Karina

"Alright, you fuck-up. I don't know WHAT you were thinking, but this shit is going to stop right now. Do you understand me?" Kevin yelled, pointing his finger in AJ's face. AJ still said nothing.

"I didn't give you my daughter so you could pull this crap and make Mikayla miserable," Kevin continued, his voice sounding more and more like a drill sergeant. "If you don't straighten up, so help me God, AJ, I will beat the ever-loving hell out of you. I will not have that baby raised by a sonofabitch who can't keep his pecker in his pants and makes her mother cry. Is that clear?"

"Kevin, I love her," AJ said quietly. "I fucked up. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

"You're sorry?" Kevin said, incredulously. "You're SORRY?? Don't tell me that, AJ. I couldn't care less if you're sorry. Tell HER!"

"I just don't know how to stop," AJ said sadly. "It's like, if I'm not with Mikayla, I have to be with SOMEBODY. I can't be alone."

The muscles in Kevin's jaw tensed up, and he backhanded AJ as hard as he could across the face. AJ looked up, rage building in his eyes. He could taste blood.

"What the FUCK was that for?" he yelled, shoving Kevin in the chest.

"You should have thought about THAT before you asked her to marry you, dipshit. What did you think was going to happen when you went out on tour? Did you just conveniently forget that there would be times that you would be alone? Damn, AJ. You can't go around cheating on her like that. It's just wrong, man."

"Oh, excuse me for being imperfect, Mr. High and Mighty," AJ said bitterly. "Did YOU conveniently forget that you're the one who got her pregnant while you were married to somebody else?"

Kevin couldn't answer him. He looked down at the floor and shook his head.

"I thought so," AJ said triumphantly. "See, you're no better than I am. So don't come in here acting like you're such a good guy, cause you're NOT. You knocked her up, but you didn't want to fuck up your perfect life with your cute little wife, so you GAVE the baby to me! Yeah, I stepped in, and I love that little girl more than life itself. I'd do it again tomorrow, too. I'm not perfect, Kevin, but neither are you. Don't you ever forget it, either."

"Never mind, AJ. Just forget it. She's probably gonna kick you out anyway, so there's really no point in discussing it anymore."

AJ sat down on the couch and buried his face in his hands. He knew Kevin was right.

**********************

Karina knocked on the door of AJ's house. She heard footsteps, but was shocked to see Kevin open the door. He looked annoyed.

"Hey Karina," he said. "Come on in."

She walked in and saw AJ sitting on the couch. He had a thin trickle of blood in the corner of his mouth. She wisely didn't ask where it came from. She could only imagine what had happened before she got there. She sat down beside him and put he arm around his shoulder.

"Are you OK?" she asked quietly. He nodded his head, then leaned over and rested it on her shoulder. Kevin rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. Just then, Nick entered the living room, wearing only his underwear and having some serious bedhead. He saw Karina and smiled.

"Hey, AJ... you keep your hands off my woman," he said, laughing. AJ flipped him off.

Nick grabbed Karina's hand and pulled her over to a chair onto his lap.

"What happened to your mouth, man?" Nick asked, leaning in to get a closer look at AJ's wound.

An exasperated look came over AJ's face as he pointed toward Kevin, who was making himself a drink.

"Ohhhhh," said Nick softly laughing. "You pissed the big guy off, didn't you?" AJ gave him a nasty look.

"Fuck off, Nick," he said, getting up from the couch and heading to the bathroom. A few seconds later, they heard the shower start.

"So," Nick said, playing with Karina's hair. "What are we doing tonight?"

Karina was only half listening. She was thinking about AJ...

"Karina?" Nick said again, smiling. "Helloooo?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just a little preoccupied today. What did you say?"

"I asked what we were doing tonight," he said again, only this time, he wasn't smiling. He noticed that she was watching the bathroom door intently. He turned her face toward him and looked into her eyes.

"Karina, don't, OK?" he said quietly. "He's in a bad place right now, so just... don't."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm talking about AJ. Just leave him alone, OK? Let him work this out on his own. He's got to learn to be by himself for awhile."

Karina looked away, but Nick turned her face around again. She could see that he was upset.

"Karina, please. Just listen to me on this, OK?" Nick pleaded. "I know him better than you do. Just leave him alone."

Karina nodded her head, and Nick smiled.

"Good. Now, what are we doing tonight?" he asked again, more cheerfully this time.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, putting her arms around his neck. "I'm sure we could think of something."

He smiled and kissed her.

"Get a room," Kevin muttered, entering the living room and flopping down on the couch. Karina stuck out her tongue at him, then kissed Nick again. His hands rubbed up and down her back as she cradled his head against her chest.

AJ walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He crossed the living room and stood in front of the french doors, overlooking the ocean. Karina's eyes were drawn to his tanned skin and the intricate artwork on his back. She had this urge to just reach out and touch him... but she didn't. But she just couldn't take her eyes off of him. Nick noticed that she was staring at AJ, and he sighed heavily, pushing her off his lap.

"Nick..." she started, but he got up and went into his bedroom, closing the door loudly. AJ didn't even flinch at the sound of the slamming door. He was completely lost in his thoughts.

Karina was torn... she wanted to go to Nick and make sure he wasn't angry with her, but just had to go to AJ. It was as if something was drawing her to him, and she couldn't stop it. She walked to the doors and stood behind him, resting her chin on his damp, bare shoulder. He turned and smiled a sad smile, then pulled her arms around his waist. Karina felt a shiver of excitement as she touched his naked flesh.

"Oh good God," Kevin said in a very disgusted tone of voice, as he got up and walked out the front door. Neither of them paid any attention to him. After several minutes, AJ turned to Karina and put his arms around her, pulling her tight. She rested her cheek against his smooth, soft chest and breathed deeply his scent. He backed away for a moment, then lifted her chin with his finger. He smiled, then kissed her softly on the lips. She ran her hands up his chest and around his shoulders as his kiss became deeper. His tongue probed inside her mouth, intermingling with her own. She felt her face flush with excitement as he ran his hands through her hair. His hardness pressed against her hip throught the towel, and she could tell that he was enjoying himself. AJ suddenly broke their kiss and smiled at her. He unwrapped her arms from his neck and walked into his room, leaving her standing there, blushing and confused.

*********************

As Kevin made his way through the garden paths surrounded by palms and tropical flowers to Mikayla's private suite, it began to rain. By the time he made it to Mikayla's door, he was drenched. He banged on the door and waited. When Mikayla opened it, she was shocked to see Kevin standing on the doorstep, soaking wet. She had needed to see him so badly, and now that he was there, she felt like she could finally let down her guard and get emotional over the whole situation. He smiled and put his arms around her, as she broke down and cried on his shoulder.

"It's ok, baby," he said softly, stroking her hair. "I'm here. Shhhhh. It's gonna be ok."

Mikayla looked up into Kevin's beautiful green eyes. He wiped the tears off her cheeks with his finger, then kissed her sweetly. She felt a stirring in her heart that she hadn't felt in so long...