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Friday - Two weeks later
"Style and Grace.  Good morning."
"Good morning?  You'd better take another look at the clock."
"Hey, Nick."  She looked at the clock.  It said 3:28.  "Oh!  I guess I lost track of time."
"You work too hard," he said.  "That was the third time this week you've said that to me."
"Well, I'm 25 now.  Into my second quarter-century.  The mind is starting to go, I guess."  She laughed.
"Yeah, I'm checking into retirement homes for you.  You answered pretty quickly though, so you can't have been too absorbed in your work."  There were times when the phone would ring five or six times and the answering greeting would be, mmmm?  He knew at those times that she had only answered the phone to shut it up.
"Well, I've got my new headset on that somebody pretty special bought for me.  Did I thank you for that?" she asked in a sexy voice.
"Yes, fifty times.  But if you want to thank me again, you can wear it the next time we...uh..."
"Mess around?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"Why, you horny toad.  You libidinous amphibian.  You..."
"Okay, Suzie Vocabulary.  I got it."  They both laughed.
She couldn't believe how comfortable she was with him now, laughing and joking about sex, without the knot starting in her stomach.  The knowledge that love made all the difference seemed so simple now, but at the time had been a huge revelation.  It had been an incredible two weeks. 
After the first amazing round of lovemaking, where she allowed herself to be penetrated by a man with love in his heart, not lust or disgust or a desire for power over her, she had found a measure of peace.  Nick had been the mature one in the relationship, insisting that they go slowly.  The second time they had made love that night, he had made the advances, but he had not moved into her until he was sure that what was she wanted.  She had shown him that it was by grabbing his hips and pulling him into her. 
They were two people obviously in love.  When they went out, they held hands all the time.  People thought it was cute; they didn't realize it was lost time being made up for five weeks of crutches.  At parties or outings, even when they were circulating and talking to other people, they would look at each other across a room and smile.  They were constantly touching each other.  He would drop a kiss on her cheek as he went by or she would give him a little scratch on the back.  It made people smile.  It made AJ want to puke.  Earlier that week, they had all been at his house for dinner. 
"Ah Jeez, they're at it again," he announced, coming into the living room with Sarah.  They were both carrying trays of food.  They had just passed Nick and Grace kissing in the hall.  "Could somebody throw a bucket of water on them, or something?"
"Leave them alone," said Brian.  "Don't you remember this stage, Bone?"  He reached over and took Leighanne's hand.  She smiled up at him and he leaned down and kissed her.
"Aw crap, now they're at it."  He looked over to where Kevin was sitting with his arm draped around his wife.  "Are you two going to start?"
Kevin considered it for a minute, "Might."  He squeezed Kristen's shoulder.  "Just might."
"Cut the bull, Alexander James McLean," said Sarah, setting down her platter of appetizers.  "You're the biggest romantic in the place.  You want me to tell a few stories to prove it."
AJ blushed and stammered, "No, that's okay.  It's just...you know...Howie and Janine...when they get here...you know...Aw crap."
"I think they're wonderful together," said Leighanne.
"Yeah, and Kevin didn't wreck it," said the green-eyed leader of the Backstreet pack.
"Kevin didn't wreck what?" asked Nick, coming into the room with Grace.  They were holding hands. 
"Well, I don't know how people got this impression," drawled Kevin in response, "but some people seem to feel that I was a little too...shall we say...particular...about your choice of ladies."
"Particular," scoffed Brian.  "Try impossible."
"Stubborn," threw in Leighanne.
"Pig-headed," added Kristen.
"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side," Kevin said to his wife, giving her a friendly little punch on the shoulder.  Then he continued.  "But I said all along that my Li'l Bro would eventually find someone good."  He smiled at Grace.  "And I was right."
Grace smiled at the memory.  She knew how much the Kevin seal of approval meant to Nick.
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"Hey, are you still there?"  Nick's voice brought her back to the present.
"Yes, I am.  Are you calling me with good news or bad news?"  He was supposed to be taking her to dinner tonight.
"Good news.  Howie and Janine are going to join us.  Okay?"
"That's great."
"Yeah, and then we're going to go to a club after.  Did you get enough work done today?" 
"Yes, I did.  I can dance all night."
"Good girl.  You're doing your exercises like you're supposed to, right?"
"Yes, boss.  I am.  And I've been going...oh shit...I've got physiotherapy in 20 minutes.  Gotta go."
"I'll pick you up at 8:00," he said and they rang off.

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When he arrived later, the computer was off and Grace was ready.  He smiled at that.  During one of their 'Matt talks', she had told him how bad she had been about that with Matt.  He frowned when he remembered how Matt paid her back for such treatment.
"How was physio?" he asked.
"Good," she said.  "I won't have to go much longer.  And look at the height of these babies!" she added, motioning to her shoes.
He touched the gold chain around her neck.  "You're not wearing the dolphin," he said.
"I put it down somewhere today," she said, "and I can't find it.  I know it's here.  I took it off to shower this morning."
"Scatterbrained Grace," he laughed.  "Are you coming down to my level?"
"Any time, any place," she leered.
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They ate and talked and danced and had a wonderful time.  They took a cab and came back to Grace's.  They waved to Jermaine on their way through to the elevator.  Upstairs, Nick called dibs on the bathroom.  When he came out, he found Grace standing by her dresser.  She was as white as a sheet.
"Grace, what is it?  What's wrong?"
She turned to him and came back from wherever she was.  "Nothing," she said.  She held up the gold chain.  The tiny dolphin danced in the light.  "I told you I'd find it.  It was right here all along.  I don't know how I missed it.  My turn?"
She moved past him into the bathroom.  She sat down on the edge of the tub and put her head between her knees.  She knew that chain had not been there earlier.  She had searched that spot fifty times.  It had not been there.  Two choices Grace, she said to herself, you're crazy or somebody has been in here.  She didn't know which of the two was the more frightening choice.