Chapter 97

Emily was as excited as a school girl going on a field trip the morning they left. AJ was a nervous wreck and Tiny was in ultra-bodyguard mode as they rode to the airport. Emily got tired of AJ's non-responses to her excited chatter and turned to him.

“Alright. You have to relax! Everything is fine.” she assured.

“Emily, you don't know that!” he snapped.

Tiny eyed AJ carefully in the rear view mirror.

“No, I don't.” she sighed. “But you were the one who kept telling me that I had to stop letting this run my life and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm entitled to have a little fun.”

“Fun, yes. Practically putting yourself out there as bait, no.”

“Well, then maybe he'll come out of the woodwork and we'll catch him!”

“Or he'll come out of the woodwork and catch you!” AJ said, crossing his arms.

Emily rolled her eyes at him. “Look, I know it may not seem like it but I am aware of all of those things, ok? I really need this and I need you to relax and let me have it.”

AJ sighed. He knew she was right, but he still hated the whole idea. “Alright, I'll try.”

“Thank you. Now Tiny...I was thinking last night about changing your name to something more appropriate like Bubba.”

“Bubba?” Tiny laughed. “I told you, we're not changing my name!”

“Well, how about something civilized like Roberto or Edwardo?”

AJ managed to chuckle from the back seat. “I like Edwardo. Or you could be Edward.”

“Shut it, McLean. You're supposed to be on my side!” Tiny groaned.

They got to the airport and got themselves all checked in without a single problem. They had waited as long as they could to go so they wouldn't be sitting around waiting to board and luckily, their flight was on time and they were only sitting about fifteen minutes before the first class boarding call. Emily walked sandwiched between Tiny and AJ and once they were seated on the plane, Emily could feel AJ begin to relax and start to believe that maybe things were going to be ok.

The flight to St. Louis wasn't long at all. Since they were only going for one night, they didn't check any bags so they went straight to their waiting car service that took them to the hotel. They were staying on a secure floor that you needed a key to take the elevator up to. Emily was thrilled when she looked out the window and saw a view of the Mississippi River as well as a glimpse of the St. Louis Arch.

“Edwardo, where is your room?” Emily asked.

Tiny tried to hide his grin. “Right next door. So try to keep it down tonight!”

AJ made sure everything was settled and then he had to head over to the venue for sound checks and a meet and greet. “So you'll be coming at six, right?”

“Yes. Tiny and I are leaving at 5:45, but we're not going downstairs until the driver calls to say he's parked out front. We are going in the back entrance of the venue where the driver can pull right up to the back door, or as close as he can get. Then I'll be parked in your dressing room until it's time for the show where we will watch safely from backstage.”

AJ nodded. “Ok. So I guess I'll see you then.” he said as his own security guard knocked on the door, ready to escort him down.

“I love you.” she said, giving him a quick kiss.

He smiled. “I love you too.”

Emily didn't start to feel nervous about anything until it was time to go down to the waiting car.

“You ok?” Tiny asked.

Emily took a deep breath. “Yeah...I guess I'm just more nervous than I thought I'd be.”

“You're safe with me.” Tiny smiled at her. “Lets go have some fun!”

AJ hurried through his last interviews anxious to find out if Emily had made it safely. He didn't even realize he'd been holding his breath until he walked in and saw her sitting on the sofa reading Vogue.

“Hey!” she greeted, standing up when she saw him walk in. “Are you all ready for the last show?”

“More than you can imagine.” he said. “You look pretty tonight.” he said, unable to keep himself from noticing her tight-fitting black skirt and her silk tank top.

Emily couldn't believe that she actually blushed at his compliment, but she felt like it had been forever since he'd even noticed her body. “Thanks.”

They relaxed in his dressing room until it was time for him to get ready. Security (and Tiny) escorted Emily to her spot backstage where she could watch. Emily always loved to watch AJ perform. Anyone who has ever seen him on stage knows that he is meant to be up there. It's in his blood. If Emily were to critique his performance, she would have said that technically the show was a lot smoother than the first one of the tour. All the glitches had been worked out, the sound and lighting were perfect. While technically his performance had been flawless, she could tell that his heart wasn't in it that night. She knew why, and she couldn't blame him, but there was a part of her deep down inside that felt guilty over the fact that what was happening to her was taking away from him as well. But then again, wasn't that what love was all about? When one of you hurts, you both hurt. When one of you feels joy, you both feel joy. There was no getting around it.

