Brian, AJ, and Nick all sat in silence on Brian's deck. They were in shock and had been for the last ten minutes.

After Brian had dropped the bombshell about Rochelle and Nick and Rochelle's plan for hurting Nick, AJ had dropped the bombshell about what he and Nick had done that morning.

"You what?" Brian and AJ said together, Brian looking between AJ and Nick while AJ glared at Nick with the deepest anger and hurt.

Nick had just sat there looking conflicted. He got up quickly and said, "I'm so sorry guys, oh so sorry. I-I have to think."

Nick ran back into the house and through the front door. Brian tried to hide his look of disgust from AJ, without much success.

"Why don't you just say it, Brian?" AJ burst out angrily. "You hate us now. I see that look you've been giving us."

AJ got out of his chair so forcefully that he knocked it over. He stared at it for a second, then turned his back on it and Brian, and proceeded to storm into the house and up to the guest room to pack his stuff.

Brian just sat there with a blank look, disgusted and confused. He didn't even notice it when Leighanne came out and knelt by his chair. He was so far gone out of his mind.

"Brian." Leighanne said loudly, shaking him. "Brian, what happened? Tell me what's wrong."

Brian finally looked at his wife, face still blank and said flatly, "Not now, Leighanne. I have something I've got to take care of."

He got up, walked around Leighanne into the house. He was going to confront AJ for doing, it, in his house, in his guest bedroom, in the same place where his son was. He didn't care if it came to blows with AJ, he was just so pissed. He passed a scared looking Baylee on the way up the stairs. Brian tried to control his anger, so he wouldn't scare his son any more than he already has been done.

When he got to the guest room, the door was closed, and Brain could hear AJ packing. He opened the door rather roughly. AJ was standing at the end of the bed, throwing his clothes in his suitcase. Brian could tell that he was still pissed at the situation with Nick and Rochelle and that no one told him. This situation could go from bad to worse very fast.

Brian grabbed AJ's arm, swung him around, and said, " What the hell where you thinking, AJ? With my son in the house!"

"Look Brian, I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did. And I'm regretting it more than you'll ever know." AJ said softly.

Brian hadn't been expecting the look of pain and sorry that had appeared on AJ's face. All of his anger disappeared in an instant and he embraced his brother.

"Listen, AJ. I'm so sorry, for everything. I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night." Brain said softly as AJ started crying on his shoulder.

"AJ, sit down." Brian said calmly, taking control of the situation. "You're not getting anywhere right now. We're gonna figure everything out and you're going to stay here until we do, okay?"

AJ sat down and nodded. He took a couple breaths to try and calm him down.

"AJ, I'm going to go get you some water, okay?" Brain said, heading to the door.

AJ nodded again and Brian left the room. The moment he left, AJ broke down completely. He felt miserable, and broken, and sad, and vulnerable. He didn't know what to do and didn't know how to handle the situation. His whole world and everything he knew has come crashing down on him.

Brian walked softly back into the room and sat down on the bed next to him. He handed AJ the glass of water and said,

"Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."                                             

AJ took it and drank it gratefully. "Thank you, Brian. It means a lot that you're here."

Brian nodded and said, "I'll always be here for you. AJ, I think you should call your mom. She can help you through this, too."

AJ sighed and tried to control himself again. "I think I'll do that. Thanks again, Brian."

Brian smiled and said, "No problem, Jay. I'm going to go find Nick and talk to him. I'm going to rip him a new one."

AJ's face went stony and he didn't say anything. Brian knew what he was thinking.

"Don't sweat it, Jay. They won't know what hit them. Nick or Rochelle." Brian confirmed as he headed toward the door again. "Now, call your mom, okay?"

As the door closed, AJ sighed and curled into a ball on the bed, clutching a pillow. He was going to take Brian's advice and call his mom. She always knew what to do. He got his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number, hoping she was home and that she would answer.

"Hello, Denise McLean speaking." AJ's mom answered on the third ring.

"Momma," AJ whispered into the phone. "It's Alex. I need your help."

.....

