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Christine and Scotty came home happy, but tired. Eliza and Lexie got them both settled, but CJ insisted on playing a board game with them. She had to be reminded she had to go to bed soon because she had to get up and go to school in the morning.


Lexie hadn't seen hide nor hair of Nick all evening. She did go up and check on him, but he was so sound asleep he was snoring. Lexie couldn't help but stare at him. He was on his stomach, with his hair spread out along his back. Just looking at him made her stomach tickle with butterflies that would sometimes die a timely death from guilt.


She left him to put CJ to bed then she stripped Jake's bed and took a selfish moment to breathe in the traces of him. She would never love him like she loved Nick. So, why did she do it? Why was she so intimate with him? Was she lonely? Was she desperate? Perhaps she was all of those things. Perhaps she would never fully understand what she had done or why she felt at the moment it was okay.


She carried the linens downstairs and began the sequence of loading and unloading the washer and dryer. She'd have to wash Jake's linens herself to make sure no trace of their lovemaking remained. She was so glad that Jake had flushed the used condoms.


She heard movement through the house and realized that Nick must be up, hunting for food in the kitchen. She followed the noise to find him in there hanging on the refrigerator door.


"Hungry? I could make you something." She approached him.


"Huh? No, I'll get something myself." He pulled their leftover Chinese food out and heated it up in the microwave.


"Your stomach must be feeling better."


"Yeah, it is." He took the food to the table and she handed him a fork. "Sit down."


Lexie took a seat across from him at the kitchen table and watched him eat a few bites. He finally swallowed and looked up at her.


"I promised CJ I'd come home and talk to you. She's upset that you and I aren't getting along. The problem is, I don't know what else to say."


"Oh, Nick." She gasped and she reached out and took his hand. "I know how upset you are about all of this with Chris and Scotty, but can't you understand it was something I had to do? Something we had to do?"


"No. I still haven't figured that out. Christine could have gone and died in New York, and we would have never known except for your snooping around. I wouldn't be in this position of having to lie to CJ."


"But now you don't have to lie to her. You could tell her the truth."


"How do I do that? I just told her tonight I had no idea where her mother was when she's living in the goddamn pool house!"


"She asked about her mother?"


"Yeah, she asked if I knew where she was. Just like that. Right out of the blue." Nick snapped his long fingers in front of her face and she let go of his hand.


"We have to come to some kind of compromise."


"Compromise? The time for compromise was before you moved her into the damn pool house. Now I have no choice in what happens. I have to do it your way."


"No, I could send her to a hospice and have the state put Scotty in foster care."


"You'd never do that."


"If I had to, but I don't think I have to. I know you know in your heart this is right, Nick. If you could just get past your own fear of losing CJ. You can't lose her now, her mother is dying."


"What about her kid?"


"Would it really be so difficult to take him in? We can afford it. We have room. He's not a difficult child." Lexie sighed. "You loved her once, Nick. Can't you open your heart just a little more for her child?"


The silence was thick, and Nick took that time to eat a few more bites, but he wasn't tasting the food. He was just filling time.


"He can stay after she dies, I'll sign whatever papers you want me to." He finally said. "But we don't tell CJ until after we talk to a professional. I don't want to shock her out of her entire world. The only world she's ever known. Her life with me!"


Lexie's hands flew to her face and tears welled in her eyes, "Oh, God. Thank you, Nick. Thank you."


Nick pushed the plate away from him and got to his feet. "I have to go back to Orlando this week. The last of the tracks have to be finished and there is a photo shoot for the cover."


"Oh, okay." She nodded eagerly, still not believing what she heard.


"That's on Wednesday. The video shoot for the first single is on Friday and Saturday. It was the only time we could get to book that old theatre in Orlando. You should be there."


"Really? Which one?"


"Whatever ones you want to." He shrugged as he turned and headed out of the kitchen.



That night, Lexie slept better than she had in weeks. She couldn't wait to tell Christine of Nick's consent to introduce her to CJ as her mother. Lexie knew she'd have no problem going to see a professional first.


