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"Your kid is out," Stacia announced halfway through the second Disney movie, having turned her attention away from the race-car named Lightning McQueen attempting to woo Sally the Porshe. Instead, she watched how content Baylee was, sprawled out on her stomach with his head resting over her chest. He had tucked his hands beneath his stomach to provide them warmth and one leg dangled off the couch. He snored lightly because of a cold stirring within him. He couldn't have been more charming. So, she played with his flaxen curls and looked up to Brian, having rested her head in his lap so she and Baylee could lay over the entire couch.

"He can never stay awake for the full movie," Brian chuckled, looking down at the adorable sight. He loved watching Stacia interact with his son. It was like watching a life that could have been.

"Give the boy some credit, he made it through Bambi," Stacia scorned with a small smile, allowing Baylee to curl closer against her before she fixed the blanket around them. "Besides, when you've got nice perky boobs to use as pillows... Sometimes it's just easier to sleep..."

"Don't I know it--"

"And here I thought Leighanne's were hard as plastic given the silicone--"

"Not hers," Brian groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"Does Mr. Bible Boy have a mistress?" Stacia exclaimed quietly. Her emerald eyes widening in playful shock at the revelation. As if the man were too pure to be lustful.

"I'm not as innocent as everyone thinks and I have you to thank for that."

"Did I tarnish your pure soul?" Stacia questioned with a small pout.

"Maybe. But it's something I wanted," Brian had to smile, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"I'll be sure to frump myself before ever coming into your presence ever again," Stacia vowed.

"Oh, you better not!"

Stacia laughed at his disgust. "Why?"

"Because I like you just the way you are."

"That is so cliche, Littrell."

"But it's the truth--"

"You are such a boob-man."

"I am not!"

"You are so a boob-man."

"Stacia--"

"Like father like son."

"I am not that shallow, and Baylee's too young to--"

"I just said that I was going to wear baggier t-shirts and sweatpants when you were around and you had a damn coronary--"

"Excuse me. Before this turns into bloodshed, I think it might be better if I put Baylee in the guestroom," Holly announced, padding her way to the living room with a raised eyebrow.

"There's no chance of bloodshed. I'd face rabid fans if I busted his pretty little face," Stacia cooed, reaching up to catch his face within one of her hands. Giving a firm squeeze, she contorted his face by smushing his cheeks together and causing his lips to pucker. She grinned when he whined and batted at her hands, simply relinquishing Baylee though she loved having the little boy nestled over her. He would be more comfortable upstairs in bed.

"Yeah, I've seen rabid fans... not a pretty picture," Holly made a face as she cuddled Baylee close, remembering when she and Stacia joined the boys on their one-hundred hour tour for Black and Blue. The fans in South America were not as calm as fans from other countries.

"I've also seen how dazed Brian gets when a girl flashes him... Almost knocks his ass off a double-decker bus, huh Sweetums?" Stacia cooed toward the man, adoring the crimson blush coloring his cheeks.

"It would surprise you, too," Brian muttered.

"That's 'cause her nipples were pointing east and west," Stacia mused, standing from the couch to kiss Baylee good-night. Through the shifting, he had whined slightly and peeked his eyes open to find Stacia. When she pressed a warm kiss to his forehead, he smiled softly and drifted back into a content slumber. Brushing a few stray flaxen curls from his face, she thanked Holly for getting him.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be right next door to Alex and I, so we'll take care of him if he wakes up," Holly smiled, rubbing the child's back.

"Great, so Brian and I can really concentrate on that hardcore sex'ing that we've been talking about."

"Whatever floats your boat," Holly chuckled as Brian's cheeks almost resembled tomatoes. "Goodnight, kids."

"Night, Mother," Stacia crooned with a wave, leaning up on her tip-toes to watch Holly exit the large movie theatre that AJ had created specifically for his home. Satisfied that they were alone, she flopped back onto the couch and rested her head on his lap once more. "Are you leaving again now that your kid is asleep?"

"I'll stay if you want me to," Brian began to run his fingers through her loose curls.

"Of course I want you to stay. This is the first time that we've really spent any time together since I came," Stacia explained, stretching languidly like a sleek feline who had just rose from a sun-bath.

"I know. I missed these times with you," Brian smiled, just watching her. Everything she did was beautiful.