She laughed as she watched him working the crowd, mainly made up of females. He flirted and winked and thrust his pelvis and even managed to take off his shirt at one point probably causing at least three people to faint. Emily never got jealous of it, it actually flattered her. Because after the show, she was the one who got to be with him. She supposed she could understand at least the thinking of a stalker. They were the ones who had to watch and then go home alone. For some people, that just wasn't enough.

There were three encores at the last show and the crowd demanded that they have AJ back for one of them instead of Colby. Despite his high from the show, Emily could sense that he was in a hurry to leave. Emily wanted to get out of there pretty quickly herself but she wanted to go because she wanted to seduce her husband. AJ probably wanted to leave soon because he was worried about Emily being there.

Emily was escorted out separately and into her own car. There would be less of a mob if AJ wasn't with her. Tiny managed to maneuver her through the crowd of fans outside into the car and then again through the fans in front of the hotel.

“That was nothing.” he said as they stepped into the elevator. “I've had to get those boys through crowd a hundred times that size.”

“You say that like it was no big deal.” Emily laughed.

Tiny shrugged. “Guess we all just got used to it.” He led them down the hall to Emily's room and unlocked the door.

“You know you don't have to stay.” she said. “I'll be locked in my room.”

“Sorry Emily, you know the rules! You're not allowed to be alone. And, AJ would kill me if I did that.”

Emily rolled her eyes and knew she couldn't argue. “I'm going to take a bubble bath. Watch whatever you want on tv.”

She sighed as she relaxed in the tub of hot water. She had thought taking this trip would help her keep her mind off of things, but it wasn't working. She couldn't wait in her hotel room alone, she couldn't use the ladies room in public because neither Tiny or AJ could go in with her. She couldn't stay after the concert to hang around like AJ got to. She was feeling depressed that her plan to forget had failed.

Once AJ received a text from Tiny that Emily was in their room safe and sound, he relaxed a little and decided to stick around and sign some autographs. The fans were excited and he answered a lot of questions about the release of his album and whether or not he'd be doing a tour of his own instead of opening for someone else. There were questions about where his wife was, when he was going to become a father, and questions about all the other backstreet boys. He answered them all cheerfully and then gestured to his security that he was ready to go. He said goodbye to his fans and got into the waiting car.

When he got upstairs, he let himself in his room and found Tiny watching CNN and eating a bag of chips. “Wife's taking a bath.” he said, standing up. “Now if you don't mind, I think I might go down to the bar and see what kind of ladies I can find tonight.”

AJ laughed. “Go have a good time.”

Emily got out of the bath as soon as she heard AJ walk in the room. She toweled off and slipped into the lace nightgown she'd brought with her. She pulled her hair out of it's clip and let the soft curls fall over her shoulders.

“Is Robert Edward gone?” she called, referring to Tiny.

AJ chuckled. “Yeah, he's gone.”

Emily slowly opened the bathroom door. “Good.”

AJ looked over and saw his wife standing by the bed looking very sexy.

“The show was great.” she said as she walked up to him and kissed him.

“The show was shit.” he mumbled.

“It was great. I just hope you have some energy left because I'm not taking tired for an answer this time.”

AJ grinned and gave into his wife as he felt her brush her lips against his ear.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up against him as he softly kissed her. He was more than surprised when he heard Emily stifle a sob into his mouth.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

“It's you.” she said, biting her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

“Me? What did I do?”

“Every time you touch me, every time you kiss me, it's like you're afraid I'm going to shatter. You're afraid to be anything but extra gentle. Or maybe it's that you're afraid it'll be the last time you get to kiss me, I don't know...but I can't handle it. I need you to kiss me like you used to, I need you to grab me and show me how much you love me like you used to. I need you to stop being afraid I'll break! I just need to feel normal again, just for one night and I can't do that when you touch me that way.” Emily furiously wiped at the tears that had fallen on her cheeks.