In the morning, Nick got up and showered in their bathroom while Lexie got CJ ready. He was standing naked at the sink shaving when she came in to use the shower. He didn't issue her a second glance, not even when she undressed behind him and got in to use the shower. He watched her though. He watched her through the shower's glass. He glanced down at his own response to her and chuckled to himself.


Nick finished shaving and went into their closet to pick out something to wear. He slipped on some shorts and a golf shirt. He turned to watch her step from the shower and towel herself off. She dressed in the bathroom, since she usually always took her clothes in there with her.


He sat on a stool and began to pull on some tennis shoes and considered what he was doing. Could he live with the knowledge that she's been unfaithful to him? She didn't seem to be unattracted to him. She didn't seem to not want him there in the bathroom. If she were so in love with Jake to sleep with him, why would she be so open as to strip in front of him?


Because maybe nothing happened.


"Lexie!" CJ yelled as she ran into the bedroom, her long blonde hair a tangled mess. "I can't get my hair to brush out!"


For some reason, Nick pushed himself into the corner of the walk in closet so he couldn't be seen.


"What did you do to it?" Lexie gasped as she saw the rat's nest CJ's hair had become.


"I was trying to do something new. . ."


"What, the finger-in-the-socket look? Come here. I have some spray in conditioner that may get that out."


After a few "eeks", "ows" and "that hurts", the brush moved effortless through CJ's hair and Lexie was braiding it into a long tail down her back.


"Lex?" CJ asked as she sat on one of their bathroom stools, her feet swinging.


"Yeah?"


"Did my Dad talk to you?"


"About what?"


"About you guys fighting? I told him how sad and upset you were. He promised he'd talk to you. I made him come back to Orlando."


"Oh, that. Yes, he talked to me. We talked a few things out."


"Is everything okay again?"


"Well, almost. We have some details to still work out for us both to be happy, but we should be right back on track soon enough."


"Like telling me that Ann is really my mother Christine?"


Oh my God! Nick clamped both hands over his mouth to stop the primal scream. Oh God no!


Lexie was flustered and was stammering until she finally got the question out, "How do you know that?"


"I just figured it out." She shrugged. "Lexie, are you okay?"


"I. . .uh. . .yes. How do you feel about that?"


"Okay, I guess. Lexie, does that make Scotty my half brother?"


"Well, yes." Lexie agreed too stunned to say anything else.


"Is that what you and Dad have been fighting about?"


"Uh. . .well. . .sorta. . ."


"Because it's okay. I mean, I still love you and my Dad. Dad is the greatest Dad. He took care of me when she went away. I wonder why she went away. Did you ever ask her?"


"No, I can't say I have." CJ's hair continued to weave through Lexie's fingers.


"You think I could ask her?"


"You know. I don't think that's a good idea right now. Maybe we should wait on that."


"Yeah, she's pretty sick. She's usually better in the morning after some sleep." CJ mused. "I wish she wasn't sick and all. I wish she'd be around longer."


"I know, honey."


"I think my Dad is going to be pretty upset when he knows I know."


"You know, I think I'll tell your Dad you know and by the time you get back from school today we'll have some more answers for you." Lexie tied off CJ's braid.


"You know, when I was little I used to be afraid that my mother would come and take me away from Dad. He always promised he'd never let that happen and I guess he was right. I'm pretty lucky to have a Dad like him, huh? I mean, your Dad didn't keep you after your mother went away." CJ lifted her eyes to look in the mirror at Lexie. "I think that's why you came to me and my Dad, because you and I are kinda in the same boat. It still turned out we got pretty good dads. Even Poppy figured out how to be a better dad."


"Yeah, I guess so." Lexie nodded blindly.


"I'm going to go have breakfast. Are you coming?"


"No, I need to finish my makeup."


"Okay. I won't say a word until later."


"Okay, babe." CJ hopped down from the stool and scampered from the bedroom, slamming the door as she went.


Nick had peered around the storage shelf in the closet and watched Lexie slump against the stool CJ had once occupied. She began to cry in hard, breathtaking gasps and Nick stumbled from the closet and rushed to her side. She fell into his arms and they sobbed together.


