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Swirling the contents of her melting daiquiri in her glass, Natalie sighed as Brian turned once again to look towards the entrance. It seemed that every two minutes he was checking to see if Nick had arrived yet. Their one dance had been cut short due to the arrival of a group of people, Brian having been so tense that he had to go around the club twice to see if Nick had slipped in with them. Glancing to Howie, who was gingerly rubbing the small bruise on his forehead, she smiled slightly. "This night rates right up there…"

Howie glanced toward Natalie with a small scowl, brushing some of his curls down in hopes to conceal his injury. Why she had pitched the book at him when Aaron and AJ had been the source of her issues was mystifying. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that, I think I have brain damage--" His thought abruptly ended when a pair of hands slid over his hips and he jerked away in horror. "Damnit, AJ! Are you that desperate--"

"Where the fuck is Al? I thought the dumbass was staying with the rugrats so I could play with Al?" AJ demanded sharply, jerking his head upward to glance toward the entrance. "I invited her, not the semen spiller."

"AJ…" Natalie groaned as Brian whipped around to once again view the entrance. "You know how Nick and Alana are… They're probably twisted together like pretzels in the car or something. Besides, I don't see why you're so antsy to see her. It's not like you'll ever get further than fondling her panties while you help her pack--"

"Hey, I got to her thighs this afternoon before that bastard of a tub of putty threw me against the opposite wall," AJ snorted with disgust, gesturing toward the bartender for an iced tea. Leaning against the bar, he glanced sideways toward Natalie for a moment. She had dressed elegantly for the night in a cherry halter dress. It hugged her curves like a second skin, the lattice hem flaring slightly above her knees. A wood 'o' ring set between her collar bones and wrapped around her neck to leave her back bare. Her light brown locks fell in waves along her shoulders and enhanced the sweet tones of browns that she used for her makeup. "Why isn't Brian dragging you toward a bathroom, Nat? You look alright tonight…"

"Brian's preoccupied," Natalie shrugged, pushing her drink away. Furrowing her brows at his backhanded compliment, she glanced towards AJ. "Thanks… I think I'll go call Aaron and check on Bay and Lizzie…"

"Nattie, why don't you come dance this song with me?" Howie suddenly offered, reaching to catch her wrist before she could pull away. She was stubborn to say the very least, but he knew when she was perturbed. Brian had been acting strange all night, refusing to pay any mind to her. That was a cardinal rule for women and having three sisters, Howie completely understood. "You're looking beautiful tonight and it shouldn't go to waste."

"Make sure she doesn’t have a book in her purse," AJ commented with a snort as Natalie gave Howie a soft smile. Rolling his eyes, he glanced towards Brian, expecting his friend to leap into his jealous mode as he always did when Howie and Natalie showed any sort of affection for one another. He was rather surprised to see Brian pensively staring at the entrance, nursing a beer.

"Thank you, Howie," Natalie murmured, letting him pull her towards the dance floor.

"B? Howie just carted your woman off to the bathroom to get a blowjob," AJ announced loudly.

"Hope he gets more response than- A what?!" Brian jerked on his barstool to turn toward the elaborate dance floor on the way to the bathrooms. Hurriedly scanning the room for Howie so he could throw a fist into his face, Brian felt his heart rate fall slightly when he noticed Howie pulling Natalie close to dance. Throwing a punch into AJ's shoulder, Brian scowled. "You are such a fucking troublemaker it's unbelievable!"

"I'm not the one ignoring Natalie, am I? Jesus," AJ muttered, sipping his iced tea. "…Gets more response than what? Why are you so fucking jumpy anyway?"

"I'm not ignoring…" Brian groaned inwardly as he drained the rest of the beer from his bottle. "…I am ignoring Natalie, but only because Nick is a major jackass and screwing up his life once again."

"How so?" AJ questioned, turning to face Brian completely. Rattling the ice in his glass, he glanced towards the bar, wondering if he could get some more sugar… "What'd he do? Get Nat drunk and sleep with her? …Again," he muttered under his breath.

"What'd you say?" Brian blanked in confusion, unable to hear AJ's raspy voice above the loud music.

"I asked what he did," AJ answered with complete seriousness, spying some packs of sugar behind Brian.

"Fucked his life up and you know I just can't be there to pick it up like always--"

"Since when did you pick him up?"

"Excuse me?"

"The top two people on Nick's speed dial are Howie and Kevin."

"And you know this how?" Brian questioned carefully, holding up his empty bottle towards the bartender. Once he had a fresh beer in his hand, he looked at AJ. "AJ… What did I do? How did I get pushed down the chain like I'm useless?"

