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“And so, it all came out, about Ryan’s accident, about me killing myself, about my blood condition…my feelings for him,” Stacie told Peyton in between sit ups.

“How did he take everything in?” She held onto Stacie’s feet counting.

“Surprisingly really well, he was sweet and didn’t judge me.”

“Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, my turn. But he’s also the first guy you’ve been able to be honest with and open right?”

“Yes.”

“You see I told you it would be fine and it means this is for real and you need to just keep doing what you’re doing. Yes, you’ve always been one to hide your emotions and feelings and just live life, but seriously, I haven’t seen you this way in a long time.”

“Twenty-one, you don’t think it’s too soon at all? I mean what would Ryan think?”

“I know he would be happy for you and this is what he would want. Stace, you know in your heart you’re ready you don’t even have to ask.”

“Twenty-nine, I know. He’s coming over tonight, we’re going to go roller blade. Thirty-three.”

“That’s great, awe I’m so happy for you girl.” Stacie continued to count with a huge grin on her face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The door bell rang and Stacie put her guitar down against the couch. She opened the door wearing jean shorts and a black tank top.

“Hey!” she smiled.

“Hey yourself,” Nick pulled her in for a hug. “You ready to watch a comedy?” Nick asked.

“What do you mean?” she laughed walking into the kitchen.

“Me on roller blades, not a pretty picture.”

“I’m sure you’re not that bad, water?” she opened the fridge and pulled out two waters.

“Please,” Nick walked towards the living room. “What’chya doing with your geetar?”

“Just playing around a little.”

“It’s a pretty nice Fender to be playing around a little,” Nick had picked up the black guitar with silver lining.

“It was a gift…” her voice trailed off and set the guitar in the case. Nick now had his hands on a spiral notebook. “Do you mind Carter?” she asked pulling the notebook away from him.

“What?! I’m just curious, was that a song? You have to play for me!”

“If you don’t fall more than two times then maybe I’ll play. Come on my blades are in my car.” The two headed out of the house and sat on the side walk to put on their roller blades.

“So, where are we going?”

“Just a little route, not too bad, passes by the beach.”

“Well, duh, I figured that if I were hanging with you I’d see the beach.”

“And do we have a problem with that?” she stood up and put her hands on her hips.

“Not at all,” Nick stood up, bracing his hands on his knees. “I think I should have more than a helmet on.”

“I don’t have a rubber suit for you, sorry.” She took Nick’s hand into hers and began skating.

“So, we may be going on a trip somewhere to work on some songs for the new album because the ones we have right now just aren’t…well, we’re not feeling them.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, we may be going to Colorado up in the mountains. We can get a private lodge there and pretty much private mountains to ski on. You’re the athletic type would you maybe, well want to go with us?” Nick had stopped a curb and was now looking into Stacie’s eyes.

“Skiing?” Her eyes squinted up at Nick. The sunset was bright and she was facing the sun.

“Yeah, with the fellas and I know it’s kind of a big move with us just meeting but I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to really get to know one another?”

“I’ve never been skiing?”

“Really? Awe it’s easy I’ll show you how.”

“I board.” She smiled.

“Yeah, I guess that makes more sense for you. So, what do you say?”

“Um…”

“If you want to think about it, that’s fine. We’re probably going to head out in a week or so.”

“You know what? I think that sounds like a lot of fun, I’m in!”

“REALLY?!” Nick’s voice sounded a little too excited and he tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. “I mean, really? Sweet.”

“Come on Carter,” she shook her head and reached her hand out to help him up. “And one more fall, and you don’t get to hear the song.” They continued to skate down the board walk and sat on a bench to watch to the sunset.

“How are you doing today?” Nick asked glancing at me. Stacie was staring in the direction of the sun.

“Good, how are you?” she smiled.

“I’ve been worried about you all day actually.”

“Why’s that?” she laughed lightly, still not taking her eyes off of the horizon.

“I know last night was probably a lot for you and I know how when something like that comes out of me, it usually takes me a day or two to really become myself again.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” she glanced down at her hands and Nick took one of them into his. “Really Nick, but that’s really sweet of you.” She now looked into his eyes. She couldn’t help but think how amazing he looked with the sun shining in his blue eyes and how his lips looked soft.

“Okay, I’m not going to keep bugging but you’ll tell me whenever you’re well, upset about anything?”

“That I can’t promise...but I will try. I mean I did come right out last night didn’t I?”

“Okay I’ll give you that.”

~*~*~*`
Two weeks had passed and the boys, including their girls arrived up in the large cabin in the mountains. Nick shivered as he walked into the door way with his suitcase.

“Remind me again why we didn’t go to the Bahamas to write like last time?” Nick whined.

“Because we did that for you lat time and I waned to ski, now deal!” A.J. slapped Nick upside his head and took off his snow boots.

“Nick its beautiful here, we have the sun and beach every day. Come on, the snow is like powder and this fire place is amazing!” Stacie ran over to it and Nick laughed.

“How are you so wide awake? We were up at three this morning!” Howie asked holding his girl friend Jen’s hand.

“So, I don’t know how you feel but we can either share a room or you can have your own? We have one extra because well, Kevin—”

“I’d like to share,” she smiled up at him taking his hands into hers. “Now, lets put our things away and go make snow woman!”

“Snow woman? Nick laughed walking up the giant stairs.