AJ froze. He knew she was right, he had been afraid. He just didn't realize that she was catching on to it. He realized that this trip wasn't as much about her seeing his concert as it was her just needing to escape it all for a day. He couldn't allow her to escape and have a totally normal day but he could at least take her into his strong arms and do his best to make her forget.

He gently brushed away a tear from her soft cheek as he gazed deeply into her pleading eyes and did his best to shove every thought, every concern, from his mind as he bent down and kissed her roughly. He forced his tongue into her silken mouth and teased hers as he felt her begin to melt in his arms like putty. He backed her up until she was against the bed and gave her a shove. He quickly removed his shirt and threw it over his head before he crawled on top of her. His lips wandered around her neck and just below her ear loving the way she tasted. He licked along her collarbone and down the middle of her chest. He found her nipple through the delicate lace she was wearing and tugged on it eliciting a gasp from Emily. AJ continued this way for what seemed like a long time to Emily, a continuous tour of her skin as his lips and hands seemed to wander absolutely all over her body.

“Please....” she whispered. “I want more.”

AJ stood up and shed his pants and boxers and then grabbed her hand and pulled her up in front of him. He slowly slid down the straps of her gown, kissing her bare shoulders as they fell. Emily shivered as she felt his breath on her ear while he gently tugged the garment down. Emily felt the lace pool around her feet and she looked up at AJ. Inside those big brown eyes of his she could see the passion, the desire, and the love that he had for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as they fell backwards onto the bed. He spread her legs with his knees and slowly slid himself inside of her, groaning as he did so.

Emily moaned in pleasure as she took him in and wrapped her legs tightly around him. As she felt her pleasure begin to rise she heard herself begging him to take her harder, deeper. AJ moaned into her ear as he felt her clench around him and loving the way she moaned when she came. AJ waited as long as he could and then he let himself fall off the edge. He hadn't expected it to feel so good as he found himself moaning loudly into the pillow. Emily held him on top of her for several more minutes after they had finished, loving the way his weight felt on top of her.

Eventually, he rolled over when she was half asleep and wrapped her tightly in his arms, loving how peaceful she looked. He couldn't make her world better right now but he'd at least succeeded in making her forget, even if it was just for a little while. As he watched her sleep, all the worries he'd shoved aside started flooding back into his mind.

What is this was the last time they got to make love?

What if the stalker was never found?

What if Emily got hurt?

What if he couldn't make it better for her?

Suddenly, AJ was overcome with emotions that he'd been keeping inside pretty much from the beginning. He'd refused to let Emily know how scared he was because he know it would only make her feel worse and she had enough to deal with without having to worry about him too. He slowly peeled himself away from her and quietly climbed out of bed. He locked himself in the bathroom and turned on the shower so that she couldn't hear the sobs he was trying to keep from erupting.

He sat down on the edge of the tub and buried his face in his hands. It wasn't supposed to be this way. This year was supposed to be better for them. It was supposed to be the year of drama-free living. And now he couldn't even keep his wife protected. He couldn't make her feel safe in his arms anymore and he was madder than hell that he felt so helpless and terrified.

AJ never liked to admit when he was scared. Not when he was four years old and told his mother he was comforting her from the thunderstorm so she wouldn't be scared. Not when he went on his first tour with Backstreet in Europe and realized he had to get on stage in front of all those screaming girls. Not when he went to rehab the first time, not when he went the second time. Not when he thought he was going to lose Emily for good last year after the Mexico trip, and he couldn't admit to it now. So instead, he hid in the bathroom and let it all out just this once.

Eventually he pulled himself together and actually took a shower since it was already on. He stood in the stream of hot water for several minutes trying to wash away the raw emotions he was still feeling. He dried off and finally emerged from the steam filled bathroom. After turning out all the lights, he climbed back in next to Emily and wrapped his arms around her and felt her sigh as she snuggled up against him.

Chapter 98

Brian couldn't believe how nervous he was to take his wife out on a date. He had a hard time picking out what to wear as he went through the clothes he'd packed with him. After finally settling on black dress pants and a Kentucky Blue dress shirt, he took a deep breath and went to pick her up.

