Pretty Is...

Jumping to Conclusions

By Cat

Copyright 2001 © Cat

This story may not be reproduce without specific written permission from the author.

*****

Sally Constantine grinned and waved as her friend Nicky Sullivan pulled up in front of the house. Nicky waved back and climbed out of the little royal blue convertible, long brown curls blown every which way. Pale blue denims hugged Nicky's hips and legs. A matching blue denim crop top was tied at the ribcage under small breasts, leaving the slim flat midsection bare. A wide, silver studded denim choker completed the outfit.

"God, you look gorgeous even after a four hour drive in this heat," the blonde headed Sally said as she hugged her friend.

Nicky grinned as they walked around to the back of the car. "I try, God knows, I try."

"You know I just hate you, even without makeup you look perfect. I wish I had skin like yours," the blonde mock frowned, her eyes twinkling. She grabbed one of the suitcases out of the trunk as Nicky grabbed the other.

"Oh hell your skin is as good as mine, better if you didn't wear makeup all the time," her friend laughed. "All you need is a little mascara and some lip stick. You don't even need the eyeliner that I use."

"Flatterer," Sally laughed as she grabbed Nicky's hand and they made their way to the front porch.

Eric Constantine, Sally's husband stood on the porch watching. His hands gripped the railing as he tried to get himself under control. For the first time in the three years that Nicky had been coming to stay with them for the Festival he wasn't happy. But he also wasn't ready to discuss the problem yet, so he held his tongue and tried to stay calm.

"Hey, Eric!" Nicky smiled flashing small white teeth his direction. "God I am so glad that I can stay with you and Sally. It's almost impossible to get a decently priced room while the Shakespeare Festival is going on. I think Jason is coming the last weekend so I was checking prices. They have gone up so much since the first year I started coming."

"Hey, Nicky, nice to see you again." He knew the greeting was cold considering how long they'd known each other, but he couldn't help himself.

A touch of surprise showed in the brunette's hazel eyes showing that Nicky had caught the difference in tone, but didn't say anything. Just looked at him strangely and continued across the porch with Sally and inside. Eric followed his wife and her friend into the house after a few moments. He stayed in the front hall watching them as they made their way up stairs to Sally's studio, where they'd set up the cot for Nicky. They didn't have a spare bedroom in the small house, but the brunette never complained about having to share sleeping space with Sally's dollhouses.

"Oh, Nicky, Jason called. Asked that you call him when you got in. He was worried because you weren't answering your cell phone," he called up after them.

"Oh God, I didn't hear it over the radio. Thanks Eric, I'll call him right away," Nicky called back down over the banister, before disappearing into Sally's studio.

Eric turned without answering and went outside to finish the yard work he'd started earlier.

*****

"All right what's going on?" Sally demanded as Eric closed the door to their bedroom. The whole evening had been down right tense. Eric barely said two words the entire time, but seemed to be watching them like a hawk constantly.

"You lied to me," Eric hissed, turning towards his wife, his blue eyes flashing with anger. "For three years you've been lying to me!"

"Lying?" Sally stared up at her six-foot blonde husband in confusion. "What are you talking about? Lying about what?"

"Nicky! Did you think I'd never find out? How fucking long have you been sleeping with him?" Eric yelled.

Outside in the hallway, Nicky paused, one slender hand gripping the bathroom doorknob. His hazel eyes widened in sudden surprised understanding and he moaned the sound caught between fear and embarrassment. His hand slipped off the handle as he backed silently into Sally's studio and stared around at a loss for what to do.

"Sleeping with him?" Sally cried, her cheeks blossoming with anger and her violet eyes snapping. "I have never so much as looked at another man in the seven years we've been married. As for Nicky, we thought you knew."

"Knew! How could I? You never told me!" her husband flared back. "I want him out, out of this house do you hear me, out!" He turned on his heel and slammed out of the bedroom.

Sally sank down on the bed, tears slipping down her cheeks. She couldn't believe the ugly accusation her husband had thrown at her. Seven years they'd been married and to her everyday had felt like their first day. How could he even think that she would cheat on him? And they hadn't said anything to him, because they both thought that he knew that Nicky was a man. They really had.

*****

Nicky jerked around fearfully as the door to the studio opened and he saw Eric standing there. He could almost see the hostility radiating off the man he considered a friend. At five foot three and a hundred and twenty pounds he was no match for the six-foot, hundred and eighty pound blonde. He stepped back coming up against the cot trapped. Self-consciously he held the shirt in his hands to his bare chest.

