-Hey I'm trying a new idea here, I hope you all enjoy. This is more deep emotional story and I hope I can take you into my crazy imaginary world for this story. Thanks for reading and if you can review please. Thanks.

"Love Can Save"

-Proverbs 18:24, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

**~Stained Friendships~**

Love is a funny thing. It's one of the most strongest and powerful emotions around. Even the Bible is a written love letter from God to his loved ones. Love is an empowering emotion controlled blindly by the heart, soul and mind. How many songs are written about lost love, falling in and out of love and stepping into love: it's an endless list. As well as how many crimes are committed with the intentions of love as the prospect. It's quite remarkable, how it can control a person in so many ways. There are so many cliches with love but all seem true in one way or another.

The pencil rolls off his fingers as it crashes onto the floor with a quiet clatter. A.J. sits up and snaps open his eyes, confused and dazed at where he was at.

"That's wrong man. You weren't listening to a word I said." Nick mutters annoyed, staring at his sleepy friend who tugs on the hood of his black baseball hat to cover his eyes away from Nick.

"I heard ya Nick." A.J. clears his throat as he slides further into the uncomfortable hard sofas in the lobby the university provided.

"Yeah, sure you did Jay. Sure you did." Nick mutters, picking off lint from the edge of the velvet sofa.

A.J. adjusts the hood of his hat and sits up, rubbing his tired eyes, "Whatever man."

"I said do you know if Yasmine knows we're here to pick her up?" Nick whispers as the quiet conversations of people walking pass them cleared out.

"Nope, not a clue. It'll be a surprise for her alright." A.J. grins as he settles back into the sofa, gazing around the revolving doors and hallways.

"J, you sure you have the right place? I mean its been over four years since the last you've seen her. What if she doesn't even want to talk with you?" Nick tries to reason, anything to get him out of this place. He was never much fond of the school institution for school was never much his forte.

A.J. smirks and pats his jean-clad thighs with his hands, "Yeah. Don't worry about it. She'll be here. I know her, her mom states she always head to the lobby to do some studying before going to work. She'll be here Nick."

"Oh right. Can we at least wait outside? I don't like sitting here thinking Howie is out there by himself left unprotected in the Benz." The tall broad shoulder blonde states: anything that can get him out of sitting in the lobby where someone might recognize them.

"Howie's a big boy, he can care for himself. Yo Kaos, chill out man. In a few, Yasmine will be here and we can get the hell out here. K?" A.J. whispers, locking eyes with his friend.

Nick inhales slowly and nods his head, "Oh, ok then." And he slowly leans back on the sofa, nibbling on his lip cautiously.

A.J. smirks and shakes his head when Nick speaks out suddenly as an idea hits him, "Hey just curious, you think she'll still be mad at us for the prank we pulled on her years ago? I mean she looks like the type of chick that holds grudges."

"Dude, I'm sure she's over it and besides it was Brian who pulled the prank, if anything he'll be hearing lip from her later on when he sees her." A.J. whispers, a smile creeping on his face.

Nick gulps and settles back next to A.J. "Oh, cause you know she stood indoors for three days for what happened to her. She couldn't go out cause she was too embarrassed with her hair painted in purple."

"Hey, that was her favorite color." A.J. smiles, setting his eyes up at his friend: not noticing a young woman carrying her backpack heading towards their direction.

"I'm sure not anymore with what happened back then." Nick chuckles as he watches a petite curvy woman walking towards the next vacant desk, a few feet away from them.

A.J. follows Nick's eyes and smiles, "That's her! She hasn't changed at all."

Nick shakes his head, "Oh yes she did. Damn, where those curves come from? She had that body hidden underneath all those clothes when we meet her years ago?" He whispers tracing Yasmine's figure with his eyes.

A.J. snaps his fingers in Nick's face, "Hey man! Don't say that about her! Respect her." A.J. comes to her defense as the woman watches them curiously and places her back pack on the desk.

A.J. takes the opportunity and jumps off the sofa placing his palms on Yasmine's shoulders. The woman jumps in fright as she turns around to crash into A.J. She looks up as she sees a familiar face. Gasping, she breaks into a giggle and throws her arms around A.J.'s shoulders.

"Oh My God!" She squeals, her golden tan cheeks lit up. "Alex! Oh my God, I haven't seen you for years! And Nick!" She yells out, her eyes averting to the tall golden haired man standing inches away from the couple.

"Hey Yas. I guess you ain't mad at us then huh?" Nick grins.

Confused, Yasmine raises her eyebrows, "Why? Should I be mad at you?"

A.J. nudges Nick on the ribs and shakes his head, "Don't pay no mind to him, he was just curious how those wonderful black long curls you have now turned out after the purple dye."

Yasmine pulls away from Alex and stares at him seriously, "That's right. You done messed up my hair, I should be mad at your behinds. I can't believe you put Brian up to that dare. That was my hair that was suffering. But you know its never too late for payback."

"Brian! Hold on, he wasn't the innocent one in the mess. He was the one responsible for doing that." Nick states, feeling the boring of both A.J. and Yasmine's eyes on him. "Ok, fine. I know when to shut up." He mumbles, backing away from the two.

Yasmine breaks into a big smile and leaps at Nick, giving him a hug, "Oh boy just hug me already! You guys have got to tell me how everything is going? What it feels like to be famous and all that good stuff!" Yasmine squeals out, her light green eyes glittering happily.

Nick chuckles and wraps his arms around her, picking her up and twirling her in the embrace.

"So what's with the visit? You remember the little people that got you to where you at now?" Yasmine teases, poking A.J. in the ribs after Nick releases her.

"Couldn't have said it better Yas." A.J. replies, "Actually we were in town and decided to drop by and see how things are with you. So how are things with you?" He asks with a grin on his face.

She giggles and nods her head, "Going good man. Trying to complete my major. I got the intern job for writing at the prestigious Daily Journal." She squeals, jumping up and down in glee.

Nick smiles, "That's right! You wanted to be a writer for a newspaper! That's hot man, you get the chance to show off your talent."

"Thanks Nick. Its about time too! I was working hard, killing my behind to type up a hot article and now I get the chance to print it on a national newspaper for others to read! Couldn't have asked for nothing better!" Yasmine smiles as the trio exits through the glass doors. A.J. holds the door as Yasmine and Nick go through. They walk pass the grassy fields with Nick leading the way towards a parked black Benz at the corner of the street. They keep their heads down in case someone recognizes either of them.

Sure enough, the calm peaceful front lawn was broken by a cry of a young woman who screamed out she loves Nick. A.J. looks around in time to hear a few gasps and whispers.

Giggling, Yasmine tugs on his blue sleeve and both quickly walked down the block out of the frantic cries in time to walk towards their awaiting vehicle. Nick reaches the car first and sighs.

"Close call." Nick whispers, pulling off his hat and nervously glancing back to see no one chasing after them.

"Yeah." A.J. sighs, as he smiles gently at Yasmine.

"I was looking forward to the excitement of being chased down, but I guess its not happening today huh?" Yasmine giggles, teasing the two men. Nick raises his eyebrows and smirks.

"Next topic. Don't need you to get all hyped on getting run over by insane fans, its not a fun thing, you can ask Howie." Nick chuckles as Howie smiles and waves from inside the Benz, not noticing Yasmine yet.

"Poor Howie. Where the other guys?" Yasmine asks, changing the topic as they approach the vehicle.

"Howie as you already saw is in the car and Brian and Kevin are at the hotel waiting for you." A.J. states with a smile.

"Gosh, I feel so popular to be picked up by you guys." Yasmine giggles as the driver side door swings open with Howie leaping out.

"Howie!" Yasmine squeals as Howie races around the hood of the car and picks Yasmine up in his arms. Both laughing, they embrace and give each other a peck on the cheek. "I can't believe it. You guys all came for me?" Yasmine asks in shock.

"Si, y por que no!" (Yes and why not!) "We never forgot you pequeñ¡®” (little one) Howie chuckles, ruffling her black curls. "Man, you've grown. When was the last time I saw you?" Howie asks as the four boards the vehicle.

Yasmine grins and raises her dark eyebrows, "Oh well that was a while ago, a little more than four years ago, I was eighteen."

Nick smirks, "Ahh, so you're very legal now." He leans forward from the back seat with A.J. and places his arms on the edges of the camel haired seats with a grin plastered on his face.

"Yes and Nick, she ain't interested." A.J. answered for her as she breaks into a sweet laugh.

Nick rolls his eyes and settles back on the back seat as Yasmine shakes her head with glee. "Thanks Alex, but I can do the talking my self and Nick who knows? Maybe if you're good, you might be a possibility."

At that remark Nick nods his head and pokes A.J. "Yo, you heard that? I'm a possibility."

"She said might Nick, don't get your hopes up." Howie chuckles as he pulls the sleek black vehicle into the busy streets of New York.

"So guys where we heading?" Yasmine speaks up, as she adjusts the radio knob to find a music station.

"The hotel, I gotta pick up Brian and Kevin." Howie states, his eyes never losing focus off the busy streets.

"Oh, ok cool. You know you guys don't leave me in suspense, what's the deal with being famous?" Yasmine asks curiously, her light green eyes twinkling as she lands on a hip hop radio station, the speakers blasting a song.

"Weird. Sometimes I forget that there are people looking at you either for the good or the bad." Nick mutters, his eyes staring at the window besides him.

Yasmine smirks, "Right of course. That's the benefit and fault of the business you're in. So ahhhÂ… How was the whole arrest thing Nick? You can tell me. What really happened?"

A.J. laughs and claps his hand watching Nick grate his teeth on his lower lip, "Yas, you know what happened. I called you that day when it occurred remember?"

Yasmine beams and nods her head, "Right, but I forgot. Remind me Carter."

Nick annoyed at this point, rolls his tongue over his top teeth as he tries to maintain control of the situation. Yasmine always had the knack to get beneath his skin since the day he meet her through A.J.

A.J. and Yasmine grew up next to each as children down in Miami and were bonded like blood siblings. It was incredible how strong their friendship remained especially since her sudden move up north to New York over five years ago. She wanted to study out a media major and believed New York was the step up she needed to succeed in such a business. And she was right on that. As for A.J. he would always talk about her like a proud brother, beaming at the thought that she will achieve her dreams like he did his.

A.J. recalled the day he got signed onto a record deal with the other guys and began getting antsy at the thought that he will have to travel and leave her behind. He remembered it was a sad farewell more than four years ago when he knocked on Yasmine's dorm after she had recently arrived to New York for her studies and broke the news about how difficult it would be for him to visit her often. Of course by now, Yasmine already knew how famous he was and understood perfectly. She simply shrugged it off and smiled, like she always did, "It'll be a time of testing I guess. If it's meant to be, then so be it." A.J. recalled the words and kept it in his heart, he didn't want to miss out on a great relationship he had. A lot of times, the other guys teased him saying he went through great length to maintain the friendship only to see if he had a chance for something more. Of course A.J. never thought that way about her, sure he thought she was very attractive, in fact more than beautiful surpassed her looks, but he wanted her friendship and wouldn't think about seeing her in any other way. He cared for her too much and figured a dating relationship would only strain the emotions and feelings they have for one another.

He recalled over four years ago, the last time he saw her, how they discussed their feelings. He told her he cared for her and would do anything for her and she in turn felt the same way. They both agreed that although possible feelings of wanting to seek further within the relationship will arise, they decided to talk about it the moment one of them started feeling in such a way and decided not to go on from there. Though they never talked further about it, A.J. thought about it more than he intended to. It wasn't that he wanted to be in a dating relationship with her, it was just the fact that he didn't want another man dating her. Maybe it was a brotherly instinct in some aspect. But right now wasn't the right time to express himself in front of the other guys cause then he would never hear the end of it from them.

A.J. tunes into the conversation at hand as he hears Howie laughs and pulls into the hotel driveway they were staying at.

Yasmine smiles and winks at A.J. as they get out the car door. They walk side by side as Nick and Howie lead the way towards the side entrance.

"Shhh, we have to be very quiet, we're hunting for wabbit, hahahahahaha." Nick turns around with a silly face.

"Well I see some things don't change." Yasmine remarks receiving a daring glare from the tall blonde as Howie and A.J snicker.

A.J. smirks and laughs, "Oh well that's just Nick, he never really understood the whole concept of being an adult."

"Hey well maybe you can show me sometime?" Nick teases, blowing a kiss to Yasmine.

Howie chuckles as they quickly checked into the hotel suite and race towards an awaiting elevator. They board the elevator, its metal doors closing softly behind them. The fresh mahogany smell lingered in the elevator as the recently brightly polished walls gleam. Howie pushes a button to take them to the fourteenth floor and a small jolt ascends them towards their destination.

"Wow. This place is incredible. Wonder how much it cost to stay in a place like this?" Yasmine whispers in awe, examining the gentle florescent light boring down on them from above as the buttons plays a counting game: its numbers glowing red as it passes another floor.

"Too much. Actually any one can afford it depending on the room that is." Howie whispers, leaning back, his tan complexion glowing in the lights. He smiles as he runs his hand through his short dark brown hair.

Yasmine smiles and nods her head, "I know but I can't."

"You mean to tell me you've never been in a hotel before?" Nick asks interested, rubbing the golden spikes on his head with his hand.

Nodding her head, she responds, "Oh yeah Nick. Why do you find it a surprise? I don't have money growing out of my butt like some people I know." She whispers out in a slight agitated voice.

Nick lets out a small growl of annoyance as A.J. jumps in and starts a new conversation. A.J. shakes his head and decides its best to talk about anything else before Nick leaps down her throat. A.J recalled the day she met Nick and the meeting didn't go well. It seemed they were two peas in a pod, they were eerily similar in so many ways yet they couldn't handle each other or be around each other long enough before one of them snaps. And recently it seemed Nick was the one catching the lighted end of the friendship candle.

"Hey Nick remember that time when Kevin and I decided to trap you inside the bathroom." Yasmine giggles as the memories flooded her mind.

Nick growls and nods his head, "Yeah. You left me in the bathroom for over an hour and I had to escape through the bathroom window. I was late for the meeting with our producers and I was getting yelled at how irresponsible I was being, coming in tardy."

Howie chuckles and waves his hand, "Oh yeah, you were stuck in the window and the hotel janitors had to pry your big behind out of there."

Nick gulps and fakes a laugh, "Yeah, well I lost the weight." His azure eyes burn in hidden embarrassment.

"Oh yes, and I noticed. You look good Nick." Yasmine remarks, calming down the uncomfortable feeling between the two.

Nick smiles as the faint blush subsides on his cheeks, "Thanks girl. And I started working out too. Wanna see what I can do with my pecks?" He grins seductively at her as she burst out laughing.

"Wow I didn't know you knew what pecks are?" Yasmine whispers innocently yet a tinge of teasing was found within her voice.

Nick smirks and rolls his eyes as the tinge in the elevator lets them know that they reached their floor. The metal doors open allowing the group to exit. The four walk down the beautifully carpeted hallway with the soft yellow lights hung on the hallway caressing them.
~*~

Brian nibbles on the end of a toothpick in his mouth as he watches Kevin peering through the peephole in the door.

"Shhh, Brian I hear them. They're coming. Go get the cake out now." Kevin whispers, his emerald eyes lighted up in glee.

Brian snorts and shakes his head, "Relax Kev, wait till Yasmine gets in here. Then we'll surprise her with it." He states calmly as he chews on the withered end of the toothpick.

Kevin sighs and smiles, slumping into a leather black sofa across from his cousin, "Yeah you're right. I can't wait to see Yasmine, she and A.J. are like siblings, if anything I can get the low down on what's bothering A.J. lately."

Brian smirks, "And you think she'll talk, I know she'll probably wanna hurt me after that stupid bet A.J. and Nick put me up too."

Kevin chuckles, "That's right, she'll kill you before Nick will, how nice." He whispers calmly, fiddling his fingers. Suddenly the hotel suite door swings open and in steps Howie, Nick, A.J. and Yasmine.

At the sight of the young woman, Brian and Kevin gasps and chuckle, racing towards her and engulfing her in their arms. Giggling, Yasmine hugs the men and beams brightly, "My goodness, if I get this kind of reaction every time I step into a room, I'd be a happy camper."

"Look at you Yasmine, you've grown so much." Brian says proudly, petting her black locks tenderly.

Yasmine burst out laughing, "Guys, I'd doubt I did much growing, I'm still only five feet and three inches. Not much a growth spurt there." She giggles, her eyes glittering in glee.

A.J. laughs and throws his arm around her shoulders, smiling like a proud sibling. "Yup, did she tell you that she's gonna be writing for a local city newspaper? Her articles will be published."

Yasmine narrows her eyes and lets out a low growl as A.J. ruined the news.

Kevin raises his dark eyebrows, "No she didn't, she just got here. You didn't give her a chance to break the news, but thanks J for saying that." He whispers annoyed.

A.J. smiles and shrugs his shoulders, "No problem Kev. No problem." And he walks towards the kitchenette the suite has.

Brian shakes his head and gently clasps his hand in Yasmine's, tugging her towards one of the sofas. "I'm sure you wanted to tell us in more detail what A.J. mentioned about right?"

Waving her hand away, she shakes her head, "Oh forget my life for a moment, I wanna know about yours! How's Leigh and baby?"

Brian chuckles as he pulls out his wallet. There was a groan coming from the others as Brian unfolds a pile of pictures in his wallet, showing him with his son and his wife. Laughing, Yasmine shakes her head and gladly examines the pictures, "Brian, don't pay mind to them, they're just hating."

A.J. snorts and collapses besides her on the sofa, swirling a Pespi can in his hands, "Its not hating when he talks about them all the time, its just annoying." And he ends the sentence with a big grin sprawled on his butter pecan face.

Yasmine giggles as Nick leaps over the sofa and plops himself besides Yasmine. "Hey now, forget this Brian thing, I have a great idea, Yo Yas, you have to go to work today?"

Yasmine shakes her head, "Na, its my day off today and a good thing too. Why?"

"Na, just curious, where you work at?" Nick asks as Howie joins the couch across from them.

"Oh, I work in Macy's on thirty fourth street. Not the best place to work, but hey it gets me by for now right?" Yasmine shrugs as A.J. hands her an apple to snack on. "Thanks, but yeah I work five days, get the weekends off due to me volunteering at the local hospital helping care for the elderly and at my local church."

"Yo seriously girl, come on tell us where you work at for real?" Nick teases her as Yasmine glares at him.

"I just told you at Macy's and the local hospital- The Presperterian Hospital." Yasmine mutters and shifts in the couch uncomfortably.

A.J.'s burp breaks the odd silence that littered the atmosphere as Yasmine stands up and heads to the bathroom in disgust as the guys break out in a chuckle. Once she disappears into the facilities and closes the door, Howie sucks his teeth and smacks the back of Nick's head. "Why did you have to say that?" He whispers as Brian chuckles.

Nick looking innocently, shrugs his shoulders, "Since when does she bother working at a retail store, she always used to say how tacky that was. Plus she was never the churchgoer type, she had the mouth of sailor. She was no where near innocent as I am guys." Nick grumbles, rubbing the spot on the back of his head where he was struck at.

A.J. rolls his eyes and tosses his empty soda can into the trash bin next to the couch.

Kevin scratches the side of his raven head and sighs, "Well Nick, if you didn't know, times get hard and if one needs the money, they'll work wherever they have too."

"Besides Nick, her mom mentioned how much Yasmine loves helping and being part of a ministry in her school. She seems happier and her attitude changed for the better." A.J. adds on as he rubs his left arm with his right hand calmly.

"So what your saying is she is all innocent and sweet. Ha! That's bull, watch. I'm sure she's just as bad as the day I met her." Nick states, rolling his eyes, "Dude, whatever, Yasmine seems the same to me. She can still aggravate me just like she did before."

Howie smiles, "Well Nick, that's part of her charm." The other guys chuckle softly as Yasmine steps out of the bathroom.

Brian yawns and flings his toothpick out of his mouth as it sails into the air landing on top of Yasmine's hair. The others watch on as Yasmine completely disgusted, yanks out the wet object that lied tangled in her dark locks.

"Not again! Brian, don't you get enough of putting things in my hair?!" Yasmine mumbles as she makes her way back to the couch.

"Ok, ok, I'm so sorry. I had no idea it would land on you. But real quick, I'm sure you're wondering why we wanted to come pick you up and have you chill out with us? Cause today is the anniversary of when we: me, Kevin and Howie met you. Minus A.J. cause he's known you forever as well as Nick. And we all wanted to say, at three." Brian counts to three and all shout in a gleeful voice, "Happy anniversary Yasmine. We're so lucky to have you in our lives." Brian beams as Yasmine blushes deeply.

The guys surround her and each embrace her tightly as Yasmine giggles. Kevin goes into the silver refrigerator and pulls out a cake box with a beautiful lilac icing and real pink petals sprinkled around its perimeter. In the center of the rectangular shape cake was a drawn picture of her and the guys. He walks back over to them as A.J. turns on the stereo and starts nodding his head to the hip hop song blasting through the speakers. After receiving a glare from Kevin, A.J. grins and lowers the volume on the music.

Aghast, Yasmine places her palms over her mouth and shakes her head, "Oh my God! Thank you guys so much. I had no idea you guys even remembered or cared about this."

"Oh girl, we remembered. We can't forget you." Brian squeezes her shoulders and wraps his arms around her neck, pulling her close to him.

"Oh guys this is too sweet. I say let's party!" Yasmine giggles as she pulls Howie onto the center of the room to dance.

"Guess we'll have to take turns cause I ain't dancing with you Nick." A.J. teases, causing Nick to laugh and plop on the sofa.

After an hour or so of dancing and talking of the good old times, A.J. jumps up from the sofa and pulls out a bottle of golden sparkling apple cider from the fridge, closing the door behind him. In his haste, he didn't realize that he instead grabbed the liquor that the hotel provided for those that stay in the large suites. Not noticing the mild taste of alcohol in his drink, he passes it out to everyone as they all chuckle and chat. Soon after two hours, A.J. sitting on the edge of the sofa: begins to feel a little upset in his stomach and a minor headache was developing from the drinks. Yasmine, sitting besides him with a scowl on her face, nudges him on the side. She noted the empty glass liquor bottle that held the drink that made her friends all a bit ditzy at the moment.

A.J. feeling dizzy, smiles and chuckles as he realizes he was feeling too nice, drunk couldn't capture the way he felt at the moment. "I can't believe you. Do you know how far I live and not one of you can take me home cause you're all too drunk off your behinds to do it. A.J. I can't believe you! I thought you were over this!" Yasmine yells, standing up, grabbing her purse. She glares at him and stands up to head to the door.

A.J. grabs her hand and chuckles, "Whoa, baby come on. The party just started. Don't leave. Look, I'm ok. I, I guess I picked up the wrong bottle by mistake."

In complete anger, Yasmine snorts and shakes her head, "Sure you did, J. Sure you did." And she reaches for her backpack lying on the carpeted floor besides the sofa. Yasmine noted the taste of alcohol on her tongue from the first sip. She wasn't a drinker and she quickly tasted the sour bitter taste the suppose 'cider' left in her mouth. It seems that A.J. had a different way of celebrating that Yasmine was against.

Nick in a fit of giggles due to the effects of the alcohol in his body, reaches out and yanks Yasmine's arm towards him, "Please stay, don't gooooo." He sings out, his sapphire eyes in a daze. Yasmine gulps and swipes her hand away from him angrily as she walks over to Howie who stumbles towards her. Practically falling into her arms, Howie looks at her.

"Yas, listen. I know this looks wrong and stuff but its not that bad. Can you wait for another hour? I can sober out faster than the others." Howie states with a smirk on his tan face, his eyes dull as he gazes at her. She pulls away from him in disgust as he embraces her. The strong smell of alcohol in his breath practically made Yasmine's stomach lurch.

"NO! NO I can't! I can't be here with you all like this!" She states, emphasizing with her hands at the men in disapproval.

Kevin does a burp as he laughs, "Yasmine, D's right. We're so sorry." He stops as he begins hiccupping, placing a hand over his chest. "A.J. must have gotten confused and picked up the wrong one out the fridge. No harm down right?" Kevin smirks, his emerald eyes crashing into her light ones.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable with the situation at hand, Yasmine sighs and shakes her head as she stares at the five men, who for a hour or so have been in their own little world with the liquor. This wasn't what she was expecting from them. She wanted to enjoy herself but somehow her instincts were acting up. Its like she can almost feel that something will go wrong. And sure enough, the moment she saw Nick burst out in laughter and A.J. wobbling over to the stereo swaying to the beat, she knew she lost them. She watches Brian who was feeling extremely ill as he clutches his stomach look up at Yasmine in pain as he races towards the bathroom to release the contents of his earlier meal.

"Don't be a party pooper babe. Chill out with us. Its not a big deal, grab something to drink and we can all chill together like the good old times." Nick slurs out as he places his long legs on the coffee table in front of him. In the process, he knocks with his feet: a half filled plastic cup filled with the hard brown liquor onto the floor.

"Oopsie, Daisy." Nick chuckles out as the other guys join in the laughter.

Growling, Yasmine couldn't take it anymore and grabs the cold golden knob in her hands. She opens the front door and steps out the suite, slamming the door behind her. The guys would need to give her a big apology later on for their behavior. She walks quickly down the carpeted hallway and reaches the elevator bank. She sniffs as she presses the soft button of the elevator. "Don't cry girl. Come on. Don't cry." Yasmine whispers to herself, leaning on the wall, waiting for the elevator. She could already feel the stinging creeping its way towards her eyes as she was blinded by tears. "Stupid tears. I won't cry. Fine. They think that was funny getting all drunk on me and what not. I'll just remind them how embarrassing that was for them. Make them feel horrible for their actions." Just as the tinge of the metal elevators doors opens, she hears one of the suite doors open up. She won't look back, she couldn't see any of the guys faces at the moment, she was too upset and angry at their behavior. The guys disappointed her and she really didn't want to talk to them now. Not turning her head around but still staring at the opening elevator doors, she sniffs as the footsteps approach her. "I don't want to talk to you right now. Call me when you're sober." She hisses out, running a hand down her tear streaked cheeks.

Suddenly she could feel large arms wrap around her waist as she sighs and tugs at the long sleeve arms. "Don't touch me A.J. I'm not in the mood." Never turning around, she grumbles and tries to pull away from the one that grabbed her.

"Don't move and don't turn around!" The voice seethes out in anger. Yasmine gulps as she fidgets, feeling the person push her towards the open elevator doors. Who ever it was, surely wasn't one of the guys. Yasmine turns her head in time to receive a slap across her face. Stunned, she looks up to see a wool masked man shove her into the elevators. The man growls and slams her onto the elevator mahogany wall, pushing the emergency stop on the elevator. The elevator doors close and make a jolt as it stops midway between the thirteenth and twelfth floor. The metal doors close shut as the masked man screams out, "See what happens when you don't listen!" The man growls at her. "I told you not to turn around! You didn't listen. Now you gotta pay."

Yasmine gulps and screams out as the man clasps his gloved hands over her mouth. "Shut up! You hear me! Shut the hell up! Make any more noise and I'll kill you right now!" Yasmine couldn't identify the voice, her body was failing her as she shudders in pure fear. She was scared beyond believe, this couldn't be happening to her. Her heart slammed against her chest as she feared she might die tonight. This man was serious, he could kill her right now and she wouldn't have a clue. Why didn't she just stay with the guys in the room? She was safer with them than right here. Why did she leave the room anyway? 'I'm sure one of them could have taken me home later on. Heck I could have stood the night if it got that bad." Yasmine bites her tongue as the masked man pulls out a black pistol and points it at her. "Get undressed, Now!" He pulls away his free hand from her mouth as he holds the pistol inches away from Yasmine's face.

Yasmine shakes her head and cries out, "Please no, Please! Look, I have money, I'll give you what I have." Right now she regretted leaving her cell phone at home today.

The masked man laughs and shakes his head, "I don't want money. I want your body!" The man seethes, his dark eyes penetrating into her. "Now take off your clothes or I'll shoot." He tugs on her silk blouse to show her he wanted her to hurry up the process.

Yasmine closes her eyes and whispers out a prayer, this can't be happening to her. Not now, not like this. She was saving herself for her future husband. 'This can't be right.' Yasmine thinks to herself. She prayed that God would somehow protect her from such a thing, but her faith was wavering as the man inches closer to her, ripping her green blouse off her. Screaming out, she gets down on her knees and clutches her body, wrapping her arms around her legs which was pulled up to her chest. She won't let this man hurt her, she can't. 'God will protect.' She whispers to herself as the man chuckles and lifts her up by her hair. Only wearing her black pants, shoes and a lace brassiere, she quivers as the man lurches for her. The only thing she remembers before passing out from her fear was her screams for help.
~*~

A.J. watches the swirling water in the toilet get swallowed up as it flushes down the drain, taking along with it his lunch and snack.

"J." Nick's voice croaks out as he leans on the bathroom doorway. "I feel like sh..."

"Shhhhh. I'm on the phone." Kevin interrupts, cutting Nick's sentence off. Kevin punches in Yasmine's dorm phone number again as the busy tone was all that answered him. "Damn, nothing. I can't get through. It has to be her room mate on the phone."

"Man, its my fault Yasmine is so pissed off with us." Brian mutters from the living room as Howie rubs his temples.

A.J. stands up from the toilet and rinses his mouth with cold water from the sink. Stepping out the room, he sees Brian and Howie looking glumly on the couch while Kevin aggravated: dials some other phone numbers that might inform him where Yasmine could be.

"It's my fault." A.J. whispers painfully. "All this is my fault. If I was careful with what I got and served to all of us, we wouldn't have gotten drunk and upset her."

"Don't blame yourself J. You didn't know. You picked up the wrong drink. It's not like we were never been drunk before." Nick states as a pounding headache pulsated through his temples.

"I don't know why she got jumpy when we were drinking though?" Howie mutters, sitting on the edge of the velvet black sofa.

"Her brother was an alcoholic and he died while taking her home one night. It was so long ago, but I remember she never got over it. Drinking was something she had agreed that she would stop doing since then. And not just 'cause she's all religious now either. Its just something she doesn't want any of her loved ones having to fight for." A.J. explains slowly as the peaceful silence answered back.

"Wow. Like you huh?" Brian whispers, dropping his head in guilt. A.J. gulps and nods his head.

A.J. glances wearily at a small golden bracelet that must have slipped off Yasmine's wrist before she left the room. Kevin notices it and hangs up the phone, briskly grabbing the small jewelry in his hands. Handing it over to A.J. he raises his eyebrows. "A.J. I don't know if she's personally mad at you. But when she walked out of here she seemed disappointed in us, especially you."

A.J. sighs and nods his head, "I know. If looks could kill I'd be six feet under now with her glares. I'm sorry guys anyway. I just feel responsible. Maybe I'll call her tomorrow morning, give her some time to cool off."

Howie manages a smile, "Yeah that and she probably won't beat you with a bat tomorrow 'cause she'll be better at taking the news. Or knowing her maybe calling her isn't the right thing. We're all responsible. I tasted the alcohol but I didn't say anything. How about you go see her in person and apologize."

A.J. sarcastically smirks, "Yeah, oh great idea D. Thanks, I'll just go over to her dorm so she can slam the door right in my face and not listen to me."

Kevin shakes his head, "I don't care what you do, just do it fast. I can't stand it when women get mad. I know from experience. A woman's wrath is no joke." He whispers out, pointing his finger at A.J. knowingly.

A.J. sighs and shakes his head, "Fine, I'll go see her after I feel better." And with that, races back to the bathroom and leans over the cold porcelain savior.

Kevin sighs and glances at Brian who lets out a deep breath. Knowing Yasmine, she was probably throwing darts at their faces on a poster somewhere.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

A/N: Hey I’m back for a quick update. I just want to thank those that reviewed so much. I hope you enjoy and please review; it lets me know what you the readers liked or didn’t like about the story! Thanks!!!

“Love Can Save”

-1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

**~Shattered Dreams~**

A.J. shuffles in the bathroom and jerks his head up from the sink as the ringing of the phone reaches his ears. In pain, A.J. covers his ears and yells out, “Shut up. Shut up.” Stepping out the bathroom, he slowly makes his way over to the hotel phone besides his bed. Picking the cradle of the phone up, he slowly sits down on the edge of the bed.

“What!?” A.J. grumbles in the phone.

“Well good morning to you too sunshine.” Nick’s voice blurts through the phone.

A.J. rolls his eyes, “Hi, whatever Nick. Why the call?”

“Just wanted to know if you heard anything about Yasmine.”

A.J. scans his eyes over the sliding glass pane that leads to the balcony before answering, “No. Nothing yet. I’m about to go to her dorm to talk with her. Though if she’s pissed, I’d doubt she’ll speak to me.”

Nick’s laughter cuts, “Dude, you better hope she don’t kick your behind man for last night.”

“Shut up, you’re not helping.”

Nick calms down and sighs, “Alright, you want back up. I’ll drop you off at her place if you want.”

“Aight. Ok. I don’t think I can get behind the wheel right now. I have a hangover that’s killing me over here.”

“Ok, I feel good. I threw up it all up this morning and the hangover left after that.” Nick states smiling.

A.J. sucks his teeth, “Thanks, like I wanted to know that. How the other guys doing?”

“Brian was barfing all over the place and said he never wanted to ever drink again and Howie is just fine and so is Kevin.” Nick states, splashing cold water onto his face while holding his mobile phone in the other hand.

“Oh ok, look be ready by… God what time is it?” A.J. asks, glancing around to find a clock.

“Three o three why?” Nick asks.

“Holy… oh damn. I slept all day and you didn’t wake me up!” A.J. states, hurriedly running around the room: flinging on a pair of black cargo pants and blue button shirt.

“Well J, man you looked like hell. I figured some sleep will do you some good. Guess I wrong. I’ll meet ya down in the lobby in a few. I’ll tell Kevin we’ll be back in time for the production meeting k?” Nick states as he reaches over to grabs his hotel card and exits his suite.

“K, I’ll be there in a sec.” A.J. whispers and hangs up the phone, racing out the room and grabbing his hotel card along the way out.
~*~

Howie yawns and glances at his watch again. He couldn’t believe A.J. stood him up. A.J. was supposed to have met up with him over an hour ago and here he was awaiting a miracle of some kind that maybe A.J. didn’t forget. “Boy has a memory shorter than my fish.” Howie grumbles, tossing a car magazine on top of the coffee table in front of him.

“D, there you are. Where did A.J. go?” Brian asks, stifling a yawn as he enters the small bar the hotel provided.

“Don’t know. I was about to ask you the same thing.” Howie states, standing up from the soft plush black sofa.

Kevin smirks as he enters the threshold of the bar, “I saw Nick. Seems they’re gonna go talk with Yasmine about last night.”

Howie rolls his eyes, “Figured and now is when A.J. is gonna do it? It’s a quarter pass three, guess he must have just gotten up.”

Kevin slumps in the sofa across from Howie and shakes his head, “Forget him for now. I just thought of this great beat for one of the songs Brian did, check this out.” Brian and Howie lean in and gather around Kevin as Kevin using his lips, plays a beat. The guys chuckle as the conversation turned into music and for now A.J. and Nick wasn’t a concern.
~*~

“Stop. Pull up right here.” A.J. points to his right to a cobblestone building that is rented out to college students. “This will only be a minute. The way I see it, she probably wouldn’t even want to talk to me.”

Nick smirks and parks the forest green SUV a few feet away, “Good luck. It looks like you’ll need it.”

A.J. shakes his head and flicks Nick on the head, “Thanks it might take a miracle for her to be nice to me.”

“A.J. all you gotta do is pucker up and bats those dark chocolate eyes at her and she’ll be putty in your hands.” Nick smirks, pouting his lips and batting his eyes at A.J.

A.J. sighs and steps out the vehicle, slamming the door behind him.

“Hey, no slamming my door!” Nick shouts as A.J. while walking towards the building flips his middle finger at Nick from behind him.

Nick smiles and leans back on the seat, pumping up the volume on the new single of Linkin Park, ‘Faint’ on his stereo.

A.J. sighs and walks into the large lavish lobby of the dorm apartments. Passing by some guards and getting signed in, he heads towards the elevator bank and gets off at the fifth floor. Passing by the first couple of mahogany doors, he stops in front of 5K, the apartment Yasmine shares with her room mate. Ringing the small bell on the side of door, he takes a deep breath and whispers a small prayer that somehow Yasmine won’t be so angry with him. ‘Please girl. Don’t be mad with me.’ He whispers to himself just as the apartment door swings open. A.J. smiles and stares at a carrot colored haired tall lean woman. She smiles and tilts her head at him as some recognition comes into place.

“Wow, she wasn’t lying. She really knows you. Hi, I’m Anya. I share the room with her.” Anya states as she lifts her hand to shake hands with A.J.

A.J. feeling a bit uncomfortable: quickly grabs her hand and stands nervously at the threshold of the apartment. Giggling, Anya moves aside and tells A.J. to come in. A.J. kindly steps into the apartment and into the small comfortable living room.

“Umm, yeah. This is a nice place. I mean the last time I came here it was all empty and stuff cause she was just moving in. But wow, looks nice. Decorated nice.” A.J. states, still feeling a bit odd talking to a stranger. He never had the chance to meet the room mate, but by the looks it he was glad Nick stood in the car, ‘cause Nick would have been hitting on her the moment he had the chance.

“You want to see Yasmine, don’t you?” Anya asks, her hazel eyes scanning the man in front of her.

“Oh yeah. I hope she wasn’t too mad at me for last night.” A.J. whispers, nibbling on his lip as Anya stares at him.

“Yeah well… She never came home.” Anya whispers shaking her head and collapsing into a small flowered seat behind her.

“What? She never came here?” A.J. asks nervously, his heart racing as terrible images begin clouding his mind. “Please tell me you know where she is?”

Anya sadly shakes her head, “I, I don’t know where she is. She didn’t call me since last night. I mean I was going to pick her yesterday ‘cause we were going to see a movie, but when I got to the school, someone said she headed out with you.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to ruin your plans. It was a surprise, I haven’t seen her for the longest and…” A.J. gets cut off as Anya interrupts.

“It’s ok. You don’t have to explain. You’re the A.J. she’s always talking about. She misses you and when I heard you came to pick her up, I figured she’ll be out having fun with you.” Anya smiles gently, her snowy complexion glittering brightly in the afternoon sunlight that crashed the windows.

“That’s weird. I thought she’d be here. See yesterday: my friends and I surprised her with a cake and all. We missed her and wanted to know that we all missed her and was glad to have her in our lives. We had a little cake and everything. A party for her sake.” A.J. explains as Anya smiles.

“That’s so sweet that you went through all that for her. I’m sure she was ecstatic and all.” Anya states, her eyes glittering.

“Yeah, she was so surprised!” A.J. states, running his butter pecan hands through his red tipped black hair. It was funny from the minute Anya got him to talk about Yasmine, all his uneasiness vanished as he gloats happily about Yasmine’s success in the writing world.

Anya smiles and giggles, “She wasn’t lying about you. You really care for her.”

That statement catches A.J. off guard as he stops mid-sentence and laughs, “Yeah, I have stories on her you wouldn’t believe.”

Anya grins and bats her eyes, “Really now? Cause she already told me about yours.”

A.J. stares at her as she laughs and stands up, “It was nice meeting you. I don’t want to sound mean or anything, but I have an exam that I have to start studying for.”

A.J. nods his head and pulls out a wrinkled piece of paper with his number on it. “Yeah its alright. Listen, if you hear anything about Yasmine or see her later on, can she call me or can you call me if you know where Yasmine is at?”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll call if I hear anything k?” Anya states, tucking away the wrinkled paper in her jean pocket.

“Alright it was nice meeting you. Bye.” A.J. states as he steps out her apartment.

“Same here, take care. Bye.” Anya whispers and waves goodbye.

A.J. smiles and walks down the corridor as the door closes behind him. “Nice girl she’s rooming with. Too bad Nick wasn’t with me.” And he steps into the elevator.

Walking out the brick apartment building, A.J. sighs and start making his way back to the SUV where Nick was blasting away at a CD he got. Suddenly just as he was about to open the passenger side door to the vehicle, A.J. hears his cell phone go off. “Nick, lower the music! Shhh! I think its Yasmine now!”

Nick looks confused and shuts off the CD as A.J. boards the SUV. Nick drums his fingers on the steering wheel as A.J has a quick conversation with whoever called him.

A.J. gulps and quickly pulls his cell phone, looking at the number. ‘It’s from Yasmine’s apartment. Did she come back and I missed her on my way out?’ He thinks to himself as he pushes the talk button.

“Hello?” A.J. asks in the phone as Anya’s voice answers back.

“Hey A.J. I know you said to call you if I found out anything about Yas. Well I just got a call right after you left on where she’s at. And she’s staying in Saint Vincent’s Hospital.” Anya whispers nervously.

“Hospital!? A.J gasps, fearing the worst could have happened. “Oh please what happened to her?”

Nick watches in silence and feels a cold shiver sweep his back, ‘Hospital! That’s not good! Oh man something went wrong!’ He thinks to himself as A.J. gasps and places a closed fist onto his lips.

Nick gulps as his throat goes dry, something went seriously wrong. The look on A.J.’s face tells it all, he’s never seen A.J. this distress before except for when he confessed he had a drinking problem. But whatever it was that was told to A.J. seemed to be far beyond anything that he could imagine.

A.J. hangs up the phone and throws the cell on the head board, “Drive!” He chokes out, crossing his shivering arms over his chest.

Nick immediately pulls the SUV down the street and onto a highway, “Where to?” He wanted to know what was troubling A.J. but decided to stay quiet. Whenever A.J. was ready to talk he’ll be listening.

“Get off between Thirteenth and Twelfth Avenue.” A.J. chokes out, his eyes tearing up.

Nick gulps and knew right there that Yasmine must be seriously hurt. He didn’t want to ask but he needed to know what was going on. “J, who was on the phone? You didn’t tell me how it went at her place?” Nick whispers softly, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead of him.

“I was talking to her room mate Anya. Seems Yasmine never made it back home and Anya had no idea what could have happened to her. I told her if she hears anything about Yas to give me a ring.” A.J.’s voice rasps out the last words as he shuts his eyes tightly to prevent any tears from falling out.

“And that was Anya on the phone right?” Nick whispers out, his heart racing in fear.

“Yeah.” A.J. answers slowly.

“You don’t have to answer, but do you know why Yasmine is in the hospital?”

“Yeah.” A.J. states softly.

“She’s hurt bad?” Nick whispers.

“Yeah.” A.J. sighs and leans his head back on the seat.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry. It was stupid of me to drink that much last night. We were all blasted and…” Nick hesitates as guilt washes over him.

“Nick, it doesn’t matter. What’s done is done, alright. I just want to see her now. That’s all that matters right now.” A.J. whispers.

“Ok.” Nick whispers as he pulls up to Saint Vincent’s hospital. “Whoa, this place is for the brain trauma victims, J. please what happened to her?”

“I don’t want to talk about right now, k?” A.J. whispers as he steps out the vehicle.

Nick quickly follows and both men run into the main entrance of the hospital section. A.J. feels his throat go dry as he approaches the front desk to where a nurse was typing something up. The harsh yellow lights gleam on them as they pass by a crowd of people walking around the waiting room.

“Excuse me miss. Hi, I just got news that a friend of ours is admitted into this hospital.” A.J states as the nurse looks up from what she was doing.

“Ok, what’s her name? I can look her up and tell you.” The nurse states softly, her gentle dark eyes provided comfort for both men.

Nick gulps and shakes his head, the smell of medicine and aesthetics leaked into the atmosphere as he grips his stomach tightly. The smell was beginning to make him nauseous as he swallows softly, gazing at A.J. He doesn’t pay attention to what was being said but notices that A.J. was swiftly moving towards the elevator bank after the nurse.

“Nick, hey listen buddy. You can’t go with me. Its not visiting hours yet. Wait for me here in the lobby k?” A.J. states, pleading with Nick.

Nick confused, tugs on A.J.’s arm, “Dude, you ain’t her relative either.”

“Shhhh, the nurse said it was ok. I told her that I’m Yasmine’s cousin. It seemed that Yasmine was asking for me when she was being brought in here.” A.J. whispers, patting Nick’s shoulder as he steps into the elevator with the nurse. “See ya in a few.” And the metal doors close, taking A.J. to his destination.

Nick nibbles on his lip, “Damn, what the hell happened to her?” he whispers as he picks up his mobile to inform Brian, Howie and Kevin of this.
~*~

Brian laughs as Howie folds the newspaper and looks up from what he was reading. Smiling, Howie watches Brian and Kevin act out a scene from ‘Ace Ventura where the main character was using his butt to talk.

“You guys, boredom is a scary thing. Look what its doing to you two.” Howie raises his eyebrows as Brian chuckles. Suddenly the ice cream song goes off from Howie’s cell phone as Kevin and Brian glance at each other with a smirk on their faces.

“Yeah we can tell.” The cousins say in unison as Howie rolls his eyes and answers the call.

‘Ello?’ Howie asks as Nick’s panic voice answers back.

“D! Oh Man! You won’t believe this! We’re at the hospital right now! A.J. went off to see Yasmine, something happened to her last night and I don’t know what it is.” Nick whispers as he cradles the phone.

Howie swallows, “You guys aren’t hurt though right?”

“No, but I think the way A.J. is acting that Yasmine is!” Nick softly yells out, the panic rising up.

“Nick relax, tell me where you are and we’ll meet you k?” Howie whispers as Brian and Kevin look up alarmed and listen intensely to Howie’s conversation with Nick on the phone.

“Ok, ok, Nick listen to me, try to remain calm k? We’re gonna meet up with you shortly. Please just calm down ok. Try to see what happened to her. Is A.J. there with you now? He is, but he went up? Oh, he was allowed to go up… Ok Nick, we’re on our way out the hotel now ok? Try to keep calm buddy. See ya in few.” Howie whispers as he hangs up the phone.

“To the car right?” Brian whispers.

Howie nods as Kevin leads the way out, “Howie what happened?” Kevin asks, never turning around as fear edged its way to him. God how he hated hospitals, it always seemed to bring him bad news each time he went. They all take a stairwell and walk towards the parking lot heading to their car.

“Don’t really know. Nick is scared and was almost freaking out. Said something about A.J. went to Yas’s place but found out from her room mate Anya that Yas never came home. A.J. told her to call if she found out anything and she did shortly after A.J. left the place.” Howie whispers.

“God what could have happened to Yasmine?” Brian whispers, placing his worried hands over his tired eyes.

“Don’t know, guess we’ll find out shortly.” Howie whispers as they board the black Benz and pull off from the hotel driveway and into the streets.
~*~

Her eyes snap open as her blurry vision tried to focus in the bright room she’s in. She tries to sit up but notices a small IV placed on the top of her hand. Her body feels worn and her head seemed to be banging with fresh pain. She can’t seem to remember to what happened, but this isn’t her room. Why is she in the hospital? What could have happened to her? No matter how hard she tries to recall what could have lead her to this room, she couldn’t remember. She runs her soft caramel hands shakily through her tangled black locks. It scared her to think what could have lead her to this place. Her body feels sore but other than that, she seemed fine. Upon hearing the door open, her eyes avert to it when suddenly her memory came to her full blown. The figure that stepped through the door was the man that assaulted her in the elevator, the same black wool mask and black attire he wearing when he assaulted her. He steps close to her as she cringes in fear. “No this can’t be happening! Not again!” She whispers frightening, shaking as the masked man walks into the room and leans close to her. She starts screaming and struggles in her bed as the masked man suddenly vanished and the male doctor along with a nurse tries to calm her down.

“Miss, it’s ok. Please, we need you to calm down. Who ever hurt you isn’t here. It’s just me- Dr. Ross and the nurse.” The doctor whispers as Yasmine cries out, her tears flooding her face.

“Please stay away from me! No more! No more please! Oh God help me!” Yasmine screams out, flailing her arms out in the air in a struggle as the nurse and doctor try to sustain her.

“We’ll need to give her something to calm her down.” Dr. Ross whispers as he pulls out an injection and injects it directly into her arm.

“There, there. Don’t worry, that man will get caught.” The nurse whispers as she pets Yasmine’s locks gently. Yasmine gulps and swallows as the lump in her throat throbs. More tears will come before things will get better. Yasmine looks up at the harsh yellow lights above and sighs as the drugs begin to work on her, relaxing her body as she looks up and sighs.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

A/N: Real quick, this is an update on the story. I hope you enjoy and please leave a review. By the way, the hospital mentioned is a real one located in NY. I don’t know the basics of the hospital language as you can tell, so please bear with me. Thanks! : )

“Love Can Save”

-Proverbs 17:7 “A friend loves at all times…”

**~Distilled Reality~**

Nick paces worriedly on the beige tiles in the waiting room of the lobby in the hospital waiting for A.J. to come back down and tell him anything about what is occurring with Yasmine. It was killing him staying in the dark about Yasmine’s incident. He fumbles through his army colored pockets clumsily, fingering a pen that he just used to sign an autograph for a nurse. ‘God A.J. Come on, where are you? You gotta fill me in on what’s the deal?’ He blows out a puff of air and takes a seat nervously on one the hard plastic chairs, tapping his foot impatiently. So many images swirled through his head about what could have lead Yasmine here. Could she have been robbed on her way home? Did someone hurt her physically and cut her up? ‘Nick stop. Don’t think that way. She can’t be wounded, why would anyone hurt her?’ Things weren’t adding up and it was driving Nick crazy. He leans back on the chair as the golden fluorescent beams down on the vacant waiting room. He leans back in the seat, leaning his head on the wall behind him and tries to slow his heart rate down but to no avail. “Deep breathes Nick. Everything should be fine. She’s here which means she’s getting the help she needs.” He whispers to himself as he closes his eyes wearily hoping he can catch a nap to forget for a moment where he was at.
~*~

The metal doors slide open as A.J. steps out the elevator following the lead of the nurse in front of him. He gasps as he reads a bold lettered sign above the entrance of this particular wing of the hospital with the words “Trauma Patients” scrolled across it. The nurse smiles tiredly and turns to look at A.J. Her white nurse’s gown flows around her, “Sir, I’ve been advised from the doctor to be careful with her. She’s at a fragile moment and any sign of uneasiness, we might have to send you out, only for her healing. She seems to be having post-traumatic stress disorder. Meaning she’s displaying panic and anxiety symptoms at the moment. I would advise you to keep your visitation brief for tonight for we have to do some final checkups on her before we release her tomorrow.”

A.J. inhales deeply and nods his head in understanding, “Nurse…” A.J. pauses to read the name tag on the nurse’s uniform.

“Warden” The nurse responds as A.J. continues.

“When the rape occurred, how, how was she?” A.J. gulps slowly, his nerves ready to break down. “I, I mean was she awake at all when the paramedics brought her in?” He asks nervously.

“No, she fainted during the sexual assault. She has no recollection to what occurred when we brought her here but she is showing signs of memory. She might not recognize you when you enter her room, her panic symptoms are at an all time high since she woken up and you being here might either set it off or calm her down, depending on how she responds.” Nurse Warden whispers as they travel through the sickening harsh white hallway. They reach the end of the hallway as the nurse turns the corner and quickly places her hand on the metal of a white door handle leading into a hospital room. For what seemed like a minute in reality, seems to A.J. like eternity before he reached the nurse.

He begins breathing rapidly as he grips his stomach, “I, I don’t think I can go it there!” He chokes out, his eyes scanning quickly around the hallway.

“I understand this is a terrible experience for you, but you have to remember she was the one that went through it and needs to get better. You have to help her out, she trusts you. If anything, you’ll be the only man she can trust for a long time depending on how well she can heal.” The nurse whispers quietly as she holds the door open waiting for A.J. to step in.

“Wait.” A.J. states as he inches closer to the open door, “What if she hates me? Hates me cause I left her alone when she left my room. I mean she was upset with me and then for this to happen to her. I don’t think she will ever forgive me.”

The nurse makes a grim expression, “I’m sorry I wouldn’t know what to say about that. I do however know for a fact that what had occurred between you and her are the last thing she’s thinking about at the moment.”

A doctor and a nurse exit the room and whispers to Nurse Warden about Yasmine sudden attacks that caused her anxiety only moments ago.

Nurse Warden sighs deeply and exchange whispers to the doctor and nurse. The doctor hands a metal chart over to Nurse Warden as the intercom blasts with a woman’s voice, “Doctor Ross you’re needed in Room 401 in the pediatrics section. Code 4 on alert, repeat Code 4.” The doctor and nurse exchange worried glances and begin descending down the hall. A.J. watches Doctor Ross and a nurse give him a nod, acknowledging his presence before they disappear, turning a corner down the hallway.

“Mr. Mclean, whenever you’re ready.” Nurse Warden states, her gentle smile breaks into the havoc that A.J.’s emotions are doing within him. “She’s waiting.”

A.J. closes his eyes, he doesn’t like the smell of hospitals nor the odd aesthetic smell that always seems to fill the hallways of such buildings, but he pushed those thoughts aside as he steps into the threshold and enters fully in the room Yasmine was in. He gasps and swallows painfully at the site. “Oh God.” He gasps as he walks unsteadily over to his sleeping friend. “This can’t be happening.” He whispers to himself holding onto a wall fearing his legs might collapse under his weight. He can feel the nurse’s gentle hands holding him steady as he makes his way over to the left side of the bed where Yasmine was sleeping. The last time he was in the hospital was years ago when Brian underwent surgery. Nervously taking a seat behind him, he stares in shock at what had become of his friend. Lying on her back on the bed: Yasmine’s black soft locks lie scattered around her like a crown of knotted spirals. Her golden tan complexion lost color now replaced with a rather ashen butter pecan sickly color while her hands lie clutched in tight fists on either side of her. The IV in her right hand stood out as A.J. grimaces in pain at that thought of how much that must hurt. Nurse Warden pats A.J.’s shoulder and whispers that she will be back in a few.

“I’ll leave you with her alone. Maybe she’ll wake up and talk with you. I hope she’ll be glad to see you. I shouldn’t take no longer than a few minutes. I’ll be back fast in case she shows any minor symptoms ok?” She smiles, her olive hands checking the flow charts at the bottom of the bed that hung along side two other chart: one pertaining to laboratory results and the other calculations and measurements and then she exits the room.

A.J. sighs as his heart races never slowing down at the sight of her, he clasps his shaking, sweaty hands around Yasmine’s cold right hand before whispering, “God Yas. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking about letting you go by yourself. Because of my stupidity, you’re paying the price and you don’t deserve it. I love you. Just promise me you don’t do this to me again ok?” He smiles to himself hoping Yasmine heard him through her sleep. Yet the only response was that coming from the Cardiac monitor.

He feels her hand close on his as he swings his head over to see Yasmine’s closed lids fluttering open. Gulping, he hoped Yasmine wouldn’t react negatively at the sight of him and he rubs her knuckles with his thumb hoping to relax her in any way before she opens her eyes to see him. He sits in the chair and watches Yasmine turn her head at the sound of his voice and open her light emerald eyes to him in a lost or rather dazed state. She stares at him in silence as he in turn does the same, neither one speaking yet needing to hear the other’s voice for reassurance. And they remain like this for the next few minutes while A.J. gathers his thoughts. He wasn’t much good with words when it came to situations like this, but without Kevin doing all the talking, A.J. was left alone to do the talking and he hoped it will help the process with Yasmine’s healing.
~*~

“Kevin faster! I swear if you don’t speed up now, I’ll take the wheel away and personally drive it myself!” Howie shouts agitated as Kevin growls.

“D! I’m going as fast as I can without getting stopped by the cops! Calm down! Do you want us to get in problems with the police? They’ll slow us down even more if they do.” Kevin mutters as he slams his foot on the gas pedal, careening the Benz down the highway at fifty five miles per hour.

“We’ll get there. Don’t stress please Howie. You’re freaking me out already as it is, I don’t think Yasmine wants to see us like this when we see her. How do you think A.J. is feeling with what’s going with Yas?” Brian asks from the passenger seat, leaning back to hear Howie’s response from the backseat.

“How else? He must be so shaken by this. And Poor Yasmine, if only I could know what went wrong with her.”

“We’ll know shortly.” Kevin whispers as he descends down the exit ramp towards the hospital, all their emotions rising with each inch the Benz came to arriving at the proximity of the hospital.
~*~

“Excuse me sir, are you still waiting for your friend to come down?” The middle age nurse that attended the front desk asks.

Nick snaps open his eyes and sits up tiredly, yawning. “Ummm, ah yeah. He’s still upstairs right?”

Nurse Warden nods her head as she heads back to the elevators. “Wait!” Nick bolts out of the seat and runs after her, “Hold on! Listen is there any way of me being able to see her? It’s really important! I’m one of her close friends as well and it’s worrying the heck out of me not knowing what the deal is with her.”

“She’s lucky to have great friends like you and A.J. but I’m not allowed. Hospital policies, sorry. But I promise that as soon as she asks for you I’ll gladly let you see her.”

“Oh ok, thanks. Listen Nurse…”

Nurse Warden smiles and points to her name tag, as Nick continues: “Warden right? Can you tell me, what is her reason for being here?”

“You don’t know? I thought you were her friend.” Warden gazes at Nick, “She was in accident is all I’m gonna say right now. I’ll let your friend explain the rest, he’s seeing Yasmine as we’re talking.”

“Please, I need to know. Is she sick?” Nick whispers out, the air caught in his throat.

“It isn’t right for me to talk about my patients conditions. You have to understand it’s for their own protection. Your friend Alex I’m sure will tell you shortly.” Nurse Warden whispers as an arriving elevator welcomes her presence. “I’m going up there now to see how everything is going. But I think she’ll be fine. She looks like a strong woman: she survived the worst for now. She should be able to make it out well.” And with that the nurse boards the elevator and disappears behind the closing doors.

“Damn. Back to square one. I still don’t know what’s going on.” Nick whispers.

