CHAPTER 94:

Several weeks had since passed and it was now April 4th. Nikki had since been released from the hospital about a week after having her son and AJ was now preparing to make her return back into the company. "Here she is" Stephanie said as she entered into the gym while carrying a now 5 month-old Alia in her arms. "Isn't she just a beaut?" "Yes she is and she gets it all from her mother" said Roman as he smiled. "We're gonna have some serious problems when she becomes a teenager."

"I know the feeling" said Stephanie. "I have 3 of them of my own." "Hi sweetie" said AJ as she carefully took Alia from Stephanie. "So are you excited about returning on Monday night?" asked Stephanie. "Of course" said AJ. "It's been long overdue and I'm just finally glad that I'm back down to my normal size again." "Well hard work does payoff" said Stephanie. "So is it true that Nikki's coming back too next month?" asked Roman. "Yes she is" said Stephanie. "At the very end of the month and I do must say that it's good to see working mothers." "Yeah it is" said AJ. Tamina and Summer Rae walked over. "Aw she's so cute AJ" said Summer Rae. "May I hold her?"

"Of course" said AJ as she gave her Alia to hold. "So did you two…?" asked Tamina. "Yes of course" said AJ. "But we're extra careful now. I'm on birth control." "Yeah we want more kids, but not anytime soon" said Roman. "Always the jokester aren't we?" said AJ. "Why yes AJ I am" said Roman. Seth had noticed the two and from the locker room had decided to come out and walked towards them. "Hey AJ, congrats on your upcoming return on Monday" he said. "Thank you Colby" said AJ. "So where's the little one at?" asked Seth. "She's over there with the girls" said Roman. "So who you're going up against?" asked Seth. "It's a complete surprise" said AJ. "Well I just wanted to say good luck" said Seth. "Thank you so much Colby" said AJ. "No problem" said Seth as he nodded while walking away. "Nice guy" said AJ. "Yeah" said Roman. "He is." He paused for a moment before resuming. "Hey let's go talk". "Sure" said AJ as they walked around into a corner.

"So what's on your mind?" asked AJ. "You, us" said Roman. "We are ok right?" asked AJ. Roman smiled. "Of course" he said. "I have a question to sort of ask you." "Sure" said AJ. "Remember a few years ago when you said that you thought that Nikki wrote that crazy letter for you?" asked Roman. "Yeah the one she denied doing?" said AJ. "Yeah well it turns out she was being completely honest about it" said Roman. "What do you mean?" asked AJ. "What I mean is that she didn't write the letter" said Roman. "I did." AJ's eyes widened.

"What?" AJ asked. Roman took AJ's hands into his. "I did" said Roman. "I wrote you that silly little letter." "But why?" asked AJ. "Because at the time I was still a little confused about how I felt about you" Roman. "Only now I know exactly how I feel". Roman took AJ's hand and led her back out into the open. "Leati…what are you doing?" she asked. "Something I've been thinking about a lot" said Roman as he got down on one knee. "April Jeanette Mendez-Anoa'i, I know that I had asked you this very same question a year ago but this time I wanted to make sure that we were able to start fresh-anew and I can't really do this without you. I love you. I cherish you. You're the mother of my daughter and I'll always need you and what I'm really trying to say, well ask is…will you marry me, again?"

Everyone around them became hushed as Nikki walked up behind John as she was carrying their son in a carrier who was lightly covered with a powder blue blanket. "What's going on?" she asked. "Joe's proposing to AJ again" said John.

"Yes Leati of course I will!" AJ said with a huge smile. Roman slipped a new ring onto AJ's finger and picked her up to passionately kiss her as their coworkers applauded and cheered for them.

"Wow he's really some gentleman" said Nikki. "Yeah he is" said John. "So how is he anyway?" "Johnnie's fine" said Nikki. "He'll be 2 months old next week." "I know" said John. "I didn't forget." "I know" Nikki said quietly. AJ walked up to her. "Hey, how's everything going for you?" she asked. "We're ok" said Nikki. "I'm all healed up and everything." "He's very cute" said AJ. "April, I just wanna say how truly thankful to you and Joe for everything you've done for us" said Nikki. "And I would like to say thank you too" said John. "I don't think that there is ever a way that I could repay you and Joe for this." "Don't worry" said AJ. "You don't have to." AJ gave Nikki and John a hug. "You're welcome" she said as she walked back towards Roman.

"You should cover him up a little more" said John. "I don't want anyone else to see his face until he's 6 months old." "John…" Nikki said. "Come on, we should go outside. We really need to talk." John nodded as he followed Nikki who was still carrying the carrier with her.

Dean noticed Seth still standing by himself in the ring. "Hey man, is your head trapped in the stars or something?" he asked. "No, why?" asked Seth. "Because our best buddy just got engaged again" said Dean. "And you didn't congratulate him." "No need to just yet" said Seth. "It's fine." "Yeah not as fine as that dress Nicole was wearing" said Dean. "I mean damn she's one hot milf now I mean it's just so fucking crazy that a baby could do that to her." Dean's thoughts were true at least according to his opinions as Nikki did show up wearing a hot pink skin tight dress that had a black belt in the middle and such dress did end up revealing that some parts of her have changed. "Yeah" said Seth. "I'll say. It seems she lost all of her baby weight by now."