Eric ran his eyes over the half nude other man disdainfully. God it wasn't hard to see how they could have fooled him all this time. The other man was smaller than his own wife and with that pretty face, the long chocolate brown curls and the clothes - no it wouldn't have been hard at all.

"I... I'll be gone as soon as I'm done repacking," Nicky whispered, his face pale in the presence of the other man's angry gaze.

"You fucking bastard. I'd beat the living daylights out of you if you weren't smaller than me," the bigger man growled moving until he was towering over the brunette. "Jesus in my own house, you make me sick. Sleeping with my Sally, hiding behind these and those fucking pretty dresses." He grabbed Nicky's left wrist in a painful grip and shook the gold wedding band and engagement ring in his face.

"I never touched Sally," the brunette said through gritted teeth, the pain in his wrist excruciating. "And the rings aren't just for show."

"Marriage between two men still isn't legal in this country," Eric sneered.

"It doesn't mean that Jason and I don't feel married," Nicky insisted, the contempt in the other man's voice cutting him to the heart.

Eric flung the hand away from himself, hissing as his own hand caught the dollhouse that Sally was currently working on, throwing it and a box of tiny shingles to the floor.

"Fuck!" he swore violently as he bent to pick up the ruined piece of artwork. He set it back on the table and stared down at the small brunette who had knelt to try and pick up the shingles scattered all over the floor.

"I swear to you, there's never been anything between Sally and me," Nicky whispered keeping his eyes down and blinking rapidly not wanting to cry in front of the blonde. "She's my friend, I thought both of you were my friends. I'd never betray that or Jason."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Eric grated, watching as the brunette reached a shaking hand to pick up a bunch of shingles that had landed in a pile together.

"Because I thought you knew," the smaller man murmured looking up. "The first year that we met, you kept watching me and watching me. I thought you realized, but were too polite or embarrassed to say anything. If you were embarrassed, I didn't want to make it worse for you by actually mentioning it. I just appreciated that you treated me decently and didn't seem to mind that Sally and I were friends."

The big blonde clenched his fists, hissing when he saw the smaller man flinch. He knew the brunette was telling the truth, he could see it in his eyes. "You don't have to leave. I'd never kick you out in the middle of the night, anyway," he stated then turned and walked out of the room before he could say anything else he might regret later.

The blonde stopped in front of the bedroom door and looked at the pillows and blanket lying it front of it. He could hear Sally crying and his heart twisted. Making it worse, he could hear Nicky, crying in the studio, trying to talk to his 'husband' on the cell phone. Eric dropped his chin to his chest and felt his shoulders droop. He felt like an asshole and knew he deserved the title.

Slowly he bent down and picked up the pillows and blanket. Before going downstairs to sleep on the couch he rested a hand on the bedroom door. "I love you, Sally. I'm sorry."

He was still upset that they hadn't told him. That he'd live the last four years thinking that Nicky was actually Nicki. But the brunette's explanation was logical. What's more, he had stared a lot at the brunette that first year when they'd all met at the festival for the first time. Who could blame him, he was married, not dead.

That thought cut him to the quick, because he suddenly realized where the jealous accusations had come from. He was attracted to the brunette. Not all that hard a thing to fathom really, as a woman Nicky was beautiful. And he'd realized that first year that if he hadn't been married and hadn't loved Sally so much, he might have even made a play for her, him, he corrected himself. Except that he knew it wouldn't have gone anywhere. Sometimes every other word out of the smaller man's mouth was Jason. And he knew they'd been together for five years.

Sighing he dropped the pillows on the couch and lay down shaking the blanket out over his legs. He lay awake for a long time trying to come up with a way to make it up to the two upstairs for his abusive behavior.

*****

Eric looked around the dining room and nodded. Everything looked perfect and with luck it might at least smooth over a little of the hurt he'd caused the night before. He looked quickly into the kitchen to make sure everything was still all right there and then headed upstairs. Nervously he knocked on the bedroom door.

"Sally, can I come in, Honey?"

He heard something that sounded fairly close to an affirmative and opened the door slowly. He wouldn't be surprised to have something thrown at him. His wife was sitting at her dressing table brushing her shoulder length blonde hair. He could still see the evidence of his hurtful words in the slight puffiness of her eyes. But even so she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He walked over to where she sat and knelt down beside her.