"I've just missed you in general," Stacia murmured, relaxing against him once more. Sticking her feet over the end of the plush couch, she then worked with one foot to remove the sock on the opposite foot. It took some time to rid herself of the item, but she grinned when she finished and hurriedly started on the other foot.

"You're easily amused..." Brian trailed with a click of his tongue. "Or maybe I'm confusing it with laziness..."

"It might be a bit of both..."

"Ooh, good point," he chuckled as she wiggled her bare toes.

"I love nothing better than to be barefoot," Stacia decided, stretching once more over the couch before settling completely against him. She was unaware of how her boxers had ridden upward on her thighs or the way her t-shirt hiked up reveal a bare waist. Instead, she allowed her eyes to drift closed. Comfortable. For once.

"Yeah," It seemed like the only thing Brian could say as he watched her. She almost seemed at peace, like she had been the last time she came to Malibu.

"It's funny... When I'm with you... Everything else just seems to disappear. It doesn't matter what happened in Philly. I don't have to worry about what's going to happen when I go back. I'm just... I'm with you... And I'm okay..."

"I feel the same way when I'm with you," Brian whispered, returning his fingers into her curls and occasionally over her smooth forehead.

"And I don't have to put on some mask or be afraid of someone digging into me to find my secrets," Stacia continued to explain, tilting her head back when she felt his fingers run down the elegant slope of her nose, his thumb brushing over the fullness of her lips.

"I know... they care about us, but sometimes I just want to leave the secrets buried. Don't you?"

"Makes it easier to forget the pain," she agreed, pressing a small kiss to the pad of his thumb before his fingers moved over her jaw and down to her throat.

"Yeah. Being with you makes the pain go away," Brian's fingers trailed and stopped right above the beginning of her cleavage before going back up to her throat and jawline.

"Just think what might happen if you stayed the night," Stacia murmured, gasping sharply when his fingers made the delicate trail over her chest once more. He dipped slightly into the crevice of her swelled breaths and her sharp breath caused her chest to rise to his fingers. She could feel his entire body tense beneath her, but she said nothing more.

"What would happen if I spent the night?" Brian continued to entice her.

"Something you would probably regret in the morning," Stacia whispered, feeling her breath catch painful when his fingers slipped from the material of her t-shirt to the soft satin of her delicate bra.

"What if it's something that's meant to happen?" Brian bit his bottom lip, feeling her skin heat against his nimble fingertips.

"You say that now..." Stacia trailed, arching up when his fingers dipped further, caressing the soft flesh of her breasts. Her entire body seemed to awaken beneath his tongue. A flame licked at the center of her core and the familiar ache of wanting began to stir. She needed him so badly. To forget what had happened, she was willing to break something sacred. She had promised herself so many times not to allow herself the chance to tempt Brian to break his vows, knowing what they had meant. But it was too late. Just a moment to forget. She could live with the regret if she had him for a night.

"And I would say it in the morning," Brian promised, feeling his body heat up with all the thoughts of what he wanted to do to her throughout the night.

"But would you regret it?" Stacia asked, arching once more when his hand glided over her stomach, carressing each inch of skin that he happened upon while his other hand gently cupped one firm breast.

"With you? Never."

"But--" Biting down hard on her bottom lip to muffle a squeal when Brian hauled her upward, she found herself surrendering to his advances. Straddling his lap, she could feel the hardness of his erection growing beneath her. His lips found their way to her neck, sucks and nibbles alternating to a point where she felt a rush of goose-bumps prickle underneath her skin. Her breath seemed to be permanently caught within her lungs, knowing there was no way to resist him. But, in an attempt to prove her point, she wrenched his left hand from her breast and tightened her fingers on the expensive wedding band. "Brian--"

"I could NEVER regret doing anything with you," Brian's light blue eyes connected with her dazzling emerald eyes. "Never."

"Brian..." Stacia felt her heart actually clench painfully when he pulled his hand free, allowing the wedding band to slip from his finger. It was the first time he had ever removed the wedding band. It had been such a harsh reality when she saw his left hand, knowing that he belonged to someone else. Yet, watching him throw the band over his shoulder as if it were nothing, she wasn't relieved either. Instead, she felt somewhat assaulted when he pulled on her t-shirt to reveal her shoulders, stretching out the collar. His tongue moved over her collar bone in slow, sensual strokes and she felt herself falling once more. "Oh, God..."