Leighanne had been watching for him and felt her heard begin to pound when she saw his car pull up. She watched him get out of the car and walk up to the door. When she got a look at his face, she smiled to herself when she realized that he actually looked nervous! It may have been a small thing, but to her the fact that he was nervous meant that it mattered enough to him to be worth feeling anxious over. He rang the doorbell and she grabbed her purse and went to greet him.

“Hey!” she said, trying too hard to sound cheerful.

“Hi.” he smiled. “You look pretty.” he said, noticing her perfectly fitting brown dress.

“Thanks. I uh...went shopping earlier today.”

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

Leighanne nodded and locked the door behind her. He helped her into the car before walking around and getting in the drivers' seat.

“Where are we going?” she asked, trying to break the screaming silence between them.

“I thought I'd take you to Linguini's.” he said. “We haven't been there in ages.”

“That actually sounds really good right now, their bread sticks are amazing!”

“Have you heard from Emily?”

“She's sent me a few texts today to let me know she got there just fine and then to let me know she'd made it into the concert venue and was relaxing with Tiny in the dressing room.”

“AJ was a nervous wreck over her going.” Brian admitted.

“I don't blame him, it was risky.” Leighanne agreed. “But I guess I understand her wanting to go, she's been trapped at home.”

“I can't imagine what it's like to be in either one of their positions.”

Another awkward pause.

“So how's Baylee today?” he asked.

“Still his usual self. Actually he's grounded tomorrow.”

“Uh-oh.” Brian said. “What did he do this time?”

“He was throwing a tantrum because he wanted to go for a bike ride and I'd told him that he couldn't. So his response was to sneak out of the house and do it anyway. I caught up to him just as he was at the bottom of the driveway. So I told him that as soon as he got back from Randy's tomorrow morning that he was grounded inside the house for a day with no television.”

Brian cringed. “How did he take that bit of news?”

“Not too well. He laid down and bawled on the kitchen floor.”

Brian laughed. “He certainly has a flare for drama.”

“Yeah he got that from you.”

“Me? No, I think it came from you.” he teased.

“Well...maybe both of us then.”

They pulled into the restaurant parking lot and Brian helped her out of the car and put an arm around her waist as he led her inside. He'd made a reservation earlier that day and they were seated immediately. He ordered them a bottle of red wine and a basket of bread sticks.

“So what else is new?” he asked.

Leighanne shrugged. “Not a whole lot I guess.”

“Leigh, you always have gossip! How are Amanda and Randy getting along?”

She smiled. He was trying to make conversation. “They seem to be doing pretty well although Mandy said it seems like something has really been bothering Randy the last few days but he won't tell her what it is. So of course she's paranoid that he wants to break up with her now since he's being all distant and weird.”

“Huh. That is kind of strange behavior for him, I hope everything is alright.”

“Me too. I honestly don't think I can handle getting her through a break-up right now. Oh and I talked to Kristin this morning. She's doing well, she says the baby is kicking a lot and she's at that point where she can't seem to stop eating and she's worried she's going to look like a whale by the time the baby is born.”

Brian chuckled. “I seem to remember you saying something very similar yourself when you were pregnant.”

“Well it's a little hard to carry a watermelon in your belly and not feel huge all the time.”

“You weren't huge, you were beautiful.” he said, softly as his eyes twinkled at her.

His hand reached across the table to grab hers but instead, he knocked over her glass of wine and sent it spilling all over her lap.

“Brian!” she gasped as she tried to mop the wine off of her dress.

“Shit, honey I'm sorry.” he said. “At least your dress is dark, it probably won't even show!”

“It's ok.” she said. “Luckily the glass was almost empty.”

The rest of dinner was fairly uneventful. They continued to make small conversation until the awkward pauses were becoming less and less frequent. After they ate, they went to see a movie of her choice. Halfway through, he snaked his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Leighanne smiled at him as she rested her head against his shoulder. They had both begun to believe that maybe this wasn't going to be so difficult after all.

When the movie got out, they stopped by her favorite ice cream place and he ordered them each a scoop of mocha chip on a waffle cone. They sat at a table together as they ate, stealing glances every so often. When they were finished, Brian drove her home and walked her to the front door.