"I'm sorry, Honey. What I said last night was totally unforgivable and wrong. I was an asshole and I'd deserve it if neither one of you ever forgave me. But I am sorry and I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you both. Anything, you name it," he murmured, twisting his hands worriedly.

Sally turned to look at him, her eyes glistening and a shadow of the hurt still lingering behind the violet orbs. "Hold me?"

Eric pulled her in to his arms, holding her tight as she cried. He whispered over and over how sorry he was and how much he wanted to make it up to them. Held her until the crying stopped and she just lay quiet against his chest. Using tissues off of her dressing table he gentle dried her eyes and wiped her nose.

"Do you think you could eat?" he asked leaning back to look into her face. "I made your favorites, yours and Nicky's. Belgian waffles, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Even a pot of the French vanilla coffee you two like. And for lunch we'll go to that cheesecake place you two like so much."

"And shopping?" she asked tilting her head and smiling slightly.

"And shopping," the big man smiled knowing he was about to get totally fleeced. "I'll buy you both the prettiest, most expensive things you can find for the play tonight."

Sally's smile broadened into a grin and she stood up grabbing his hand. "Okay, deal. Let's go tell Nicky. You...you won't still make him leave will you?"

"I won't make him leave," Eric smiled as she dragged him across the hall to the studio.

But when they opened the door, the cot was neatly made and the room was empty. Nicky and both of his suitcases were missing. A soft cry escaped Sally's lips as she ran back across the hall to the bedroom to look out the window there, which overlooked the front of the house.

Eric stared at the room. It was perfectly clean. Every shingle had been picked up and even the damage to the dollhouse had been fixed. He knew that Sally had been teaching Nicky over the last several years but he hadn't realized the other man was so good at the work.

As he stood there he spotted a note on the bed. Slowly he walked over and picked it up. Sally came back into the room. "His car is still out front," she said worriedly.

Eric held out the note to her. "He's gone to find a hotel room. He walked because he didn't want to fight the pedestrians."

"You talked to him last night?" Sally accused, looking at him angrily after reading the note.

"I'm sorry, Honey. I was angry. But I told him he didn't have to leave. Oh God, what an ass I am. I told him I'd never make him leave in the middle of the night. He was already packing to go. But I didn't consider that he wouldn't understand that I wasn't kicking him out at all," Eric groaned.

There was a loud knocking on the door downstairs and they both jumped. Sally raced down worried that something might have happened to her friend. She knew the kinds of dangers he faced with the lifestyle he'd chosen to lead. They had talked about it often. She jerked the door open and stared up at a big, dark haired man wearing a slight rumpled pinstriped business suit standing in the doorway.

"I'm Jason Sullivan, are you Sally Constantine?"

Eric stepped up behind his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders tilting his head to look up at a man that was at least five if not six inches taller than himself. "We're the Constantines. Your Nicky's husband?"

A look of fury flickered behind the silver blue eyes, before they settled back into the icy cold stare. "Yes, I've come to take him home or spend time at the festival with him. Whichever he wants to do. Since he's no longer welcome here," the big man replied glacially his eyes on Eric.

"Please come in," Sally whispered. "I'm sorry for what happened. It was all a horrible mistake."

"Is Nicky here?" Jason asked looking down at her his voice warming as he turned his attention to her.

"I'm sorry, he's not. We just went to talk to him so I could apologize for being such an asshole. He's gone into town to find a room. We were about to go and try to find him," Eric explained, his face coloring with shame.

The other man nodded.

"Just give me a minute to turn things off in the kitchen," the blonde man stated. "I was making them breakfast by way of apology when we realized he was gone."

He headed down the hallway to the kitchen and could feel the other two following. Sally stepped into the dining room and stared. The table was beautiful. Eric had set out the antique china they had inherited from his mother and a white lace tablecloth they only used at Thanksgiving. There were even candles. And in front of two of the plates were big bouquets of roses. She knew Eric would have had to have gone out for them first thing that morning. She went over and picked up the red ones that were set at her place sniffing them, then she picked up the pink that lay by the plate where Nicky sat when he was staying with them. She met Eric as he was coming out of the kitchen.

"You really meant it didn't you?" she whispered.