"I love you so much, Staci-Gracie... let me love you the way I've dreamed of," Brian whispered against her skin.

"Right here on the couch, huh?" she asked, attempting to bring humor to the situation though she trembled when he removed her t-shirt and started to kiss the skin over her heart.

"Do you want to move into the other guestroom?" he looked up at her with such concern that it almost made her soul ache.

"Bear..." she trailed, offering a small nod though she could hardly see him through the blur of tears. He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead and swept her into his arms. She was cradled against him so protectively while he moved toward the guestroom that had always been designated her bedroom. In fact, AJ and Holly had specifically designed it for her. So, when he laid her upon the plush bed, she didn't feel like a stranger entering another world.

"God, this feels so right," he whispered as he gently covered her body with his.

"Us being together has always felt right to me," she murmured into his ear, lifting herself up so he could shed the rest of her clothing. For once, she wasn't self-conscious about the bruises and cuts littering her body. Instead, she could only concentrate on the way his fingers delicately brushed over her inner thighs, priming her for their moment together. Kissing the side of his face, she coaxed his lips to her, quick to meet his tongue in several quick, sensual strokes. He moaned into her mouth and she knew there would be no turning back.

When he nipped excitedly at her bottom lip, Stacia pulled away momentarily to pull his t-shirt off. Tossing it toward the end of the bed, she leaned forward to press soft kisses along the familiar scar down the center of his chest. Most fans had thought that Brian underwent heart surgery because Leighanne refused to marry him unless he do so. But he had really went under the knife when Stacia had truly broke down at the thought of him dying. She had been so beautiful. She had truly cared for his well being. Even now she took great care in exploring his body. Her lips moved over him in ways that he never thought possible. Her hands then worked to remove his jeans, but she immediately hesitated when a shrill ring from his back pocket shattered the lust-driven atmosphere.

"Brian--"

"They can leave a message," Brian tried to kiss her again but she placed a delicate hand on his chest to prevent him.

"It might be an emergency."

"How could it possibly be an emergency? Scooper is here--"

"Then don't answer it," Stacia squealed when his hand dipped between her legs to coax her into a more pleasurable position. Allowing him to kick off his jeans, she laid back and he covered her once more. The heat of their bodies was electric, but the phone continued to cry. It seemed Brian was doing his best to focus, so close to entering her threshold when he pulled away with a sharp curse.

"Someone better be dying," Brian swore as he flipped open his phone. "Hello?"

"Where the Hell are you?" Leighanne sharply demanded, not bothering for the formalities of a simple hello. Her voice was cold and demanding. She seemed annoyed that she even had to bother calling her husband.

"I told you that we were staying at Holly and AJ's for the night but you were too damn busy to listen. Like always," Brian snapped.

"Is she there?" Leighanne demanded, referring to Stacia as if she were a creature instead of a person. She had always loathed the young woman, though no one seemed surprised by that fact.

"You know, I don't ask if Raul is with you, so why do you have to fucking quiz me if Staci is around?"

"Don't start acting like a man now, Brian. It's a little late."

"And don't start acting like a jealous wife. It's a little late for that."

"There's no reason for me to be jealous of that whore... I just find it amusing that you're actually having an affair with something so cheap..."

"That's so funny coming from someone with whore-ish tendencies such as yourself, Leighanne. You haven't been faithful since the day we started dating."

"Yet you still married me."

"A mistake I wish everyday that I hadn't made. At least Baylee would have a good mother compared to you."

"Surely you're not comparing me to her."

"I compare you to her all the time," Brian could almost hear her growl and he had to smirk. "What's wrong? Can't stand the fact that Stacia is ten times better than you'll ever be?"

"And you're so satisfying that I had to insist Raul not come on location with me so you could instead..." Leighanne retorted crisply. "Besides, you haven't done a damn thing with her yet, have you? Too afraid."

"I've done more tonight than I have with you since Scooper was born," Brian snapped, tired of Leighanne and her words. "Why don't you go back to your cabana boy? I'm sure he'll need help trying to figure out what two plus two equals. You can find the answer together and I'll give you a hint; it's between one and four."

"Awe, Sweetheart, you're growing a spine... I'm so proud, really, I am... But just get home, okay?"

"I don't think so. I'm not waking up my son just so you can try and control me--"

"He's half mine and don't try my patience."