“I had a really nice time.” she said as she turned to face him.

“So did I. Thank you for agreeing to it.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight.”

“Brian...” Leighanne started, and then stopped herself. They had so much they needed to say to each other yet she had no idea what to say.

“We'll talk later.” he said. “Tonight was just about having a date.”

“Ok.” Leighanne smiled. “I'll talk to you later?”

“Later.” he said as he walked back out to his car.

Brian smiled as he drove home. Overall, he thought the night had gone very well. She'd seemed like she had a good time and everything had gone according to his plan. Maybe Emily was right after all. Maybe they really did just need to take a time out and reconnect.

Leighanne took a bath and found that she was once again smiling as she thought about her evening. She didn't know if Brian was aware of the almost creepy parallels their date that night had to their first date, but it was almost a carbon copy! The first date he'd taken her on, he'd taken her to an Italian restaurant and he had in fact spilled red wine on her dress. They'd seen a movie and went for ice cream afterwards and then he walked her to her door and gave her a kiss on the cheek. It had been the perfect date then and it was still the perfect date now. Maybe it was a sign that things were meant to work out. That a fresh start was all they really needed to work this out.

Tiny sat in the hotel bar nursing his drink. There were a few attractive ladies but nothing really seemed to spark his interest. Lately he only had one woman on his mind but given the situation he was currently in, he wasn't sure quite how he wanted to handle that. Life could get really lonely as a bodyguard, always putting someone else first. He downed his drink and went back upstairs. He didn't feel comfortable staying away from Emily's room for too long in case they needed him for something.

Emily and AJ woke up early the next morning and ordered room service. They had to leave soon to get to the airport. AJ went to make sure Tiny was awake and to invite him over for breakfast before they left. Tiny could tell that the trip had ended up being good for Emily as he studied her face. She seemed more relaxed. AJ, on the other hand, seemed even more tense than he had been the day before. Tiny knew him well enough to know that there was something bothering him but he also knew him well enough to know that he'd probably never get him to talk about it.

The trip home was, of course, uneventful. Tiny went over the inside and outside of the house when they got back to make sure everything was in order while Emily helped AJ unpack.

“See? You can relax now, I'm locked back up in my castle and everything is fine.”

AJ wished that were true. “I'm sorry, I guess I'm just worn out.”

“Well, now you get to spend a lot of time resting at home before your album is released and then the madness starts all over again! And hopefully by then all this other crap will be behind us.”

“Yeah, hopefully.”

Emily sighed. “Are you mad at me or something?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“I don't know, you're just acting...weird.”

AJ sighed. “I'm sorry...it's just....it's been hard on me too, you know?”

“I know. I do know. Well...I guess I'll just...let you be for a little while. Want anything special for dinner? I could send Robert Edward to the store for us.”

“You know if Tiny hears you calling him that he's likely to throw a fit!” AJ cracked a smile.

“Maybe that's why I like doing it! It's fun to push his buttons.”

“Let's cook Mexican tonight.” he suggested.

“You got it!”

Emily left AJ to his thinking and went to make a grocery list. She knew things had been hard for him lately but sometimes she got so caught up in her own misery that she forgot to stop and think how he must be feeling as well.

AJ finished unpacking his bag and went and sat down in the office. He really needed to get a grip before he lost it again. He checked his e-mail and went downstairs to find Emily. He saw her sitting at the table working on a grocery list. He walked up behind her and kissed the back of her neck.

“It would really freak him out if you wrote something like Tampons on your list.” he said.

Emily laughed. “Maybe I'll save that for another day when I'm really bored.”

He was having fun messing with them. He hadn't actually expected anything dramatic to happen after sending the pictures of Emily and Brian, he just thought it was funny to screw with their minds. Let them know he was still watching, watch them scramble to try and figure out who he was. Officer Knight was a damn good investigator, but he didn't measure up in this case as clearly he was being outsmarted. Messing with cops always was fun.

Now that they were back home he could go back to his normal routines of watching. Watching and waiting for just the right moment to make his move. Soon. Very, very soon. McLean's world was about to come falling down on top of him. He laughed at the thought, giddy. Finally all his hard work was about to pay off.

