Cookie: This is written for the Nick fans :)

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(Giovannie's POV)

I stared at the brown door, hand poised to knock.

      I didn't want to do this, I mean I really really didn't want to. What I did want to do was turn my butt right around and go home but that wasn't an option. Jenna was released from the hospital today and as soon as she got out she bullied me into coming here.

      To Nick's house.

      "Go and talk to him, Giovannie," Jenna had said sternly, "and make things clear."

      Make things clear? How can I make things clear to him if I myself was still suffering from perpetual confusion? I loved Hunter, yes, I know that but what about Nick? Did I love him too? I remember Hunter saying something along those lines. He seemed to believe it but Hunter wasn't the sharing type.

      My eyes widened.

      Oh my god! I'm such a tramp! Could I...would I really be okay with having a relationship with both of them? At the same time? Could I be so scandalous? Hmmm...Oh who am I kidding? The fact that the thought sounded so tempting was proof that I would be scandalous enough to have a relationship with both if they allowed it.

      Giovannie you naughty boy.

      "Morretti?"

      I jumped, swirling around. "Nick!"

      Nick stood in front of his porch steps, hands in his jacket pockets. My heart sunk when I looked at him. Oh Nicky...he looked so tired, so worn out. He had cirlces around his eyes and his shoulder drooped, as if the weight of the world was on them. Was I the one who had done this to him? The very thought made me sick.

      "What are you doing standing in front of my door, Moretti?"

      I swallowed. "Uh...I...I came to-to visit. You haven't been in school and we were worried about you."

      "Oh."

      Then we just stood there for a whole minute. Silent, unsure. I don't know what was going through his mind. Nick had always been easy for me to read but right now all I could see was a tired boy. It's like for the past 3 days he had been through hell and back.

      "Nicky," I began slowly, hesitant even. "Um...how have you been?"

      "What do you think?"

      I flinched. Ouch, okay I deserved that.

      "Aw, don't look like that," Nick sighed, running a hand to the back of his head. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

      "I deserve it."

      "No, you don't. What happened wasn't your fault. I shouldn't be taking it out on you."

      I took a step towards him. "What happened?"

      He looked torn for a second, a pained expression crossing his features but it was gone as fast has it had come. "Nothing. It's nothing, forget it."

      I took the last remaining steps to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nick, whatever it is, I want to help any way I can. You were there for me with Jenna...now let me be here for you."

      What could have possibly happened to make my Nicky look like this?

      He opened his mouth and shut it, looking reluctant to say anything else. I gave him my best puppy dog eyes, even pouting a little. Come on, who can resist the soulful puppy dog look? Specially mine. Maybe I should bat my lashes for more affect.

      Nick sighed. "Okay, okay, but lets go inside. I'm beat."

      "Sure," I said quickly, stepping aside to let him pass. I stayed silent behind him as he unlocked the door, pushing it opening and stepping it. I followed him inside, looking around with casual curiosity. Hmm, his home wasn't too shabby. It was nice and cozy with a few paintings of waterfalls and prairies.

      "Do you want anything to drink?" He asked as we stepped into his kitchen.

      "Um, sure."

      Nick opened the fridge. "We have Pepsi and Coke. I can make lemonade if you want."

      Lemonade? Awe, wasn't he sweet. "Pepsi is fine, thanks."

      He took the a can of Pepsi out and handed it to me. "Do you want a glass or something to put it in?"

      "No, the can is fine."

      "Okay."

      And again we fell into an awkward silence. It was really weird. Normally I'd be chatting it up, teasing him but by his body language I could tell that Nick wouldn't appriciate that. Something was wrong.

      "So..." I trailed off, clearing my throat, "are you going to tell me what happened?"

      He leaned against the counter, staring at the can of Pepsi in his hand. I had a feeling that he wasn't really seeing it. It was like he was looking into the past, replying something bad that happened.

      "Nick?"

      "My mom is in the hospital."

      I straightened, immediately  coming to his side. "What? What happened?"

      "Stress happened. Working too much happened. My sister and I happened."

      I frowned. "What?"

      Nick sighed, setting his can on the counter. "Mom fainted at work. Doctor said it was because she had been over working herself. Between that and taking care of us, it was just too much for her to handle."

      "Oh, Nicky."

      He glanced at me and looked away. "I knew she was working too much, I even told her to stop, that I'd get a job but she insisted that I didn't. She wanted me to just do well in school and graduate. No matter how many times I brought the subject up she'd just brush it away."

      "W-where is she now?"