“Dude you never know what’s going on, why does this surprise you?” A familiar voice cuts into Nick as he turns around the see Brian trying his best to smile as he walks towards him along with Howie and Kevin who all seem to be hiding their fears.

“Hey guys, glad you can make it.” Nick grimaces as the look of frustration grew on him.

Kevin nibbles on his lower lip and whispers out, “Nothing?”

“Nope. I don’t even know what happened to her. A.J. is seeing her right now. He’s the only one who knows. It’s so annoying to not know.” Nick mumbles as he shoves his hands down his army pant pockets.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Brian whispers but was cut off by Howie’s mobile phone going off.

“Oh sorry. Hold on.” Howie whispers as he answers the incoming call and walks away in his own private conversation.

Brian passes a hand through his unruly reddish blonde locks and sighs, “You know if its as bad as we all think it could be, A.J. is gonna need a lot of help to get through this.”

“And think about Yasmine.” Kevin states: nervously fingering the pockets of his black jeans. He can’t be here, not in this place, hospitals are the last place he would visit if he could. Too many horrific memories lied in his conscious as he’s suddenly reminded of his late father’s night visits to the clinics and hospitals.

“Kevin, are you ok?” Brian whispers terrified as Kevin swallows and keeps his gaze at the swirling overhead ceiling fans.

“Uhh, oh yeah. Sure why?” Kevin rasps out as he tries to control his emotions.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be here: I don’t think it’s a good idea for you visit her if you’re feeling out of it yourself.” Brian whispers concerned as he rubs his cousin’s shoulder gently.

“Um, maybe you’re right. God, this reminds me of dad that’s all. Brian, I’ll just be in the car if you need me, this place is creeping me out.” Kevin chokes out as he heads towards the exit.

“Brian, if you want maybe you can keep Kevin busy. I don’t want him alone. He doesn’t look like he’s doing too well himself.” Nick offers, his mind speeding with many sorrowful thoughts.

“Yeah, but neither are you.” Brian whispers as he walks away and follows Kevin back to the car.

Nick sadly shakes his head and watches Howie make his way back to him to wait for A.J.’s results on Yasmine’s.
~*~

Yasmine remains muted as she stares at A.J. with unfamiliarity. It broke A.J.’s heart to know she must be someplace alone where she believes no one can understand her.

“It wasn’t your fault what happened to you.” A.J. whispers, holding tightly onto her hands, he couldn’t let her go not now and not ever. He did once and look what occurred. She was left alone and attacked.

Yasmine rolls her head to the side and stares at A.J. in silence.

“What? I have a booger up my nose or something?” A.J. whispers chuckling as Yasmine blinks at his direction.

“Ok, bad joke. Don’t you worry, I won’t say any more bad ones, cause I know you can’t stand that.” A.J. whispers unsure what to say or act. He wanted to be as normal as he can, so she can heal, but how can he when she was brutally attacked by some beast that was still on the loose. A.J. caresses her cheek and she jerks away from his touch.

“Sorry.” A.J. whispers as he watches her, happy that she was awake, “How you feeling girl?”

Yasmine gazes down at the IV and back up at him as if to say, “What do you think?”

“I hear ya girl. I’m truly sorry, I just want you to be ok. That’s all that is important to me right now.” A.J. whispers as he laces his fingers through hers.

Yasmine opens her mouth but nothing comes out but a yawn.

“Tired?” A.J. asks wearily, he wanted to hear her talk, needed to her say that she’s ok. That through all she experienced, that she survived and become stronger.

Yasmine smiles and grips his hand, “A.J.” She rasps out, her dry throat choked out his name.

A.J. smiles and nods his head, “Yeah sweetie, I’m here for you.”

Yasmine’s eyes turned dark for moment as she growls, “You had a nice party after I left.”

A.J lets out a puff of air as he shakes his head, “No Yas. I can’t believe you even care about that. No, I don’t even remember what happened after you left and I could care less by the way. I want to know what happened to you.”

“I don’t want to talk about J.” Yasmine growls as she stares at him with anger.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you girl. If I can find the one who did this to you, I’ll kill him.” A.J. whispers, boring his eyes into Yasmine’s.

“Don’t ok!” She hisses, “I don’t need you dong this for me cause you feel guilty.” Yasmine whispers.

“Guilty. Well damn Yasmine! How do you want me to feel? It’s my fault this happened to you.” A.J. whispers out trying to control his mixed emotions.

“No its not. Its my fault.” Yasmine states as she seems dazed and lost for a moment.

“Your fault!?” A.J. shouts incredulously. “How was it your fault. No one and I tell you no one deserves that type of treatment! You never asked that creep to violate you. You never asked him to take advantage of you!”

Yasmine gulps and whispers out, “What if I did? What if I let him do what he wanted so he could leave me alone?”

“What?!” A.J. cries, leaping out of the chair, “Yasmine what do you mean by that?”

Yasmine shrugs her shoulders, “I heard I’m getting out of here tomorrow, will you pick me up?”

A.J. chews on the inside of his cheek as he nods his head, Yasmine never answered his question. What did she mean by that? She must think its her fault, it can’t be right. No one allows force on them unless they were threatened. A.J. still had a lot to talk to her about, but right now it wasn’t the right place nor the right time to get to talk about it. She needed to get well and he was to help her achieve that goal.
~*~

Howie rubs his temples while Nick loudly flips through a magazine not really reading or even paying any attention to any of the articles in it. Suddenly the quiet tinge of the elevators sound as A.J. steps out. Nick and Howie never noticed A.J. coming as they quietly whisper to one another. A.J. gulps and flings a booklet onto Nick’s lap. Nick grabs the booklet without bothering to read the title. Nick looks up and sighs as both he and Howie pounce on A.J questioning him one after another.

“Whoa whoa, easy now. I’ll tell ya what happened. Calm down guys.” A.J whispers as a look of anxiety cross his face as he throws his arms in the air.

Howie and Nick calm down and back away from A.J. as A.J. leads the way out the lobby and out the hospital. They walk over a small crosswalk and stand out the pathway looking out the city. The busy street noises of cars honking and trucks loading objects fill the atmosphere as the guys look calmly.

“Hey you gonna tell us? What’s going on? I’ve been kept in suspense all day. What did the nurse say to you?” Nick asks, pleading to A.J. to answer his question once and for all.

A.J. sighs and stops on the crosswalk, staring at Howie and Nick. “Yasmine, she…” A.J. sighs and continues, “She was raped.”

At that statement Howie’s mouth drops open as the booklet A.J. flung to Nick clatters on the floor softly. Nick gazes down and scrolls over at the words of the book, “How to deal with a rape victim.” Nick kneels down and grips the booklet in his hands as he stands up. His mouth opens in shock as a worried look passes his face.

Howie shakes his head as he leans on the wall for support, “I’m sorry J.”

“You’ll see her tomorrow, she’s staying overnight for observation. The hospital is releasing her tomorrow morning, you guys can come with me to pick her up if you want. I’m going to her place later to get some clothes for her, you guys can tag along.” A.J whispers calmly.

Nick grips the booklet and throws it on the floor in frustration, “How did that happen? Nearby her place?!” Nick shrieks out, his nerves rising.

“I haven’t gotten her to talk about it so I don’t know.” A.J. whispers as he leans on the rail and takes a deep breath.

“How was she?” Howie whispers.

“She looks so devastated. A mess. But she’s acting like she deserved to get rape. You guys how can I help her? I don’t know what to do?” A.J. sobs as tears flow his tan face.

“Oh J. We’ll all help. She won’t be alone to deal with this. We’ll help out as best as we can.” Howie whispers as he rubs A.J.’s shoulder to calm the younger man down.

A.J. turns to see Nick in shock staring out over the rail in silence. It would be a long tedious journey to get Yasmine’s life back on track, but they were determined to see that she can make it. For she deserves a good life like anyone else out there.
~**~

**~To be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“Maybe I’m a drifter, maybe not
Cause I have known the safety
Floating freely in your arms,
I don’t need another lifeline,
It’s not for me,
Cause only you can save me,
Oh, can’t you see.” –From A.J.’s part “Drowning.”

**~Healing Soul~**

The wheels crunch over the gravel as it pulls out Yasmine’s driveway where the campus apartments are located. A.J. grips the steering wheel, keeping his eyes facing at the streets before him. Silence seemed to loom in the car since he along with Nick and Howie arrived at Yasmine’s place. Poor Anya had already packed some clothes in a small black suitcase. All the guys had to do was pick some of the items that Yasmine personally requested.

“Alright.” Howie states from the backseat surrounded by Yasmine’s backpack, purse and small suitcase, “I have a checklist. Let’s make sure we have all the things she needs.”

“Dude, all she needs is some deodorant and clean panties. I don’t see why we have to bring all this stuff with us to the hospital.” Nick mumbles as he peers at the backseat to see Howie fumble through a layer of clothes in a suitcase.

“Moron, besides that: she wants to get back to the way things were before the incident and she’ll need more than that.” Howie states as he searches thoroughly through a small pile of her folded clothes.

Nick smirks and burst into a verse from the song they released over two years ago, “Baby you deserve much better, what’s the use of holding on.” Nick frowns when he feels a smack on the back of his head. “Stop with the hitting of the head. Fragile things in there.”

Howie laughs while A.J. remained lost and silent. Since yesterday’s confession to Nick and Howie about Yasmine’s assault, A.J. didn’t seem like himself. He seemed more hidden to himself and quiet as the hours passed by and it was beginning to concern the other band mates.

“When we see her, should I buy a bouquet of sunflowers? She loves those things.” Nick whispers quietly as he leans back into his seat.

A.J. clears his throat and nods his head, “Yeah, you can do that. She would like that.”

“Ok. A.J. can you tell us how you’re feeling?” Nick fearfully asks, knowing that was getting into personal territory, one in which he assumed A.J. would get upset about.

“Feeling about what?” A.J. asks as his shoulders begin to tease. He never takes his eyes off the road as he stares straight ahead.

“About Yasmine.” Nick continues nervously.

He could hear Howie take a nervous deep breath from behind him as A.J. grips the black steering wheel tightly in his hands. The grip was so tight that the whites of his knuckles appeared and Nick knew he hit a soft spot.

“Pissed off.” Was all A.J. whispers as he rubs his lower lip with his hand, hoping it would distract him from what he was truly feeling at the moment. He was caught in a swirl of emotions of anger, sadness, frustration, pity, guilt and uselessness that seemed to be overwhelming him at the moment.

“Ok.” Nick whispers as he closed his mouth and receives a worried glance from Howie in the backseat.

Clearing his throat, Howie tries to interrupt the uneasy feeling by continuing to read the list given to him from the doctors about Yasmine’s items.

Nick sighs and stares at A.J. until A.J. have had enough of the distressing glances from his two friends. Pressing on the breaks of the green SUV, he squeals to a stop in the middle of a vacant street they were traveling on. A.J. sighs and stares at both of his friends, never saying a word. His breathing becomes ragged and he flings open the driver’s side door, leaping out of it before screaming out a list of profanities. Howie and Nick watch in silent shock as A.J. screams and bangs his fist on the side of the vehicle. “You happy!” A.J. screams to Nick through the driver’s window. “Are you happy? God Nick, I hate this crap! I can’t do this. I can’t help her!” A.J. screams out, flailing his arms in anxiety.

Howie takes a deep breath and nods his head, “I know how you feel, I can’t relate and wouldn’t know what to say to her to help her out…”

A.J. cuts him off in mid-sentence, “No! No you don’t D! God, its something you don’t understand. I’m like a brother to her and I let her down. She doesn’t trust me, I know this. I tried to help her get up from the bed this morning and she screamed out saying she can do it herself. And then to make matters worse, she said she can’t stand the sight of me right now!”

“What?” Howie blurts out as A.J. places his hands on the roof of the SUV, standing besides the open driver’s side.

“God, J. I’m sorry.” Nick begins to say until A.J. yells out:

“Forget it k! I screwed up and now I have to live with it.” A.J. mutters stepping into the vehicle and slamming the door besides him.

“A.J. stop it ok! You’re not to blame for what happened. A criminal in the hotel was loose and Yasmine was one of the victims. You didn’t have anything to do with the intentions of that sick rapist, do you hear me?!” Howie shouts, hoping to get through A.J.

Nick watches as A.J. leans back on the seat, rubbing his chin in a dazed state, the only sound coming now was the ragged breathing of A.J. and the ticking, of the ignition while the key chain swings quietly side to side.

“This sucks.” Nick whispers quietly, slumping further into the passenger seat.

“Tell me about it.” A.J. whispers as he starts the SUV up again and pulls off the corner of the street, driving down the road.

Howie sighs and shakes his head, this was going to be a lot harder than any of them are prepared for. His thoughts are interrupted when A.J. hisses out something.

“I’m gonna see if I can help out the police, cause I want to find the man who did this to her. And when I do, I’ll…” A.J. seethes as Nick quiets him down with a single word.

“No.”

“No?” A.J. asks confused, “Who said? He deserves to get punished like any sick criminal out there…” A.J. begins to states until Howie whispers out.

“That’s why the police is working on the case and not you ok? Trust me when I say that I’m sure Yasmine wants to see that man be convicted like we all do. But don’t say those things, you won’t do them.” Howie whispers calmly, nibbling on his lower lip.

A.J. tenses up as he whispers out, “You never know D. You never know. People surprise us everyday.”

Nick takes a quick glance at his two friends before running his fingers through his spiky hair, this was going to be a lot harder for all of them than they thought. He didn’t like what A.J. just said, what exactly did he mean by that sentence that people surprise us everyday. He only hoped A.J. would think reasonably through all this and not take actions into his own hands. How would he feel if someone brutally attacked him? He was beginning to understand A.J.’s frustration about not making things better faster, but what can one do? Although there was no real serious injury physically, emotionally-internally- it was up to Yasmine to repair that and they had to be there to support her in any way they can.
~*~

Yasmine smiles and sits on the edge of the bed, staring at the clock on the wall ticking away slowly. She felt calm now since she was on her way to leaving the hospital. She was glad the examinations were over and she can try to forget this and move on. She didn’t need any more problems or traumas getting in the way now. She would have to rebuild her life and she was eagerly looking forward to it. “A.J. hurry up. I want to get out here.” She whispers to herself, tugging on her pale blue hospital gown. She sighs and stares down at her Bible, the only possession that Anya managed to bring to her yesterday. She needs God now more than ever. She couldn’t go through this problem without her faith and reading the Scriptures helped her out in so many ways it was unbelievable. She sighs and looks over one of her favorite scripture in John 16:33 “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Yasmine sighs and runs her fingers over the words. It seems to be the only thing that calmed her racing heart and her damaged life. She could hear the padding of a nurse entering her room and quickly asking if she has everything she needed.

“Almost, waiting for my friend to come pick me up, plus he has a change of clothes for me.” Yasmine croaks out, her voice strained from all the screaming she did before when a doctor came to check up on her. Although she insisted she was fine, the doctors fail to fulfill her wishes and give her check up anyway against her pleading.

“How you feeling? Tired?” A nurse asks with a smug look on her face. Yasmine stares at the woman, willing to smack that smirk off that woman’s face.

“No. I’m well rested if you’re interested.” Yasmine whispers, her light green eyes graze over the sickly white tiles that pave the entire hospital room.

“Oh. Well if you need anything, just call ok.” The nurse whispers, replacing an empty flow chart at the end of the bed.

“Ok.” Yasmine whispers as she wipes her sweaty palms on the side of her gown. “Oh wait. Just curious, do you know if the police has any leads on the one who assaulted me?” She chokes out, her eyes stinging with a stray tear.

The nurse shakes her head sadly and shrugs her shoulders, “I’m sorry, I don’t really know about that. The police hasn’t reported anything to us. I’m sure if anything comes up, your lawyer will contact you as soon as possible.”

Yasmine nods her head and roughly wipes away a stray tear that caresses the frame of her face.

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry about all this.” The nurse whispers emotionally as she embraces a weeping Yasmine.

“What if he comes back for me?” Yasmine whispers, her arms trembling.

The nurse frowns and shakes her head, “No, no that won’t happen. You’ll be surrounded by your friends and family. You’ll be safe, you won’t be alone.”

Yasmine nods her head as she feels the gentle arms of the nurse embrace her. She drops her head into the nook of the nurse’s neck and sobs silently, her shoulders racking in sadness.
~*~

A.J. parks the SUV across the street from the hospital while Nick and Howie gather their belongings and step out the vehicle. A.J. drums his fingers on the steering wheel mentally fighting if he can pull through with this.

“J, yo, let’s roll. You don’t want to keep her waiting.” Nick states, grabbing the small suitcase from Howie along with Yasmine’s purse and backpack.

A.J. nods his head and steps out the vehicle slowly as he makes his way around the hood of the SUV. “Ok. I’m ready.”

“Ok, cool. Listen, I’ll stay here while you guys go pick her up k? I don’t think this is good spot to park and I want to avoid any tickets.” Howie muses as he walks around the front of the SUV and takes the driver’s seat.

Nick nervously sighs and nods his head, “Ok, let’s go.” And both A.J and Nick cross the street and enter the hospital.

The elevator doors open as A.J. and Nick trudge through the aesthetic fill hallways. Both men stand outside the room as Nurse Warden greets them at the threshold. “She’ll all ready for you. However, Mr. McLean can I have a word with you?” A.J. gulps and nods at Nick’s direction.

“K, I’ll go get her. See ya in a few.” And Nick enters the room and greets Yasmine who seemed more like herself since yesterday’s silent greeting.

A.J. smiles and was brought back to the nurse’s attention, “Mr. Mclean, are you paying attention sir?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. Just glad to see Yas smiling again.” He whispers gleefully.

Nurse Warden clears her throat as her olive face seemed clouded in concern. “Well before she’s released I need you to sign a few forms while I’ll explain the procedures. Since she has been through a tragic incident, rape victims are accompanied with problems that can develop throughout their healing process. Meaning, I’m going to subscribe her to take some medication that will help her anxiety or depressions. Also I’m giving her a medication in which we give to all rape patients who have been involved with unsafe sexual activities. To make sure she isn’t infected with anything, Dr. Ross decided to give her a bottle of PEP for any signs of AIDS that can be in her body.”

A.J. practically choked on the last words the nurse said, “She has AIDS?!”

“No, no! Sir please, this is just a back up in case we find anything that can be potential to AIDS. Please, I’m sorry to scare you like this, its just we’re taking all precautions in case of anything.” Nurse Warden states as a soft smile crosses her face when she hears Yasmine and Nick laugh softly.

A.J. gulps and nods his head as he quickly throws the small bottle of PEP into his pockets. He couldn’t show that to Yasmine, she would completely lose it if she knew she might be infected with a potential illness. He was ready to greet Yasmine when he feels a small tug on his arm from the nurse.

“Wait. Actually I wanted to talk to you about something the doctor found in her blood stream.” Nurse Warden gazes at him curiously.

A.J. covers his ears, “Please no more! I don’t want to hear it!”

“She’s pregnant.” The nurse blurts out immediately as A.J. still covering his ears, open his eyes wide.

“Wh, what?!” A.J. whispers out loudly: he didn’t want to alarm Nick and Yasmine as they were making their way over to them.

The nurse pulls on A.J.’s arm and whispers softly into his ears, “Dr. Ross found semen on her when she was brought in here. We ran a few tests to make sure if it was true and oddly enough, she’s impregnated with that rapist’s child. She’s only two days but she’ll need to be coming back for checkups for the infant and such.”

A.J. thought he had a heart attack when the nurse stated that, his heart crashed into his chest as chills ran up and down his spine continually.

“A.J., A.J.! Hey is everything alright?” Nick’s voice cuts into his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh yeah. Sorry. Is Yas ready?” A.J.’s voice trembles, staring at Nick almost afraid the horrid secret will leak out.

“Almost, she’s getting dressed now. J, what happened? You don’t look so well now.” Nick whispers, noting the ashen color that covered A.J.’s face suddenly. Nick narrows his eyes and stares pensively at his friend, “What did the nurse tell you exactly?”

“Not, not now Nick.” A.J. whispers as Yasmine steps out the small bathroom within in the hospital room. Yasmine seems to be glowing, her tan cheeks glitter with health as she smiles shyly, her long raven locks tumble right below her shoulders.

“Ok. I’m ready to get out of this place.” She whispers innocently as she carries her small black leather purse in her hands.

“Alright let’s go.” Nick beams. Yasmine walks ahead of the two men as Nick stares at A.J. He was hiding something and whatever it was seemed to be eating away at his friend. Nick sighs and just hoped that whatever it was, A.J. will confess in time.
~*~
Yasmine lets out a puff of air as she collapses onto the soft couch in her small apartment. Lying on her back, A.J. stares at her delicately, afraid that if he moved, he would shatter the perfect angel before him. It was a day after the departure from the hospital and A.J. came to see how Yasmine was doing.

Yasmine smiles and peers her soft light eyes at him, “What are you looking at?”

A.J. smiles: rolling his eyes and jokily answer backs, “Nothing much.”

At that Yasmine laughs and shakes her head, “You really are something aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry.” A.J. whispers suddenly, the guilt eating away at him.

“Sorry? For what? For what happened to me? You had nothing to do with it.” Yasmine retorted, playing with a small rubber band entangled in her fingers.

A.J. grabs her moving hands and clasps them together: she diverts her eyes to him curious to see where A.J. was heading with this.

“You know that I care for you and I would do anything for you right?” A.J. states, watching Yasmine nod her head.

She sits up from the couch as A.J. leans closer to her and moves to sit on the edge of the sofa she’s on. He throws her feet over his lap as he smiles and tickles her. Something was up, she knew A.J. too well. He was hiding something from her and she wanted to know what it was. She pulls her feet away from A.J. and tucks her legs beneath her. “Alex. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” A.J. whispers as he traces an imaginary pattern with his fingers on his jean-clad legs.

“If you’re worried about what I’m going through, I’m ok. I don’t want you to feel burdened when you’re around me. I’m your friend, you know that. You can tell me anything.” Yasmine whispers, her hands tugging on a loose thread coming from the cuffs of her jeans.

“I just want to know why you aren’t mad.” A.J. whispers, his eyes practically looking deep within her soul.

“Mad? What will me being mad do? Nothing. So I decided to do something useful with my feelings. I put them into my faith, my reading of the Bible.” Yasmine whispers as a small smile nudges on the corners of her soft lips.

A.J. rolls his eyes and shakes his head, “Funny you say that. Shouldn’t God have watched over you? I just don’t know why you do that. I mean its all good you have this faith in God and all but that isn’t enough for me.”

Yasmine shakes her head and licks her lips, “I’m sorry you feel that way. But I believe God lets things happen for a reason.”

A.J. sighs loudly and stands up, “Yeah right. Things like you getting raped and such. I didn’t come here to get preached on k. I love you and I respect your wishes and beliefs, but I would have done things differently.”

“Really now? I guess we have different ways of handling things.” Yasmine whispers softly as she turns her head around to see A.J. walking over to the front door.

“Yas, since when did you get like this?” A.J. asks, his back turned to her.

“What? Get like what Alex?” She whispers softly.

“Like this, like all religious and stuff?” A.J. asks annoyed as he crosses his arms on his chest, his back still facing her.

“I believed in God for the longest. Its not that I’m religious, I’m spiritual. My faith grows stronger every day, the fact that I’m still alive and breathing is something I take into account everyday. I thank God for helping me and yeah you’re right, I’m mad. I’m pissed off is more like it. But God is taking care of it. What can I do? The guilty can’t run forever and that man will face God one day. He’ll be punished and that’s all I can do.” A.J. still facing her back, shrugs his shoulders, “Look at me A.J. where are all these feelings coming from?” Yasmine whispers.

A.J. turns to her and cocks his head to the side, “You’re so different. You’re taking all this as a stride in a park. I would have some crazy stuff by now. But I guess you’re right. We have two different outlooks I guess.”

“Yeah, yeah we do. Alex is there anything else you want to say before you leave?” Yasmine whispers, a grin spreading on her face.

“Ummm. No. No. Just wanted to see how you were doing, that’s all.” A.J. whispers.

Yasmine nods her head and tilts her head at him, “I think Nick is talking to himself by now. Maybe you should you go now, Nick does weird stuff by himself when he’s alone for too long.”

A.J. chuckles and nods his head, “Yeah, yeah you’re right. You take care girl. I’ll call ya later tonight, we’ll hang out tomorrow k.” A.J. smirks as Yasmine sticks out her tongue.

“K and I want my bracelet back.” Yasmine states as A.J. smirks. He chuckles and steps out the door blowing a kiss at her. “Love you.”

“Love ya back.” Yasmine smiles as A.J. closes the door and leaves her apartment. Once he closes the door, he leans on it and wipes the tears that were beginning to flow down his face. He learned something new about Yasmine today, she has more strength than he had ever imagined and he was glad she was strong enough to handle the situation at hand. He wipes away the tears and smiles as he makes his way towards the elevator bank. Now the next step is breaking the news that she was a mother to be.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

A/N: Hey I’m back with another chapter to the story, thanks so much for taking your time and reading this. It would be nice to for you as the readers to leave a review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. Thanks and enjoy.
“Love Can Save”

-“You don’t know how you touched my life
Oh, so many ways, I just can’t describe
You taught me what love is suppose to be
And saw the little things that made you beautiful to me.” ~Backstreet Boys, “What makes you different”(Makes you beautiful to me)

**~A Step Back~**

She watches the door close and smile the moment A.J. left her dorm. She sighs and wipes away a soft cool tear that managed to escape and scroll down her flushed cheeks. Who was she fooling? Not A.J. and surely not herself. She was in complete torment and agony, her inside screaming to be free of the invisible yet heavy burden that consumed her heart. She stands up from the couch and nervously fiddles with her fingers. Anya went to the store recently after A.J. arrived to pay her a visit. And right now, Yasmine couldn’t stand the feeling of being alone. Maybe it was the incident that brought about the sick mentality that being alone equals danger. Taking a deep breath, she steps into her bedroom and makes her way over to her suitcase to finish taking out some small items that the guys had brought her to the hospital yesterday. She smiles when she sees a photo of herself about a year ago embraced in a man’s arms lovingly. That man now was her ex-boyfriend but they so called ended on a friendly notion which suited fine for both parties. She hasn’t talked to him since nor did it matter. She was so busy in her life, she didn’t need a deep relationship getting her unfocused, though she couldn’t deny she wanted the love she felt back then. But after what she just experienced, men and a loving relationship seemed so far off. She smirks and pulls the photo out of the old rickety mahogany frame by her night stand, tossing the picture into her trash bin besides the bed.

She walks over to a pile of letters on the nightstand and flips through the white envelopes quickly stopping on one from her lawyer. Ripping it open, it pertained to an appointment she would have to attend. It was a rehab center dealing with the experiences of victims in a sexual assault. She noted the center was located in the out patient section of the hospital she was in just a day ago. Sighing, she sits on the edge of her small twin bed and tosses the letter aside. She was standing up when she hears the front door creek open in her dorm. Gulping, her heart races as she clings to the side of the bed tightly. Tears break into the corners of her eyes as she shakes her head. “Oh God no! He can’t be here! No! Please no!” She sobs, her body losing control as she falls to her knees and clutches her legs tightly onto her chest into a fetal position. She hears the footsteps inching closer to her bedroom as she dares to look up, her vision too blurry to recognize anything. All she knows was it was man and he was reaching out to grab her. She thrashes around, screaming hysterically as the man tries to pull her to her knees.

“NOO!” She screeches out, pelting him with weak punches on his chest. She feels the man cup her face and forces her to look at him as she screams out and closes her eyes.

“Yasmine! Oh God! Yasmine! It’s me Nick! Open your eyes!” Nick shakily whispers out to the frighten woman. Yasmine cries out and shakes her head roughly against his grip. Anya rushes into the bedroom and gently pushes Nick aside to embrace Yasmine in her arms.

“Sweetie. No one here is going to hurt you. Look at me Yas. You’re safe, ok. It’s just me and Nick. No one else here.” Anya whispers, placing a soft kiss on Yasmine’s wet forehead.

Yasmine trembles weakly in her friend’s arms as she raises her eyes to see a shattered Nick standing by the threshold, his face crossed with deep anxiety.

“Yas, sweetie. Things will be alright. Don’t be afraid. I won’t leave you alone, do you hear me?” Anya whispers, pushing her snowy colored fingers though Yasmine’s black locks. “Nick just came by with a bouquet of sunflowers. He wanted to see who you are doing, ok Yas?” She asks, wiping away the falling tears that stained Yasmine’s tan cheeks.

Nick tries to smile but fails miserably as he pulls out from behind his back a lovely dozen sunflowers, each brightly open: its gentle yellow petals stand out in strength. “Hey girl. I know you love these. I just thought I bring it to you. I was going to buy you some yesterday but with all the stuff I had to carry for you, I left them behind.”

Anya looks up from her kneeling position and smiles, “She’ll love it. Thanks. Nick, you can put the flowers in a glass vase on the kitchen counter.”

Nick gulps, the silent peace in the dorm floats in the room. “Ok. Anya listen, I have to tell you something about Yas.”

Anya sighs deeply and strokes Yasmine’s locks as she helps the shaking woman back to her bed. “Alright. Hold on. Meet me in the kitchen.”

Nick nods and leaves the room, walking towards the small kitchenette. Anya lies Yasmine on her back on the bed and throws a thin white cotton blanket over Yasmine who was shaking terribly. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Anya gulps: her hazel eyes brimming with tears, “Yas, you get some sleep ok?”

“What does Nick have to say about me?” Yasmine croaks out, her voice cracking after all the yelling she did.

“I’ll find out and tell you as soon as I can ok? You just worry about sleeping ok?” Anya gently instructs, pointing to Yasmine’s nose which creates a small smile on her friend face.

“I’ll try.” Yasmine whispers out as she closes her wet eyes and takes a deep breath.

Anya smiles and quietly leaves the bedroom, slowly closing the bedroom door. Anya sighs and reaches the kitchenette just as Nick places the clear glass vase full of the bouquet of sunflowers on the kitchen counter.

Nick gulps guiltily and keeps his eyes on the mahogany counter, stuttering he speaks out, “I, I’m, I’m so sor, sorry. I, I should have known better. It was too soon, too fast.” He stops talking when he feels a small hand grip his arm.

“It’s ok. Its not your fault. She had a breakdown. This will happen more often while she’s healing. It’s something that can totally devastate her when she leaves the rehab and enters the working world. But Yas is strong and lucky to have great guys like you in her life. She’ll make it, she’ll just need time.” Anya whispers.

Nick nods his head and roughly wipes away a lone tear that traced down the corner of his face, “It’s ok. I’ll just leave now. A.J. is waiting for me downstairs.”

“Ok, but what is it that you wanted to tell me?” Anya asks, her hazel eyes trying to interrupt Nick’s gaze.

“It’s well. A.J. found out yesterday from a nurse that she’s pregnant.” Nick whispers, hearing a gasp from Anya.

“Oh God! Are you sure?” Anya gasps out as Nick nods his head.

“Yeah. The tests done on her proved it.” Nick chokes out as a soft sob escaped his throat. He couldn’t be here. Not after what he did to poor Yasmine: she had a break down in front of him all cause he showed up. A.J. would freak out and rush up here to see Yasmine once he found out. He knew how much A.J. loved her, she was like a sister he never had and he would be so over protective of her.

“Oh God. What am I gonna tell her? That’s the last thing she needs to be hearing. Why wasn’t she informed of this yesterday?” Anya whispers loudly.

Nick shrugs his shoulders, “Don’t know. Figured it was too much for Yasmine to handle all at the same time I think.”

Sighing, she walks around the kitchen counter in time to hear phone ring. She rushes over to the small phone and grabs the silver cradle off the hook from the wall.

Nick watches as Anya gasps and begins talking in Russian, her native language. Anya hangs up and wipes her eyes quickly with her hands.

“I’m so sorry Nick, but I have a family emergency. I have to catch a flight down to Moscow now. My uncle passed away and we need to set up funeral plans for him.” Anya whispers softly, her gaze on the carpeted floor below her.

“Oh I’m sorry Anya. I don’t know what to say.” Nick mumbles guiltily, his sapphire orbs moving rapidly over Anya. If circumstances were different and none of the traumatic events had occur, he was sure he would have loved to hang out with her for she was attractive, slim and tall with fiery red locks down her neck.

Anya sighs and nods her head as she rushes around the small apartment, quickly throwing items into a suitcase she pulls out from the closet.

“Here let me help.” Nick whispers as he folds some clothes and places it into the open suitcase. Anya nods her head and looks up at Nick.

“Thanks, listen since I’m going away, I might be out for maybe two weeks. I don’t know what to do with Yasmine, but I can’t leave her alone. There’s no way she’ll survive. I was thinking…”

Nick cuts her off, “Already covered. You don’t need to say no more. A.J. has an old friend who has an apartment left for rent, but for Yas, she can stay in the room for free. The room is across the street from the hotel we’re staying at, but A.J. will be there 24/7 so you don’t need to worry about it, plus she has me and the other guys. She won’t be alone and she’ll be with the support of her friend’s, -us.” Nick states receiving a small smile from Anya.

“Thank you so much. I, we both really appreciated. I hope she won’t be trouble though, cause I know you guys have quite a schedule and she might conflict with it and…” Anya stops talking when Nick interrupts her,

“And she’s the most important thing now. Who cares about our schedule? Screw that, we’re talking about a person needing help, a friend, our friend and we’ll do whatever is needed for her safety and recovery.” Nick whispers, zipping up the suitcase and wheeling it over to the front door of the apartment. “Hey I’ll drop you off while A.J. gets everything ready here to take Yasmine with him.”

Anya lets out a deep sigh and nods her head, “Thanks again. I’ll go wake Yasmine up, she has to know about her condition and I’ll feel guilty if she didn’t know she was impregnated.”

Nick scrolls his eyes over the closed bedroom and watches Anya disappear as she enters the bedroom, slowly closing the door behind her. Nick pulls out his cell phone and quickly dials A.J. from downstairs.

“Hello?” A.J.’s raspy voice answers to the ring,

“Yo J, Something happened with Anya, she has to fly back to her home in Russia for a family emergency. She didn’t want to leave Yas alone so I told her that we’d take care of her. I told her about the vacant apartment your friend has across the street from where we’re staying and said that she can stay there for a while till Anya comes back here.”

A.J. smirks and nods his head, “Alright. I’ll be right up then to pack some things for Yasmine. What is Yasmine doing right now?”

“Uh well she was taking a nap.”

“A nap? She was tired?” A.J. asks innocently not knowing it was from the break down she had that took her energy away and that it was all caused by Nick.

“Yeah, she uh had a break down when she saw me. I…” Nick hears the other line click off and knew A.J. was racing up here already. “Oh man, me and big mouth.” Nick mutters opening the front door waiting for A.J. to arrive.
~*~

Anya walks quietly over to the bedside and gently shakes Yasmine’s sleeping arm. “Yas, Yas. Hey girl. Its time to get up.”

Yasmine sleepily opens her eyes and gazes at her friend, slowly getting up from the bed, “Where am I going?”

“With A.J. You’ll be staying with him at a friend’s house. I got a call about half and hour ago about a family emergency, Uncle Jovovich got ill and just passed away this morning. I have to go meet my family in Moscow and won’t be back for a little more than two weeks.” Anya whispers, helping Yasmine off the bed and over to her suitcase.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.” Yasmine whispers out, patting the tall woman on her shoulders.

Sighing, Anya smiles weakly, “That’s all right. He lived a good life.” And both women begin Yasmine’s packing.
~*~

In a few minutes, A.J. rushes through the front door and looks at Nick, “Dude, where is she? I can’t believe she broke down like that!” A.J. whispers out worriedly.

“J, its ok. She thought I was someone else and she freaked out. She just gets scared more easily now.”

“Wait, you caused her to break down?” A.J. asks curiously, his muscles tensing under his shirt.

“Somewhat. She thought for moment when Anya left her alone that the guy came back for her. She screaming out, ‘No, not again.’ I went to get her off the floor where she was bawling and she freaked out, pounding me and stuff.” Nick rushes the sentence out feeling the thick tension in the room suddenly.

A.J. lets out a deep sigh and relaxes, “The doctor told me about such things. That’s just part of her dealing with what happened. She’ll start dealing with things better when she starts rehab tomorrow. It’ll help all of us out to see that she can get better.”

Nick sighs and nods his head, “Oh ok. Sorry about freaking you out like that. You didn’t let me finish telling you what happened before you hung up with me.”

“Oh sorry about that. Instincts took over for a moment. Just next time tell me quickly what the deal is before I freak out and hang up k?” A.J. smirks, raising his dark eyebrows at his friend.

Nick smiles and pats A.J’s shoulders, “Let’s help out the girls. K.?”

“K.” A.J. mumbles as he steps into the small apartment dorm room and closes the door behind him.
~*~

A.J. steps into the bedroom to see Anya and Yasmine bending over a half -filled suitcase. “Hey girls, thought you needed a man to help you out.”

“Hey that would be nice. Just tell me when he gets here.” Yasmine whispers seriously as A.J. smiles and breaks into a laughter.

“Funny. I like that. I see you got your humor back.” A.J. whispers tucking a towel and tooth brush into the small compartments of the suitcase.

“But it never left.” Yasmine smiles, a stray of black locks tickled her cheek as she brushes it away, tucking it behind her ear.

“Ahh nice.” A.J. whispers as Anya stands up and whispers into his ear that she was going to break the news to Yasmine now about the pregnancy.

A.J. inhales and holds his breath as Anya tells Yasmine to listen to her. Leading her over to a bean bag seat, Anya stands in front of her as A.J. kneels next to Yasmine.

“Why all the suspense? What is it? What did Nick tell you about me?” Yasmine smiles, her face reflected the purity and innocence of it all.

God, it was killing A.J. to see that and yet to know what she is enduring.

“A.J. I think maybe you should tell her what the nurse told you yesterday.” Anya whispers, her hands on her hips.

“Me?!” A.J. cries out.

“Yeah.” She responds.

Yasmine fidgets in her seat feeling extremely uncomfortable at the moment, “Ummm, guys what’s going on?” She stares at A.J. as he looks at her face and strokes her long black locks gently through his fingers. “Nurse Warden told me that after some serious testing and such, they found that you, you uh…”

“Just say it A.J. Why is it so hard? You used to tell me everything when we were younger.” Yasmine’s voice cuts into his thoughts.

A.J. nods his head and gulps, “Yeah, you’re right. But this news is surprising to all of us. Do you feel different at all by any chance?”

Yasmine sighs frustrated and shakes her head, “No why? Though in a few I’ll feel pissed off. Whatever it is, is something serious cause you’re both looking at me like something’s up.”

“Something’s up or in you I should say.” Anya whispers softly out as Yasmine cringes to hear the words.

“Huh, what was that?” Yasmine asks, her heart banging on her chest as what she think could be happening.

“You’re, you’re pregnant.” A.J. whispers out, his eyes staring at her in sympathy.

“Wha, what?! Did you just tell me that, that I’m gonna have a baby?” Yasmine loudly whispers out.

Anya nods her head, “Yeah. It’s up to you on what you chose to do with the child. You can always consider adoption or maybe abortion.”

“No, No! Why wasn’t this told to me before?!” Yasmine yells out, standing up and pushing A.J. and Anya away from her. She lets out a deep sigh and covers her swollen eyes with her hands, rubbing them gently.

“Yas I wanted to tell you yesterday but I didn’t feel it was right. You have too much to deal with and this news just adds on to the pressure.” A.J. whispers out as Nick knocks on the closed door to let Anya know which flight she wanted to take.

“Oh wait. Yas, I gotta go fix my flight. But I’ll leave you guys alone to talk about it, ok?” Anya whispers as she exits the room, the door slightly ajar.

A.J. gulps and watches Yasmine stare at him quietly, “What are you thinking about?”

“How I have a life living inside me now. I don’t know what I’m gonna go J. I don’t want to be pregnant but if god give me child, how can I destroy its innocent life. The child doesn’t deserve to die. But I don’t know if I can bear to look at the baby knowing that the sick man, who ever he is, will be reflected in some of its features. God, A.J. why is my life so screwed up now? Just when was going perfect as I planned, God decided to throw a wrench and give my life a complete makeover, one in which I didn’t need!” Yasmine calmly whispers out.

“Screw the father, that man will get caught. Cops are close to nabbing him. You decide what you’ll do. Whatever you decide, I’ll be right behind you 110 percent.” A.J. whispers into her ear, sending her small shivers in her body. He smiles, he had to watch his actions around her. He was tempted at that very moment to plummet her with rows of kisses on those soft lips that will seal her to him, that will bring her assurance. But he blinked and gazes down at his friend. Nick was right through all the teasing and joking, but now is when he realized that he indeed was slowly falling in love for his friend but he couldn’t act on his feelings. He needed to be reasonable about it. Right now Yasmine didn’t need a boyfriend, she needed family and he was as close as she had at the moment and he wasn’t going to ruin it by listening to his heart.

“Thanks J.” She whispers softly as he threw his arms around her and squeezes her tightly.

He looks down and smiles, “No problem short stuff.” And he feels her laughing causing him to chuckle quietly.
~*~

The white solid door flings opens as the music filled hallway followed them into the nice modeled apartment.

“Oh I love this song!” Yasmine giggles, her light green eyes lit up in excitement as she dances into the vacant apartment. A.J. and Nick laugh as they trudge through the entrance along with Howie dropping off Yasmine’s two full suitcases and three gym bags along with her back pack, a large cardboard box filled of paper work and textbooks. They dump the belongings in the center of the apartment. The dark rich mahogany planks creek quietly beneath them as the apartment was a display of the dark brown wood and white furnishing.

“WOW!! Look at this place!” Yasmine’s eyes grew wide as she jiggles her hips to the song down the hallway, singing the last part of the chorus she giggles it out, “Uh oooh, Uh oooh. Uh oooh, Uh oooh.”

“Uh oh is right girl. Look at all the stuff you got. You act like you’re moving in.” Howie grumbles dropping off a heavy leather black suitcase onto the polished floor.

“Hey I have needs you know and being a woman in this day and age requires a lot of cuteness. You don’t think I wake up looking this good. Well I do, but besides the point…” Yasmine was greeted with laughter from the guys. A.J. was glad to see her more like herself and after the trauma and the unexpected news, A.J. felt her laughter was like an angel laughing, heavenly in every way.

“Well its close to dinner time. How about we order some Chinese food and hang out here setting stuff up. What do you say Yas?” Howie smiles as Nick rolls his eyes.

“Dude, Chinese food again? Didn’t we just have that yesterday?” Nick complains, sticking his tongue out.

A.J. laughs and raises his hands, “Hey, D has an infatuation for the food, what can I say? He’s a growing boy.”

Nick tries hard to withhold his joke but couldn’t resist, “HA! Really now. Could’ve fooled me. I thought he stopped growing already and by the looks of it he didn’t grow that much at all.”

Howie sneers at Nick’s direction as Yasmine breaks into a sweet laughter, “Ohhh, Nick that was low even for you.” She joins in the joke causing the group to chuckle quietly.

“I thought Howie was as low as the joke can get.” Nick smiles winking at Howie.

Howie fakes a smile, “Ha, ha. Enough of the short jokes, I’m not exactly the smallest here.” He states staring at Yasmine while Nick whispers something to A.J. “What was that you just said?” Howie’s ears perk up.

“Oh nothing, the joke went right over your head.” Nick chuckles as A.J. grins making his way over to the black cordless phone hung in the hallway.

It was nice to see that things were getting back to normal at least for now and he was even happier that Yasmine was able to laugh and not bring her down after the news of her sudden pregnancy. He’ll make sure he’s there for every moment of her pregnancy. She needed all the support and her decisions for bearing the child and he was the one she can trust and depend on.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

A/N: I’m back with another chapter, please leave a review, it helps me know that people are interested and such. Thanks so much, take care and God bless.

“Love Can Save”

- “…what do you say about the most wonderful, perfect, caring, loving and understanding person God ever created except that I love you and care for you more than words could ever express on paper or could be spoken in words.” A.J. in his thank you’s of the Black and Blue CD.

**~A Growing Affection~**

Words have a powerful effect on people whether we realize it or not. The statement, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me” is false and we all know it. We all experienced someone saying something hateful to us and it’s strong enough to break a person down. Still not thinking words can’t hurt, well: for example take the word love, like many other important vocabulary words it has been degraded and used so frequently that it loses its significance and value. Words such as Jesus, God and Bible fall into that same spectrum. Now it seems any one can use love: one can love ice cream and love music. People use the word love to express to their family and friends how strongly they feel, yet the word itself isn’t strong enough to hold a relationship together. One can fall in love with someone and the next day forget them and move on to someone else. Words like Jesus have become part of the vulgarity one can use to express their rage over something. Now ‘ Jesus’ seems to mean something else instead of the man that died for each and every one of us for our chance to have a relationship with our creator. Even God becomes a hollow word, how many times have we all said, “Oh God…. Followed by something negative, I’m guilty of it, I do it all the time. Funny how a few simple words can leave such an impression on any one of us and yet we don’t acknowledge its presence.

The air conditioner vents hum quietly as A.J. taps his foot on the white tiles. It was five fifty in the evening and Yasmine still didn’t come out of small conference room in the out patient section of the hospital. Yasmine started attending rehabilitation since last week to help her cope with everything she was experiencing. And A.J. had noticed the dramatic effects it was having on Yasmine’s attitude. It seems she was more willing to be open to talk about what little she recalled that fateful night. Though she often stood nights crying herself to sleep, A.J. never left her side, he felt he needed to watch over her for her health as well since she was pregnant. Yasmine feared being alone and the thought of it only brought about sudden break downs. A.J. shuddered at the thought of Yasmine’s silent tears hitting her face. It broke his heart each time she whispers she’s scared, that she didn’t know how long she could live like this. A.J. feared that one day she could hurt herself if he isn’t watching her. So he made an oath to always be there for her and if he couldn’t: that the other guys will gladly obliged in helping out.

He recalled the soft whimpering one night from her as she cries out how much she couldn’t stand her life. That if God loved her so much, why did He allow her to go through so much pain. A.J. didn’t know how to answer that, he himself wasn’t a firm believer. He knew that somewhere there is a God but he never really focused his life on it, unlike Yasmine who desired to gain a better understanding and change to learn to be God’s child. But during those nights: she pleaded with God, with A.J. with any of the other guys: Nick, Brian, Kevin and Howie to help her. To help her understand why and how was it allowed. Unfortunately none of the guys had the answers and God seemed to be keeping silent about it to her as well.

“Hey Alex, I’m gonna get something to drink, do you want anything?” Nick asks, standing up from his seat, fumbling through his pockets for change to use on the soda machine down the hallway.

“No I’m fine, thanks.” A.J. whispers, leaning back further into the cushioned seat as the soft florescent lights gently shine down on him and lit up the hallway.

“Ok.” Nick responds quietly and shuffles over to the soda machine, the only sound besides the soft humming of the air conditioner was his footsteps. The quarters clatter through the slot of the machine as Nick pushes on the Pespi machine and awaits for his drink.

A.J. sighs and closes his eyes: he couldn’t understand it, no matter how hard it was for poor Yasmine, he still couldn’t understand why bad things happen to the most innocent of people. He remembered he had a private talk with Brian about it yesterday and Brian seemed quiet about the topic:

A.J. asked the question again and Brian sat there, staring at his own folded hands. “I, I don’t know J. That’s something I can’t answer.”

“Yes you can! Brian, you grew up in church, you read the Bible, you’re the one who corrects us and tells us that God wouldn’t like the things we did. Rok, if anything, you should know if Yasmine did something that God is punishing her for.” A.J. stated, the frustration growing in him.

Brian smacks his lips together and shakes his head, “I’m sorry, I don’t know! Ok! I was thinking about it for while too, but I don’t know. Sometimes God allows things to happen for a reason.”

“Like the World trade Center right?” A.J. growled, his fingers drumming the side of the sofa.

Brian sighs, “Yeah. A.J. why did you really come to me to talk?”

“I needed to talk to someone who knows God and judging by your sissy actions, I figured you know a thing or two about it.” A.J. hisses, knowing he hurt his friend intentionally and at the moment he didn’t care.

“Excuse me? What did you say? Sissy actions?!” Brian yelped out, painful look cross his soft face. “How can you say that? Just cause I don’t live my life to your standard, you’re criticizing me. How dare you?!” Brian hisses out. “And you expect me to help you with your problems when you insult me. God, why are you acting like this?” Brian blurts out, his azure eyes cloud in pain.

“Exactly!” A.J. whispers out: enlightenment crossing his eyes.

“What?” Brian blurts out, confusion evident in his voice, “A.J. what do you mean?”

A.J. leaned forward and tugged on Brian’s sleeve, “Why does God act like that? You just help me see something. Thanks man.” And he had left the room leaving Brian in utter confusion and dismay.

A.J. shifts in his seat and opens his eyes to see Nick sauntering over to him with a Pespi can for him. Nick smirks and tosses the can towards him and plops into a seat beside him.

“Dreaming?” Nick asks, popping the top of the can open, the small hiss of air exiting from it.

“Na, thinking about what I talked about with Brian.” A.J. asks wearily, rubbing his tired eyelids and pulling the tinted shades off his eyes.

“Ohhh, he helped you out?” Nick asks, taking a cold sip from his drink.

“Yeah. Somewhat.”

“Oh ok. Care to share?” Nick gulps down a long sip and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Not really. I have to first talk to Yasmine about it.” A.J. murmurs as he invites the cold sharp liquid to enter his warm mouth. The soda filters down his throat as he lets out a satisfied sigh. “Good for the heart Nick.”

Nick smirks and shakes his head, “Doubt it. If Kevin catches us drinking this junk, he’ll prohibit us from the snacks.”

A.J. burps softly and smiles, “Well Kevin ain’t here and we ain’t gonna tell him right?” He gazes at the younger man as Nick nods his head and pushes his can to hit A.J’s drink:

“Cheers. Not a word from me.” Nick states, raising his light eyebrows at his friend. Both chuckle softly and continue to wait for Yasmine to appear.
~*~

“Howie, what am I gonna do with A.J.? He’s acting all weird. You know yesterday he wanted to talk to me but it was the strangest conversation I ever had with the boy.” Brian explains, pulling a pillow to place behind him on the sofa.

Howie places s glass cup down on the mahogany table and stares at his friend across him, “Well AJ. is weird, why are you worried about it?” Howie smirks, a twinkle in his eye.

“Dude, he was asking me about God and wanted to know if Yasmine did something bad for God to punish her.” Brian whispers, lowering his voice in case any of security or such heard a word.

“Why would he ask that though? He isn’t much a child of God as Nick is.” Howie asks curiously, rubbing his knuckles on the edge of the coffee table. He seems surprised about why A.J. would ask such a thing.

“Pshhhh, that’s what I was thinking. I mean its cool and all that A.J. is curious about God but he came to ask about something bad instead of learning about God.”

“Maybe this is his way of doing it. Brian everyone reaches out to God differently, not everyone is gonna be down and about in their Bibles like you. Some people have to fight with God before He can use or even work with them.” Howie states, eying Brian.

Brian smiles and lowers his head a bit embarrassed, “Man, D. That’s about the strongest statement I heard from you since today.”

“I take it, it’s a compliment then.” Howie whispers, patting Brian on the shoulder and stands up to talk to Kevin who was reading something in a manila folder.

Brian smiles and takes in what Howie said, ‘God has a way of working with people.’ He thinks to himself as his mobile phone begins to ring, taking him out of his thoughts.
~*~

Yasmine smiles and twirls around in the bathroom mirror, placing her hands over her stomach. She splashes cold water over her face and spits into the sink. It was strange to think that she was becoming a mother. But throughout her rehabilitation meetings, she wanted to be the mother she needed to be for the innocent soul inside her. She fights a yawn as the doctor told her yesterday that she will begin to feel fatigue throughout the first trimester of her pregnancy which is normal. She smiles and takes a deep breath as a minor headache nagged at her temples. She feels herself getting queasy again after already regurgitating her lunch. Her stomach grumbles and twists into knots as she tries to hold it together. “Not now. I have to go, let’s behave ok.” She whispers, looking down at her slowly developing growing stomach. The morning sickness surely didn’t hold its true meaning, at times she really ill, other times she would get ill in the morning, other times at night and sometimes she wouldn’t get ill at all. Throughout the week since the incident, she began to realize that through her torment there was a small light of hope- her child. The small conferences helped her see that she was going to be alright. That physically she was still healthy and intact and she was grateful for it. She pulls her long raven locks into a messy ponytail and exits the hospital bathroom, walking towards the waiting room. She smiles and giggles at the sight of her two friends. She never realized what amazing friends she had until now. Throughout her sleepless nights, Nick and A.J. would take turns to watch over her and keep her company. She knew the true value of friendship and they showed it to her. She could tell A.J. truly cared for her and she was blessed to have a caring, enduring person in her life.

She giggles and runs towards Nick, yelling loudly, “Waz up?”

A.J. and Nick jump from their seat in shock and smile when they see who it was coming at them.

Nick laughs as Yasmine leaps into his arms and gives him a small peck on his cheek.

“Hey what’s that for and can I get another one?” Nick asks, raising his eyebrows up in curiosity.

Yasmine giggles and pulls away from Nick’s embrace, “Hey no more for you fresh boy. I’ll give one more and it won’t be for you.” Yasmine pokes him on the side as he smiles. He runs his hand through his messily golden spikes and teases her,

“So close. Maybe next time and the lips are here, not here.” Nick points to his lips, smirking as A.J. laughs and pulls Yasmine into his arms.

“So how did it go in there?” A.J. asks, tugging on one of her raven curls.

“Good, the therapist says I’m going to be fine and she’s proud of my healing.” Yasmine says happily.

Nick claps his hands and A.J. cries out happily, “Oh right! You go girl!” A.J. smirks as Yasmine laughs.

“I say we go out and eat, Yas anything you’re interested in?” Nick asks as they exit the hospital.

Yasmine blurts out what her stomach craved for, “Oh you guys, I never tasted frog legs before but I heard they taste like chicken, lets go check that out.”

A.J. gags and both men look at her in disgust. “If they taste like chicken, we’ll just buy chicken.” A.J. whispers, trying to hold in the nausea that raced through his upset stomach.

“Ahh guys, you asked what I wanted and I want to try something new.” Yasmine asks.

“You’re craving it aren’t you?” Nick asks disgusted as Yasmine grins and nods her head. “Well you heard the woman. Frog legs it is.” And he opens the passenger side door to the black Mercedes to allow Yasmine to get in.

A.J. growls and pokes Nick roughly on the shoulder, “Boy I swear you better not buy me those things. I can’t stand green stuff with legs or any limbs that aren’t chicken.”

Nick smirks and shrugs his shoulders, “Hey she’s the pregnant one, she wants to eat that, then that’s what’ll she eat.”

“Man you’re so enjoying this ain’t ya?” A.J. growls as he slips into the backseat of the camel hair seats. Nick smirks and laughs as he takes the driver seats and pulls away from the parking lot laughing the entire way to the exquisite dining restaurant where the frog legs await their presence.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“…now that’s a name that should ring every church bell on Sundays, ‘cause you are an angel. Thank you for everything, I love you.” –A.J. in his thank you’s of the black and blue CD.

**~An Apparent Touch~**

He tugs on the long navy blue tie and grumbles, yanking at the small knot that he had clumsily created. He could hear a small snort coming from Brian as he glares to look at him.

“Well? Do you mind?” Nick asks annoyed, sucking his teeth in nuisance. Brian smirks and stands up from the couch, throwing his arms in the air stretching. He pretends to ignore Nick’s complaints and sighs finally responding after much consideration.

“Oh no. Not at all. Go right ahead. I’ll be over here if you need help.”

Nick blows out a puff of air and rolls his eyes, muttering something under his breath.

“What was that Nicky?” Brian asks from across the hotel suite.

“Nothing. I don’t need you’re help, you just distracted me.” Nick states confidentially, untying the messy knot on his tie and rubbing his sweaty palms upon his dark pants.

“Oh that’s what I thought.” Brian teases, his sapphire orbs gleaming mischievously. The calm feeling in the room was interrupted by the soft rasping coming from the door.

“Guys, come on. A.J. and Yasmine are on their way downstairs. We don’t wanna make them late.” Kevin states from the other side of the door.

“Alright, Kev. We’ll be down there in a sec. In fact, we’re on our down now.” Brian states, yanking on Nick’s tie and tying it for him. “Come on, let’s go.”

Nick glances down at the tie and smiles, “I could have done that.”

“Sure you could’ve, but we’re running on time. You might have needed more than a minute to figure that out.” Brian jokes, his smile making Nick laugh softly.

“Screw up Brian.”

“Uh, uh, Not today Nicky. We’re going church to see Yasmine sing. Maybe after.” Brian teases as he opens the door and both step out the room and catch up to Kevin.
~*~

“You have nothing to be nervous about, ok?” A.J. cups Yasmine’s face within his palms.

Yasmine takes a deep breath and sighs, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just that I never sang in front of you guys.”

A.J. laughs and shakes his head, “If you think we’re there to critique you then you’re wrong. We’re there for support. I mean you never told me you were part of the gospel choir. You never sang to me.” A.J. pouts, batting his eyes at her.

“I’ll sing to ya later and yo, what is you doing?” Yasmine laughs.

“Hey that’s improper English. And I’m doing what Nick told me to do.” A.J. states jokily.

Yasmine rolls her eyes, “And you listen to him? Whatever boy. And I talk the way I wanna.”

A.J. shakes his head and still joking, sighs, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. “What am I gonna do to you? You’re a lost case.”

