Justin & Nicole had been friends for years. They had danced around what they felt, denying that they were falling in love because they’d been hurt before.

Before he was with Nicole, Justin thought he had it all right. The perfect job, perfect house, perfect life, including the perfect girl. But only he saw that. Everyone around him saw what the Jessica wanted. All the while he thought she wanted him.

It wasn't until Jessica got in a fight with Nicole that things clicked.

FLASHBACK Justin had been in yet another fight with Jessica & was staying the night at Nicole’s apartment. He loved that she was much more independent then when they were younger. Nicole had found a reasonably priced apartment to buy & she had it adapted to accommodate her disability. Justin offered for her to live with him, already having 1/2 the stuff she needed at his house, but she didn’t want to depend on anyone. Not after needing part-time care when she was younger. He respected her for being so strong.

He had come back to her apartment after a meeting the next day. What he found though was the girls in a heated argument.

“My relationship with Justin is none of your business!� Jessica shouted.

“Maybe not but Justin is my friend & I’m just looking out for him!� Nicole yelled back. She cared so much for that man, she just wanted him happy & it was obvious he wasn't.

“Well, don’t! Look, you're just a cripple to him, a pity case. He’s with me now, he doesn’t need someone following him because they don’t have friends or a life.�

“Shut up. He cares about me.� Nicole wouldn't stoop to Jessica’s level. She knew Justin loved her, if even only as a friend. He had shown her he had by staying by her side.

Everytime she saw him kiss Jessica, it hurt Nicole beyond imagination. She loved him more than a friend but couldn’t tell him while he was dating someone else. She wasn't that kind of person. Her heart hurt to see him with someone who was just playing him.

“Do we keep having to go over this? That’s not him caring; it’s PITY!�

“I don’t have to prove anything about myself. You're the 1 who’s with the sweetest man alive & you're not even happy. He deserves someone who will care about him just as much as he does them.�

“You think that’s you?� Jessica scoffed.

“I don't know, but it certainly isn’t you.� Of course, Nicole cared about Justin but she didn’t think she’d ever be with him.

“Oh, yeah? Who’s bed is he sleeping in, B****?�

That was it. Nicole had enough and leaned forward a fist just inches away from contact to Jessica's head. But she was half a second too late and Jessica landed the punch fisrt, knocking Nicole to the ground. Towering over her, Jessica reeled back for another hit, Nicole blocked her with her arms and grabbed the girls hair. Justin heard the commotion and came running in and saw Jessica hit Nicole again.

Their laughter soon died after her attempt at a joke to lighten things. Reality set in again. “Don’t lose someone you care about on my account,� she told him. Under her breath she said, “I’m not worth it.�

She’d hoped he didn’t hear it but no such luck. “I know I did not just hear you say that. You want to know why I’m still here with you?� Justin asked Nicole. “Because you are worth it. For the longest time I tried to make myself believe I loved Jessica, & part of me did but my heart wasn't truly in it. It was with you, always has been, always will be.�

“What?� Nicole whispered. Was he saying what she always dreamed of?

He kneeled in front of her once again & caressed her cheek softly. “Yup. I realized it so long ago but I was scared. Scared I’d get hurt again if I ever lost you; scared I couldn’t be there for you when you need me. But now, none of that matters because we’re here. Together. I mean, you're already going on tour with me, we’ve nearly lived together for who knows how long.� He took a breath. “I looked at you last night when you fell asleep & I noticed how much we’ve been through. You've always supported my music, my decisions & you've listened to me.�

“Justin, that’s what friends are for. I’ll always be there for you & you've always been there for me. That’s just friendship. You're with her, you should be. Go.� It hurt so much to say that & tears dropped onto her face.

“No, we’re more than friends. I know you feel it too. I won’t leave because you're whom I want. You're so beautiful, inside & out. You've overcome so many odds, surpassed everyone’s expectations & came out on top. I’ve always known there was something between us.� He lowered his voice to a whisper. “You're my Baby Girl. I love you.�

He leaned in & kissed her gently. END FLASHBACK

Now Justin & Nicole have been together for 6 months.

“Hey, Nikkaroo, wake up," Justin said, nudging his girlfriend. “C’mon, Sweetheart. Don’t sleep through our whole vacation,� he joked.

"Hmm," she mumbled and opened her eyes.

"We're almost there," he said and pointed to a sign that read '6 miles to Ski Lodge'.

She sat upright as fast as she could. "Really?!" she asked, excited.

"Yes," he said smiling at her. They were going on a winter vacation. He’d been so busy with the end of the tour & they were glad he had some time off.
---
10 minutes later, they arrived at the Polar Bear Ski Lodge. They were going to get handicapped parking but the snow was so piled up they couldn’t. They carried their luggage to the lobby, Nicole’s hanging on her chair. They were smiling from the name of the cozy place. After all, they were supposed to be getting time away from the busy Hollywood life. They didn’t bring much with them, they were only there for a week.

When they reached the desk the clerk, Rolla said, “welcome to the Polar Bear Lodge. I’m Rolla-“ he stopped mid-sentence when he saw who they were. They looked familiar but he couldn’t place them.

Nicole, seeing him brush it off said, “reservation for 2. Under Hughes.�

“Ok, staying for 6 nights. Here’s your key. Enjoy your stay,� he said to Justin even though Nicole addressed him.