Emily's phone rang as she was cooking dinner early that evening.

“Hey Leigh, what's up?”

“Guess what I did last night?”

“What?”

“I went on a date!”

Emily's jaw dropped. “What? With who?”

Leighanne laughed. “With Brian! Did you really think I'd have gone out with someone else?”

“Well I...uh...no?” Emily stuttered.

“We had a really good time.”

“Is it ok if I think that's strange?”

“No, I think it's weird too. After all this time, we go out and are able to relax and have a good time? Strange.”

“So where did you guys go?”

“He took me to dinner, movie, and ice cream. But Emily it's the strangest thing- it was exactly like our very first date way back when.”

“Huh, that's ironic.” Emily said, playing dumb.

“Yeah...I mean seriously even down to him spilling red wine on my dress. He did that both times, can you believe it?”

Emily smiled. Brian apparently deserved more credit than she thought when it came to being romantically creative. “He spilled wine on you?”

“Yeah, I'm just glad this time I was wearing a dark brown dress. Do you think it's a sign?”

“I don't know, maybe. Are you going to see him again soon?”

“I don't know, he's out with Baylee right now seeing a movie. Maybe we'll make plans when he gets back.”

“Well, I'd say you'll probably have your answer the next time the two of you go out together.” Emily said as she stirred the Spanish rice on the stove. “Anyway, I gotta go, dinner's ready. Call me later tonight after he leaves!”

Chapter 99

Amanda had been tired of watching Randy sulk the last few days and finally confronted him once and for all. She was not going to accept, “Nothing, I'm fine” as an answer. So after dinner, she cleared the plates and sat down across from him at the table.

“What's going on?” she demanded.

“Nothing is...”

“That's a lie.” she cut him off. “It's very clear that something happened and you won't tell me what it is.”

“Look, Mandy...I just...can't talk about it with you.”

“Why the hell not?”

“I don't want you to freak out.”

“I can't promise that. Look, I think you really need to talk to me. It isn't good to just let it keep eating away at you like this.”

Randy sighed. “Fine. This whole Emily has a stalker thing...they still haven't figured out who it is yet.”

Amanda gave him an odd look. “That's what's been bothering you?”

“No, not exactly. The other day one of the cops showed up at my house when I got home from work to ask me some questions. Apparently, I'm one of their top suspects.”

“That's ridiculous! Why would they think that?”

“I went to check on Emily when I heard that she'd quit her job and I found out that she hadn't slept in days. She looked like hell, so I wrote her a prescription for some pills to knock her out and apparently, that seems suspicious.”

“Why is that suspicious?”

“They think it would be very convenient for a stalker to be able to have his victim be drugged.”

Amanda was speechless. Of all the things she was expecting it to be, this was not one of them!

“I'm really sorry.” she said, not knowing what else to say. “I just hope this is all over soon.”

“Yeah, I can't wait.” he muttered, getting up and shutting himself in his office.

Amanda immediately called Leighanne and told her what she'd learned. Leighanne wasn't actually all that surprised once she explained it to her.

“How can you say you understand where they're coming from?” Amanda shrieked.

“Well...think about it. They have quite a history together and he's always been protective of her. How many times have he and AJ butted heads over her? I mean it's nice that he cares about her but I can see where some people might misinterpret that caring as an obsession or something.”

Amanda hung up the phone later and thought about what her sister had said. He was awfully protective of Emily which used to be something she'd felt pretty insecure about. Why did he care so much about her? Why did he care what AJ did?

Amanda unfortunately began to let her insecurities get the best of her as she thought more and more about it. Why had it taken him so long to tell her about it? He'd said he didn't want her to freak out. Did that really mean he just didn't want her to know?

What if he'd never really gotten over Emily? What if she was just the entertainment while he pathetically waited around for her? Or what if she was the girl he was using as the link to keep her in his life? If he wasn't dating Amanda, he would have no connection left to Emily.

“I knew you'd freak out.” he said as he walked into the family room.

“I'm not freaking out!”