The blonde man looked down at his wife. "I really mean it. I was an asshole and I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you and Nicky."

"First we have to find him," Jason Sullivan stated from where he stood in the hallway.

Eric nodded. "We should walk. It's only five minutes to the center of town and that's probably where we'll find him."

They left the house, stopping only long enough to set Jason's suitcase inside and for the blonde man to lock the front door. It was a small town and normally they wouldn't bother, but the festival brought in a lot of tourists and they had discovered over the last several years that it was just safer.

"Mr. Sullivan, I thought you were in Boston visiting family?" Sally asked as they walked along the tree-lined street. "Isn't this the weekend you normally all get together?"

"Yes, it is, and please, call me Jason," the big man answered. "Honestly, I hate going to the damn things now. I was happy to pack up and leave, though I would have preferred that it be under happier circumstances."

Eric felt the angry glance cast his way and realized that if it weren't for Sally, they'd probably be scooping him up off the hot pavement with a shovel. Protective was an understatement apparently, when used for the way this man felt about Nicky.

Even though it was barely nine in the morning, the streets and sidewalks were already filled with tourists ready to enjoy the sites and sounds of the yearly festival. Main Street itself was blocked off for the weekend and booths lined both sides. Everything from arts and crafts to the bard's ale could be purchased.

"We should head towards the park. That's probably where we'll find him if he's already gotten a room," Sally stated even as her eyes scanned the crowds of tourists for the brunette. Not that it would have been easy to spot him amongst all the taller people.

Eric and Jason both nodded and trailed along behind her as she hurried in front of them. The blonde man looked up at Nicky's dark haired husband. "I am sorry for hurting Nicky. I was jealous and lost it. I never once realized he was a man, it just took me totally by surprise yesterday when you asked me to have 'him' call you."

The piercing eyes that looked down at him were cool. "Nicky raves about his weekends here with the two of you every summer during festival month. He considers you and Sally his best friends. She means a great deal to him as a friend, a woman he can confide in and talk to. But he was even more touched by what he thought was your acceptance of him. Considering that both his family and mine reject him and us as a couple, the idea that you recognized him for what he is and didn't push him away was very important to him. To discover that was all a sham, the hurt that you've dealt him...." Jason shook his head. "If he doesn't forgive you, you'll never know what a loss you've just incurred."

Eric shook his head. "Your wrong, I'll know exactly what I've lost. I don't care that Nicky's a man who likes to cross dress. I... Jesus it even sounds stupid to me now. I was jealous because I thought he and Sally were having an affair on these festival weekends. God I'm such fucking stupid bastard. If I've ruined this, I'll never forgive myself."

Sullivan looked down at him and the coldness had dissipated a little from the silver blue eyes hearing the sincerity in the other man's voice. "Maybe you do realize what you've got..." he broke off as Sally called out in front of them.

Sally stared across the grass at a small woman wearing a long sleeved, cropped peasant top and skirt. "Nicky!"

She shoved both batches of roses at her husband and took off across the park, which they'd finally reached, heading for the brunette who appeared to have been wandering aimlessly through the trees. The men followed more slowly, watching as Sally pulled the small man into her arms for a hug.

"I'm sorry, Sally," Nicky whispered. "I never meant to cause trouble between you and Eric. I thought he knew, I really did."

"You didn't cause trouble between us. It was his own thickheaded silliness that made him all jealous," she soothed. "It might even have been sweet to know he could still get jealous, if it hadn't hurt us both so much."

"I found a room, it's not much, but it will do for the weekend. I don't want to make Eric uncomfortable now that he knows about me," the brunette choked on a sob and struggled not burst into tears.

"You don't make me uncomfortable, Nicky. I was stupid and jealous that's all," the blonde man said as he walked up beside his wife.

Hazel eyes full of exhaustion looked up at him, then widened in surprise as the small man saw his husband. "Jason? Jason!" Nicky launched himself at the big man who scooped him up and held him close as he cried.

"Sh, Baby, sh. It's all right. I'm here, I'm here," Jason crooned as he walked a little away from the other two. He sank down into the grass and began to rock his small lover as the other man sobbed and babbled trying to pour out the story of the whole terrible night.

Eric scuffed his feet on the ground, wishing that a hole would open up and swallow him whole as he watched his friend of four years crying as if his heart was breaking. Until Jason told him, he'd known they had a special kind of friendship, but he never realized how much it had meant to the small brunette. He hated himself for letting his jealousy take control and not using his brain to think things through.

