," Corri said. "Now, to get back to work..."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm bored. I love my job. It's time, Randy. I have to get back on the horse."

He nodded. "You're stronger than me."

"You'll go back eventually."

"It's not even the PTSD anymore... I'm dealing with that. I think, given a little more time, I'll be okay to stop therapy all together... I just don't know that I want to go back..."

"You'd make a killing on the indies," Corri teased him. "If you're willing to get your hands dirty, Legacy."

He laughed. "My father would roll over in his grave... That's almost motivation to do it. But no, I'm a WWE guy."

"Scared?" She smirked at him.

He laughed. "Damn right. Those indy people are nuts!"

"Yep. They produced me."

Randy pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I love you, Corri."

"I love you, too, Sexy." She kissed him again. She'd been planning to rip off the band-aid and go back to work right away, but that was changing now. Tomorrow, she decided. I'll go back tomorrow. For now, all she wanted was to go home with her husband and spend the day in his arms.

NICKY

He sat nervously in his session. The doctor smiled at him. "You're doing great, Nicky," he said. "No drastic mood changes, no extreme highs or extreme lows in nearly a month... This new medication is definitely doing the trick. I feel comfortable saying we can release you."

Nicky blinked at him in shock. He'd thought he would never be released from the psych ward. "Really?" He asked.

"Really. I'm signing the papers for a twenty-four hour observation period. If you haven't had a recurrence at the end of that, you'll be released."

"I can go home?"

"Yes, Nicky. I believe that you're ready. Just remember, you need to stay on your medications. Follow the dosage instructions exactly and you'll be fine."

He was stunned. The first thing he did when he was alone was text Keith. I'm getting out tomorrow.

Keith replied almost immediately with, Finally! We'll be there.

Who's we? Nicky sent back.

Me, the parents, Molly if it's okay with you, and Bucks.

Nicky knew his Godfathers had stuck around not only to help Corri, but to be there for him. He also knew they'd be happier when they went back to work. Maybe now they would feel it was okay to leave.

Of course Molly can come. She's family, Nicky sent back.

Speaking of, Alanna's in town.

Nicky groaned. Alanna had told him she was going to come visit soon, but he hadn't known when. She was still upset at what he'd done. She'd been telling him he'd been a "bad Squish-Face," but he hadn't had to face her in person yet. She wasn't really mad at him, though. She was mad at their father for not telling her immediately. She'd barely spoken to him since finding out. Nicky hoped that would change once he got out.

Deciding he needed a distraction from the stress of seeing his sister, Nicky Face Timed Lucas. He answered quickly, and offered a huge smile as soon as he saw Nicky.

"Hey! How are you?" Lucas asked.

"I'm good," Nicky said, relaxing. He'd Face Timed Lucas every single day since he'd been admitted. It helped to talk to him and the two had gotten very close over the last several weeks. "They're probably letting me out tomorrow."

"Seriously? Nicky, that's great! I'm so happy for you!"

"Me, too... I mean, it's been okay here... I've just talked and rested and done schoolwork because I have so much time to kill, but... It gets lonely."

"I know. I'm really glad you're getting out... Are you coming back to work?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I think I want to at least start training again. I miss physical activity... It's hard to just sit around all day."

"I could help you train. I mean, if you want... You'll be back on track in no time."

"I'd like that." He smiled. "Where are you guys this week?"

"Back in Florida, actually. There are still a lot of legal issues, so Shane and Stephanie have to be here, and they keep bringing us back so anyone who needs to testify or give statements or whatever can."

"So you're close!"

"Yeah. I was planning to visit tomorrow and surprise you. We just got in today."

"My family's kidnapping me tomorrow... But we could meet up after."

"Great. Just call me. I'll be there."

"Lucas, come on, bro! We're meeting the JV Squad for dinner," Nicky heard Gabe call.

"JV Squad?" Nicky asked.

"Saraya's NXT recruits. Since most of them are legacies, we're taking them under our wing," Lucas explained.

"That's nice of you."

"With the exception of Kristy, they're probably our future stablemates."

"So you're leaving her out?"

