Part 52: ************************************************************************* Kevin set his book down as Alec wandered into their bedroom, closing the door behind her. "How is he?" "Stone cold drunk. He'll be a joy when the hangover hits." she sighed and fell back on the bed. "How can this be happening??" "When it rains it pours is the only explanation I can come up with." She shook her head, "I just want this to end, one way or another. I don't think I can deal with anything else going wrong." Howie laid in bed next to Ty, a baby name book resting on his chest. "What do you think about Darby??" "I think I'm not sure. Howie we don't even know if this is a boy or girl yet." she pulled the book out of his hands. "Now what's on your mind?" He sighed, "I've been a little quiet huh??" "Yeah. Did you find something else with Paul?" "No I haven't even looked at that stuff...I'm worried about J and Jenn...I don't understand how he could be back on drugs and me not seeing it or picking up on it." "So you don't think he is." "I don't know what to think anymore. He won't answer my phone calls." "You know where he is right?" "Yeah." "Then give him another day or two with the calls and if he doesn't answer you go over there. Look at it from his side D, he thinks everyone's against him now. Jenn's off trying to sort things out for herself, your busy with the baby and this Lou/Paul mess...his two biggest supports aren't available to him right now." "Which only makes me worry more. He should know he doesn't have to push me away." "So that was Cassie." Shan said, watching Brian walk into their bedroom. "Yeah that's Cass." "Mmmm." "What?" he took his shirt off and tossed it on the chair. "You still think there's something going on?" "Well if Nick's turned out to be true..." "Then hell I'm cheating too. What are you gonna do, run off like Lis did?? Jenn's gone, Lis is, if you leave too maybe you can all get a group rate at the divorce lawyers. They'd earn quite the hefty commission with the Backstreet wives let me tell ya!!" "What do you want me to think Brian?? Nick was so adament about him not cheating and this woman says he was...you're the same way about you and Cassie maybe your hiding the same secret." "Shan the only secret I'm hiding is that I personally would like to see Lou pay dearly for what he's doing to my brothers! If I could I'd kick his ass to hell and back, but I can't. I have to sit back and watch them self destruct as whatever little plans he has in mind for them go into action and I can only imagine what he's got in store for any of us next!! Damnit its not enough he took our careers, and is dangling them in front of us if we go back to him but now...now he's going after our marriages." Letting them into his hotel room, AJ helped Lis inside. "Did you try to talk to him?" "I'm supposed to talk to him!?!?" she said incredulously. "Women," he muttered, "Do you know if Jenn believed me right now I wouldn't be here. Lis your doing the same thing she is...pushing her husband away and believing what's in front of her. Neither of you is seeing the real picture here." "I've seen the real pictures J...all ten 8 x 10 glossies. More than I ever needed..." He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Okay you've had a hell of a day...I think you need to sleep...and think things over on a clear head." "I need distance." "Lis please...don't do something stupid okay?? Trust me it doesn't do you any good." "Yeah yeah." she grabbed her things. "I'm gonna head back to my room." "All right. If you need me you call okay??" "All right. Bye J." Nick stumbled into his room, finally finding the bed and passing out into a deep sleep. He'd finally managed to block everything out of his mind, Alannah, the pictures, Lis. The only sign that everything wasn't okay was the ring clutched tightly in his left hand and the trail of bottles that led from the balcony to the bed which he'd kicked inside as he'd come in. Jenn sat up in bed, wide awake even though it was after three in the morning. Turning on the bedside lamp she sighed, the days of doing nothing but thinking were getting to her. She'd reevaluated their entire relationship in the last several days, the signs weren't there. She couldn't find anything that pointed to him being back on the drugs. Could she have been wrong Jenn wondered as she got out of bed and headed back into his office. Sitting in his chair she took the room in, she'd never gone through his desk before all of this started. Closing her eyes she leaned back in the chair and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of AJ. The small light beside the bed was on as AJ went through his briefcase. After the first night of being alone he found he slept better during the day when he didn't feel so alone. There was something about the dark that just increased the loneliness to unimaginable levels. Going through the report David had given them he highlighted the most interesting areas and made some notes. If the plan for getting Lou back was temporarily at a standstill he would be the one who got the ball rolling again.