AJ and Howie both jumped as they heard keys in the front door and the door opening. A few seconds later Kevin appeared in the room. "Do I want to know why you two are sitting there ghostly pale in the dark?"

Howie cleared his throat, "Something happened."

Kevin threw his head back and groaned, "What now?" he asked tiredly.

"Maybe this isn't the time..." AJ stated.

"You brought it up Bone, my mind will work overtime until you tell me."

"Someone brought these over." Howie answered, pointing at the contracts that they hadn't moved off the table.

Kevin flicked the light on and walked over, instantly paling at he saw them. "Why would you take them? I would of shoved them back at the henchman and told him to go straight to hell."

"See the thing is Kev...they weren't exactly delivered."

"What the hell does that mean?" he demanded, his voice getting louder as fear started filling him.

"Someone put them here...I came back and found them like this...we already called David and he went through the house, no sign of forced entry."

"So how did they..."

"Who knows but someone's been in here."

"Damnit."

"What do you want to do?" Howie questioned.

Kevin stared down at the contracts, feeling his throat tighten as he read his name on one of them. "You two go on home, I'm going to stay here tonight...get everything straight in my mind...I think first thing tomorrow I'm getting the locks changed in here." he lifted his head and looked at his two friends. "Stop staring at me like I have two heads, go on home I'm fine."

"But..."

"But what? Nick's at his place tonight I know that from Brian...Brian's probably not coming back here either and if he does he does. I'm not about to go off the deep end guys I'm just going to do some deep thinking."

*****
"Lis..."

She put her hand up, "No just...just don't talk to me..."

"I'm gonna talk and you're gonna listen..."

"The hell I am."

"You are!!" Nick blocked her way. "You're not going anywhere."

She laughed, "Oh really."

"Yeah...we're going to talk...and I'm going to apologize."

Staring at him blankly she moved to sit on the floor. "You Nick Carter are going to apologize? This is a memorable moment in time."

He shook his head. "You're too damn sarcastic you know that right."

"You knew that when you married me."

Nick shrugged as he sat in front of her on the floor. "About earlier..."

"When you went crazy on me."

"When I panicked..."

"When are you getting to the apology?"

He growled, "Damnit Lis."

"That's attractive honey."

"Would you listen?"

"I would if you were actually saying something."

"Maybe I'd say something if you stopped..."

She covered her ears with her hands. "Do not pick a fight Nick I so don't need that right now..."

He leaned over and pulled her hands away, "I am not picking a fight I just want you to stay quiet long enough for me to tell you what I'm going to do..."

*****
Kevin stood leaning on the desk as he reread the contracts in front of him. Sighing deeply he flipped the page and started on the next paragraph of legal speak. His head was swimming, not just at what he was reading, but at the fact someone had been in that house, THEIR house and put them there, expecting what? Them to sign them or just to send them into another rage? Shaking his head he scanned down the page

*****
"Busy?" The voice stopped Howie dead in his tracks as he paced the area in front of his office window. "Not for you." he said not turning around as he spoke. He heard the door shut and footsteps get closer to him, finally he felt her rest her head on his shoulder.

"What are you up to?"

"Same height I was this morning?" he turned his head and met her eyes, a slow smile appeared on his face.

"I wouldn't know about that."

"Yeah haven't seen you in awhile." he sighed and returned to looking out the window. "You know for someone who hates me, I wonder why your head's resting on my shoulder."

"Old habits die hard." she moved back and sat on the edge of his desk. "What are you doing here? Its late."

"Working."

"On what?"

He sighed. "What I always work on lately."

"You're pretty calm for someone who usually works on blowing up on people."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and studied her reflection in the window. "I'm sorry for that Tyler you have to know..." squeezing his eyes shut he shook his head slightly. "A lot of shit happened and I couldn't deal with it so I broke, and I took it out on anyone I came in contact with...even you..."

"I remember that..."

"I never meant to..."

"I heard you apologize the other night." she interrupted him before he could go into a long winded speech.

He spun around, "What?"

"I woke up in the middle of you talking, thought I was dreaming until I woke up the next morning and you were asleep in the chair."

His eyes clouded over, "So you know..."

"I know what you tried to do D..."

"And you hate me." he ran his fingers through his hair. "I understand Ty...the other day at the hospital you made it really clear that you want nothing to do with me and I guess its only fair I give you the quick and speedy divorce you deserve."

She laughed, "Halt that runaway imagination there Howie."

"But..."

"You assume I want a divorce..."

"Don't you?"

"The thought has crossed my mind the last little while but D, that's all it was. A thought. Right now I'd rather concentrate on getting Lou and his little friend Paul out of our lives so by the time the baby comes those names won't ever be mentioned."

Howie smiled, "By the time the baby comes..."

"Gives us some time doesn't it?"

"Course it does." he sat down in his desk chair and pulled it over in front of her. "So what now?"

"Now you tell me how long you've been cooped up in this office..." her fingers ran through his hair, "Then we pack all these papers of yours into those boxes I left outside the office and head home."

His gaze drifted to the door as a small smile crossed his face, "You've thought this through haven't you?"

"I have. So answer my question."

"Most of today, all of last night..." he looked up at her sheepishly as he answered.

"D!!!"

"I know not exactly the wisest thing..."