"Of course not. She's awesome, and she's their friend. It would be rude to exclude her." Lucas paused. "If you need me, I could put it off-"

"No. I'm okay, Lucas... I'll see you tomorrow."

Lucas smiled. "See you then, Nicky."

They ended the call. Nicky decided to focus on his freedom and that fact that he would be seeing his friends soon. You just have to get through a few more hours, he told himself. He was determined to do it.

KEITH

When Keith walked toward his car, he froze. There was a giant, unbroken wall of bricks in a circle around his rental. He looked at Molly in confusion. "What the fuck?" He asked aloud.

Molly looked equally confused. "I don't know," she admitted.

Keith examined the first brick. It had something written on it. Be my valentine! He raised an eyebrow at Molly. The next brick he removed also had a message. You can DO it! This was followed by, I believe in you and All you have to do is BO-lieve!

Molly started laughing hysterically. "He did it again!" She declared.

"Son of a bitch!" Keith shouted. "Goddamnit, Gabe! I'm going to kill him! This is going to take me forever to break up so I can get my car out." Because the bricks were right on top of his car, he had to be extremely careful to avoid scratching it. That meant each brick had to be carefully removed one at a time.

"You have to admit, he's really good at this," Molly said. She began helping Keith pull away bricks, reading the messages off to him as she did. He lost count of the bricks after a while. Every single one had something silly or cliche written on it. Some were connected, telling very lame jokes when put together. Halfway through, an entire row of bricks had the lyrics to Livin' on a Prayer. The oh, you're halfway there brick made Keith curse.

They finally got to the bottom. Keith looked at the last two bricks. The first read I'm sorry. The second read I love you.

That did it. Keith burst out laughing at the Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair reference, and once he started, he couldn't stop.

"Holy shit," he said. "He's better at this than I am! I surrender!"

Gabe showed himself then. He was laughing. "Is that official?" He asked.

"You beat me, bro," Keith said. "I have been dethroned."

Gabe opened his arms and asked, "Hug it out?"

Laughing, Keith hugged him. "And, as an apology, both of your dinners are on me," Gabe said. "We'd better hurry up, or we'll be late to meet the JV Squad. I sent Lucas on ahead in case you took longer than I expected."

Together, they piled into Keith's newly freed rental and headed to the restaurant. Keith decided then and there that Gabe had earned best friend status for life. No one had ever beaten him in a prank war before, and Gabe seemed to know when Keith needed to laugh the most.

DANNY

Danny was not the babysitting type. "Trixie, do we really have to do this tonight?" He asked.

"Everyone's going, Danny," Trixie reminded him.

"I'm just not really interested in playing nice with a bunch of toddlers."

Trixie laughed. "Every single one of them is older than I am," she reminded him. "Even Kristy and Faye are a couple of months older."

"But they're on NXT. That makes them toddlers. You're on the main roster."

"Purely because of the Legacy angle. All of them have more official training than I do. The twins are your age and have been wrestling since they were seventeen. That's a good three years."

"I don't play well with others."

"You play just fine with me. Come on, Danny. They're the future New Legacy members."

"We don't know that. And isn't one of them just some random girl? What is she, their mascot?"

"Be nice. Kristy's awesome."

"I guess we could bill her as Rollins' kid. She acts just like him." He sighed. "I just don't see why I have to be there. No one wants me scaring off the new blood."

"You're awesome, and you're part of this family, and I want you there." Trixie finished fixing her hair and turned around. "How do I look?" She asked.

Danny forgot why he was protesting as he looked at her. "Beautiful," he told her. "You look beautiful."

Trixie blushed slightly. "You look great, too," she said. She ran her hand through his hair and smiled at him.

"I'm in jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing special."

"Well, that leather jacket brings the outfit together... You look hot, Danny." She laughed as she added, "Though who wears a leather jacket in Florida? It's warm out."

"It's his security blanket," Ginny teased from the doorway. "It lets the world know he's big, bad, and tough. Right?"

"It's not a security blanket. As for the rest? You're damn right I am," Danny replied. Things were still awkward between him and Ginny sometimes, but they were both trying, and they were slowly becoming friends. When she wasn't being a complete bitch, Danny kind of liked Ginny. She was dark and twisted, just like him. He got the impression that when he wasn't being a total asshole, she kind of liked him, too.

