Alexa didn't answer the phone for the next two days. She had no idea what she'd say if she picked it up and it was AJ, so it was easier to just not answer it. She had to come up with a lot of excuses when other people called, but overall it was easier. During those two days, AJ called, over and over again, trying to reach her. After that, he left one last message, almost pleading with her to call him. She saved the message, listening to it over and over again. She nearly called him almost as many times, but she always hung up before she dialed the last number.

She convinced herself that he wouldn't have said it, unless he meant it. That's what she'd been afraid of all along anyway, so why shouldn't it happen. She also convinced herself that she just wanted her life to go back to the way it was before he'd ever walked into her clinic. She was positive that he wasn't thinking of her at all. He was famous, surrounded by people all the time. He didn't need her. She'd just been a momentary distraction.

Alexa didn't tell Taylor about the call. She knew Taylor would find excuses for him, and she was doing enough of that on her own. Every time she'd come to some decision, she'd find some reason to rethink it because of something he'd said, or done. Alexa tried to act like everything was fine, but Taylor knew her too well to fall for it. By the end of the week, Taylor had decided that Alexa was just mopey because she missed AJ and that a girl's night was in order.

"Okay, I brought everything we'll need for a perfect �misery loves company' party. Ice cream, sugar, chips, chocolate, music and video." Taylor was pawing through the many grocery bags that she'd dumped on Alexa's kitchen table. Alexa just shook her head.

"You didn't have to do this, Tay. I really just want to be by myself." She crossed her arms across her chest when Taylor offered her a bag of M&Ms.

"I won't let you mope around doing nothing just because AJ's out of town. You're supposed to enjoy the independence, have some fun, hang out with your friends." Taylor grinned widely. "Like me for example." She turned her attention back to the bag she had in her hand. "So, what do we want to do first. I rented a couple of movies, or we could watch these," She held up two videos, sloppily labeled in marker: Backstreet.

Alexa groaned. That was the last thing she wanted to see right now. "I think we should watch a movie."

"Aw, Lex, you're no fun. I thought watching him on TV might make you feel better. Some of this stuff is hilarious." She frowned when Alexa continued to shake her head. "Fine, for me then. I really, REALLY need a Nick fix."

The expression on Taylor's face made Alexa smile. "Sounds like you need a cigarette, but if it's that important to you," she shrugged, "whatever."

"YEY! BSB marathon." She used an announcer voice, "All Backstreet, all the time." She stopped, when Alexa raised her eyebrows. "Sorry, I got a little excited."

"I noticed." Alexa would have admitted that Taylor's enthusiasm was contagious if she'd been asked. By the time they'd settled on the sofa, she was feeling much better.

A while later, Taylor danced back into the room, after having been to the kitchen, and Alexa looked at her curiously. "What are you doing?"

Taylor stopped, her hands in the air, mid-gesture. "Dancing."

"To what?"

Rolling her eyes, Taylor rewound the video to the beginning of the Everybody video. "This. See" Taylor did the dance sequence in time with the people on the screen, "I'm doing that."

Alexa nodded her head as she watched the screen, and Taylor, "Why am I not surprised that you know their dance routine?"

Taylor shook her finger at Alexa, as if scolding her. "Don't make that face at me." She reached to grab Alexa's arm and yanked her to her feet. "Now it's your turn."

"Nu uh." Alexa shook her head, vehemently. "I do NOT dance." She tried to sit back down, but Taylor wouldn't let her.

"Come on. Nobody's going to see you. It's fun." She did a couple of the steps. "Like that."

Alexa grudgingly copied the steps, and Taylor added more, which she copied, before Taylor did the entire sequence.

Then Taylor stepped back, "Okay, let's see it."

Alexa stood still, her hands on her hips. "When am I ever going to need to know this?"

"Who cares, just do it."

"Whatever." She did a couple of the steps before the doorbell rang. She stopped, and started to the door.

"No, you just stay there, keep dancing and I'll get the door." Taylor took off, leaving Alexa wondering why she was bothering. Her back was to the doorway but she heard the door open, then close and then footsteps.

"So, Tay, It's like this?" She did a couple of steps, then spun around to face Taylor and gasped. "AJ." Her eyes quickly went to the floor.

"Actually, it's like this." He did the steps she'd just done, ending up directly in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Alexa's voice was soft, but the words had a harsh edge.

"Just got back. I needed to see you." Alexa nodded slightly but didn't move or speak.