Yasmine laughs, today her natural beauty reflected in her face. Her golden tan cheeks glitter in light pink blush that she decided to apply along with a light pink lip gloss that shined on her lips, making her a tease to men. To A.J. she seemed as innocent as ever: an angel that had fallen from Heaven only to land in the wretched clutches of Satan himself. But she never stopped her faith in God. With torment and anguish she prayed earnestly for understanding to all of this. Her dark raven curls lied peacefully on her shoulders as she tugs on her thin white tank top and black pants. “Well what can I say? I’m a mess.” She whispers out as she unconsciously passes her hands over her still undeveloped abdomen. For moment, she realized how much of a mess her life really is. But she can’t give up, A.J. hasn’t and neither had the rest of guys. It’s been a little over two weeks already and she just wanted to see her unborn child grow within her. It was an indescribable feeling for her: the fact that within her body she was sheltering a life that God is slowly creating seemed almost overwhelming to her in so many unspeakable ways.

A.J. noted the sudden coldness in the room after Yasmine’s statement and he grabs her small hand within his, “No you’re not. You’re my mess anyway.”

Yasmine offers a small smile and nods her head, “Quite a mess huh?”

“Na, a beautiful one. Besides I heard from someone that God doesn’t make mistakes.” A.J. brushes his arm against Yasmine as they both heard towards the exit of Yasmine’s apartment.

“Hmmm… wonder where you heard that from?” Yasmine smirks as A.J. winks at her.

“This hot lady. She told me while trying to make out with me.” A.J. jokes around as Yasmine drops her mouth in disgust.

“Eww. Now I know you joking cause you don’t draw ladies to ya.” Yasmine giggles as A.J. pushes her,

“Hey take that back, I think I pull in a few good women.”

“Really, like who?” Yasmine giggles.

“I’m lookin’ at her.” A.J. whispers as Yasmine feels her cheeks burn a bright pink.

“Thanks. Now look. I’m all pink and flushed now.” Yasmine laughs, her light emerald eyes glittering in the end.

“All my women tend to have that affect when they’re around me.” A.J. teases as Yasmine breaks into her sweet laughter, her giggles sounded like little cherubim’s mirth.

“Ok, ok, no more. You win for now. I can’t take no more, you’re gonna make me pee on myself.” Yasmine laughs, waving her hands at A.J.

“Uh, no, that will be a first for me. Women don’t piss when they’re around me.”

“Well they should, it’ll stop you’re lame game on hitting on those poor women.” Yasmine pokes A.J. on his ribcage as they cross the street to meet up with the others.
~*~

Howie stands up from the wooden bench when he sees Yasmine and A.J. approaching him. “Hey guys. Wow, look at you Yas! You look so beautiful.”

Yasmine and A.J. greet Howie as Howie throws his arms and squeezes Yasmine in his embrace. “I can’t wait to hear your voice. I know you’ll rock it on stage!”

“It’s cool, I wanna see how you sound!” Nick bounces into the conversation, his dark azure eyes lighting up his face as he exits the hotel door to meet up with them.

“Hopefully good and you’re quite the cutie all dressed up.” Yasmine whispers to him as he smiles cockily.

“Thanks, it’s just for you babe. Just for you.” Nick winks at her causing her to giggle softly.

“Alright guys! We’re all ready I see.” Kevin states as Brian appears besides him. “So off to the church we go.”

“You guys, I just wanna thank you all for doing this for me. I thought you guys were gonna get all weird about going to church and stuff.” Yasmine beams, her face glowing with joy.

Brian laughs, “Are you kidding me? Me and Kev were part of our gospel choir back in high school. I’m down with church.” Brian smiles, the gentle breeze caressing his reddish blonde hair.

Yasmine gazes at Howie and Nick and both smile.

“I’m catholic, my mom is a devoted church goer.” Howie states: shrugging his shoulders, getting a smirk on his face.

“And Nick?” Yasmine asks as Nick clears his throat.

“Well uh yeah, I, you know, uh I walked by a church before.” Nick whispers jokily, noting instead of laughter he got groans.

Yasmine narrows her eyes and smirks, “Funny Nick, stick to singing.”

Nick rolls his eyes as the guys chuckle and all walk and begin boarding the black Lincoln navigator in the parking lot.

“Ok, let’s roll.” Howie states as he hops into the passenger seat while Kevin takes the driver seat.

The others board the backseat, “Wait, there’s no room for me.” Nick states, pouting, peering his head into the vehicle. Everyone chuckles and peers around to see if more room can be accommodated.

A.J. sighs and looks at Yasmine, “Its alright, I’ll take Nick’s green SUV, come on Yas. We’ll see ya there k?”

Brian chuckles, “Alrighty then. Check ya at the Lord’s place.” And A.J. and Yasmine step out the vehicle as Nick hugs her on the way out.

“See ya there angel.” Nick whispers gently into her ear as he hops in the backseat and closes the door behind him.

“Come on girl. We gotta get you there, don’t wanna make you late to your own performance.” A.J. whispers, clasping his hand within hers. Suddenly Yasmine squeezes A.J. hard as she begins gasping for air. A sudden dizziness overpowered her as she stares at A.J. She gasps and immediately releases her hold on him, she starts backing away as A.J. alarmed slowly walks towards her. She looked at A.J. but realizes he changed into the black wool masked attacker that deprived her innocence.

“Yas, honey. Tell me what you’re seeing. What are you feeling?” A.J. asks nervously, he didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t be having an attack now, how could this be occurring when they were on their way to head to a performance. “It’s ok. Its me A.J. I’m not gonna hurt you honey ok? Tell me what’s going on?”

Yasmine gulps as her complexion pales. Her hands shake as she closes her eyes tightly and reopens them, taking a deep breath. She focuses back on A.J. and smiles, the small attack have left and now A.J.’s concerned soft chocolate eyes peered at her. She tries to hide the incident and smiles, hoping A.J. wouldn’t plague her with any questions ‘cause she couldn’t understand it herself. “I’m ok. I’m fine. Just a small attack. Nothing to be worried about.”

A.J. gulps and nods his head, “Are you sure? Cause that didn’t look like a small attack.”

“A.J. forget it. I’m fine ok.” She growls as A.J. nods his head and smiles,

“Ok. But you’ll be fine now right. I didn’t do anything that could have caused it?”

“No. Don’t worry. It happens sometimes. It’s still early in the process. I’ll be fine ok. Let’s go. I’m sure the guys are already there.” Yasmine whispers, faking a smile and rushes over to the passenger side door of the green SUV.

A.J. glances over to the black navigator which was still parked with Howie, Brian and Kevin looking at him worried. Yssmine didn’t seem to notice that she had an audience for her attack and glides over to the open door A.J. held for her.

Once he closes the door and makes his way around the hood of the vehicle to the driver’s side, he peers back at the guys with a distressed expression scrolled on his face. He was worried Yasmine might have anxiety attacks more frequently and it troubled him greatly to see what that wretched rapist did to his gentle angel. A.J. waves to the guys in the other vehicle to go up ahead as he slides into the seat and closes the door behind him. “Alrighty girl. Ready?”

Yasmine gulps, staring straight ahead out the window as she nods her head.

A.J. bites his lower lip and leans over to her, “Listen you don’t have to go perform if you’re feeling sick. I can always see you sing another day…”

“No.” She cuts him off, “I wanna go. I want to be near God now ok. So just go. Drive. I don’t want to be late.” Yasmine whispers, locking her hands in a clasp on her lap.

“Ok.” A.J. whispers, pulling on his seatbelt and looking at her. “Buckle up girl. I don’t want to get a ticket.”

Yasmine smiles and turns to him, “I’m sorry.”

A.J. raises his eyebrows as he pulls away from the parking lot, “Sorry for what?”

“For freaking you out.” Yasmine settles back on the leather seat.

“That’s not your fault and you know it.” A.J. states, feeling guilty suddenly.

“I know, its just God A.J.” She cries out frustrated, “I saw the guy’s face. I mean I looked at you and for a moment all I saw was that masked man coming at me.”

A.J. sighs and reaches his right hand over to grab her hand, “He won’t ever touch you again. I promise you that. He’ll get what he deserves and I’ll make sure of it.”

“Ok. Thanks. I love you.” Yasmine smirks as A.J. laughs and glances at her,

“Love ya too shorty.” A.J. smirks.

“Hey take that back!” She giggles as A.J. sighs, glad to see that Yasmine is alright.
~*~

“This is it guys. You guys can grab the front pews if you want. I gotta head backstage to where the choir is meeting k. See ya in a few. Wish me luck!” She states excitedly, her beautiful eyes lit up in joy.

“Please. Like you’ll need it. You’re gonna sing you’re butt off.” Nick states to her as she laughs and disappears backstage. The guys all grab a seat in the front of dark mahogany pews and stare at A.J.

“Well?” Howie asks, raising his eyebrows.

A.J. clears his throat and uncomfortably shift in his seat, “She had a small attack. Nothing minor.”

“Nothing minor? Who you kidding J?! She freaked out and we all saw it.” Brian states, noting A.J.’s shaking hand.

“She said when she saw me for moment I reminded her of that guy that attacked her.” A.J. chokes down a deep breath.

“Ouch wow. I hope she’s fine.” Kevin whispers as a crowd of people enter the church and begin to take a seat.

“We’ll take about this later.” Brian states.

“No we won’t.” A.J. states, keeping his gaze on the empty stage before him.

Howie leans besides A.J. and whispers into his ear, “Ok, if that’s what you want.” And the audience begins to accumulate into the pews.
~*~

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wrench like me. Ohhhh, I once was lost but now I’m found. Was blind but now I see.” Yasmine closes off the song beautifully, her last note hanging in the air. She takes a bow and goes off stage as the audience erupts into roar, the clapping and yelling rang out throughout as the choir leaves the stage happily.

Yasmine runs to the front and into the arms of the five men that awaited her. They all squeal like proud parents, embracing Yasmine and complimenting at how amazing she sounded.

“Wow, you can sing!? Why didn’t you tell us? WE could always have you replace Nick.” A.J. teases as the others laugh except Nick who frowns,

“Hey, hey man. Not funny. She can’t replace me, people will miss these baby blues.” Nick states batting his sapphire orbs. The others chuckle as they leave and exit. Brian hands Yasmine a tinted white rose, the tips of the flower red mixed with the white.

“Ahh thanks boy!” She giggles, her face full of happiness.

“No prob, you deserve it.” Brian states, hugging her.
~*~

After a day full of excitement from the performance and such, Yasmine decided to head home and A.J. accompanied her. Nick stated that he will stop by later that night but needed to go something before that. She steps onto the cold tiles and wipes the kitchen counter before heading back to her room. Yasmine yawns and comes back from the kitchen, looking for A.J. She sighs and looks in her bedroom- it was empty. She checked the living room, kitchen and passed by the bathroom- all empty. Finally she walks over the small guest room and smiles. Poking her head in the room, she can see A.J. talking. But he wasn’t talking to her, he seemed to be on his knees as he gazes out the window, whispering more to himself than anything else. Curiosity getting the best of her, she leans into the threshold and hears A.J. whispering.

She felt at peace when she realized that A.J. was praying. Smiling, she watches as A.J. looking like a lost child, with his black and red tipped hair lying messily over his head, bowed down as his hands clasp in front of him Afraid to disturbed his talk with God, she moves away and crosses over to her room, to wait when he was done.

A.J. sits up and smiles, Brian was right about the whole praying thing. He was never much for it, but he realized that he needed to get some answers and he hoped God heard his pleas. Standing up, he felt at peace for moment, he actually prayed, like really prayed and talked with the creator, Brian would never believe him, he’d probably be in too much of a shock for it. He chuckles and stares out the dark window into the lighted city below him, “Amen.” And he walks away to track down Yasmine.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“I will forever love you through all my ups and downs. No matter what…” A.J.’s thanks you from the Black and Blue cd.

**~Dreams Come True~**

“Uh, how about no? This color look so dorky on me.” Yasmine mumbles, twirling around the full size mirror the clothing store provided. She stares down at the maternity clothes that A.J. decided to buy for her. She tried to plead with him that it would be silly to buy clothes just for that time being, she wanted something that she can wear even if she wasn’t pregnant but yet conforming to the growth of her abdomen.

A.J. leans back on the seat and smiles, “I think you look cute in it and plus it’ll be comfortable for your growing belly.”

Nick sighs and tries to keep his eyes open, he wasn’t much for shopping and this felt like pure punishment for him as he lifts his sore butt from seating on the chair for far too long. “Ok, look Yas. We all have things to do, I do have a life besides shopping for clothes and this is taking way too long.”

A.J. smirks and pokes Nick on the ribs as Nick settles down on the wooden chair again with a frown on his face. “Chill out man. She’ll be ready when its time. Stop rushing, what do you have to do anyway that has you all pissy?”

Nick rolls his eyes and leans back in his seat, “Well if you must know, I have an important date tonight with miss scandalicious herself the very lovely Priscilla.”

A.J. laughs and stops himself mid laughter, staring at Nick with disappointment. “Boy, no way! That chick is crazy. Isn’t she the psychotic woman that has an obsession over you? You mean to tell me that she followed us all the way up here to New York to get a date with you and you agreed?!”

Nick smiles and nods his head, “Yeah, see we both have something in common. We love me!”

Yasmine giggles and twirls one of black curls in her fingers, “My, that’s shallow Nick. I guess you two deserve each other then.” She states smirking as A.J. tugs on the sleeve of the navy blue maternity shirt that’s covering Yasmine’s upper body.

A.J. chokes out a laughter as he eyes an aggravated Nick.

“You guys should meet her, she’s very pretty.” Nick continued talking, trying not to let his friends teasing get in the way.

“Pretty with a screw loose. Seems like Nick’s perfect girl. He’s always drawn to those with hmmm… how should I say this? With unique personalities.” A.J. teases as Nick grumbles and stands up from the chair heading over to a counter where a kind elderly cashier was waiting for them.

“Not true, I think Nick has quite a choice. And he’s a grown man with taste that are different from you and I. I mean we love the normal and he, will he loves the ones that appear normal on the outside.” Yasmine teases as she pulls off the navy blue shirt and fixes her own green t-shirt beneath it which seemed snug on her three month old growing stomach.

“Hey, I heard that!” Nick shouts from the counter where a small pile of maternity clothes for Yasmine were already there for purchasing.

“Nick will pay for that shirt, I know you’re taking it right?” A.J. states not really asking her but making more a statement.

Yasmine rolls her eyes, shrugging her shoulders, “Whatever. Do what you want to do with it.” And she picks up her bottled water, making her way towards the exit the store.

A.J. smiles and glances at Nick, “You heard ya, buy it for her.” And he places the navy shirt on top of the pile of clothes on the dark redwood counter.

Nick mutters and pulls out his credit card as the cashier took it and swipes it through the credit slot on the registrar.

The elderly woman smiles and types in the credit card number on the computer besides the registrar. ‘She’s quite the lucky lady having you in her life. I’m sure you’re ecstatic being a new father. It shows in your face.”

Nick’s mouth drops as he sounds out the words, “New father? What? Oh no! You don’t think I’m the father of her child now do you?”

The woman looks up at Nick, her light brown eyes twinkle in the soft golden lights of the store, her snowy cheeks captured her long life as gentle wrinkles caress her upper cheeks. “Oh well it shows. The excitement in your eyes and the attitude you two are having with one another. Its just a sign of coming parenthood. My children were like that when their spouses were bearing children.”

Nick chokes out a wheezy laughter as A.J. meets up with Nick, watching him curiously. “Come on Nick, any day now. Yas isn’t feeling too good now. Her back is killing her and she’s feeling a bit queasy if you know what I mean.”

The cashier blushes and giggles, “Oh I see. You’re the father. Congratulations on your new child. What do you want it to be?”

A.J. drops his mouth open and stares at Nick confused. Raising his eyebrows, he smiles: “Ah thanks but I don’t know what my buddy Nick told ya: but I’m not the father. She’s my friend and I’m helping her throughout her pregnancy.”

The cashier smiles and gazes at Nick, “Oh that’s so sweet and how thoughtful. I’m sure your friend here must be grateful to have some help with his wife.”

“Wife?” Nick whispers softly, sending shivers down his spine. Where did the woman come up with this story? “Oh listen lady. See I’m her friend too. We’re…” Nick states, placing his arm around A.J.’s shoulders, “Both helping her out. She’s living alone and stuff happens so we’re taking care of her.”

“Oh my. I’m so sorry. I just assumed. How silly of me.” The elderly woman responds sweetly as her cheeks tinged a slight pink in embarrassment.

“Na, its alright.” A.J grins, taking Nick’s credit card and slipping it into his own pocket. Nick fakes a smile at the woman and grabs the light baby blue plastic bag with the maternity clothes in it as they all walk out the clothing store.

Nick grabs A.J. by the sleeve and stares at his friend, whispering very slowly: “Not a word.”

A.J. nods his head once and winks at Nick as they step out the store.

A.J. smirks upon seeing Yasmine’s raised eyebrows at Nick’s horrid expression. His face was priceless, A.J. thought if he had a camera, how great it would be for Nick’s blackmail. Nick’s eyes seemed frozen in fear as his mouth remained slightly ajar. He seemed to be whispering almost a chant but rather the words, wife and baby which seeped out of his mouth. The three begin walking down the vacant mall hallway as part of the mall was remained open for their shopping needs. Very few customers walked throughout the mall at the late time, so the two Boys were rarely stopped at all.

“Hey Nick buddy. Take a chill pill. Imagine the horror Yasmine must feel when she finds out that the cashier thought you were the dad.” A.J. states loud enough to stop Yasmine from walking. She turns around facing him and then at Nick as she smirks.

“Oh this has to be good. What exactly happened back there at the store anyway? And what’s this that I hear about Nick being my baby’s daddy.” Yasmine asks quizzically, her light green eyes boring into Nick.

Nick grumbles and chews on the inside of his cheek as he stares at A.J. in anger, “And you just had to mention it, didn’t you?”

“Hey, you said not a word, I didn’t say a word, I said more than one.” A.J. jokes, batting his eyes and pouting at his friend, “Don’t be mad at me Nicky? I love you. You have to forgive and forget boobie.”

Nick sighs and smiles, pushing A.J. on the shoulder, “Shut up.”

“Well can you guys explain what happened?” Yasmine asks, a smile spreading on her golden tan cheeks.

“I’ll let Nick explain it. He’ll have a riot trying to explain it to ya.” A.J. teases as he could feel the burning of Nick’s eyes on him.

Yasmine stands besides Nick and loops her arm through Nick’s as three descend down the hallway. Leaving poor Nick to explain the earlier situation that occurred within the store.
~*~

He watches the three figures disappear down the mall corridor and smiles. “So its true. You’re gonna have a baby. I would have never thought.” The man whispers, peering from the corner of a wall watching the three figures turn a corner. “Oh Yasmine, what a mess you’re in. Even the police are in confusion about this.” The man grins, eager with his plan he had conducted three months ago. He had decided to make a visit to Yasmine but found out she was surprised by some of her friends from her past youth. Frustrated with the change of plans, Kelvin decided to pursue Yasmine without her noting it. He’s been watching her since the first time he saw her. They even attended the same university and dated in the past. He knew she fell for him as much as he wanted her to and he was glad. He was intrigued with Yasmine’s fiery personality and her body language had sent shivers down his spine. They dated and as much as he hated it to end, she wanted to leave the relationship. He couldn’t understand why she wanted to end it. She claims it was mutual. That they both agreed on breaking the relationship, but that was no where near the truth. She assumed he was fine with it and went on her way, not noting that Kelvin was no where near happy with the results of the broken relationship. He played along because he didn’t want Yasmine to know that he was breaking inside. That his heart was shattered beyond repair and nothing could ease it. But she didn’t notice nor possibly even care. She walked out of his life and that was that. He tried to plead with her to stay, to try to make things work. But she already made up her mind. Her heart was taken by another man and he couldn’t understand who could have taken his princess’s heart. And then he saw HIM, the one who was always on the slip of Yasmine’s tongue whenever she spoke of HIM. She looked at the guy the way she used to look at him and it broke his heart to see his angel leaving him. He despised that man even though he didn’t know who it could be. Yasmine smiles at HIM the way she used to smile for Kelvin and it brought out anger and rage from within him. He could see that Yasmine had fallen in love with that man but seemed afraid to do anything about it, that or she was just ignoring her growing affections towards her friend. But Kelvin knew, he knew from the moment Yasmine talked to that man on the phone or through her eyes when she gazes at a past picture or even recent pictures of HIM, that she loved him.

“God Yasmine, don’t you know what you’ve done to me! I never wanted to hurt you. You drove me to it. You were looking for love that you’ll never get back, but I, oh Yasmine, but I can provide that for you. Just let me back into your heart. That man doesn’t know what he has in front of him, but I do. God Yasmine, I do. You’re a God created angel sent for me to love and no one else. No one else can truly understand you like I do.” Kelvin whispers softly to himself as he pulls away from the corner and disappears down into the street to head home.
~*~

“Ahhh.” She moans out in pain as her back ache dully.

“Easy there girl, I got you.” A.J. whispers, carrying Yasmine in his arms and settling her onto the soft plush sofa.

Yasmine smiles and giggles out a quiet “thanks” as Nick closes the front door to the apartment and heads for the kitchen.

“I know you’re not getting anything to eat now right?” Yasmine asks wearily, watching Nick reach the thick kitchen counter and stop to stare at her.

“Uh yeah, why? You want something to eat?”

A.J snorts and rolls his eyes, “Dude, you just ate! We just came back from McDonalds and you’re already hungry?”

“Yeah, I’m a growing boy.” Nick smirks, gripping the cold metal handle of the fridge.

“Unbelievable. And you’re the one pregnant.” A.J. states to Yasmine as he flops across her on the empty white love seat.

Yasmine smiles and closes her eyes, “You guys are too much. Hey when are you guys heading back to Florida?”

“Ummm, two weeks why? You’re getting tired of us already?” Nick asks, pouring himself an ice cold glass of water and slicing a piece of lemon to add to his drink.

Yasmine raises her head and sees Nick staring at her from the counter, “No retard. Wanna know so I won’t be alone.”

“Oh girl you’re still afraid of being left alone. I thought Anya would have been back by now.” A.J. asks, running his fingers through Yasmine’s messy curls.

“She is, but she’s been so busy and plus she rarely comes over cause she has two jobs along with her internship. It sucks cause we rarely have time to hang out at all.” Yasmine sighs.

A.J. closes and slowly takes a deep breath. He has been traveling back and forth recently from his home in Florida to New York over the past three months to make sure Yasmine was getting taken care of. Nick often came along cause he too was concerned about Yasmine’s sudden depression that overtook her charming personality. It was like a rain cloud that consumed her brightness and the light she used to give off was slowly dimming and that shook A.J. up. But it was worrying him that she was spending too much time alone. She refused to go back to school until her pregnancy was over. She wasn’t ready to deal with the public ridicule that would come along with the dreaded questions and comments of how she was just using her faith and religion to make herself good to the public eye, but failed to live by her own beliefs. He wished he could get her back into taking courses somewhere else, like schools where it attends to pregnant and nursing mothers but again Yasmine denied she didn’t need to be seen there. She said she used to work in one of those, part time and the last thing she needs is for more people to get into her business. So A.J. set up with her school a way to take courses over the internet where just like if she was in class, she needed to check in and hear the lectures. The excuse he gave for the school to provide such a course had to be that Yasmine has fallen ill and was having problems traveling far distance with her illness. So she remained in her dorm that the school so gracefully provided. She wanted her pregnancy to be kept as quiet as possible and for once the media listened to her request, simply not using her name when it reported the rape incident only three months ago. Now A.J. was left to pick up and care for her and it was slowly becoming a burden to him but he refused to tell her. He loves her and didn’t care if he needed to travel just to be with her. She needed him and he wasn’t going to back down from that.

“Well the professor sent you some homework on the computer, maybe you should start doing it, so you can had it in on time.” A.J. whispers concern. He takes a sip of the bottled soda in his hand and sticks his hand out for Yasmine to take. “Come on, upsee daisy girl.” And he gently pulls Yasmine off the sofa. As they both were making their way towards her dorm bedroom, Yasmine grabs her head in her hands and begins taking short breaths. Her heart was racing for some apparent reason as cold chills race down her spine. She gripped A.J.’s arm tightly as she struggles to take in air. Her vision blurred before her as she sees a silhouette of a man coming towards her. She throws her arms around A.J.’s waist, burying her head in his chest as she cries out,

“Tell him to go away! Stop him!!”

A.J. alarmed: gulps and gazes at Nick who was standing a few inches away behind him.

“I don’t get it. There’s nothing in front of her. What is she seeing?” Nick whispers softly as Yasmine’s sobs heavily into A.J.’s shirt.

“I, I think she’s seeing that guy that attacked her.” A.J. whispers out as he tries to calm down the woman. “Easy there, Yas. Relax, its just me. Me and Nick ok. Quiet down. He’s not here to get you k?” Yasmine peers her wet eyes up at A.J and nods her head.

“Ok.” And she gulps and wipes away the fresh tears that stained her cheeks.

Nick clears his throat and watches as A.J. takes Yasmine into her small dorm bedroom. Once A.J. sets up the computer for her to use, he leaves the room and closes the door behind him. He blows out a puff of air and walks by the counter where Nick is sitting on.

“J, have you heard from the police yet?” Nick whispers, popping an M&M into his mouth.

“Uh, no, why? You?” A.J. asks, opening the small fridge to pull out a grenade bottle that he had placed in there beforehand.

“Yeah.”

“Really, well what happened?” A.J. pursues Nick, staring at him. Nick fidgets uncomfortably on the counter and swings his legs slowly on it.

“Well, they think they got some suspects and the cops want her to identify the guy in a line up.” Nick whispers, not turning around to see the horrid expression on A.J. face.

“What the… And when did they call you?” A.J. asks, racing around the counter to face Nick.

“Earlier today. I was gonna tell you but you had Yasmine with you all the time and I didn’t want to alarm her already as much as she is.”

“Oh this is nice. What the hell am I gonna do with her?” A.J growls, passing the palms of his hands on his face.

“J, I don’t know. But the police wants her to come in today. I didn’t tell them if we were going or what to say.”

“You tell them no. That’s what! There’s no way in hell that she can go to the station in the condition that she’s in. She’s too depressed and then for her to see that guy again, it’s not making her get any better.”

“Fine, screw it! You call them back and tell them no. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” Nick mutters, jumping off the counter and tossing the garbage of the candy bar wrapping into a bin besides the counter.

“Did you tell them we were going?” A.J. asks: a ting of attitude dwelled in his question.

“I said we’ll think about it and that I would call them back if anything.” Nick mumbles, swinging his arms around him so he was embracing himself.

“Alright. Then call them. We’re not going.” A.J. murmurs, running a hand through his black and blonde tinted hair.

“Ok. Whatever.” Nick states, plopping onto a small sofa, grabbing his cell and dialing the police station.

The bedroom door creaks open as Yasmine steps out, “Wait. I wanna go. I want to go to the station and see who they have.”

A.J. and Nick glance up to see Yasmine walking into the living room, her light eyes big and wide as she claps her hands together.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” A.J. asks, fearing the worst will happen.

“Ye, yeah. I’ve been waiting for when they caught the bastard. I want to look at his face and watch him as they lock him up.” She whispers, fiddling with her hands.

Nick holds the mobile phone in his hands and smiles, “Ok, if this is what you want, I’m calling them now to inform them ok?”

She nods her head and smiles, running into her bedroom to get dressed. Once the door closes, A.J. turns around and races over to Nick, grabbing the mobile phone and turning it off.

“Hell no, we’re not taking her!” A.J. growls as Nick looks up alarmed.

“Whoa, hey you heard her. She wants to go, I say we do this and get this out the way.” Nick states grabbing the phone back and begins to dial again.

“I said no. You don’t know how she’ll respond after all that. Do you see how many anxiety attacks she’s been having recently plus all the post traumatic stress disorder? Doing this would only push her further. Nick tell them no and we’ll do it later when she’s better.” A.J. hisses as he stares at him.

“God, fine. Dammit, whatever you think is best. I don’t want to scare her.” Nick whispers, placing his phone back on the clip on the waist of his jeans.

“Good.” A.J. whispers, walking away.

Nick sighs and leans back on the sofa slowly, closing his eyes, ‘What am I gonna do? Man, who could done this to her?’ That question plagued Nick’s mind almost constantly as he takes a deep breath. He could hear A.J in the background telling Yasmine that to forget it, they’ll go another day.

To Nick, it really didn’t matter when they went. He just wanted to know who the police have that will finally lie to rest the trauma that had plaque and followed them everyday of their waking moment when they stare at Yasmine’s dying soul.

Yasmine sighs and leans back in the seat, placing her sneaker back on the floor. She was close to ending the horrific chapter to that part of her life and seeing the man that tormented her everyday. His sick presence was felt through her swollen body everyday she closed her eyes or whenever one of the guys touched or brushed up against her by accident when they walked by and pass her in the apartment.

She could hear A.J. telling her to forget it and she grips the sneaker in her hand, throwing it across the room. She needed answers, she was tired of living in the dark about what really occurred that day three months ago, she hated that everyday she was treated like someone ill who needed special attention, she was tired of everyone’s pathetic pity for her and tired of everyone’s fake joy about her sudden pregnancy. In reality she knew she disappointed her family and close friends. They all looked at her differently no matter how hard they try to hide it. She felt she was a huge disappointment not only to those around her but to God. She sighs and closes her wet eyes, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She was supposed to be happy for the baby’s sake, but all these emotions tore at her. She wipes away the tears and covers her face with her hands as she murmurs out a small prayer:

“Oh Dad, what am I doing? I’m so lost, angry, upset. I don’t know what to do. Everyone thinks they know what they’re doing is in the best interest but they don’t. I want to end this anguish, this guilt that’s tearing me apart. Why do they all think its ok about what’s wrong with me? Its not, it’s not acceptable but I learned to accept this for this is your will. If I’m to bear this baby it’s because out of all this misery that child will be the light in my life. So I’m praying to you now to make it clear to me about all this. Make it so that I know you’re comforting me and that don’t let this break me down. Make me strong and willing so that those around me will be notice and take heart. I thank you for listening to me and even if you don’t make it clear to me, know that I still love ya. Thanks and loving you, in your son’s name, amen.” Yasmine whispers, opening her eyes not noticing that the bedroom door was a crack open and behind it, Nick and A.J. heard it all and smiled.
~*~

Nick smirks as A.J. plops down besides him, “Well, that was interesting.” Referring to Yasmine’s little prayer.

“Yup, it sure was.” A.J. sighs, throwing his legs up on the coffee table and crossing his legs on it.

“J, I’m just curious. With all this that’s happening, I know you truly care for her and all. But do you love her?”

A.J. lazily turns his head and smiles, “Of course I love her, she’s like my little sister.”

Nick smiles softly, “No A.J. not that type of love. Is it possible that she’s the woman you’ve been looking for all your life? Think about it… She’s everything you want in a woman. Every chick you dated had to somehow be conformed to something that reminded you of Yasmine. Take Sarah, or Amanda or…”

“Shut up. I can finally say the bleach has reached your brain now.” A.J. murmurs, turning his face away from Nick.

Nick rolls his eyes and leans back on the sofa, “I was just asking a question, you don’t have to get all huffy about it.”

A.J. snorts and rolls his eyes, “Dude you’ve been trying to hook us up since the beginning, but Nick give up already. I don’t see her in that way…”

“But you thought of it though, haven’t you?” Nick grins, chuckling softly.

A.J. smiles and licks his lips, “Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever. But me and Yas talked about it a while back when I thought if we could develop something and we both agreed that our friendship is more important than anything else.”

“Well that’s it! You guys already have that relationship, if you guys dated, it’ll be friends with benefits! I mean you could hug her and kiss her and kiss her and kiss her and…” Nick jokes around with a silly grin on his face.

“Nick, you’re stupid.”

“Am not.”

“Yup, yeah. I checked, you are.”

Nick rolls his eyes and whispers, “May be stupid, but at least I tell my girls the truth about how I feel instead of hiding it.”

“Lie off it Nick.” A.J. grumbles.

“Fine.” Nick murmurs and grabs the remote control, turning on the channel to a sports channel.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.” –Psalms 143:8

**~Falling Deeper~**

Everyone experiences falling in love differently, whether its their images that consumes your thoughts or the constant silly drawings of your signature with his or her name in a heart: its ok, I did that when I was younger, you can admit it too. The early quiet signs of love of when you look at your loved one and quickly glance away fearing you said too much with that one stare. The constant debating you have with your heart about admitting you’ve fallen for that person but can’t express it to them. It haunts your dreams and plays with your heart. Yet at the same time, love can be an inner war of struggle and faith, where in the end you can either learn to deal with your feelings or let it swallow you whole. You know it’s the funniest thing when you begin to look at the person who’s been in your whole life differently. But what makes it a little more uncomfortable and unsettling is how much you want to desire to have that person be a part of your life in a more passionate and deeper sense. Love comes blindly and you never know who you’ll end up with. Every time you hear the person’s name: you may blush a little, sweet images of their hand holding yours as you both talk can fill your head. It’s the little things that love begins to grow on. Like their smile, the soft touches of their hand caressing your hair, or maybe their laugh. But you know when you’re falling deep in the love when your heart and mind agree on one thing: you want to be there for that person for their every waking moment, your life suddenly doesn’t seem to matter anymore and you’re willing to risk it to see the one you love smile each time.

Of course there are those that let love fade, it disperses and leaves their soul quenching in agony for some form of resolution but never finding an answer. The soul can become an empty vessel of torment searching for their lost love but never finding, leaving the person to fall under depression and rage. Or when your loved one doesn’t love you back and you can’t force them to feel the same because you can’t change their hearts. It’s quite a scary thing. Even within written contemporary works, how many literature have we read that pertains to someone dealing with their inner struggles and love seems to be one of the main ones? It would be endless for me to even begin counting. Stories like love romances turn on young teenagers especially those looking to live in such a happy state. I used to be one who would love to get a hold of such romance tales only to know what it would feel like to have a man love me so passionately that he’ll be with me. Even horror stories and drama ones pull at one’s heartstrings to pull you to go into that world of lost love, getting love or creating love: however you may translate it. Love can be a brutal battlefield where only the true survivors live to tell the glory. And in reality it only hits us more close to home than we think.
~*~

A.J. rolls up the car window on his driver side, watching the rain drops roll its way down. The moonlight crashed down the road as A.J. slumps back in his leather seat, lost in his thoughts. He sighs, gripping the steering wheel tightly in his hands. He sighs quietly hearing the pattering of the rain crash down around him. Leaning his head back on the seat, he closes his eyes: the only thoughts flooding through his mind was that of his sudden growing feelings for Yasmine. He was beginning to feel torment, the anguish of wanting someone he knows he can’t have. Nick’s conversation flooded his mind about Yasmine:

“…with all this that’s happening, I know you truly care for her and all. But do you love her?”

A.J. lazily turns his head and smiles, “Of course I love her, she’s like my little sister.”

“Man Nick, I should kill you. You got me thinking about her more than I wanted.” A.J. whispers, sitting up in the car seat, his thoughts echoing to the past conversation:

Nick smiles softly, “No A.J. not that type of love. Is it possible that she’s the woman you’ve been looking for all your life? Think about it… She’s everything you want in a woman. Every chick you dated had to somehow be conformed to something that reminded you of Yasmine. Take Sarah, or Amanda or…”

“Shut up. I can finally say the bleach has reached your brain now.” A.J. murmurs, turning his face away from Nick.

Nick rolls his eyes and leans back on the sofa, “I was just asking a question, you don’t have to get all huffy about it.”

A.J. snorts and rolls his eyes, “Dude you’ve been trying to hook us up since the beginning, but Nick give up already. I don’t see her in that way…”

“But you thought of it though, haven’t you?” Nick grins, chuckling softly.

A.J. smiles and licks his lips, “Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever. But me and Yas talked about it a while back when I thought if we could develop something and we both agreed that our friendship is more important than anything else.”

A.J. smirks at that comment he had told to Nick beforehand and drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “Yeah just friends. At least that 's what Yasmine wants. Nothing more than that.” He confers to himself starting the ignition of his black Mercedes and pulling off the vacant road, heading back to Yasmine’s dorm where Nick and Yasmine were at.
~*~

Yasmine smiles and reads over the scriptures softly to herself. She loved how the Bible always had the answers to any of her problems. It was comforting to know that any traumas that she is experiencing she was able to always bring it back to the question. She stares at the sweet scriptures that seem to resound in her heart, ‘God is Love.”

She yawns tiredly and gently places her Bible on the nightstand. She leans back in her bed and hears a sudden snoring sound occurring in the living room. Puzzled, Yasmine stands up and follows the sound out to its owner. She could hear the soft murmuring of the television reporters taking about the sporting event that is occurring. She glances to see Nick slump in the couch, sleeping soundly. It seemed Nick had fallen asleep from his program, his head nods off as he lies slump in the couch. She smiles and walks over to the sofa, turning off the fifteen inch television. She walks back and sits on the edge of the sofa watching Nick sleep peacefully.

“Lucky you. I haven’t had good sleep since all that happened to me.” She whispers, brushing her fingers through his messy spikes. Smiling, she takes a deep breath, his cologne invading her nostrils. She never noticed before how innocent Nick seemed when he was asleep. Giggling softly, she shakes her head, knowing he was naughty when awake. “You look so cute like this.”

“Thanks.” He murmurs, opening his eyes smiling, his sapphire orbs glittering in joy.

She gasps and yanks her hand away from him, “You were awake this whole time?”

“Yeah. But you can keep talking about me. I don’t mind.”

Yasmine rolls her eyes and pulls her hands onto her lap, “Shut up.”

Nick smirks and passes his hand over her stomach, “Its starting to show you know.”

She smiles and nods her head, “Oh yeah duh. That starts happening when one is pregnant.” She teases Nick as he flips his middle finger off at her. For a moment, his touch sent shivers down her spine.

“Watch it now. A.J. would get pissed if you caught you doing that to me.”

“Well he ain’t right now, so…” Nick states, pulling out his other hand from behind his back to give her the bird on that one as well.

“You’re so rude Nick.” She starts laughing, her gentle tangle of black curls topple over her shoulders. Nick brushes a stray hair off her cheek as his warm breath caresses her cheek.

Yasmine clears her throat and stares into his deep eyes suddenly thrown back by his effect, she never knew he had such a presence over her, but then again she never really pay mind to him much. She watches him as he traces his fingers over her hair, smiling and shaking his head. Abruptly, she realized that Nick was talking to her and she hadn’t been paying attention to him. It seemed Nick was making a big impression on her and she didn’t even realize it.

“I know and you love me for it. And speaking of love… What about you and A.J.?” Nick asks curiously leaning closer to Yasmine as he accommodates himself on the edge of the sofa. She breathes in his sweet cologne as she takes it in happily. He blinks and she’s brought back to attention.

She smirks and rolls her eyes, “A.J.? Hey where is he anyway?”

“Don’t try to change the subject.” Nick states, his eyes boring into her eyes.

Yasmine rolls her eyes, “Whatever, look A.J.’s my friend. That’s it. That’s all there is. Why? Did he say something to you about me?” She asks curiously, moving closer to Nick.

Nick smirks and stutters, “Uh, uh, no. Why would you think that? I was just curious that’s all.”

“Why are you getting nervous when I asked that?” She whispers.

“Why are you answering questions with other questions?” Nick asks back getting Yasmine to smirk and push him a little.

“If you wanna know, A.J. is a great friend, he’s a brother that I’ve never had. I mean he’s so sweet, so enduring. So…”

“Perfect?” Nick finishes her sentence.

Yasmine nods her head, “Ye, yeah. How did you know that?”

Nick chuckles softly and pats her head, “Cause I’m nice like that. Actually, you guys should stop frontin’ and get together already.”

“Alright, that’s it. Now I know he said something about me.” Yasmine states annoyed, crossing her arms across her chest.

Nick sighs and leans back on the sofa, facing her direction. He nods his head, “Look, all I’m saying is if you feel so strongly about this with A.J. Why don’t you just tell him?”

Yasmine blushes and shakes her head, “That’s just it. He’s too perfect for me. I wouldn’t want to tell him if its not meant to be. Besides I want someone else. I never noticed it before, but this guy that I know makes me feel so good whenever I’m around him. He’s not perfect and he’s not trying to be. And I kind of like that about him.”

Nick snorts, “So wait, hold up. You’re into another guy while you’re letting Mister Right walk away? Yasmine, A.J. is the right guy for you. What other guy can compare to him?” He comes to his friend’s defense, knowing A.J. would be grateful for this.

“You.” She whispers so low that Nick did a double take and glanced back at her again:

“Ex, excuse me? What did you just say?”

Yasmine clears her throat and keeping her eyes fixated on the soft furry blue below her anxiously. “I, I said you.” And she quickly stands up and excuses herself, running to her room and slamming the door behind her.

Nick lets out a deep breath and shakes his head, ‘No, no no. This isn’t supposed to happen to me. A.J. will kill me if I touch her.’ He thinks to himself. “What am I gonna do?”

“Gonna do with what Nicky?” A.J. asks, slipping through the front door and closing it behind him.

“Uh, oh hey J. Didn’t hear ya come in. So where did you go to?”

“Oh just taking a drive. Thought Yasmine was missing a few items, so I went down the supermarket and picked up some stuff.” He states placing three plastic supermarket bags on the kitchen counter.

“Oh ok.” Nick mumbles, gulping.

A.J. smirks and heads over to Nick, noticing the strange expression on his friend’s face, “Yo buddy, you’re acting like you’ve just seen a ghost. What’s the deal?” He joins Nick on the sofa and slumps besides his friend. He pats Nick on the knee and knew something is up, “Talk. And make it quick.”

Nick nibbles on his lower lip and shakes his knee nervously, “Nothing J. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“You sure? You’re not lying to me now are you?” A.J. dark eyes burn into Nick’s flesh.

“NO! Whoa, come on man. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“What happened with Yasmine? Did you say something to her?” A.J. asks, tensing up, settling back into the sofa.

“Actually no. I just asked her what she thought of you.”

A.J. sits up in shock and stares at him, “Are you out of your mind? Dude, she knows now! I know she’s gonna be acting all weird.”

“Pshhh, not as weird as she’ll be around me.” Nick mutters under his breath.

“What was that?” A.J. asks.

“Oh, look I’m sure she’ll be fine, she was just asking for you. Go and let her know you’re here.” Nick whispers, passing his hands through his messy golden spikes.

A.J. narrows his eyes and gets up from the sofa, he stands looking at his friend curiously, “Whatever you’re hiding, I’ll find out.” He hisses softly and walks away towards Yasmine’s dorm bedroom.

Nick sighs and slumps back on the sofa, “Unbelievable, when he finds out I’m so screwed.”
~*~

Yasmine bangs her head gently onto the edge of her desk, “My big mouth. What did I just say? There’s no way, I could have said that out loud. Maybe he thought he heard wrong and forgot about it. That’ll be just like Nick anyway.” Suddenly her soft whispering is disturbed by the soft rasping of the bedroom door. She lifts her head and sees A.J. creeping into the room with a smile on his face.

“Hey you. I was worried about you. Why you locked up in here? You left Nick all by himself. And you know he does strange stuff when he’s unsupervised.”

Yasmine smirks and stands up as A.J. pulls her towards him. She crashed into his chest as he smiles down at her. “So, ah, where did you go?”

A.J. yawns and keeps his grips on her waist, “No where interesting. Went to get you some extra stuff from the store.”

Yasmine smiles and starting getting a bit uncomfortable in A.J.’s tight grip, “Well thanks. I’m a bit hungry what are you interested in eating?”

“Ahh, I’ll see what Nick wants.” A.J. states as the two step out the bedroom and enter the small living room where Nick was sitting nervously by himself.

“Nick, what do you feel like eating?” A.J. asks as he crosses over to the black cradle of the phone on the wall in the kitchen.

“Uh, well its Yas’s place, let her decide. She’s the pregnant one after all.” He smirks at her direction as she nervously smiles.

“Uh pizza sounds just fine.” She murmurs and takes a seat behind the kitchen counter, drumming her fingers. She could feel the thick atmosphere surround her in the air and she knew A.J. must feel it too. After the order was made for a take out food, A.J. hangs up the phone and turns to look at his two friends.

“Alright Yas. Spit it out. What happened when I left? Is there something that I should know about?” A.J. inquires, crossing his arms across his chest.

Nick stares at the rug as Yasmine twiddles her fingers on the wooden kitchen counter. A.J. quietly grabs a seat besides Yasmine and sighs, “Somebody better tell me something. I feel the uneasiness here and I’m not stupid about what could have happened. Yasmine, did Nick do something to you that’s making you act this way?”

“No.” She whispers and smiles softly at Nick’s direction.

“Then what?” A.J. asks.

Yasmine sighs, “Well its not a big deal. Nick was teasing me about something and and… well that’s it.”

A.J. licks his lips, “Hpmh. Fine, if nothing happened then I believe you Yasmine. Though I don’t understand the sudden nervousness between the two of you.” A.J. smiles and begins laughing, “In fact if I didn’t know it, I would think you guys are acting weird cause there’s something going on between the two of you.”

Nick gulps and stops the nervous patting as Yasmine stops drumming the counter. Both look up at A.J. in a quiet manner as A.J. chews on his lip shaking his head. “Hmph, I should have known.” He whispers. Abruptly, A.J. pulls away from his seat and rushes over to the exit of the room, grabbing his jacket on the way out. Slamming the door behind him, he runs down the stairs not bothering to wait for the elevator. He runs out the small university lobby of the dorms and reaches the driveway to get into his car. Flinging open the car door, he throws himself into the driver’s seat and nervously pulls out the car keys. Turning on the ignition of the black Benz, he grips the steering wheel and pulls away, slamming his foot on the pedal. The car careens out the driveway and into the desolate road, taking him away from the dorms and away from the pieces of his broken heart.
~*~

He smiles and kisses the white envelope, slipping it into the mailbox. He watches the white paper flutter down the mail slot to meet its destination. Brushing his dark brown hair with his tan fingers, he heads down the street with a smile plastered on his face. Kelvin knew when the letter arrived at Yasmine’s place that the fun will officially begin. Until then, he’ll be eagerly waiting and he couldn’t wait for the excitement to start. “Soon Yasmine, my angel, we’ll see each other again. I have a surprise for you, you’ll be wanting to know and it deals with that baby of yours.” Breaking into a chuckle, his slams his fists into his dark jean pockets and walks back to his red Acura.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“I got this feeling you’re not gonna stay
It’s burning within me
The fear of losing
Of slipping away
It just keeps getter closer…” - “Don’t want to lose you now.” From the “Millennium” Backstreet Boys CD.


**~Mixed Emotions~**

Ever lost something and you couldn’t find it no matter where you looked? How about if it was person? Not physically, but rather a more emotional soul wrenching type of what once was a person. It can happen. After serious incidents, some people can lose themselves mentally or close up and bury their personalites inside their heart, away from the outside: the public. Take examples from the mentally instable people, how many of those people once lived a normal life, before they were taken away to their own little world inside the mental institution. Love can be that way, its not always the most obvious thing in a person’s live depending on how they learned what love is and how to give it to others. Love is a form of attachment one can feel for others and is tremendously strong enough to carry a person through. Look at Jesus and his life, within the Bible it mentions that everything Jesus did was for the love he had for all of us, yes even you! He was passionate and every time he had, he would help those of less unfortunate and never complained. Another strong example is the love of a mother and her child, no matter what the child does to her: she will always love him because she carries a deeper love, an unconditional love. She accepts the faults and understands that her child will stray away from her at times and sometimes fall into mistakes. But that’s part of life: you can’t always have your child blocked away from the world. Like God, He lets us go into this world to live a life but just like a mother, awaits for us to return and go back into his embrace, cause He’s always there with that passionate love. The same way God and Jesus sees us is like a mother who carries a strong desire to care for her child. There’s a true zeal, a sense of devotion and nothing can take that away, not even our mistakes and that’s a real passion there.
~*~

A.J. sighs and pulls onto the roadside overlooking the city. He parks his Benz and slides further into his camel haired seat, just as the car radio plays an old ballad from Mariah Carey. He sighs and turning off the ignition to his car, the lyrics strike him suddenly:

“I will never be to far away to feel you
And I won’t hesitate at all
Whenever you call

And I’ll always remember
The part of you so tender
I’ll be the one to catch your fall
Whenever you call.”

A.J. snorts and shuts off the radio, shaking his head. That song seemed to resound in his head as he takes a deep breathe. It related to him in so many levels it was disturbing. Stepping out the car, he glances at the starry night and walks over the gravel ground to a cliff where the lighted city was below him. It was a beautiful place that Yasmine had showed him a while ago and A.J. instantly fell in love with it the moment he saw it. He walked over to the edge and smiled, it was amazing how striking the city loomed below him. He only wished Yasmine was here to see it. But at the moment he couldn’t look at her knowing her smile belonged to someone else. He knew nothing between Nick and Yasmine occurred, yet he longed to have Yasmine desire him as much as he was suddenly appearing to have. “Stop it J. I got to chill. She has a right to fall for any guy she wants and I shouldn’t deny her happiness. Though I’m surprised it’s Nick, damn kid, it had to be his retarded goofy grin and the blue eyes.” A.J. grumbles kneeling down and watching the beautiful lighted city. A cool breeze filters the atmosphere, its gentle quiet touch cooling A.J.’s growing temper. Chewing on the inside of his cheek to ease his mixed emotions, he hears the soft fluttering of the small sparrows behind him. “How did this happen? I’m her friend but why do I want something more? I know she isn’t interested me, I should have figured that out the way she was acting all funny and stuff every time Nick was around. But why does it hurt my heart whenever I see her smile and talk about Nick. Damn Nick look what your pretty boy face is doing. Not that I had a chance to get with her but him… man. They know I know, I’m sure of it. I know Yasmine thinks something’s up with me and me just walking out like that just blew my cover. Way a go A.J.” He grumbles to himself. He exhales and stands up, closing his eyes shut for a second before opening them back up. He sighs and inhales taking a painful deep breathe, his chest pounding with each heart beat. He knew why he was so upset, his heart just broke and it lied shattered within his chest and Nick was the cause of it. He grits his teeth and tries to calms down, but the thought of Nick and Yasmine alone together was gnawing at him. Clutching his curled fists, he takes a deep breath and blows out air. “I’ll be ok. I can handle this. Its just Nick, I mean he wouldn’t pass a move on her…” He whispers, letting the idea trail off, he snarled and shakes his head, “What the hell was I thinking leaving them alone?” He smacks his forehead upon his palm. With that, he watches silently at the city in troubled trepidation of what will happened to his friendship with her.
~*~

Yasmine gulps and watches as Nick blots to the door after A.J. Yasmine cries out and Nick stops at the threshold, peering back at her concern, “What? You ok?” he whispers, hesitating and gulping, deciding its best to have Yasmine go with him.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to go after Alex at this time. He’s too upset and the last person he wants to see is you.” Yasmine whispers, grabbing for his arm. Nick smiles and cocks his head to the side,

“True but still, its not healthy to leave J all messed up like that. We both got a lot to explain to him and the last I need is for him to hate me for no reason.” Nick smirks as Yasmine giggles, brushing her raven locks behind her ears.

“Na, I don’t think he’s that upset. He’ll just despise you for a while. Seriously though Nick, do you know why A.J. got upset? I think he got the idea that me and you are an item.” Yasmine whispers, a small grin rearing in the corners of her mouth.

Nick gulps and nods his head, “Ummm, yeah, exactly. So uh, you know…Maybe we should uhhh, head out now. We gotta find out where A.J. went.” He mumbles nervously, his cheeks blazing a flustered pink.

Yasmine nods her head and heads over to her bedroom. She stops on the threshold and smiles beautifully, turning to him before entering and closing the door behind her. Nick gulps and shakes his head, “Oh yeah this is trouble. I can feel it.” Watching as Yasmine enters the door. He didn’t know what to do. He was caught within a crazy love pattern that he wanted out. Sure Yasmine was beautiful, God, lovelier than he had ever imagined but he knew she was off limits since he met her in day one. He knew the moment A.J. had lied eyes on her that she belonged to his friend, but A.J wasn’t taking the bait and that left Nick wondering. Nick was tempted to call A.J on his cell phone but knew as pissed off as A.J. was when he left the apartment, there was no way he would pick up. Finally looking up from the ground, his thoughts vanish as Yasmine crosses the room and gently brushes pass him, her perfume wafted his nose as he smiles and locks the apartment door behind them. They both head down the hallway and wait for the elevator to arrive to take them to the lobby.
~*~

Trees whirl pass them as Nick drives down the busy highway trying to find where A.J. would have head to. Gripping the steering wheel, he glances every once in a while at Yasmine. The wind slams into her raven locks, as she gracefully brushes her locks back. Nick smiled, A.J was right about the whole angelic thing; there was something so innocent about Yasmine that drew Nick to curiosity. Nick glances quickly at her, “Hey you can turn on the radio if you want.”

“Na, that’s ok. I’m just thinking about where A.J. could have gone. I prefer the quietness, I want to talk with you anyway.” Yasmine whispers softly.

Nick gulps quietly and nods, “Sure ok, talk? Well what about?” He glances next to him to see Yasmine passing her hands over her small growing abdomen.

“About what happened back there. A.J. reacted for a reason, he could feel something’s up with us. Is there?” Yasmine pleads, her beautiful light eyes stare at him as Nick gulps and tries to concentrate on the road before him.

“Uh, umm… look, Yas.” Nick stops and pulls over to the roadside, parking the vehicle. Nick stares at Yasmine as the humming of the motor vibrated in the sudden sullen quiet mood that seeped in the SUV. Staring at her, he grabs her hand and stares into her eyes, “It’s a bit weird, I mean I know you said you’re feeling something for me and all, I’m extremely flattered but…”

“But forget it. I don’t need to hear it. It was stupid of me to say that and I don’t need you to blow me off in my face.” Yasmine growls, swiping her hand away fron his and crossing her arms over her chest defensively. Nick knew he hit a spot and gulped knowing A.J. will have his head for hurting Yasmine’s feelings.

“Uh, look its not that I don’t like you…”

“Nick just drive. Don’t explain to me. I made a fool of my self telling you I got a thing for you, its just a small thing Nick, nothing major for you to blow up. So chill out. Let’s go find A.J.” She slides further into her seat and closes her eyes as Nick licks his lower lip and pulls away from the road side.

Yasmine opens her eyes and reaches for the radio, she flips through the stations and after finding nothing of interest, she turns it off. Settling back into the seat, she stares out the window as her brooding eyes watch the whizzing trees alongside her.

“Yasmine, I know you’re mad at me.” Nick whispers, sucking in a deep breathe, feeling aggravated at throwing fuel to the fire. Yasmine sits up abruptly and glares at him.

“Mad at you? Ha! Nick you have some nerve.”

Nick’s eyes open wide in shock as he leans closer to the steering wheel, “Nerve, what? Girl what are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about Nickolas!” Yasmine growls, her eyes flinching at the rough breeze that blast into the car window.

“Whoa, whoa wait. Hold up. You’re mad at me because you’re not my interest?” Nick bellows, shrinking back at Yasmine’s shocked expression.

“You screamed at me!?” Yasmine shouts, tears perking in the corners of her eyes. She will not cry for a man, she won’t do it. It made her too weak and that’s the last she needs right now and for her baby.

“No!” Nick lowers his voice, “No, I didn’t mean to. I just want you to be ok. Look, it’s a bit weird for me ok?”

“Weird? Weird? How do you think I feel?” Yasmine mutters, feeling like kicking herself for expressing her emotions to Nick. She knew she seemed so weak and she hated showing her feeble side to anyone, it always made her uncomfortable.

Nick blows out a puff of air as he passes a few cars alongside of him, “I don’t want you to freak out k? You’re pregnant and the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

“Well you’re too late for that.” Yasmine hisses, leaning near him, her face inches away from his cheek. Nick was feeling uncomfortable and warm, his cheeks flustered at this point and his heart crashed into his chest that he was afraid it would leak out of his body. What was this woman doing to him? Man he hated the way he was feeling for her, she beautiful, but he reminds himself that she belongs to A.J. Not that she was taken necessary but he respected A.J. enough to not touch his territory. Nick feeling extremely agitated at this point, faces her and narrows his eyes before Yasmine settled back in her seat. Man, he was centimeters away from her soft plump lips and was tempted to touch it.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that. It’s just I, I don’t want to get into a relationship with you and not be the man you want. You deserve better than me that’s all.” He whispers, the street lamps blazing their golden florescent lights into the vehicle.

“Not good enough for me?” Yasmine whispers softly and smiles. “Nick, stop the car.”

“What?”

“I said stop please. I want to talk to you and I need you to look at me.”

Nick obliges and pulls off the highway, finding a spot to park on the corner of the street. Nick clamps his hands on his knees and keeps his gaze out the window.

“Nick, look at me.”

Nick nods slowly and looks at her, “Uh, ok.”

Yasmine smiles and giggles, “I think we both made fools of ourselves tonight. But I just want you to know that its ok. I have a little crush on you. But it’s cool that you don’t want to get involve with me. I cherish our friendship more than anything and you’re doing it for both our protection. So thanks.” She whispers.

Nick blushes and nods his head, “No problem shorty. Your welcome and I’m glad you’re cool with it. Though I think A.J. might not be.”

Yasmine smirks and rolls her eyes, “Speaking of the boy, we got to find him and I think I know where he’s at.”

Nick starts the ignition of the SUV and nods, “Cool, where to little lady?”

Smiling she points forward, “Nick it’s that a way.” And they pull away, heading to the secret location where A.J. was loathing at the moment.
~*~

Kelvin paces calmly as he looks up to the lighted window. Smiling, he traces his tan fingers over the small snap shot of Yasmine and chuckles. “My angel I’m coming. You’ll be thrilled to see me. Your baby’s daddy is here to play.” And he continues walking pass the tall bricked university building laughing all the way.
~*~

“So this is it huh?” Nick whispers as he pulls off the side of the road onto gravel plain.