"We're going to be late if you two don't hurry up," Ginny said. "Are you ready?"

"No. But I'm going anyway," Danny said.

Together, they left for the restaurant.

MOLLY

The baby legacies were gathered at the restaurant already, along with Lucas, Ginny, Trixie, and Danny. "Molly!" The twins shouted in unison. They'd worked on the indies with her.

Scotty went in for a kiss, but Molly gave him her cheek instead of her lips. "Sorry, boys, I'm a taken woman now," she said.

"I will lay awake at night weeping over this," Scotty informed her dramatically.

"Keith is a lucky man," Toby added.

"I certainly am," Keith agreed.

They sat down to eat, making easy small talk. Riley latched on to Molly. They'd been friends as children, but it had been a long time since they'd been in touch. It seemed they were still easy friends. It's in our blood, Molly thought. We're both Shield offspring. We were destined to be friends.

Her phone began to ring. Molly saw it was Dillon. She excused herself so she could answer it. "Hey," she greeted him.

"Mom's in jail," Dillon blurted out.

Molly froze in confusion. "What happened?" She asked.

"Sellie went for the maximum punishment. Not only did Mom lose custody of us, but she's been convicted on a bunch of charges... Child abuse, neglect, endangering the welfare of a minor... All of it. She'll be in jail for a long time."

"Good. The bitch deserves to rot."

"I'll be a legal adult before she gets out, but just in case Randi isn't, Sellie made sure she can't ever get custody back."

"I'm glad... Are you okay?"

"I think I am. My father's taking me home with him...I'm a little nervous."

"You'll be fine. Mark's great. How's Randi?"

"She's good. She's excited Trinity and Johnny are taking her home." He paused. "Trinity's really latched on to her. She wasn't feeling well one night, and Trinity comforted her and put her to bed, and Randi slipped and called her mommy. After that, Trinity told her it was okay, so she's been calling her that ever since. In the last couple of months, she's been more of a mother to Randi than our actual mom ever was."

It made Molly happy to think Randi had finally found a safe, loving home. "She deserves that," she said. "You both do."

"I like my dad. He's pretty awesome. And I am slowly getting to know my siblings and Michelle. I'm not about to call her mom, but she's not so bad."

"I'm glad you guys are doing well."

"Thanks to you." He paused. "I have to go, but I wanted you to know what was going on."

"I appreciate that. Call me anytime, Dillon."

"Okay." He hesitated again. "I love you, Molly."

She was surprised. They'd never hit the mushy point before, but this was her little brother, and she'd definitely gotten attached to the kid. "Love you, too, Dill," she said truthfully. Her reunion with the egg donor had been awful, but she'd gained two siblings out of it, and they were worth the rest of the crap.

CORRI

The following morning, Corri headed back to NXT. Paul was with her. "Are you ready?" He asked her.

"Definitely. Are you?" She asked.

"I think so."

"Let's do this, Paul. It's time to get back on track."

Together, they walked into the Performance Center. The last time Corri had been here, everything had been different, but it still felt like she was coming home. She and Paul looked at Saraya's circle of performers. Corri recognized some of them. Faye squeeled and ran to her as she spotted her.

"You're back!" She shrieked.

"Am I forgotten already?" Saraya teased.

"Sorry... I'm just excited," Faye said.

"I missed you, too, Faye," Corri said. She hugged her and then sent her back to training.

"Oh, sweet God," Paul mumbled as he spotted the twins in the ring with two of the few NXT kids who had stuck around. "Those are Punk's boys, aren't they?"

"Indeed they are," Saraya said.

"Damn, you've got balls!" Corri said with a laugh. "Nice one."

Paul paused thoughtfully as he watched them. "They're actually really good," he admitted. "Good choice, Saraya. Who else did you recruit?"