Taylor was confused. She'd expected a big reunion scene, when Alexa had seen AJ, and instead she got nothing. It almost seemed as if Alexa would rather he hadn't shown up there. "Okay, well, I guess my work is done here. You can try to cheer her up now, AJ. I'll see you at work, Lex." Taylor picked up her things, and headed to the door, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"You don't have to go Taylor." Alexa called after her, confusing Taylor even further.

"Actually, yes, I do. I, uh, forgot about something before, but I just remembered." She hurried to the door and out, stopping when she shut the door behind her. It was going to kill her until she found out what was going on.

Inside, they heard the door shut, but neither of them spoke right away. Alexa continued her extensive examination of the floor, noticing the heavy wear pattern in her carpet. AJ sat down in a chair, his elbows on his knees.

"Alexa." He said it trying to get her attention. When she didn't respond he sighed, "Alexa, talk to me."

At this, she turned, "About what?"

"Why you stopped answering the phone, might be a good place to start." He rubbed one hand over his eyes, and Alexa noticed he looked tired.

"I've been busy."

"Bull, you weren't too busy to answer the phone until the middle of the week. What happened?"

Alexa's eyes narrowed as she finally looked at him. "You don't know..." She wasn't really asking him, but he shrugged.

"I have no idea. I wouldn't be asking if I knew." AJ was frustrated. Obviously Alexa was upset, she had been for days. And for the entire time he'd been trying to figure out why. He'd gone straight to her place from the airport, his stuff was still in the car. "All I know is one day, everything was fine and the next you won't answer my calls. Somewhere in there something happened."

Alexa took a deep breath, she wanted him to know why she was upset. It shouldn't be something he couldn't even remember. She didn't even know how to explain.

"Oh shit!" AJ's sudden exclamation startled Alexa. "I called you, didn't I?" He shook his head and sat back abruptly in the chair. "Shit!" Nick had told him he'd been on the phone that night they were drinking, but he didn't know who he'd called. "What did I say?"

Alexa's gaze was steady as she looked at him. "You really don't remember anything?" She still found it hard to believe. "What would make you drink so much that you don't remember a phone conversation?" The issue changed from what he'd said, to the influence he'd been under when he'd said it. She didn't understand the appeal of getting drunk, and never had.

AJ shook his head, "I know, bad habit. I've had the lectures, I know the problem. I'm working on it. But that's not the issue right now, is it?" He reached out to her. "What did I say to make you so mad?"

Alexa had curled herself as small as she could into the corner of her sofa, and she looked at his hand, reaching to her, unwilling to reach for it. When she didn't respond, AJ slid out of the chair and crouched in front of her, putting his hand over hers. "Whatever it was, you have to know I didn't mean it."

"How do you know you didn't mean it, when you can't even remember what you said?" Alexa hated the insecurity she felt right then. She wanted so much to believe in him, that he didn't mean it. But how could she? People didn't say things that weren't somewhere in their mind right? And did she really want to care this much about a guy who got that drunk anyway?

"I wouldn't have spent so much time making you go out with me in the first place if I just wanted to hurt you, sweetheart. I need you to know that. Whatever I said, it was just one of those stupid things that I say when I'm drunk. It meant nothing. I swear." Alexa finally let herself look into his eyes. She'd avoided that until then, because she knew she couldn't stay upset with him. "Okay?" She nodded weakly, hating herself for letting it be this easy. He pulled her towards him into a hug, "You wanna tell me what I said now?"

Alexa pulled back, "Does it really matter?"

He kissed her gently and then sat down on the sofa beside her, pulling her close to him. "Only if you want to tell me."

Alexa sighed, snuggling against him as she felt him kiss the top of her head. "You said," she knew it was going to sound stupid, "You said you could find somebody else, only it was the way you said it. It just sounds dumb now." She could feel his fingers brushing through her hair.

"Alexa, if I wanted somebody else, I wouldn't have come back after you told me to go away the first time."

She turned her head to smile up at him. "Guess not, huh?"

"Nope, or the second time, either."

Alexa sighed, and let her eyes half-close as she leaned back against AJ. She let herself enjoy the silence, and the comfort of AJ's presence. "AJ?" She didn't have to look at him to know he was listening to her. She took a second and then, "The drinking. Can it stop?" She knew she was pleading, but she needed reassurance. She didn't want to have to deal with this again. She waited while the silence extended, and finally he sighed.

"It's not that easy, �Lexa." He rubbed his hand up and down her arm unconsciously.

She waited, and then reached over to twine her fingers in his, "But you'll try?"

"For you, baby, I'd do anything."

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