“Yeah, stop here though. If we continue further, A.J. will know we’re here and he won’t wanna talk or worse yet hide out.” Yasmine states, opening her side of the car and stepping out. Nick was about to do the same thing but Yasmine stops him. Yanking on his left arm, she shakes her head, “No, you stay here. If A.J. sees ya, he’ll be pissed. We already have enough problems to deal with. One step at a time k.”

Nick shrugs his shoulders and leans back on the seat, “Fine, I mean if you think that will work best.”

“Cool, thanks. I’ll be back hopefully with a happy A.J. Wish me luck.” Yasmine beams as Nick smiles,

“Good luck Yas.” And she walks away, heading towards the cliff where a lone shadow figure could be seen from a distance. “You’ll need it.” He whispers out after she leaves and leans back on the driver’s seat, drumming his fingers on his jean clad jeans.
~*~

A.J. takes another puff of the cigarette before throwing it over the cliff and watching it get swallowed into the dark abyss.

“So you’re back to smoking I see.” A.J.’s ears perk up at the familiar voice.

“Yasmine. How did you know I was here?” A.J. turns to face her suddenly.

Smiling, A.J. watches Yasmine step out of the dark shadows, her figure glowing behind the silver rays of moonlight. “I kind of figured it out. You were always fascinated with this place since I showed it to ya.”

A.J. steps lightly on the ground and crunches on a dead branch beneath his sneakers, “Yeah, on the smoking and on this place.”

Yasmine sighs and passes her hands over A.J.’s profile. He twitches at her touch and smiles, grasping her hand in his. Yasmine kept her hands on his tan flushed cheeks and smiles. “Well then I guess we should start working on the smoking task then huh?”

A.J. sighs and pulls her hand away gently, “Look Yas about earlier…”

“Shhh, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re ok now.”

“But I need to explain about what happened…”

“No it’s ok. We all have emotions and I think that we should talk about it. A.J. I think its time to have that talk.”

A.J. smiles and pokes at her swollen stomach, “Uhhh, you don’t know about that story yet? I’m surprised.”

“Shut up. For real J. That talk about you know… Our feelings.” Yasmine gulps.

A.J. sighs and nods his head, “Yeah, yeah. I think it's time. So uh what do we say?”

“How do you feel about me?” She blurts out, her question grabbing A.J. off guard. He stands awkwardly, not sure what or how to answer that. Part of him wanted to celebrated that yes indeed part of Yasmine’s heart belongs to him, but another part of him is confused and aching to know where Yasmine stands in all this.

“Huh, wha…?”

“You heard me. I know since three months ago when you visited that our feelings for each other has grown. A.J. tell me now, how do you feel about me?”

“Uh, ummm. Damn girl. What the hell do you want me say?”

Yasmine sighs frustrated and shakes her head, “Stop stalling and just answer me please. I’ll go first to help ya out. Lately I’ve been going through some emotional issues as you can tell but I’m ok. Look, me and Nick aren’t together and the way I see it, we won’t be. But my question is why? Why won’t Nick date me? Then I figured it out, its cause of he couldn’t hurt his friend. He couldn’t hurt you. And so now I’m left to fight what I feel for you. And that leaves me to you. What do you feel?”

A.J. passes his fingers nervously through his dark hair before talking, “Damn, look Uh, I’m not sure what to say. Ahhh, I mean wow, about you but I guess I’m kind of fighting my own demons before I really know what I feel for you.”

“So what does that mean?” Yasmine asks, her eyes looking for the source of answer in A.J’s face.

A.J. looks down at the ground watching the dry brown leaves scurry along pass his boots. “It means I think I’m, I’m f…”

But his statement gets cut off as Nick steps out of the shadows and gasps.

“Nick, didn’t I tell you to stay in the car?” Yasmine cries out.

Nick shrugs his shoulders, “Since when do I listen?”

A.J. tenses up at the sight of Nick and clutches his fist together. Nick inches closer to his friend, a solemn look crosses his face.

“J, what you thought happened at the apartment is…”

“Nick forget it. You don’t have to explain. Yas filled me in on it.” A.J. states, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh ok. Then uh, sorry about interrupting.” Nick flusters, backing away.

“No its fine. I think the two of you should talk.” Yasmine whispers as she heads back to the SUV, “I’ll wait for the two of you to talk. I’ll be in the car if you need me, k?” And she walks away from the cliff and enters the forest green SUV parked a few feet down.

Nick cracks his knuckles and stares at the ground as A.J. clears his throat. “Nick, as funny as it may seem, for moment there I was willing to risk our friendship because of a girl.”

“J, she’s not any girl and both of us know it. She’s special and she holds a special place in your heart.” Nick whispers as A.J. exhales slowly.

“In mine maybe, but not in hers. Nick she’s into you man. Don’t lose a great girl on my account.”

“No! It’s not about her. It’s about you. J, did you tell her?” Nick asks, curiosity egging him on.

A.J. shakes his head, “No. And I don’t intend to either. Plus I don’t want you to say anything to her. Promise me you won’t do that?”

“I, I won’t man. This is what you what then fine by me. But you gotta tell her soon, she suspects and that’s never good.”

“I’ll tell her when the time is right.” A.J. states.

Nick nods once and smiles, “K. So we’re cool?” Sticking out his hand.

A.J. smirks and gives Nick a shake on the hand, “We’re cool. Let’s go, I’m sure Yas wants to know what happened to us.”

“She probably thinks we killed each other by now.” Nick jokes and A.J. rolls his eyes.

Going along with the joke, A.J. extends his hands in front of him to crack his knuckles, “Well that can be arranged.” And both men walk back to the vehicle laughing.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“It takes a lot to know what is love
It’s not the big things, but the little things
That can mean enough…” –BSB “Perfect Fan”

**~Diverting Hearts~**

Love can make you do the craziest things. We all heard of that expression and yes in reality it is true, when you truly care for a person- you’ll do anything and I mean anything for them. Its been proven that an area in the brain releases a chemical that yes makes us as loving humans do anything for another life. Interesting huh? Yes, and it’s true whether you chose to believe it or not. I always imagined what it would be like to really lose one’s mind for another, and as funny as it seems, I think I came close. I’m sure you can come up with examples of your own. Love isn’t a feeling: it’s an emotion- something that drives people and the reason God is with us everyday providing us with another life. It’s the reason God sent his Son to die for our wrongdoings and is always there to listen to us whether we realize it or not. And even through all our doubts, He’s there, waiting for us to come back to him, his stray sheep who have wondered off. Now He sits and waits, hoping that at least one of His sheep will appear. Like the gospel rock group, Creed- God’s waiting with arms wide open for us, now all we gotta do is hug back.

His knee bounces nervously as he nipples on his fingernails waiting for Yasmine to appear out of the examination room in the clinic, “Yas, come on. Don’t keep me waiting.” A.J. whispers softly as he sits by himself on the hard plastic seat in the small cramp waiting room. Harsh white lights fall around him as a couple with a child pass by him. A.J. smiles and watches the parents pick up their child and hug him tightly as the little boy, no more than six years of age, bubbles and laughs. A.J. sighs and leans his head back against the wall waiting for Yasmine to appear out the medical room. It was over four months already and Yasmine was doing well health wise along with her unborn child. Today Yasmine has an appointment yet again to see her personal doctor since her pregnancy. The police offered and even paid for a specialist to check her out, and even paid for a Lamaze class to put her in. Problem was she needed the father to be there and of course because of her sudden unexpected pregnancy, there was no father until however Yasmine asked A.J. He smirks: the memories of that past conversation over a month ago fills his head:

“Alex, you gotta do this for me! Pleaseeeeeee!” Yasmine whined, batting her light emerald orbs at him.

A.J. sighed and shook his head, “What? Girl, you out of your mind? You want me to play your baby’s daddy to enter the program?”

Yasmine grinned widely displaying her crystal pearly white teeth at him, “Yesss! You have to do this! J, they’ll need another person for me, I mean when I go in labor, I don’t want to go in the maternity room alone.”

“And you won’t be alone. Nick and I will be there, in fact Howie plans on being there too. Why don’t you ask one of them to go to the Lamaze class?”

“Cause I want you to go! Besides Nick is embarrassed being there and he wouldn’t be taking it seriously. But you will.”

A.J. groans and shakes his head, “I, I don’t know Yas.”

“Alexander, are you embarrassed being seen there or something?”

“Uhhh, look being famous doesn’t help in that department, I have enough weighing on me Yas. I want to go but uhhh, I mean its not exactly a cool thing to do?”

Yasmine’s eyes clouded over in fury as she stood there fuming about what a friend really is. “And you know what, you should feel ashamed for yourself. I need your help and you’re not doing a thing about it. Some friend you are! You dare to say no to God’s little girl.”

A.J. sighs and slumps into a kitchen stool, glancing at the counter ignoring her angry pleas, “So uh, who’s paying for the class?”

“I already told ya, the police department got it covered, its something that I guess they felt they needed to provide.”

“That or they want to get on your good side since they haven’t the son of the bit…”

“Stop Alex!” Yasmine interrupts.

A.J. sighs and trails his fingers over the counter’s edge nervously and spots an envelope at the corner of the dark mahogany desk, “What’s that?” He points as Yasmine smirks and waves it in front of him.

“This is what one calls a letter, yes Ajey wagey, an envelope. Want to say it with me? Let’s say it together, come on mio: an en-ve-lope. Atta boy.” She teases as she pulls out of the white ripped envelope, a notice on the Lamaze program that the police just decided to pay for her.

A.J. growls and rolls his eyes, snatching the letter in her small hands, “Gimme that.”

“You so rude and nasty. Tu’ madre must be so proud of you.” Yasmine teases, her eyes glittering.

“Screw you Yasmine.”

Yasmine smirks, “Uh uh now. That’s no way to speak to a lady.”

A.J. curls his lips and laughs, flipping open the letter, “Yeah well, I don’t see any ladies around here.”

“You sure? I’m looking at one.” Yasmine jokes as she flops besides A.J. on another stool.

A.J. playfully nudges Yasmine on the side as his eyes scan the paper in his hands, “So this saying it’ll pay for the class along with any hospital bills and plans. They mention that the rapist is still loose ‘cause he didn’t leave any fingerprints or anything.” He murmurs, the anger swelling in his chest.

Yasmine sighs and nods her head, “Uh yeah I know. It sucks, that guy is still no where to be found. I thought they had found something in the line up but it was a false impression. There was no way to describe that man, the only thing I could see was his dark eyes through the wool mask. Who ever he is, probably left, leaving a trial of panic women behind him.” She whispers, drumming her fingers nervously. “Well anyway.” She fakes a smile, avoiding the topic now, “Enough of this topic, its making me depressed and that’s the last thing I need to feel. I want my child to be free of worries at this point.”

“So you’re really gonna have this child then?” A.J. leans towards her.

She nods her head, her dark raven locks wrapped in a messy bun tumble: some loose strands upon her slim shoulders, “Yeah. I thought about it and prayed for it long enough.”

“God helped you decide that for you or was it just your mother instincts telling you?”

Her grin spreads across her tan golden cheeks, “A little of both.” She breathes out, running her fingers through A.J.’s short black hair. Teasing, she tugs on his hair and laughs, looking at her friend’s sudden dark blue dye that now spread across his hair. A.J. smirks and sighs happily, her touch always seems to calm the uneasiness he ever had, it was the effect she had on him. As for their friendship, well that was it, just friends. After the whole Nick issue, the three of them felt there was a strange tension being around each other and A.J. and Nick decided to switch turns and watch Yasmine on their own when they had time. So Nick was down in Florida at the moment resting with his family while A.J. is caring for his little ‘sister’.

“Hey well, that’s cool.” He responds after a while of thinking.

Yasmine smiles softly, giggling softly she leaps off the barstool and yawns, “J, I have to tell you something.”

A.J. lazily turns to her direction and waits for her to continue.

She twirls and sighs, tugging on one of her black locks that came loose, “I got something in the mail today that I think you should take a look at.”

A.J. sits up in the stool, his throat went dry instantly as Yasmine shuffles over to the kitchen cabinet and pulls out a plain white envelope with no return address. “What is that?”

Yasmine exhales nervously and hands the envelope over to him, “Take a look for yourself.”

A.J. gulps and quickly deposits the letter onto the counter to read. He grips the letter and reads loudly for the both to hear:

“Dear Princess,

I’m so glad to see you got this letter. I’m sure you’re wondering who’s this from and I’ll tell you later. Right now I just wanted to say you’re looking more beautiful each day. I heard about your sorrowful mishap that you went through and I’m so sorry to hear that. Anyway I found out you’re with child now. I thought you wanted to wait to get pregnant but this is a surprise to me as well. Anyway, Angel, you’re lucky your friends are there to care for you. I plan on visiting some day, maybe we’ll meet in the school hallways or something. I haven’t seen you for a while, how is everything? Especially with all the issues you’re dealing with now. You’re strong, you always were. I’m doing ok, kind of depressed, I mean all I can think of is what you must be going through, guess I always had a soft heart for you, anyways. I’m gonna make this short, my heart aches as I write this letter knowing that you must be hurting emotionally. I’m sorry again for what you went through and I promise to visit you. My heart can’t bear to see you in pain anymore. Maybe your dark hair friend is helping out in that department, he seems like a cool kid.”

A.J. stops mid-sentence in the letter and snorts, “Kid?” He didn’t want to read anymore, so Yasmine has an admirer, how was he to feel now? He felt he was fighting for Yasmine’s attention already and now a stranger that seems to know more than what is mentioned in the letter wants to suddenly enter back in Yasmine’s life. A.J. didn’t know what to feel but this was too strange.

“Just keep reading J, its gets more interesting.” Yasmine whispers, slumping next to the barstool next to A.J’s. A.J. gulps and nods his head,

“K.” He scans his eyes and sees where he left off,

“Yasmine I was praying for you everyday. I heard prayers get answered and I know God will listen to me. I hope you take care and we’ll meet one day. Until then precious, take care of you and your unborn. I know you’ll make it through all right.
Sincerely Yours Always, K.C.”

“K.C.?” A.J asks, peering at Yasmine, “You know who wrote it right?”

Yasmine shrugs her shoulders, shaking her head, “No, not really. I can’t figure out who starts with those initials.”

A.J. sighs angrily and tosses the letter onto the counter. “Really? Cause this guy I’m assuming seemed to have some form of relationship with you to be calling you those names.”

“J, I don’t know. Stop it, I don’t know who wrote it k? I found the letter slipped under my doorway this morning.”

“Did you ask security downstairs? Maybe they got a look at the person who drop this off.”

Yasmine exhales and shakes her head, “I tried that, they were clueless, they really didn’t pay attention. They said it was guy with black hair, its funny cause the description they gave me sounded like it was you or something.”

A.J. narrows his eyes, “Why would I write a letter to you if I’m here with you?”

Yasmine shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know, maybe to cheer me up.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Its me, I always use my other personna K.C. that I use to sign in letters.” He whispers sarcastically as Yasmine snorts and throws her arms sweetly around his neck.

“Shut up.” She whispers inches away from A.J.’s lips as A.J. sticks his tongue out and crosses his eyes receiving a laugh and playful slap on the shoulder from Yasmine.

“Well the letter was creepy enough. I say hold on to it and if we get another one we’ll send it to the police k?” A.J. states, standing up and stretching, pulling his arms overhead.

“K, cool. So let’s go, Howie told me about this little restaurant in Tribeca called “Capsouto Freres.” Yasmine grins, her teeth shining in the soft florescent light. “Do you like my french?”

“Cute. But my, aren’t we in the pricey mood today?” A.J. banters as Yasmine playfully pouts,

“Hey you’re the famous one, you can afford it. Besides if you love me you’ll do it.”

A.J. laughs, “Bribery now huh? Well I guess I don’t love you as much as I thought.”

“Hey malo (bad) You’re suppose to help me out and feed me.” Yasmine jokes.

A.J. laughs and shakes his head, “Whoa, I’m a friend not your momma feeding you. But…” He exhales deeply and continues joking around, “If you insist, we’ll head over there. Just know that you own me later. So what I’m paying for you now, I want it back with interest.”

Yasmine laughs and folds her hands into A.J.’s as the laughing pair leave the apartment in a good mood.
~*~

A.J. sits ups and watches the medical examination door open, taking him out of his thoughts as a nurse followed with a doctor who smile and talk quietly to themselves. The nurse looks at A.J.’s direction and calls him over.

Confused, A.J. stands up and heads over to the pair who tells him that Yasmine wanted him to see the small picture from the ultra sound that was done on her. “Usually these exams aren’t done till later in the pregnancy to check for the infant’s position inside the womb along with its age, but the fetus is doing well. She wants you to see a picture of the infant. Come inside.” The nurse stands moving aside as the doctor and A.J. enter the room. In the center of the room, Yasmine lied on her back, her shirt lifted up to show her developing abdomen. A clear white gel smeared her stomach as the doctor smiles and places a small pad like device upon Yasmine’s stomach.

“Alex, look at the screen! It’s the baby!” Yasmine squeal happily as A.J. watches in awe, staring at the clear image of the unborn’s image. Its small eyes closed tightly as he was able to make out a small face and tiny hands nestled near its mouth. He drops his mouth open and gaps in surprise,

“Wow. Look, you can see the baby’s eyes, and its hands. It’s sleeping.” A.J. cries out happily as Yasmine giggles. He could feel her hands squeeze his right hand as he looks at her in delight. She beams brightly as the doctor talks about what else the image on the screen shows from the fetus. A.J. watches in pure wonder and amazement at the small life that is imbedded within his friend’s body.

“Crazy huh?” Yasmine whispers as A.J. simply nods his head at the wonders before him that is held on the screen and they both watch in peaceful silence at the screen.
~*~

He paces the lobby, scratching the side of his head nervously. He adjusts the black tie and grumbles, he hated dressing up causally and he preferred just being comfy in jeans and shirt but the fancy restaurant required formal attire.

“Sorry I took so long; I wanted to look cute for the restaurant.” Yasmine bubbles happily as A.J. smirks,

“You’re already cute, you don’t have to try hard in that part.”

Yasmine jokes and gasps, placing her hand over her chest, “Oh my, is that, no it couldn’t be? Could it? Is that a compliment I hear coming from your mouth?” Yasmine teases as A.J. sighs, failing to hide his smile.

“Yeah, yeah I think it is.” A.J. states enjoying the smile she gave him. She was dressed in a simple almost snug velvet red dress revealing the signs of motherhood from her abdomen, the edges of the dress rippled beautifully and it cut and slits diagonally showing her lower thighs, her soft clicking of her high inch beautifully red heels echoed down the dorm lobby. Her raven locks were held up with a glittered clip but many of her locks fail to be restrained by the clip and tumble down to her shoulders, giving her an exquisite appearance.

“So I see you like what you see, judging by your eyes!” Yasmine smirks as A.J. laughs and nods his head,

“Yeah, yeah, I do. Just let me find out you’re wearing that when Nick is around.”

“You’re still with that?” Yasmine laughs, her gentle ripples of laughter filter A.J.’s ears.

“Na, me and Nick are cool. Just a little weirded out with you.”

“Ha! So I’m the cause of it? I can’t help looking this fine, I think it’s a curse and gift all at the same time.” Yasmine whispers, a smile crossing her cheeks.

A.J. sucks his teeth, grabbing her hand, “I don’t know what I’m gonna do with you?”

“You can always kiss me and find out.” Yasmine jokes, a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Ha, ha. Funny girl, real funny.” A.J. pokes her on the side as they walk out the lobby ready for a night out of town.

After traveling, they step out of the black benz and make their way to the front corridor where the restaurant stood awaiting their presence. The bright red and golden lanterns hung and sway gently in the cool breeze surrounding them outside of the grand restaurant as a waiter directed them to a vacant table in the outside patio. They reach the table as A.J. pulls the seat for Yasmine to sit on. “Why thank you. Look at you being all manly like tonight.”

A.J. smirks and takes a seat across from her, watching her pick up a velvet red menu that the waiter left for them.

“So Yasmine, what you in the mood for?”

Yasmine perks her eyes up at him and smiles, “I thought we can skip the whole main course and go straight for the dessert.” She whispers seductively, causing A.J. to shift in his seat.

“Seriously Yasmine. What will it be?” A.J. asks, placing his hands on the table. Yasmine scrolls her eyes down his hands and gently places hers on top of his.

“Well since we’re in a French restaurant, how about some of the delicacy of pasta with parsley along with the white wine. I’m not up to the whole French meals and I can barely pronounce them. So I’ll stick to what I know.” Yasmine giggles.

A.J. grins and nods his head, “Same here. Good choice, though is it ok for you to be taking wine? It has alcohol and you’re pregnant, lest you forget.”

“Right, like I needed to be reminded…” She pauses and rubs her stomach. “I’ll just take a few sips. I’m not a drinker unlike someone I know.” She whispers out.

A.J. inhales heavily and drops his head, as a sudden wash of guilt flooded his body. Yasmine never really talked about the past that brought about her pregnancy, she wanted to forget and move on but it was hard whenever she would see the results of what that wretched action caused. She sighs and whispers out, “Sorry Alex, I didn’t mean that. I should be considerate for what you went through with your past alcohol experience.”

“Don’t apologize please. That was my fault, I was depended on something. What you went through was out of your control and you know it.” He whispers, gently rubbing his fingers through hers.

“I know, I know. Its just well sometimes I keep thinking why did that man do that to me, like I deserved it or something. I knew what he wanted the moment I was thrown in the elevator, I just…” She pauses, choking back a sob as tears pierce her precious light emerald eyes.

A.J. gulps and listens patiently as Yasmine continues talking. “I just thought that maybe I could give him money or jewelry and it would be better, but he took my innocence and that’s hurts more than anything.”

A.J. sighs and leans over her holding her shaking hands as she continues talking, “God Alex, I don’t know how long I can be strong under all this. The police thought they found a guy who was known for violating women but it was some college punk who wasn’t near the hotel at all. The line up was so off.”

“But how do you know? Yas the man was wearing a mask, how do you know if they got the guy but you can’t identify him.” A.J. whispers to comfort her, hoping to calm the quivering woman before him.

“God Alex, I know, I just know, trust me on this. I know how his body is, the way he had those large broad shoulders, his tall height, his eyes…” She stops and exhales as a few tears slide down her blushed cheeks. “His eyes. Alex, if I see the guy walking down the street I could identify him. I would know him, cause I can feel him, I, I know wh, what he looks like the way clothes fit him during that night.”

A.J. rubs hers shoulders as some customers walk pass them, staring at them strangely. A.J. glances at one wealthy elderly woman who seemed to be leaning near them curious about what’s going on. “Oh goodness, I hope she’s ok. She’s crying her little eyes out.”

“I, I can see that lady thanks. She’ll be ok.” A.J. whispers trying to remain friendly.

“Oh I don’t think so, just look at her. She’s crying. I don’t think that’s ok.” The woman states, her raccoon fur scarf wafted pass A.J.’s nose as she leans close to inspect Yasmine.

A.J. tries to remain calm as he tells the woman to please not get close to Yasmine.

“Oh, I just have to see for myself if she really is ok.” The woman states.

A.J.’s jawbone twitches as the elderly woman gently touches Yasmine’s stain cheeks. “Alright lady I said she’ll be fine. Please leave her alone.”

The woman gasps and turns around facing him in disgust, “Why I never?! I was just trying to help out the child?”

“No you weren’t. You just wanted to be nosy and get into her business and I have to protect her.” A.J. calmly states, surprised by his calm demeanor.

The woman seemed insulted and pulled away from the quivering Yasmine as she storms down the patio ready to place a complaint on him. A.J. grumbles and shakes his head, “Sorry ‘bout that. Guess this will be a short dinner after all.”

Yasmine smiles, her red painted lips curve at him, “Thanks, that was nice of you. You didn’t have to, she was just worried about me, that’s all.”

A.J. snorts, “Doubt that, she was just looking for a way to get into your business so she can judge and put her two cents in.”

“Whatever, I say we stay and eat. And if they kick us out, then hey I’m down with it. Never been thrown out of a place so I guess it should be fun.”

A.J. laughs and shakes his head, “Guess you didn’t hang out with Nick that long then. That kid got me kicked out of almost all the stores down in Orlando and we can rarely show our faces down there without getting a complaint.”

Yasmine laughs as the lighter mood settles in around them as they settle down and wait to order their meal.
~*~

Yasmine burps as A.J. looks up from his plate and gives her a disgusted look. “That’s nasty girl.”

“Oh you can burp, but I can’t? What’s up with that?” Yasmine laughs as A.J. shakes his head and places a wad of money down on the red cotton cloth at their table.

They wait as their table is cleared and both get up from the table ready to leave. As they were on their way to exit the restaurant, they were stopped at the entrance by a security guard, “Excuse sir. I’ll need you to step aside. There was a complaint placed upon you by a woman that you rudely insulted her.”

A.J. exhales as a migraine managed to crush its way into his temples. “Yeah well figured. Sure.” He implies, stepping aside as Yasmine watches on confused.

“Wait Mr….”

"Mr. Alson.” The security guard states to Yasmine as she nods,

“Right, listen I know what that woman told you and I’m ok. Tell her I has having my period and these cramps were just killer, I’m sure she can relate. Oh oops, wait that’s right, she’s pass that age now ain’t she?” Yasmine states causing A.J. to quietly smirk as stands besides the guard. Mr. Alson clears his throat and fixes his eyes on his dark gray shirt that suddenly seem to take on more interest than before.

“Right well then. I’m sorry. We’re just trying to accommodate for everyone and between you and me, she’s a big spender. We just didn’t want to lose a customer.” Alson states, raising his dark eyebrows.

“Yeah well, you did lose one, in fact two.” A.J. states as he brushes aside Alson and both Yasmine and him step out the patio and exit the restaurant.

The couple walk down the cobblestone streets, the sudden romantic area embraced them.

“How rude was that woman?” Yasmine hisses out, flicking off a fallen petal that tumbled from a tree above them.

A.J. shrugs his shoulders, “Yeah well, at least we left that place, sorry about that little episode back there.”

“Ah, its ok, I really was looking forward to getting kicked out though.”

“Sorry I didn’t fulfill that request, but I’m sure Nick can get you kicked out a restaurant faster than I can.” A.J. states, wrapping his arm around her slender shoulders.

“No prob. It’s a beautiful place here huh?" Yasmine asks.

“Yeah.” A.J. nods his head, “Didn’t know New York looked like this but it’s very romantic.”

“Ahh and what can be more romantic than a kiss under the starry sky.” Yasmine teases, poking A.J.

A.J. smirks, “I’m getting the impression you’re hitting on me tonight.”

“Well pookie, see we’re on a date so its important that we seal tonight with a kiss.” She jokily puckers her lips at him. A.J. laughs and pulls away from her.

“You’re too much.”

“I’m serious, I want a kiss or I’ll report you.” Yasmine teases as A.J. nibbles on his lip and jokily pushes her way.

“Shut up.”

“Make me.” Yasmine teases as she was inches away from A.J.’s lips, “I’m serious, one kiss and I promise I’ll leave ya alone.”

“What? Why?” A.J. stutters as Yasmine grins,

“So I can brag and say I had a piece of a Backstreet Boy.”

A.J. chuckles and shakes his head, “I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll give you a minute, no make that thirty seconds.” Yasmine whispers, her red smile spreads against her cheeks.

A.J. makes a face and they walk down the beautiful pathway staring at the swaying trees. A.J can hear Yasmine counting and stops,

“What’s with the counting?” A.J. asks curiously as Yasmine leans close to him.

Yasmine whispers out, “Three, two, one.” And her lips brush pass A.J.’s lips as he gasps and backs away.

“That wasn’t even a kiss, J. stop being a wuss and kiss me.” Yasmine pleads, “Just this one I promise and I won’t ever bring it up to anyone.”

A.J. licks his lips as she smiles, “Just one? One, k?”

A.J. finally sighs and nods his head, “Fine, since you’re so freaking curious.”

“By the way, are you a good kisser?” Yasmine asks.

A.J. snorts, “Never had a complaint before.” He whispers cockily.

“You might get one tonight.” Yasmine smirks and plays around as A.J. shrugs his shoulders and walks away,

“Forget this, its stupid...” He starts complaining but is pulled by the arm and faces her, he stops talking when he feels the warm lips of Yasmine compress his suddenly. A.J. stands still, surprised as the kiss deepens and he feels her arms embrace his neck. A.J. sighs and opens his eyes pulling away from her quickly. He couldn’t believe she kissed him! He was left breathless and in shock as Yasmine smirks and passes her fingers across her lips.

“Mmmm… wow.” She whispers blushing furiously as A.J inhales and clears his throat trying to speak.

“What? Why?...” A.J. whispers out in shock as she smiles and laughs.

“Not bad, not bad at all. You punk’d out and pull away though. I guess you must have sucked at spin the bottle.” Yasmine jokes as she continues walking. “Well I can’t get myself home, move.” She shouts back at him so he can catch up. A.J. stays in silence as his lips lingered from her soft touch.

A.J. smiles and stares down at the cobblestone ground. It was unusual but his feelings only grew stronger for her. ‘Damn girl got me all messed up.’ He thinks to himself as he hurriedly catches up to her so they can continued their date.
~*~

“Well J. Thanks for the dinner. It was wonderful. I had a great time at the restaurant and at the garden afterwards. You will make a great boyfriend to one lucky girl out there.” Yasmine smiles, her gentle angelic grin.

“Uh yeah thanks. Tell Anya I said hi. See ya in the morning k. And get some sleep, you’ll need it.” A.J. states concerned.

Yasmine snorts and whispers out, “Wait.”

“Huh, what is it?”

“You’re right. You’re a great kisser.” Yasmine whispers, her cheeks blush red as A.J. laughs.

“I told ya.” He whispers and blows a kiss at her, “Love ya.”

“Love ya back.” Yasmine whispers as she steps into the dorm and closes the door behind her with a huge grin on her face.

A.J. watches as she closes the door and he shakes his head, ‘Oh man, now what’s gonna happen? Yas, you got my mind spinning.’ He thinks to himself.
~*~

“Ok wait, you gotta tell me this again. J, tell me you didn’t!” Howie laughs as he shakes his head in enjoyment.

“Look she literally threw herself on me! I got caught surprised. I had no idea she would do that and all for one measly kiss.” A.J. states, lounging in his sofa as the warm bright Florida sun filters into the living room windows.

“Ookay.” Howie whispers slowly, “And you’re telling me you didn’t feel anything.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Ahhh, so the truth comes out.”

“D, don’t start. It was an innocent kiss. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“But still, a kiss!” Howie teases, enjoying the horrid look A.J. gives him.

“Get over it man. Brian and Kevin don’t know about it. I don’t think they want to know.”

“On the contrary.” Brian states, entering A.J.’s living room with a grin on his face, “Me and Kev heard the whole thing. So how was the kiss from the angel? Was it at all you dreamed of?”

“Oh God, not you too!” A.J. groans.

Kevin slaps A.J.’s knee, “Oh what happened. I thought the two of you were just friends, what made this kiss occur?” He rags on A.J., a smile appearing on his face.

A.J. sighs and slumps back into his black sofa, shaking his head, “That’s all it was, a simple kiss. Now can we drop it? I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’ve been working on this hot track and I want to show it to you guys.”

“K, cool. Let’s hear it.” Kevin states, settling back in the sofa across from where A.J. was at. A.J. gets up and shuffles through a small pile of littered cd’s finding the track he’s been recording.

“But while we’re waiting, you do know Nick is with Yasmine now watching her and who knows. Maybe she might pull that trick on him too and knowing Nick, he’ll go for it.” Brian states waiting to see what A.J.’s reaction would be. To their surprise, he seemed calmed and he faces them, throwing the cd at Kevin’s direction. He flops down in the sofa across them and sighs,

“I trust Nick. I really do. And he won’t be stupid enough to do that.” A.J. whispers.

Howie smirks and withheld his remark but Kevin didn’t, “Sure you do. This is Nick we’re talking about right? And the last I checked he’s waiting to get a girlfriend. I say protect your territory.”

Brian laughs, “Nick won’t do that, he knows A.J. is feeling her.”

Kevin cuts in, “Uh, uh. Again this is Nick we’re talking about.”

A.J. stays quiet and watches his band mates continue their talk about Nick. A.J. closes his eyes fearing a nagging feeling in the back of his heart. Nick was with Yasmine at the moment and as conniving as she is, what makes him think that Nick would go for it. “Na, he wouldn’t.” But he bolts upright and rubs his eyes knowing he was lying to himself.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

“But my love is all I have to give.
Without you, I don’t think I can live.
I wish I could give the world to you,
But love is all I have to give to you.” –“All I Have To Give” by the Backstreet Boys.

**~Trouble In Paradise~**

Nick nods off to sleep even through the blaring of the rock music on the radio. Yasmine smirks as Anya quietly paces over to the radio and shuts it off.

“There, much better. That music was too rock even for me.” Anya smirks, brushing off a dark carrot lock that strayed onto her cheeks.

Yasmine smiles and steps over to the sofa to where Nick was left sprawled out fast asleep. Anya tilts her head and laughs, “Why, look at that. He’s the cutest thing sleeping like that.” All the while as she was speaking, Yasmine shakes her head to tell Anya to lower her voice.

“What? Please he can’t hear: he’s out. Look at him.” She points at the sleeping man and smiles, “Anyways sweetie, I’m gonna head off to my job, do you want me to bring you back anything to eat?” Anya asks, tilting her head, her flaming locks tumble pass her slim shoulders.

“Na, I’m all good. Thanks though.” Yasmine yawns, placing her hands over her swelled six month abdomen.

“Man, I can’t believe it’s been six months already.” Anya whispers sadly, blinking away the tears that suddenly pricked her eyes.

Yasmine sighs, “Don’t start Anya.”

“I know, I’m just angry that nothing happened to your case. This bastard should have been caught by now, but instead he’s running around somewhere maybe even in the city for all we know, free with no worries.” Anya hisses angrily, her hazel eyes burn in rage against her snowy face.

“Please An…”

But Anya cuts her off, “Don’t worry about it. I was talking with detective Venderly about the criminal and he says he’s holding onto your case as closely as he can. He’s managed to get the city airports to help out with his search so if that punk thinks he can escape, he’s wrong.”

Finally Yasmine manages a small smile and nods her head, “Thanks. Thanks so much for doing that for me. I want to find the guy who did this to me. But I’m not gonna cry myself to sleep about him. I’ve been there and done that.” Glancing down at the ground, her eyes fill with unshed tears as she gulps and smiles, ‘Well I don’t wanna cry anymore about it. Let’s move on, k?” Yasmine chokes out, gulping down the lump in her throat.

Anya smiles painfully and embraces her roommate tightly, “Shhhh, I’m sorry I made you all sad. I’m just so frustrated with how slow everything is going in your case.”

Yasmine pulls away and wipes the stain tears from her friend’s face, pulling away from the embrace. “Things will work out. The guilty won’t run forever, who ever did that, will get punished soon enough.”

Anya chokes back a sob and straightens up, “Right. You’re so right. And you’re doing well. The guys have been taking care of you and I’m just glad that you’re surrounded by good friends.”

“Oh girl, thanks and you’ve been helping out more recently, I mean you didn’t have to lose that job for me you know?”

“I know, but I wanted to. I realized the job was taking up more of my time than I had to offer. Plus you need some help too, Nick and A.J. can only help out so much.” Anya giggles, poking Yasmine in the ribs.

“Alright, alright, go before you lose this job as well.” Yasmine laughs, pushing Anya out of the doorway.

“K, and behave. I heard about that little episode with A.J. Don’t try anything dirty with blondie over there.” Anya teases, leaving a shocked Yasmine.

“What? Who told you?” Yasmine whispers, a smirk sliding on the corners of her lips.

“A big sexy tall dark haired birdie told me.” Anya grins widely, displaying her teeth.

“Kevin? I’ll kill him.” Yasmine whispers through clenched teeth, curling a raven lock in her hands.

“Please don’t, he’s good for his age, hmmm… Very good.” Anya giggles, sashaying her hips towards the elevator bank.

“You’re a nut.” Yasmine calls out as Anya blows a kiss at her.

“Ahhh, see this nut though recognizes that you have a good man and you’re letting him slip away.”

Yasmine rolls her eyes, “I’m not letting any guy slip away.”

“Sure you are, just keep telling yourself that and hey you might believe it one day.” Anya smirks, disappearing through the elevator doors and leaves.

Yasmine snorts and closes the door behind her, quietly walking back to see Nick still fast asleep. “I ain’t letting any guy slip away. I don’t know where she comes up with that.” She mutters, picking up some plastic cups and plates lying on the coffee table and dumping it into a trash bin next to the kitchen counter.

“She’s right.” Nick croaks out, opening his light eyes and sitting up from the sofa tiredly rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“Shut up. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Yasmine smirks, flopping onto a barstool, swinging her legs.

“Please, I can’t sleep with all that talking you too had. And I know Yasmine’s right: I am the cutest thing around, I can’t help that though, it’s the genes, I’ve been blessed with quite the attractive ones.” Nick states, tugging on the collar to show he made his point.

Yasmine snorts and shakes her head, “Please, keep that up and that fatuous head of yours might blow up.”

Nick curls his lips and stares at her in silence. Laughing, Yasmine throws a small paper back dictionary towards him and bursts out, “Look it up sweetie, I ain’t telling you.”

“I know what that word means.” Nick smirks, standing up and stretches.

Yasmine cocks her eyebrows and nods her head, “K, oh right. I know you do.” She whispers sarcastically. The phone rings suddenly and she wobbles over to answer it. Once her back was turned, Nick inches over to the dictionary on the floor and flips it open to find the word. Smiling, he laughs and tosses it on the sofa, waiting for Yasmine to finish the conversation on the phone. After five minutes, Yasmine hangs up and turns around facing Nick.

“So, you think I’m an idiot?” Nick smirks, rubbing the front pockets of his jeans.

Smiling, she tilts her head, “Nick I saw when you picked up the dictionary. And that action just proved it.” She teases him.

Nick raises his light eyebrows, “How you saw me?”

“You forgot my cabinet has that transparent fiber: so I saw when you bend down and got the book. Cute though, I’ll let it slide.”

Now it was Nick’s turn to snort and flops back down on the sofa, “Whatever man. I ain’t stressing. So, how was it kissing A.J.?” He whispers out, a smirk crossing his lips.

Yasmine stood rigid and gulps, she thought that the kiss would remain silent only between the two of them, but she figured that one of the guys squealed. “Uh, who told you?”

“Doesn’t matter. Was A..J. all he made himself out to be or what? Let me know, so I can rag on him the next time I see him.”

“Uh, Nick, why do you care anyway? I kissed him and you know what, I liked it.”

“I’m sure you did, but how about you taste some white chocolate over here and then you can decide.” Nick jokes, hearing a gasp from her.

“Nick!”

“What? Oh come on, you puckered up with J? Why not me? I’m also a Backstreet Boy too you know and if there were other ladies in this room, they wouldn’t hesitate to kiss me…”

“Nick you’re ridiculous, I’m not kissing you.”

“Right, cause you feeling A.J.” Nick adds in, hearing Yasmine sigh.

“Please it’s not even like that. I was just playing around with him, it’s not serious.”

“So let me play too, I like to play!” Nick grins widely, showing off his pearly whites.

Yasmine laughs and shakes her head, “Come on Nick, stop acting so silly.”

“Ok, fine. I see how you are. You give all the love to J, but leave me out in the cold. I thought all these years meant something to you.” Nick pouts, batting his baby blues at her and stands up to face her.

“Shut up boy.”

“No, I won’t. You have no love for me.” Nick crosses his arms playfully and sniffs, pulling off the sad look.

“God, you’re such a baby.” Yasmine mutters, eyeing him from the corner of the eye.

Nick faces her and pouts, “I’ll stop being a baby if you kiss me.”

“Screw you Nick.”

“Wow! That fast, the hell with the kiss, I’ll get booty then!” Nick laughs causing Yasmine to get into a fit of giggles.

“I say you keep everything in the pants, I don’t want to see anything that isn’t visible.” Yasmine grins having Nick glance down at the front of his jeans.

Nick chuckles and sighs, “I was so close though girl.” He settles back down on the sofa.

“Please, no you weren’t.” Yasmine smirks, her raven locks lie down her shoulders and she slowly stand up stretching. Suddenly she feels a movement within her abdomen and she squeals out, “Ahhh, Nick! The baby! The baby moved!” She bubbles out.

Nick gasps and rushes over to her, watching her, “It moved! That’s a good thing right? I mean you’re not going into labor or anything right?”

Yasmine rolls her eyes at his ignorance and places his shaking hands on her abdomen. “Yes Nick, it’s a good thing. The baby is fine: that what it means.”

Nick smiles and feels the soft kick coming from her stomach. He pulls his hand away and laughs, “It kicked me!”

“Sure did. I believe if it’s a girl, she’ll be a ballerina with those kicks or if it’s a guy, my little own football player.” Yasmine smiles softly as Nick pulls his hand away. And when I go in labor, it’ll be weeks from now. It’s still way too early. I have three more months of carrying this kid around before I let him or her go.”

“Speaking of sex, do you know if you’re gonna have a girl or boy?” Nick asks, sipping on a glass of root beer on the counter.

“Oh no, not yet. I got the letter a while back, but I was too afraid to open it. I don’t favor the sex Nick you know. I don’t care if it’s a boy or girl, I’ll still love it no matter what.” Yasmine beams, pleased with the upcoming arrival.

“Well, that’s good to know. But if you don’t mind, how about I take a look at it? And if you want I can tell you what the baby is.” Nick states, drumming his fingers on the dark mahogany counter.

Laughing, Yasmine points to her bedroom, “It’s lying on the laptop. Bring it over here and find out.”

Nick obliges and quickly waltzes into the bedroom to see the sealed white envelope exactly where she left it. He smiles and rips opens the letter, pulling it out of the envelope. He smiles and scans his eyes down the letter. Suddenly the air in his throat chokes, as he grips the letter tightly in his hands. This wasn’t the letter from the hospital: this seemed to be another letter from someone who obviously knew who Yasmine is. “Could it be a friend of hers?’ Gulping, he can hear Yasmine’s voice from the kitchenette:

“Hurry up, tell me what it says. I might as well know since my baby shower is coming up. I should know what the sex of the baby is.”

“Uh, oh yeah. Though I thought you didn’t want to know.” Nick slowly whispers as he reads the letter and stuffs it back into the envelope.

“Ah, I might as well find out. I want the presents to be color coordinated anyway.” He hears her voice echoing down the hall.

Nick folds and slips the letter into his pocket, continuing to search in the room for the hospital letter. Yasmine after waiting for a while, gets annoyed and slowly wobbles her way into the bedroom to see Nick stand up directly in front of her with a smile on his face. “So I’m guessing you found the letter.” She states as Nick waves a white and blue colored envelope in front of her face.

“Oh yeah. But before we open it up…” Nick ruffles through his pocket, pulling out a letter mailed to her. “Who’s Kelvin?”

Yasmine’s eyes lit up and she gulps. “Ke, Kelvin? Oh that’s his letter. He’s a close friend of mine’s.”

“How close?” Nick’s voice drops, sending chills down Yasmine’s back.

“It doesn’t matter. We used to date a while back. It didn’t work out, but it’s all cool now.” Yasmine whispers, cracking her knuckles nervously.

“All cool? Like friendly cool?” Nick questions, eyeing Yasmine.

Yasmine sighs angrily, “Get off my back already. He’s just a friend of mines or I can’t have any guy friends now?” She growls out, flinging her arms in the air.

“It’s not that, but Yasmine, did you even read this letter? He sounds alittle off to me…”

“You don’t even know the guy. He’s a great friend of mines. We dated but I called it off. I just needed time and didn’t want to be in a steady relationship. There! You happy now?” She whispers, her voice dropping.

Nick gulps and nods his head, “Yeah, sure. Whatever.” He whispers, leaning over to stare at her directly in the eyes to see if there is anything else she needed to say and if she was telling the whole truth.

“Yasmine, you wouldn’t lie to me right?” He whispers gently, brushing away a stray hair off her delicate face. She gulps and shakes her head.

“N, n, no. I wouldn’t do that to you guys. If something was up, you and Alex would be the first to know and you know it.” Yasmine whispers tenderly, smiling at him. “But enough of this, I want to see what I’m having…”

“Why don’t you just tell me?” Nick interrupts her as he leans close to her, inches away from her face.

“Tell you what?” She croaks out.

“I don’t know. That maybe you’re scared. I heard when you and Anya were talking. Yasmine, I understand you’re afraid. That bastard is out there and you feel helpless.”

“Stop it ok! Just stop it!” Yasmine sobs out, tears staining her golden cheeks as she furiously wipes them away. Nick sighs and pulls the woman into a strong embrace.

“I’m always here. If you ever need to talk, you can always talk to me ok?” Nick whispers as Yasmine buries her head into the nook of his neck.

She chokes out a shaky, “Ok.” And sighs, loving the feeling of man’s arms around her body. She felt protected and it felt good to know she had someone to rely on.

“She’ll look just like you I’m sure.” Nick whispers into her arms, as Yasmine pulls away confused.

“Huh?” She squeaks out.

He smiles and whispers into her ears, “You heard me, it’s a girl.”

Yasmine smiles and throws her arms around Nick’s neck, giggling in happiness, “A girl? A girl?! Oh man this is so cool. She’ll be so beautiful. Oh man Nick, I can’t believe it. A girl. What am I gonna name her?”

Nick shrugs his shoulders, “I don’t know, you know maybe Nicole or Alexandria?”

Yasmine sucks her teeth and pushes away from him playfully, “You’re no help. I’m not naming the kid that!”

“I’ll think it’ll be cool, think about it Yas. The kid will carry on our names!” Nick beams happily.

Yasmine shakes her head the entire time and yanks the letter out of his hand, “No and I’ll say it again, No. She needs to have a beautiful name, something that will stand out and capture her beauty and uniqueness.”

Nick pulls her closer and lets her cuddle up to him as he smirks, “Well maybe she can have your name.”

“Na, I said something unique. Not lame.” She whispers as sweet chills sweep down her spine as she stood, taking in Nick’s scent.

Nick smirks, “Ok, fine. Well we’ll see what A.J. can come up.”

“A.J.! That’s right. Man, he’s gonna kill me! I was suppose to call him this morning.” Yasmine breathe out, racing over to the phone in her bedroom. Nick flops onto her bed and yawns, watching the little woman holding the cradle of the phone in her hands.

“Holler if you get this message, its cause I’m doing something or I just simply don’t want to talk with you. So drop a message after the beep, peace.” The phone message plays as Yasmine shakes her head:

“Fine, whatever. I see how you are. I call and you don’t want to talk. I get the message, you brat. Fine. I was gonna talk to you about the baby. Nick opened the letter up today and you’ll never believe what sex the baby is. That’s right J, I said sex. Call me back now. Bye.” She mutters with a smirk and hangs up the cradle.

Just as she walks away from the phone, she hears it ring.

“Wow. That was fast, even for A.J.” Nick states, leaning on his side on her bed, his long legs hanging off the edge of her bed.

“Hmmm.” And she answers the call. “Hello?”

“Oh hey, is this Yasmine speaking?” The male voice on the other end asks.

“Yes, she’s speaking, how can I help you?”

“Oh hey. It’s me Kelvin, I found your number in my phone book and decided to hey give you a ring and see how everything is going.”

Yasmine eyes Nick and without saying a word, directs her eyes to the door and back to him. Of course he didn’t catch the cue and remained unmoved on her bed. Growling quietly, she indicted with her hand and points to the door and to him. Finally Nick’s eyes lit up and he nods his head, standing up and moves his way slowly towards the doorway.

“Hey, listen, I’m gonna be right here k.” Nick smirks, remaining on the threshold of her doorway, he knew who ever was on the phone wasn’t A.J. and Nick was too curious to just walk away. Besides there was something in his soul that was bothering him, like he can feel that something wasn’t right with the call. Call it crazy, but his natural instincts were kicking in big time at the moment.

Yasmine sighs and concentrates on the call. “Well hey, wow it’s a surprise. You called, wow. How long was it been since we talked last time?”

She can hear Kelvin sigh and answer her question, “Oh about seven or eight months ago, the day you broke up our relationship.”

“Ohh.” Was all that came out of her as a sliver of guilt washed over her.

“Hey don’t get the wrong idea, I didn’t call to remind you of the past. What happened: happened k. I was just curious if maybe I can see you, you know to just see how you’re doing and all.”

“Oh ok, well I don’t know. I haven’t seen you for a while and it would feel weird to see ya after so long.”

“Totally understandable. Hey maybe if you’re around school we can meet up. It’ll be in a public place and you’ll feel more comfortable in that atmosphere.” Kelvin tries to persuade the woman, hoping she can fall for his ploys.

“Hmmmm… Well see I’m not attending classes at the moment. I mean I can stop by but maybe for a few minutes or something.”

“You’re not going to school? I thought…”

But she cuts him off, “You thought something else. I’m still part of the course, just not there in class k. I’ll leave it at that. Anyways. I’ll be dropping off a project tomorrow, maybe you can meet me at the lobby at around one.”

Kelvin smiles and his thoughts swirl excitedly, “Excellent. So tomorrow at one, cool. I’ll be there. Hope to see ya there.”

“Ok, is there anything else you wanted to talk about or was that it?”

Kelvin smirks and responds, “Well, I’ll see ya tomorrow so we’ll talk then k.”

“Oh ok. Then. Thanks for the letters by the way. It was sweet and all.”

“Ah girl no prob. You know I feel horrible and I just feel that maybe writing a letter to an old friend would cheer you up.”

Laughing, Yasmine nods her head, “Yeah you did. Thanks man. It was sweet. It’s just weird to hear from ya after so long.”

“Same here girl. But I’m so glad to hear your voice, you sound good. I hope your spirits are up high cause its been pretty crazy recently for ya right?”

“Somewhat.” Yasmine smirks, feeling the prodding of Nick’s eyes on her, “Listen, its sounds cool to chill with you. But I gotta go, I got company. I’ll talk to ya later k. And thanks so much for calling me, it was cool to hear from ya.”

“Same here Yasmine, take care. See ya tomorrow then. Adios.” And the phone hangs up. Yasmine smiles and slowly hangs up her phone. She feels a hand on her shoulders and turns to see Nick.

Tilting his head and without saying a word, he stares at her.

Sighing, Yasmine licks her lips, “Oh that was just an old friend of mines.”

“Kelvin?” Nick asks with raises eyebrows.

“And what if it is?” She asks, brushing pass Nick to head into the living room.

“Just asking. So why would this guy suddenly call you up?” Nick asks, trailing the tips of fingers above him on the ceiling.

“To see how I’m doing. And Nick why are you so nosy all of sudden. You act like I never had a friend that was a man.” Yasmine asks annoyed.

“No it’s not that, I mean you have me and A.J. who are guys…”

“Like I said, friends that are men, not guys.” Yasmine jokes, letting the statement rub in on Nick’s ego.

Nick exhales, shaking his head. “Whatever. I’m just saying when A.J. gets here tomorrow, he’s not gonna be thrilled about you meeting a guy.”

“Nick, he’s not my dad nor is he my boyfriend. I can go see a guy if I want and I don’t need to ask anyone’s permission ok?” Her harsh remarks almost belittling Nick: at the moment.

“Damn, fine. If you feel that way, I’ll stop. I’m just looking out for you.” He murmurs, flopping on the sofa as Yasmine joins him. Her soft eyes touching and searching through his hurt soul.

“Forget what I’m doing tomorrow. I think its time me and you talk.” Yasmine asks, clasping her small hands against one of his hands.

“Uh, we’re talking. But what about?” Nick asks.

“Mmmmm: what about, us or whatever there is of us?”

“There was never an ‘us’ Yasmine.”

“Exactly and I think you’re bitter about it.”

“Bitter?! I’m not bitter.” Nick speaks up.

“Really? Could have fooled me?” She teases as Nick rolls his eyes in annoyance.

“I respect you Yasmine and I would never try anything on you and you know that and if it was about the silly joke on the kiss earlier today, then my bat. I was just trying to make you smile.”

“And you did!” She whispers happily, her dark tresses flow down her pass her cheeks.

“Ok well good. See there’s nothing to talk about then.” Nick mumbles and leans back on the flowered sofa quietly.

“Yup, so…” Yasmine states, feeling the tension rising in the room suddenly. She fans herself and gulps: somehow talking about what they were feeling was making it extremely uncomfortable for her. She watches Nick eye her and smile.

“I would never do anything to you ‘cause I respect you and A.J. too much.”

Yasmine smiles and pats his hand, “Thanks. But what if I told you I wanted you to.”

“To what?” He asks confused, his head resting on the sofa.

“To you know…” She trails off.

Nick raises his eyes and smirks, “Please tell me Bible girl isn’t thinking about having sex at the moment?”

Yasmine growls and narrows her eyes, “Well not anymore and less with you now.”

Nick bolts upright and takes her hand, her back now facing him as she nibbles her lip. “Why would you say that Yasmine seriously? You’re not that type of girl. You have morals, values, you respect your body more than any girl I’ve ever dated. You care for it so well cause like you said it’s God temple, so now why would you feel you want to share that with me let alone with any guy until you’re married?”

Yasmine plays with her finger, refusing to look into Nick’s eyes. “Forget it, you’re right. I don’t know what came over me. It must be the hormones acting up. I’m sorry. God must be so pissed at me at the moment.”

Nick smiles, tracing his fingers gently over hers, “No He’s not. He loves you even if you act up, you said it yourself.”

A grin spread over her cinnamon colored lips, “You listened to me! I told you that over a month ago and you still recall that.”

“Yeah well I’m learning a lot about life through you. I’m starting to learn to appreciate everything and its all cause of you.”

Yasmine breams, revealing her glorious smile. “If Alex finds out that I was trying to pass a move on you, he’ll be so pissed.”

“That and I’ll have a missing limb and it won’t be my arms.” Nick whispers, pretending to be frightened as he clamps his hands over his jean covered crotch.

Yasmine laughs and gets up from the sofa, “Anya’s out for a while so Nick you have to entertain me.”

Nick gives a soldier’s salute and rummages through his belongings that were lying jumbled up in his suitcase and finds what he was looking for. He finds his leather black guitar case and opens it up, pulling out his beautiful dark rich mahogany guitar onto his lap and begins playing. His fingers strum over the guitar strings gracefully as music seeps out. Smiling, he begins singing off the top of his head:

“God has granted the greatest wish to man;
Sending angels to watch over those in need.
Using those angels, they heal with a delicate hand;
And I’m so glad to stare into one who can do that deed.”

Nick stops and pouts, “Uh, that’s all I got.”

“Cute! I like it!” She breaks into a smile and hugs him gently.

“Thanks, you inspired it.”

“Well that was lovely. I feel honored, really I do.”

“Good to know girl. I didn’t want to make an a…” Nick begins but is cut off when she places a gentle finger over his lips.

“Uh, uh now. Shhh. How about since its getting a bit chilly, I cook us up some soup. You down with that?” She states, making her way over to the kitchen.

“Sure that sounds nice. And I can help.” Nick leaps off the sofa with a smirk on his face, as he gathers two small glass bowls and two spoons, preparing for the snack.
~*~

A.J. sighs, shaking his head, “Ok, Nick, so you found this letter unopened in her room?”

“Yeah, she was too caught up in her having a girl that she forgot about the letter. But there’s problem besides that letter, he called her house yesterday.” Nick leans over the table, staring at A.J. who just arrived from the airport a few hours ago.

A.J. narrows his eyes and spreads out the paper before him at the diner. A waitress came by to pick up the dirty plates and carries them away as A.J. stares at the written letter. “So this Kelvin guy calls her place and wants to meet her today, huh?”

“Yup. At around one, that’s an hour from now. Maybe we can sneak up at the school and see what the deal is.”

A.J. feels his grin broaden at that idea and sighs, “Na, we do that and she’ll never talk with us. She’s a grown woman, if she wants to see the guy and we’re her friends, then we have to let her go, no harm done right?”

Nick shrugs his shoulders, “I don’t know, but if you’re ok with it, then I guess we won’t bother with it. Though…” Nick pauses, finding A.J. shifting in his seat uncomfortable, “It’ll be hard to not think what could be happening.”

“Shut up Nick. You’re not helping. I have to respect her boundaries and privacy. I don’t think she’ll find it convenient that we’re tracking her down like a criminal. She’s an adult and she doesn’t need the supervision.” A.J. crosses his arms across his chest, staring outside to the cool spring day.

“You’re right. You meet that Kelvin guy right?”

“No, she never introduced me to him when they were dating, but she seems cool with the guy though I can’t say I trust the guy.” A.J. whispers, tapping his foot.

“Well judging by that letter, I say he’s up to something.” Nick raises his eyes brows, throwing darts at A.J.’s curiosity.

“Pshhhh, please Nick, it’s nothing big. This letter is innocent, but it’s not the first one, he sent one before which had me thinking.”

“You think he’s some kind of obsessed guy. You said he wrote one before, was it like this?” Nick gazes at his friend across from him.

“Nope, more strange than anything else, but it seems he has a connection with Yasmine that neither of us have.” A.J. fiddles with the metal spoon in his hands, twirling the coffee in his mug with it.

“That’s not bothering you now, is it?” Nick slides his hands down the wooden table, grabbing the letter.

“A little. I kind of wish, I wasn’t feeling the way I am about her. It just makes it so much more harder than anything I had to deal with. I respect her but then there’s that hope that hey maybe I can win her heart and get her to feel the same way I do for her, but I can’t. There’s nothing you can do to make someone love you back like you do to them.”

“I don’t believe that. She loves you just not in that way.”

“I know she does and I love and care for her too, but I’m starting to feel different towards her, I want to care for her, take care of her child, be apart of her life now more than ever.” A.J. states, dropping his hands onto his jean-clad lap, finally expressing his feelings to Nick.

“So tell her, not me. Dude, she’s a sweetheart, and I know that kiss was more than anything.”

“Nick, a kiss can’t tell you what’s happening.”

“But it can tell you what’s gonna happen.” Nick states, watching A.J. raise his dark eyebrows at his direction.

