A Nick and Phyllis anniversary fic for Kel


Nick laughed at the conversation he could hear on the other end of the phone. Well, "conversation" wasn't quite the right word for it. Mostly it was Lauren yelling at Michael, who had been pretending all day long that he'd forgotten their first wedding anniversary. Lauren was fit to be tied, and she was refusing to go to dinner with "friends" as Michael had planned, so Baldwin had texted an S.O.S.

"Honey, Nick's on the phone. I tried to get out of dinner, but he's insisting. He's determined to get these contracts done."

"Baldwin, I swear, you owe me for this!"

A door slammed and Nick winced for his friend.

"Wow, you've really got her convinced you forgot."

"Indeed," Michael replied. "I can only hope that once she sees that me forgetting is really a surprise party with 30 of our nearest and dearest, all will be forgiven."

"I'm sure it will be," Nick promised. "So we'll come up in about twenty minutes?"

"Sounds perfect. Thank you, Nick. Really."

"See you in a bit."

Nick Newman hung up the phone, happy to have helped. Michael and Lauren's first anniversary... it was hard to believe how tumultuous the last year had been for the couple--Sheila Carter, John Abbott's incarceration, and then Lauren's difficult but welcome pregnancy. But they had weathered the storm and he knew that they had a wealth of happiness ahead of them.

The year had been equally taxing on Nick. He had come to terms with Cassie's death--at least, as much as he knew he ever would. He had formed a bond with Daniel that was one of the most important in his life. And then there was Phyllis...

He'd say he had fallen in love with his best friend except that she was so much more than that. Nick had once tried to explain to his mother, one of the only allies the relationship had, what that "so much more" was.

"She gave me life again, Mom. She gave me back my will to live. I don't know why it was her, I just know... it was."

But the good of loving Phyllis had come at a high price to them both. They had hurt people they loved--Daniel, Jack, Noah--and Sharon. God, Sharon...

He would never forget that look on her face when she had told him that she was filing for divorce. And even though history and obligation and love, which he still felt for Sharon... even though all those things had demanded he fight for her, Nick had instead listened to the raw, honest truth inside of him.

He had moved on. His marriage was over.

Phyllis had told him it didn't matter. They were over, too. They had caused too much pain to everyone around them, to themselves. She couldn't go on.

Nick had understood. And so he had focused on trying to help his son deal with the end of his parents' marriage. He had worked 18-hour days at Newman and tried to bury himself in the business of the family empire. And he thought about Phyllis... every single day, he thought of her. But he left her alone because it was what she had asked him to do.

The fallout from his own breakup affected his family for months to come. Sharon had turned to Brad and Brad had broken Victoria's heart when he had chosen Sharon over her. And then Nick had faced the most difficult moment of his life since Cassie had slipped away...

He let Noah move with Sharon into Brad's home.

It had nearly killed him, but he knew that his son and Abby were good friends, and he hoped that being there would make things easier on his boy. It was the kind of thing a good father did. Even Sharon had given him credit for that. But it had made his life even lonelier.

Then, over drinks with Michael at the Athletic Club, Nick had mentioned how living in the house alone was driving him nuts--too much empty space, too many ghosts, too many "I wanted to make sure you're okay" visits from his parents.

[i]"Well, if you don't mind the neighbors, a condo just opened up in my building. It's actually the other one I considered buying. First-rate, and I can pretty much guarantee you they're never going to turn down an ownership app from someone Lauren and I know since our landlord is clearly secretly in love with my wife."[/i]

For the first time in his entire life, Nick Newman owned a home of his own--something entirely separate from his family. It was a needed and welcome change, and within weeks of starting over again in his new apartment, Nick had realized that he was ready for more new... more challenges and more adventures that had nothing to do with being a Newman.

The idea had come to him from, of all people, Jill Abbott. He had gone over to say hello to Katherine while the two women dined at the Colonnade room one night and caught Jill mid-rant about how much the magazine market was lacking a true, big-budget glamour magazine that really entertained women. Too much sizzle, not enough steak, was how Katherine described the current crop.

Honestly, despite his years dealing in cosmetics, Nick had never thought much about magazines past the ad dollars set aside for the spreads Newman had placed in them. But the conversation had stuck with him and he started doing some research. And finally, with a clear vision in his head, he had picked up the phone and dialed her number.

[i]"It's business, Phyllis. I need your help."[/i]

She'd agreed to meet him at the club. Drinks, a pitch--public place, no physical contact. That was all.

[i]"I want to make a magazine that reflects everything you and my mom are trying to do with the spas. I want it to be glamorous and beautiful, but I want it to be about women... not the crap most of those magazines try to tell women they need or should want, but what's really going on with them, what they really like. There's got to be a way to do both things, don't you think?"[/i]

Phyllis had put her fantastic mind to work. 48 hours later, she had phoned him and invited him over "just to talk about the project." He went, armed with coffee and double chocolate brownies from Crimson Lights. His jaw nearly hit the floor when he walked in and saw what waited for him.