“Amanda I can practically see your thoughts on your face. You're wondering if it's true, if I'm madly and sickly in love with Emily. If this is all a game. Well since you apparently need to know, the answer to all of those is no. I don't love Emily, I love you. And if you could ever stop being so damn insecure you'd be able to know that. I do love you Mandy, but I can't put up with you doubting me all the time.”

Randy walked out of the room and Amanda swore.

Leighanne was folding a load of laundry when the doorbell rang. She wasn't expecting anyone so she was very curious who it could be. She looked out the window and saw a flower delivery van parked in the driveway. She smiled. Brian must have sent her flowers.

She opened the door and accepted the delivery of a large bouquet of one of her favorites: stargazer lilies. She inhaled their sweet fragrance as she set them down on the table and pulled off the card.

I had a really nice time last night. Sorry about the wine spill, send me the dry cleaning bill.

~Brian.

Leighanne smiled as her eyes welled up. She didn't know if Brian had intentionally planned the evening to be just like their first date or not. If he had, he'd done a great job of reenacting the spilling of the wine. If he hadn't and he just happened to realize how much like their first date it was, he'd at least remembered that he'd sent her the same flowers with the exact same note the day after their first date.

She was sitting at the table admiring her flowers when Brian brought Baylee home.

“Hi Mommy!” he said, running in the door.

“Hi Sweetie, how was the movie?”

“It was really funny! Can I go watch tv?”

Leighanne shook her head. “No, you're grounded remember? That means no tv.”

Baylee stomped his foot. “You're not fair!” he yelled as he stormed upstairs to his room and slammed the door behind him.

“Thanks for letting me take him out to the movie. I know he's grounded and maybe shouldn't have gone, but we had a great time together.”

“You're welcome. I didn't think it would be fair for his punishment to take away time with you.”

“So I uh...see you got some flowers there.” he said, trying to hide his grin.

Leighanne smiled. “They're beautiful, thank you. I can't believe you remembered.”

“Remembered what?”

“Our first date. That you sent me that same note then too.”

“Of course I remember. It was one of the best days of my life.” he said, softly as he sat down next to her.

“Why?”

“Because that was the night I knew I'd met the woman I was going to fall in love with and marry someday.” he admitted.

“You know then?” she asked, shocked. She hadn't known that.

Brian nodded. “I did. I don't know how I knew, I just did. I'd never felt so sure about anything else in my life.”

Leighanne laughed. “All I could think about was how sure I was that you weren't going to ask me out again.”

“Why wouldn't I have?”

“I don't know, I guess I just really liked you and I was nervous.” she answered.

They were silent for a moment as their eyes locked on each other.

“So, do you want to go out again tomorrow?” he asked, looking hopeful.

“Yeah, tomorrow would be nice.”

“I was thinking I'd take you to lunch while Baylee's at school.”

“Ok, that sounds great!” she said, smiling.

“Good. I'll pick you up at noon.” he stood, getting ready to leave. “I'm going to go talk to Baylee a little and get him calmed down and then I'll head home.”

“You don't have to rush off....”

Brian grinned. “Dating. We're just dating.”

“Right.” Leighanne said. “Just dating.” She knew what he was trying to say. They were taking it one step at a time. There would be plenty of time to talk later.

AJ slept in late the next morning. He was surprised when he rolled over and the clock read eleven. Emily wasn't in bed anymore but he could see that she'd already been in to collect their dirty laundry and, knowing Emily, it was probably already washed and ready to put away. She had a strange passion for doing laundry. He took a quick shower and threw on some clothes.

“Morning sleepy!” she called from her hobby room down the hall.

He changed directions and went to see her. “Morning. Thanks for letting me sleep.”

“I think you needed it.”

“What are you doing?” he asked, noticing she was using some strange kind of paper cutting machine.

“I am finally working on our wedding scrapbook. Come see!” She showed him the pages she'd already done so far. Sometimes AJ forgot how many hobbies and interests she had and he was amazed at how talented she really was at designing with just pictures and paper. If it had been him, he'd have just bought one of those plain photo albums and thrown his pictures in there. Emily's layouts brought their photos to life and made him smile as he remembered all the moments.

“These are great!” he said.

“Yeah, I've been having a lot of fun working on them. Do you want some breakfast, I was just about to take a coffee break.”