“Nick that’s the stupidest thing you said so far, you know I think you should start a book and write down all the ridiculous remarks you ever said. It’ll be a seller I tell ya!” He jokes, teasing Nick, his dark eyes glittering in glee.

“Hey what’s with the jokes! You know it made sense J, what I said! That kiss didn’t show at the moment what you’re feeling, but afterwards it left you to think about the relationship you have with her. I say, be a man and tell her. Grab her in your arms, tell her you love her and sweep her off her feet.” Nick smiles, his eyes glittering.

“Easier said than done my friend.” A.J. mutters, staring at his palms on the table top.

“Anyways, I wasn’t gonna tell ya but she tried to make a move on me yesterday.” Nick begins and hears a snort coming from A.J.

“Ha! Really now? I heard a different side to that story.”

“Uh oh, look if it was the joke on the kiss, I was just messing with her.” Nick defense himself, raising his arms up in innocently.

“Besides that, she told me you were a great friend. And she needed that. So I wanna thank ya for watching out for her. You’re a great kid Nick and it’s cool to know that even with all this cynical crazy stuff we dealt with, I can trust you.”

“Uh thanks I guess.” Nick mumbles out, leaning back on the plush blue booth. And both men sit quietly, watching the other customers go about their business in the restaurant.
~*~

She drops off the project at the professor’s mailbox and wobbles her away over to catch the elevator. Once she reached the main lobby, her heart pumps faster as she stands around deciding to meet Kelvin. “This is stupid, what am I doing?” She mumbles to herself. After ten minutes of waiting, she was about to head out the doors and catch a bus to head home but someone caught her left arm as she sliding through the doors.

“Wait Yasmine! You’re not leaving now are you?” A familiar voice rings through her ears.

Smiling, she turns around to see a tall tan man with jet black hair and dark mysterious eyes to match. That was one of the reasons she had dated him, because those eyes held something, a secret that she wanted to know but never found out. Sighing, she realized he was quite the attractive man and no wonder the guards at the campus confused him with her friend A.J, there was the same style of hair and goatee design. Though no tattoos on this man, he was still a match for A.J. She smiles and steps back into the lobby, following him to an empty table.

“Wow.” His eyes room over her body, “You’re more beautiful than the last I saw you. It’s like your glowing.”

“I blame it on the pregnancy, but thanks. So what have you been up too?” She takes off her jacket and carefully sits down on one of the hard seats.

“Ahh, nothing much. I’m almost done with my media major and I plan on starting a job either working backstage or in front with the camera on maybe one of the music shows. MTV is looking for experienced camera men or back stage production and that’s my specialty, so I’m looking into that.” Kelvin states, his eyes glittering.

She smiles and nods her head, “Wow, really? That’s so cool! Imagine that, you on TV!”

“I know, how awesome is that?” Kelvin beams.

“Real nice. So what’s with us meeting? You said so yourself that you wanted to see me.”

“Yeah, I just wanted to look at how amazing and stunning you have become, so how’s that boyfriend of yours doing? He’s a celebrity right?”

“Huh? Boyfriend? What? Oh you don’t think I’m dating him now are you? We’re just friends.” Yasmine states clearing up any cobwebs for him.

“Oh really? I thought the way he was hanging all over you that…”

“Whoa, wait. Hanging all over me? Sorry, he respects me, he doesn’t HANG all over me.” She defends her case, helping A.J. out.

“Oh right. Well I didn’t mean anything wrong by that, its just well I was just curious.”

“Yeah well aren’t we all?” Yasmine mutters starting to consider their meeting was a big mistake. She personally didn’t want to meet him at the moment, she had other concerns like if A.J. arrived at the airport alright and what is he doing that he didn’t call back.

“So…” Kelvin states, “Are you interested in something to eat? Maybe we can grab something to eat. I want to see what’s up with your life.”

“Oh that’s sweet, but I have plans today. I didn’t think we were gonna go somewhere else, plus with this stomach of mines, its hard to really walk around anyway.”

“Oh right, sorry. I guess another time. But I don’t want to stall you from your plans so I guess I should let you go now huh?” Kelvin whispers gently, his smile spreading over his butter pecan cheeks.

“Yeah, though it was nice seeing you again.”

“Oh no prob, hey write back and let me know how that writing thing went ok?” Kelvin whispers, nervously leaning over her and throwing his arms around her to pull her into a quick embrace.

“Uh, ok. Take care then. See ya later Kel.” And with that the woman dashes through the doors and walks away leaving a smug Kelvin behind.

“Soon Angel, we’ll play. For now though you behave. I promise we’ll meet again before you know it.” Kelvin whispers, keeping his eyes on the figure until she disappeared into the crowd and turned a corner.
~*~

“Alex? Woo hoo, you here yet?” Yasmine calls into the vacant living room as she slips through the front door of her apartment on campus.

No answer.

‘Great, all alone. Guess Nick and A.J. are out celebrating something.’ She thinks as she heads to her bedroom and flops herself on it. Since her pregnancy, she was beginning to feel more fatigue and she wanted to just drop and close her eyes to help cover that it. As she was closing her eyes, she opens them to see a smiling A.J. standing over her.

Gasping happily, she sits up and hugs A.J. “Hey you, I was just about to go to sleep.”

“Really? Cause I got here an hour ago and found you sleeping away.”

“Huh? That can’t be, I just closed my eyes.”

“Nope you were sound asleep when me and Nick got here. You must have been so tired you didn’t even know you went to sleep.” A.J. whispers, stroking her locks gently.

“Wow, anyways, this baby wants food and I’m down for some grub.”

“Well that’s good to hear, Nick is in the kitchen making us dinner.” A.J. whispers gently, tracing his fingers over her cheeks.

She smiles and gazes at the bed sheets next to her, “So how was the flight?”

“Perfect. And how was it with the meeting of your friend?” A.J. blurts out, knowing he might have sounded like a jealous boyfriend right there.

Laughing Yasmine smirks and places her hands on his shoulders, “Ok, a bit weird considering I was the one who broke up with the guy a while back. But he’s a cool guy, you guys should meet, maybe I’ll try to work that out.”

“Uh, how about not. I’m sure he’s alright and stuff but maybe it wouldn’t be right.”

“Oh hush now Alex, it’ll be cool, I’ll see when he can make a visit, so he can see you.”

A.J. shrugs his shoulders as his breath caught his throat, he didn’t want to meet any guy, especially any guy that touched his angel. If anything, he might break the guy’s neck if he ever met him, not that he was jealous of that man cause he never meet him before, but just the thought that he managed to make his Yasmine fall for him and she went for it: boggled him. Sure pictures were shown about him, but in all reality, he never really paid mind to them cause personally he didn’t care.

He helps Yasmine off the bed and the two head to the kitchen with a grinning Nick and now Anya, both preparing dinner.

“Well hello people, what’s with the smile Nick?” A.J. states, helping Yasmine onto a barstool.

“Nothin.’ Just that I made dinner and it didn’t burn up.” Nick grins happily and peers over to Anya who lets out a small laugh. “Of course with some help though.”

“Sure, cause there’s no way, you could have made this fantastic dinner all by yourself. In fact if I didn’t know any better, I’d say this looks more like Anya’s cooking.” Yasmine teases, raising her eyebrows at her room mate.

Anya giggles, nodding her head, “Made it just for you, I know how much you love steak.”

A.J. licks his lips hungrily and smiles, “Well done Anya, thanks. If we left Nick alone, we might not have a place to eat at all.”

“Hey, enough with the Nick jokes. I helped out, I made the mashed potatoes!” He playfully pouts, sticking out his lower lip.

Anya scoops a spoonful of the white mush into her mouth and smiles, “And its great mash potatoes Nick.”

“Why thank you. At least my gifts are recognized to some people.” Nick huffed and grabbed a plate, serving himself the grand banquet that Anya so graciously made.

“Well you’re right about that.” A.J. blows out air, “Some of those people feel straight up pity for you.”

Nick playfully stands up and grabs his plate, “Well I know when I’m not wanted. Come Anya, let us rendezvous over to the sofa, where these rude people can enjoy our tiring yet amazing dinner.”

Yasmine laughs and drops her head, concentrating on her plate, yet it seemed that her mind was elsewhere, else where at the meeting with Kelvin today
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-1Corth.13:4-8a “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

**~Inside Your Heart~**

She groans and rubs her swollen eight month large abdomen softly, “I’m telling ya, I don’t remember the last time I saw my feet J. Do me a favor and held them up so I can see what they look at.” Yasmine mutters tiredly, slumping back on the sofa.

Anya and Nick laugh softly as A.J. sighs and grabs Yasmine’s swollen ankles, lifting it high enough for Yasmine to see.

“Oh they’re pretty, just like I remember them.” Yasmine breathes out, a small smile spreading her golden tan cheeks.

Another small laughter escaped Nick and Anya’s mouth. “Well I see the small things in life can mean so much.” Anya whispers happily, receiving a grin from Yasmine.

“So Nick, what’s up with you and miss scandalicious?” A.J prods, raising his eyebrows and sitting besides Yasmine on the sofa.

“Who?” Howie whispers suddenly, coming out of the bathroom.

Nick rolls his eyes, “J, you were right man. The lady was a freak. I thought I would like that, but damn, she’s just insane, too out of my league even for a freak like me.”

Everyone laughed as Nick smirks. Anya decided to add to the remark, “But Nick, you were so into this girl, I really thought you can handle her, wonder what that says about you if you couldn’t deal with her?” She teases him, feeling a soft punch on her arm coming from him.

“Shut up, it means I’m sane now and I could handle her at first…it’s just what came after that was a different story.” Nick mutters.

Howie settles down on the recliner across from A.J. and Yasmine, grinning he asks: “Only a few more weeks till it happens. I can’t believe you’re gonna have a baby.” He whispers thoughtfully, almost like a proud parent. Brushing back his dark short hair, he smiles, “Hey have you gotten a chance to come up with some names for the baby girl?”

Yasmine laughs as Anya stands up, rolling her eyes at his direction: “Don’t ask! This girl is the most indecisive person I met. I mean I named hundreds of beautiful names for the girl and she just couldn’t pick!” Anya mutters hearing Yasmine giggle softly.

Howie chews on his gums, his eyes lit up with the next question, “So the name will be?...”

“Hmmm.. I don’t know yet, I’m kinda just narrowing the names down.” Yasmine whispers, feeling the weight of the sofa shift as A.J. throws his arm around her shoulders.

“Nice, care to share?” Howie raises his eyebrows, his eyes glittering in the light.

“Not now. I’m too tired.” Yasmine mutters, struggling not to yawn but failed miserably.

Anya smirks and stands up from the arm of the chair where Nick is sitting, “Well I think A.J. can get you to the room, me and Nick will go check the mail downstairs k.”

“Huh? What? Why? I don’t need to go downstairs…” Nick begins to state but Howie intercepts him.

“Ahhh, Nick, yeah we all should go grab that stuff I told ya I wanted at the store.” He plays along knowing that A.J. needed to badly talk to Yasmine now and end his and better yet all their anguish of wanting Yasmine.

“Why do you all need to go? You’re trying to leave us alone?” Yasmine smirks, raising her dark eyebrows at the three suspects.

Anya smiles and bats her grey eyes, “Girl, we just all want to hang out, it means nothing, really.” She stares at her friend on the sofa.

Yasmine snorts and rolls her eyes, “Ok, whatever, but I’m not stupid.”

“And no one said you were.” Howie beams, grabbing Nick off the sofa and trudging the man towards the exit of the apartment.

A.J. laughs and shakes his head, “Guys you really are bad at this whole ‘let’s go and leave them alone’ thing.” Smiling, he directs the three out of the apartment and laughs. “Just go, man you guys suck at this.”

“Hey, if you’re gonna confess your love to Yasmine, make sure you pucker up and bats those eyes, it always wins the ladies!” Nick bellows out from the hallway, his bright eyes glittering with naughtiness. He yells out loud enough for Yasmine to hear and laugh. A.J. flips his middle finger at his friend’s direction as Anya and Howie laugh, running down the hallway with the squealing man and disappearing around the corner. A.J. smirks and slams the door behind him expecting Yasmine to laugh. But instead the silence responded back. He cocks his head, smiling at the sleeping angel on the sofa. “That baby is draining you momma. Let’s get you to bed.” And he walks over to her, lifting her into his arms and carries her over down the hallway towards her bedroom. He smiles and places the woman on her full size bed. “There you go sweetie.” And throws the warm covers over the sleeping woman.

She smiles and opens her eyes at him, “Thanks Alex.” Her head lying on the side, embraced by the pillow around her.

“Ahh, you’re awake?” A.J. smirks, sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking her black curls gently.

“Yeah.” She whispers out. “A.J. thanks.”

He turns serious for moment and stares into her eyes, “Hey you call me A.J. Is something up?”

She smiles and bats her eyes at him. Exhaling, she nods her head. “Yeah. Can we talk?”

“Of course!” And he scoots over to her, placing his hand into her small ones. “What’s up?”

Smiling, she giggles, “You’re always such a good listener. You’ll be a great boyfriend to a lucky girl out there.”

A.J. laughs and rolls his eyes, “Doubt that. I think it’s the other way around. But shorty, you were gonna say something?”

“Yeah, I wanna say thanks for sticking by me through out these months. You didn’t have to. And thanks just for being here and all. You went with me to all the Lamaze classes and even went to all the doctor’s appointment and such. So I have a favor to ask of you.”

A.J. holds her hands and smiles, “Anything, you know me. I’d do anything for you.”

Laughing, Yasmine stares into his eyes and licks her lips nervously. “Well since I’m due a few weeks from delivering, I know the doctors will be asking who the child’s father will be and I need a guy to help me out with all this stuff. So…” She begins slowly, trying to breath out slowly yet her heart raced with the question, “Can you be the child’s father? I know, I know it’s a lot asking for you but…”

A.J. smiles and for moment he loved her even more than he can possibly imagine. Gripping her hands with his, he pulls it up to his lips and pelts those delicate hands with kisses. He thinks over the question and felt amazed that she trusted him so much to ask such a question. He didn’t know why, but he felt compelled to wanting to be in this unknown child’s life, even if he wasn’t the father. He would do and try his best, since after all he himself knows what it was to grow up without a father figure or even a father in his life.

“Don’t explain. Yes. Yes I’ll do it!” A.J. whispers, “That’s what friends are for.”

“Just like that? You’ll agree? Alex, are you sure?” Yasmine whispers: astonished.

“Yeah, just like that.” A.J. smiles, seeing Yasmine beam brightly. “Get dressed pretty. I wanna take ya somewhere.” He states, watching Yasmine from the corners of his eyes.

She struggles to sit up and A.J. helps her off the bed, “There. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, wear something cute.” And he exits the room.

“Wait, why are you agreeing? I just asked you to be my baby’s daddy? Doesn’t that make you feel weird?” She smirks.

A.J. sticks his head into the threshold of the room and smiles, “I kinda like the sound of that. Besides Yas, I want to help out. Since I can’t find that bastard that did that to you, the little I can do is this. It’s an honor, I get to raise a child with an incredible mother, how amazing is that.”

“So I take it you’ll be with me throughout the entire delivery then.” Yasmine smirks.

“Ahhh, hmmm. Well we’ll discuss that later, k.” A disgusted look crossed his face as images of blood ripped through his mind.

Yasmine giggles and shuffles over to the closet and pulls out a silky green shirt and loose fitting black pants. If she was gonna go out, she needed to look cute, pregnant or not. Smiling, she gets dressed slowly and by the time she fully slipped on the pants, she was gasping out of breath. “Man, since when was getting dressed becoming an Olympic event for me.” She mutters frustrated, fixing her black curls which lied beautifully across her shoulders.

“Yo Yas, you ready yet?” She hears A.J.’s voice coming from the dorm’s living room.

Smirking, Yasmine inhales and reaches over to her Bible on the nightstand. “Almost, give me a few minutes k?”

“Aight.” He responded, settling down on a stool, tapping his feet impatiently on the carpet and cracks his knuckles. He sees his mobile phone lit up. “A message?” He lifts the cell to his ear and hears Nick’s voice:

“Yo listen J. Me, Brian and Howie are almost done with the decorations. Kevin and Anya went to get the cake but the baby shower is almost ready. We got a couple of her close friends here and damn man, they is some fine honies. Let me know when you and Yas are getting here k? Call me back.” And the message ends.

A.J. smirks and shakes his head, “Unbelievable Nick.”

“What did he do now?” Yasmine asks, stepping out of her bedroom with her Bible in her hand.

“Ahhh, nothin’ you know that kid is crazy.”

“Yeah I know. So what’s the occasion Alex? Why you want me to look all pretty?” She bats her precious eyes at him.

Smiling, he takes her hand and examines the glorious angel before him. “God most def is missing you.”

Confused, Yasmine eyes him.

He explains further, “Cause He’s missing his finest angel yet.”

Blushing, she giggles, ‘Thanks, what’s with all the compliments suddenly?”

“Hmmm, nothing just that today is your special day, that’s all.” A.J. whispers as the two gather their stuff to head out.

“A.J. before we head out, I like to sing a song, would that be ok?” Yasmine whispers.

“Okay, ahhhh why though?”

“Cause I want you to hear what I want to say to God, I wanna sing Amazing Grace.” Yasmine states.

A.J. shrugs his shoulders, nodding his head, “Ahhh, ok. You’re not going to like preach or anything ‘cause I see you have the Bible in your hands.” He lowers his eyes to the small purple cover book in Yasmine’s hands.

She smirks and shakes her head, “Na, why? You get thrown off if I get too “spiritual” for you.” She teases him, flipping through the golden trimmed pages of the Bible. “Wait, I got the name for the baby I think. What about Hope?”

A.J. rolls his eyes and grabs the Bible in his hands. He felt guilty holding such a powerful book within his hands and gulps. Flipping through the pages, he scans through it and smiles, pointing to a word in the Bible. “Maybe you should name her this?”

Curious, Yasmine leans over The Book and smirks, “Faith?”

“Yeah, that is what you showed all of us. Since the beginning Yas, you had faith and even through out these trying times, you have incredible faith, faith that can shake a mountain. I say name the girl that.” A.J. states casually, closing the Bible and handing it back to her. He didn’t realize what he said would be a big deal but for Yasmine it made a world of a difference.

“Oh God, that’s beautiful. Faith. I’ll call her that. I didn’t realize I carried that much to begin with. In fact I thought I stopped for a while.” Yasmine whispers almost in a trance, at the words that were spilled out by A.J.

“Well I know you wanted to sing, but we should get going now, you can sing along the way there.” A.J. smirks, guiding the woman out the door.

Yasmine giggles and clasp A.J.’s face with her hands, staring into his deep eyes. “Thanks.” And gives him a peck on the cheek.

A.J. slightly blushes and locks the door behind as they step out of the dorm. “Ah, no prob girl.”

“So seriously, where are we going? I thought Nick and Anya were checking the mail? They would have been back by now, and where did Howie go?” She plunge him with questions.

A.J. clasping his hands into hers, laughs and guides her towards his black Benz. “I’m not saying anything, you’ll see shortly.”

“You’re up to something and its bugging me like crazy.” Yasmine mutters.

“Don’t worry, you’ll find out. You can sing if you want now.” He smirks: opening the passenger side door and helping Yasmine get accommodated in the seat. He closes the door and walks around his car, opening the driver’s side and starts the ignition. “Buckle up chicky, we heading out.”

“Aight.” She whispers and snaps the seat belt in place after much pulling and stretching to fit her growth in size.

“Look at you big momma, almost breaking my stuff.” A.J. teases as Yasmine growls.

“Shut up.”
“Na, you need me to talk. So sing. You said you wanted to.”

“Ok, I will…later then. Cause I know something’s up, you planned something, I can tell. But it better be nice, whatever it is.” Yasmine mutters, leaning back on the leather beige seat.

A.J. smirks and grips the steering wheel, taking off from the university driveway and pulls onto the highway.
~*~

“Nick, you have to stick that decoration over there! Hurry up, they’re on their way!” Brian mutters as Nick mumbles and sticks the colorful balloons along with a bright blue and pink baby shower banner over the inside entrance hallway of A.J.’s hotel suite.

Smirking, Howie and Brian finish up the rest of the colorful baby decorations as Yasmine’s friends whisper and wait in anxiety for the new mommy to enter the room.

A dark haired brunette friend of Yasmine’s, giggles and eyes Nick as he stands on a stool and tapes up the last batch of balloons onto the corners of the ceilings. “Hey are you Yasmine’s new boy toy?” The woman asks, startling Nick which caused him to wobble unsteadily on the stool.

“Huh?” Nick asks, turning to look at the woman. The tall lean woman smirks and points to him, “Are you Yasmine’s boyfriend?”

“Ahhh, no, why? Did she talk to you about me?” Nick grins cheekily until he feels the back of his head getting smacked by a pillow from Brian.

“No he’s not. We’re all her friends. Known her for while, especially A.J.” Brian responds, receiving a daring glare from Nick.

“Oh ok. So you seeing anyone?” The woman asks to Nick. Nick smirks and eyes Brian as Howie coughs nervously.

“Uhhhh, do you know we are by any chance?” Howie asks, raising his dark eyebrows at the woman.

The woman cocks her head and shrugs her shoulders, “Uhhh, am I suppose to? You just said you’re Yasmine’s friends right? So what else am I suppose to know?”

Brian snorts, a smirk edging its way onto his lips. He glances at the small group of women in the living room. “Yeah, well, don’t worry about it. Like you said, we’re all her friends and that’s what matters.”

Nick snorts and jumps off the stool, making his way over to the woman. “Psshhh, no way, I’m a musician! The name’s Nick, you?” His eyes devour the woman’s figure. Brian laughs and yanks on Nick’s arm.

“Hey buddy, she doesn’t seem to care about that. Let it rest man.”

The woman smirks and nods her head in awe, “Lana and you’re a musician? Really? Wow, what do you play?”

“I play the bass, drums are my fave. I was born playing that…”

He gets interrupted as the woman squeals in delight, “Oh man, wow. That’s hot! You have a band?”

Howie smirks and shakes his head, “Yeah, yeah he does.”

Brian withheld his laughter and heads back to a leather sofa where the remaining balloons and decorations are.

“Wow, what’s the name of your group?” Lana asks curiously, as the other women whispers in the background watching the ongoing conversation with Nick and Lana.

“Ahhh, well my band’s name… uh…” Nick whispers as Brian could no longer hold his laughter in.

“What is he laughing at?” Lana asks, confused as Howie licks his lips softly and responds,

“It’s called the Backstreet Boys. Maybe you heard of us?”

Nick’s mouth drops open and glares at Howie who backs away. Lana smirks and shakes her head,

“You’re kidding me right?” She frowns and backs away from Nick, “I think my little sis is into you then.” She walks back to the group of women who giggle and point at him. Utterly embarrassed at his lost; Nick glares at Howie who simply shrugs his shoulders.

“Don’t get mad at me.”

“You messed up my game man. I should kill you!” Nick hissed quietly at Howie.

Brian laughs, “Nick, you ain’t had no game to begin with.”

“Shut up Rok.” Nick mutters glumly, flopping onto the smooth sofa’s arm.

The front door turns open and Kevin and Anya walk in with a white cake box.

“Alright! The cake’s here! What it look like?” Howie rushes over to the cake box, taking it and placing it on the kitchen counter. Anya smiles and moves aside to let a young man in who just arrived for the party as well. Nick didn’t notice the man, but moves aside to allow him to enter through the threshold.

“So what does the cake look like?” Nick questions Kevin.

Kevin closes the front door behind him and smiles, walking pass Nick. “Well what the cake look like?” Nick asks again, practically pleading with the man.

“Chill out boy, its pink with little flowers and a pic of a little baby. Why?” He glances at his friend.

“I don’t know, just curious that’s all.” Nick grins as the hotel phone rings.

Brian reaches the black cordless phone on the table and tells everyone to quiet down. After a short conversation on the phone, he hangs up and beams, “Yo, their downstairs! Everyone hide! NOW!” And everyone dashes to hide: some in the kitchenette and others behind the sofa.

A.J. smiles and pulls out his cardkey, making his way over to the elevator. Behind him, he can hear Yasmine singing softly:

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound/
That saved a wrench like me/
I once was lost but now I found/
Was blind but now I see.”

A.J. throws his arms around his gentle angel as they board the elevator. Suddenly Yasmine’s grip on his hand tighten as they approach the twelfth floor. A.J. sighs and pulls Yasmine close to his chest. “Shhh, its ok. You’ll be fine. I’m here, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. K, listen if you feel really uncomfortable, maybe it’s not a good idea to head to my suite.”

Yamsine peers her head up at him and shakes her head, “I’ll be fine, I think so. You just have to get something. I mean its not even the same hotel, so it’ll be ok.” She whispers. The sudden mahogany scent wafted pass her nose as the traumatic event played in her head again. Screaming, tears streaming down her face as A.J. watches helplessly to calm the woman down and embraces her tightly in his arms.

“Shhh, Yas, oh God girl, don’t do this to me again. I’m here, I’m right here k?” He whispers into her ear. He feels the woman shaking in his arms as the sobs deepen. The small ting of the elevator lets them know they arrived. The metal doors open and A.J. steps out with Yasmine, leaning her wet face on his shoulders. He wanted right there and then to tell her that he fallen in love with her, but he knew deep down in his heart, she doesn’t belong to him, nor to any guy. She was too unique, a rare creature with a willing soul to help those around her. To him, she was everything and more and he knew he didn’t deserve her. “Yasmine, sweetie. We’re here.” A.J. whispers, swiping the keycard and turning the knob on the door.

Yasmine raises her head off his shoulder and wipes away any stray tears, “I’m sorry, Alex. I made a fool of myself.”

“No, no you didn’t, don’t apologize honey for that. This isn’t your fault, if anything I should be the one apologizing. I’m here, nothing will happen to you. It just reminds you of what happened.” A.J. whispers, stepping into the dark living room with Yasmine on his side. The room lit up suddenly as the hidden group jumps out from behind the sofa and kitchenette.

“Hey J, Yas, lookie, you’re baby shower! You like?” Kevin beams proudly, his emerald eyes shining in the dim lights.

“Oh my! Thank you!” Yasmine squeals out as Anya giggles and pulls a beautifully pink decorated cake. “Oh that’s so cute! I love the cake! Ahhh, you guys had this all planned. No wonder you all were acting weird today!” She laughs and hugs everyone until she reaches Kelvin. “Kel? Hey you made it! Wow!”

Kevin narrows his eyes and notices along with the others for the first time that a guy similar to A.J.’s appearance was standing there with a bouquet of daisies for her.

“That’s Kelvin?” Nick whispers to Anya, who shrugs her shoulders.

“I guess so. I never met him. I thought it was A.J. for a moment though so I was all confused.” She whispers back at him.

“Yeah, he kinda looks like J a bit. So I’m guessing he invited himself then.” Nick states, watching the happy reunion between the lost lovers: Kelvin and Yasmine.

“Guess so, that or one of the girls told him about it. But Yasmine is glad to see him, so I guess its ok. But damn, I never knew he looked so much like your friend.” Anya smirks, “Now it makes sense the tension between her and A.J.”

“Yeah weird. I don’t get why J and her don’t just hook up already.” Nick states, a glitter in his eyes.

Anya shrugs her shoulders, “Well love isn’t easy Nick. It takes time and maybe they both need time to figure out what they’re feeling for each other.”

“Yeah, though I don’t know why? She’s one fine lady and J is a cool guy. They’d make a great couple.” Nick leans over Anya with a twinkle in his sapphire orbs.

“Right.” She giggles and grabs a plastic knife to cut the cake.
The small crowd surrounds the cake and talk quietly among themselves as Yasmine watches Kelvin talking with Brian and Kevin. She feels a small squeeze on her hand and looks to see A.J. cradling her hand.

Laughing, she pulls away and whispers a “be right back” to A.J. and Lana. She heads to A.J’s bedroom real quick to place her jacket on the bed where the rest of the coats and such lied. She hears the wooden planks creak behind her and smiles, seeing Kelvin entering. The music in the living room was turned on loudly as Nick’s voice was heard rocking out to Simple Plan’s new single, “Addicted.” Laughing, she shakes her head, “That’s our boy Nick.”

Kelvin smiles and clears his throat, “Sure is. He’s a cool guy. Oh, I hope you weren’t surprised or anything seeing me here. I heard from one of the girls, Evette that they were throwing a surprise shower and I was welcomed to come. So I thought, hey why not. I’m just glad I get to see a smile on your cute cheeks now. I know you liked the surprise.” He chuckles.

Yasmine smirks, “Thanks. Oh yeah, I knew something was up. I’m glad you made it though. And you had the chance to meet the guys.”

“Yup, they all seem cool. Not bad for a boy band.”

Yasmine sighs, “Na, their not a boy band. Man they’ll kill you if you said that.” She giggles, pushing a black curl behind her ear.

“Yeah, I’ll watch my mouth. Hey that’s a nice shirt, I’ve seen it before.” And stops himself: gulping, hoping his mistake goes unnoticed. “Oh, green always did look good on ya.”

Yasmine smirks and tugs on her blouse, “Really? I never noticed. This shirt is new by the way. I had one like this before but…” She stops, closing her eyes, “Before I went through that incident.” She cries out.

“Shhh, Sorry about that. Man, I didn’t want to make you cry.” And Kelvin inches closer to her, placing his palms on her shoulders for some form of comfort. He hugs her and sighs, knowing she didn’t catch on to his mistake. He was safe for now. Smiling gently, he caresses the woman’s stain cheeks and brushes away the new tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Hey, shhh. Girl. That’s in the past. Don’t think of that. Come on, there’s a party for you and you’re not in there.” And both leave the room, not noting the small ‘click’ from a recorded tape that A.J. had left in his radio that now picked up that conversation.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“I’ll be there for you/
Where ever you go/
What ever you do/
Girl I got forever inside/
For all of my life/
I’ll be there for you.” “I’ll be there for you.” By the Backstreet Boys, unreleased single.

**~Have A Little Faith~**

She stumbles over the threshold, laughing loudly as A.J. guides her to the bed.

Yasmine looks up at him as she plops down on the beautifully made white laced bed. “Alex, you are too much.” She smirks, trailing her fingers down his collared shirt.

A.J. smirks and nods his head, “Hey it’s just a natural thing. I can’t help that those girls flipped when they saw me.”

Laughter erupts from the hallway coming from Nick as he leans on the bedroom threshold with a smile on his face. “Actually they freaked out when they saw me, not you buddy.” He states with a smudge look across his delicate face.

A.J. narrows his eyes, “Dude, whatever. They clearly shouted for me. I’m the man. You, well, you’re just the pretty boy.”

Yasmine smirks, “And sexy I’m sure.”

Nick beams, “You think I’m sexy? Yo you heard that, Yassy thinks I’m sexy!”

The soft chuckles erupted from the three while Yasmine kicks off her shoes. “Man being pregnant sucks. Half the clothes, I’ll have to throw away cause I’d doubt with all the baby fat, I’ll fit in them later on and then I gotta work out, cause you know my belly ain’t gonna look nice after the kid rips through my body.”

Nick cringes at the thought as A.J. chuckles, “Ehhh, speaking of that. It’s gonna happen in a few days huh?”

“What, me giving birth?”

“Yeah.” Nick states, scratching behind his ear, flopping on a plush chair while A.J. lies on his back on the bed.

“You know Nick, you’re more than welcome in seeing the baby born.” A.J. teases as Nick rolls his eyes.

“That’s aight man. You have that job, I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

“Well gee, thanks a lot man. That’s encouraging.” Yasmine giggles gently as she adjusts her long green t-shirt. Her raven locks tumble gently across her shoulders, her small legs swinging off the edge of the bed.

“So little Faith is gonna be with us? Man I can’t wait!” A.J. whispers happily, receiving a soft look from Yasmine.

“Ahhh, you’re excited to be a daddy. Oh yes you are!” Yasmine whispers in a baby voice, clutching his cheeks in her hands.

“Shut up man.” A.J. laughs, watching Nick exiting the room.

Smirking Nick nods his head, giving A.J. the cue that he wanted to talk to him. Sitting up from the bed, A.J. smirks and gently hits Yasmine on the side of her head. “I’ll be back.” And he exits the room, closing the door behind him. “What up man?” He asks, following the tall blonde into the small living room quarters the dorm provided.

Nick clicks his mouth quietly, eyeing A.J. to take a seat on the sofa.

“Yo dude, what’s with the suspense?” A.J. asks.

Nick licks his lips softly and nervously sighs, “J, I have something to tell you.”

A.J. raises his eyebrows and leans back on the soft plush flowered sofa, “Uh ok.” He was beginning to get tense, whatever Nick had to say will affect him and he was already getting prepared. “Sure what is it?”

“Well…”

Suddenly knocking from the doom door breaks Nick’s thoughts, startling the two men.

“I’ll get it.” A.J. whispers, feeling the sudden thick hot atmosphere in the room rise from within him.

Opening the door, he flings it open to see Anya with more that fifteen plastic bags all around her, “Well hey you. Can ya help me out? Man, I would have never thought going to a flea market would strike me rich.”

“Hey Anya. Yo, you went to a flea market and you ain’t tell me?” A.J. smiles, helping her bring in the plastic bags. Nick smiles and hugs Anya as they two pick up the remaining bags.

“How did you even bring all these up here by yourself?” Nick asks, dropping the last load off on the kitchen counter.

“Security helped me. But listen I have to head to class now, so I won’t be back here till around nine k? If Yas needs anything, I know you got it covered, k.” Anya beams, her hazel eyes sparkle as she heads to the bedroom to gather her book bag.

“K, cool.” Nick asks, prodding through the plastic bags out of curiosity. A.J. brushes Nick hands away from the bags and shakes his head,

“Chill out, man. That ain’t your stuff.” A.J. smirks as Nick shrugs his shoulders, his ears pick up the sound of the coffee maker going off.

“Ah, my coffee is done.” Nick whispers, taking his warm coffee mug, sipping loudly.

A.J. cringes and glares at him, “Boy, what’s wrong with you? Ain’t your mommy tell you not to sip like that?”

Nick smirks, “Last I recall, you practically raised me, so you didn’t show me.”

A.J. rolls his eyes, “I shouldn’t have to show you everything. I didn’t show you how to have sex, piss or talk. You seem to have picked that all by your self.”

Nick laughs and cracks his knuckles, placing the mug on the counter. Anya steps out of the bedroom and smiles, adjusting her book bag as she makes her way towards the entrance of the room.

“Well boys, I trust you can behave and watch the place. You know the rules: No going into my bedroom and looking at my bras and panties, no wearing my clothes…” She stops as the guys laugh softly and continues, “And definitely no hanky panky with strangers and bringing them here, got that? Or do I have to make myself more clear?” Anya asks, opening the door and eyeing the guys.

“Loud and clear. Though, I’m guessing those rules don’t apply to you huh?” Nick smirks, plopping on a bar stool as Anya sighs, rolling her eyes, flicking her carrot colored hair over her shoulders.

“That Nick, is a big NO in woman language.” A.J. states, watching Anya smirk and leave the dorm, locking it behind it her.

“Well we’re all alone with a cranky pregnant woman in one room. What do you want to do?” Nick smiles, finishing his coffee and placing the cup into the small dishwasher.

“Whatever. I’ve been buying so many things for Faith, it makes it seem like she really is my kid.”

Nick nods, “Yeah, I can tell. You’ve been so happy about that baby and Yasmine is thrilled to have you helping her out. You’re making a great dad so far. Hell you raised me and look how I turned out.” He grins widely.

A.J. shakes his head, “Damn, then I must have screwed up lovely the first time with ya. Now I’m just afraid.” He breaks into a laugh as Nick hops onto a stool besides him, joining in the laugh.

The bedroom door creaks open as Yasmine yawns and heads over to them, “So guys what’s so funny?”

“You, you’re funny looking.” A.J. jokes, kissing her cheek gently as she swaps at him.

“Hey, leave the mommy alone. I’ve been through practically nine months of carrying this kid around. I like to see what you’ll look like after all this.”

“You lucky, you had an easy pregnancy. My mom was constantly gagging and feeling nauseous when she was giving birth to Aaron and Angel.” Nick states, drumming his fingers on the rich dark wood counter.

“Yeah, well your mom had you. I can’t blame her for feeling bad all those months.”

“Screw you Yasmine!” Nick laughs, as he flips his middle finger at her.

“Watch it boy.” She giggles and slides into a stool with A.J.’s help. “Thanks. So what are we gonna do today?”

“What do you mean we? Chicky, we just came back from lunch and hanging out at the park. And you still want to go out?” A.J. asks surprised as Yasmine nods.

“Sure. Just cause I’m big now, don’t mean I can’t have fun.” Yasmine grins, her tan cheeks glitter under the soft florescent lights.

“Ahhh na. We’ll pass on that. You look like you about to blow and you partying is out the question. Don’t ya feel tired anyway?” Nick states, watching Yasmine shake her head.

“No… Ok well a little… Fine, I’m fatigue but I’ve been sleeping all the time and I’m tired of that.”

A.J. grins, “Well when I feel tired, I do stuff to keep me up.”

“Oh really? Like what?”

Nick smirks knowing full well where A.J. was heading with this,

“Like having sex, making love. You know the deal.” A.J. smirks as Yasmine rolls her eyes, shaking her head.

“Is that all you think about?” Yasmine grumbles.

Nick adds in, “That and eating. Depending on the order, that is.”

Yasmine smirks, “Tsk. Unbelievable, you two.”

Nick smirks and feels A.J.’s hand on his left shoulder, “Hey you were gonna say something to me before Anya came in right?”

Nick bolts upright in his seat, nodding his head, “Uh yeah. But I don’t think it’s that important.” He emphasizes the presence of Yasmine in the room.

A.J. noting that, opens a kitchen counter: digging for a sheet of paper and pen. Whispering, he hands it to Nick as Yasmine smirks and watches on.

“What are you two doing?” Yasmine smirks, leaning over the counter to see if she can read what Nick was scribbling down.

Nick looks up at her and smiles, “Yasmine, I’m serious. I think you should get some sleep. You’re days away and I want to make sure you get some rest, cause once it happens you’ll be in pain for a while.”

Yasmine shapes her mouth into an ‘O’ and tilts her head, “Since when did you become an intellect in the concept of pregnancy.”

“Since witnessing it three times.” Nick smiles, patting her head and pushing her away from the counter. Nick and Yasmine walk steadily over to the sofa as A.J. grabs the sheet of paper, reading it over quickly.

Taking a deep, he gulps and shakes his head, reading what Nick wrote. It couldn’t be real, could it. It stated in simple words that the cops brush off the case leaving the rapist to run off somewhere in the streets. His eyes read over each word slowly, trying to take in each word:

-Anya told me that after much holding off and no more real evidence to work with, the cops had no choice but to close the case. I went with her to find out why and I threatened a cop to keep it open. But I’m sorry J, there’s nothing we or none of us can do. The guy is free and no one has any evidence man. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say in front of Yas, but that bastard is free and the innocent suffered.-

A.J. growls a profanity, slamming the sheet down on the counter, causing Yasmine and Nick to jump immediately from the loud sound. Standing up from the sofa, Nick sighs at A.J.

“Alright guys! That’s it, no more secrecy, what’s going on?” Yasmine mutters, her heart pounding.

A.J. sighs, “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing for you to be concerned about now. You just rest.”

“NO! I won’t rest, you guys have been keeping quiet about a lot of things lately, what’s going on?! Do you know something about my case, heard from the cops? What is it?” Yasmine whispers, suddenly feeling an intense pain shoot down her spine as she clutches Nick’s arm desperately. “Ahhhh.. Ouch.”

Nick and A.J. rush over to her watching to see if she will get her next contraction.

“J, J? Is it time?” Nick whispers nervously.

“Hold up, let me see.” A.J. checks his watch, waiting for the next contraction to arrive. After a few minutes, he smiles, "Ahh false alarm.”

Nick checks his own watch, “Nothing happened, fifteen minutes past already.”

Yasmine sighs and smiles, “Good.” Then suddenly she yelps out as another one forces it way down her body.

“Ok, this isn’t good.” Nick whispers.

“No, she’s fine. It’s not the birth ones.” A.J. whispers calmly.

“You sure?” Nick whispers, gently helping Yasmine back on the sofa.

“Yup.”

Then Yasmine places her hands over her abdomen as the contractions begin to increase. “Ahhh, no, no. Oh heck no. She’s coming! She’s coming!” Yasmine yells out as the contraction increase painfully. By the end of the last one, she was out of breath and exhausted.

“Well J?!”

“Yeah, now its time to go! That was four minutes in between!” A.J. squeaks out, grabbing his car keys as Nick races to get her suitcase already. Yasmine watches as the two men race out the apartment both forgetting the one most important person.

A.J.’s feet pound the carpeted hallway as he pushes the lit elevator button nervously while Nick trudges down the hallway holding the over stuff suitcase.

“Hey J, you sure you have everything?” Nick smirks, noting A.J. forgot to bring Yasmine out of the apartment.

A.J. embarrassed, not saying a word, rushes back to get Yasmine, who placed her hands on her hips.

“Nice one Alex. I thought I would have to give natural birth on my own and everything.” Yasmine growls as A.J. smiles softly and leads her out the apartment, locking the door behind him.

“Sorry girl. Just nervous, I’ve never done this before.”

“Uh yeah, neither have I.” Yasmine whispers, feeling a smile prick the corners of her mouth as A.J. slowly guides her to the elevator. Once boarded, the elevator zooms down, its door opening, sending Nick to sail across to their black BMW.

A.J. tosses the car keys towards Nick as he catches it and jumps in the car, starting up the vehicle and rolling it back slowly for Yasmine to reach the car faster.

“Hop in!” A.J. whispers as Yasmine lets out a yell, another contraction forcing its way down her small body. “Ok, no hopping in. Just try to get in.” A.J. whispers nervously.

Once all boarded, the vehicle speeds off, the tires squealing and leaving marks on the cement ground.
~*~

Brian laughs as Kevin shuts off the television and glares at him. “Hey did you hear? Get your stuff, we’re heading back to New York.”

“Huh? Why? Is it Yas? What happened?” Brian yells out, rushing to grab his jacket and wallet.

“The baby! She’s going into labor! Nick just called me. They’re all at the hospital now!” Howie yells excitedly.

“Oh wow, already! Wow, it might take a while, its her first kid, usually they take a while coming out. But do you think we can make it on time?” Brian whispers.

Howie shrugs his shoulders, “Rok, you’re a father, you know how long it took for Baylee to come out.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine. A.J. is in the delivery room with her as we speak.” Kevin whispers, heading out the door with the other two following.

“Ahhh, this has got to exciting, you know they’re freaking now, I’m sure.” Howie gleams as they board a tinted black escalade. Kevin calls their security and driver who appears immediately at Kevin’s request.

“Damn, that’s power man.” Howie whispers, hearing Brian’s chuckles. Kevin laughs as the driver nods and boards the vehicle, pulling away from the studio they were in.

“I’ll call for the tickets, hopefully we can find one for now. I wanna see how everything is going.” Kevin states, leaning back on the cushioned seat.

“Man, wonder how A.J. is taking all this? You know he freaks out when he sees blood, I can’t even imagine what’ll happen when he sees the baby born.” Brian smirks, causing the other men to burst into laughter.

“He’ll probably faint.” Kevin whispers as they enter the highway, miles before they reach the airport.
~*~

“Ok, if you’ll just sign here on the form, everything will be taken care of.” The young RN whispers: handing A.J. a small pile of papers to sign.

“Damn. What the hell? But… ok, fine.” A.J. mutters, grabbing the pen the nurse hands him, singing his name gracefully.

Nick smirks, telling Yasmine a joke as she sits quietly on the wheelchair, waiting to be directed into the maternity ward.

“I’m serious, J, is gonna freak out. He can’t even handle the sight of his own vomit let alone blood. This will be a miracle on his behalf.” Nick whispers into Yasmine’s ear softly, causing the woman to chuckle.

“I’m sure he’s stronger than you think. He’ll be fine. You’ll see.” Yasmine smiles warmly as A.J. sighs happily, placing his hands on the wheelchair handle.

“Ready pumpkin?” A.J. teases.

“Do I have a choice in this matter?”

“Ahhh, no not really.” A.J. jokes, leading her down the white stained hallway with Nick following behind with the nurse.

They reach the double edge doors and the nurse stops in front of them. “Ok, sweetie, this is where the ride ends.” She speaks to the Nick, “Only the mother and father allowed from here on.” She indicted to A.J. and Yasmine.

Nick gulps, “Oh ok. Well I’ll go contact Anya then.”

“Actually you won’t get through, she’s in class so her phone might be off. If you can’t get through with her, just go to the class, its in Rm123A in the east building.” Yasmine whispers as the pain in her abdomen begin again.

The nurse smile and nods her head, “Ahh, the beginnings of motherhood. It’ll be worse before it gets better honey.” She swings open the doors, as A.J. pushes the wheelchair through the door.

“Oh wait! J, you might wanna get this on film. Howie left his camcorder here with me in the suitcase in case this happens. You might wanna film this! In case Faith is ever curious.” Nick grins.

A.J. laughs and grabs the suitcase, “I’m sure this will be a perfect way to tame Faith if she acts up then.”

Yasmine smirks, “You’re gonna film this?”

“If it’s alright with ya momma.” A.J. whispers, wiping a stray raven lock that tickled Yasmine’s cheeks.

Smiling, she nods: “Sure, why not. I can always remember and this will remind me to never get pregnant in the future.”

The others laugh as A.J. waves Nick off. “Yo, I’ll join ya in the waiting room shortly k. Keep a look at for the others guys k?”

“No prob, don’t forget to film it aight?” Nick asks, pointing to him.

“Alright.” A.J. laughs as he disappears behind the swinging doors with Yasmine and the nurse.

“Well, all by my self.” Nick mumbles to himself, passing his hands through his short hair softly. He hears a small gasp coming from behind him as small hands touch his waist.

Slowly turning around, he peers down at a little girl of around seven years of age. Smiling, he kneels down: “Ah hi.”

“Hi.” The curly dark haired girl whispers back.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Nick whispers gently, watching the little girl shift uncomfortably, blush spreading her light cheeks.

“Um, well my mommy wants to take a picture of you and me. Will that be ok? My mommy said you’re famous. What does that mean?” the child asks.

Nick smiles, “It means a lot of people know who I am. I sing with some friends and we made a lot of songs. A lot of people like our songs so we became famous.” He explains, enjoying the sudden interest the child had, absorbing his words.

“Oh ok. That sounds nice.”

“Yeah it is.” And he feels the small arms touch his shoulders as the mother of the child steps down the hallway with a camera in her hands.

“Is it alright?” The mother of the girl asks.

Nick nods his head, “Sure, sure go right ahead.” And the mother beams snapping the picture and guiding the child away.

“Thanks.” The mother and child say as they exit down the hallway, leaving Nick with a smile on his face.

“Time to get Anya.” He whispers, heading down the waiting room and dialing her number.

Anya glares down at her cell and shakes her head at the number on her cell. “Oh great. Nick why can’t you leave me alone?” She hisses softly to herself, trying to concentrate on the professor giving a detailed lecture and open discussion on the psychological prospects of human relations. Sighing, she looks at her cell and sees a voice message on it. Rolling her eyes, she ignores it and listens intensely to the professor.

Growling, Nick snaps close his phone and mutters, racing out of the hospital to get Anya. “The one time I actually call for ya, you don’t answer.” He grumbles, pulling out the car keys and hops into his vehicle, pulling away from the parking lot.
~*~

Brian settles back on the soft cushioned seat in the first class plane area and sighs softly as the plane takes off. He looks over at Howie who was already sleeping and Kevin who was on the phone with his wife. Smiling, Brian closes his eyes, licking his lips as he raises a cup of wine to his lips.

“Brian.”

“Huh?”

“A.J. left a message on my phone. He’s waiting with Yasmine in her room. She’s doing well in case you’re curious.” Kevin yawns out as he leans back on the leather seat with a smile on his face.

“How do you think Faith will look like?”

Kevin sits up in his seat as he adjust the pillow behind him, “Hopefully like Yasmine. I couldn’t take the fact that she would have to carry that bastard’s father genes.”

“Man I just can’t believe that the cops gave up.” Brian whispers.

“It’s been open for almost a year already and nothing was coming up. I mean the only thing they noticed was that whoever was responsible for such actions got away clean and it was meant for her. They think it was someone who has access to her cause the rapist that was loose was already caught by the time Yasmine was struck.”

“I was talking with her a few weeks ago. I had asked her how she managed to stay strong and she told me it was through God’s grace.” Brian states with a smile on her face.

“Its funny you say that now, its just weird to see a completely different Yasmine from the last time we had all been together years ago. I’m just surprised to see where all this faith came from. She was a complete atheist years ago and now to see her go to church, be apart of a choir, help out in the shelters and hospitals. It really starts to make me think, that God must have done something for her to count on Him so much.”

Howie snaps opens his ears and seats up, nodding his head, “Yeah, He did. Didn’t A.J. tell ya what had happened with her?”

Kevin shakes his head as Brian shrugs his shoulders, “Ah no. He never really went into details.”

Howie sighs and fiddles with his fingers, “Well after her brother’s death, she went into depression and a friend of hers took her to a church service. She felt comforted there and decided that she will dedicate her life to God. She felt guilty about her past and wanted to change. Change not for herself only but for God too. At least that’s what I got when Alex told me.”

“Hmmm…Wow. Well whatever she did that makes her feel happy then good for her.” Kevin whispers, looking out the plane window to see the sparkling sky glitter.

Brian rolls his eyes, “Yeah. Looks like you’re still searching.”

“What?” Kevin mumbles, rolling his emerald eyes over to his cousin.

“Well Yasmine was searching for God in some way and she found him. I found God when I was younger. You though, you haven’t found God yet.” Brian whispers.

Kevin rolls his eyes, “Whatever. You know where I stand in my faith. Don’t bother me about it.”

Howie nibbles on his lower lip hoping the conversation doesn’t turn ugly. Brian had a way of getting under the other’s skin about their beliefs and Kevin wasn’t one to hold his tongue about it.

“Why you get all touchy about it? You act like God did something to you.” Brian mumbles, hearing Howie suck in a deep breath.

Kevin leans his head back on the soft cushion pillow behind and close his eyes, “Let’s just drop this k? You get too into it. It’s not a big deal for me.

“Well to me and Yasmine it is.” Brian whispers, kicking his legs up on the seat beside him.

“Leave that girl out of it k, Brian.” Kevin growls softly.

Brian glances at Howie who has his eyes wide open. Clearing his throat, he smiles and tries to change the subject.

“Well Brian, uh maybe we can figure out the schedule for the next tour, you know we have a lot of planning for that as well as the interviews.” Howie whispers, his coffee eyes glance at Kevin who looks like he’s lost in his own thoughts.

Brian smirk, “Fine, whatever. Since I seem to have offended Kevin.”

Kevin growls loudly and sits up, “Ok that’s it. Brian what the hell do you really what to tell me huh? I’m so damn sorry I’m not like you: holy and pure as you claim you are!” He mocks Brian and continues his rage, “God Brian I just don’t give a…”

He’s cut off as a stewardess interrupts the men, “Hello gentlemen, sorry to be disturbing you. I was just ask to keep your voices down, the other customers are getting aggravated.”

“Ha! Well screw the other customers! I paid just like everyone else and if I want to yell, curse, sing or do whatever, I will.” Kevin growls out, narrowing his eyes at Brian’s direction.

The stewardess feeling distressed, backs away and nods her head: “Ver, very well sir.” And she disappears behind the curtain that separated the first class from the other areas.

“What the hell was that Kevin?” Howie yells out, no longer watching the rage erupting between the two band mates.

“I, I don’t know. Sorry. I’m just feeling like Brian is pointing fingers at everyone else instead of looking at himself. I’m not the only bad guy here Brian. Hell, I don’t think I was ever a bad guy in your life. Whenever you needed help, who was there for you huh?”

Brian sighs, gazing quietly at the rug below him. “You were.” He whispers, scrolling his eyes across the blue rug.

“Yeah, I thought so.” Kevin whispers softly, sighing, he leans back into his seat.

Howie exhales and sighs, “Man who would have a thought that when you mention God, things get antsy like this.”

Kevin smiles towards Howie, “Yeah well maybe B had a point. I left my ego get in the way. I’m not gonna lie, Yasmine has been the happiest since she started. And it has to be her faith guiding her.”

“Whoa, wait! You’re agreeing with me now?” Brian asks shocked.

Kevin laughs, “Sort of. But don’t let it get to your head now. I can’t have you walking around thinking your right, that will ruin my leadership in the group.”

Howie and Brian burst into laughter as the tension now disappears, leaving the guys at peace.

“Glad you guys settled this before we got off the plane. Otherwise, Yasmine wouldn’t have that.” Howie teases, getting playful dirty looks at his direction. “What?You know that girl can sense things?”

“Really? Think she can sense we’re about to beat you down?” Kevin grins playfully, picking up a pillow from behind him as Brian does the same.

Howie smiles and extends his hands out to block for any surprise hits, “Hell even I can even sense that.” As their laughter, a mist the pillow hitting, bubble in the area.
~*~

She smiles and leans back on the cushioned pillow happily. “Ummmm… This is sweet.” She whispers to herself as A.J. plops himself on the seat next to her hospital bed.

“I can tell you’re loving the drugs the doctors gave you.”

Laughing, she smiles at him, “Oh Alex, wow. It’s like a legal ecstasy. You could get hooked to this pleasant feeling.” She giggles, eyeing the IV hooked on the top of her palm.

A.J. shakes his head playfully, “Hey now. Don’t go there.”

She smirks and reaches from under the smooth white covers to grab his left hand. “Thank you for being here. It means so much for me.”

“Ahh, Yasmine you know Anya would have been here if I couldn’t make it. You’re not going through this alone. I would never leave you alone.”

Giggling, she smirks, “Ahh thanks. And I will never leave you alone. Plus now that we have little Faith coming, I’m sure we’ll see each other around more than you think.”

The white door to her maternity room opens as Anya and Nick who is now filming with the camera enter. Nick had managed to get the camcorder out of the luggage before finding Anya.

Laughing, Yasmine sits up in bed, placing her hands on her lap. “Hey you made it back here!”

“Yeah, the nurse said it was all good.” Anya whispers, racing over to her room mate’s side and pulling up a chair besides A.J.’s.

“Man it was a pain to get Anya to come. I had to get her out the class. You don’t know the harassment I got for bursting through the middle of the class to yank Anya out!” Nick explains as Anya laughs.

“Yeah you should have seen it. It was too funny. He comes through the door and marches down the rows, whispering if anyone knows where I’m sitting. The professor saw him and asked if he had a question.” Anya smirks, her hazel eyes glittering at the memory.

“I just said na and that I has lost something on the floor. The old man kept giving me weird looks. Anyways, I found Anya and whispered it to her after climbing over a few rows!”

Yasmine laughs, “You what!”

“Yeah, he’s such a lunatic. But he found a seat next to me and told me about ya. In a minute we both raced out of there as the entire class whistles and hollered about a Backstreet Boy getting lucky tonight.” Anya laughs, finishing the explanation.

A.J. shakes his head as Yasmine burst into a bright laughter.

Nick smirks and points the camcorder at Yasmine’s direction. “Hey Yas, smile at the camera for Faith.”

Yasmine smirks and crosses her eyes at that camera’s direction. “Hey Baby!” She gently waves to the camera and smiles.

Nick laughs, “Hey A.J. read the stuff Brian gave ya for Yas.”

“Oh right. Hold up. Let me find it.” A.J. digs through his pockets, pulling out a wrinkled sheet of paper. “Alright Faith.” He peers at the camera with a smirk on his face. “Uncle Brian thought it was nice to find some cool stuff with your name in it. It’s in the Bible if you ever want to check it out, k.”

Yasmine laughs, “Oh cool. Alex you said the word Bible without getting struck by lightening, God must be pleased with you!”

“Shut up!” A.J. laughs, sticking his tongue out as he spreads out the paper with writing on it. “K, Faith, check this out.” A.J. clears his throat playfully as the others snicker. “We live by faith, not by sight.” He whispers out, “That would be in uh, what the heck did I write there? Oh yeah that’s in second Corinthians five verse uhhh, seven yeah that’s it!” He grins widely displaying his teeth.

Yasmine claps her hands. “Uhhh, that’s so sweet. I’m sure she will love that. You heard that baby. We live for ya!” She whispers to the camcorder.

The nurse enters and smiles, “My what a company. We’ll have to clear this area for a moment, we gotta check the mother to be. You guys can come back shortly.” Anya and Nick nod, waving and laughing as they exit the room.

A.J. shakes his head, “I don’t know those weirdos.”

Yasmine laughs as the nurse checks the drugs given to her and exits stating she’ll be right back.

“K, hey that was cool. What else did Brian give ya?”

“Oh like three more scriptures.” A.J. whispers, stroking her gentle locks through his fingers.

“Oh read it.”

“I want it to go on camera though. So I'll read it later on again for the camera."

"Mommy wants to hear it now.”

Laughing A.J. nods and whispers the next one to her, “Brian found her name in Hebrew eleven, verse one: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

“Ahhh, that’s so cool! You got to read that over for the camera. That’s a great one.” Yasmine beams as she waits for A.J. to continue.

“K the last two are Galations five, I think part of verse six or something. But anyway, B told me it says, ‘The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.’

Yasmine smiles and nods her head, “Brian’s got a good head on his shoulders.” Finish it up.”

“Aight, and Ephesians two verse eight states, ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.’ A.J. finishes off, seeing a soft tear swell in Yasmine’s eyes.

“What was it that bad?”

Laughing, Yasmine shakes her head, “Oh God no! It was so beautiful. I have to thank Brian for that. And you.” She smiles as her heart races at what she will reveal, “A.J. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few days and my heart is telling me something that I guess I’ve been in denial for. But I think I’m falling in love with you.”