Nick had been walking around the streets of Atlanta in an angry stupor for about an hour before it started raining.

"Damn it!" he shouted into the wind, scaring several passer-byers.

Just my damn luck! Nick thought angrily to himself. My life just fucking sucks!

Just as he went to cross a random street, Brian's car came skidding in front of him, blocking his path. Brian rolled down the window and said angrily,

"Get into the car, Nick, right now!"

Nick was about to retort with some smart ass answer, but three cars were suddenly behind Brian's, beeping angrily. Nick quickly got into the car, rolled up the window and put on his seat belt. Brian did a quick U-turn and started heading back to the house.

"Nick, what the hell were you thinking?" Brian burst out at the first red light they came too. "Why the hell would you play on AJ's emotions like that? In my house, with Baylee there?"

Nick just stared at the stop light without saying anything. He didn't understand why Brian was taking AJ's side. AJ played with Nick's emotions just as much as Nick did with his.

"What? You're not going to say anything?" Brian asked, still pissed as they started moving again.

"What do you want me to say, Brian?" Nick snapped, finally letting his anger and hurt get the best of him. "To say I'm sorry? Well, that's not going to happen because I'm not."

Brian pulled angrily into the driveway and said, "Get out. Get out, pack your shit, and leave my house. Don't look back and don't call until you realize what you've done."

Brian got out of the car and slammed the door. Nick got out and yelled, "What? You're just going to kick me out of your life? What about AJ, did you tell him to leave, too?"

Brian stopped at the door, turned around and said, "Yes, just like that. And no, AJ's staying. He realized what he's done."

Nick stood in the yard for a second, stunned, then followed Brian into the house. He stormed up to the guest room. The door was closed and there was no sound coming from inside.

Nick banged the door open angrily, and then noticed AJ was sleeping on the bed, curled up with a pillow. Nick was still pissed, so he grabbed his stuff, and threw it all in his suitcase. He slammed the door shut on his way out and made a lot of noise on his way downstairs.

Brian, Leighanne, and Baylee were standing in the living room when he got there. Brian and Leighanne looked pissed and Baylee looked confused.

"We called you a cab." Leighanne said in a clipped voice. "It's waiting outside for you. Take it wherever you want to go."

Nick nodded curtly and headed out to the cab. He told the driver to take him to the airport. When he got there, he bought a ticket for the next flight to L.A. As he was waiting for the plane to board, Nick dialed the most familiar number on his cell.

"Hello?" Lauren answered on the first ring.

Nick hesitated and then said, "Lauren, can I come home? I need you now more than ever."

.....

They watched Nick walked out of their house and their lives with a little bit of relief.

Baylee pulled and Brian's shirt and asked, "Daddy, why does Uncle Nick have to leave? Did he do something wrong?"

Brian knelt down to Baylee's level and with solemn eyes, said, "Yes, Bay, he did something really wrong and he needs time alone to think about it. But right now isn't the time to talk about it, okay? Why don't you go read or watch TV?"

Baylee looked more confused than ever when he said, "Okay, dad. I love you."

He gave Brian and Leighanne a hug and then went up to his room. Brian watched him go with pain in his eyes. He didn't like lying to Baylee, it wasn't the way he and Leighanne raised him.

Leighanne wrapped him in her arms and whispered, "You couldn't tell him this, not now anyway. It would kill him."

Brian returned the embrace and sighed. "Leighanne, I don't feel good about this. What if Nick doesn't come to his sense and does something stupid? And what if he doesn't come back and we lose him forever? I don't think I could handle that."

"He'll come around, Brian. It might not be as soon as you want it too and it might not be in the way you expect it too, but it'll happen. He needs you guys more than you realize." Leighanne reassured him quietly.

"Are you sure?" Brian asked, still looking afraid.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm going to go check on AJ. Why don't you call Kevin and Howie and let them know what's going on?" Leighanne suggested as she headed to the stairs.

Brian nodded and pulled out his phone. He dialed Kevin's number first and when he answered, Brain started explaining everything that had happened over the last few hours.

.....