“Sure.” he said, suddenly realizing how hungry he was.

He and Emily went downstairs where Tiny was dozing on the couch in front of the tv.

“Looks like Robert Edward's taking a break too.” Emily whispered. AJ sat down on a bar stool while Emily cooked him a cheese omelette, sausage links and a muffin.

“Thanks sweetie, I didn't think you were going to go all out!” he said as he ate his meal.

“You look like you haven't been getting enough to eat.” she said, eying him.

AJ shrugged. “Hectic schedules tend to do that to a person. We all used to lost so much weight by the end of a tour that our costumes were always being taken in.”

“Lou Pearlman didn't like you to feed the mouths making him millions?”

AJ laughed. “Lou didn't want us to do a lot of things.”'

“And look at you now. Hell, look at him now!” Emily laughed. “He's in prison while you're in your beautiful home with your beautiful wife.”

“I almost feel bad for him.” AJ admitted. “As much as I think he's an evil bastard, without him, we never would have existed. And while I certainly don't feel we owe him anything anymore, I'll always appreciate at least that much.”

“I think you might have told me the same thing once about your dad.” Emily chuckled.

“Don't get me started....”

Brian was less nervous this time as he drove to pick Leighanne up. Their date the other night had gone so well that he knew this one likely would too. This date would be a mock of the first time he'd said I love you. They had been dating for about six months and it hadn't been easy given his crazy, hectic schedule but he was in town for a few days and managed to make time to have lunch with her. He'd taken her to a greasy diner that had the best pie for dessert.

It was a dreary day in Atlanta as he drove to pick up his wife. It had started pouring rain just as he got to their house. He grabbed the umbrella from under his seat and dashed to the front door. Leighanne had already opened the door, laughing.

“Hi.” she said as she let him in.

“Hey.” he smiled and leaned in, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. “How are you today?”

“I'm pretty good...and dry!” she laughed, looking at his shirt, dampened from the rain.

“We could wait a few minutes to leave if you want, maybe the rain will let up.”

“Screw it! A little rain isn't going to stop me!” Leighanne said.

Brian grinned, admiring her sense of adventure. He grabbed the umbrella and opened the door as the two ran out to the car.

After AJ finished eating, he put his dishes in the sink and grabbed Emily.

“Come out on the deck with me.” he said.

“Ok, but it looks like it's about to rain!”

“I'll be quick, I promise.” he said.

Emily wondered just what he was up to as she followed him outside and watched him light up a cigarette.

“This is my very last smoke.” he said. “I wanted you to be here to witness it.”

Emily smiled. “Really?”

“Really.” AJ nodded. “I meant what I said at Christmas. The tour is over, now it's time to stop smoking. So as soon as I finish this last one, I'm going to the drug store to buy some of those patches.”

“I am very proud of you!” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I can't believe this could be the last time I have to hug you when you stink of smoke.”

AJ took one long, last puff and stomped out the cigarette in the ash tray. “Goodbye old friends.”

“And just in time!” Emily said. “It just started to rain. Very symbolic, don't you think? It's like a cleansing.”

They went back inside just as it started to pour. “Do you want anything from the store while I'm there?” he asked.

Emily thought for a moment. “Could you bring me a candy bar?”

AJ laughed. “That's all?”

Emily shrugged. “It just sounded good.”

“Ok. One candy bar coming up!” he said as he headed towards the garage. “Hey Em have you seen my keys?” he called. “They aren't in the key bowl!”

“Just take my car. I'll find your keys while you're gone.”

“Ok. I love you!” he called as he left.

AJ climbed into Emily's car and headed off. The rain was really coming down and he turned the wipers up as fast as they would go as he turned onto the highway. He was on the freeway ramp just about to merge when the car in front of him slammed on their breaks. AJ tried to break but nothing was happening. Everything played out slowly to him when in reality it was only a matter of seconds. He realized the breaks weren't working and swerved to avoid plowing into the car in front of him. The car hit the guard rail and flipped, rolling three times before finally coming to a rest in the ditch.

It took him a minute to realize that his face was buried in the airbag and then he realized that he hurt. All over. He briefly thought of Emily and then he passed out, completely unconscious.