A.J. blushes and scrolls over her face. He couldn’t find the words to say: choking out the only thing he could manage, “You mean that?” He couldn’t believe it, it was true, he can make the most perfect angel in his eyes, fall for him. He sat in shock as he tries to find his voice again. His heart literally stopped beating for that one moment as he sat in silence letting the words sink into him.

“Yeah.” She whispers, leaning over to give him a peck on his cheek.

Smiling, he blushes and watches her, his heart literally leaping into somersaults. The nurse enters again distracting A.J. from his sudden emotional trip.

“We’re gonna watch over you. It may take a few hours, usually first births last from 12 to 15 hours.” The nurse whispers, hearing Yasmine gasp.

“Man, just when I thought the worst was over.” Yasmine grumbles.

A.J. smirks, “Don’t worry babe, I’ll be here with ya the rest of the entire way.”

Yasmine smiles, whispering a soft “thanks” and blushing: knowing her emotions were now told and out in the open. Now it depends on what A.J. will do with that , that will seal his fate with hers. The nurse goes about her business on checking on the soon to be mother as the couple watch lost in their thoughts and emotions.
~*~

Brian races out of breath down the airline terminal as the other two catch up. “We’re gonna make it man!” He checks his watch, two hours since they boarded down in Florida.

“Whoo hoo!” Howie shouts, “Wait, we should get something for the baby and mommy.”

“A.J. bought everything there was for that child, what doesn’t she need?” Brian asks, gazing around the crowded airport.

Laughing, Kevin nods, “He’s right, A.J. got more things that I can think of for Faith and she’s not even blood related to him.”

“Man I’m so proud of A.J. for taking such a responsibility. I mean, he quickly accepted to be a part of this unknown child’s life with out caring about the possibilities.” Howie smiles, placing a bouquet of flowers on the store counter while Brian tossed some snacks and teddy bears with it.

Kevin smirks, “Yeah, you learn something new about a person everyday. Well I’ll get the balloons then.”

“Yup, J sure did surprise us. To think you know everything about a person and there he goes and does something none of us would ever have thought of.” Brian smirks, snapping gum in Kevin’s face on purpose.

Rolling his eyes, Kevin asks for a dozen pink and yellow balloons to be filled up.

“Wait, we are getting it for the baby, not A.J. right?” Howie smirks noting the large yellow helium plastic balloons getting filled up.

“Hey if he wants some, why not? He’s the new daddy after all.” Kevin smiles: paying for the balloons, handing his credit card over to the cashier.

“Yeah, guess he needs some balloons to pull him up. He’s been down and about lately you know, fighting with how he should feel about Yas.” Howie whispers, paying in cash for the flowers.

“You think those two will ever get together?” Brian asks, grabbing the shopping bag with the items in it as Howie takes the wrapped bouquet of flowers in his hands.

“With those two, you never know.” Kevin smiles, grabbing the over filled balloons that had made it difficult for them to leave the store.

Laughing, the three head out the store: the balloons ducking and popping up all around them as they walk to hail a taxi to take them to the hospital.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”


-“The trouble with love is
It can tear you up inside
Make your heart believe a lie
It's stronger than your pride
The trouble with love is
It doesn’t care how fast you fall
And you can't refuse the call
See you've got no say at all” – “The Trouble with love is” By Kelly Clarkson



**~The Trouble With Love~**

A.J. gasps as the cries of the newborn child breaks into the restless room. He glances at Yasmine, her face contorted in extreme pain as she squeezes his hand tightly. A.J. gulps down the nausea that rose yet again at the sight of the blood and infant sliding into the world.

“Alex? Alex? The baby, how is it?” Yasmine asks, glancing at him nervously. Her cries linger in the air as the child makes its way into the world.

A.J. clears his throat and gasps at the infant slowly breaking out of the mother’s birth canal, spilling the bodily fluids onto the bed sheets. A.J. gulps, his eyes widen as the infant is pulled out, held comfortable in the doctor’s arms. “She’s ok. Yas, she’s out.”

Yasmine smiles, her giggles radiating in the interior of the room, “I know. What does she look like?”

A.J. couldn’t conjure the right words to express the infant’s appearance except for “Beautiful.” He chokes out: warm tears fill his eyes as he smiles. Warm blankets wrap the infant up as the doctor hands A.J. a pair of sharp edge metal scissors.

Grabbing the scissors, A.J. glances at the doctor with confusion scrolled on his face.

“Since you’re the new father, you should cut the umbilical cord.” The masked doctor whispers happily, holding the wailing child in his arms.

A.J. with shaking hands looks over to Yasmine who was beaming brightly: “Go ahead Alex, cut it!”

“Ummm, uh ok.” He whispers softly, inching close to the wailing infant, touching the soft flesh of the infant. With shaking hands, he gulps and snips the umbilical cord following the doctor’s instructions. Once done, the doctors wash the child’s face with a warm rag, taking out the hazardous film that covered the infant’s eyes. The doctor brings back the infant and places it in the mother’s arms. Yasmine squeals out and sighs happily: a peaceful feeling running down her body as she looks into the gentle eyes of the newborn child held closely in her embrace.

She coos and rocks the infant that immediately quiets down at her mother’s embrace. “Oh my little Faith. Look at you, you’re so beautiful, those big brown eyes, chubby cheeks. Ohhhh, your hands, how tiny there are.”

A.J. smiles and watches the doctors gather their instruments and tells Yasmine to do one last push for the after birth. Nodding her head, she holds out the child to A.J. as he sits stiff and unable to move. “Uh, Yasmine, I’m not sure how to hold her, I don’t want to make her cry.”

“And she won’t. She’ll know who you are once she feels your arms around her.” Yasmine whispers, handing the bundle of joy to the father. A.J. gulps: his nerves spinning out of control as he cradles the infant, holding her to his chest. He glances down at Faith and sees the baby smile, its tiny eyes closed shut from the abrasive lights in the room. Once Faith gurgles and waves her tiny hands at him, A.J.’s heart swelled with pride, he loved this new little person the moment she appeared into this world. No right words can ever express the emotions that swirl inside him as he exhales happily and runs his fingers down Faith’s cheeks.

“Hey sweetie. Welcome to the world. I hope you’ll like it.” A.J. whispers as he feels Yasmine’s hands grip his knee happily.

“Alright at three: ma’am. One final push and you’re done. Ready?” The doctor announces, adjusting the foot stools where Yasmine’s feet were placed on. A large white blanket covered the lower torso of Yasmine’s body and only her feet could be seen as the doctor peers through the opening of the blanket.

Nodding, she inhales deeply and closes her eyes, pushing out the placenta that remained in her body. Sighing, she leans back on her pillows that held her at a sitting position, glancing back at little Faith sleeping soundly in A.J.’s arms. “I think she likes you.” Yasmine whispers, a smile peering through her tired face.

A.J. gulps and nods his head, holding one of Yasmine’s hands in his, “You think? I wanted to make a good impression on her.”

“I think you did.” Yasmine smiles, her dark emerald eyes lock on her new child.

“Wow, I, I never saw a child born like that in front of me. It was mind blowing.”

“I know and you didn’t even faint on me. I’m proud of ya boy.” Yasmine pats his knee as the two doctors and nurse attend to sewing the open birth canal so it can heal properly.

A.J. laughs heartily as little Faith bounces slightly from his chuckles. “Do you want to hold her?”

Smiling, she rubs her infant’s face gingerly, “I think I’ll have plenty of time to hold her. Let her rest in your arms, I want her to get used to you and know who you are.”

The doctors finish the minor operation as Yasmine distracted attended to A.J. and Faith. The doctors exit the room to leave the couple alone in the room once again. A.J. was so fascinated by Faith that the only time he looked up was at the sound of the door closing, startling him.

Yawning, Yasmine stretches her weary arms, gazing at her friend tiredly.

“Tired huh?”

Nodding her head, she exhales deeply, allowing A.J. to place the child into her arms. “I think she might be hungry when she wakes up.”

Smiling gently, she nods her head and cradles Faith, its pink and yellow cotton blanket wrapping her tiny body. “Yeah, I guess. Hey tell the guys, the baby’s here k!”

A.J. nods and runs his fingers through Yasmine’s black locks ever so softly as he sings softly to her. “God, I’m so proud of ya for going through the pregnancy and letting this child see this world.”

Yasmine giggles and eyes him, her heart hammering against her chest as she licks her lips softly, “Alex about what I said before about, about, well you know me falling for ya, well I don’t want that to interfere with our friendship, I mean I know you value our friendship so I don’t know what more I can expect from you…” She stops mid-sentence as A.J. gently presses his lips on her warm ones. Pulling away, he smiles and shakes his head, smirking at the surprised look that cloth his friend’s face.

“Uh, ummm… wow, I wasn’t expecting that.” Yasmine whispers, touching her lips gingerly, the heat lingered from the unexpected kiss as she still left in complete astonishment at A.J.’s action.

“I’m thinking about that. But don’t worry about it. The way I see it, things will work out. If it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.” He whispers softly, pressing his lips on her sweaty forehead and stands up. “I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll stop by with the others shortly when it’s alright. K?”

She beams brightly and sighs, her heart drumming loudly as A.J. steps out and waves a bye, blowing a kiss in her direction. “Love ya.”

Giggling she shouts back, “Love ya back.” And she watches him leave, closing the door behind him.
~*~

“Nick, you think the guys are on their way?” Anya whispers, leaning back in her seat tiredly as Nick glances at his watch distracted.

“They’ve been in there for a few hours, wonder what happened?” Nick leans back, tucking the camcorder in his arms. He closes his eyes and opens them back up to see three familiar faces bursting and running down the paved hallway encompassed with floating yellow and pink balloons, a beautiful bouquet of flowers and loads of teddies bears with a plastic bag full of small trinkets and snacks. “Hey you made it just in time!”

Anya opens her grey eyes and laughs, jumping up to welcome the men. “Hey guys! Glad to see ya all again.”

“Yeah it’s been a while man.” Brian smiles, hugging Anya tightly.

Anya smirks and nods her head as Howie and Kevin wrap their arms around her playfully. “Oooooh, you got stuff for the couple!”

“Yup and couple sounds so lovey dovey for them though.” Kevin smirks, pulling on the balloon strings.

“Well all I’m saying is they should both stop frontin’ and get together, we all know they both want each other. I don’t understand why they keep denying their feelings.” Nick whispers, taking the small stuff bears and bag of snacks, digging through it noisily.

The others laugh quietly as Anya sighs, “Anyway, so how was the flight guys?”

“Oh, ahh. Interesting to say the least.” Howie whispers, receiving a few glances from Brian and Kevin.

“Oh ok.” Anya whispers and all turn to the swinging doors to see A.J. with a huge smile on his face.

“It’s daddy!” Nick yells out causing the others to chuckle quietly.

“Just save us all the grief, tell us, what’s the deal?” Howie speaks up, as the others surround A.J. each patting the new father and whispering out a congratulations.

“Wonderful! Dude, I saw the baby being born and I was alright! She’s so pretty guys! On man, the baby looks identical to Yasmine, she doesn’t seem to carry any of that bastard’s genetics. Well maybe the whole eye color but that’s about it. The baby’s eyes came out a dark coffee color.”

“Like you?” Anya whispers.

Rolling his eyes, he smirks, “Yeah, like me. I came to get you guys! I want you see the baby before Yasmine falls asleep on us.”

“Cool. But I think we should let Yasmine rest. She just had the baby right?” Kevin asks.

“Yeah you’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just so excited about the whole thing and I want you guys to see her, God she’s beautiful and Brian, Yasmine loved the scriptures you found for Faith.”

Brian nods his head, “No prob on that buddy. I just wanted to help out in any way.” He states, handing the gifts to Anya.

“I say we come back a few hours later to let Yasmine catch some rest before she receives company. Plus A.J. I think we should treat ya, you’re the new dad and should get the day to celebrate it.” Howie smiles, patting his friend’s shoulder.

“Nice, I don’t know if I should leave Yasmine alone though.” A.J. whispers.

“You know what, I’ll watch Yas. You go out and have some fun. And don’t forget to bring back something for Yasmine or she’ll kill ya.” Anya smirks, heading towards the swinging doors and enters it, holding the gifts in her pale arms.

“K, well you heard the girl. Let’s roll daddy oh.” Nick beams, wrapping his arm around A.J.’s shoulders, leading him down the hallway with the others behind him.

“Uh, aight let’s go then.” A.J. whispers, the others laughing with joy as the excitement floods through their bodies.
~*~

He holds his breath in, watching the group of five men pass down the hallway and turn a corner. Smiling, he breathes in the sweet smell of aesthetics and rubs his fingers together. His dark eyes gleam with humor at the thought of his child now being born to this world. It is too soon to see Yasmine, she’s not in the right condition as of yet. But when she is, he will make sure to stop by and pay her a visit she’ll never forget. Sighing, he digs his hands into his dark jean pockets, walking down the hallway with a smile on his face whispering out his new daughter’s name. “Faith…Faith oh Faith. How much faith will your mother have when she finds out the truth? How much faith will Yasmine have when she discovers I was the one who brought Faith upon her? If I couldn’t have my Yasmine, then no one will. And I’ll make sure that A.J. knows it fully well.” His raven hair flutters in the cool breeze coming from the ventilation as he heads down the opposite hallway, thoughts of seeing Yasmine fill his head like sweet sugar.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

A/N: Hey just wanted to inform you guys the readers out there that the poem below in the chapter was actually written by a real woman so please do not plagiarize the poem for her sake. Thanks and Enjoy.

“Love Can Save”

-“How your love’s affecting our reality.
Every time we’re down
You can make it right.
And that makes you larger than life.” “Larger Than Life” by the Backstreet Boys.

**~A Silent Content~**

He sighs peacefully, gently gazing at the mother with her new child. Words couldn’t even begin to agree his joy that little Faith has brought him. Since her birth over three weeks ago, A.J. felt that he has changed for the better. He has grown as a more efficient man and father. And as much advice he seeks for the well being for raising of the child, no one can truly tell him how to do it. For as Brian would often tell him, there isn’t a manual on how to raise children, it’s what comes natural for both parent and child. Smirking, A.J. places the car magazine down and stands up from the large apartment he specially bought for Yasmine and her child. The shiny mahogany planks in the living room and marble tile kitchen gave the apartment a comfy feeling. He sighs in content, leaning back in the leather black sofa, watching Yasmine coo and rock little Faith in her arms.

Standing up to quietly walk into her bedroom, he watches and stands besides her as little Faith waves her gentle tiny hands around her mother. A.J. strokes the infant’s cheek as Yasmine grins and hands Faith to him. “Here you go daddy. Faith needs to spend some quality time with you cause my arms needs rest.”

A.J. chuckles and cradles Faith in his arms, rocking her slowly. “Hey momma, how you feeling?”

“Tired but good. You?” Yasmine whispers, shuffling over to her full size bed to plop down on the edge of it.

“Same. You know I go back in the studio shortly with guys. But I wanna be here for ya all the time. I don’t want to miss anything Faith does.” A.J pouts receiving a giggle from Yasmine.

“Na.” She giggles and eyes him, “I’d highly doubt you’ll miss her sleeping and eating. Cause that’s all she’ll be doing for the next few months.”

“And that’s why it’s important that I’m here cause eating is an exciting time for a person’s life.”

Yasmine breaks into a laugh, shaking her head vigorously, “What are you talking about boy?”

“Hey have you seen how Nick gets when he eats? Yassy, he gets into a whole another level of ecstasy! That’s why I want to be here when Faith has her little supper, breakfast and all that good stuff in between.”

“Alex, you’re a retard.” She responses with laughter as A.J. bats his eyes,

“Yeah, but a hot retard.” A.J. adds in, smiling proudly.

“You’ve been around Nick too long.” Yasmine giggles, reaching over to her brand new rich wood mahogany nightstand.

“So uh, what’s that?” A.J. whispers quietly, feeling Faith’s little head nodding off to sleep as the small weight shift to a more comfortable position.

Yasmine sits in the center of her quilted bed, crossing her legs beneath her, “This my boy.” She stops, holding up a soft covered navy book. “Is a book. Something one uses for learning or obtaining factual data or for simple pleasure for reading.” She grins, her lips spread apart to allow a small laughter to bubble out of her mouth from her sarcastic remarks.

A.J. smirks, walking over to the white crib to place the now sleeping Faith in it. Gently placing a small yellow and purple blanket over the tiny person, A.J. tucks the infant in, singing sweetly to Faith:

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word.” He stops as Faith rolls onto her side and strokes Faith’s little scalp, the wisps of black hair already growing darkly on Faith’s head.

“Awww. She’s all tucked in by daddy. Come, sit down with me.” Yasmine whispers, calling A.J. over. Smiling, he nods and leans over the side of the crib to place a soft kiss on Faith’s head before joining Yasmine on the bed. He flops besides her in the center of the bed, tucking on the cuffs of his black cargo pants.

“You’re quite the funny one today now aren’t ya?”

“Why you noticed? Thanks.” Yasmine teases, batting her eyes at him.

“Anyways.” A.J. smirks, reaching for Yasmine’s hands that was encased around the book. “What’s this book about?”

“Oh, it’s a bunch a poetry done by people around the country, some of it really inspiring. Like take this Alex.” Yasmine happily whispers, flipping open the book to a page. “Read this one. I like it. Maybe ‘cause it just reminds me of those I care about.”

A.J. smiles, taking the book in his hands, his eyes gazing over at the poem.

“Read it out loud Alex quietly so Faith doesn’t wake up again.”

“Aight.” He whispers, holding the open book, his eyes finding the poem. Lying on his side, he adjusts the book and whispers out the poem:

“The Songs of Angels
By Natalie

There was an improper age
Where songs were incomprehensible,
and the Seven Deadly Sins were romanticize,
Ruled the world

Gone were the songs of love and happiness
Gone were the songs of joy and fun
They were considered weak
And songs of darkness and violence became popular

Goodness seemed forever lost,
never to be seen again
Being nasty, disrespectful, and crude, was cool
Gone were the days of kindness and compassion
It seemed Music was in corruption's grip,
never to be free

Then, a wonderful, magnificent, gorgeous, miracle happened
Angels appear.
Beautiful angels who sang in elegant voices
A tiny spark of goodness appeared.

Angels of Courage, Trust, Hope, Knowledge, and Love
brought goodness back into people's hearts
Angels of Justice, Patience, Caring, Happiness, and Faith
brought joy back into people's hearts

More angels came
One for each season
By 3 x 3 x 3
And one who followed his father's path,
but not his footsteps

They sang about the Seven Virtues
and peace came back
Their songs comfort souls
and goodness was back
These angels fought against those who sing of evil, and won.
This is good.

Alas, alas, there were those who dislike the angels,
and mocked them, ridicule them,
Saying they were mindless and arrogant
They were even those who said they were only passion was for each other!
They were even those who said they hated each other!

Lies, Lies, all Lies
Why must this be so?
Why this must happen?
Cannot people see the glory they brought to the world?

What a pity
They don't realize the virtues the angels have
And how much good the angels done

Some angels laugh when people mock them
Showing their humble side
Which is good
Some angels showed some rumors were false
Showing bravery
Which is good

Still, it hurts when someone taunts them
Do people hate them?
It seem so
Why do some people crucify angels?

Even though some people despise angels
There are even more who love and respect angels
This is good
The angels' songs won over the songs of destruction
Some angels even battled one who is Faust, and won.

The angels became popular
Which is good
People loved them
However, there were those who loved them too much,
and cause a frenzy when they saw angels
Some never gave angels time to relax
Which is sad
They deserve to relax.

Then, one day, the angels mysterious disappeared.
Now, they do different things
One can reappear again
Still, it's not the same

I miss those days.
Days of cheerfulness, peace, and wonder
Are now days of nostalgia
Still, they deserve to relax
Perhaps this is it.

Will they come back?
Hopefully they will
This I know
Angels are always welcome.”

A.J. whispers out, a smile plastered on his face. “This is wonderful stuff you got here. Why this poem?”

“It reminds me of you and the guys. You never know if you’re talking to angel at times, and it sounds so encouraging on my behalf.”

“I remind you of an angel?” A.J. breathes softly.

“Sometimes. Friends are just like angels. Always faithful, loyal, caring and loving.” She whispers out gently.

He cups her chin, staring into her mesmerizing emerald eyes, “Aww, thanks honey. For a moment it sounded like you describing a dog’s attitude though.”

“Shut up!” She giggles out, pushing him away from her.

“But seriously. That’s so sweet Yas. You know I always have your back no matter the consequences.”

Yasmine giggles and nods, “I know. Thanks so much.”

“So who gave you this book?” He lifts the book in his hands and closes it, placing it on the bed.

Yasmine grins, shaking her head, “You’ll never believe it, it was Nick. He has a taste for poetry in case you never noticed.”

“NO?” He playfully gasps in surprise, “You serious? This is the same Nick that counts all the strands of his hair to make sure he isn’t losing hair? The same one who always asks if his butt is getting too big, the same one who…”

Yasmine intercepts, her laughter flowing in the air, “Yes, Alex, get over it. It’s our Nick. He may have a screw loose but he’s quite the intelligent man pass that bleached hair of his.” She smiles as A.J.’s laughter disappears, getting his full attention on him. Her hands crawls over A.J.’s knuckles gently as she smiles, “I’m just amazed at the fact that you went through all of this with me. You could have easily backed down from caring for Faith but you went for it. And for that I’m for ever grateful.”

A.J. smiles and nods his head, “No problem, you would do the same for me… errr well maybe not since I can’t get pregnant but you know what I mean.”

Yasmine giggles softly, “Sadly, yes I know exactly what you mean. But I want to thank you seriously again from the bottom of my heart. This all means a lot to me. This beautiful home you got me and the little one. And for your presence. You give my new life with Faith meaning. I know God places certain people in our lives for a reason and I’m so glad you’re one of them.”

A.J. inhales, taking in the soft whiff of Yasmine’s perfume and gentle green apple spray she previously squirted on her arm back at the store. He smiles at her comment, “God’s got his ways I guess. And thanks again. I’m sounding like a tape recorder repeating all these thanks.” He stops, hearing Yasmine’s giggles before continuing. “So I’m thinking I’m pretty lucky to have you in my life then huh?”

“What do you think?” She grins sheepishly, batting her eyes at him.

“You know exactly what I mean. But let me let you get some rest. I know you’re tired. Daddy A.J. will watch over Faith as you rest.”

“See, now I’m just scared.” Yasmine giggles as she kicks off her white addias and head to the bathroom to change and wash up.

“Aight.” A.J. whispers, heading out to the newly polished furnished living room. Some cardboard boxes still remained unpack but eventually it will it all get done. A.J. was lucky enough to find a quaint place with Kevin’s help. The apartment was located across the magnificent Trump Towers providing the view of the Manhattan west side coast line and the place was highly secured with guards on standby downstairs in the lobby 24/7. Which Yasmine found grateful for. He walks over to a window pane and takes a seat on the ledge, the window provided. His smile spans over his face as he gathers his thoughts about the last few weeks with Yasmine. Since Faith was born, A.J. felt a deeper connection to Yasmine than ever before. They still considered themselves friends but he sometimes wonder if she ever thought of becoming more than that. Of course he was head over heels for her but at the same time: he respected her and was unsure what to make of their friendship. Howie would call him often to bug him about what was the deal with Yasmine and him. A.J. couldn’t answer that, he told him about Yasmine’s daring confession of falling in love with him during her time in labor but he wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. Howie told him just like the other guys in the group to go up and talk to her about it. But A.J. didn’t even know where to begin. ‘Easier said than done D.’ It wasn’t as simple to go up and drag the topic of their relationship up again. He wasn’t sure what he wanted from Yasmine but one thing was certain, he wanted to be in her life no matter what comes out of it. In fact he wanted to take part of Faith’s life as well. He had a promise and he was going to keep it for all three of them: Faith and Yasmine. Sure he wasn’t the child’s true father, but the fact can not be denied any longer, he loved Faith as if she was his own real child. Nick would constantly tease him about it yet with a hint of pride that his friend was taking on real responsibilities. That always encouraged him to see the others respond to him in such a way.

He listens to the running shower water coming from the bathroom as he sighs and walks over to the kitchen to get a drink from the fridge. He tilts his head as he opens the fridge over to the front door to see a white envelope sticking out of the crack of the door.

“What the…” A.J. whispers, pulling out a can of Pespi , closing the fridge behind him. He walks over to the door and kneels down to get a hold of the envelope. Glancing at the unknown person’s name, he drops the letter on the kitchen counter, assuming it was one of Yasmine’s friends.

Yasmine opens the bathroom door and lets out an exhausted sigh of relief. Putting on a thin strap navy blue top and matching bottoms, she pads out of her room barefooted to see A.J. leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed. Smiling, she heads over to him and gently leans over to give him a warm kiss on his forehead before heading to the kitchen counter. She was about to put away a utensil when she spots an un-open envelope on the black and white Formica counter. She glances at A.J. for a moment knowing he must still be slumbering away in his sleep. She smirks and holds the envelope in her hands, tearing it open to see a folded letter topple on the counter. Curiously, she unfolds the sheet of paper and in neatly type written words: she reads the letter off silently to herself:

-My Love, do you remember me? I remember you. Why are you so scared? Why did you back away when you saw me? Confessions of your words run through my head since that last day I saw you. You are beautiful, alluring in so many ways. My desires have only increased since the last you’ve seen me. I can’t seem to get you out of my head since that day. And yes, do you still remember what happened that time when you gave yourself to me? Call it force, I prefer to call it territorial. It wasn’t a rape that I committed: you willingly gave yourself to me. I have the one thing that your little companion can never get. Even if he has your love, I have your innocence and no other man can ever experience that. Not even that pesky friend of yours. So I wanted to write to you to tell you that I haven’t forgotten you no in fact I’ve been waiting patiently till we meet again. I’ve been watching you consistently. Even when you ran to the police to try to book me, I watched and laughed knowing not even the police can save you from me. I’ll never hurt you, nor was that ever my intention. I love you sweetheart, there isn’t anything in this world that would make me a happier man than to see your smile when I touch you, but that night all you did was scream, telling me you didn’t want my love, my touch. I wanted that night to be special for the both of us but you turned it into something more, something I feared turned to violence. That wasn’t my intention darling. All I wanted was for you to be with me, to always be with me. I’m not obsessed. I’ve passed that line too long ago. So go ahead and show this letter to the police, your friends, family and anyone else you choose. But my desire for you won’t die. And until you belong to me, it never will.

-Longing to be yours always, your friend K.C.

Yasmine gulps as she nervously folds the letter back into the envelope. This isn’t what she needed to hear at the moment, why this letter? Who was this K.C? She had received a letter from him before but nothing this extreme that sent shivers down the core of her spine. “Dear God, not again! I can’t have this.” She whispers out, feeling tremors rush down her body. She tucks the envelope away, placing it away inside one of the kitchen cabinets buried beneath rolls of paper towels and folded dish rags. She closes the cabinet in time to see A.J. stare at her strangely.

“Is everything is ok?” A.J. whispers, slowly standing: fearing he would scare her of any sudden movements.

Yasmine gulps and shakes her head rapidly, clutching her hands tightly together.

“Are you sure?” A.J. whispers, approaching her and pulling her to him in his embrace.

Yasmine buries her head in the nook of his neck, wrapping her arms tightly around him. “Please I just want to go sleep. Can you take me to bed?” She softly cries out.

A.J. watches her quietly, dreading to know what could be the cause of Yasmine’s deposition and actions. “Yasmine, did you read a letter that was on the counter?”

“Huh what letter?” She lies, pretending to look over his shoulders to gaze at the counter.

“I left a letter on the counter for you. Do you know the person?”

“Yes, just a buddy of mines. Don’t you worry about it. But please, just take me to bed ok, I’m tired. You don’t have to stay here for the night if you don’t want too.” She whispers as they shuffle over to the bedroom.

“I’m staying, I won’t leave you alone. I never will.” A.J. whispers , tucking Yasmine into her bed. Sighing, he sits on the edge of her bed as she buries her small self beneath the quilt.

“Will you watch me as I sleep?” She whispers softly.

“If you don’t mind. I just want to make sure you’re alright. And Yasmine if you want to talk about anything, and I mean anything. You know I’m here right?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” She whispers as A.J. shuts off the lights and takes a seat besides Yasmine’s bed.

“Can you sing me to sleep?” Yasmine whispers timidly.

“Anything for you girl. And you don’t have to ever ask, I’ll gladly do it.” A.J. whispers as he begins a soft ballad. When he was done with the song, he sighs gently to hear the gentle slow breathing of Yasmine sleeping in the darkness of her room. He closes his eyes, thoughts flooding into his mind. He was tempted to race out of the room and search through the cabinets to see what exactly was in the letter. He knew she read it, he wasn’t naïve in that part and she was left troubled after reading it. He would have to look go in search for that in the morning. For now he had a promise to keep, he wouldn’t leave Yasmine alone no matter what and he closes his eyes hoping for some form of rest.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“See I don’t know if I can handle you as just a friend/
Awww baby I can’t pretend/
Awww baby I’m so far in/
But I don’t mind as long as I can have you in my life/
Awww baby I’m satisfied even if you’re not just mine.” –Ashanti “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)”

**~A Voice Within~**

A pile of cassette tapes crash onto the floor as Nick smirks: glancing at Howie who fumbles to clean up the littered mess on the floor. “D, maybe the stuff he had is in one of those tapes?”

Howie sighs, throwing the pile of the tapes onto an empty hotel bed. “Don’t know, but I don’t feel like going through any of these tapes. It’s too many of them and I’d doubt we got time to listen to it all.”

“Guys, did you find A.J.’s cassette yet? We got to meet up with him in an half and hour and you know Kevin hates being late.” Brian smirks, strapping on a book pack and heading out of the suite room.

“Alright, I’m ready. We can’t find the cassette, there’s a whole pile without any labels or anything.” Nick mumbles, scratching the side of his head, reaching for his tinted shades that lied on a dresser.

Howie sighs and passes his fingers through a small radio A.J. had on a display on the night stand, pushing the buttons on it playfully. The radio suddenly ejects a cassette from its slot as Howie smiles and slips the cassette onto his hands. Holding the tape in his hands, he nods his head, “We can leave now. I think I found it.”

“Great, so let’s go then.” Nick shuffles over to the open doorway where Brian was waiting patiently for them. Howie rushes and grabs his knack snap, leaving the suite behind, locking the door shut behind him.
~*~

“Ok, wait. Don’t move! Right there. Perfect!” A.J. smiles, adjusting the camcorder lens to focus better on Yasmine and little Faith sleeping soundly in her carriage, wrapped in a thin cotton blanket.

Yasmine giggles, brushing some of her black curls into a ponytail, “Alex, why are you filming this?”

“Cause I want Faith to see what mommy does when she goes out. It’ll be a good laugh for her and all of us.”

“You’re really bored huh daddy?” She grins into the camcorder, her bright emerald eyes standing out . A.J simply shakes his head and laughs,

“Just sit down on the bench, I need you to look like you’re doing something natural.”

Laughing, Yasmine pretends to pull out an ‘imaginary’ magazine and begins to ‘read.’

“Ha ha. Real funny Yas. I said natural, not psycho.” A.J. snickers as he zooms on the infant in the carriage. “Ahhh, lookie, little Faithy sleeping away. See this is what you looked like when you were baby. See ain’t you the cutest thing? You look just like your mommy, oh yes you do.” A.J. coos into the camera.

Yasmine withheld her laughter as she sees Kevin, and the other three men of the group approach quickly to hear A.J.’s little cooing.

Nick in response answers back in a baby voice, “I sure am daddy. Look, film me in this position.”

A.J. smirks, eyeing Nick and greeting him along with the others, “Hey guys.” He whispers through his chuckling.

Nick beams and embraces Yasmine, tickling her. “So when you heading back to the gym? You said you planned on working off the baby fat right?”

Yasmine tugs on her black snug tank top, smiling: “What? Nick I’m not fat. Are you saying I don’t look nice with all these new curves the pregnancy gave me?”

Nick’s grin broadens, his eyes sculpting the woman before him, “I never said that, bang! Faith gave mommy alotta of bo…”

“Nick!” Kevin barks out, interrupting Nick’s statement, controlling the smile that crosses his face.

Nick smirks, rolling his eyes. “Look all I was gonna say was that Yasmine’s breasts…”

“Ok, that’s it. Nick you have time out.” Brian points to a vacant wooden bench: its green paint already chipping off.

The other join in the laughing as Nick playfully sighs and heads over to the bench. “Boobs isn’t a bad thing Yas. Not a bad thing at all.”

“Nick, turn around too. You can’t talk to us till you’ll behave like a big boy.” Brian adds on, flopping besides Nick as he reaches over to hug Yasmine.

“You guys are too much.” Yasmine giggles out, her golden tan checks glitter in the gentle light.

“So, what’s with the filming A.J.?” Howie whispers out, digging through his pockets to find the cassette.

“Oh.” A.J. smiles before continuing, “I’m just so excited that I wanted to film Yasmine’s outing with Faith. See, the way I figured it out is that when Faith starts asking questions about when she was an infant later on, I can simply have her view this video.”

“Ahhh, well that’s a cool idea.” Kevin grins, patting A.J.’s shoulder.

“Well yeah, actually is was Yasmine’s idea as well. I just tag along and went with it.” A.J. grins sheepishly, gazing at the cement pathway.

“Ah, the wonders of technology.” Brian grins, eyeing Yasmine, “That’s an interesting idea, though I don’t think I would ever have enough film for Baylee.”

“Yeah, knowing you, you would probably film when Baylee does his first fart.” Nick smirks, slipping a stick of gum into his mouth.

“You retard.” Howie laughs as the others gather around the carriage.

“Aight, well Alex, we should start heading to the studio now, Yasmine you’re welcome to come along with us.” Kevin whispers, fanning himself from the early summer breeze.

Brian smirks, “I heard today is suppose to be the start of a heat wave.”

“Great, just what I needed.” Yasmine fans herself, “Summer just started here in New York and already we’re having a heat advisory.”

Nick grins, “See that’s what I like about summer, it always makes the ladies hot. If you want, you can take off the shirt, I won’t say anything.”

The others groan as Yasmine laughs, “Sweetie keep dreaming, cause that ain’t happening any time soon.”

“Alright, alright guys. Come on. We gotta head to the studio now or we’ll never make it there.” Kevin smiles, helping Yasmine off the bench. The other four men gather their belongings as A.J. hands the camcorder to Howie.

“D, here. Keep filming, in case something juicy happens.” A.J. comments, adjusting his white cotton tank top.

Howie smiles, “Alright, cool.” He holds the camera and continues filming as they all make their way towards the awaiting vehicle. A.J. pushes the carriage and breathes in the sweet warm scent of the humid air and flowers. Howie turns the camera to A.J. and smiles. “So tell me, how do you feel about being a dad?”

A.J. grins cheekily into the camera, the gentle warm breeze flutter his black and brown tipped hair. “Man, it feels good.”

“Good? Can you get more specific?” Howie whispers as they were nearing the SUV.

“Uhhh, k. Well this is a new feeling. The feeling of taking responsibilities for another human being. The fact of having a small person rely on you constantly is pressure, but I like it. This is a good kind pressure. I don’t think any words can describe the exact feelings I’m having. I love her and I would do anything for this little child.” A.J. slowly states, a comforting sense of love encompasses his soul.

Howie lowers the camera and nods, “Yeah, I know you would. I’m proud of ya man.”

A.J. smiles and glances at the others a few feet down waiting for them to caught up. “Thanks. I’m only doing what I can to help out.”

“And that’s a big thing Alex. Buddy if you only knew how Yasmine is feeling for all your help. I don’t think she would have made it if she didn’t have a friend like you. You already helped even before taking up the father role for Faith.” Howie smiles, placing a hand on his friend’s arm.

“How?”

“You saved Yasmine.” Howie whispers, leading A.J. and Faith towards the SUV.
~*~

He sighs softly, picking up a black sharpie to cross out the date on the calendar. “Wow, already June 29th.” He whispers, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. His eyes glance towards the window in his room and watch a flock of birds descend down to the ground outside. Tugging on the cord to pull the shades down to block the bright sun, he ties his black combat boots and smiles. The full length mirror reflected his tall broad shoulders and recently shaven goatee. His runs his butter pecan fingers through his straight black hair to make sure it looked perfect before heading out. “Tonight is the night Yasmine. Did you receive my letter? I know you did.” He whispers to himself, pulling a short sleeve black shirt over his head. His dark eyes glitter in glee as he takes a pin used to pick locks into his pockets. “Oh Yasmine, won’t you be happy to see me again? Indeed it will be sweet and I get to see my child as well.” And with that, Kelvin saunters over to his apartment door, grabbing his car keys and locking the door behind him. He had quite a plan to fulfill tonight and he needed to get started with it right away. Smiling, he walks down the vacant dirty carpeted hallway and awaits for the elevator, eagerly thrilled to pull the plan off.
~*~

A.J. pushes the play bottom down on the radio in the studio to hear instead of the bass playing he had practice for one of their singles to a conversation. A.J. smirks and not paying attention to the radio, turns to see the other men and Yasmine along with Faith laugh about something that was being discussed. A.J. turns back around and leans close to the radio speakers to listen what was on the radio. He inhales deeply, listening to the sudden private conversation that was recorded on the tape:

Yasmine sighs, “Na, their not a boy band. Man they’ll kill you if you said that.” She giggles, pushing a black curl behind her ear.

“Yeah, I’ll watch my mouth. Hey that’s a nice shirt, I’ve seen it before.” And stops himself: gulping, hoping his mistake goes unnoticed. “Oh, green always did look good on ya.”

Yasmine smirks and tugs on her blouse, “Really? I never noticed. This shirt is new by the way. I had one like this before but…” She stops, closing her eyes, “Before I went through that incident.” She cries out.

“Shhh, Sorry about that. Man, I didn’t want to make you cry.”

A.J. raises his eyebrows and rewinds the tape, playing it over again, trying to figure out who are the voices. He recognized one as belonging to Yasmine, but the other voice was of a man. And it was bothering A.J. that he had no idea who it was. He knew from the background in the tape that it happened recently, in fact he could almost hear another voice singing from far off to a song being played. He pressed his ears close to the speakers to try to identify what was happening in the tape but feels the boring of the others eye him. Blushing, A.J. clears his throat and shuts off the tape, staring at the others. “Uh hey guys. What’s up?”

“Whatcha hearing?” Nick bounces over, his fingers reaching over to the radio. A.J. swipes Nick’s hand away as an idea pops into his head. “Nicky, do me a favor? I wanna try something, can you go into inside the recording set, I wanna hear something.”

Nick frowns and glances at Kevin who simply shrugs his shoulders.

“What for?” Nick whispers quietly.

“I just wanna hear something. It’ll be quick, I’m trying to figure something out.” A.J. whispers quietly so that the others wouldn’t hear him.

Nick gulps, nodding his head in confusion, he opens the recording studio door and steps behind the glass pane window. The rest of the group watch Nick from the other side of the room all wondering what was A.J. thinking of.

“Nick, sing anything. I’m trying to see how the sound would sound from another room.” A.J. states, speaking into the microphone as he pushes himself onto a chair and presses some of the buttons on the control set.

Nick eyes him before testing the microphone.

“Wait. Nick what’s that song? It’s a rock song, it has the words “Addicted” in it.” A.J. states, receiving confused glances from Howie, Brian and Kevin.

“A.J. what did you hear? What’s the big deal?” Kevin whispers, heading over to the radio. A.J. turns and pulls out the cassette before Kevin reached it.

“I heard something, but I can’t remember what day it was, I just need Nick to do this favor for me, it’ll help me out.” A.J. states, adjusting himself on the leather recliner the studio provided.

“Uh, ok. J, that’s “Addicted” by Simple Plan. We played it a while back during Yasmine’s baby shower, remember?” Nick voices through the microphone.

A.J. bolts upright and gulps. “That’s it! Thanks Nick, you don’t have to do anything, I just got it.”

“Got what? What’s on the tape?” Brian whispers, eyeing Yasmine who was sitting with her infant not paying attention to the on going conversation the men are having.

A.J. sighs and glances back at Yasmine as Nick enters the studio to rejoin them.

“It’s a conversation, but it’s a weird one. Seems I left my tape to record that night and Yasmine was in my room with a guy. But I can’t figure out what guy it was. He said something that kinda had me thinking.”

“Dude just play the tape.” Nick whispers, taking a sip of his bottled water.

“Uh, I will, but I don’t what Yas to be here. I don’t want her to think I was spying on her or something,” A.J. fiddles with the radio.

Howie nods, “I’ll take care of it. I’ll take her out of here. Hey maybe she remembered something from the incident she had.”

“Yeah, maybe.” A.J. eyes Howie.

Howie strides over to Yasmine, kneeling down: “Hey momma, seems we’ll be here longer than we thought. How about I take ya home? A.J. will see ya there shortly. K?”

Yasmine beams and nods, “Ummm, k. I guess Faith had too much excitement for today. So guys, I’ll see ya later then.” She whispers out, waving to the guys before heading out the door. They all embrace her and wish their farewells before Howie and Yasmine head out the studio.

“Ok, play it now.” Kevin rushes, sitting on a vacant chair, curious to see what was intriguing A.J.’s curiosity.

A.J. gulps and slides the cassette into the radio slot, pressing play on it. The room boomed with Yasmine’s voice along with an unidentified man.

“Who the hell is that?” Kevin whispers, tapping his foot on the tiles.

“He sounds familiar though.” Brian responds, getting a few nods from the other guys.

“Wait listen to this part, check it out, the guy mentioned something about seeing Yasmine in a green shirt before hand.” A.J. whispers, hinting at the minor clue.

Once the tape was done, Kevin sits there more confused than anything else. “That didn’t really help us out.”

Brian narrows his eyes, glancing at A.J., “What is it? What do you find that is so interesting about their conversation?”

“Guys! Yasmine was wearing a green shirt the day of her rape incident! That’s what the big deal is?!” Nick calls out, getting a nod and smile for A.J.

“Bingo. That’s what I was thinking.” A.J. whispers out, eying Kevin and Brian.

“So, she wore green that day too, that can’t lead us to anything. It was an innocent conversation. It’s not like you can take this to the police.” Kevin mentions. “Its not real evidence.”

“Ahhh, but maybe this letter is good enough.” A.J. murmurs, digging through his jean pockets to pull out an unaddressed envelope to reveal to the guys the letter that he found last night that cause Yasmine to freak out.

Brian takes the typed written folded letter in his hands and spreads it out onto a cloth onto of the table. “Whoa, check this out!” he gulps, shakily reading out the words:

-My Love, do you remember me? I remember you. Why are you so scared? Why did you back away when you saw me? Confessions of your words run through my head since that last day I saw you. You are beautiful, alluring in so many ways. My desires have only increased since the last you’ve seen me. I can’t seem to get you out of my head since that day. And yes, do you still remember what happened that time when you gave yourself to me? Call it force, I prefer to call it territorial. It wasn’t a rape that I committed: you willingly gave yourself to me. I have the one thing that your little companion can never get. Even if he has your love, I have your innocence and no other man can ever experience that. Not even that pesky friend of yours. So I wanted to write to you to tell you that I haven’t forgotten you no in fact I’ve been waiting patiently till we meet again. I’ve been watching you consistently. Even when you ran to the police to try to book me, I watched and laughed knowing not even the police can save you from me. I’ll never hurt you, nor was that ever my intention. I love you sweetheart, there isn’t anything in this world that would make me a happier man than to see your smile when I touch you, but that night all you did was scream, telling me you didn’t want my love, my touch. I wanted that night to be special for the both of us but you turned it into something more, something I feared turned to violence. That wasn’t my intention darling. All I wanted was for you to be with me, to always be with me. I’m not obsessed. I’ve passed that line too long ago. So go ahead and show this letter to the police, your friends, family and anyone else you choose. But my desire for you won’t die. And until you belong to me, it never will.

-Longing to be yours always, your friend K.C.

Nick gulps, “When did she get this?!” He rushes the words out, nervously eyeing Kevin.

“Yesterday. Last night when I was in the living room at Yas’s place, I noticed a letter peeking from the door. I didn’t pay mind to it, but what ever it was, freaked out Yas. I thought for a moment she was gonna get an anxiety attack. I knew it had to do with the letter but I didn’t get a hold of it till later this afternoon before leaving Yas’s place. She was distracted with Faith and I had the chance to search in the cabinets.”

“And this is what you found.” Kevin whispers out in concern.

“Yeah.” A.J. gulps.

“Sh…” Nick was cut off when Brian bolts out of his seat and points to Nick,

“Wait, didn’t you tell me you got a strange letter by the same person?”

“Huh?” A.J. eyes them as Kevin watches on in interest.

“Uh, yeah. Somewhat. I didn’t want to tell ya J, but whoever this guy is, knows us. Knows you or at least indicts he does. I got a letter from the receptionist in the hotel today.” Nick murmurs, fidgeting with his back pack, searching through it.

“You have it with ya?” A.J. whispers nervously, feeling the tension rise in the air. Nick nods and continues searching through his back pack.

Kevin grabs hold of the letter on the table and shakes his head, “This is some sick bastard then! You have to turn this in to the police.”

“The police? Kevin, what are they gonna do with this? You forgot they closed the case a while back. They’re not interested, that’s means we have to take this into our own hands.” A.J. slowly whispers out.

“Own hands?! What do you mean? Alex you don’t even know what you’re getting yourself into!” Kevin stands up, worried for the sanity of his friend.

“Kev, listen to me, we can find the guy. This means he’s closer to us than we think. I asked Ysamine if she knows a K.C. and I recalled she mentioned it was friend of hers. That’s means we should track down all her friends and start questioning them.” A.J. states, determined to start investigating immediately.

“What? We can’t find a rapist! A.J. are you out of your mind?! This is a criminal you’re talking about! We can’t track this person down. We have no real evidence just that letter, the cassette which doesn’t tell us anything. And one possible suspect.” Kevin states frustrated.

“One suspect?” Brian asks.

“That man on the cassette, that’s who.” A.J. retorts.

“So you have the letter Nick?” Kevin sighs, rubbing his weary eyes with the palms of his hands.

Nick gulps and nervously pulls out a blank envelope, inhaling deeply.

Kevin takes the blank envelope and pulls out a neatly folded typed written letter. Spreading the letter on the same table, the four men gaze over it as A.J .reads it out loud:

-Greetings. You don’t know me nor do I intend for you to personally know me, but I’ve been watching you and your friends. I saw you one day in the lobby and your friend on a date with Yasmine. I dare you to show this to the police. I have connections that even your celebrity powers can’t perceive. Are you scared? You should be. I have plans for you and others. Especially for Yasmine. Have you ever thought of what would happen when Yasmine is alone? You haven’t yet cause you haven’t left her alone. That’s good, such nice friends you are. No wonder Yasmine has taken a liking to you. But you can’t watch her all the time and when that happens, I’ll be there. Don’t you worry your pretty head about her, she’ll be taken care of like she was suppose to. Tell Yasmine I miss her and we’ll meet one day. As for you, perhaps you should walk with your security more often, cause it would be a pity to see one of you wounded or die for someone’s foolish mistakes. Don’t expect to see me, cause you won’t find me. But rather I’ll find you. Until later, watch over Yasmine, she’ll need it.

~Unlikely Adversary, perhaps.

The studio held a suffocating atmosphere as the letter topples out of Kevin’s shaking hands. “What the…” He whispers, inhaling deeply.

“That’s it! We’re telling the police, I can’t walk around fearing for my life!” Nick cries out.

“Nicky buddy relax. This guy is threatening all of us.” A.J. whispers out, cracking his knuckles. The nerves racing down his body.

“Damn, we still have to meet with the producers though, but I don’t think we should be here right now.” Brian states.

“I’ll, I’ll call Stevens and tell him to forget today. I’m not in the mood to meet with anyone after all this.” Kevin whispers.

“I can get our security to double check and double up on the amount of people to watch over us. We’re getting threatened with our lives and we need to be prepared.” Brian slowly murmurs, gathering his belongings.

“Great, just great. Thanks a lot K.C. for ruining our day.” A.J. hisses quietly, grabbing his back pack and glasses.

“Alright. I’m gonna call Howie and tell him what we found. K?” Nick whispers as they exit the studio.

Brian quickly scribbles a note and leaves it on the door of the studio as he rushes off to the others.

“I’m gonna get Mark and the rest of the security to get ready. Don’t worry Nick, we’ll be ok man.” A.J. smiles weakly.

Nick sighs and nods, lost in his fears as they head out to meet their security guards.
~*~

Howie yawns quietly as he smiles watching Yasmine place Faith in her crib to finish sleeping. “Oh Howie, I forget to check my mail, my mom sent a package for the baby and I just got a voicemail on my phone that their holding it downstairs. Can you pick that up for me real quick?”

“Uh sure. I’ll rbe ight back then.” Howie smiles and exits the extravagant apartment. He walks down the blue plush hallway carpet and enters an elevator, just missing a stranger dressed in all black, creeping around the corner of the hallway.

Yasmine sighs and enters her bathroom, deciding to take a shower. She closes the bathroom door and slips out of her summer clothes, eagerly awaiting for the cool water to hit her heated body. She steps into the shower stall and slides the glass panes close behind her. Sighing in relief, she moves towards the falling cold water and washes up. The front door of her apartment creeks open as a man dressed in an all black attire slides through. Walking silently into the room, he smiles and using the same pin used to unlock her apartment door begins scratching on the dark kitchen a message. Smiling, he creeps over to the closed bathroom and slowly turns the knob, seeping through the threshold. He smiles, watching the silhouette of his angel bathing in the nude. He blushes fiercely, feeling as if he seen a holy creature that he wasn’t met to see. He grins and walks over to window pane, sliding it open. Yasmine glances up at the sound and gasps at the man.

“What are you doing here?!” She cries out.

“Shhh…Don’t make a sound.” The masked man whispers, pulling out a pistol and aiming it at her. “I won’t hurt you if you do what I want.”

“What do you want from me?” She cries out, shrinking back, covering her arms around her exposed body.

“Stay quiet. I saw your friend heading downstairs. Don’t scream or you’ll get shot. I won’t hesitate like I did before.” The masked man seethes out, stepping into the shower with her.

She cries out as the man pushes her against the shower stall, aiming his magnum at her head. “Let me finish what I started.” The man seethes out as Yasmine chokes out and shakes her head, her tears slamming down her frightened cheeks. He slides his hands down her waist and yanks her hand away to reveal her in all her glory. She whimpers out, tears clouding her vision.

“Please no! I have a child! What are you doing? I did nothing to you.” Yasmine chokes out, her shoulders racking in sadness.

“Shut up! Now stand still.” The masked man whispers, taking the full opportunity of lavishing her body as Yasmine cries out, failing to fight back.

She closes her eyes as she feels the man destroy her body. Even if she was in the shower, no amount of water can ever clean off this filth that he has done to her.
~*~

Howie grabs the package and begins to head back to the elevators when he hears his phone ring. He answers it and flips it open, “Ello?”

“D, oh thank God! Listen is Yasmine nearby you?” A.J. whispers, watching the trees whirl pass him on the highway as Kevin slams on the pedal taking them back to Yasmine’s new apartment.

“Uh no why?” Howie whispers, entering the elevator.

“Oh ok, listen to what we just found out, Nick got a le…” A.J .was cut off as Howie lost signal from his cell in the elevator.

“Damn.” Howie hisses, placing the phone back on the clip of his pocket. The elevator lands on the fourth floor as a lady boards it. Howie sighs and leans back on the polished wall waiting for the elevator to bring to him to the seventh floor. He wondered what A.J. was gonna say before he lost contact. He gazes slowly over to the lit numbers the elevator passed and finally feels the soft bump as the metal doors slide open. Howie sighs and walks down the beautifully carpeted hallway, struggling with the cardboard box in his arms. He pulls out his spare copy of the keys to Yasmine’s door and enters it to see the bathroom door open. Curiosity getting to him, he drops off the box on the sofa and narrows his eyes at the scratched kitchen counter that seem to have a message scrawled on it. Gasping he eyes over the words “You left her alone.” Howie runs over to the open bathroom, his heart slamming against his chest as he walks over to a curled nude Yasmine who was shivering violently.

“OH GOD!” He cries out, grabbing a towel and gently wrapping her body in it. Yasmine peers at him, tears streaming consistently from her tan cheeks.

He wraps his arms around her as she wraps the towel around her. Sobbing, she shakes her head and barely in a whisper she speaks into his arms, wrapping her arms around him. “He got me! He got me!”

Howie gulps and carries her out of the bathroom, her small body trembling in his arms as he places her down. “You have to tell me what he looked liked ok? Please, I’m so sorry, why did I leave? How did he get in here?” He whispers more to himself as Yasmine curls herself up in the towel.

She sniffs and wipes away a tear from her eyes, “You left me alone.”

“I, I know. Oh God, I’m so sorry.” Howie whispers, inhaling deeply afraid his heart would beating.

Yasmine breathes in and wrapped in a long towel, walks painfully over to her bedroom to get dressed.

“Yasmine, I’m sorry this happened to you again.” Howie whispers out sadly.

She turns and frowns, nodding her head and sliding into her room in silence, closing the door behind her.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“I've loved a lot, hurt a lot
Been burned a lot in my life and times
Spent precious years wrapped up in fear
With no end in sight
Until my saving grace shined on me
Until my saving grace set me free

Giving me peace
Giving me strength when I'd
Almost lost it all
Catching my every fall
I still exist because you keep me safe
I found my saving grace within you.” –Mariah Carey’s “My Saving Grace.”

**~No Conspiracy ~**

A.J. blots down the hallway, his heart was pounding heavily as he reached Yasmine’s apartment. Nick, Brian and Kevin were gasping for breath behind him, catching up to him as Howie creaks open the door, a frown covering his delicate face.

A.J. gulps, sliding through the threshold, passing Howie. “Something happened didn’t it?” He whispers, his eyes trailing over to the carved kitchen counter.

The others enter the apartment, gently closing the door behind them as they all stare at the deranged messaged chipped into the mahogany counter.

“OH GOD!” Brian cries out as he eyes Howie.

“What happened?” A.J. slowly whispers out, his back facing Howie at the moment.

‘There, there was a prob, problem when I went to pick up some mail.” Howie clamors out in fright.

“D, where’s Yas?” Nick asks quietly, stepping around him.

“In her room. She’s upset with what happened.”

“He got to her!?” Nick trembles out.

A.J. bites his lower lip, shaking his head in anger. “How could this happen! How the hell could this happen to her again!” He bellows, knocking over an array of flowered vases aligning the shelves in the den. The loud crash of the glass breaks the deafening silence that consumed them all. A.J. rubs his eyes, letting out a sob. “I told her that she would be safe. I told her that won’t happen to her. That I would protect her. That, that man won’t ever harm her and I let her down!”

Kevin gulps, unable to respond for the first time. He was caught in shock as well, slowly sitting down on the edge of a sofa.

Nick stares down at the light blue carpet placed in the den quietly, remaining silent as Brian approaches A.J.

“Maybe you should go talk with her.” He whispers, his wet sapphire eyes shining.

A.J. sniffs and shakes his head, “Maybe this was all a big mistake. This is too hard for me to handle.”

“What’s a mistake?” Kevin whispers finally, his cracking as he fights with his emotions.

A.J. remained silent, his back facing the others.

“J, you’re not alone man. You have us. We’ll all help out if you need it. I mean we’re family.” Nick responds quietly.

“I’m so sorry Alex.” Howie whispers.

A.J. nods his head, “I know you are. It’s not your fault. There’s something not right with this picture. I’m gonna start making calls and see if we track down the person.”

“Ok and hey if you wanna talk, we’ll be here to listen.” Brian gently whispers.

A.J. sniffs, wiping a stray tear that managed to escape down his cheek. “Thanks. But forget it.” And with that, he makes his way to Yasmine’s master bedroom. Knocking on the door gently, he turns the cooper knob and pokes his head into the threshold. He can see Yasmine staring out the large glass pane window, crying silently as little Faith was quietly sleeping. Without saying a word, he steps into the room and wraps his arms around her as she looks up at him and buries her head in the nook of his neck.

He didn’t say anything, but held her quietly in his arms for as long as she wanted him too. She sniffs and smiles, touching his cheek. “Where you crying?”

A.J. jumps up at her voice and nods, “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? I want you to be safe but I feel horrible about what occurred to you. I let you down.”

Yasmine wraps her arms tightly around his neck, smiling. “Don’t be. I understand that man wanted attention and he did what he did. But the one thing I learned from being in rehab is no matter how much the body breaks down, my soul he can never have. He can’t win this over.”

“But you’re sad. And I could have done something. If Howie didn’t leave then…”

He stops speaking as Yasmine gently presses her firm lips on his. He stiffens up, nervous, afraid of this unexpected action. She pulls away from him with a smirk scrolled on her face,

“What’s wrong? You act like you never were kissed before?” Yasmine giggles softly, her emerald orbs wet with past tears.

“I wasn’t expecting that. That’s all.”

Yasmine smiles gently trying her best to remain strong under everything that has occurred.

A.J. strokes her cheek, allowing her to bury her head on his neck. “Yas, I’m so sorry for…”

“Alex. It’s alright. I’m not mad at you for what happened and you have nothing to be sorry for. Just hold me.”

A.J. nods and obliges, maintaining his hold around her small body. “I promise to never let you go again.”

Yasmine smiles, inhaling his cologne: her fingers tracing the collar of his black tank top. “Do you believe in guardian Angels?”

“What?”

“You know it’s funny. Before you came in here a few minutes before I was close to cursing God out.” Yasmine whispers, her breathing coming out ragged.

A.J. smirks, “And did you?”

“No. I couldn’t. I’m upset with God, but I can’t disown him. I’m just lucky to still be here, talking to you. But do you believe in guardians angel?”

A.J. cradles her gently, rocking her into in his embrace. “Yeah.”