Justin frowned that his girlfriend was ignored but he took the key. They gathered their things & headed to the cottage.
---
“So do you think we should have the beef and cheese hot pockets or the ham and broccoli for lunch?� Nicole asked Justin from the other room.

“Beef and cheese!� he said, excited and came in to help her prepare lunch. She laughed at how he could act like a little kid. It was cute & he always acted like that round Christmastime.

“You want to go out for dinner?� he asked, and put his arm around her back to help her get them in to the microwave.

“Yea, that sounds fun But where can we go with little spotlight?�

“Oh, I know a few people,� he said, smiling down at her and pushed the 3 minute button.

“Thanks� she said, and wobbled backwards, he quickly responded and grabbed her to help her stand upright, then sat her in a chair.

“Be careful,' he said playfully and kissed the top of her head. All she could do was smile.
---
The couple ate & then bundled up like snowmen. "Justin, I look like an Eskimo!" Nicole laughed.

"Yeah, but a cute 1.� He kissed her nose & then her lips before pulling back. “You sure you can stand in that stuff? Maybe we should bring your chair.�

“Ok, it’s a long walk.�

SLOPES Nicole had gotten a uni-ski/sled & Justin got a snowboard. She watched him for awhile until she understood what to do. he was actually pretty good. She skied down a few times by herself after Justin took his board down. She followed all the turns he did. He kept a close eye knowing she didn’t like being up too high but she did well. She was surprised since this was the 1st she tried something like this.

When they reached the top of a higher slope, Justin said, “are you sure you're ready for this, Nic?�

“Yup, I’m having fun. Let’s go, Boy!� she cheered.

“I’ll follow you down so I can make sure you're ok. As safety. Go ahead, Baby!� He kissed her quickly before giving her a push forward.

Nicole squealed in excitement as she rushed down the hill.

“Keep shifting your weight. You're doing great!� Justin called behind her. But soon, her squeals turned into screams of fear.

She looked down & saw the ties on her ski were coming undone. she barely had time to look up & scream Justin’s name before she flipped over. She kept rolling, nearing the edge of the hill.

“Nicole!!!� Justin screamed as she kept rolling. He stopped his board just in front of her, stopping both of them from going off the edge. “Nicole? Baby Girl, can you hear me?!�

Her face was bruised, a cut on her lip & slight bruise on her cheek. Her arm lay bent across her & she moaned.

“Just hangon,� Justin’s words echoed around her as cold set in.

Nicole woke in a bright white hospital room. She tried to sit up, but it hurt so bad that a loud gasp escaped her lips.

"Nicole!" Justin said & jerked from his sleep.

"I'm okay, my leg just hurts is all," she said reaching with her good hand to him. "Can you help me sit up?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered, wary not to hurt her even more. "You hungry?" he asked, since she'd been out for six hours.

"A little," she said. "I don't know what happened, I was going fine - then I wasn't. I couldn't stay on the sled and - - "

"It’s okay, Baby Girl. I've talked to the trainers, they said you're straps came loose," he said smoothing her hair. "They're going to take care of everything, the hospital bill, the rest of our stay here, I can't believe they're taking all of the blame!" He was obviously baffled.

"Oh, wow. Really? But it wasn't..." she tried to finish, but the doctor walked in.

"How are you feeling, Nicole?" he asked.

"Eh, my leg hurts, and I can't use this hand," she said looking at her left arm.

"Yea, I'm sure you'll be sore for a little while, you've strained your hamstring and fractured your wrist. Plus various bumps and bruises you'll discover soon," he finished.

She looked at Justin who was looking down. "Thanks, Doc," she said smiling.

"You can check out anytime," he said, putting her clipboard back and turning to walk out. "Your prescription is with the secretary."

"I'm so sorry, Nic!" Justin blurted out. "I tried to catch you before you started rolling and then you were just laying there," he tried to say, but just put his head in his hands.

"It's okay," she said, touching his hair. "Don't worry about it." And she lifted his head with her only good hand.

"No, no it's no!" he cried, raising his voice. "What would I do if something happened to you?" he exclaimed, going to his feet.

Nicole looked up at him, shock on her face. He never yelled at her. "I'm sorry, Nic," he said. "I - I just don't want to lose you and when I saw y-you just laying there, not moving, it really scared me. I felt so helpless, I couldn't do anything to help."

He sat back down and his head returned to his hands and Nicole could tell he was focusing on his breathing. Nicole reached out and pulled him to sit on the bed beside her.

"I'll be okay," she whispered into his ear. "I've lived through so much worse, I can take so much." She looked into his eyes. "Nothing will happen to me that we can't fix."

He looked up at her. "You sound so confident," he said and produced the slightest grin. He was proud of her because she didn’t show confidence a lot. Now that she did, he liked it.

"I am," she said back.

"It's just.. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't wake up in the mornings and see your smile. If I couldn't look into your angel eyes and say that I love you whenever I wanted to, or wrap my arms around you and you know you are my Baby Girl without me saying a word," he said, and touched her face.

"I-I.. Uh," Nicole tried to say, but words the words were so caught in her throat all she could do was stammer and stumble over them.

"It's okay, we just have to be a bit more careful, don't we?" he said, moving closer to her and pulling her towards his chest.

Nicole nodded and wrapped her good arm around him, smiling the whole time. "I love you, Justin," she said.

"I love you too, Baby Girl," he replied.