"I'm not going to wake him up, Leighanne!"

"Then leave him there!"

"What is so damn important that can't wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm home."

"Like I said, what's so damn important that can't wait until tomorrow?"

"I want you home now, Brian."

"No."

"Brian--"

"I said no!"

"I swear to God, Brian--"

"No! Do you hear me? No! I've been in the damn studio all day and I am crashing here at AJ's. I'll be home sometime tomorrow."

"For your sake, you better hope that I'm not here, Brian."

"Anything else, Leighanne?"

"I really hope your arm is healed from the last fight we had, because you have Hell to pay."

"I've been in Hell since I married you. Good-bye," Brian hung up and turned it off.

Hearing the phone being hurled across her room and breaking against the opposite wall, Stacia winced and carefully stepped out of her private bathroom. She had dressed herself in a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Leighanne's call had killed her hope of kindling something special with Brian that night. It was just a reminder of the overwhelming presence Leighanne had. No matter what they did that night, he would still be married in the morning. She didn't want to be his permanent affair. She hadn't the strength to be a mistress. Not when she was treated as if she were a whore.

"I'm going to kill her... I swear to God," Brian rubbed his face furiously.

"Are you going home?" Stacia asked quietly, tucking herself into bed while pulling on a thick sweatshirt. She suddenly felt the chill of her world seeping into her bones.

"No," Brian glanced at Stacia and realized what Leighanne had ruined, which seemed to fuel his anger. "Staci-Gracie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have answered--"

"Your wife was calling, you had to answer," Stacia answered causually, though it hurt just the same. Drawing her long blonde curls into a high ponytail, she leaned back amongst the pillows, wondering if life could have possibly turned out differently. If a man hadn't poked his head into the alley, would she even be sitting there at this moment? Feeling dead inside.

"Please don't be upset," Brian crawled over and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head against the fabric that covered her chest.

"I'm not upset," Stacia lied, gently running her fingers through his mussed sandy curls. He seemed to curl closer when she rubbed the back of his neck and she could feel the fine tremors racing through his body. They would just never be. She was tainted anyhow.

"You're not a good liar when you're with me."

"What do you expect me to say, Brian?"

"The truth?"

"We were about to have sex and your wife called. Your wife, Brian. Do you know what that makes me?"

"What that makes you? Staci--"

"A mistress. A whore. A slut. A sk--"

"You're nothing like that!"

"The Hell I'm not. I am no different than the bitches that prowl around hoping to wreck happy homes. Jesus Christ, Brian, I'm a homewrecker. And, as much as I love you, that's never going to change. The only thing I can hope to be with you is a mistress. I can't have you completely, because you'll never get divorced. No matter how much you hate Leighanne, you don't know how to leave her. And it kills me. It's worse being here than in Philly with that bastard--"

"Excuse me? I thought he had just broken into your apartment and you had never seen him before."

"It's not even about that," Stacia insisted, climbing off the bed when Brian pulled away. Stumbling into the hallway, she hurried down the steps toward the movie theatre. Throwing on the lights, she searched for the elegant wedding band.

"Stacia!" Brian ran after her.

Crouching down, she snatched the glistening wedding band from beneath the couch. Only, before she could rise to her feet, Brian's hand snaked around her upper arm and wrenched her upward. She felt her entire body freeze with fear when his eyes settled on the thick cut across her throat. As if he were making sense of the situation, his fingers tightened into the flesh of her arm. Shakily holding up the wedding band, she felt tears gather in her eyes. "Go home to your wife."

"No," he studied the cuts and bruises. Something wasn't right. "What really happened to your neck?"

"It was slashed open by Jack the Ripper," she quipped sarcastically, grabbing his left hand to force the wedding band back to its rightful place.

"Don't," Brian pulled away his hand. "The break-in of your apartment wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

"Go home, Brian," Stacia repeated, her voice waivering painfully.

"Damnit, Staci! Talk to me!"

"Your wife is waiting for you."

"I don't care about her, I care about you and I want to know who did that to your neck!"

"I don't know--"

"And why you have those ugly bruises on your thighs--"

"Go home--"

"I'm not going anywhere. If something happened, tell me."

"I don't want you here," Stacia snapped viciously, pushing him as hard as she possibly could. He stumbled back in surprise and she took her chance to escape. But, Brian had other plans as he grabbed her upper arms and pushed her into the nearby wall. Every memory of the horried attack came flooding back into her body with Brian pressed over her. "Stop touching me!"