*****
Jenn walked into her house, flipping lights on as she went. "No more lights." a raspy voice said from out the open patio doors.

She smiled as she saw the figure out AJ sitting outside on the deck. "Okay no more lights. You like the darkness?"

"Its relaxing." he put his drink down and turned his head to see her standing in the patio doorway, "Wanna join me out here?"

"Course."

"How'd girls night out go?"

"It was uh...informing."

"Which means what?"

"Nothing."

"Okay."

*****
Tossing the paper plates into the garbage Brian glanced through the glass door to the living room, Shan was still laying out on the blanket picking at her dessert. He promised her he'd find an end to things as soon as he could. And he would, no matter what the cost.

*****
Shan heard Brian walk into the room and she smiled to herself, "Get lost out there?"

"Too used to the beachhouse." he knelt beside her. "You look a million miles away."

"Just thinking." she rolled on her side looking up at him. "Remember when you were on tour we talked about taking a trip?"

"Yeah, down to the Bahamas right?"

"I just realized if this wasn't happening we'd be there now." she frowned as she thought back to the conversation the wives had had that evening. Finding something on Lou was going to be harder then they thought, she could feel it.

*****
E put another stack of loose papers and files on David's desk. "You sure we shouldn't call the cops?"

"Then they'd want to know why we suspect Lou...and then we'd either have to lie or give up the whole story. Somehow I don't think the Boys would appreciate reading this whole sordid tale on the front page of the Tribune first thing tomorrow."

"Damn true."

"Plus there's no way they'd find any fingerprints or anything, Lou or Paul's men are too smart to leave those behind." he fell back into his chair as he looked at his desk that was now covered in about six or seven piles of paper, all about eight inches high. "I so didn't need this right now."

E nodded as she pulled a chair upright and sat down. "What do we do now?"

"You feel free to go home and sleep, me I'll probably stay here and try to do some work..."

"How can you do anything with this?" she waved to the stacks of paper all over his desk.

"First I'm going to have to go through it all."

"I'll stay and help, you'll just owe me."

He smiled, "Owe you?"

She nodded, "Coffee, breakfast when we're done here."

"Deal."

*****
Jenn returned outside with two drinks, "You been out here long?"

"Ah...awhile before you came home..."

"How was your day?"

"Don't ask." he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What the hell did we ever do to deserve this Jenn? All we ever wanted was to make music."

She leaned against him. "I know...we all wonder that. I mean all us girls did was marry you guys..."

He rested her head against hers, entwining their fingers together. "I wish he'd have kept the five of you out of this. You have nothing to do with this...it should of just been business."

"Lou didn't see it that way."

"Lou only sees things his way."

*****
Alec let herself into the beachhouse. Kevin had called almost an hour before and told her he wasn't coming home. Realizing how odd he sounded on the phone she jumped in the car and drove straight over. "Kevin?" she called, finding him in the den leaning on the desk. When he didn't move or even acknowledge she was there she hurried over behind him. "Kevin???" she tried again, resting her hand on his shoulder.

He jumped as he felt someone touch him. Glancing behind him he sighed with relief as he saw his wife standing there. "Alec...I thought I..."

"You sounded strange...I didn't think you should be here alone." she searched his eyes. "What is it?"

Kevin sighed, turning around and resting on the desk. "Nothing..." his arms reached out and pulled her against him, resting his head against her shoulder. Her hands rubbed his back as she looked down at the desk, her eyes widening as she saw the contract laying there. Kevin felt her tense up, "What is it?"

"I..." her voice faltered as she moved back a little. "I know I said the other night about signing..."

"Alec its not..."

"But you went ahead and brought it here? You were going to sign without telling me? Don't you think I should have a say in this? This affects me too you know."

"Alec..."

"No you're going to listen to me here for a minute."

He sighed. "Fine."

"If you sign that paper you're back with Lou, its almost like saying it was all right for him to do the things he did to us..."

"Can I talk now?" She nodded. "I didn't bring this here," he picked the contract up. "Someone put the four unsigned ones in the house, AJ found them earlier tonight. I was just looking it over when you walked in here..."

"Looking..."

"And thinking..." he sighed, dropping it back on the desk. "I want this all to go away Alec...I want us to be able to live again. Do you remember what it feels like to just live Alec? Because right now it seems like forever since we could do that."

"You're thinking about signing it aren't you?"

His fingers went through his hair, finally stopping to rub his sore and tired neck. "Spent a minute or two wondering..." his eyes shut as he spoke, "Maybe them being here is a sign of some sort...that its time for us to move on...maybe Backstreet did run its course."

"It was forced to end Kevin."

"But we always said we wanted to go out on top, not when we were a joke you know."

"The five of you never were a joke."

"I don't know about that."

"I do."

"I don't know what to do anymore Alec, I have no clue whatsoever."

She leaned over and picked up the contract. "If you really think you should sign this...something deep inside of you is urging you to do it then I'm behind you one hundred percent, but don't do it because you think I'd want you to do anything you could to end this...I've lasted this long through it all, I plan to see the end of it."

*****
The ringing of the phone interrupted the still silence of the large house. After the machine picked up the same distorted voice could be heard, echoing throughout. "Big bad Lou...all these little stunts of yours will cost you...cost you dearly..."