      "Still in the hospital, has been for a couple of days." He rubbed his face tiredly. "The doctor said she has stomach ulcer and needs to stay there until she's stable. Guess she had let it get so bad until...until her body just finally gave out."

      "Nick...I'm so sorry."

      His face remained blank but he still wouldn't look at me. He kept staring at that damn floor. "Our family has one of those sob stories. Dad walks out leaving wife with two kids to raise alone. I tried though, I had tried so damn hard to make things a little easier for her. Taking care of housework, my sister, making sure to stay out of trouble...but this still happened. I'm the man of the house but I couldn't even protect my own mother."

      "Nick, don't do that. Don't blame yourself."

      "I should have still been able to see the signs. Instead I had ignored her to explore...explore my own problems while she should have been first."

      I knew without asking that his problem had been me. This was all my fault. If I hadn't confused him, if he hadn't been with me at the hospital for a whole week then he could have saved his mother. He would have been around to prevent his mother from colaspsing because he would have seen it coming. But he hadn't...because of me.

     I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat.

      "I can't lose my mother," I heard him whisper, "she's all I have. Her and my sister." Then he finally looked at me. His sky blue eyes held torment of self resentment. Nick looked so lost, so hurt and he was blaming himself for everything.

      "I couldn't protect her," he continued, voice filled with pain, "I couldn't. And if she's gone...I wont have anybody. They'll take my sister and I wont have anyone left. No one."

      I wrapped my arms around him, eyes burning and heart aching for him. "I'll be here for you, Nicky. I'll protect you."

      "No...you'd leave me to. You're leaving me now."

      We both knew he meant Hunter. Somehow, he know why I had really shown up today. God damn it! Why was this happening? Why wouldn't fate make things easier for me? Why had I met Nick? Why had I met Hunter? Why had I fallen in love?

      I loved Hunter...but I felt something for Nick too, something that made it possible for me to be holding him now, making promises we both knew wouldn't last...but I made them anyway because those were the words he needed to hear right now.

      I held him tighter. "I'm here for you, Nick. I'll stay by your side until everything gets better. This time...I'll be the one who takes care of you."

      He looked at me and our eyes connected. And something happened. For the life of me, even though I knew I was in love with Hunter, even though I knew that what I was doing would hurt him...I couldn't push Nick away. He was hurting so much...and I couldn't push him away. I wanted to chase that look in his eyes.

      When he leaned down to kiss me, I didn't move. I stayed still, feeling his lips lightly press against mine. He drew back and waited...for what? For me to tell him to stop? I should have...but I didn't. I couldn't. Because I didn't want to see him hurting.

      Nick kissed me again and this time I kissed him back, slow, steady. It was different from our other kisses. This one was different. It felt...more intimate somehow. More heartfelt. The kiss deepened but it didn't lose that feeling, that sense of tenderness.

      He was the first to break the kiss, resting his forehead against mine. He cupped my face with both hands, brushing his thumbs on my cheeks. It would be so easy to fall in love with this man...so easy.

      Had I already fallen?

      "Nicky...are you here all alone?"

      "Yes. My sister is staying at my aunts house."

      "For how long?"

      "I don't know. When Mom gets better I guess."

      So he'd be all alone in this house? That wasn't right. "Then I'll stay here with you."

      He leaned back and blinked at me, clearly surprised. "What?"

      "I said I'll sleep over just for a couple of days or until your Mom gets better."

      "Moretti...that's not a good idea."

      My chin lifted. "Why not?"

      He sighed. "There's so many reasons."

      "You don't want me around?"

      "No...I do...but..."

      "But what?"

      "That guy."

      Ah. Hunter.

      Then I brightened, an idea forming in my head. Oh it was obviously a bad idea but what the heck? "Then...he'll come over too."

      This time Nick's eyes widened. "What!?"

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Cookie: LOL, Gio is so random. I even don't know what he'd say until it pops up and he says it...if that makes any sense. lol. But....*looks around slyly* there could be a possible threesome that many of you have been suggesting. hehe, who knows. *whistles* ;)

I've never written a threesome before...heck I've never written any stuff like this before until I started writing this story lol believe it or not. Haha Its an interesting experience :)

Pic is of Nick

Song "I Will Stay" by We Are The Fallen

Vote if you want a threesome! Cause really...I don't wanna work hard to write it if no one wants to read it. Lol ^_^ it's just an idea cause so many had suggested it, what do the rest of you think? Is a threesome too much? I'll go by the response and votes. Thanks!