Corri was stunned Paul had just accepted the twins like that. CM Punk had been banned from mention forever. She'd expected Paul to physically throw the twins out himself. Saraya seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Saraya finally recovered enough to answer him. "It's a very small roster with all the people who quit, but we had maybe eight who stayed, and I brought in the twins, Riley, and Kristy. Riley, as it turns out, is little Gracie, Joe's daughter, which I had no idea about. She's got that Samoan athleticism in spades, and she's phenomenal for someone who's only been training for a year. Kristy's got speed and flying skills for days, and she's adorable. The indy fans love her, and I know our fans will, too."

"That's a great start, Saraya. I think we need a few more new recruits, but... Well, in light of things..."

"I can get people. I just wanted to start small, especially since I brought contraband in." Saraya pointed to the twins.

Corri laughed. "I've seen their indy work. They're great," she said. "As good as their parents... Maybe better."

"Are you sure anyone will be willing to come to NXT now?" Paul asked.

"WWE is still WWE. One bad egg won't destroy it. Look at Benoit," Saraya said. "Oops! I'm sorry. That person never existed."

"Like Hogan," Corri said.

"Or Punk. Oh, wait, did I just blow that by bringing in the sons of someone who never existed?"

Paul paused. "That changes now," he said suddenly.

"What?" Corri asked in confusion. He couldm't mean what she thought he meant.

"The way we try to make people vanish from existence to make ourselves look better. They were people. They were our people... And we failed them." He shook his head. "Every single person who comes through here is one of our people. Every superstar, every announcer, every local jobber, every fan, every idiot who's taken too many bad bumps or done too many drugs... Every Boot Camper... Jordy." It looked like he had trouble saying his name, but he managed to get it out. "Jordy, Benoit, Hogan, Punk... They were all a part of our history, and erasing them to make ourselves look better is wrong on so many levels." He shook his head. "It ends now. From now on, we own our mistakes. And we learn from them. We need to make sure that every single employee of this company has access to mental health help. No one should be afraid to ask for help, and not just some drug pusher... What happened to Nicky is our fault. I will not let it happen to anyone else." He looked at Corri. "I'm so sorry, Corri. I made so many bad choices for him... I took away his choices about school and training and when he should debut... And I was wrong. I really am sorry for his pain."

Corri was stunned. She looked at Paul and tried to think of something to say, but she had no words. The last thing she'd ever expected from Paul Levesque was an apology. She simply nodded.

"So, everyone has mental health resources and no one has to fear losing their job if they need time off to take care of themselves. And we stop removing people from our history... And put the people we did remove back. That's where we start. Things are going to change around here."

Corri believed him. She'd never seen him so determined. "Saraya's good for change," she said.

"I agree. I hope you'll stay on, Saraya. NXT needs you," Paul said.

Saraya smiled. "I'm in it for the long haul. Wild horses couldn't drag me away," she said.

"Well, show us what the kids have got," Corri said. "But I have to leave at two... My baby's coming home today."

Saraya hugged her. "Can Cay and I tag along? I know Trixie's going to go with Keith and Molly," she said.

"Of course," Corri said. "He needs his family right now."

"He's got us."

Corri nodded, hoping Nicky would feel loved and be happy to see everyone. It had been so hard knowing her baby was in a psychiatric ward struggling to get well, but she was proud of the progress he'd made. She was also relieved he was finally coming home.

NICKY

He'd made it through his last session. He was cleared to go home. And he was absolutely terrified. "What if I can't handle being out there?" Nicky asked.

"Nicky, I promise you're going to be fine," the doctor said confidently. "You'll be continuing treatment out-patient, and as long as you stick to your medication schedule, you shouldn't have any issues. You have my number in case of an emergency."

Nicky tried to relax. As he tentatively took his first steps toward freedom, he was nearly knocked over by Alanna. "Squish-Face!" She shrieked as she hugged him. "Thank God..." She whispered into his hair. "Thank God you're alright..."

He'd expected anger, but it seemed Alanna was too relieved to see him alive to be angry anymore. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Shhh... There's no need for that. You were sick. Would you apologize to me if you'd had appendicitis?"

"No, but-"

"It's the same thing, Nicky..." She used his real name so infrequently, he was slightly shocked to hear it. "You couldn't control this because you were sick. Now you're doing something so you don't get sick again. That's what's important."

