Nick drove aimlessly around the streets of Orlando. His head was spinning and he was looking for any way to stop it. The thought of Taylor being physically hurt made Nick sick to his stomach. The thought of her being emotionally battered tore his heart out. He wished it was only as simple as getting Taylor to talk to him again. There was much more on Nick's mind than that, which only added to his heartache.

He ended up where he always did when he needed to sort things out, the beach. It was already late and Nick found himself walking alone on the shore. The moon was shining bright enough to cast shadows on the sand, specifically the shadow of one very confused young man.

Questions flew through Nick's mind like laser beams. Was Taylor okay? Was he in love with her? Did she really have feelings for him? Did he really have feelings for her? Did the age difference matter? Did they really have that much in common? Would it matter if they didn't? Nick wanted badly to help Taylor, although he couldn't figure out a way to get through to her. Being stubborn was definitely one trait they shared.

Sitting down on the sand, Nick ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He looked up to the stars as if asking for guidance. "Please, just help me to understand some of this," he thought to himself.

Thinking back through the short time he had known Taylor, Nick couldn't help but smile to himself. She was tough, that was certain, but she had a shell of insecurity that he had recognized immediately. Originally, he had thought it was a reflection of his own shell, but now he knew better. Her actions and reactions were mirror images of his own. Their attitudes were strikingly similar as well; project a very strong image, don't let anyone get too close and when they do, bite back. Protect the true inner self at all costs, and don't ever reveal it. Don't feel anything deeply for anyone; without those feelings, there was no way to get hurt. Birds of a feather, two peas in a pod, whatever the cliché was didn't really matter. But the sentiment behind it did, and both Taylor and Nick had recognized their psychological twin. The difference was Taylor turned and ran at every opportunity, Nick stayed and tried to make the connection between them. Why? he asked. If they were so alike, why were their reactions to each other so very different?

The only reason he could come up with was that Taylor had been maintaining this façade far longer than he had. So long in fact, that Taylor believed there was no other way to live her life. Thinking about this scared Nick. "Will that happen to me? Will I end up playing this game my whole life? Will I ever have the courage to truly let someone into my soul?" he wondered. "Or will I always be truly alone, only half a person?" The real possibility of that last question being true rocked Nick to his core. He closed his eyes tightly as if that action would prevent his loneliness from occurring.

Every time he ran away or stalled someone emotionally, he had convinced himself that it just wasn't the right time, or it wasn't the right person. He had made promises to himself that he would know when it was right and it would be safe. Then, and only then, would he really let someone into his heart. But when was that time? Was this it? And was Taylor the one? Was that why he was so distraught?

His eyes opened on their own. That has to be it, he concluded. This is the time when he should ignore his fears and throw caution to the wind. The time is now, Taylor is the one, he decided. She may be his last chance, just as he was hers. This revelation calmed him, and he wasn't as frightened of letting someone in as he had been in the past. It wasn't an anonymous someone anymore, it was Taylor.

He'd made up his mind. Nick decided to go back to Kevin's. He wanted to talk to both Kevin and Jamie about his decision. Theoretically, this was a big step for him to take, for both of them. Realistically, Nick had to come up with a plan to convince Taylor to give him this chance.

Weaving itself through all of this, however, was another more ominous thought. Did he really deserve Taylor? After everything they had both been through, after everything each had done in the past, it came down to the question he had asked Jamie earlier in anger – were they good enough for each other?

Nick practically ran up the walkway to Kevin's door, anxious to talk about what he had decided. He knocked on the door until a sleepy Kevin appeared and opened it.

"Hey Kev, I'm sorry I ran out before but I really needed to sort things out ya know?" Nick apologized.

"I know, Nick. I know this isn't easy on you." Kevin said, gesturing to Nick to come in and sit down. Kevin noticed that Nick looked somewhat relieved, his eyes a little brighter and the permanent frown he had been wearing for a month all but gone.

"So how mad would Jamie be if we called her? I really want to talk to you both about this."

Kevin chuckled and looked at his watch. "She's probably asleep by now, but I know she was worried about you. You really upset her by running off like that."

"I'll apologize to her too. If she gets mad, just blame it on me."

"I do that anyway," Kevin smiled. Nick just pursed his lips, shook his head, and handed Kevin the phone.

Kevin called Jamie expecting to wake her up. She hadn't been able to sleep so she picked up right away. Nick picked up another extension and the three of them talked for quite some time. He told them most of what he had been thinking and that he decided he couldn't just let go of Taylor. Jamie and Kevin both expressed their support for Nick's decision, albeit with some apprehension about Taylor's willingness to talk to him.

"I have to try, Jamie," Nick stated bluntly. "I can't drop this, I'm in too deep already."

"I just want you to be prepared, Nick," Jamie replied, trying to reassure Nick but caution him as well. "As much as Taylor may want to reach out, she's still not going to be easy to convince."