AJ was quiet for a moment, slowly stirring more sugar into his tea. Tapping the spoon against the edge of his glass in time to the beat of the song playing, he slowly turned to face Brian again. "Shit, Rok… Didn't you notice that you pretty much left him behind when you and Leigh got serious? You were off being the model boyfriend, then you got married, and Nick… You know how fucking clingy he gets, right? He had to find somebody to talk to him and guide him--"

"I was always a phone call away--"

"For a five minute conversation," AJ quickly corrected, rounding his shoulders forward as he slumped onto a barstool. He hadn't exactly planned his night around mending the broken roads between Nick and Brian, yet, there he was. "A five minute conversation that centered around Leigh or at least Leigh bitching in the background. She was this constant force in your life that was dead-set on killing your friendship with Nick. He at least he thought he had a chance when Snot Face was born. He could be a great godfather and get back into your life that way. But, then you became a husband and a father with no time for anything else... So, cheers, 'cause all of this anti-Nick shit worked."

"I never meant to… I didn't realize…" Brian sighed, glancing towards the entrance once more. Seeing Nick and Alana enter, he felt once more the loneliness that had struck him when his friend had stormed away from their game. "And now he's got Alana…"

"Oh, Brian," AJ sighed glancing sideways to see Alana enter with Nick holding her upper arm in a protective manner. Though, somehow, Nick seemed to blur away from Alana as his jaw dropped open in sheer amazement. To say Alana was a knockout that evening was a vast understatement. She had selected a small black halter dress for the occasion that evening. The snug halter dress plunged deep into the valley between her breasts and wrapped up around her graceful neck and secured in the back with two thin spaghetti straps that angled down her bare back and secured where the material began at the small of her back with an elegant silver trimming of a butterfly. The hemming of the skirt ended in the middle of her thighs with a long slit up the left side of the dress, seeming to cause an endless flow of her long, bronzed legs that ended in a pair of black, strap stiletto heels. Pulling her long, strawberry curls into an elegant bun with several curls framing her gorgeous face and touching some lip-gloss to her lips, AJ felt his entire body start to burn with desire. So, hurriedly choking down the rest of his iced tea, AJ slammed the glass to the table and jumped up to fix his attire. "Because you are one of my closest and best friends, I'd be glad to free up Nick for you by taking Alana in my hands."

"Taking one for the team AJ?" Brian questioned with slight amusement, watching Alana turn to murmur something in Nick's ear. She then pointed towards AJ and him before moving her hand in the general direction of the dance floor. Turning his head, he saw with a pang of jealousy that Howie was in the process of dipping Natalie. "Of all the low down, dirty tricks--"

"Don't hate the player, Son, hate the game," AJ rasped as he fluidly moved through the masses of people bopping, rolling, and sliding to the beat of the remix. Blessing God for the acquirement of a skinny frame, AJ produced a wickedly pompous smile as he stepped directly into the path of Alana and Nick. "If you aren't the most gorgeous creature in the entire world, I am most definitely going to have to poke my eyes out with scissors and curse God for being so flawed, Al."

"…Thanks, AJ…" Alana mused with a small smile, furrowing her brows in skepticism, not knowing whether or not to take his compliment to heart. "You like the dress then?"

"The dress is nothing without the perfect body it encases," AJ stated seriously, reaching for her hand as the song playing began to fade into a slower beat. "Brian wants to have a few words with Nick and apologize for being a self-righteous holier-than-though jackass, so would you care to dance with me?"

"You haven't had anything to drink yet and he wants to apologize, so, do you mind, Handsome?" Alana inquired as she allowed AJ to thread his fingers with hers, gently pulling her away from Nick, though she turned to glance back at him. She smiled hopefully toward him, knowing it would be best if Nick spoke to Brian so the evening would go smoothly. Not to mention Ja Rule's song Mesmerized featuring Ashanti was one of her favorites.

"I…" Nick trailed, glancing across to see Brian sitting at the edge of the bar. The forlorn look on the older man's face caused a pang of remorse to spark in his chest, and he suddenly regretted losing his temper. "I don't mind, Beautiful," he promised, pulling her back to him for a soft kiss before relinquishing her to AJ's company. He gave AJ a warning look. "Thanks… I think--"

"I did it all for you," AJ promised with a gentlemanly bow before spinning Alana into his arms. At her surprised squeal and feeling her arms slide around his neck for safety, his grin widened. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he gave some sort of hand signal to Nick. "Go love on Brian and we'll tour the dance floor!"

Nick smiled slightly, watching them disappear into the crowd of dancers before moving towards the bar. Easing onto the stool next to Brian, he glanced over his shoulder to check if he could see AJ and Alana. "…You do know that Howie's grinding against Natalie, right?"