"She's right," his father said as he took over hugging him.

"Of course I am," Alanna said as if there were no other possibility.

"Baby..." His mother whispered. She pulled him into her arms.

Nicky almost started to cry. "I never meant to hurt you, Mom," he said.

"You didn't, Baby," she insisted. "You scared the hell out of me, but you didn't do it to hurt me and I never took it that way."

"You ended up in rehab..."

"That wasn't your fault. There were a lot of factors. What happened with you made me realize I needed extra help, but I was already there. I'm okay now, Baby. I didn't break my sobriety, and I'm doing much better now."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Baby."

He hugged the Bucks and his aunts, and he hugged Trixie even tighter because he knew she needed it. He'd broken something in Trixie and he would always be sorry for that, even if she'd forgiven him.

Molly was next. She whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry for my part in breaking you, Nicky... I love you."

"You didn't do anything wrong," he whispered back.

"I took your virginity and then broke your heart... I'm a monster."

He pulled back and led her to the side so they could talk. The others gave them their space. Nicky hated seeing Molly look so lost and vulnerable. He looked into her eyes. "No, you're not," he said. "You're my best friend. You were always honest with me. I just have issues, and I took it out on Keith... Unfairly. I know you love me, and I love you, too. I never blamed you, Molly. None of this is your fault. I... I was really screwed up in the head, but that's not because of you. Not even a little bit. You saved me, Molly. You were there for me when no one else was. You and Lucas realized I wasn't okay, and even in the middle if all your own crap, you took the time to take care of me... To make me realize I had a problem, and to get me through it. You detoxed me. You stayed with me while I screamed, and panicked, and fell apart, and you and Lucas and Keith were the ones desperately trying to put me back together."

"And then you..." Molly looked away. "You said you were okay, then you tried to... Nicky, you almost died!" She started to cry. "I almost lost you! I had to watch them take you out on a stretcher and hope you were going to make it... All while holding it together because Keith broke, and Trixie broke, and the only other person keeping it together was Danny of all people... You were dying, and my other two best friends were broken, and I didn't know what to do..."

Nicky pulled her into his arms. "Molly, I am so sorry. I know I screwed up. I know I hurt all of you... I didn't know what to do. I thought you'd all be better off, that no one needed me... But I see now that I was wrong. And I really hope you can forgive me."

Molly calmed herself down. "I'm not mad, Nicky. I was terrified, and I kept that all in, but I'm not mad at you. I should have called your parents as soon as I saw how bad things were. You needed help, but I convinced myself we could do it on our own. That was really stupid of me."

"You were trying to do what I asked. You were being a good friend."

"I was being an idiot. I'm older-"

"Barely. You're only a year older than I am."

"But I'm more mature. And I knew better..."

"Stop it. I was sick, Molly. And you did everything you could for me. I love you. So stop blaming yourself."

"I'll try... But it's hard."

"I know." He hugged her again.

Now that Molly was calmer, Nicky walked back to the others and faced his brother. Keith had come to see him twice with Molly since their fight, but it had been a few weeks. They'd texted each other every few days, but facing him was different. Keith had walked on eggshells when he'd visited him, but now Nicky was ready to face the consequences of his actions.

"Nick..." Keith said. He hugged him. So many hugs at once made him feel like they were playing Pass the Nicky, but it wasn't so bad.

"I'm sorry, Keith," Nicky said. "For everything."

"I know you are. So am I."

"Are you mad?"

"No. I was hurt, but I wasn't mad. You have a right to your feelings."

"But you've done so much for me..."

"We're brothers, Nicky. We fight and we get jealous of each other. It's what siblings do. But at the end of the day, I am always going to have your back, just like I know you have mine."

"I do. Really."

"I never doubted it."

Nicky relaxed after that. His family took him home, and they stayed for a while, but slowly, everyone started to leave. He grabbed Trixie before she could go. "Are you still hanging out with Danny?" He asked.

"Yeah," Trixie said. "You could say that..." She looked at her shoes.

"Meaning...?"

"We're sort of... um... dating." She raised her eyes slowly, looking at him nervously.