"Tell me what happened!"

"Nothing happened! Get the fuck off me!"

"No! Not until you talk to me!"

"I can't breathe!" she gasped, digging her nails painfully into his shoulders in hopes that he would release her. The world seemed to be spinning as if she were on a high speed tilt-a-whirl. She was easily disoriented and a cool sweat soaked her skin. Her skin grew dusky and she gasped sharply for any chance at finding a breath of air. The world was closing in on her. She would be eaten alive.

"Staci!" Brian exclaimed as she fell to her knees, still struggling for air.

"Get away from me," Stacia gasped, vaguely aware of stirrings from upstairs. She pushed weakly against the man, just wanting him to disappear. When he fell back, she hunched over and gagged. She could feel the man's hands winding over her body while he pressed her up against the shabby brick wall. His tongue licking at her skin like a serpant while the sharp blade pressed tight to her throat. He told her she was a lovely woman and she most certainly was his Queen. He would love her for eternity.

"What the Hell is going on here?" AJ questioned in his usual style as he stumbled into the theater with Holly not far behind.

"He raped me, okay? He fucking raped me," Stacia confessed under the pressure of the situation. Her voice came out underneath tight gasps of air. Her vision flooded with a darkness and she wrenched when a hand slid over her shoulder.

"Stace, it's me. It's Holly. You're here in Malibu, far away from that asshole who hurt you," Holly brought Stacia into her arms, rubbing a hand up and down the younger woman's heaving back as she signaled AJ to grab the prescribed medications. "Take deep breaths, you're okay."

"I'm dying," Stacia disagreed, unable to catch a breath as her chest continued to tighten. Wilting to the floor, she groped at her chest, certain that her heart would burst free.

"No, you're not. Sweetie, you have to calm down and let yourself breathe."

"I w-want to die."

"Stacia Grace Lord! Dying is not going to make the fear and the pain go away."

"You don't understand," Stacia insisted, curling into a ball in hopes to expand her chest. She could feel Brian's pale blue eyes burning into her and she twitched under the pressure. She hadn't meant to confess to the pain, but it had been too late. Holding her throat, she rocked herself carefully and felt a sob choke her.

"Then make me understand. Talk to me, Stace-Grace. Please, talk to me," Holly laid down next to her best friend and carefully pulled her into her arms.

"I can't..."

"Sweetheart, please. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you'll feel so much better if you talk about it."

"Holly," AJ interupted softly when he returned with the medication and a large glass of water. Watching his best friend lay helplessly on the floor, he wasn't sure what to do exactly. Handing the items to Brian, he knelt on the floor. "Give her a chance to catch herself."

"Alex--"

"At least let her breathing calm down first. C'mon, Honey, I have your medication and some water."

Feeling AJ move her into a seated position, Stacia said nothing when the pills and glass of water were placed into her hands. Taking the medication, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. The sweatshirt and sweatpants were soaked with perspiration. Her chest ached from the panic attack. And she had just confessed what she had fought so hard to forget.

Holly just studied the younger woman, shocked at the words that had fallen from her lips. Rape. It was such a simple word with drastic consequences to the victim. She had never thought Stacia would be one of them. She was so physically strong...

"What the Hell did you do to her?" AJ accused, glancing toward Brian when silence evoked the entire party. The scream that had awoken him had been so chilling. His heart had yet to recover from the panic.

"I didn't do anything! I was trying to get her to talk to me--"

"You must have done something, she almost passed out--"

"I grabbed her arm so she wouldn't run away from me! She kept telling me to go home to my wife!"

"Will you two stop it?! You're not helping the situation," Holly snapped at the two men as she watched Stacia.

"Maybe you should go home," AJ instructed, giving Brian a stern glare. As much as he hoped that Brian would realize how special Stacia was, it was becoming painfully clear that Brian was no where near ready to do so and it was having a profound affect on Stacia. He was hurting her more than he realized.

"This is fucking bullshit. All I did was try and help her," Brian spat. He grabbed his jacket and stormed out, slamming the front door behind him.