Finally the sobs slowed to small hitching breaths and Nicky lay worn out against his husband's big body, his arms wrapped tight around the big man's neck. "I thought... we were... friends. I thought... he liked... me... even... knowing about me," he whispered against Jason's shoulder, his voice catching and the tears threatening again. They were the first truly coherent words he'd been able to voice for the last ten minutes.

"You are friends," his big husband murmured nuzzling his cheek. "He just got a surprise and jumped to some really wrong conclusions. It had nothing to do with the fact that you like to be pretty. And he's pretty damn sorry about it too." He motioned for Sally and Eric to come over now that Nicky was more in control of himself.

They both sat down on the grass where the brunette could see them. "Nicky, I am so sorry," Eric stated contritely as he set the roses on the ground beside him. "I was an asshole last night and can't even begin to imagine how to make this up to you and Sally. But I'd like to try if you'll let me."

The smaller man drew in a deep shuddering breath. "I'm sorry too. I thought you knew. I really did. If I'd realized that you didn't know I would have tried to find a way to tell you."

"Nicky, honest it doesn't have anything to do with you dressing as a woman, not the way you're thinking anyway. I was a jealous idiot. The brain literally flew right out the window. I thought the reason you and Sally didn't tell me was because you were having an affair and using the idea that I thought you were a woman to hide it. Stupid I know," the blonde man chuckled ruefully. "Anyway, when would you have had the chance, we do everything together, well almost."

The brunette actually chuckled a little. "Those little two minute quickies when she was zipping my dresses?"

"As if," Sally mock glared at her friend who giggled, then looked up to see Jason smiling at her with a 'You tell em' look.

Eric grinned glad to see his friend cheering up. "Like I said, I'm an idiot, okay?"

"You really thought I was a woman all these years?" Nicky asked his eyes awed.

The blonde man reached out and brushed the last traces of tears off the small man's face. "Nicky, I never would have guessed in a million years. Next to Sally you are the most beautiful, perfect woman I've ever met."

"Damn straight," Jason whispered in his lover's shell like ear. "You are the most beautiful and perfect."

The small brunette blushed. "And you really don't mind?"

"I really don't mind. If I did I'd be an even bigger fool than I already feel. How could I, when I've got two such beautiful faces to look at?" He grinned and changed the subject. "Hey, you hungry? I made waffles for breakfast for us."

"The big fluffy ones?" Nicky asked sniffling a smile beginning to form.

"Yep, the big fluffy Belgian ones and there's lots of strawberries and whipped cream to go on top," Eric confirmed.

"I could eat," the brunette grinned tightening his arms around his husband's neck.

"Excellent," the blonde, man replied as he stood up and helped Sally to her feet. He reached down to help Nicky and hissed, pushing back the lacy elastic cuff on the sleeve of the peasant top when the brunette held up his left hand. "Jesus, Nicky did I do this?"

They could all see the wide purple and yellow bruising that ran around the small, but swollen wrist. Jason's eyes flared with outrage but before he could move, Sally's hand came out and slapped her husband hard.

"You bastard, he's smaller than I am!"

Instead of looking angry, Eric almost looked grateful. He turned and looked at the little brunette. "Your turn Nicky. I deserved that and more."

"I know you didn't mean to," the small man murmured. "I just want to forget last night happened and enjoy the rest of the weekend."

"Baby, can you move it? Can you move your fingers?" Jason looked at him worriedly.

"It's not broken, it's probably sprained though," the brunette answered and wiggled his fingers to show that he could.

"God, I am so sorry, Nicky, honestly I never meant to do this," Eric stated earnestly as he helped the small man to his feet. "I swear I'll make it up to you if it takes me the rest of my life."

"We'll go home and put ice on it while we eat. We'll just have to carry an ice pack around with us this weekend so that you can keep using it to get rid of the swelling," Sally said, ashamed that her husband had actually done such a thing. "God, I wondered why you were wearing long sleeves in this heat."

The big blonde felt like more than an asshole now, seeing the physical violence he committed. Nicky's immediate forgiveness for it made it even worse. He'd never in his life hit or hurt a woman. And even if the brunette was technically a man he was small enough and fragile enough that it felt like he'd battered a woman.