Nicky was surprised, but not as much as he should be. "Then why isn't he here?" He asked.

"He didn't think it was his place. I told him he should come, but... He didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

"He saved my life. I literally wouldn't be here if he hadn't reacted... He should have come. He deserves to be here today... Will you... Will you thank him for me?"

"Of course I will." She hugged him.

"I love you, Trix."

"I love you, too. I'll see you soon, Nicky."

When everyone but his parents had left, Nicky asked, "Is it okay if I go out for a little while?"

"Baby, I don't know if that's a good idea," his mother said. "You've had a long day."

"I'm okay. I just want to go see Lucas for a bit."

His father considered this. "Lucas is a good kid," he said to his mother. "And he's been stuck in that hospital for weeks..."

"I know Lucas is a good kid. I trained Baby Bo, remember?" She laughed. "Alright, you can go, but text me when you get there, and either have Lucas bring you home or have one of us come get you."

"Thanks, Mom." He hugged both of his parents before leaving. He walked to the hotel, enjoying feeling the air on his skin. This was the first time he'd been alone and unmonitored since he'd slit his wrists. It was strange, and a little bit scary, but he needed to learn to trust himself as much as everyone else needed to relearn to trust him.

Lucas smiled when he opened his hotel room door. "You didn't tell me you were on your way!" He said, giving Nicky a hug. He led him inside. "How are you feeling? Did everything go okay with your family?"

"It went better than I expected it to," Nicky admitted.

"So, how do we celebrate your release?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could dance..."

Lucas grinned. "Already trying to win Molly's heart again, huh? Come on, let's see what you remember." He put on his 80's playlist and started dancing. Nicky joined in, easily falling into step with him. "Hey, you've gotten better!" Lucas said with surprise.

"I had time to practice," Nicky said with a slight laugh. "There's not much to do in a psych ward, and Dad brought me my iPod, so I had the music..."

"You're going to be better than me soon!"

"I doubt that very much." Nicky was laughing harder at that. "It's nice of you to say, though."

They danced for another minute before Lucas said, "Molly's definitely going to be impressed now!"

"Molly's not the one I'm trying to impress anymore," Nicky said.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

Nicky decided it was now or never. He pulled Lucas into his arms and kissed him. He had never kissed a boy before... but he really liked it. Especially when Lucas started to kiss him back.

When Nicky broke up the kiss, Lucas looked worried. "Nicky... Are you okay? I mean... You're not...?"

"I'm not manic," Nicky promised. "For the first time in a while, I'm thinking clearly, Lucas... When you spend time in a psych ward, you have a lot of time to think... And I realized that Molly was what I thought I was supposed to want. She's gorgeous, and she's my best friend, but I've never paid much attention to girls before... So when we... Well, let's just say that we shared an experience together... And I told myself I must be in love with her, because I enjoyed it and she means the world to me. And then the karaoke night happened, and I watched her fall for my brother, and I felt like she was just one more person who wanted Keith and didn't care about me... I told myself I had to win her back, which is ridiculous because she's not a trophy... But I was broken, and I felt better around her. So I asked you to help me learn to dance, and that was going great... And I started really looking forward to spending time with you... And I didn't understand it, because it had never occurred to me that being gay was a possibility for me, but in the hospital, I realized that all I wanted was to talk to you, and see you, and be around you again... Our nightly talks got me through the darkest times while I was there... And I realized everything I'd been telling myself I felt for Molly, I actually felt for you, and all I wanted to do was kiss you..." He took a deep breath. "So, no, I'm not manic... But I understand if you don't feel the same way about me."

Lucas looked at him for a moment before saying, "I never thought you felt the same way..." He kissed him, and Nicky felt a shock go through his system. This was right. This was what he'd been looking for all along.

"I love you, Lucas," Nicky said shyly. "In case my rambling wasn't clear."

Lucas looked at him with a look he'd never seen in anyone's eyes before, at least not one meant for him. "I love you, too, Nicky," he said.

Maybe falling in love with another man wasn't what Orton men were supposed to do, but for once in his life, Nicky was ready to stop worrying about what Ortons were supposed to do and start doing what his heart told him to.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Only one chapter left!