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Nicky's evolution over the drafts

I read in one of your posts (I think it was on your blog) that Nicky used to be a much darker character in previous drafts. I absolutely love Nicky as he is now, but I was wondering if you could talk about dark!Nicky and how he became the current Nicky? xx

Nicky's story used to be darker. Until this very last draft, Erik came over to the US with Nicky to help watch over the twins. He and Nicky bought the house in Columbia together and took Aaron and Andrew in so Luther & Maria wouldn't have to. They worked at Eden's Twilight to put Andrew & Aaron through high school. Nicky referred to Erik as his husband, and they wore rings, but since they couldn't get married in the States they planned on marrying as soon as they returned to Germany.

In the final draft, Nicky and Neil talk about how Andrew ended up on his medication, about a fight outside Eden's Twilight where Andrew nearly beat four men to death. The original version of the fight is this:

When Nicky got an offer to go to PSU, Erik encouraged him to take it and decided to stay in the US as long as he needed to. He came to Fox practices whenever Wymack let him, though he was careful to stay away from Nicky's teammates, and he went to all of their games as their loudest cheerleader. The bar fight occurred the day before the Foxes went to Christmas banquet the cousins' freshman year. They went down to Columbia to have a couple drinks and celebrate the end of the semester.

Nicky and Erik ducked out the back, drunk and happy and horny, and were making out behind the club when those four men went by. That's why Nicky was targeted in the first place; that's what triggered the attack. Nicky and Erik ended up in the hospital, and only one of them checked out again.

Nicky was devastated.

Andrew stopped by to see him at the hospital exactly once, then vanished. Didn't go to the funeral. Wasn't there when Abby was keeping Nicky at her house and trying to hold him together. He was busy looking for the men who'd hurt his cousin, and he only came back to Nicky when he could bring a newspaper with him. One of the articles discussed the "tragedy" of four men losing their lives in a fatal car accident. Nicky broke down when he saw it.

At that point Andrew realized who else Abby was sheltering at her house, and he made her send the injured and morose Kevin Day over to Wymack's place. She put her foot down, refusing to dump Kevin off on Wymack when he was injured, and Andrew said he'd leave again if she didn't do it. Nicky was desperate to keep Andrew, so he begged Abby to just do it. Abby gave in and drove Kevin over to Wymack's place.

Nicky spent the rest of the semester depressed and mourning. Andrew's savage retribution helped a little, and having Kevin around helped–Kevin wasn't dying, but he was injured, and Nicky clung to his recovery because he wanted to think he could help save someone when he couldn't save Erik. Neil was another interesting distraction from his grief when Neil moved in, but Nicky's depression and grief would slip through sometimes in his conversations with Neil.

Nicky wore Erik's wedding band on a necklace all through college.

((Several years after graduation, Nicky finally got serious with someone else he met in Germany. They had a couple tense months when Nicky struggled with guilt over loving someone else after having loved Erik so long. Nicky broke up with him for a few months, but being apart didn't make him feel any better. They got back together, and at their one year anniversary Nicky's gift was that he took the necklace off. He would always love Erik, but he could finally lay their memories to rest.))

Nicky's redemption was simple: I just let Erik live this time. ;)