[i]"Red, I swear... you have got to be the most amazing woman. How did you do all this?"

"You know me, when I'm intrigued by something, I can't let it go."[/i]

The arc of electricity between them had been palpable, but they both ignored it and sat down in front of the cover mockups and the printed packets of concepts and story ideas Phyllis had put together.

[i]"You really think that's what we should call it?"

Phyllis nodded. "I think that's exactly what you should call it. I bet there isn't a woman out there who wouldn't pick it up just to see if she was one of the women you were talking about."[/i]

And so "Real Woman" magazine had been born. This month would mark the publication of its third issue. He smiled every time he read the masthead. "Publisher, Nick Newman. Editor-in-chief, Phyllis Summers."

They had built the magazine together. And as they had brought "their baby" to life, the boundaries they had set between them began to slowly disappear. There was no more Jack to hurt, no more Sharon to betray. Daniel had come to realize that he loved them both too much to stay mad at them forever for hurting people he cared about. Everyone else had moved on. And finally, Nick had decided, they would, too.

[i]"We should go on a date," he said, his eyes fixed on the proof sheets in front of him. He was too afraid to look up in case Phyllis was looking at him like he'd lost his mind.

"A date?"

"Yeah, a date." He grew bold and flashed his eyes toward her. She looked... amused.

"We've never... been on a date," she said after a long pause.

"I know. That's why we should go on one. I'll buy you flowers, you can buy a new dress to impress me. I'll even come by and pick you up and Daniel can interrogate me and make sure I'm good enough for you."[/i]

She had laughed. He had smiled. They had gone on a date that Saturday night. They were lovers again before sunrise on Sunday.

They were taking their time, each keeping their own apartments, working together at the magazine, spending time with their boys. They were frighteningly and amazingly normal for a couple who had begun under such a cloud of scandal. But most importantly, they were happy... and they were together.

"Knock knock."

Nick smiled as her voice rang out from the other side of the door. Her key then turned in the lock and Phyllis walked in. He didn't hesitate more than a second before strolling over and pulling her into his arms for a long, slow kiss.

"Wow. What's got you in the mood?" she asked as she stepped out of his embrace. Nick took pride in the fact that she looked a little woozy from the kiss.

"Just thinking... about how good my life is."

She smiled. It was his turn to be woozy.

"Life is good," she agreed. "Very good."

Nick walked over to get his suit jacket and he pulled it on. "We should, uh, get up there and save Michael. Lauren's plotting his murder, I think."

"Oh, I should teach her the trunk trick. I bet Michael would like that."

They both laughed and Phyllis started for the door. Nick stopped her, though, his hand taking hold of hers and pulling her back.

"Nick, we need to get going. I don't want Michael to get killed on his anniversary. And Lauren can't have Baby Baldwin in prison. That's no good."

"We'll go in a minute, I promise. But, um... I was thinking that... well... I know that the way we started might not have been the right way... but you know I've never regretted it. I don't regret a second I've spent with you."

He heard his voice break as his throat tightened a bit. The rush of emotion surprised him. Phyllis looked at him equally startled, her eyes shining.

"I, um... I've been wanting to get you something," he said, continuing on. "But it's hard to shop for you. Everything seems so... I don't know, ordinary... compared to you."

She blushed. It made him twice as glad that he'd gotten the gift.

"Anyway, I finally decided to get you this." Nick reached into his pocket and drew out the box he'd hidden there earlier. "So... I hope you like it."

Phyllis took the box and he waited. When a tear slipped down her cheek, he lifted his right hand and used his thumb to wipe it away. She opened the box and pulled out the perfect platinum bangle bracelet that Nick had gone to six different jewelers to find.

"Nick... it's beautiful."

"Look inside."

She looked up at him a little confused, but then Phyllis pulled the bracelet free from the box and did as he'd asked.

"Look inside. Okay. '2,111,966'... Nick, what... "

He took the exquisite piece of jewelry from her and slipped it onto her wrist.

"That was your score on the video game that first night. Who knew I could be seduced by killing electronic aliens?"

There were a million things he'd never forget about that first time... the urgency of it, the way it felt like they were dancing even when they were really just trying to get skin against skin as quickly as possible, the certainty he'd had that Phyllis could take away the loneliness that was nearly choking him. But for some reason, another detail that had always stayed with him was that number. Maybe because it was just one in a string of moments when Nick saw that Phyllis could do anything... and that she could and would take him with her on the roller coaster ride that was her life if only he asked.

"Seduced? Oh, is that your story now?"

She laughed and he pulled her into his arms. Her wrists locked behind his neck.

"Did I say it wasn't mutual?"

Their joint laughter rang out a moment before it was muted by another kiss.

"I just wanted you to know that this year... it was worth it, Phyllis. It was all worth it. And I love you."

"Oh, Nick," she tightened her hold on his as her cheek came to rest on his shoulder. "I love you. Happy... sort of anniversary."

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