“Well, why do they all have to be men? That just doesn’t seem politically correct to me. I mean Frosty had a girlfriend right? So, I want to make one.”

“You’re a weird kid, you know that?”

“Oh, I do. Question is, do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into with me?”

“I think I have an idea,” Nick winked and led Stacie into a room. There was a queen sized four-post bed. A window seat faced out towards the mountains and the walls were all pine wood.

“Nick, this is, damn.” Nick laughed and set both of their suit cases on the bed.

“I know, I’m amazing,” he shrugged and Stacie jumped on him and he fell back onto the bed.

“You are,” she smiled and kissed his lips. Just as they started getting into the kiss she jumped up and unzipped her suitcase.

“What was that?!” Nick asked in surprise.

“I want to go outside, get some warm clothes on and let’s go!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Whose idea was it to make a snow woman?” Brian asked Howie.

“Nick’s crazy girl.”

“Well, she’s gotten all of our girls to join her madness.”

“I like her, I think she’s perfect for Nick,” Howie said as he and Brian rolled up balls of snow.

“No, I agree, she just has that something in her that makes just makes life brighter, ya know? I haven’t seen Nick this happy or mature with a relationship in a year. He was pretty much miserable before he met her.”

“I think its fate. I mean to Nick, she was the mystery surfer and then he trips over his big feet and she is his hero.”

“Nick, said she’s been through a lot. He hasn’t told me all of the details really but her fiancé passed away about a year ago, she has some kind of anemia too?”

“Wow, you couldn’t tell she’s been through all of that by looking at her. Alright you ready Rok?” Howie asked looking at the pile of snow balls they just made.

“They’re going to kill us you know this right?” Brian said with a grin.

“Yep. Ready, one-two-three FIRE!” Brian and Howie began throwing the snow balls at the girls and their snow woman. Before they realized it, the guys were being bombarded with the girls snow balls they had made.

“What did I tell you girls? Brian can’t be trusted to just enjoy the outdoors. We’re just lucky he didn’t plan anything with Nick,” Leigh told Jen, Amanda and Stacie. The girls laughed until they heard Nick’s voice.

“Guess again!” A.J. and Nick dumped a huge pile of snow onto the girls from a plastic bin they had found outside the cabin. By this time it was a full blown snow fight.

After a twenty minute snow ball war Stacie headed in for the house.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Nick asked wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I have to go take my medicine,” she stuck her tongue out at Nick and proceeded to walk towards the door.

“I thought you took it before we came out?”

“Oh, I did didn’t I?”

“What made you think you didn’t? Are you losing your mind?” Nick laughed.

“I just, I feel like I didn’t.”

“You don’t feel well?”

“Eh, I feel just drained.”

“You do look a little pale, maybe you need to eat. Why don’t you go inside and get some dry clothes on and I’ll get everyone in to start making dinner.”

“Okay,” she kissed Nick and walked inside.

“Hey fellas, let’s head in and make some dinner,” Nick called out.

“Good call,” Amanda patted Nick on the shoulder and headed in with A.J. and Leigh.

“Where did Stacie go?”Brian asked walking in with Nick.

“To get dressed, I told her we’d start dinner. I think she needs to eat soon.”

“Her sugar level dropping?” Brian asked.

“Yeah and she took her medicine before we came out, she even though she hadn’t taken it yet. When we get back home I want to help find her a specialist to help her. I think the problem is her doctor really doesn’t know what to diagnose her under. I mean part anemic and part diabetic? That doesn’t sit well with me.”

“I understand, I’ll help you out too man. I know what she means to you,” Brian told his friend sincerely.

“Thanks Bri, means a lot to me you support this.” Nick went upstairs to change out of his now wet jeans and he knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he heard Stacie’s voice. He opened the door and saw her lying on the bed wearing one of Nick’s over sized sweat shirts and a pair of pajama pants with wool socks. Nick couldn’t help but think how cute she looked curled up in a ball.

“Hey you, how are you doing?” he asked sitting on the bed, rubbing her back.

“Maybe I’m just tired from getting up early.”

“Could be. I see you helped yourself to my clothes.”

“I just like wearing them. Something about being in your shirt makes me feel safe.”

“How about in my arms?”

“That would be a little better I guess,” she joked.

“Let me get into some comfy clothes,” Nick stood up and went through his bag to find his flannel pants and another sweatshirt. When he was done he got into bed and put his arms around her. “I’m glad you came Anastasia.”

“Me too. Thank you for inviting me, I love it here.” She turned and faced him. She played with a draw string on his sweatshirt.

“Take a nap and I’ll wake you up when dinner is ready.”

“No, I’ll come down to help,” she sat up and then grabbed her head.

“Sit up too fast?” Nick asked worriedly and she nodded her head. “Take a nap, please.”

“I’m good!” she smiled put her legs over the edge of the bed. She didn’t want Nick worried about her but she also couldn’t help shake the feeling she had. She knew something wasn’t quite right. Brushing it off to the fact she needed to eat and was tired she walked over to Nick who was still sitting on the bed looking at her.
“Nick, I promise, I’m fine,” she kissed him and pulled him up.

“Okay,” Nick pulled her in for a hug. “I can feel you body shake baby.”

“Come on, let’s go make dinner.” She ignored Nick’s last comment and pulled his hand down the stairs.