Yasmine pulls away from him, her eyes locking with his, “Really?”

Smiling, he nods and pulls her back into his arms. “Yeah. I have you in my life for a reason.”

Yasmine smiles, “You think I could be your angel?”

A.J. tightens his grip, cupping her chin gently with his hand, “You already are.” And he leans in to seal the deal with a gentle kiss.
~*~

He checks off another person off the list in the chart, grumbling. “Nothing. This guy haven’t seen Yasmine since seventh grade.” Howie places his pen down on the counter.

Kevin picks up his cell, punching in another number from the list, “I’ll see if a Jodie knows anything about our Yasmine.”

Nick sighs, leaning back on the sofa frustrated, “We tried almost half the people on the list and we’re getting no where.”

Brian stands up from his seat on the sofa, pacing nervously around the den. “Give me the next number Howie.” He fiddles with his cell in his hands.

Howie sighs nervously, calling out the next number off the list. “This is Anya’s number.”

Nick grins, sitting up in his seat, “Wait B, let me handle this.”

Brian smirks, “Uh Nick, I don’t think its right you call up Anya. She thinks you’re insane as it is already. Besides we’re asking her for real important info and you hitting on her will just distract her.”

Nick fakes a gasp, shaking his head: “Unbelievable guys. Anya knows she likes what she sees, she’s just in denial.”

“Oh that’s more than denial going on there Nicky.” Howie smirks, punching in another number off the list.

“Wonder what’s going on in there?” Kevin points towards Yasmine’s closed bedroom door.

Brian inhales gently, “Poor guys. It’s gotta be so hard for both of them to deal with it.”

Howie motions with his hands as he gets an answering machine from his call. Muttering, Howie picks up a red sharpie, circling the name on the list. “No one home.” He sighs, starting to believe that they might need the police’s help after all. It would be impossible for them to track down the right person without being misled.
~*~

“So what’s going on the den? I hear the other guys talking about something.” Yasmine twirls a lock of her dark hair in her fingers.

“Oh some stuff, the guys wanna help out and see what they can get? I was curious. You said you knew a man with the letters of K and C right?”

Yasmine rolls her eyes, “Oh yeah, what about them?”

“Them?”

Smirking, Yasmine blows out a puff of air. “Well to be honest with you, I have tons of guy friends with those letters, the fact that the letters are together is well strange. See I don’t really know any of their last names. Why?” She eyes him.

“I’m trying to see if maybe I knew the guy. But you’re saying it could be any one of your friends. Do you know if any of them could be the same ones sending out those threatening letters to you and the guys?” A.J. asks.

“Whoa, you guys are getting creepy letters too by the same person?” Yasmine whispers, getting a chill down her spine.

“Yeah. I didn’t want to say, but I figured it can help out in tracking this guy down.” A.J. seeps out, running his hands through his black hair.

“Oh man. I’m so sorr, that who over is doing this, is messing with you.” Yasmine utters out gently.

“Oh don’t worry about it. We’re safe plus we have guards looking out for us along with guards watching our guards watching us.” He grins gently, heading towards her closet. “Anyways, I already set up a plan that you should come with me and take a vacation.”

“Alex, no. I don’t think so. Not when I’m just getting settled with everything.” Yasmine whispers, following A.J. towards her closet.

“Yas, you need a vacation. Away from all of this. Please. You should be around a different environment. Come with me. Down to Florida, you can stay with me. You’ll be surrounded by my mom. It would be like a favor for all that you’ve done for me.” A.J. playfully pouts, pulling out a large suitcase.

Yasmine contains her laughter, shaking her head. “This is a bad idea. You want me to start anew in Florida?”

“Yes. Anew, only this time with me.” A.J. grins, his hands intertwine with hers.

Smirking, she exhales deeply, letting the thought of moving away sink into her. “With you? What do you mean by that?”

A.J. smiles, clasping his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. “With me by your side. What do you say?”

Yasmine gulps, a rush of warmth tingled her cheeks. “With you as my boyfriend? Is that what you’re saying?”

“If you let me be.” He breathes into her right ear.

She exhales, shivering from his voice breathed into her ear. She was caught in surprise by his open feelings. “But, but, I, I thought we’ll be friends. Remember no dating?”

A.J. laughs, “That was in the past. Don’t deny you haven’t been feeling different around me lately. You even said you were falling for me back at the hospital.”

Yasmine gently places her hands on his chest, pulling away from his grip. “I, I can’t.” She begins to stutters, her cheeks blush in surprise. “I don’t know what I’m feeling for you. It’s too difficult to interpret. You’re my friend and yes I’m so lucky for your giving of time with all that I’ve been through. And yes I love you, but I don’t know if I really am falling in love with you. There’s a difference. But to start a relationship like this, I, I don’t see that happening right now. I’m sorry. I need time to think through all this.” She whispers, hating herself for shattering her devoted friend’s heart.

A.J. nods his head slowly, stepping away from her to pick up the vacant suitcase. “Right, right. Of course. What was I thinking?” He whispers, folding some of Yasmine’s clothes into the suitcase. Clearing his throat, he begins packing other items to distract himself from his crumpling heart.

Yasmine breaths out and gently clasp her hands around his right arm. “Please don’t be mad with me. I’m just trying to understand and figure things out. I mean who knows what will happen. Don’t give up on that. You never know, you might sweep me off my feet one day and be surprised. Until then, I’m just happy to know I have you in my life.”

A.J. doesn’t look up to see her face but remained fixated on the open suitcase, running his hand down the inside of the black material aligning the carrier. “Thanks I guess. Anyway, I’ll go call for tickets and stuff while you get dressed and pack up.” He whispers out almost coldly.

He stands up, easing his way towards the door to exit it but Yasmine grabs his hand, “Wait! Alex, you understand why I feel the way I do right?”

“Yes. You don’t have to explain. I’m stupid to think of myself while you’re trying to get over your own trauma. And you’re right, who knows what will happen.” Smiling, he opens his arms to her, “I can never be mad at you. You’re lucky I love you the way I do.” He chuckles, feeling Yasmine rush into his arms for a friendly embrace.

“I’m still confused with the kiss though?” A.J. snickers.

“A kiss is a just kiss Alex.” Yasmine playfully tugs on his shirt, ushering him out of the room so she can change clothes.

“Sure it is.” A.J. smirks, exiting the room.
~*~

Nick holds in a yawn, channel surfing to see if anything caught his interest. He doesn’t see a pillow slam into the back of his head, until he jolted from the unexpected hit. “HEY!” He growls out, seeing A.J. hold a pillow innocently looking away.

“Sup Nick.” A.J. grins mischievously.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop with the hitting of the head?” Nick mumbles, a smirk crawling on his face: his hands busily finding a small decorative pillow to throw at his friend.

“Yeah, but do I listen?” A.J. chuckles, gazing down at the list on the counter.

“Whatever man.” Nick mumbles out, slowly hiding the pillow behind him as he eases quietly from his seat on the sofa.

“So any news on the calling?” A.J. asks, watching Kevin and Brian hang up their mobile phones.

“Nope. Well I talked to girl from the baby shower, she says that Yasmine dated a lot of guys in her past that seemed to start with the letters K or C. Which brings me to a strange conclusion, why that letter? It’s the strangest thing. I got a few e-mail addressed from the possible men in her life and they all start with K which doesn’t make this any easier. Alex we need the police on this. We can’t catch this guy, not like this. What if he’s wanted and going around doing things to other innocent women. We need to inform the police and the faster the better.”

A.J. groans, sliding onto a stool. ‘They screwed up before, what makes you think they’ll do their job this time around.”

“Well it’s a risk we’ll have to take then.” Kevin mutters, eying his band mate from the sofa.
~*~

With quivering hands, she closes the closet door behind her and walks into the well lit walk in closet, flinging clothes into the suitcase. She gulps and picks up her cell phone, dialing the number she desired to hate so much. Holding in a sob, a tear edges its way to the corner of her eye as a voice fills her ear.

“Ello?”

“Kelvin?” She whispers out, juggling the closet door to make sure it was locked from the outside.

“Yeah, what’s going on?”

“What did you do? A.J. told me about the letters. What are you doing? You want to go to prison?” She cries out softly, tossing a red top in the suitcase.

“Dammit. He showed you the letters?”

“Look Kelvin, I gave you what you wanted. You said you weren’t going to go after the guys. I told you if you do that I would tell.”

“IS THAT A THREAT?! DID YOU TELL ANYONE? God so help me, the next time I’ll kill you when I get my hands on you! And if I want to go after them what’s that to you?!” He hisses out.

She sniffs softly, tears spilling down her tan cheeks. “I, I didn’t tell them. They’re trying to track down people to see if they know. But Kelvin, I wouldn’t say anything to them.”

“Especially not that Alex right?” He growls out.

“Nnnn, no. I wouldn’t do that.” She clutches the phone tightly in her hand.

“Good and let’s keep it that way. Why the call?”

“Cause I’m heading for a vacation.”

“A vacation? Who the hell gave you permission to do that? How am I supposed to get my fix? Oh Yasmine, you’re making a big mistake if you leave.” He threatens.

Yasmine gulps, “I have to oblige or they would get suspicious. Why can’t you let me live my life?”

“Because until I have you, it means nothing.”

“What part of no don’t you get? I can’t love you. Not with what you did to me in the past.” Yasmine whispers, angry tears well up in her eyes.

“Shut up. I don’t need to hear this from you. How long will you be away?”

“I don’t know. But no longer than two weeks I assure you.”

“Fine. You will be hearing from me until then. And remember if you tell, you’ll die. No matter where you are, I can track you down.” Kelvin growls out.

“I, I know. I understand.”

“Good. Then have fun with that pretty boy. Cause when you come back, you’ll own me!” Kelvin snarls out.

“Fine. I have to go. They’re calling for me.” Yasmine whispers in fright, hanging up her mobile phone and hurriedly rushes to thrown on a red frayed shirt and wrap around white skirt.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“She was like nothing I’ve ever known
Her eyes shine like diamonds in a field of snow
Man, that destiny led her to me
Made her feel like life is now complete
A thousand days have passed and nights gone by
You can see the glow slowly fading from her eyes
Though she denies her pain and her dismay
I said this to her anyway.” – “Pass You By” by Boyz II Men

**~A New Found Freedom~**

Ever read a novel that connects to your life in any way imaginable? One that leaves a mark on your life that in one way or another transcends into your path of life with love? I have, plenty of times. An example is the Bible. There is something about acquiring love and holding it tightly to one self because of its meaning, its significant nature that draws people to such things. Hence love has no boundaries, nothing to hold it back and nothing to make it from affecting those it touches. And it breaks even the most strongest of people out there. Don’t ever fight against love, you’ll never win. God created us in his image, we carry his compassion in our lives whether we believe it or not. And love is in us, though it might seem like hatred is a huge thing at the moment around us in this world. Love can overcome anything and that is what God is.
~*~

She lied, she intended for that to happen. She didn’t return back to New York until the Christmas holidays. The day A.J. bought her ticket to head back to Florida, she went for the ride. She lived down there for the past few months, slowly erasing and forgetting her toxic past. Plenty of times, she was glad A.J. forced her to go with him to the south. She was content for once, living off the quiet city of Palm Beach, its warm inviting sun welcoming her peace for once in her tragic distilled life. She didn’t want to leave, she feared for her life, feared for her friend’s life. She wanted nothing to do with the precedent and she was willing to start a new in another place. Her intentions were to never make it back to New York, to not have to deal with the pain that is buried there, waiting for her return. But alas, part of her life was in New York and she would have to someday make the voyage back there. Yasmine watches the bustle of bundled people scurry down the snow covered pavement. The Christmas decorated stores lit brightly in the dimming afternoon, sending out its joyous greetings to the customers. She smiles, feeling the gentle cold touch of the falling snow flakes caress her caramel cheeks.

“Yas! There you are. I was looking all over the store for you.” A.J. whispers out, pulling on his warm wool hat, to fit snuggly over his cold ears.

“I wanted to see the snow.” Yasmine slowly answers, enjoying the sweet vibe of Christmas joy that swept down on her.

“There’s snow all over, you didn’t have to leave to see it. It’s nice and warm inside the store, come on.” He tugs on her black polyester coat, her sleeve covered with the small flakes already.

She smiles, nodding, inhaling the fresh cold air that chilled her insides. “Ok in a minute. Just let me watch.”

“Watch what?” A.J. flustered out, annoyed, crinkling his cold red nose at the cold breeze that filtered down the streets.

“The people. They look happy right?” She points her black gloved hand to the small crowd of people slowly easing their way down the crowded streets.

“Who knows? With this cold, I’m surprised they’re even walking slow. I would have gotten my behind back home and drink something warm than to salvage this cold.”

Yasmine laughs, her black locks tumble gently down her shoulders. “I’m beginning to think you don’t like the cold? I think the snow is beautiful.”

“Yeah, well good for you. I like my sun down south. I hate being uncomfortable and that’s what the cold is.” He mutters, wrapping his black wool scarf around his nose to stop the wind’s cold path from reaching it.

“You’re supposed to be happy Alex. It’s close to Christmas and you’re in the greatest city of the world. Look around you boy! Don’t you feel in awe during this time of the year?” She smiles softly, her emerald eyes taking in the delicate surroundings around her.

“In awe my butt. I’ll give credit the snow is beautiful to look at, but not nice to stand around as it freezes our as…”

“Shut up!” Yasmine intercepts, pushing A.J. over to a small pile of snow on the corner of the Sears store.

He smirks, straightening up. “You weren’t trying to push me in that snow now right?”

She playfully gasps, her cold pink cheeks peek through her thick lilac tied scarf that was wrapped around her tightly. “Me? No.”

A.J. snorts, reaching for her hand and pulls her close to him. “I was thinking we tell the guys that we’re an item now.”

Yasmine breaks into a laugh and begins to hiccup gently. “Oh no. No, that wouldn’t be right. Besides, it’s not official.”

He chuckles, his beautiful warm eyes gaze into hers as he pulls her into his arms. “Stop playing around. The other guys already have an idea of us, let’s just tell them.”

Yasmine smiles, nodding her head. “I guess.” The cold wisps escaping her lips with each word. And holding hands, they trudge through the snow covered street to enter the lavishly decorated Sears store. Throughout the summer months that Yasmine had spent down in Florida with A.J. and the other guys, she realized she was in denial of her feelings. Yasmine feared the worst if she was to make it clear to A.J. that she wanted nothing to do with him than just being friends. She was lying not only to A.J. but to herself about where her heart will lead her. She knew she found her soul mate in this man long ago, but didn’t want to take the precautious steps of making it happen. The memories of that time back in her new apartment after her fatal attack with Kelvin when A.J. was there to console her, to help her, to kiss her. The kiss. That’s what made everything fall into place. The kiss that time was far different from the one she so playfully teased A.J. about during their little date a few months before. She didn’t tell him what she felt after that kiss, but made up some lies about not wanting to rush things, that she wasn’t well, simply ready for that. She knew she broke his heart when those words seeped out of her mouth that time. He seemed brash about the incident and failed to talk about it with her.

She enters the golden lit store, the display of the store’s large pine tree decorated neatly in gold ornaments and sashes. She smiles, recalling the day she arrived down at Florida: Her family was there along with A.J.’s sweet mother, Denise. She was well taken care of and constantly surrounded by family or friends. She didn’t mind the company, she loved it and welcomed it into her lonely life. When she had stepped off the plane that day back in early July, she felt a new sense of renewal. A place to begin her life again and she was ready for it. No longer was she under the dreadful eye of that man that was beyond obsessed with her. She kept that frightened secret to herself. She had a made a promise to not tell the others about who was the one responsible for her brutal sexual assaults. She wanted to deal with that on her own without others trying to interfere, telling her what to do. If only they knew she allowed what occurred to her happen for their safety. Kelvin was apart of something bigger than she can fathom. He had close connections to a mafia and was entitled to a debt for the Mafia’s protection. She had known this secret only recently after a phone call with him. It sent shivers down her spine to know that this man was apart of something that can deal with the police in its own way. She had only heard stories but only now realized that even the police themselves can be pulled into something as atrocious as this. Many were forced to close her case, to not go after the one they assumed could be responsible. No wonder Kelvin proudly flaunted his ‘innocence’ claiming not even the police can stop him. Things were starting to make sense to her now. But she was greatly upset about the outcomes, Kelvin used her body for his own purpose and used the mafia alliance as his back up which scared Yasmine to death. Now she felt she was a prostitute to his needs and had to maintain a forward relationship with that dreaded man.

She gazes gently at the tree, her fingers tapping the golden balls hanging on the tree’s branches.

“Beautiful huh?” A.J. whispers into her ears, taking off his hat and gloves.

“Yeah. It’s so pretty.” She whispers out, her eyes transfixed on the tree.

“Come on, the others are waiting for us at Pierrot Bistro and Bar.” A.J. whispers out, tugging on her gloved hand.

Smiling, she gazes at him lovingly, following him down the cavernous interior of the store that expanded to a mall. She recalled the day she decided to talk to A.J. about her emotions. She didn’t know how to go about it but knew if she didn’t take the leap that the problem in her heart wouldn’t be resolved. She recalled she was hanging her wet clothes on a clothesline outside the vast backyard at the house she was staying at down in Florida. She remembered Denise stepping out of the threshold of the kitchen smirking at her.

“You alright over there? I think Kevin placed the clothesline a little too far up.” She smirks, eyeing Yasmine carefully.

“You think?” She breaks into a giggle, carrying in the empty laundry basket. Denise follows close behind as they enter the cozy house.

“I’m just curious, maybe you know what’s been bothering my son? He’s been a little out of it and I’ve been trying to get him to talk about it, but he insisted he’s fine.” Denise asks curiously, knowing full well why A.J. is acting so estranged towards them.

“Oh uh really? I didn’t notice it. Maybe he’s having problems with the guys or something.” Yasmine tries to steer the conversation away, fearing Denise would come to the reason she brought up her son.

“Well are you sure? You’re one of Alex’s close friends, I’m sure you know. Look, if he told you not to tell me, it’s alright. I understand. But I have the right to know if he’s in trouble.”

“And you’re absolutely right. You should tell him that.” Yasmine smiles nervously, placing the basket on the kitchen counter to quickly ease Faith who was wailing loudly for some form of comfort.

“I was thinking you can. Look Yasmine, I know there’s something’s going on between the two of you.”

Yasmine stops in the middle of easing Faith into a high chair to stare at Denise. “What makes you think that?”

“I wasn’t born yesterday. I know my child and I practically raised you as well. You know as well as I do that A.J. always had a crush on you even he dared denied it for your protection. But you can’t tell me that there isn’t something you’re feeling for him.”

Yasmine snorts, placing a babbling four month old Faith into the high chair. “Crush on your son, na. I didn’t think about us ever getting together.” She tries to brush off the hard gaze on her, but she was getting more uncomfortable the longer the stare went. “Well, I have to feed Faith, she gets fussy if she doesn’t get her way.” She smiles gently.

Denise smirks, eying the child. “Ok, well if you need help, I’ll be in the washing room if you need me. Ok?”

“Sure, thanks.”

“Welcome.” Denise states, exiting the room.

“Well that was interesting.” She mutters to Faith, easing a spoon full Gerber’s baby food into her child’s awaiting mouth.

“What’s interesting?” A.J. asks, coming into the kitchen quietly, surprising Yasmine.

Yasmine jumps up at the sound of his voice. “Oh hey you’re here?”

“Uh yeah my momma lives here, so I decided to visit.” His charming smile crosses his face.

Smiling, she nods, “Right of course.”

“So how’s little Faith?” He asks, kneeling besides the high chair, tickling Faith who bubbles in laughter and gurgles out. “Man she’s big.”

“Yeah that happens when they grow.” She jokes.

“Funny. Real cute girl.” He smirks, rubbing Faith’s little chin. The little infant smiles and drools innocently, her little hands twirl in excitement. “Look at that, she likes me. She really likes me!” Batting his eyes at Yasmine.

“Yeah, well wait to she understands what you’re saying, then we’ll see.” Yasmine giggles, brushing a stray black strand back into her messy bun.

A.J. smirks, clearing his throat, his eyes scanning Yasmine’s beauty. “So what did my mom want to talk to me for?”

“What was bugging you.” She responds, her back on him as she cleans the counter with a small rag.

“Oh, and you told her?”

“That I didn’t know.”

“Really now? You sure? You know.” A.J. asks scoffing.

She tenses up and sighs, “Alright, what is it? What do you want from me huh?” She turns to face him.

“I want you to tell me the truth. Why you are running away from the one thing you want?”

“What?!” She growls out.

“Yasmine, look me in the eye and tell you don’t feel anything for me!”

She gulps, staring into his eyes. Her heart drummed steadily, pounding against her chest as her palms began to sweat. “I…I…” She pauses, licking her lips gently.

A.J. snorts, backing away. “Pshhh. That’s what I thought.” And he heads to the swinging kitchen door.

“Wait.”

He stops, turning to look at her, waiting to hear from her.

“I’ve been fighting with myself recently about things. I just want the best for my child and me. I want to know that if I ever fall in a relationship that things will be ok.”

“That’s what’s bothering you?” A.J. exasperated, throwing his hands to the side. “That you’re waiting for the right man? Well hello Yasmine, he’s right here and he’s ready to walk out if you say so.” He whispers, standing still, gulping.

Yasmine looks down, her eyes watering in tears. A.J. places his pointer finger beneath her chin, raising her head so she was looking at him. With his other hand, he wipes the tears away and smiles. “I’m just waiting around Yasmine. You know how I feel about you and even if you don’t ever love me back the way I do, I’ll accept that. Cause maybe I wasn’t meant to have you.”

“That’s not true.” She whispers, her wet eyes on him. “You deserve the best, not me. I have a kid. No real career. A.J. why me?”

“Why not you?! Yasmine you underestimate yourself all the time. Don’t you know I envy you? You have a great outlook in life even with what you’re going through. That’s why I want, no I know that you’re the one for me.” He whispers clasping his hands into hers.

She gulps and nods her head, “So you think you’re the one huh?”

A.J. smirks, nodding his head, “There’s only one way to find out. Say you’ll be with me and I’ll prove it to you.”

Yasmine giggles, “You’re saying you want me to be with you.”

“Shut up.” He laughs, “Just say yes. You deserve the best and I only hope I can be what you’re looking for.”

She smirks, opening her arms. “Yes. God already. Come here boy.”

A.J. laughs, embracing her as they held each other, finally sealing their relationship with the ultimate kiss. Faith giggles gently, clasping her hands innocently.

Denise pokes her head through the crack of the kitchen door, smiling, breathing out a quiet, “Finally.”
~*~

A.J. opens the glass door as Yasmine walks into the restaurant. “Thanks.”

“No problem my lady.” He smirks, guiding her to the crowded table where the other guys and little Faith were at.

“Ohh my baby. How’s my Faith?” Yasmine bubbles out, cradling her child gently in her arms.

Nick smiles, standing up with a huge grin on his face, “She behaved besides the fact that she practiced barfing on me five times.”

“Ahhh, uncle Nicky can’t handle the fact that Faith is disgusted with Nick.” Brian teases, flicking his napkin.

Kevin smirks, pulling out a red velvet menu. “Well glad you guys came back in. You enjoyed the snow A.J.?”

“Shut up man.” A.J. grumbles, a small smile on his face.

“So what will the mommy have?” Howie grins, greeting her.

Smiling, she winks at A.J. and opens her menu as A.J. pulls out a seat for her. “Hmmm, well I already have what I want.” She whispers, winking at A.J.

Nick smirks, eying the others, his eyes catching the wink. “So ah, Yas. What do you want Santa to bring ya? Come sit on my lap and see if I can make that wish come true.”

The others groan and snicker as Howie shakes his head, “Eh Nick man. Dude please don’t. We’re in a public place.”

Kevin chuckles, spreading his menu out on the red velvet covered table. Nick slides into the plush booth as A.J. and Yasmine each had a seat.

A.J. clears his throat, eying Howie.

“A.J. do you have something you want to say?” He asks, catching A.J. off.

“Huh? Uhhhh… ummmm.” A.J. glances over at Yasmine who simply nods her head and smiles. “Well now that you asked. Yes.” He whispers slowly. Sounding out each word as the butterflies in his stomach go on rampage. “A while back I was talking with Yasmine and we both decided that it would be insane to stop fronting. So we made it official.”

Nick who was chewing on piece, starts gagging on bite of bread, gazing up at them. Kevin watches Nick swallow a cup of water, clearing his throat.

Beaming, Brian sits up, “Whoa, wait! You guys are together? For real?”

Yasmine smiles gently as Howie grins, “By the looks of it yeah.”

“Alright!” Brian stands up clapping as Nick smirks and pulls A.J. into a hug.

“Bout time man! Ya were both bugging me!” Nick grins out, taking Faith from her mother’s arms.

A.J. grins as he clasps his hand gently around Yasmine. ‘Thanks.’ He mouths out, feeling at peace for one in his life. This was the one thing that was going right for the both of them and they were glad to have made the choice.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”


-“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” –Lamentations 3:22

**~Who Needs the World~**

Nick fights the urge to nod off to sleep, gripping his hands on the steering wheel tightly. A rain storm erupted shortly before hand causing the visibility to become difficult. The windshield wipers squeak across the window in the SUV as Nick narrows his eyes, slowly driving down the road. He checked his watch and grumbled. He planned on reaching his hotel suite over an hour ago but thanks to New York traffic, his plans went out the door. The hard cold rain drops sputter on the windows gently as Nick slowly pulls up to the hotel driveway. With holding his yawn, he parks and exits his green SUV, slowly and tiredly heading back into the lobby of the hotel. He glances down to see the red light on his cell blink. “Voice mail?”

Taking hold of the silver gadget, he presses his ear to the cell and hears A.J.’s message.

With a shaking voice, A.J. left a startling message: “Ni, Nick?! Oh damn man. Listen, I can’t, I can’t find Yasmine. She said she was heading to get some stuff at a store and she didn’t come back for hours! Nick, I, I think something happened to her. I don’t, I don’t know what could have happened, but this isn’t like her at all. I called around and heard that Yasmine never made it to the store! Some employers of the building said that the last they saw of her was she was talking to someone. But no one could identify the person she was with. OH God Nick! I just know something went wrong! Call me back when you get this ok?” Nick gulps and pulls the phone away from his ear, sighing. Rushing back to his car, he gets in and heads out the driveway, all the while dialing Howie’s number.

“Ello?” Howie’s sleepy voice responds.

“D, great to see you’re up.” Nick smirks, knowing it was two in the morning and he had awaken his friend.

“Yeah, real funny man. What’s with the call? Shouldn’t you be sleeping? What are you doing now?”

“Heading over to Yas’s apartment. A.J. is over there and something’s up.”

“What’s happened?” Howie asks, concern leaking into his voice.

Sighing, Nick slows down at a traffic light and places the cell on the passenger seat, connecting a wire to his head set so he can drive properly. “Not sure. J said something about how Yasmine went to get something a while ago and didn’t come back.”

“Oh is that all?”

“Yeah, but he seems freaked out so I’m gonna check it out.” Nick states, gazing at the front window, the storm heavily pouring now.

“Alright, but be careful driving, the storm started, it’s not a good idea to be out at this time.”

Laughing, Nick grips the steering wheel, “I will be mommy, thanks.”

Smirking, Howie shuffles over to his suite’s living room, plopping in the leather sofa, throwing his feet up on a foot rest. “Yeah, so anyway. Alex didn’t mention anything else?”

“Uh yeah, said something about how he heard from other people that work within Yasmine’s building that the last they saw of her was talking to someone.”

“So Alex thinks that what, she’s missing?” Howie mumbles, running a hand down his weary face.

“Probably.” Nick releases a long yawn.

“You should catch some sleep after you talk with J. Maybe sleep over, I don’t think you should drive around tired.”

Nick nods and slows down the familiar street where Yasmine’s apartment glitters brightly from the sixteenth floor of the building in a golden light. “Yeah, you’re right. Well, I’m here. I’ll call ya back later then.”

“Nick man now you got me all worried now.” Howie whispers, sitting on the edge of his sofa, dropping his feet to the floor.

Nick smirks, “Yeah, sorry man. Thought you needed to know. I’m gonna call J now and see if everything is alright before I head there.”

Howie gulps, “Yeah, I guess we stood at the recording studio longer than we thought.”

“Hey it’s alright, we were full of ideas for the next album, so it’s all good. Anyways, I’m out man.”

“Alright. Night.” Howie states: hanging up the hotel phone and heading back to his bedroom to try to get some sleep. But that thought dissipated when the worry dwelled deep within his soul. He only hoped that A.J. was fine and just freaked out over something simple. But the more Howie thought about it, the more it got to him. A.J. wasn’t known to jump to conclusions over something that fast, there was something up and he knew that, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it.
~*~

The shrill ringing snapped his eyes open as he dashes over to the kitchen wall to answer it. “Holler.”

“Yo J, it’s me Nick. I got your message man. You alright?”

A.J. sighs painfully, hoping it was Yasmine that called. “Na. Thanks for the call back. But no Yas. I kinda thought it was her that called.”

“Oh man I’m sorry. Listen I’m at the parking lot at her place. Want me to come up?”

“Uh you here? I don’t know. I guess, since you’re here. Might as well since Faith can’t talk back to me.”

Nick smirks softly, nodding. “Aight, ok. I’ll be up there shortly then k.”

“Aight.” And he hangs up the phone, trailing his fingers on the blue Formica kitchen counter. Thoughts swirled on the last conversation he had with Yasmine tonight before she headed out, he recalled seeing her so preoccupied and worried. It was as if she was late for something and quickly smiled saying she had to pick something up at a bodega nearby the building. A.J. had tried to tell her that he will go for her and pick up whatever it is, but she insisted and practically raced out of her apartment as if she was already late for something. So A.J. was left to watch over Faith for hours before thoughts began to creep into his head. He knew that the store she was talking about was about a block and a half down, that in matter of fifteen or twenty minutes the most and she would have been back But that was more than two hours ago. Since then, A.J. was close to panicking and he plops down on the sofa staring at the plasma television he got for her, the black screen taunting him with its dark void. Sighing, he leans back on the sofa waiting for Nick to arrive.
~*~

Howie stares up at the ceiling fan still whirling around above him. He tries to accommodate himself on the bed to a more comfortable position to sleep in, but Nick’s phone call bothered him. Rubbing his eyes, he glances around the dark bedroom and decides to listen to some music to get his mind off of the situation. Throwing his legs over to the edge of the bed, he heads over to his portable cd player and slips in a mixed cd hearing Clay Aiken’s “Invisible” come on. Rolling his eyes, he switches to another song until he found something more suitable. Smirking, he pauses at “Slo Jamz” by Twister and slides into a chair, staring out the window. He was close to calling Brian or Kevin. But he didn’t want them worrying. Unless it was something more serious only then will he inform them. For now, he sat staring in the dark outside hoping someone will call him to let him know what was going on.
~*~

He walks down the blue carpeted hallway and reaches 16J, knocking on it quietly. He hears shuffling coming from inside and pauses to hear the door unlock and creak open to see a distress A.J. standing before him.

“Hey J.”

“Sup? Come in quietly. Faith is finally asleep and she’s a pain if she wakes up.”

Smirking, Nick nods and enters the apartment, silently closing the door behind him. “Wonder where she gets that from?”

A.J. rolls his eyes, running a hand through his disheveled black curls. “Funny. Want something to drink?”

Nick sighs and nods, “Uh alright, water is fine for now.”

“K.” And A.J. busily finds a glass cup filling it was crystal clear water from the filtered sink. Nick slumps into a single seat sofa and gazes around the apartment, the boxes all cleared up by now.

Smiling, his eyes trail over to the kitchen where A.J. grabbed a bag of pretzels and chips, dumping them into a plastic bowl. “A.J. relax man. I’m not hungry, you ain’t gotta get me all that.” His eyes watching A.J. pull out a carton of chocolate ice cream.

Smirking, A.J. grabs a spoon and takes the bowl of junk food, carton of ice cream and glass of water in his arms, successfully placing it all on the coffee table in the den. “Dude, I wasn’t getting it for you. Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Whatever.” Nick grins gently, leaning back on the leather black sofa. “So you gonna fill me in on the message?” He asks, taking the glass of water from the table and taking a sip.

“Yup.” A.J. whispers, folding his leg beneath him as he sat on the sofa across from Nick. He grabs a handful of chips and pretzels in his hands as he begins to inform Nick of what occurred.

“It was weird Nick. I mean, she just wanted to head out at ten in the night to a corner store like her life depended on it. She didn’t even let me go for her and she looked so tired. I wanted her to get some sleep, but she seemed so preoccupied and she’s not speaking to me about it.”

Nick listens intently, trying to see what could be a reason for Yasmine’s eagerness. “I can check out the store right now if you want. And see what I can get.”

A.J. shrugs his shoulders, “If you want to do that. But you look tired, get some sleep and do that in the morning.”

“Na, it’s cool. Besides it’ll help ya out if I do this. I’ll call ya if I find out anything k?”

A.J. yawns, nodding his head as he leans back on the sofa. Nick took this opportunity to head out and slips out the apartment. It would be a brisk walk to the store and a chance for him to think about things anyway. He catches the elevator after a few minutes and exits it when reaching his destined floor. He speeds through the lobby of the building, exiting it and stepping out into the cold raining night. Sighing, he bundles up his black coat, keeping his head to the ground as the rain pelted him with its gentle hits. He passes the quiet sidewalk with its dead garden and vacant parking lot. The winter chill hung its cold hands in the air as the wind picks up, slowly numbing Nick’s red exposed cheeks. He wraps his thick black scarf around his neck and nose, his gloves making it difficult to do the simple task. He sees the small neighborhood store at the corner of the next block and picks up his pace, his beige timberland boots pounding on the ground as he almost felt like running out of the cold to the warm indoors. Finally reaching “Petey’s Stuff” the neighborhood bodega, he enters it, sighing in relief at the warm inviting heat that embraced him. Looking around at the shelves full of canned food and snacks, he heads to the front counter to see a middle age Latin man reading a newspaper, standing behind the counter bored.

“Ummm… Hey. Good morning.” Nick whispers outs, glancing out at the clock on the wall indicting it was already two twenty in the morning.

The man nods his head, the salt and pepper curls lay on top his head. “How can I help ya?”

“Oh well I’m just curious, you know a woman by the name of Yasmine? She’s about five two or three with black long curly hair and…”

The man intercepts smiling, “Of course I know Yasmine. She’s a sweet girl. Comes here all the time. Really a lovely girl.”

“Oh good! You know her. Well did she stop be here tonight? I’m one of her friends and I don’t know where she went.”

“Yasmine didn’t come here today. In fact I didn’t see her at all today. Why? You don’t think she’s missing or something right? Besides its so late, she doesn’t walk around at this time.”

“Well see that’s the thing. She did leave about two hours ago to head over here to pick up something, or least that’s what she told her boyfriend.”

The man shakes his head, concern clouding his face. “I’m sorry young man, but like I said, she didn’t come here today at all. Maybe she changed her mind, but that’s weird of her walking out at this time. Doesn’t she have a daughter?”

Nick nods, “Yeah, yeah she does. So you didn’t see her today huh? Ok, well thanks. Uh, if you think you know where she could have went, can you call this number?” Nick slides a piece of ripped paper with his number on it. “I’m just worried about her. But thanks.”

The store owner nods his head and quietly takes the piece of paper with Nick’s number. “You’re welcome. Wait, I think I remember something!?” The man states: getting up from his seat and leaning over the store counter. Nick stops and faces him, waiting for any news that can help ease A.J.’s distress.

“My son worked here today and he said he saw a young woman describing Yasmine’s description. He said he saw her pass by this store hurriedly to meet someone. But he couldn’t see who it was, the person was hiding in the shadows. But who ever Yasmine was meeting didn’t seem like a friend. My son said she had a worried look and she looked troubled when she was with the person.”

Nick gulps and nods, taking in the information in detail as the man continues. “That was around eleven thirty or so. I didn’t get in till midnight.”

“Ok. Thank you so much. That helped out.” Nick whispers, feeling a sudden deep chill erupt down from his soul.

“No problem. Listen, maybe it would help if I have my son call the cops when he gets in later this morning to report that.”

“Uhhh ok. Yeah that can help out, thanks again.” Nick whispers, fumbling through his coat to find his cell. He dials A.J.’s cell immediately and at the first ring he picks up.

“Yo!”

“Hey J. Check this out, I got some info you might wanna know.”

“Aight, what is it?”

“I’m at the store right now. The owner said that his son who was working around the time Yasmine left her place said he saw her pass by, but she never came to the store. Just like you mentioned before. The story matches. J, something’s up. The guy here told me, his son saw her talking to someone but he couldn’t see ‘cause the person was hiding.”

Nick waits in silence, pausing to hear nothing coming from A.J.’s line. “J? A.J? You there?”

He could hear A.J. blurt out a list of profanities before responding back to Nick, “Yeah, oh God. Look, just come back. I’m tired. I’ll call the others in the morning and see what can be done.”

Nick nods at the store owner and exits the store, hanging up his phone as he makes his way back to the apartment.
~*~

His eyes snap open and he bolts out of bed at the shrill sound of his hotel phone breaking the silence. Leaning over, he answers the call, sighing tiredly, “Hello?”

“D! Oh man, glad you picked up man!” A.J.’s petrified voice responds back.

Howie brushes back some of his dark curls and slides over to the edge of his bed. “Hey, man what time is it?”

“Seven, I called at six but you didn’t answer.”

“Yeah, well that’s what happens when you sleep, you can’t hear that.” He grumbles, tossing a sheet besides him.

“Sorry.”

Sighing, Howie gulps, “You sound nervous, you alright?”

“That’s why I called.”

“Oh God. It’s Yasmine isn’t it?” Howie whispers out frightening. Something in his heart pounded in his chest nervously as he slowly stands up, cradling the phone to his ear.

“She disappeared! Nick went to the store where she was last seen and the owner said his son saw her talking to someone but she never came to the store. D, she lied to me.”

Howie exhales slowly, shaking his head, “That’s not like her. Why would she do that? What about the person she was with? No description?”

“None. Nick went to the store owner and the guy said his son couldn’t tell who it was. But it’s like she ran away. But why did she run away from the help? D, this doesn’t make sense! I can’t even help out my own girl friend.”

“Alex, relax man, please. I’m sure she has a good reason and she’ll explain when she arrives at her place. Look, are you gonna call the cops?”

“Already taken care of. The store owner was the last to see her so he’ll make the call.”

“J, I’m sorry you have to deal with this.”

“It’s ok. I just want Yasmine back safe and sound. That’s all that matters to me right now.”

“Ok. Look, do you want me to come over?”

“Aight, might as well. Nick is snoozing away. I need someone else to talk to.”

“Ok, give me twenty minutes then and I’ll see there.” Howie whispers, heading to the bathroom to take a quick a shower and then get dressed.

“Aight, see ya then. Bye.” A.J. hangs up, sighing.

Howie shakes his head, tossing his phone on the bed as he enters the bathroom, thoughts swirling in his mind. He feared something like this will go wrong. Why didn’t they all just stayed down in Florida. It was all peaceful down there. Why did she want to come back? Howie knew Yasmine dreaded the thought of being back here in New York, she was at peace down in Florida sharing a place with A.J.’s mom. Why the travel back up north, he still couldn’t understand. But whatever it was, seemed so important for her. And he, like the other guys had to respect that. She did have a life here, she was studying for her future job and she wouldn’t let her tragic past drag her down or take away that dream of hers. And with that, he closes the door behind and prepares for his shower.
~*~

“I don’t know. Kev, I tried calling him and he won’t pick up.” Brian sighs wearily, drumming his fingers on his jean clad thigh. He listens to his cousin’s voice on the other end of the phone line.

“And Howie, did you call him?”

“Yeah, I got his voicemail.”

Kevin sighs, gazing at the kitchen clock in his hotel suite, “Alright, well it’s eight and no one is picking up. Now I know something’s going on. Look, I’m gonna call Yasmine’s place and see if she knows where the guys are.”

“Ok. Better yet, met me at the lobby now and we can track them down together.” Brian mutters, sitting back on the worn lobby sofas.

“Alright, I’ll see ya in a few then.” And he hangs up, quickly dashing out the room and locking it behind him.

Brian closes his eyes, wondering why Howie didn’t pick up his phone, he was the one who was always on the phone and yet now the phone rang and no answer. That was odd even for his friend Howie to allow that to happen.

He gazes up a few minutes later to see Kevin coming towards him. “Well good morning to ya cuz. You seem bubbly as usual.” He grins cheekily getting a smirk from Kevin.

“Hey, morning.” Kevin mutters, his smile disappearing almost as it began. Pulling out his cell, he immediately dials Yasmine’s number.
~*~

A.J.’s heart leaped into his throat at the sound of the phone ring off its hook. A.J. scrambles over to the phone, a smile spreading on his face but quickly disappears as he realizes it was only Kevin. He talks quietly as Nick gets out of the bathroom and gazes at the den table to see A.J.’s cell phone glow a red light to let it know he missed a call and it was a voice mail. Curiosity getting the best of him: Nick picks up the phone and listens to the voice mail, his mouth dropping open at the sound of Yasmine’s voice.

A.J. hangs up the kitchen phone and clears his throat at Nick, eying him. “Nosy much?”

Nick nervously gulps and trembling, he eyes A.J. “Yasmine left a message.”
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“Everyday, girl I wake up and pray to come back home
And don’t take too long.
Cause since you’ve been gone, everything’s gone all wrong
I wish you were here, holding me near.” “If I Don’t Have You.” By BSB.

**~Falling Further Away~**

A.J. leans back on the bed, rolling his fingers over his cell phone, shaking his head in confusion. He couldn’t believe it, he had to hear the message Yasmine left for him again. He places the phone up to his ear as he closes the bedroom door quietly behind him, hearing his friends murmur softly from the den. He closes his eyes as Yasmine’s voice mail plays in his ear:

“Alex, I’m so sorry. You must be so worried. But I’m alright, you’ve must have been freaked out. Petey told me you sent Nick over by the store asking for me. I’m so sorry I caused quite the mess. But I’m alright. I met a friend of mine’s who was new to the town and needed to get to a hotel. He’s a buddy of mines and I tried to give him directions but he was clueless about the whole thing so I offered to take him to a near by hotel. Anyways, I’m at the hotel and it’s like two something in the morning. I hope my little Faith wasn’t a problem, I’ll be there shortly. Again, I’m so sorry. Talk to ya later babe, bye.”

A.J. gulps, pulling the phone away from his ear slowly. “Yeah well it’s eight in the morning. This isn’t considered being here shortly.” He whispers to himself quietly. He opens Yasmine’s door quietly, glancing back at the small sleeping bundle in the white crib. Smiling, he stops mid-way at the door and quietly heads to the crib, kissing Faith’s little forehead with glee. “I love you, even if you don’t know it yet.” He whispers softly, hearing Faith’s soft breathing as she turns in her sleep. Smiling, he strokes the side of her head in awe. He never thought he was ready for the responsibly of caring for a child, but now at this moment, he was glad he took up the challenge. He quickly eases away from the crib and exits Yasmime’s room, closing the door behind him.

He walks into the kitchen watching his four friends mutter and whisper about something to themselves. Sighing, he slumps into a wooden bar stool, placing his head on the blue Formica kitchen counter. He hears the front door creak open, slowly raising his head off the counter. The other men sit up and distracted, all gaze at the opening front door. In steps Yasmine, her black tussled curls tangled down her back as she slides through the threshold, not noticing the audience that was gazing at her. She closes the door behind and gasps, seeing five pairs of eyes staring at her in dismay. Her mouth drops open as she gazes over at the men, her eyes finally falling on A.J. at last.

Kevin clears his throat as he stands up from the leather sofa, his gaze locked on her. “Uh… well good morning.”

“Ummm… yeah thanks. Good morning to all of you as well.” Yasmine mutters awkwardly, stepping slowly into the den, her cheeks now ablaze softly as she stands uncomfortably in the vision of the others.

“Yeah well uh listen Yasmine, I think me and the others will leave you and A.J. alone. Ok? And you’re welcome to call me or the others at any time ok?” Howie gently whispers, placing his palm on her shoulder.

“Ok gracias.” She whispers, lowering her head gazing at the polished wooden planks below her.

Howie nods, “No problem. Come on guys. Alex, listen we’ll meet you downstairs ok, we’ll be in the lobby. Talk to ya later Yas.” He gently whispers out, giving her a quick peek on the cheek while Kevin holds the front door open.

Brian slowly smiles and embraces Yasmine before stepping out of the apartment, “I’m just glad to see you’re ok and you’re back.” He whispers into her ear as he steps out of her apartment, his blue eyes gazing at her gently.

Yasmine smiles, waving at him, moving over to the door to hold it as Kevin walks over to her.

“I just hope that what happened last night won’t be a repeat. You scared the hell out of all of us. A few more hours and we have sent out for the police to begin searching for you.” Kevin mutters, placing his hands into his jean pockets.

Genesis gulps, “I know. I messed up. I can’t do that anymore. I’m just too nice sometimes I guess.”

“Yeah a little too nice I think.” Kevin states, embracing Yasmine and stepping out of the apartment.

Nick locks eyes with her and sighs, “I’ll talk to ya later. Don’t pull that stunt again, let me be the one to mess up.” He smiles softly causing Yasmine to break into a small giggle.

“Come here girl.” Nick smirks, pulling her into a hug as he exits the room with the others.

“Thanks guys.” She whispers as the four men exit her apartment. She closes the door and fearfully turns to gaze at A.J.

His eyes seem distant to her as he gets up from the stool and heads over to the sofa in silence. He didn’t say a word as he plops down a sofa, his eyes on her the entire time.

She gulps and tucks behind a strand of her dark brown hair behind her left ear. She didn’t know where to begin or what to say. She was too nervous, fearfully even that he would longer be or want to be apart of her life because of this past mistake. She quietly takes a seat on a sofa across from his, licking her lips gently.

She exhales slowly and closes her eyes, hoping that things will be ok when she begins to talk. “Alex. Please forgive me.”

A.J. looks up at her in confusion, “Forgive you for what?” He whispers uncomfortably. “It’s not like you cheated on me right?” He quietly states, his murky brown eyes stare back at her, lost and confused.

“You know me Alex! I would never do that to you!”

“Then why didn’t you come back home? Come back to me. Instead you wanted to spend time with a friend of yours while I was here: fearing that you were kidnapped, brutally endangered or dead. But that never worried you right? The fact that I could care so much for you, the fact that I’m here right now willing to talk to you and care for you and Faith.” He whispers out slowly, his emotions leaking out.

Yasmine sobs as tears stream down her face, “Oh God, what am I doing? I’m so lost.” She cries out, her shoulders racking violently.

A.J. watches in quiet shock watching the once glowing bubbly woman, break down before him. He gulps painfully, pulling her to him in his arms. “Don’t worry about this. What’s done was done. You’re here with me now. I won’t leave you alone. You’re not alone do you hear me.” He strokes his fingers through her tangled locks as she buried her wet tear stained face into his chest. “It’s gonna be ok.”

“No. No it isn’t.” She whispers out, pulling away from his embrace.

“Why not?”

She eyes him, holding onto his hands, “Because it won’t be. I know so.”

A.J. pulls away from her and stares at her, wishing he could read into her thoughts for once in his life. “Explain.”

“I can’t. I just… Oh God. It’s just sometimes I don’t feel safe.”

A.J. exhales out, gazing at her gently, “Baby it’s understandable. With what you went through, its only natural you feel like that. But doing what you did last night wasn’t the best option either sweetie. I care for you Yasmine and I always will, whether you know it or not. And I will never leave you, but you can’t leave me either. You did last night and I thought that I was never gonna see you again. I got scared and trust me that I don’t scare easily.” He smirks, catching a twinkle in her eye. “Just know that I’m here for you.”

Yasmine smiles softly, her wet cheeks glittering in the florescent light. “Thanks. Are you mad at me? I did something so stupid.”

A.J. smiles, “I could never be mad with you for long anyway.”

She pulls away from him and yawns tiredly. “I guess I should wash up and get some sleep.”

“Yeah, you just rest up, I’ll be back as fast as I can. I’m gonna meet up with the guys and come back here.”

She grins and wipes a stray tear away, “You don’t have to come back here, you know. You can stay at your rented place if you want too. I won’t take it was a bad thing if you chill at your place.”

A.J. smirks, nudging her in the ribs gently, “I made a promise that I will never leave you alone and I’m gonna stick with it aight?”

She nods, “Right, back at ya. I won’t leave ya even if we drift apart in this relationship.”

A.J. raises his eyes and pulls Yasmine closer into his embrace, “Even if we drift apart? I’m beginning to think you don’t want us to be together.”

Yasmine sighs, “I, I don’t know what I want anymore. I’m just happy to have you in my life.”

A.J. pulls her into an embrace, wrapping his arms tightly over her waist, her chin on his shoulder. He seemed to stare into space, his heart breaking at the thought of losing his little angel. A.J. clears his throat, his voice choking if he spoke anymore. “So yeah. You get some sleep. Don’t you worry, I will always be here for you whether as your friend or boyfriend. Or hopefully both.”

Yasmine smiles, yawning into his shoulder as she shuffles and stands up. She glances at the bathroom, gulping nervously as A.J. watches her.

“Do you want me to stand in front of the door while you go in the bathroom? Will you feel better that way?” A.J. whispers, hoping that Yasmine will be alright with the concept.

Nodding quickly, she smiles, “Can you? I feel silly asking you but after what happened…”

“No need to explain sweetie. I’ll stay here until you’re safe and tucked away in bed.” A.J. grins gently as her grins widens. She heads to the bathroom slowly and nervously as A.J. follows up, standing in front of the door. “Don’t take too long. I don’t wanna fall asleep while you shave off all the hair on your legs.” He chuckles as she shots him a playful glare.

“Funny Alex. Real cute.” She states, going inside the bathroom and closing the door slowly behind her.

“Thanks, I know.” A.J. grins, leaning on the closed door as the rushing of water is turned on from inside the bathroom. Drumming his fingers on the closed threshold, his eyes skimming over to the sofa where Yasmine’s cell phone begins to ring. He stares at the small metal item, its shrill sound breaking the utter silence in the den. Smirking, he eases his way over to her phone and checks the ID. “Blocked huh? Well let’s see who you are.” He grins and answers the phone. “Ello?”

“What took you so long to pick up?!” An angry masculine voice blasts through the cell. A.J. blinks, pulling the phone away from his ear.

“Damn, well hello to you too.” He grumbles, eager to see who it was on the other end. “Who is this?”

“Put Yasmine on the phone.” The voice states.

“She’s busy, who’s this?” A.J. hisses, already anger rising in his throat.

“Her boyfriend and who are you?” The voice states, causing A.J. to click his tongue on the inner top of his mouth: nodding his head.

Breathing out, A.J. speaks, “Really now. That’s interesting, she’s already in a relationship but she never mentioned you.”

“In a relationship? What? No. She’s with me. I know she’s not cheating now. You wouldn’t be the guy trying to hit on my girl right?”

A.J. remains quiet, trying to analyze the situation.

“I asked a question, who are you?!” The unknown voice yells back.

A.J. shakes his head, trying to remain strong but he couldn’t believe the news. His sweet angel has flown to another man’s arms and this was grand news to him. He seemed lost in thought until the angry rasp voice yells out, taking him out of his thoughts.

“Well, you gonna answer my question?”

A.J. glances down at the cell and pushes the end button, ending the conversation and throwing the cell on the sofa. He sighs deeply as the running water from inside the bathroom turns off. He gazes as the bathroom door, watching it open slowly. Out steps Yasmine, her beautiful black locks tumble pass her shoulders as drops of water roll down her golden tan cheeks and arms.

Smiling, her emerald eyes catch sight of A.J. and she tugs at her towel wrapped around her petite body. Giggling, she gazes at him, “What? You act like you never seen me in a towel before?”

A.J. narrows his eyes, trying his best to control his emotions. “I’m gonna head downstairs now. The guys are probably wondering what’s taking so long.” He answers coldly, briskly walking over to the front door.

“Alex is everything alright?” She whispers out, clueless to what had just happened with the call.

A.J. holds the door open, his back to her, “When were you gonna tell me?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

A.J. blinks back tears, his face staring out in the hallway. “Forget it. I’ll see ya around.” And he steps out of her apartment and into the hallway. Yasmine races behind, grabbing his arm, her eyes lost in utter confusion.

“What’s going on?” She whispers, tugging on his bare arm. A.J. pulls his arm away from her soft touch, his eyes seemed lost and distressed as he backs away from her.

In silence, he walks away from her, his back facing her as he descends down the hallway.

“Alex! Alex! Sweetie what happened? Why are you pissed with me?” Yasmine whispers, fearing she lost her friend once and for all.

A.J. remained quiet, he was too hurt to respond back and he eases his way down the elevator bank.

Yasmine watches him until he disappeared and turned a corner. “What’s going on?” She whispers to herself, stepping back into the apartment at the sound of Faith whining. She closes the door and heads to her bedroom, the thoughts of her friend’s reaction lingered in her mind.
~*~

A.J. steps into the wooden polished elevator, its metal door welcoming him. He leans his head back on the wall, pushing the first floor button. Once the doors closed, he releases the tears he so painfully held back from Yasmine. He wanted to be there for her, but at this moment, it was too much for him to bear. She stomped on his heart and he couldn’t believe she had the nerve to do that. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but what could explain the man that called her up claiming he was with her. Obviously Yasmine was with another person and things started to fall into place. All the times when Yasmine would leave at ungodly hours of the night to ‘pick something up’ had to be her pitiful excuse to see that man. He rams his fist on the elevator wall, bruising his knuckles painfully. He welcomed that pain for a moment which helped him forget about what Yasmine was doing behind his back. This behavior he expected from regular girls he’d been around with. But not her: not his sweet angel. But he guessed he had placed her on a pedestal assuming she could do no wrong. But alas, she was human just like any of those girls out there and her heart was drawn away. A.J. gasps and roughly wipes the tears away from his face. He knew the guys would ask about this but he wasn’t ready to talk about it, hell he wasn’t even ready to face it. The truth broke his heart and he wished for that one moment he never picked up the phone, then at least he would still be in peace. But it was too late and now he was left to pick up the damaged pieces that Yasmine left behind.

The elevators doors dinged and opened as A.J. exhales, exiting the elevator slowly. He could see his four friends laughing and in deep conversation about something that was obviously amusing. He eases his way over to them slowly, noting only Nick noticed his coming presence. While the other three where engrossed in a conversation that Nick knew nothing about, Nick stands up and was about to greet his friend when he saw the pain look locked in A.J.’s eyes. “Uh oh. J you aight?”

A.J. fakes it and plasters a weak smile on his face, “Yeah, sure just fine. Never felt better man. Thanks for asking.” He didn’t want to reveal his raw emotions to his friend and he wasn’t in the mood for pity hugs or encouragements.

“How was Yas after we left?” Nick asks, sitting on the edge of a lavish sofa the apartment building lobby provided.

“She’s going through some stuff. That’s all.” A.J. ended the conversation, wincing at the mention of her name.

Nick notices that but decided to end the badgering, assuming A.J. wasn’t in the mood for talking. “Well uh yeah, I say we should head out then right guys?”

Kevin looks and nods his head, waving at A.J. “Hey man! Ready to head out?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” A.J. whispers, briskly walking pass them.

Brian watches him and gazes at the others, “Something happened with him and Yasmine I bet.”

“Yeah, tell me about it, he’s acting cold about it.” Howie murmurs, walking behind A.J.

“Yeah, it has to be.” Kevin whispers, leading the rest of the group to their SUV, where they will head back to the studio in New York to wrap up one of their new singles that will be released shortly.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

-“If I can right the wrongs that made you cry.
The words you promise not to say goodbye.
Cause I’m holding on with a love so strong.
And I can’t take the day without you by my side.” BSB “Like A Child.”

**~Without Your Smile~**

A.J. yawns, his hands grip the steering wheel as he turns to a corner on the street and parks on the sidewalk. Switching the gear shift to park, he eases the car into a parking space, exiting his vehicle. The sudden conversation in Yasmine’s cell phone played over in his mind. He grinds his teeth, his fists slowly clenching at the thought of who that man could have been who brutally ruined A.J.’s relationship with Yasmine. A.J. walks up ahead of his four friends who seemed in their own private conversations.

“D, I don’t know, he’s been all quiet and moody for the past two hours and he hasn’t told me anything.” Nick quietly mutters to Howie as they keep in step with each other a few feet behind A.J.

Howie sighs, shaking his head. “Well what do you want me to do about it? He doesn’t really talk to me when he has issues, he tends to be quiet about things.”

“But D, can’t you find a way to get the truth out of him?” Nick pleads, his eyes gazing at A.J.’s back.

“I’ll try. But I can’t promise you that he’ll tell me anything new.”

“Maybe Brian can do it.” Nick states, glancing over at the two cousins whispering about something behind them.

“I don’t know. But hey, it’s worth a try.” Howie responds, opening the glass doors to the recording studio, holding it open for the others. A.J. slides in first as the others followed behind. After a few hours of writing and gathering ideas for some singles on their upcoming album, silence loomed around the five men in the conference room. The early morning sun beamed through the white blinds in the room as the only other sound in the room was of the men slowly breathing.

“Ok, well, this is nice. I always wanted to sit and stare at you guys.” Nick breaks the uncomfortable peacefulness.

A few chuckles from the others responded back and Nick took that as a sign for him to talk to A.J. “Yo J, you aight? You seemed distracted all this morning since we got here. What’s up?”

Brian sits up rigidly in the thick mahogany chair, staring at A.J. quietly.

A.J. gulps, distracting himself by shifting and adjusting himself in his chair.

Kevin sighs and immediately stands up in front of A.J.: slamming his hands on the armrest of A.J.’s chair so A.J. will not be able to move the chair anymore. “Nick’s right. Something’s up? I mean I’m not asking you to spill your secrets to us Alex, but you’ve been distracted this entire morning since we got here at the studio.”