"I know these don't come close, but maybe they might help a little?" Sally's husband leaned down and picked up the two batches of roses, handing the pink ones to Nicky.

"Their beautiful," the small brunette smiled as he buried his face in the flowers and breathed in the wonderful scent. Then he looked up. "That's where you were when I left this morning. I saw the couch, but not you."

"Yeah, I was trying to set up a really spectacular apology breakfast for you and Sally. I guess it will be an apology brunch now," the blonde smiled.

"Cool," Sally grinned. "That means then we can drag him shopping and clean out his wallet, right after we eat and then go to the Cheesecake factory for dinner before the play."

"Shopping?" Nicky looked back and forth between Eric and Sally as they walked through the park towards home. "He's taking us shopping? Oh man there is this most gorgeous little dark green velvet dress...."

Jason dropped back a little knowing that his lover would be more than happy talking shopping with his friend for the next few minutes. He nodded as Eric dropped back to walk with him. Not surprised that the other man had taken the unspoken hint.

"So shall it be swords at dawn or shall we just set up a ring in the back yard so you can pound me into the ground?" Eric asked calmly, his blue eyes meeting the other man's silver eyes steadily.

"If I thought you had done that on purpose we wouldn't be standing here talking," the bigger man growled. "But if you ever lay hands on Nicky in violence again, not even Sally will be able to save you."

The blonde nodded. "If it had been the other way around, I'd be saying the same thing. So I think we have an understanding. But I swear. I never meant to do that and it will never happen again. If it had been anyone else who'd done it, we might have to draw straws to see who got to throw the bastard his first punch."

Jason shook his head. "That right is always reserved for me."

Nicky turned around suddenly beside Sally and began walking backwards. He crossed his arms across his bare midriff and glared at the two men. "All right you two that is absolutely enough macho posturing."

Sally turned around quickly and then grinned in relief when she saw her husband and Nicky's simply walking together and not fighting. She watched as Jason raised an eyebrow, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Is that so, being a caveman am I?"

The brunette got wide eyed and held his hands out. "I didn't say that. Jason, don't you dare..." he broke off, shrieking with laughter, as his big husband suddenly grasp him around the waist and tossed him over his shoulder. He kicked his feet futilely until his small leather shoes fell off, laughing harder when Eric retrieved them and then handed them back like a courtier presenting a gift to a queen.

Sally looped her arm around her husband's waist, as they followed the other two back towards the house. "I'm sorry I hit you I was just so shocked."

"It's okay," Eric answered hugging her one armed. "I deserved it. And not just for Nicky's wrist either."

*****

Nicky leaned back in Jason's arms on the couch and sighed. "I am too full to even think about moving."

"Not even to go shopping?" Sally grinned from her chair across from their guests.

"Maybe in an hour?" he grinned back.

His left wrist was resting on his husband's legs with an ice pack wrapped around it. They'd started applying the ice as soon as they'd gotten back to the house and had been continuing to do so off and on for the last hour. The cold and a couple of aspirin were helping with the pain tremendously.

"You should change Baby, you'll be too hot in all this," Jason stated indicating the black peasant top and skirt.

"I know I just hate to...to..." the brunette broke off looking over at Eric who had a pained expression on his face.

"You stay right there. I've got just the thing." Sally jumped up from her chair and headed upstairs.

"We should get your suitcases out of the car," the big blonde declared. "If you'll give me your keys I'll go get them."

"In my bag," Nicky told him indicating the small velvet pouch on the coffee table. Eric handed it to him and he fished them out one handed and tossed them to the other man.

Sally came back as her husband went out to get the suitcases. "Give me your wrist, Honey," she directed.

Jason moved the ice pack and Nicky held out his wrist. He watched as his friend wrapped a wide strip of satin lined, black velvet with tiny pearl buttons around his wrist. The top of the cloth bracelet had a cameo sewn to it. More tiny seed pearls were sewn along each edge.

"Oh this is lovely. Why haven't I seen it before?" the brunette asked looking up at her.

"I found it at an antique shop a couple of weeks ago. You keep it," Sally informed as she popped the last button through its hole and adjusted it a little until the entire bruise was hidden

"Oh I can't keep it, but I appreciate you letting me use it for the weekend."

The woman laughed. "Nicky, it was for your birthday in two weeks anyway. And it just barely fits you, it would never fit my wrist." She held her larger wrist up against his just to make the point. "Just think of it as an early present."

