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Chapter One Hundred-Eighteen
Point of View: Narrator



Baylee was snuggled up between Leighanne and Brian on the couch, the two little dogs resting on Leighanne's legs. Brian as asleep already, his mouth slightly open as Wall-E spun through outer space, clinging to the shuttle that had taken Eve away. Kayla sat on the floor in front of the couch by Brian's feet.

She could imagine how Wall-E felt, desperately trying to hold on as something bigger than himself stole away the one that he loved.

"WALL-E!" cried Baylee suddenly.

Brian snorted and sat up, "I wasn't asleep," he grunted.

"Yes you were, daddy," Leighanne laughed.

Brian looked sheepish. "Sorry."

Baylee leaped across the sofa onto Brian's side, his eyes wide and wrapped his arms around Brian's neck. "You were sleeping, daddy," announced Baylee, "You were so asleep you missed like half the whole movie and it was crazy," Baylee said.

Brian smiled, "You'll have to remind me what happens."

Baylee promptly launched into a detailed synopsis, ignoring the movie as it played on the screen. Leighanne grabbed the remote. "While Bay catches you up, I'm gonna make some hot chocolate. Anyone else what some?"

"YES!" Baylee shrieked.

"Really? You like chocolate?" Brian asked Baylee in mock surprise.

"Of course!" Baylee yelled.

Brian smirked. "We'll take two then, mayy'um," Brian drawled.

Kayla stood up, "I'll help you."

Baylee and Brian started wrestling playfully on the sofa as Kayla and Leighanne abandoned them and rushed for the kitchen. Leighanne shook her head, "I swear I have two seven year olds, not one." Leighanne pointed to a cupboard door, "Can you grab four mugs?" Kayla reached for the mugs while Leighanne got the milk out. "Nick's gonna be like that, too, someday," she warned, "Just so you know. He'll never grow up."

Kayla imagined herself sitting on a sofa with Nick and a little boy that looked just like Nick and watching them wrestle while she sipped hot chocolate.

Maybe they just wouldn't have kids.

As cute as it was in theory, she could also imagine it being super annoying. Brian was such a ball of energy that Kayla couldn't imagine being around him all the time like Leighanne was. Brian was definitely one of those things that were better in small doses in Kayla's opinion. Too much of a good thing could rot your teeth, after all, she thought. Brian was sort of like that. She couldn't imagine Nick being like that, though. She tied to imagine sitting on the sofa with Nick being as hyper as Brian was.

Leighanne pulled a sauce pan out of another cupboard and soon was pouring milk and chocolate powder and sugar into a pan and mixing it. Baylee came running into the room, his bare feet smacking the tile. "Daddy wants a english muffin!" he yelled, then ran back out of the room.

Leighanne looked at Kayla and laughed. "He's like a carrier pigeon."

Kayla laughed, too. Baylee was adorable, but loud.

Leighanne held out the wooden spoon she'd been using to Kayla. "Can you keep stirring this while I get Brian's muffin? Do you want one?"

"No thanks," Kayla replied, stirring.

Leighanne got the muffin, a frying pan, and some butter and set to work frying the english muffin. Kayla watched as Leighanne worked at the muffin, pressing with with a spatula, to make it a perfect, crispy golden-brown on the bottom. She turned off the stove top coils and pointed to the mugs, "That can probably be poured now," she said.

Kayla carefully poured the hot chocolate into the mugs while Leighanne got a small plate from the cupboard.

Baylee came running into the room again. "Daddy said that--"

Brian appeared behind Baylee suddenly and clapped his hand over Baylee's mouth. Baylee kept talking, but his shouts were muffled by Brian's hand. Brian's cheesy grin was overbearingly huge and his nostrils flared. "This kid would be a great ad for those Quaker Oats granola bars about now," he laughed.

Kayla smirked, wondering what Brian said.

Leighanne raised her eyebrow.

"Ohh, my muffin!" Brian released Baylee, who cracked up and grabbed one of the little dogs, who had made the mistake of wandering into Baylee's reach, and ran out of the room. Brian picked the muffin up off the plate and took a big bite, kissing Leighanne on the cheek with his greasy butter-muffin lips and said, mouth still full, "Perfect as always pookie." He took off back to the living room, following Baylee.

Leighanne rubbed her cheek with a dish towel and looked at Kayla, laughing and shaking her head. Kayla smiled. Leighanne had the patience of a saint.



As night settled, Baylee drifted off to sleep and Brian carried him upstairs to bed. Leighanne showed Kayla the bathroom and her guest bedroom, and helped her get settled into the room. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need to," she said, smiling.

Across town, AJ and Leslie were playing Monopoly. Leslie was winning and AJ was getting pissed because he had landed on the luxury tax square. He threw what was left of his money into the center. Within three rolls, Leslie landed on the collection square and AJ had to remortgage all his property.

Downtown, Desi was pacing in the hotel room Brian had paid for, wringing his hands, watching TV, waiting for news about Leon, about Nick, watching the screen intently, certain that something would go down within the next few hours, if it hadn't already.

At 13,000 feet, Howie was on his way to Los Angeles, intent to help out with the impending trial. Brian had called him that morning before going with Desi to the lawyer's office to update him on everything that had happened. Howie wanted, too, to set up a project for Nick - a surprise for when he got out of jail.

In the hospital, Zoe was falling asleep watching a made-for-TV movie on the Lifetime network, while in his own room down the hall, Nick was fast asleep, the morphine keeping him out as his back healed slowly but surely. Drool was eeking out through his slightly-opened mouth onto the pillow.

Somewhere, Leon was waiting for just the right moment to strike. He was crouched in the bushes, clutching a switchblade, plotting every step he would take with precision in his mind... he would not be stopped, he would reach his target.