Wincing at the way Stacia jerked at the echo of a slamming door, AJ looked to Holly and watched her helplessly shrug her shoulders. Neither had wanted to push Brian out the door, but it seemed like it was for the best. "...Why don't we get her up to bed... Those pills should work pretty soon and maybe she'll sleep..." he suggested softly to his lover.

"Yeah. C'mon, Sweetie. Let's go to your room and try to get some sleep," Holly rubbed Stacia's shoulder to rouse her up.

"I got her," AJ promised, not sure if he trusted Stacia's legs to hold her. Bending down, he scooped the woman into his embrace. She hadn't the strength to even struggle, so she rested against him. Numb and broken.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"She's still sleeping," AJ announced as he walked into his lover's office, flopping down onto the leather sofa he usually occupied whenever she worked. He rested his hands over his face, trying to gather some sort of composure. He and Holly had been up all night in Stacia's guestroom, listening to her softly sob before drifting into a troubled sleep. The medication had done some sort work when her whimpers had drifted, allowing them some sort of peace. But hearing what had happened in Philadelphia still plagued him. Knowing that she had been so hurt...

"Thank God for small favors," Holly sighed heavily as various clicks echoed from her fingertips as she worked on the laptop. Keeping her mind on something else helped her forget the Hell her best friend had endured when she was thousands of miles away.

"It's not your fault, y'know. And it ain't hers either," AJ reminded, noticing the way Holly's shoulders rounded forward. She seemed to hunch over her laptop, barely concentrating on what she was writing.

"I would never blame her. She couldn't have predicted this might happen to her," Holly mumbled, deleting almost as many words as she entered. The article wasn't due until next week, but she needed to do something or else she could almost guarantee a breakdown of her own.

"You can't blame yourself either, Holls. She was living in Philly all by herself. We asked her to come live here, but she wouldn't. You couldn't have done anything to prevent this. Just like her."

"I really need to get this article done," Holly took off her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It isn't due for another week," AJ reminded her, pulling himself off the sofa and seating himself at her side. Reaching for her shoulders, he gently rubbed them in a soothing fashion, working the tension away. "Which reminds me, the magazine called."

"What did they want?" Holly let her neck droop as he massaged her shoulders.

"To tell you that they're hiring you a new assistant."

"I hope they did background checks this time. The last assistant I had was so obsessed with you--"

"Yeah, she about scared my dick into jumping up my ass when she jumped out of your closet naked singing Larger than Life," AJ agreed with a hard shudder, leaning forward to press soft kisses against the back of her neck.

"Oh, the horrible images that have burned into my brain," Holly made a face. Sometimes being the girlfriend of such a high profile celebrity had a price.

"You, I couldn't keep a straight face when I had to perform that song!"

"We'll have to see what happens when the new tour starts."

"God help me."

"Let's just pray my next assistant is a male. But then again, he could be gay and--"

"I'd rather him be gay."

"What? Why?" she looked up at him in question.

"Like I need a man drooling on you."

"You're the only man that can drool on me. Unfortunately, sometimes you do when you're sleeping--"

"Baby," AJ whined sharply. "It's just 'cause you're delicious!"

"Nice save," Holly actually laughed.

"You love me," he crooned.

"More than you'll ever know," she agreed, pulling him down for a kiss.

"I love you too," AJ promised with a soft murmur against her lips, leaning forward to brace himself against her back. Their lips met and their tongues moved in a slow, sensual roll.

"You always know how to make things better," Holly whispered, her eyes fluttering softly from the passion that exuded fromm each other. Even after three years, he could still take her breath away.

"I've always promised to take care of you, Sweetheart."

"I know," she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I need you to take care of me right now."

"Just tell me how, Sweetheart."

"Shower me with kisses and then make love to me?"

"I can do both of those," AJ insisted with a wry grin, commanding her mouth into more sweet kisses.

"Mmm," a soft moan floated from Holly's throat and she felt AJ heft her into his arms. Their kisses never broke as they settled onto the large, plush couch.

"Making love in your office is probably my favorite spot," AJ decided with a chuckle against her lips, breaking the kisses long enough to push his lips over the side of her neck. Feeling her shiver, he hauled her close and nipped appreciatively at her sweet skin. She knew how to drive him wild. Anything he could ever posess would always be hers.

"Mine too," Holly almost squealed with desire as he found her weakness - a small spot at the very crook of her neck. He always seemed to know where to kiss to have her begging for more.