The small man looked at her searchingly, finally nodding. "It really is beautiful, thank you."

"Nicky I put your suitcases up in the studio and Jason's too. You're both welcome to stay here, if you want too. But I warn you the cot only sleeps one and the only other thing we have right now is a leaky air mattress," Eric told them apologetically.

"That's okay I already have the room booked in town," the brunette murmured softly looking down at his hands.

"We'll have to cancel it. I booked the last suite in town, before flying out here last night, at the Holiday Inn," Jason informed him.

"Oh, that will certainly be better than my little one room, twin bed," his lover grinned.

"I'd be pleased if you two would let me treat you this weekend for all the times you've let Nicky stay with you. I always feel better knowing he's here with friends," the big man requested.

"Not tonight. I promised Sally. The Cheesecake place is on me, part of my apology to these two lovelies for being such a jerk," Eric replied with a small smile.

"Tomorrow, brunch at the Holiday Inn, then?" Jason asked.

Sally smiled. "We'd like that. Thank you."

The big man nodded and smiled back at her then looked down at his small husband. "Let's go get changed, Baby. Then we'll go take a look at this green velvet dress you were talking about."

Nicky beamed and stood up. "You'll love it, it's beautiful. I saw it in the window of the shop while I was downtown this morning..."

"Are you going to tell him that you were supposed to buy that little green dress?" Sally laughed looking at her husband as the other two went up the stairs.

Eric raised his eyebrows. "Do you think that would be beneficial to my health?" he asked.

"Probably not," she replied with a grin. "Maybe we should just get Nicky some pretty accessories to go with it as a surprise."

"Good idea," her husband chuckled.

*****

"Was your family very angry when you left last night?" Nicky asked hesitantly as he fastened the hooks on a small white lace bra, behind his back.

"Mom was a little disappointed, but she understood I had to come. Dad didn't say much of anything one way or another. But then since Jack and I started fighting just about the minute I walked in the door, he may have just been glad to see one of us leave," Jason told him as he pulled on a white polo shirt to go with the tan cotton slacks he was wearing.

"What were you fighting about?" Nicky inquired.

He had to bite his tongue to keep from saying 'this time'. It seemed like Jason and his younger brother Jack, were always fighting. What Nicky hated the most about it was that it was almost always about him. His husband tried to reassure him that it had always been that way. If it wasn't one thing it was another with Jack, but Nicky was pretty sure things had gotten worse since he'd come onto the scene. Jason's youngest brother James, or Jamie as the family called him, was considered the real black sheep of the family, which took some of the heat off of Jason, but only some.

"He and Cheryl brought another 'friend' to the family reunion. Of course she was very 'pleased' to meet me," he griped as he walked over and zipped up the little silk dress that Nicky had picked to wear for the day.

"Oh well I guess you have to give him points for trying," the brunette sighed as he smoothed the dress and turned around. "How do I look?"

Jason smiled, as he looked his lover over. It had taken a month for him to come to grips with the transformation that the other man went through just by putting on clothes. How he could go from sleekly sexily male in their bed to this beautiful fragile woman in a matter of minutes absolutely astonished him. In a way it sometimes made him feel like he was deluding the world. Because at night he had this passionate and giving man in his bed, but by day he had a beautiful, vivacious and delicate woman on his arm. Nicky never actually tried to deceive anyone about what he really was. He just never enlightened them unless they asked or he knew they were friends and he felt safe. He'd learned painfully fast how dangerous that could be.

He had to laugh at himself sometimes. Nicky had pursued him doggedly for six months, never giving up, but never actually making a nuisance of himself. He just seemed to always be where ever Jason went. And though the big man had been attracted he'd not been interested, because he was sure that Nicky was a woman. Then a friend had clued him in, and the rest as they said had been history.

He knew the brunette was waiting for an answer but he loved to drag it out. Slowly he walked around the small man taking in the pink silk mini dress that left a wonderful portion of the shapely legs bare. Ribbon straps tied at the shoulder and the dress itself clung just enough to show off the curves of the body underneath. Nicky had taken one of the pink roses and shortened it, using it to decorate where he'd pulled the front of his hair back with a pink ribbon. When one foot in its little pink high-heeled sandal began to tap he knew his lover had waited long enough.

