Part 24: ************************************************************************* Brian stood in front of the guest room door Shan had locked herself behind. "Shannon Littrell open that door." he yelled. His mother shook her head as she walked by him, a basket of laundry in her arms. "You won't get her back with an attitude like that." "Sorry mama I just want her to open the door." "She will when she's ready." Shan leaned against the door listening to her mother in law, well at least Brian's mother chastise him for his behavior. She smiled and walked over to the bed and fell into a restless sleep almost as soon as she laid down. "I'm sorry Mrs Richardson but the soonest flight I can get you on is tomorrow night." the girl said at the travel agent office. Alec cursed silently, "What if I flew somewhere else and then flew into Kentucky?" "It would be the same..." "Then book me on the flight for tomorrow night then." Ty answered the front door and smiled seeing AJ and Jenn standing there. "Evening you two." she greeted. "Hey Ty." AJ said glancing past her into the house, "D at home?" "Course. He's watching some documentary or something on TV." "Oh think he'd mind if I interupted?" "Nope, come on in you two." AJ followed Jenn inside, "I'll just talk to D for a few. Sorry to just barge in Ty." "Its okay really J." she smiled at him and both women watched him disappear down the hallway. She turned back to Jenn, "Kitchen or outside?" "Kitchen?" Jenn suggested and followed her friend down the hall. Jackie shook her head as she walked out of her bedroom and found her son sitting in the hallway, his legs stretched straight out creating a tripping hazard as he stared blankly at the door. "She just doesn't want to talk right now. Why don't you come downstairs and eat?" He shook his head, not taking his eyes off the door. "If I move she'll leave the room. Can't risk it." "Sometimes you are too stubborn." she stated heading downstairs leaving Brian smiling to himself. Stubborn or not he was staying put. Frankie got out of his car and hit the automatic door lock and headed towards where he promised he'd meet E. In the back of his mind he knew what this was about, he just hoped he didn't let anything slip somehow. E sat on the bench listening to her discman as she watched people walk by. Seeing Frankie in the distance she turned her discman off and reached in her totebag for her tape recorder. "Hi E." Frankie greeted her, taking a seat on the bench. "Hey Frankie. Thanks for talking to me." "No problem. You never did say what this was for." "Oh I'm helping the guys, they're thinking of sueing the paper over that interview. Just need to prove what was stated is false." "Totally false." Frankie said leaning back. "So the whole article was a lie? There's some pretty damaging things in there." "I'm not saying everything didn't happen but the way its worded is wrong." "How do you mean?" "J got drunk but they all did. Drunken rages...I saw J angry when he was drunk, it was the strain and the only way he had to take it out was to throw things. Coulda been a lot worse but he controlled it. The clubs, they went...E you know them, they can't stay cooped up in hotel rooms forever..." "But what about the other women??" Frankie laughed, "Their flirts...and hey if they started getting a little too into it I stopped paying attention. They deserve their privacy too." "So they flirted but you never saw anything else happen?" Frankie turned his attention to the group of kids rollerblading by. "E some things I'm not supposed to be talking about." "But you can help them clear up some of this stuff. Lis and Nick are having problems because of that..." "Poor guy. I can't lie and say I didn't see things E." "Before I asked you if you ever saw anyone slip Nick anything..." "It could have happened." Shan paced the room, she knew from overhearing the conversation between Jackie and Brian she was going to be barricaded in there for at least the rest of the day. She sighed and fell back on the bed. All she needed was to get away from everything Backstreet and do some thinking. Her thoughts drifted to Kevin's cabin and her hand went over to the nightstand where she had set her cell phone. "Hello?" Alec said tiredly, she prayed it wasn't Kevin. Another fight or long bouts of silence were not what she needed right then. "Alec its Shan." "Oh hi. How's things going?" "Shitty. Look would you mind if I spent a couple days at your cabin? I just need to get away from everything." "Me too, I'm headed there myself tomorrow night." "Something happen?" Alec sighed, "Oh something happened." "I'm sorry." "Its not your fault my husband's a liar. Why don't you and Bri try that little bed and breakfast we went to last year?" "He's what I'm trying to get away from. I figured he couldn't find me at the cabin, its one of the last places he'd look." "Well your welcome to join me." "You really wouldn't mind?? Right now he has me barricaded in the guest room in Lexington." "What??" "I'm locked in the guest room while he sits outside staring at the door. I'm refusing to talk to him." "Smart move." D smiled lightly as AJ flopped down on the couch beside him, "Anything good?" AJ asked motioning to the television. He shrugged, "Its a rerun of that documentary on tour lives of different bands. Remember we were gonna do it then we pulled at the last minute." "Oh yeah." AJ studied the screen for a minute. "What's going on D?" "I've got a meeting with Lou..." "What does big bastard want now?" Howie shook his head, "He said something about more information falling into his lap I may like to know about...J he's threatening me...what if he threatens Ty?? I can't let anything happen to her now." AJ raised an eyebrow knowing there was something else behind his friend's outburst. "What else is it Howie?" Howie stared at his friend for a minute, "Your the first one to know, me and Ty are having a baby." AJ's face broke into a huge smile. "Congrats man!! First one out of all of us to have little rugrats running around...when did you find out?" "The doctor confirmed it this afternoon." "Wow..." "That's why I can't let Lou bully me around. Could you come with me to the meeting tomorrow? Maybe show a kind of united front?" "Course. Name the place and time and I'm with ya." Ty drank her coffee and listened to Jenn talk. "Do you think their still acting odd?" Ty set her drink down, "Well they weren't the most normal men on the planet to begin with but yeah I think something's up." Jenn glanced towards the living room, "I think I found something I shouldn't have." she whispered. "What did you find?" "An envelope...I just have a feeling its part of the reason behind J's behavior." "Have you said anything yet?" "No because I haven't looked at yet. AJ said their having another meeting so I'm hoping to sneak a look this weekend.." she stopped hearing approaching footsteps. A minute later AJ walked in with Howie a little behind him. "Hello ladies." Howie greeted them. "Hi honey." Ty said as he took a seat next to her. AJ sat next to Jenn and smiled at Ty, "You guys feel up to dinner? Me and D were thinking we could order something in and hang out?" "Works for me." Jenn said resting her head on AJ's shoulder. "Been awhile since just the four of us hung out."