"Then it would have to be our bedroom," AJ continued, ruffling her short blonde locks. He then tangled his fingers into the locks, pulling her mouth to his once more.

"Mmhmm," Holly mumbled, arching her back to bring their bodies even closer together. How she had ever lived without AJ, she didn't know.

"Maybe the jacuzzi next..." AJ murmured thoughtfully, nibbling at the front of her throat.

"The jacuzzi..." Holly shuddered, her fingernails trailing along the back of his neck. There probably wasn't a room in the house they hadn't made love in. To say they were an adventurous couple was an understatement.

"You're easy as Hell tonight, Baby," AJ chuckled, lightly trailing his fingers on her inner thighs.

"You like it when I'm easy," Holly growled, nipping at his bottom lip.

"Fucking right."

"Then stop teasing--"

"Uncle AJ? You in there?" Baylee called from outside the office, disrupting any afternoon plans for love-making. His tiny fingers wriggled underneath the space of the door, hoping to coax an opening of the door.

"You know, if he wasn't so damn cute..." AJ groaned as Holly giggled.

"Uncle AJ! Please?" Baylee continued. "I want to be with you. Please!"

"Hold on, Buddy. I'm coming," AJ got up to unlock the door as Holly situated herself on the couch. He looked down at the toddler, who grinned and hugged his legs.

"Thank you! I couldn't wake Staci up!" Baylee explained with a squeal when AJ launched him into the air. Flying only a few feet before landing back in the man's strong arms, Baylee flushed with excitement before turning serious. "Her's crying in her sleep."

"She is?"

"Uh-huh. Why she crying?"

"Her heart's hurting right now, Buddy," AJ explained gently, carrying the boy back to the sofa. Flopping down, he allowed Baylee to curl between him and Holly.

"Can't make it hurt no more?" Baylee questioned, looking up at his aunt and uncle.

"It takes time to heal that kind of boo-boo, Bay," AJ explained, draping his arm on the back of the couch to hold both Holly and Baylee. He knew they were quite effected by Stacia's depression. Almost as if they were experiencing her pain.

"My kissies can't make it better?"

"I'm sure she'd love your kissies."

"Your kissies are the best, Bayler," Holly smiled, pressing a kiss onto the top of his unruly curls.

"Daddy's are better," Baylee decided, tucking himself to Holly's side. He reached for the long beaded necklace around her neck, playing with the delicate and beautifully colored glass beads. "I fell once and my knee broke open. Blood ever-where! Daddy kissed me better! Then Staci kissed me better! Then Daddy kissed Staci..."

"Daddy did what?" AJ tried to hold back a chuckle.

"He kissed Staci."

"You mean on the cheek?"

"No, the lips!"

"The lips?" AJ gasped as Baylee nodded excitedly.

"Yes! Lips! They kissed for a long time."

"Probably blew her a raspberry."

"Not-uh! He licked her!"

"He what?!" Holly burst out laughing.

"He licked her!" Baylee exclaimed with a scowl, not understanding what was so funny. He was speaking the truth. "Him's tongue went into her mouth!"

"Oh good Lord..." Holly continued to laugh, snorting occasionally.

"It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. I just didn't expect you to say that."

"Daddy loves Staci!" Baylee continued to defend.

"I know he does."

"And Staci loves Daddy!"

"I know she does--"

"Then how come they don't get married and be happy?"

"Oh... well... Bayler, it's really complicated--"

"Why?"

"For one, your daddy is still married to your mommy--"

"Mommy doesn't love Daddy."

"Mommy's a money-hungry-whore," AJ grunted, not expecting Holly's elbow to land so firmly in his chest. Gasping softly, he straighened and pulled the small boy into his lap. Ruffling the flaxen curls, he pressed a loving kiss to the boy's forehead. "C'mon, Baylee, let's go watch TV."

"C'n we watch Ninja Turtles?"

"As long as you don't beat me up this time. My ninja skills are still rusty!"

Nodding his head in agreement, Baylee grinned in triumph when he was lifted high into AJ's grasp. Squirming for a moment, he was even more estatic when he was plopped on AJ's shoulders for a quick ride. Though, AJ turned back to his lover with a soft smile. "I want one of these," he announced, gesturing to the boy.

"One of those?" Holly questioned dumbly.

"Love you, Babe," AJ crooned, refusing to answer the question as he walked toward the door.