When Nico sees in the tabloid that Jackie is hooked up publicly with freaking Ben of all people, Nico decides he's finished. He's done with L.A., done with trying to be famous. He doesn't know how or why he fell so hard for Jackie, why he can't sleep for thinking about her, why he's chosen her brand of whiskey to comfort him in his loneliness, he just knows it has to stop. Ben, he thinks with a shudder, Ben has probably told her all about him & then added some lies in it to boot. He's lost his chance with Jackie, and the rest of it now just doesn't matter.

But as he's preparing himself to go back to Firenze, his home, he gets a phone call that just a few weeks ago would have made him the happiest man alive. Bill Arthag, CEO of BMC music is actually calling him & asking him to audition. But Nico doesn't even care anymore...until Bill tells him he's looking for a guitarist to replace F Hole's old guitarist. Nico of course like the rest of the world saw the grisly photos of F Hole's guitarist, found dead in some rat hole somewhere, having killed himself after apparenly killing his girlfriend first..his first thought was of Jackie when he heard the news. But he never imagined he'd be auditioning to take his place "Why didn't Jackie call me herself if she wants me to be her guitarist?" Nico asks Bill, "She's heard me play tons of times already, and if she's with Ben now, frankly, I'm not interested in playing with her..." "Listen, kid," Bill says, "I don't usually let little nobodies like yourself question me like that, but Jackie & her freaking band are driving me crazy...She's not 'with' Ben, she keeps telling me, and she says she won't have him as a guitarist either. She's locked up in her house & she won't come out..I don't know what all went on between you two, but she brings you up every time I talk to her. So you are going to get in the limo I'm sending to you, you are going to come down here & audition for me & if I have to pay you through the nose, you are going to make Jackie happy, do you understand?" Nico understands just fine, and he gets in the limo when it comes for him.

And he plays guitar for Bill Arthag. But where's Jackie? "Very good, I'm impressed," Bill says in the most annoying patronizing tone imaginable. "All right, now you need to go do whatever it is you do for Jackie. My wife says you don't come cheap..." Nico has heard about enough now. "I don't know your wife," he says, though he really can't say that for sure. But it seems to Nico that if he knew at any time he was sleeping with the wife of a record company CEO, he would have tried to use her influence.."No, you don't know my wife. But you've 'known' a lot of her friends. She recognized you on the Late Night show & told me all about it..So how much will it cost for you to take care of Jackie for me?" Bill Arthag might be rich & powerful, but that isn't what holds Nico's fist back from smashing his face: it's the opportunity to see Jackie. "Let me see her. Keep your money, and let me see her..." Nico sighs.

"She's waiting for you in my office," Bill says, pointing towards a door. When Nico sees Jackie again, his heart jumps for joy, and he goes right to her, opening his arms, "Jackie, I've missed you so much," he confesses, leaning forward to kiss her. But Bill misled him when he said Jackie was 'waiting' for him. She's here, but she's not interested in seeing Nico, apparently, and pushes him away.

"Just tell Bill what I owe you for your 'services', Nico, & the studio will cut you a check," she says. That really hurt..though he can't say he didn't deserve it. She's about to walk out of his life forever: he can't let her go that easily, without being able to at least explain.

Miraculously, she turns to hear him out, though she stamps her foot with impatience. It's his last chance, so he tells her, "I know I deserve that, but I never asked for your money...give me some credit..What I do, what I've done, it had nothing to do with you, with us. That Bill guy called me to audition for him, for your band, but I've already made my mind up, I'm going back to Firenze, I've had it with this place. But I came because he said I could see you & I just wanted to see you. The tabloids said you're with Ben now...Bill says that's a lie..either way Jackie, I just wanted to say goodbye." She gets really angry about Ben, insisting she's not with him. Well, he can't blame her, Ben is skinny & a jerk no matter how you look at him....And she's mad at at Bill for auditioning Nico for her band too, and he also can't blame her for that. He'd be pissed, if he were in her shoes & the record company was auditioning someone without his knowledge. But none of that matters now. "It doesn't matter, Jackie. I'm not going to be in your band, I'm not going to stay in L.A. I'm sorry, Jackie, sorry about everything. I just wanted to say, you know, I love you, Jackie, for real." Jackie shakes her head, "How can I believe anything you say, Nico? You sold me out, you talked about me to magazines & TV..for all I know freaking Bill is paying you to tell me you love me, because he wants a damn photo op out of it." Her face turns kind of green as she's speaking & she runs out of the office. She left, and didn't even say a last goodbye...Nico looks around, trying to remember which door will lead him out, when Bill Arthag comes in. "She doesn't want me, I'm going home," Nico says to him, kind of not wanting to ask which door to take, but really needing to. "Nonsense," Bill laughs at him, "You just don't know women as well as you think you do...Come with me." And Nico realizes Bill is his only ride home at the moment, if he doesn't go with him, he'll be riding the bus, ugh. And while doesn't really believe trying again with Jackie will get him anywhere, he'll take that chance, because there is always hope, of some kind.