"Man, what do you care anyway?" asked Dean. "You have Leighla, my ass is the one that's single now." "Not anymore" said Seth. "I broke things off with her weeks ago." "And you didn't tell anyone?" asked Dean. "No" said Seth. "Because I have better things on my mind." With that Seth jumped down from out of the ring and walked away, leaving Dean very confused. As he continued walking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the charm bracelet that Nikki had left behind during their encounter they had last year as he kept it all this time. He held it tightly as he continued making his way out of the weight area and towards the locker room.

Meanwhile, Nikki and John had finally reached outside when she began to place Johnnie back into his car seat. "Are we going for a drive or something?" asked John. "No John" said Nikki as she closed the door. "We're not." "Ok Nikki I don't get it" said John. "No John, I'm afraid that you don't get it" said Nikki. "I can't do this-us anymore. When I needed you, you weren't there for me and when you decided to come around, it was too late." "What are you talking about?" asked John. "Damn it Nicole I'm here now!"

"Well John it's too late" said Nikki. "You never went to any of my ultrasound appointments. Or helped me pick out furniture, clothing or even choose a name. While Joe never left AJ's side, they even went to get help." "How do you even know?" asked John. "Trust me it's obvious" said Nikki. "Nicole so what you're leaving me now is that what you're trying to tell me?" asked John. Nikki began to tear up. "John…I am so sorry" she said. "But I can't be with someone who didn't stand by me when I needed them the most. You abandoned me, us." John's eyes begin to tear up as well. "So…you're leaving me aren't you?" he asked.

"John I am so sorry" Nikki tearfully said. "But this isn't going to work out for us." "No, no, no Nicole you can't leave me!" John shouted. "We have a son now! We can move back in together and get counseling, I'll stop working just to be with you!" "John, I could never ask you to give up your life for me" said Nikki. She reached into her pocket to pull out her engagement ring. "I think the reason that I had this for a really long time was because I myself was still trying to figure things out, in fact I had a lot to figure out. So naturally I decided for once to just focus on me and the baby and it worked. I'm getting help now, I'm managing my illness, I'm working on my careers and I'm taking care of our son."

"And we can't do that together?" asked John. Nikki shook her head no. "I know that this seems so sudden, but it's been a long time coming" she said. "I have…decided this a long time ago. Before Johnnie was born. You and I had always wanted different things in life. I don't regret our son and I never will. I'm just not confused anymore and that everlasting pain that went along with that confusion is finally gone." "I could have prevented this" said John sadly. "I should have seen this coming I could have stopped this." "Sometimes you can't see these things coming John" said Nikki as she began to wipe his tears. She hated to see him like this. In fact I don't think she had ever seen him cry in the nearly 3 years they've been around each other.

"Hey, don't you cry now. You're still going to be around for Johnnie. He still needs his father and I will never take him from you know, you know that right?" she said. "Right" John said. Nikki kissed John on his lips, but he didn't kiss back. "I'll always love you John" she said. "But for right now I think its best that we be apart." "You…you don't love me" John said. "You don't love me and you never have." "John that isn't true!" Nikki said tearfully. "That isn't true and you know that!" "So then why are you doing this to me!?" John shouted. "Why are you leaving me!?" "Because I need some time!" Nikki tearfully shouted. "I love you and if I didn't love you I would stay in a relationship that is broken." "But I'm willing to fix it for you and our son. For us" said John.

"Just because two people have a baby together doesn't mean that they should stay together" said Nikki. "And I….I honestly wouldn't be happy if I did get back with you." John's face continued to fill with more pain as he became silent. "I love you so much John" Nikki said. "But right now I have to love myself enough to realize when something isn't working out anymore and it won't be forever." "I…just can't believe that you're doing this to me" John said as his voice began breaking. "I…I…can't believe that you're doing this to me." Nikki looked back at John as she continued crying. He suddenly pulled her into a hug as they began sobbing. "I won't give up on you" he said softly. The two hugged each other for what seemed like an eternity until he had finally let her go. Nikki walked up to the door of her car before turning around to look at him.

The emotional pain and utter despair on his face was something she has never seen on him before. She really hated having to do that to him but she knew for now it would be the best thing she could do for herself…or was it? With that, Nikki proceeded to enter into her car to drive off, leaving John heartbroken.

While one couple had completely managed to work out their issues, another one was broken. John stared at the ring and clutched it tightly as the continued tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes. His heart heavily ached as he continued to watch Nikki drive away, never taking his eyes off of her car until it was no longer in his sight. This was undoubtedly the worse pain he has ever felt in his entire life. The tears never stopped and they wouldn't….at least for a while. But then he had remembered something that his mother once told him and with that he quietly said: "she'll come back to me one day. I know she will."

~To be continued…~

A/N: I know that a lot of you are probably not happy that I broke John and Nikki apart but no worries as they are soul mates *hint hint* and that there is no hope lost between these two but they just really need some time apart from each other like a lot of couples decide to do and that there is a really important reason behind my doing so and for that there will be a sequel "Entitlements and Deception 2" coming really soon (most likely within this next week).

So again I would like to say an extremely huge thank you to everyone who enjoyed my story and you can always PM me if there are any questions :-)

~Emerald loves Sapphire~