A.J. clears his throat, his eyes roam around the table to see the other three men stare back at him. Sighing, he shakes his head and leans back in the chair as Kevin eases slowly away to allow A.J. some space to speak. “I, I, I…don’t know what’s going on with me and Yasmine. I trusted her. I really did. But a guy called her up and I was talking to him. Come to find out, he stated he was dating her. Of course I didn’t say who I was or my relation to Yas, but dude! Dammit, that wasn’t nice to hear that she’s playing me!”

The others remain silent in shock, each gazing at one another confused. Kevin shakes his head, leaning on the edge of the table. “Are, are you sure? You know Yasmine isn’t that type of woman to do that to anyone, let alone you. You guys are friends, you’re like one of the only ones who is really close to her besides her family. She couldn’t do that to you.”

“Yeah, well she did. End of story. Can we move on?” A.J. growls out agitated, pounding his knuckles on the arm rest of his chair.

“What guy? Did you talk to her about it?” Howie asks.

A.J. narrows his eyes, hissing out, “I said, let’s move on.”

“Fine, but you should talk to her to find out why. Don’t leave her now with all that she’s been through.” Howie slides his hands down the edge cool mahogany table, his gaze down at the blue carpet below him.

“You did talk to her before leaving her place right?” Brian finally speaks up, watching A.J.’s cheek do a slight twitch.

“Oh no. J, tell me you didn’t walk out without hearing her first?” Brian murmurs.

A.J. fakes a smile and nervously laugh, “Well you know when the anger gets to me, I kind of just didn’t want to hear her.”

“Dude! Oh man, go and talk to her! You idiot!” Kevin smirks, handing A.J. his cell with Yasmine’s number on it.

A.J. smirks, “Kev, guys, I’ll promise to call her back and see what that was all about.” He chuckles, taking the cell and placing it on the table.

“Good boy. And I don’t wanna see ya sulk anymore or I’ll give ya a reason to sulk.” Kevin teases him, grabbing a seat as the conversation take a lighter turn, all the guys now joking around and taking about plans for the music.
~*~

She sighs and closes her bedroom door, rocking Faith in her arms. “There, there honey. Mommy’s right here.” She coos at her child, placing a blanket over Faith’s shivering body. “You get some sleep. It’s alright. I’m right here.” She croaks out, tears piercing at her eyes. She sits on her bed, quietly rocking Faith back to sleep. “A.J. what happened?” She whispers quietly to herself. She sniffs as a tear rolls down her cheek, landing on Faith’s forehead.

The infant gazes up at her mother, her little fingers touching Yasmine’s wet cheek. Yasmine gulps, the sobs rising up in her. “Oh sweetie, you shouldn’t see mommy like this. I’m ok. I’ll be fine.” She whispers to Faith, gulping down the lump in her throat. She tucks Faith to sleep in her crib and walks over to her cell phone, playing around with it. She pushes on incoming calls to see Kelvin’s name listed, the call done only a few hours earlier. “He called? I didn’t hear it ring and he didn’t leave a message.” She mumbles to herself, confusion etching her face. Sighing, she places the phone on her desktop and goes to the den to turn off the lights before heading back to her room. She pulls on the bed covers, ready to catch up to some sleep: thoughts of what she had done earlier replayed in her mind. She went to see a detective in which Anya managed to hire for her protection. Yasmine was forever grateful and had thanked Anya over and over again. She knew she had the others worried about her, but she had to do to this hidden away from anyone. If Kelvin got word of what she was doing behind his back, she could be in deeper trouble. As for Kelvin, he was still around, he would frequently harass her with threats of more sexual interactions. Yasmine gulps, shivering at the thought of that ill man touching her torn body.

She gazes at the phone, waiting for A.J. or at least the detective she hired to call and say that she would be alright, that things are looking on the up. But neither happened and she sank down to her knees. She crawls over to the window, gazing up to the morning sky, the beautiful skies a bright blue signaling a peaceful day. She closes her eyes, clasping her hands to her chest and begins to pray. Pray for some hope, pray for the strength and wisdom to deal with what she’s going through. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I just keep thinking that maybe, just maybe you didn’t mean to make me suffer, but I can’t do this Lord! I can’t keep living a life like this knowing that man is out there still after me! Why?! Why do you let me go through this?! Don’t you care? Don’t you notice how much I cried and suffered?! Yet you’re not doing anything about it! I don’t know if I can take the fact that I’m making an effort in talking to you when you don’t do anything in return for me. I wake up alive yet I don’t feel alive. God what is happiness, I don’t know anymore.” She whispers to herself. She opens her wet eyes, wiping away the invading tears that stained her eyes.

Sighing, she thinks of A.J.’s earlier actions, knowing something wasn’t right with his response. She sighs and heads to the kitchen, her thoughts on her boyfriend. She opens a cabinet above her, pulling out a plate when suddenly the shrill ring of her cell ring breaks the silence. Rushing over to the bedroom to answer the mobile phone, she quickly exits her room, closing the door silently behind her. She answers the phone on the third ring, placing the silver phone on her ear.

“Hello?”

“Yasmine, I can see you. Can you find me?” The raspy familiar voice echoes into her ear.

“Ke, Kelvin…why are you calling?” Yasmine hisses out, trying to control her voice.

Kelvin breaks into a laughter, “Answer my question, can you find me?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Yasmine stutters out, gripping the Formica counter tightly, her eyes averting around the den and kitchen slowly. She can feel her heart quicken in pace as her throat dries.

“Are you scared?”

“Go ahead and try something, I’ll call security on you before you can touch me.”

“My, aren’t we a little bold today? You seem to have toughen up being with that guy. Tell me something, do you think I could have doubted A.J.’s faith in ya after I talked with him…”

Yasmine interrupts, “You what? You talked with him? How?”

Kelvin laughs, “Seems you were busy with something and your little boy answered. But don’t worry, I made sure I told him what was going on with us.”

“WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM?” She rages out, walking out of the kitchen.

Kelvin chuckles, “Ahhh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“TELL ME!”

“Easy babe, you don’t wanna wake up Faith now with all that yelling.”

“How do you know Faith is sleeping?” Yasmine cradles the phone, peering into her bedroom to check up on her child who was sleeping peacefully.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said I can see you. Find me.” And with that Yasmine hears a beeping sound followed by a click. “You hung up on me.” She mutters, glaring around behind her. Slowly, she closes the door behind her and inches her way slowing into her den, her footsteps silent on the carpet. Tugging on the hem of her black halter top, her sandaled feet pad across the carpet. She hears a shuffle somewhere behind her and she glances back to see nothing. Gulping, she feels her pulse quicken as she inches further into the den. She hears a shattering sound behind her and she races over to the kitchen to see a shattered glass plate on the wax wooden floor. She kneels over to pick up the shards splattered on the floor but hesitates, wanting to see if the intruder is in the apartment. Her ears perk up at any sounds and she hears a sneaker squeak.

She shots up from the floor in alarm as she dumps the shards into a trash can besides her. “You think you’re funny coming in here, trying to scare me.” She softly speaks, her voice trembling with each word.

“But you are scared aren’t you?” Kelvin’s voice seethes out. Yasmine gazes around her dimly lit apartment and stands frozen, waiting to see if he would pop out of the dark corners of the den.

“Yasmine.” Kelvin whispers, stepping out of the dark shadows behind him, a grin smeared on his caramel cheeks as he approaches her. She gulps and grabs a butcher knife off the counter behind her.

“You can’t kill me. That would be wrong. Don’t you want to go heaven? Killing won’t get you there.” Kelvin whispers out, a snarl spreading on his cheeks.

“God will forgive me. This is an act of self defense.” Yasmine trembles, backing towards the counter.

“Well, such strong words for a little girl. You can’t kill me.” Kelvin whispers, feet away from touching her.

“Get out of my house now.” She whispers, trembling slightly. The fear clinging to her: clothing her in a blanket.

“I think you are scared.” Kelvin whispers, inching closer to her.

She gulps and closes her eyes for a moment, hoping that when she reopened them, it was just her imagination.
~*~

“Well guys, real funny. But I think I should give Yas a ring.” A.J. smirks, flipping open his black cell phone. He hears it ring and gets her voice mail. Grumbling, he closes the phone and sighs, running a hand through his hair.

Nick smirks, poking A.J. in the ribs, “What’s up man? You seem preoccupied.”

“Ahh, na I’m aight. I guess I’m just ansty. Maybe I should go back and apologize to Yas for walking out like that. Maybe she explain why she did what she did to me.” A.J. murmurs, feeling the others eyes boring down on him.

“Uh yeah, that’s what we waiting to hear from ya. Now go get scrawny self back to her and don’t give ya no cheesy apology either. She can read ya inside out. So don’t play her like that.” Nick smirks, giving a small push off the chair.

A.J. smiles warmly and waves bye to the guys as he exits the room, ready to head back to Yasmine’s apartment. He boards his vehicle and speeds off towards his girlfriend’s place, hoping that she would accept his apology. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding but he couldn’t understand why a guy would just call and say that, was it just to scare him away from Yas so the guy can stand a chance with her. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but that voice, it sounded so much like he heard that man’s voice on the phone before from someone else. Shaking his head, he turns on the stereo in his car and sighs, letting the hip hop music brush his problems away for the time being.
~*~

Yasmine slams the front door behind as she heads to the bathroom. Kelvin had left after he heard the sirens outside and assume Yasmine was serious about getting him arrested. So he left but not before leaving a mark on Yasmine for remembrance. She sobs, gazing at the bathroom mirror, passing her quivering hands over her bruised right cheek. The man had the nerve to slap her for trying to get him arrested and she was left with a welt on her cheek. She winces in pain as the dark purple bruise with wisps of blood seeping out. This was getting too much, now Kelvin resulted in physical violence and that just wasn’t going to happen. Yasmine was now more determined to see that man rot in jail and hell if it was the last thing she do. She gulps, passing a hand over the welt and immediately cleaning it. She patches it up with a small white gauze and backs away to see her reflection in the mirror. What ever to the smile she had and the glow of happiness in her eyes? Was her soul that tortured that a laugh stop existing? She already knew the answer to those questions, it was all one word, a name that haunted her and still existed in her reality: Kelvin.

She sniffs as fresh tears burn her eyes, spilling out on to her cheeks. She backs away and leaning on the tiled bathroom wall behind her, she slides down, clutching her knees to her chest as she cries.
~*~

A.J. knocks on Yasmine’s apartment door, hoping she would at least open the door. “Hey Yas, you home?” He calls out, sighing.

He can hear slow footsteps coming inside as the door slowly opens. A.J. smiles but was stopped at Yasmine’s appearance. His heart sank as his trembling hands brush against the growing welt beneath the gauze on his angel’s face. “Dear God! What happened?!” He breathes out nervously, entering the apartment and locking the door behind him.

Yasmine manages to fake a smile, shaking her head. “I…I know why you left. I’m so..sorry…I…”

“Shhh… that doesn’t matter right now. Oh God what happened? Look at you! Who did this to you? I’ll kill him!” A.J. cries out, embracing the shivering woman in his arms.

Yasmine allows him to hold her as she nozzles her head on his neck, “I just want it to all go away. Why can’t that happen?”

“You’re going to the hospital and I’m getting a dectitive on it. You need security around all 24/7. I left you cause I was upset and when I come back, I see you like that! I can’t…” A.J. bites his lower lip before continuing, “I can’t leave you. I wanna save you, take away all that you’re going so I’m gonna do my best and find who this guy is. Yasmine if you know the man, you need to tell me. You wouldn’t lie to me right?” A.J. pulls her away so he can gaze into her cloudy eyes.

Yasmine gazes at his face, her eyes blurry and lost as she touches his face. “Take this pain away. God isn’t helping me at this point.”

A.J. sighs, embracing her, lifting her up in his arms as he carries her over to her bed quietly. Tucking the cool bed covers over Yasmine’s shaking body, he strokes her head, trying his best to maintain strong for the both of them. She sighs and looks up at him from her bed, her green eyes weary and tired. “A.J. do me a favor and remember me when I was laughing, smiling and joyous.”

“Why sweetie?” He whispers softly to her.

“Because I think that part of me died already.” She murmurs out, closing her eyes for some rest.

A.J. gulps and roughly wipes away the tears that broke its way out of his eyes. Whoever the man was responsible for breaking his angel soul has a death wish on him and A.J. was certain he can find out who it is.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”

**~“Girl don’t stop, the sun from shining down on me.
Cause I can’t face another day without your smile.
And if you take away the loving arms that soothe ‘round me
Then I might break down and cry just like a child.” –Backstreet Boys: “Like A Child.”

**~Lost Little Girl ~**

Her eyes snap open as she sits up in bed, the dark room shrouding her in its blackness. She hears a distant breathing coming from nearby as she pulls away on her covers, edging to the side of her bed. Gulping, she passes her hand across her cheek, hoping that what had occurred to her face was just a dream, but she winces at the burning wound on her cheek. She slowly rises up from her bed, carefully tip-toeing out of the bedroom. She reaches the threshold of her bedroom, standing besides the open door, staring back at the crib clothed in white and soft pink.

“She’s in peace now, isn’t she?” A raspy voice echoes in her ear. Yasmine jumps at the sound, crashing on the side of the threshold in fright.

“Awww, what’s wrong? You look so scared. Can you give me a reason to not jump your body right now, you’re so beautiful, God, I can’t remember the last we met. It has been a while.” Kelvin whispers, his dark silhouette blending with the night’s surroundings.

“NO! You can’t be here! You’re going to jail now that I have a witness to this! See! Look, over there!” Yasmine indicts, pointing to a slouching A.J. slumped over in a seat besides her bedside.

Kelvin smirks, shoving Yasmine over to the bed. “Well then we’ll have to be real quiet then ‘right.”

Yasmine cries out, “No! This is done! I’m not going through with it! Go to hell Kelvin.”

Kelvin intakes air before breaking into a laugh. Silently, he slams Yasmine on the bed as she struggles and fights to get him off her. She rolls on her back as she sees him crawls onto her, his rough grasp pinning her down as he begins to rip at her pajama pants. “Shut up! Do you here me? Shut up! You’re gonna give me what I want and your little buddy won’t find out.”

Yasmine cries out, a tear sliding down her right cheek as her body cries out in agony from the hot violent touches the man is doing to her. She turns her head towards the slouch figure of A.J. sleeping quietly, his head hanging gently to the side as his legs were crossed, stretched out from where he was sitting at. She tried to scream and yell, anything to create some form of noise, but a hand was placed over her mouth and her throat was too dry to create a loud enough yell. ‘This can’t be happening, not here.” Not in front of her sleeping friend, the thoughts seeped in as she feels her arms pressed firmly to the side. This was all too vile, sick beyond what she can comprehend as she kept her gaze on her friend, wishing, hoping that he could open his eyes and stop it.

And he did. He stopped it.

Yasmine gasps, snapping her eyes open and sits up, seeing A.J’s bewildered face gazing down at her as he sits on the bedside gently touching her hand.

“You scared me. You were screaming.” A.J. whispers gently, crawling over to her as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her to him.

Yasmine sobs out, “It, it was just a dream?” She chokes out, falling into his embrace.

“Huh? Yeah, a dream. Why? What happened?” A.J. whispering into her ear, stroking her hair as she buries her head into his embrace. His soft voice calmed her racing heart as she tries to catch her breath. She gazes around the room, looking for any figures hiding, hoping Kelvin wasn’t there ready to attack when A.J. turned his back.

“I thought, I thought, he was here again. Here to get me again. I was pushed to the bed, Alex…” She pauses, raising her head up, her eyes looking up to see his face clothed in concern over her. “It felt so real. I thought he was going to attack me in front of you, but I couldn’t scream and you were asleep. I wanted you to wake up, to get the man away from hurting me…” She trails off, fingering the collar of A.J.’s dark t-shirt.

A.J. sighs and rocks her gently in his arms, “I did stop it. I woke you up. You kept yelling out that someone was here and I shot up from my sleep. But Yas, he’s not here. You’re ok. You’re safe. And I don’t care what happens with our relationship as long as you’re safe. That’s all that matters to me right now.”

Yasmine sniffs and pulls away from his embrace with a small smile. “Thanks. Oh God Alex, it, it felt so real. Every touch, every fiber of his sick voice. I felt his hot breathe on me, his crawling hands on my body. I, I didn’t know what to think.” She whispers, her eyes roaming over A.J.’s arms, the bed, the crib and back at his face.

A.J. gulps, gently stroking her hair with his fingers, “You had a nightmare. It felt real ‘cause your body thought it was real, you experienced it before and you were preparing for the worst. But it wasn’t real. I won’t let you feel that way again. Yasmine I already called the police, they’re coming over.”

Yasmine sits up in bed, shaking her head rapidly. “No…noooo.” She stutters out, backing away from him. “They didn’t help me before. Didn’t I tell you, it’s a waste of time.”

A.J. narrows his bed, his hand drops to his side as he gazes at his disheveled friend. “Do you know something? Are you hiding something?”

“Wh, what?” She gulps out, fear clinging at her.

“Yasmine, do you know who’s doing this to you?” He blurts out, his eyes on her.

Yasmine straightens up, soothing down her matching pajama blue tank top: “If I knew, why would I still be thinking he’s coming for me? Huh? Can you answer that? Cause if that was the case, I would have no reason to be afraid anymore.” She haughtily hisses, raising her head proudly, hoping to change the topic quickly before A.J becomes too suspicious.

But it was too late, his curiosity was already alerted and he wanted answers now.

A.J. crosses his arms on his chest, locking his gaze on her, waiting to see her respond.

Yasmine simply licks her upper lip slowly, turning to gaze out the window, wanting to get distracted.

She feels her bed moan and creek as A.J. crawls over to her, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed as he sits besides her. “Who is it? You have to tell me. I know him don’t I?”

Yasmine bites her lower lip, hoping to hold her tears back as she sniffs quietly. Running a hand down her arm, she forces her gaze to remain at the window instead of at the intense gaze of her friend.

“You can’t keep hiding this. You’re hurting yourself and you’re hurting me. I don’t know how long I can take seeing you cry your eyes out over what that man did to you. You can stop it you know. You have the power Yasmine. Not him, and don’t ever believe that he does, because he can never get to the real you.” A.J. quietly states, running his hands over her shaking hands. He clasps his hands onto her and massages them, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles, hoping that her discomfort would pass.

Yasmine inhales deeply, letting what A.J. just said digest within herself. ‘Dear God, he’s right. Why have I been so scared? Why did I let Kelvin have all the power? I have control of it and I gave him power. But Alex is right, I can end this now.’ Her thoughts swirl through her mind as she tried to conjure up something to respond back. She places one of her legs beneath her, taking a hold of A.J.’s hands. Facing him, she smiles and nods her head as she realizes words wouldn’t be appropriate enough to respond back. Letting her actions take over, she falls into his embrace, letting her warm tears crash down on his shoulders. She places her chin on his shoulder as she allows a warm smile to appear after all the chaos.

She hears A.J. sighs deeply as he wraps his arms around her, holding her for as long as she wanted. She places her head on his shoulder and whispers into his ear, “Thank you.”

A.J. smiles and confused, gently pulls away from her, “Why? I didn’t do anything.”

“Yeah you did. You saved me from going crazy. A.J. after all this time, I would have thought that you would have left me. I’m just an old friend of yours. Not a relative or any of your close friends. Yet you’re standing by me. I’m forever grateful for that.” Yasmine whispers, running a hand down her wet cheeks.

A.J. smiles, nodding his head, “You mean more to me than you can imagine. You don’t realize the effect you have on people ‘till they tell you. Yas, you’re more than a friend to me. You’re like a sister, a mother, someone I can confide in. All those years when we grew up meant something to me. Yas…” He cups her chin, gazing deeply into her light green eyes, “You mean the world to me. Every time I was with you, I don’t remember ever feeling down about myself, you always manage to place a smile on my face even when you were suffering.”

Yasmine smiles and barely audible, whispers to him. “It was because of you, I managed to live life again. My life was downhill before you came to visit me. I wanted to impress you, to let you know that I too had dreams and are fulfilling them. But Alex, I’m not near them, at least not yet. You have reached your dreams already, I’m still working on mines. But I want you to always to look and remember me for the happiness, not all this…this insanity that has been overwhelming me recently.”

A.J. places his hands on her shoulders, shaking his head, “You sound like you’re saying a good bye speech or something. You know that’s not true. You got something I try to have and that is love. And you shared that with me. I learned to love right because of you. Yasmine, God, if I didn’t have you in my life, the word love would have meant nothing to me. The way I see it, love would have been curse or worse yet a word with no real meaning. But you gave it meaning because of your love for others and for me.” A.J. states, a small smile breaking onto his lips.

Yasmine grins and for what seemed like eternity, laughs. Her laughter surprises A.J. and he watches stun at her shaking shoulders and her brown strands swaying around her shoulders softly. And A.J. too begins to laugh: laughing away the pain, the grief and anything that had cause them to shield themselves away from this painful world. A.J. could feel his heart open up, the laughing soothing his soul as he wraps his arms around his friend as they lie back on the bed, both still in hysterics, enjoying each other’s happiness, the laughter vibrating in the still atmosphere around them.
~*~

“Oh were? Come on, it be nice to have a lady around the studio.” Nick smirks, fiddling with a pen in his hand, staring through the studio glass pane into the recording studio where Brian and A.J. were lying down some tracks for their upcoming album. He could here Anya on the other end of the phone line sigh.

“It would be nice I guess, but I don’t know, how long are you guys gonna be there?” Anya asks, staring out of her apartment window.

“The rest of the day. I doubt we’re going anywhere. Besides Yasmine and Faith are here and you can chill with them.”

Anya smirks, “Ahhh Yassy’s with you guys! Oh ok then. I’ll meet you guys there then. Man I haven’t seen Yas since, man, since hell I can’t remember, but its been that long!”

“Well then, now is the time to catch up huh? Look, I’ll leave it a surprise for Yas, so she won’t know you coming.”

Anya smiles, pulling on the strap of her purse as she heads out the apartment. “Alright then. I’ll see you guys in a few then. Bye.”

“Bye.” Nick grins, ending the call on his cell. He glances over to see Howie smirking and shaking his head.

“Oh what? What’s with the shaking of the head man?”

Howie sits up in his seat and smiles, “Nick you still have a thing for her huh? You know she ain’t interested like that. I don’t know why you still think things are gonna happen.”

“Hey! I have dreams, like any other man. Can’t you let this man dream?” Nick playfully states, batting his eyes. “Besides that, I least I’m into a girl.”

Howie flips his finger at Nick and adjust in his seat, “Yeah well I’ve been a serious relationship with a beautiful woman in case you didn’t know for a while, so I know more about woman than girls.” He grins watching Nick rolls his eyes, turning away from him.

“Whatever dude. I like my women to have that girly attitude cause when you get them in bed…” Nick stops mid-way to see Yasmine glaring at him as she enters the studio with Faith in her arms.

Howie laughs, “Go ahead, why don’t you finish what you were saying?”

“In second thought, I’ll leave my thoughts as my thoughts.” Nick smirks, facing the window to see Brian giving Nick the thumbs up sign as a signal to let him know he’s ready to sing his part. Leaning over a couple of buttons on the counter, Nick pushes play for the music to begin and settles back in his seat, feeling eyes on him. “Alright Yasmine what is it?” He mumbles, sensing her eyes on him. He keeps his eyes on the window, not turning to see Yasmine settle down next to him in the next seat.

“Well Nick, that was interesting. I’m curious, do your lines work on most women or are they hard of hearing in general?”

Nick gasps playfully, smirking at her. “Well look at you. You seem to have gotten your rude humor back. I was beginning to miss that about you.”

“Yeah well figured you needed a good toning down, that head of yours was getting just a little too big for ya.”

“The ladies never seem to complain about it.” Nick smirks, feeling Yasmine pluck him on the side of his head.

“You’re a dirty boy, see this is why I don’t let you hang out with Faith. The things my baby would learn from you would be frightening. And I don’t want to take my chances.” Yasmine giggles as Nick flips his middle finger at her.

“See, there we go again with the hand signals. You could do something useful with those hands of yours instead of using it for that.” Yasmine teases, swinging her legs, twirling around slowly in the seat accommodated with wheels on its base.

“Well Nick does use them for something else but if you knew you might not want to shake his hands again.” Howie joins in the joke as Nick sucks his teeth, rolling his eyes.

Yasmine breaks into a laugh, shaking her head, “You guys are weird, no wonder A.J. hangs around me, you guys are close to losing it yourself.”

“Hey I resent that. Insanity is for losers. I however have A.D.H.D.” Nick smirks, enjoying the curious look coming from Yasmine.

“And that is?”

Howie answers to Yasmine’s confusion, “Oh you know the usual Attention Deficit hyperactive disorder.”

“Man, that’s a long name for plain out insanity.” Yasmine smirks, her sneaker feet tapping the tile floor.

“Sure is, but it makes Nick happy. So that’s the name.” Howie laughs as Yasmine giggles.

Howie smiles, “Wait.” The other two watch him as he pulls out a small camcorder, recording them. “I figured Faith might be curious in how music is made for future reference.”

Yasmine grins, staring into the camcorder and crossing her eyes silly. “Hey Faith, its me mommy! Smile, love ya sweetie!”

Nick laughs and gives the peace signal at the camcorder’s direction as Howie laughs and continues to record them, their laughter echoing down the music studio as Brian and A.J. gaze through the window to see the others roaring out in laughter.

“They’re your friends man.” Brian smirks.

“Hell they’re yours too Rok!” A.J. chuckles as he gathers up some papers, testing the microphone and headset.
~*~

He flips through a pile of papers frustrated, drumming his fingers on the desktop. He hears the secretary approach him, a warm sicken smile plastered on her pale face as she hold out the cordless phone to him. “Mr. Candell, the commissioner is on line one. I thought you might want to answer it.” She states, her light golden locks cling to her scalp tightly in a delicate up do. She hands the phone over to him, walking away.

He takes the phone, answering it, “Ello?”

“Ahh yes. Kelvin Candell correct?”

“Yes, this is him speaking. How can I help out today Mr. Brandenburg?”

“Oh I was just curious, if all is going well with the company’s plans on stocking the incoming products.”

“Yes, all is working out well. We should receive the new PC’s for the company’s office by the end of this week. Why?”

“Oh I had to make sure all of the products are a counted for. Mr. Nielson needs to keep count of how the company is using the money wisely that’s all.”

“Oh ok. Hey listen, I heard you have a good friend who works with artillery and such. I was thinking of paying him a visit. Do you have a way of contacting him either through phone or in person?”

“Oh yes, yes I do. That’s Alson. Can I ask why though?” The commissioner curiously asks.

Kelvin forces out a laughs, fixing his black tie as he sits up in the chair. “Oh just for security reasons sir. My friend doesn’t have the time to have a legal license for the weapon.”

“Ahhh ok. Well nothing wrong with being safe Candell. What is your friend’s name?”

Kelvin gulps, scanning over a few sheets of paper with various names of companies and such. “Oh uh well his name sir is ummm…uhhhh Darrel.”

The commissioner on the other end of the phone line laughs, “For a moment there I thought you hesitated with your friend’s name there.”

Kelvin smirks, “Oh its just with all this work, sometimes I forget the simplest of things.”

Mr. Brandenburg snorts, grunting out a laugh. “Oh yes well that’s the true spirit of overworking son. So shall I have Alson contact you at your home number?”

Kelvin leans back in his office seat, gazing up at the harsh white lights above his cubicle. “I’d rather not. Let him call me here in the office. I won’t leave work today till little over 7:30 so he has time to get through to me.”

“Ahh, rather you’re doing alittle over time I see.”

“Well yes, a man needs money for his future plans after all. I’m sure you can understand that sir.”

The commissioner smirks, “Indeed I do. Well I’ll make sure to pass the message through to him. You should receive his call between three to five alright?”

“Yes, thank you sir.”

“You’re welcome Candell. I’ll let you be, I know work must be piling up.”

Kelvin smirks, gazing at his cluttered desk, “Yeah it is, you know how this company is. There’s always work to do.”

Mr. Brandenburg chuckles and ends the call as Kelvin smirks, holding the cradle of the phone in his grip. Drumming the black cradle on the desk top, Kelvin smiles. Things were going well according to his plans and tonight the final step in obtaining the necessary weapon, will go underway. Tomorrow, Kevin smiles, he will make his last visit to Yasmine and his daughter before things go underway. And he couldn’t wait to get to started.
~*~

A.J. tucks the covers over her as she rolls to side and sleepily mumbles out a goodnight.

He smirks and sits on the edge of the bed, watching Yasmine get comfortable on her bed.

Groggily, she whispers out, her tired eyes gazing at him as she yawns out something.

“What was that that?” A.J. smiles warmly, sliding over to where she was.

Yasmine turns on her back and manages to open her eyes wide enough so as if she was almost seeing through him. “I said goodnight and pray that Faith doesn’t wake me up in the middle of the night.”

A.J. smiles, “Sure no prob. Night to you too.”

Yasmine’s somber expression remains transfixed on her face as she gazes him softly. “Good night and hey you can sleep on the sofa bed, I feel bad you sleeping in a chair.”

A.J. chuckles and stands up, kissing her forehead as he heads out of her room, “Thanks, I’ll make sure I’ll use it.”

Yasmine giggles softly and closes her eyes, “Goodnight and goodbye.” She mumbles out, going off to sleep.

A.J. stands in the threshold and watches her curiously. “Night, see ya in the morning.” He whispers out, closing the door behind him.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”


-“It’s not that I can’t live without you.
It’s just that I don’t even want to try.
Every night I dream about you.
Ever since the day we said goodbye.” ~”Back To Your Heart” by BSB.

**~Final Farewells ~**

A.J. closes the door behind him, smirking as Nick’s laughter burst in the kitchen.

“Dude, shut up, Faith and Yas are sleeping.” A.J. grumbles out as Brian raises his eyebrows, smirking.

“A.J.’s right Nick, quiet down. So…” Brian teases, lingering his question in the air.

“Alright guys, can ya go somewhere that isn’t here?” A,J. muses, raising his eyebrows at them.

Nick smirks, “I like it here though.”

“Move.” A.J. mutters, pointing to the front door.

Brian rolls his eyes, “I know when I’m not wanted.” He chuckles, grabbing Nick’s arm, dragging the man with him towards the door. “Wait, I was gonna ask how did the meeting with the detective go?”

A.J. stops and nods his head, “Good, the guy plans on tracking down any unlikely suspects and Anya was there to help give off some names that can be helping that bastard out.”

“Ok, so question. Do you know the rapist then?” Nick asks.

A.J. nods, “Yeah, Yasmine told me the entire story. Remember that guy back at her shower that kinda looked like me?”

Nick and Brian gasps, “Yeah It’s him?” They shout in unison.

A.J. nods, “Yeah. I knew something was up. The whole letter thing, the blackmail that was happening with all you guys getting threatening letters, that was all that dude’s deal.”

Brian gasps, “Whoa, I can’t believe it. And the fact he claimed to be one of Yasmine’s friends, that’s what even more disturbing.”

A.J. releases a sigh and nods, “I know, its too creepy to begin with. But I’m glad this guy is gonna get caught. When the cops pass through with the warrant, it’ll be over for that Kelvin guy.”

“That’s the name?! I was trying to think what his name was.” Nick snaps his fingers.

“Yup, well enough of this talk, you guys are leaving here now right?” A.J. smirks, leaning on the open threshold of the front door.

Nick smirks, “You wanna be alone with her, you bad.”

A.J. sighs, “Shut him up Brian.”

Brian laughs, standing in the threshold, “I’ll try, but Nick is too big to tackle.”

“Heyyyy, I’m not big!” Nick protests immediately.

“He meant big in height Nick. Dude you have some issues you gotta deal with.” A.J. smirks, waving them off as the two men step out of Yasmine’s apartment with grins scrolled on their faces. “Weirdos.” He whispers to himself, closing the door and heading back to the den. Touching his jean pockets, he fumbles through searching for his wallet and grumbles. “Damn. I left it at my place. I can’t leave the girls here alone though.” A.J. ponders, racing out of the apartment to see if he can still spot Nick or Brian. But neither was seen and he calls out to them. Sighing, he enters the apartment and heads over to Yasmine’s bedroom, slowly opening the door. He pokes his head into the room, to see in the darkness, the small curled figure buried under the white silk sheets.

“Yas. Yas.” He calls out, inching his way over to her. He hated waking her up, but he had to leave and didn’t want to leave her here alone. “Yas, wake up. It’s me Alex. I have to pick up my wallet.”

Yasmine’s only respond was a sleepy groan as she lazily rolls over to one side. “Why? Just call one of them to get it.” She moans out, yawning, her eyes still close as she tries to fall back to sleep.

“Alright. Sweetie, you’re right. I’ll do that. It was stupid of me to get you up.”

“Cause you’re a guy, you don’t think.” Yasmine mumbles out sleepily getting a laugh out of A.J.

“When you wake up, I’ll get ya for that statement.” A.J. whispers, smiling as he takes in her beauty. “Hey I forgot to give you back the bracelet.”

Yasmine sticks her hand out of the covers, palm open. “Put it on there.” She whispers out.

A.J. smirks. “I’ll do that when you get up and are awake.” Deciding to play along with her.

Yasmine not up for any games, growls out, “See open hand. Put it there.”

“I thought when people sleep they don’t talk.” A.J. continues egging her own.

Yasmine growls and flings the cover off her head, staring at him sharply. “I know you’re messing with me and I’m cranky cause you woke me up.”

“Well see you’re awake now and you look cute cranky. Yeah I was worried. I need my wallet. What if a fan found it? Then I’ll have to go through all that mess of canceling…”

“Shut up.” Yasmine interrupts, a smirk on her face as A.J. abruptly stops and stares at her.

“Actually, it’s good you’re up, I wanna talk to you about something.” A.J. whispers softly in her ear as he sits on the edge of her bed.

Yasmine eyes him, “About what?”

“I have to start promoting the album with the guys shortly and I won’t be here. I want you to come with me.”

“What? Alex you know I would, but hello, have you forgotten I have a child now? Plus, what if the media gets a hold of this? You’re screwed.” She whispers, hoping not to wake up Faith.

A.J. sighs and smirks. “Who cares what the media says? They always find something to talk about.”

“Yeah but I don’t wanna be the butts of one of their own personal jokes.”

A.J. withholds his laughter, gazing at her. “They’re known to do a good job on that anyway, whether you like it or not. Look, just say yeah.”

“I’ll say yeah when you give me my bracelet back.” Yasmine smirks, holding out her open palm.

“Well you’re the one who broke it and I had to get it fixed. Don’t get all fussy with me.”

“Hey, that was Faith’s fault’s. She pulled on it.” Yasmine grins, sliding to the edge of the bed facing him.

A.J. chuckles and hands Yasmine a golden box with her fixed bracelet. “Don’t blame the baby for that. She doesn’t know any better.”

“Yeah like someone I know.” She teases, taking the golden box and opening it. To her surprise she sees besides her bracelet a golden ring with a small sparkling white diamond in the center of it. She gasps and looks up at him. “A, Al, Alex, this isn’t what I think it is right?”

A.J. smirks, “Depends on what you’re thinking it is.”

“Is this…is this…” Yasmine whispers out, taking out the diamond ring from the box, examining it.

A.J. smiles and kneels down on knee, “Look at me for a minute.”

Yasmine gazes at him, shaking nervously as she places the ring back in the box.

A.J. takes her left hand, holding in gently as he talks about the beauty that Yasmine had showed him since last year. “Everything you do has a purpose. God graced the earth placing you here right here, right now in front of me. Yasmine, make me the happiest man now and marry me.”

Yasmine’s mouth drops open as she struggles to speak but nothing came out. A.J. laughs, “I wanted to go all out and do the whole fireworks and skywriting thing. But you’d think that’s so overrated. So I stuck to something that I know, just being real and me.”

Yasmine closes her mouth finally speaking after the shock had wore down. “I, I don’t know what to say. You got me good. I never thought that you’d want me in your life forever.”

A.J. smiles gently and leads her off the bed and towards the small balcony the apartment has. Sliding the glass pane doors, they both enter the cement balcony and look around at the night sky before them. Yasmine grabs the metal railing, peering her head below to the dark abyss of the ground. “You seem surprise I would do this.”

Yasmine smirks, “Well yeah. Alex, I didn’t even think of this. To get engaged and get married. I thought that was only in fairy tales. Stuff like that don’t happen to normal girls like me.”

“But you’re not a normal girl Yasmine. And before I lose you again, I want you to be a part of my life from now on.” A.J. states, breathing in the cool May spring breeze.

Yasmine smiles and takes his hand as he watches her, holding the diamond engagement ring her hand. Smiling, she hands him the ring and nods. Without another word, he laughs and hugs her, sliding the ring on her finger.

“I just hope you can share me.” Yasmine teases, watching A.J.’s curiosity rise.

“Excuse me?” He smirks, “And who am I sharing you with?”

“I think you might have heard of Him, He has many names but God works just fine.”

A.J. laughs, “I’m sure He doesn’t mind, I’m with his princess.” And he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her to him as they kiss under the bright silver rays of the moonlight gleaming down on them.

Suddenly A.J. cell phone rings, breaking the serene silence between them. Smirking, Yasmine grabs at his phone clipped on his jean buckle as he does the same.

“Let it ring.” She smiles, trailing her fingers down the phone.

A.J. laughs and nods, gazing into her eyes. “If I die right now, I’ll die with a happy face on.”

“Why do you have to be so morbid?” She giggles, a warm gentle breeze flutters a strand of her dark hair on her cheeks.

A.J. laughs, “Whatever. You just make me so happy.”

“Then I’m glad. Do the other guys know?”

A.J. simply shakes his head. “Nope, cause if they did, they would have blurted something out, especially Nick. He can’t hold his tongue for nothing.”

Yasmine chuckles, shaking her head. “You know you love that man. Stop picking on him.”

A.J. rolls his eyes playfully. “Ahhh, maybe. Hey, since you’re awake, how about I take ya out to ea to celebrate. I can find one of the guys to watch Faith.”

Yasmine exhales, “I, I don’t know. This is all unexpected I guess.”

“Don’t worry. I got it covered.” A.J. picks up his phone and was about to dial it when he heard a message on his voicemail:

“Hey I know I just left Yassy’s place but me and Brian got caught up in some major traffic. I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere stuck on the highway. Just in case Kevin or Howie asks for us later, let them know cause I couldn’t get in contact with them aight?”

A.J. shakes his head, a smile on his face.

“Nick?”

“Yup, he and Brian stuck on the highway.”

Yasmine laughs, “Awww, that is so cute, their first real traffic jam right here in New York.”

A.J. laughs, “Guess so. But that leaves us with only two other options. Kevin or Howie to watch Faith.”

Yasmine laughs, “I’ll go get dressed then. If you can get one of the guys to watch Faith, we can drop her off.”

A.J. nods his head, “Aight.” And he calls Kevin but with no success. Sighing, he calls Howie’s hotel suite and hears someone answers.

“Ello?”

“Oh D! Great to hear from ya, listen I need a huge favor from ya!”

A.J. smirks, hearing Howie groan before responding, “Ahhhh, Alex, what is it? Is it legal?”

A.J. laughs, “Why do you always assume the worst from me?”

“Cause you’re A.J. that’s why.” Howie smirks, taking a seat on his sofa, cradling the phone on his ear neck as his hands busy themselves with his late night dinner set out on the table before him. “So how can I help ya?”

“Can you watch Faith? Me and Yas are gonna go out to eat and celebrate.”

“Celebrate what?” Howie asks, chewing on his spaghetti.

“We just got engaged!”

Howie almost chokes on his food and gasps, “WHAT? WHEN? How did this happen?”

A.J. laughs, “Dude it was all planned out for a while. I was thinking about it and talking with my mom I realized she’s the one man. I have to take advantage and get her before I lose her again to some punk out there.”

Howie laughs, cheering A.J. on. “Wow! J, man you surprised me man. I can’t believe you didn’t tell any of us.”

“I wanted to keep it on the DL that’s all.”

“DL?” Howie asks, not up to the terms the younger generation was using.

“Down low D! Get with the program man.” A.J. smirks.

“Shut up. So you gonna eat out. I can’t believe you gonna get married!”

“Well I needed something positive to happen and Yasmine has been in my life this whole time.”

“It’s funny how before you and Yasmine claim to maintain friendships and not go through with any other relationships with each other but now here you are, you guys dated for a bit and now getting married! I mean that’s a big turn around.”

A.J. laughs, “I know, I hear ya. Well listen, we’re all ready, you watching Faith?”

“Sure. I love the little one. Bring her here, uncle Howie will spoil her.”

A.J. laughs, “Aight, I’ll see ya there shortly. One.” And he hangs up.

“One what?” Howie whispers, confused at the slang thrown at him.
~*~

The dinner was wonderful and now as A.J. was driving back to Howie’s place to pick up little Faith, Yasmine was singing joyfully besides him on the passenger seat. He smiles and pulls up to the Marriot Hotel parking lot after a forty five minute drive and as he turns off the car, he glances over to see Yasmine sleeping peacefully. “Hey Yas. Sweetie, listen, we’re here. Let’s get Faith.”

Yasmine mumbles out something incoherent before whispering out to go alone.

A.J. sighs, “Come on, you know I’m not leaving you here alone.”

Yasmine continues sleeping as A.J. watches. “Fine, whatever.” And calls up Howie’s phone but the phone was busy. “Ahhhh. This sucks. Look, Yas, I’m gonna race through and get Faith. Stay here and don’t open the door to anyone. Do you hear me?” He eyes her as she nods her head somewhat, still caught in deep sleep.

A.J. sighs and races out of the car, flying up to the elevator to reach Howie’s floor.

Yasmine sighs and slowly opens her eyes, gazing at the passenger side. She gasps and jumps at her seat to see that wretched face staring back at her.

Kelvin hisses out, eyeing her. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out! Huh did ya?! I know what’s going on! God I should just kill you right now for all that you put me through. Do you know all I wanted was so be with you? But instead you go to this creep, this man has nothing to offer you. He lives a completely different life. He’s famous. He won’t ever understand what we normal people do. Is this the type of life you want with him? He won’t be around to raise our child Yasmine! I want Faith to know her father. Yasmine, think this through.”

Yasmine narrows her eyes, sliding away from the car window, his face staring back at her from the other side of the window. “You’re insane. You’re not well in the head do you understand that? This is my life but you forced yourself in it. I gave you a chance in the past but you didn’t think I would be the one to stay with you now did ya?” She growls out, searching for a spare cell phone but found nothing.

Kelvin growls and stares around at the deserted parking lot. Only litters of vehicles aligned the parking lot but no one else was inside the parking lot besides them. He pulls out his .35 black handgun from his pocket and aims it at her, “Get out of the car.”

Yasmine gulps and raises her hands up in the air, “Kelvin please. This is insane. You have to get help, you know that? This isn’t what normal people do.”

“I’m normal, you just made me crazy! I’m crazy in love with you! I could have had you to be mine. Instead you went for him. So I thought maybe if I started looking like him you would come back, but even that didn’t work. Yasmine I want you. God, I love you so much its killing me each day. Let me back in your life. That’s all I want.”

Yasmine shakes her head, the fear enclosing at her as she watches him aim the gun at her, “Get out of the car Yasmine, I know you heard me. I won’t hesitate girl.” He hisses out as Yasmine gulps and slowly and cautiously slip out of the car.

She knew this man was mentally unstable and if she didn’t follow through with his orders he wouldn’t hesitate in doing what he has planned. She stands before him, glancing around wishing A.J. would have tried harder in waking her up. She gulps and looks at Kelvin, how she wished the detective was here to arrest the man now.

“I know about the engagement Yas. And I know about that detective you hired with your friend’s. But too bad your detective can’t talk now can he?” Kelvin pulls out a shattered piece of what seemed like detective’s flesh or rather the actual flesh right off the face.

Yasmine cries out in fear and disgust as she backs away from, her back hitting the cement wall behind her.

“What’s wrong? Do you recognize the face? Does he seem familiar to you?” Kelvin hisses out, his hands now covered in the blood from the skin as he puts it away back in the plastic seal bag and into his jacket pocket.

Yasmine cries out as she stands terrified, shaking violently as tears crash down her pale tan cheeks.

“Aww, did I make you cry? Yasmine, come away with me.”

Yasmine sighs and closes her eyes, “Please God, I can’t understand this. Why me?”

Kelvin laughs, “It’s so funny how God must have an off day whenever you’re trouble. Makes ya wonder huh?” And he approaches her, his pistol aimed at her.

“What do you want from me?”

“To be with me! I want you to love me, like you love that man!”

“I can’t control that. I can’t love someone like you, you disrespected me from the beginning and I’m supposed to go to you. No! Never! Forget you! I can’t lie to my heart and the one I truly love!”

Kelvin rages, setting off a round of profanities, before aiming the gun back at her. “You have no idea what you wanted with that man. You were at a loss with him just like when you were with me. You can’t make up your mind about things so let me decide for you.”

“NO!!” A voice booms, echoing down the parking lot as A.J. appears with little Faith cradled in his arm.

Kelvin growls, his dark eyes shooting over to A.J. as he keeps his gun aimed at Yasmine. “Well look who came to play. The one who took my Yasmine away. What do you have to say for yourself? You caused all this to happen you know.”

A.J. narrows his eyes and slowly takes a few steps into the parking lot to see a shivering Yasmine trapped with no where to run except to tackle Kelvin and that was impossible for the man was built and much taller than her to take down. A.J. could have done it if Faith wasn’t with him at the moment but the pistol in the man’s hand had him nervous.

He glances over to see Faith soundly asleep through all of this in his arms. “Kelvin put down the gun. Let’s talk about this. Look at your child. I have her in my arms. Don’t you wanna see her again and touch her? You don’t wanna go to jail and never see her again now do you?”

Kelvin exhales, his eyes diverting back and forth to A.J. and Yasmine. “My baby.” He whispers out, eying Faith. “Take care of her for me will ya?” He whispers, pulling the trigger and shooting at Yasmine and then himself in the chest.

Two shots rang out in the parking lot as A.J. yells out, clutching Faith in his arms as Yasmine drops to the ground besides Kelvin. A.J. shivers while tears stain his cheeks as he approaches the bodies. He stops to see the rich dark red blood ooze out of both bodies chest, Yasmine had fallen on her abdomen so the fatal wound was not visible to him, but Kelvin’s chest was leaking rapidly in blood as the black shirt he wore was covered in his own blood. A.J. sobs, choking back a yell as he fumbles for his cell, calling the ambulance and then Howie.

A few minutes later, Howie races to the parking lot to see A.J. on his knees, caressing Yasmine’s dark locks in his hands.

“A.J.! Oh God!” Howie cries out, his eyes clouding in tears as he takes Faith out of A.J.’s arm and takes a hold of A.J.’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Barely whispering A.J. tells Howie the quick synopsis of what had occurred only minutes before. Howie stood there in utter shock as suddenly the blinking red lights and sirens fill the parking lot. Howie steps back as the paramedics leap out of the ambulance to race over to the fallen bodies on the ground. One paramedic came with two body bags and placed Kelvin into one of them, immediately zipping it up and placing it on a stretcher. A.J. watches in silent horror as Yasmine’s body was lifted up, her open eyes seemed to be staring back at him as one of the paramedics close the woman’s eyes and places her on the stretcher, wheeling her away. A.J. and Howie watch in shock as a diamond ring topples off Yasmine’s left ring finger and lands on the ground as the stretcher is placed inside the ambulance. A.J. covers his eyes and cries furiously as he drops to his knees. Howie watches in utter shock and realizes that was the engagement ring that was given to her and he felt at a loss for his friend. He stares at A.J., rubbing his sobbing friend’s shoulder as he watches the ambulance pulls away and a police car arriving. Tonight he knew he wouldn’t get any sleep and feared now for A.J.’s health and sanity as a couple of cops arrive and make their way to them.
~*~

Nick watches the ceremony in a daze, maybe it didn’t hit him yet that something so tragic could end a person’s life, but it did. For this one woman, it did. He inches closer to the open white ivory coffin, fearing of what he would see when he glances down. He never knew anyone close to him that had passed away and this was so wrong to him. Someone so young, so eager to take on life was taken away without an excuse and that struck Nick. It had been over a week since the tragic death of Yasmine and he didn’t and couldn’t face to believe that Yasmine was gone. But as he drops his eyes down to the open casket to see Yasmine, she looked so beautiful. Like she was sleeping. He was enthralled at how wonderful and happy she looked and for a moment, he touched her cheeks surprised to feel them so cold to the touch. He could hear A.J. besides him, lost and dazed since that night. It was like A.J. had died as well when Yasmine was taken away from him. Everyday he heard his friend blame himself for his newly fiancé’s death and everyday Nick was there to console his friend, to tell A.J. that what happened wasn’t his fault, that he did whatever he could but what occurred was out of his control. Yet his words did nothing to comfort his friend’s hurting soul. Nick glances back down at Yasmine as his eyes cloud in tears. He never saw a person, a corpse up close before. The idea didn’t hit him as he touches Yasmine’s beautiful locks styled loose and a stunning small sparkling diamond tiara placed on her head. Her cheeks and eyes seem bright and alive as a small curved smile covered her soft painted pink lips. A.J. sniffs and walks away from the casket for a breather as Nick continues to gaze at Yasmine. Nick sniffs and feels a hand on his shoulder to see Kevin staring at him, tears rolling down his emerald eyes.

Nick sobs out, “I didn’t even say goodbye to her. Kev, I didn’t say goodbye to her!”

Kevin quiets down Nick and embraces the man, “Shhh…Nick I know.” He croaks out, his voice straining through the freshly new tears that cross his face.

A.J. heads back to the casket, tears falling freely down his cheeks. “Wake up Yasmine! Wake up! God, don’t let her leave me! I can’t do this alone!” He cries out, falling to his knees as Howie and Brian race over to A.J. Kevin and Nick pull away from the embrace and sigh, the entire church was full of people, her family and close friends. Nick glances at Anya and it broke his heart to see the woman crash to the ground screaming out “Why? Why? How could this happen?!” He gazes to see Yasmine’s mother and father cry out in agony for the loss of their daughter. He could hear her father, the same bright emerald eyes gazing back at him as he stands before Nick.

Nick drops his head, not bothering to say a word, for what can he say that will ease the parent’s grief. Nothing and that is what he did as he takes a seat on a pew, biting on his lower lip. He watches Yasmine’s mother: who was holding Faith in her arms, cry and yell out when she reached her child’s casket. Nick closes his eyes, wishing the pain to go away, but it remained there stronger than ever as he watches the scenery, taking it all in: the cries, the pain, the grief.
~**~


**~To Be Continued…~**

“Love Can Save”


-“Take back that sad word goodbye.
Bring back the joy to my life.
Don’t leave me here with these tears
Come and kiss this pain away
I can’t forget the day you left
Time was so unkind
And life is so cruel without you here besides me.” -“Un-break My Heart”

**~Epilogue~**

-Two Years Later-

He stares blindly at the flashing television screen before him, visions of reality striking him to the core as the tape played on the set. He watches, remembering the time when Yasmine was acting silly in the music studio. It felt like yesterday to him that she was besides him, holding him, kissing him, waiting to be his wife on the day of their engagement. He stares at the television, watching Yasmine laugh, waving at the camera back at the delivery room. A.J. couldn’t bear to watch more of it, but he needed something to hold on to before he was ready to let go. His heart ached and cried out every night after the incident. The first days of her death was like a complete daze, for him it seemed numbing to his very soul. He made it through the overwhelming sadness only with the help of Faith. Perhaps he wondered at times if Yasmine left Faith for him to help him out. He hoped so. Everyday as the baby grew, she would remind him of her mother. With the little crinkle on her nose when she was annoyed to the giddy laugh that would abrupt from the child’s mouth. Now Faith was almost two years old, a month away till her birthday and another year without her mother.

The first year after Yasmine’s loss, A.J. was barely able to function, he felt like a ghost to his soul, his body. The other guys struggled and helped out their friend to the best they could but even they knew his grief was too deep to be resolved at the moment. And here was another year quickly approaching, leaving A.J.’s heart in a complete disarray. When Yasmine had passed away, A.J. become the legal parent and guardian for Faith and raising the child with all his strength, he become more grateful that Yasmine had left a presence within that child. Faith was a miniature resemblance to her mother, with the black soft curls and tan color to her flesh to the small chubby cheeks and high cheekbones.

He could hear some shuffling besides him as a soft small hand grabs his sleeve. A.J. smiles gently, staring at the little girl, her bright blazing eyes glittering in glee. Her little hand rises to touch his wet cheek, catching a tear that leaked out his mournful eyes.

“Daddy, you sad?” She gentle voice breaks the still silence in his living room.

A.J. gulps and picks up Faith in his arms, having the child nestle her head on his shoulder. “I just miss mommy that’s all.”

“I miss mommy too. She pwetty.” Faith’s little voice whispers out, cracking every now and then.

“Yeah, yeah she was.” A.J. chokes out, closing his eyes, quickly wiping away the tears that stained his cheeks. He hears a gentle mournful sigh coming from behind him at the living room threshold. His gaze turns to see Nick and Howie entering the living room, staring back at him.

“It’s time.” Howie whispers, his eyes bright with tears as Nick sniffs and gazes over at Faith.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Nick glumly states, sticking out his hand for Faith to grab his hand.

A.J. nods, standing up, leading the way out of his house. The bright sunny Florida afternoon sky contrasted to the deep sad emotions racing through his soul. He sees Brian and Kevin waiting in the black SUV, Kevin’s eyes clouded in tears as he grips the steering wheel tightly in his hands.

Brian gulps and remains silent; he couldn’t believe it was time again, time to visit the cemetery where Yasmine’s body lied in. She was transported back to her home state Florida after the doctors prepared her body. And now today in late May after her passing, they were to make their visit to see Yasmine one more time, not in a rather physical sense, but more of her aura, her gentle soul that filled that air. They all boarded the vehicle as Kevin takes them away to the cemetery.

Last year the traveling was too difficult, many a times while heading to the cemetery either A.J. or Nick, Brian, Howie or even Kevin would have broken down, pulling up to the curb every few minutes to unleash the hurt and pain. Today though, today was different, they were more stronger, more able to deal and they reached the cemetery in a matter of minutes.

The vehicle pulls slowly to the graveyard site and all but Faith and A.J. exit the vehicle.

Brian peers into the open back window and sighs sadly, staring at A.J. “We’ll wait for you over there at…” He stops, taking a shallow breath not completing the sentence and slowly eases his way with the three men to Yasmine’s tombstone.

A.J. gulps and stares straight, seeing Faith sitting across from him on another seat facing him. He sniffs and stares down at the floor of the SUV as he hears Yasmine’s voice filter the car. He looks up and sees Yasmine staring back at him, sitting across from him where Faith was. So instead of Faith looking at him, Yasmine gazes back at him.

“Please don’t be sad.” She whispers out, caressing his cheeks.

He flinches and sighs, cupping her hands with his. “This didn’t have to happen to you and you know it.”

Yasmine smiles, her black curls lying beautifully loosely down her shoulders, her bright emerald eyes shining happily. “Alex I’m alright. I’m safe. I’m home. And I only hope you’re be ok. Alex sweetie, I love you and I’m sorry I never told you. But I’ll always be here.” Her hand pulls at his right hand, guiding it to his heart.

“It hurts too much.” He whispers out, his clouding again in tears.

Yasmine sighs and nods her head, “I know it does love. But its ok, I’m safe.”

“I wanna be with you.”

Yasmine gulps, staring at him, “And you will be with me one day. But not today and not for a while. You still have a wonderful life to live and one to care for.” She smiles.

A.J. smiles and nods, “I love you.”

“Back at ya.” She whispers, kissing his cheek.

“A.J., A.J.” His name is called out as he blinks and sees little Faith swinging her little legs out across from him. He looks out in the car window and sees Nick call for him again. Nodding, he sniffs and shakes his head, still trying to understand what he just saw. He reaches out for Faith and she quickly clasps her small hand around his as they exit the car, heading over to the others.

They slowly reach the granite tombstone, covered in bouquet of bright flowers. Faith wobbles over to the tombstone, the gentle writing on it. Placing her small hands on the words that inscribed her mother’s name, she smiles and whispers out, “Mommy.”

A.J. sighs as Kevin hands him a bouquet of white roses to place on the ground next to her tombstone. Nick clears his throat and looks around as Howie whispers out, “Alex we’re gonna head back now. Do you wanna head out with us now or stay here a little bit longer?”

A.J. shoves his hands in his jean pockets, never taking his eyes off Yasmine’s tombstone. “I’ll stay for a bit. I wanna spend the afternoon with her. I own it to her.”

Howie smiles and takes Faith’s hand leading her away.

“I wanna stay with daddy!” Faith cries out, slipping out Howie’s hand and running back to A.J.’s awaiting arms.

Kevin smiles sadly, nodding his head, “Call us when you’re ready and we’ll come back to pick ya up ok?”

A.J. nods and watches his four friends exit the cemetery back to the vehicle. He could hear from a distance coming from the stereo in the SUV, one of their singles playing. A.J. sighs, hearing the lyrics to one of their songs as it relates to way he was feeling at the moment.

“I promise you from the bottom of my heart.
I would love you till death do us apart…

There are no guarantees, that’s what you always say to me.”

The SUV quickly pull away, leaving him and Faith alone at the cemetery, surrounded again in silence and the chirping birds. Faith smiles and takes his hand, “Take me walk. I wanna see birdies.” She tugs at his hand, causing him to break into a gentle laugh.

“Ok. Let’s do that.” And he stands up, waking away from Yasmine’s tombstone as an aura of peacefulness captures him. He smiles and whispers out to himself, “I’ll see you one day.” And he leads little Faith who was prancing around, giggling and easing his discomforts.
~**~