"It won't be easy, I know that. But above all else, Taylor needs friends right now. Friends who really care and want to help her get out of this crap with Mike." Nick had a very confident and mature tone in his voice now, surprising both Kevin and Jamie. "If nothing else, I want to be there for her as a friend and help her through this. If the rest comes later, then it's all good. If not. . ." He paused and his voice cracked a little. "Well, I'll deal with that when the time comes."

The three of them talked a bit more and finally figured out a way for Nick to try to talk to Taylor without putting her in any danger from Mike. Finally, exhausted mentally and physically, they ended the phone call. Nick stayed at Kevin's for the night, too spent to drive home.

As Nick settled once more into the guest room, there was a knock at the door. "Yeah, come on in Kev. . ."

"Hey little bro," Kevin said, peeking his head into the room. "I just wanted to make sure that you got settled okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for everything Kevin, it means a lot to me to know that you. . ." Nick turned around, unable to finish his sentence.

Kevin just stared at the man before him. Nick had grown up right before his eyes. Instead of the whiny little brat Kevin had come to love, now there was a mature, confident and caring man that Kevin had come to respect as well. "You don't have to say it, I know Nick."

"Thanks." Nick faced Kevin again, and gave a brittle smile. Kevin nodded in response.

"Oh, and by the way. . ." Kevin paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm really proud of you."

Nick was startled at first, the smile disappearing completely from his face. Looking closely at Kevin, he saw that Kevin was very serious. Afraid that they would both fall apart, Nick chose the only method he knew to break the mood. He smirked at Kevin, "Thanks. . . dad." With lighter hearts, both men laughed and said goodnight.

Taylor sat in her office organizing her appointments for the day. "Damn, I need a vacation," she said to herself looking over her crowded schedule. The buzz of the intercom brought her back to the moment and she hit the button to answer her assistant.

"What is it, Kate?"

"You have a call on line four."

"Who is it?"

"A Mr. Carter. . . he says it's urgent."

She paused for a second. "Tell him I'm busy."

"He figured you'd say that. He told me to tell you that he is going to call every five minutes until you talk to him."

"Oh really? He said that, did he?"

"I get the feeling he's serious," Kate said, laughing.

"Damnit," Taylor thought to herself. "Jamie said she was going to talk to him." She sighed, "Okay, I'll pick it up. And Kate, can you hold the rest of my calls for a few minutes?"

"Sure, Taylor."

She must have stared at the phone for several minutes before finally getting the nerve to pick it up. "This is Taylor."

"Hey, it's me. . ."

"I know. Listen Nick, Jamie was supposed to. . ."

Nick interrupted her, "Stop right there Taylor. Just listen to what I have to say and then you can hang up on me if you want. First, Jamie did talk to me, that's why I'm calling you at work instead of at home."

Taylor suddenly realized what Nick was getting at. Jamie must have told him at least something about Mike, enough to know that Mike was angry about Nick calling her at home. She tensed up, wondering exactly what Nick would say, how he had or would react to knowing more about her situation.

"What did Jamie tell. . ." Again, he cut her off.

"She told me enough Taylor, just leave it at that. Okay, here's the deal. I'm not letting go of you that easy. Like I said before, I have feelings for you and I'm not willing to just ignore those. I know you have feelings for me as well but you are afraid to let them surface. Regardless of any of that, you need help Taylor. You need to get out of this thing with Mike before it gets too dangerous. You know better Taylor, but you're scared, just like everyone else."

"Nick, just. . ." she tried one last time to get a word in edgewise, but Nick refused.

"No, I'm not listening to you right now Taylor, you're supposed to be listening to me. You need people in your life who really care about you and want you to be happy. Not people who hurt you and want to control you. I want to be a friend to you Taylor, I want to help you. So do Kevin and Jamie. We are going to do everything we can to get you out of this, whether you want us to or not."

Taylor was speechless. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she could feel the lump in her throat expanding.

"Are you still there. . . Taylor?" Nick said holding his breath, hoping she hadn't hung up already.

Her voice cracked but she managed to choke out a response. "Yeah, I'm still here."

Nick breathed out, thankful she hadn't hung up. "I know this is tough, trust me. You're afraid to change what has always worked, but the wall has to come down Taylor, and it has to come down soon. You tore mine down, and now I'm going to return the favor."

"Nick. . . I need some time to. . ."

"You can have some time, Taylor. But Kevin, Jamie and most especially me are going to be there every step of the way for you. Think of it as free therapy, three for the price of none. Richardson, Saxon and Carter, at your service," Nick said jokingly.

Taylor smiled a little through her tears. "Okay Nick, I'm checking myself into therapy."

"Good. Now that we have that settled, here's our little plan. . ." Nick told Taylor how the three of them had all agreed that at least one of them would talk to Taylor everyday. Mainly checking up on her to see that she was okay, but also to reassure her that she could get out whenever she was ready. They all knew the day would come, it was just a matter of time.