"Beautiful, good enough to eat," he grinned and leaned in to nibble at the brunette's neck. He smiled as he heard Nicky giggle and the small man began to squirm. "Come here, Baby."

He led his lover over to the cot and had him sit down. Then out of his suitcase, he pulled a white, jeweler's box. Nestled in the protective cotton was a gold ankle bracelet with little seashell charms. He held it up so that the other man could see it, before kneeling down to fasten it around one slim ankle.

"Jason, it's lovely, but you didn't have to get me something," Nicky murmured reaching out to touch his lover's face.

The big man laughed. "It was supposed to be for your birthday, but since you got one present early, I figured you might as well get this one early too. It just means that I get to find something else just as pretty to give you in two weeks."

The brunette ducked his head and then leaned forward to kiss his husbands lips. "Have I told you I love you today?" he questioned, his eyes shining.

"Nope not yet," Jason replied with a small smile.

"I love you. And I'll show you just how much tonight," Nicky stated huskily.

"God when you look and sound like that I don't know if I can wait until tonight," the dark haired man groaned.

"I don't think this cot will hold us and I'm pretty sure that Sally and Eric are waiting," the brunette muttered as he nibbled his way down his husband's jaw to his ear.

"Nicky if you don't stop now, I'm going to take you right here on this floor and you deserve better than that," Jason growled his hands tightening on the smaller man's waist.

"I guess I'd better stop then, because I really don't feel like rug burns on my knees," the longhaired man sighed sadly. But his eyes were twinkling merrily.

"Bitch, you did that on purpose," Jason chuckled his own eyes dancing.

"Turnabout's fair play, Lover. If I have to walk around with a hard on because of that little neck nibbling session, then so are you, my Darling." Nicky wrapped his arms around his husband's neck. "I'm so glad you came."

"So am I, Baby. You know I'll always be here if you need me and I'd like the chance to get to know your friends better."

The big man stood up and helped the brunette to his feet. He watched as the small man put on the last piece of his outfit, a pink satin choker with strands of pink beads that hung down in a v from one edge of his neck to the other.

Nicky slipped one hand into Jason's as they headed for the door. "You'll be nice to Eric won't you? I know he didn't mean to hurt my wrist and it is kind of sweet that he got so jealous over Sally. Even if it did hurt."

"I'll be nice to Eric," his husband promised solemnly. "Doesn't mean I'm not still pissed that he hurt you. But I have to say I do like him and it makes me feel better knowing that when I'm not here you've got someone like him to protect you."

The brunette smiled up at him happily. "Thank you."

Sally and Eric were waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs having heard the studio door open. Sally was grinning, but Eric was just shaking his head.

"What?" Nicky exclaimed looking back and forth between the two as he came down the stairs.

"Never in a million years. Damn Nicky, I still can't honestly believe it, looking at you when you're dressed like that. Even though I saw for myself that it's true, well at least the top half." Eric added hastily when Jason's silver eyes narrowed.

The brunette laughed happily. "The miracles of modern technology, Eric, the miracles of modern technology."

"Damn I guess," the big blonde stated shaking his head again.

"Are we ready to go spend a bit of money?" Sally asked her eyes twinkling.

"I think I can handle that," Nicky grinned as he picked up his small velvet bag off the table in the living room and slipped the strap over his shoulder.

"Before we start shopping I should go by the hotel and take care of the room so we don't lose it. And we need to cancel the room that Nicky got this morning," Jason announced.

"That's true, but it shouldn't take long. Everything's pretty close together here," Eric replied as they walked out the front door. He stopped long enough to lock it, then joined Jason who was walking behind Nicky and Sally who were animatedly talking shopping.

Thinking about Nicky's plea to be nice to Eric, the bigger man leaned down to the blonde. "Do you get the distinct feeling that they are about to spend enough to pay off the national debt?"

"Oh yeah," the blonde sighed. "That is definitely the plan. It was part of the apology deal I struck with Sally this morning. To buy them both the prettiest most expensive thing they could find for the play tonight."

"Oh?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"I'd still like to do that if it won't be stepping on toes," Eric responded. "I feel like such a moron for the way I acted. I need the penance."

"Let's wait and see how much they decide to spend and take it from there," the bigger man suggested. "By the way what is the play tonight?"

The blonde thought for a minute and then grinned. "Twelfth Night."

Jason burst out laughing and Eric couldn't help but join in.***

Go to Part 2