"How could she know?! How could she know?!" Lexie gasped. "I didn't say a word to her, I swear, Nick!"


"I know, I know." Nick held her close, tucking her head under his chin. "I'll stay home today and make some calls about what we should do. We're going to have to talk to Christine together."


"I'm so sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry, this all my fault. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I swear." Lexie began to sob.


"Shh, it's okay. We've just got to get through this. . ." He cried.


"None of this would have happened. . ."


"It doesn't matter. What's done is done. " Nick took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Lexie tried to catch her breath as well.


She looked up at him and smiled, "What were you doing in the closet?"


"I was just getting dressed." He chuckled.


"Were you watching me get dressed?"


"You are my wife."



It was a declaration said in the simplest of tones, but it felt awkward. Lexie didn't feel like Nick's wife. Not like she had before she created this mess. For the first time, in absence of this feeling, Lexie realized she had made a terrible mistake by doing this the way she had. She could understand her motivations, but her methods have nearly lost her everything.


After some breakfast, Lexie took CJ to school like nothing else happened, and Nick was on the phone trying to reach a psychologist to help them out. He got a referral from an agency for someone who would be willing to come to the house for this emergency.


"That's great." Lexie agreed as she stood in the doorway of the office.


"We'd better go talk to Christine."


"Yes, we'd better." She agreed. They walked together to the pool house and asked Eliza to take Scotty out for a little while.


"We need to talk to you." Nick pulled up a chair across from the couch where she sat under a blanket.


"As something happened? Has something happened to CJ?"


"No, she's fine." Lexie reassured her.


"But CJ knows. She knows you're her mother." Nick's elbows rested on his knees as he leaned forward, knotting his fingers together in front of him.


"I didn't tell her. . ."


"I know you didn't. She figured it out on her own, although how I have no idea." Nick sighed.


"What are we doing now?"


"I've hired a child psychologist to help us out. She's going to meet with us today at noon. I don't want this to scar CJ for life." Nick sat up straight in the chair. "We're going to have to confirm everything for her tonight."


"Alright." Christine agreed.


"I've also agreed to take care of Scotty once you're . . ." Nick stammered to an end.


"Have you really?" She looked at Lexie in disbelief. "Oh, thank you, Nick! I. . .I can't thank you enough." Christine began to cry quietly. Lexie reached out and took her hand. "I can't thank you enough."


"Shh, it's alright now. We have a lawyer who can draw up the papers for us to take custody of him." Lexie looked up at Nick. "I'll call Sabrina this afternoon."


He nodded in agreement.



They left her to rest, then brought her to the house at noon for lunch. Dr. Kelly Sanford arrived promptly at the house and it was Nick who greeted her and brought the petite black woman to the living room where they were all waiting. She introduced herself to everyone and sat down in an end chair by the fireplace.


"This might be a little rough in the beginning. These emergency cases usually are until I can sort out everyone. Now, Christine you are CJ's biological mother, correct?"


"Yes, I am."


"And Nick, you're her biological father."


"Yes." He nodded. He had taken a seat next to Lexie, although not too close. Christine was sitting closer to the doctor.


"And Lexie, you're Nick's wife?"


"Yes."


"I want to say that I think this is a brave thing you are doing. Allowing CJ to experience some time with her mother before she passes. I know it seems really unsure and scary now, but children have a remarkable ability to adjust to things and from what you've told me already, Nick, CJ is adjusting to this well." Dr. Sanford continued. "I am concerned about the other child though, your son, Christine, Scotty."


"What about him?"


"How is he going to feel knowing that his mother has another child?"


"I don't know. I hadn't thought about it, honestly."


"Does he ask where he is going to go once you're gone?"


"No, not really."


"We're going to have to bring Scotty into these things from now on. It's important that he feels as little abandonment as possible in the transition. Do you all agree?"


The three of them all nodded in agreement.


"Nick has already told me that he and Lexie have agreed to adopt him and give him a home with his half sister." She said. "I need to know first off, what kind of questions do you think CJ is going to have first about her mother? What does she want to know?"


Nick and Lexie exchanged looks before Nick spoke up, "She wants to know why you left."