"Yes…" Brian breathed, hearing the vibration of his teeth grinding. "But I've been such an ass with you that I couldn't even stand to have a good time. So, now not only do I have Nat pissed off at me, I have Howie all up on her, and you plaguing my mind…"

"Don't worry about me, Brian," Nick suggested, waving at the bartender. Hearing Brian's snort, he sighed. "Look, it's not my fault she's pissed at you--"

"In some round about way- I'm sorry, Nick, alright?" Brian signed, motioning for another beer as well when the bartender took Nick's order. "I wasn't there for you in the past--"

"You had a wife to look out for. I understand--"

"Obviously not if Howie and Kevin were the first two on your speed dials--"

"I didn't want to be a burden--"

"For God's sake, Nick--"

"Do you think I'll be a good Dad? I mean honestly. In your heart of hearts to you feel that I'd be a good father?"

"Nick, I really don't think it's a good idea that you adopt some kid that you know nothing about. I mean, adoption is such a huge thing and there's so much trouble down the road when the kid figures out he's not yours. Then you're not married. It's just a huge responsibility--"

"Why do you keep bringing up the marriage thing?"

"It's so hard to raise a kid without a mother. I wish you would realize that. When Leigh left… Baylee had all these questions to begin with and if I didn't have Nat--"

"I don't see you marrying her. Besides, Zach'll have a mother, don't you get it? Alana's going to be with me--"

"And with all the unsafe sex you two are having, give her nine months and you'll have a natural child--"

"She's on the pill--"

"Which is hardly a hundred percent effective."

"What about you and Nat? I remember her saying at some time or another that she couldn't take the pill, and if I recall you have a sensitivity to latex, so… You pulling a porno finish every time?"

"There are latex free condoms and she has an IUD, you son of a bitch--"

"Like they're a hundred percent effective," Nick snorted, watching Brian angrily down his beer. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? If I'm going to be a horrible father and that Zach's better off staying in a hospital surrounded by people who just take care of him but don't love him, I'll cancel the adoption--"

"It's not that you're going to be a bad father," Brian groaned, pushing his beer aside as he turned on the barstool to face the dance floor. He clenched his fists in attempts to relieve some of the tension within him, but it was useless. "You're fantastic with Scooper. I don't know what I was thinking not making you a godfather or not even calling you to let you know Leigh was pregnant… I mean, Scooper loves you with all his heart. There isn't a thing he wouldn't pull so that he could probably stay with you forever. But what happens when you get tired of this kid?"

"That'll never happen, Brian. You've got to believe me… When I'm holding him everything feels right. Like I was meant to hold him, you know? It's like… As long as he's around the world is as it should be. Nothing else matters but him and Alana. And I understand when you say she might not be around forever, but she will. She loves me, Frick…"

Brian glanced to his friend skeptically. "She told you that she loves you?"

"Yeah…"

"Nick, are you sure she…" Brian shrugged his shoulders helplessly, knowing it was useless to even plead his case to Nick. He was stubborn and quite impulsive when it came to decisions in his life. Glancing out to the dance floor, he noticed Howie hugging Natalie and kissing her cheek. He immediately jerked to his feet, preparing to intervene. That is, until he saw Natalie sauntering his way. He relaxed slightly, turning toward Nick. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did. Can we call it even? Because AJ is damn near close to yanking down Alana's underwear with his hand up that slit in her skirt--"

"Nothing near to what Howie was doing to Natalie when you weren't looking," Nick smirked. "Besides, I trust Alana. She's assured me there's no way in Hell that she'd ever--"

"Lean close to murmur something in his ear and let him nibble on her neck while tugging on those chandelier earrings of hers?" Brian guessed, tilting his head slightly to take in the full picture of the heated moment between Alana and AJ, especially as he spun her in another tight circle to dip her, ensuring an overly adequate view of her assets as he kept her leg wrapped around his hip.

"Goddamnit," Nick whined, launching to his feet. Pushing Natalie aside when she walked in front of him, he headed for the dance floor.

"Want to dance?" Brian questioned hopefully as he met Natalie halfway, wrapping his arms around her waist. Drawing her close, he sought her lips for a fiery, apologetic kiss. "I'm sorry I was such an ass and I want to make it up to you."

"Awe, Bumpkin… You're nearly three sheets to the wind, though…" Natalie trailed softly, curling her arms around his neck. "And you can barely dance when you're sober," she teased against his lips as, over the music, she heard AJ's painful yelp. "You work things out with Nicky?"

"Yeah, and I got AJ back for being a team player," Brian approved, pulling her toward the dance floor as he continued his slow kisses. "I'll embarrass the Hell out of myself to dance with you. So, c'mon, we'll talk Nick into charming the DJ for a few slow songs."

"I don't think we'll be able to get him away from 'Lana long enough…" Natalie mused with a smile, glancing over to see Nick had easily replaced himself in Alana's arms. The perfect couple, she decided as they began to move to the music. "I love you, Bumpkin…"

"I love you more," Brian promised as he settled them close to Nick and Alana, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close. Though the beats of the song were fast, Brian moved in a slow rhythm, with the beat of her heart.