...outside the elevator...

Ally felt a little empty as he walked away. Clearly, Larry had gotten over his infatuation with her, and that was what she wanted. But, she also realized she still wanted him to be attracted to her and want her...it was sort of a selfish, ego thing she figured. She wondered what he wanted to talk about, if it wasn't them, but decided she'd just put it out of her mind until tomorrow morning.

...later in the day...

Ally was walking home and she thought about poor Brian with no supper. In the beginning of their relationship, she used to bring him little picnics when he worked late, but she hadn't done it in a long time. "Why not"...she thought, heading for Jack and Marion's Deli..."he'll love it."

She ordered a liverwurst and onion with mustard on Rye for Brian and a Roast Beef on Italian with lettuce and tomato for herself. She ordered a couple of salads too and Brian's favorite cream puffs. She'd pick up some wine down the block. As she walked along, she wondered how she could be with a guy whose favorite sandwich was liverwurst and onions with mustard...but, it seemed to be a British thing and she loved that about him.

The sun was just about to set as she got to Brian's building and, looking up, she could see his lights were on. She took the elevator to the third floor and walked quietly down the hall. "Surprise honey, it's me"...she called out, pushing open the door. Then she froze. Brian was locked in a passionate embrace with a woman. Her blouse was half off and he was working on getting the rest off. They both looked over at her, completely startled. She couldn't believe her eyes...the woman was Helena Fisher.

Brian called her name, but she dropped the bags of food she was carrying and ran out of the building as fast as she could. She could hear him start to follow and then Helena's voice saying..."let her go, you can talk to her later."

Ally felt as if she was falling off the end of the earth. Was this what Brian had been doing on all those nights when he had to work? "This was her punishment for the **Larry thing**"...she thought, continuing to run. She didn't really know where to go, then by pure force of habit she found herself in front of Cage & Fish.

"I'll just go up to my office for a while and pull myself together." She couldn't talk to Renee about this, at least not right now. Renee had always said Brian was an oily snake and boring to boot. She didn't need an 'I told you so' lecture right now. She just needed to cry and think this through more.

When the elevator opened, she noticed Mark's light on and she heard Larry's voice too. Should she tell him? She knew it was the right thing to do, but she needed to compose herself first.

Going quietly into her office, she started pacing back and forth. She just couldn't stop crying. She knew John had some brandy in his desk, so she walked over there and filled his coffee cup half full. She drank it right down, followed by two more and plopped down in John's chair. Finally, she quieted down and headed back to her office. Mark and Larry were still there, but they seemed to be gathering up files and getting ready to leave.

Just then, Larry walked out and saw her just staring at Mark's door. "Are you okay, Ally?"...he asked.

"I..I..I was just coming to ask you to stop by my office before you left. Do you have a couple of minutes."

She seemed pretty shaky and obviously had been crying. He had a bad feeling about this. "Sure Ally, I just have to tell Mark one more thing and I'll come to your office."

"Okay"...she said meekly..."thank you."

Larry knocked on her door and getting no answer, walked in. She was staring out the window, slowing shaking her head from side to side. "What is it, Ally"

"Larry, I..I..have something very upsetting to tell you, but I think you deserve to know. Helena and Brian are having an affair."

"I know"...he answered quietly. "How did you find out?"

"I brought a picnic supper to his office tonight to surprise him...he said he had to work late. I opened the door and there they were groping, each other. Larry, if you knew, why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to tell you...tomorrow. I found out a month ago, when I overheard her make a date with him on the phone. I could tell from the conversation that it was more than just a friendly meeting. Just to be sure it was the same Brian, I hit the 'redial' button, copied the number and then looked him up in the yellow pages. It was a match."

"You know, you could have told me sooner and saved me from this horrible humiliation"...she said starting to cry again.

"Ally, you'd pushed me so far away. And, at first, I thought it would just be a little fling...she has lots of those. But, when I saw them at lunch near her office a few weeks later, being very cozy, I knew it was still going on. He even called at the apartment once and when I answered he got very flustered...said he something about thanking her for a legal referral and would I have her call him. Finally, I confronted her last week, and she admitted to the whole thing...said she was in love with him.

Slowly, he walked towards Ally. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know you really love Brian. I only wish I'd gotten to you beforehand. I'm sure the situation was all initiated by Helena, she knows how to be a temptress. This is the third time in almost three years of marriage that she's had a major affair. The last one was her boss in New York...that's why we left, to get a fresh start. I honestly had no idea she was like this when I married her."

"I've always known Helena was no angel, Larry. When we were in high school, she got any guy she ever wanted except Billy Thomas. He chose me and it always bugged her. In fact, she brought it up again at the party...maybe this was her way of twisting in the Billy knife. But, Brian didn't have to fall for her stuff"...she said, starting to cry again. "God, I just can't seem to stop crying. Why do we give ourselves to people who die or don't want us. Billy Thomas died right in front of my eyes last year and now Brian is cheating on me. Why? All I've ever wanted is to be loved."

"I know I'm not your favorite person, but I think you could use someone's arms around you right now. No strings attached?"

Ally looked at him and after a slight hesitation she stepped forward and buried her face in his chest, sobbing deeply. After a while, she looked up at him..."I've been really self-centered Larry, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about you and Helena."

"You know, the first time she had an affair I was devastated, but I forgave her and thought we could make it. There's a lot about her that's quite wonderful you know. But now, I'm just numb. I've asked her for a divorce for the sake of my own sanity. I've been dying a slow interior death living with her. She's seems to be dissatisfied with everything about me, including my seven year old son. And, if I don't reconnect with him soon, I'm going to miss his childhood."

"Listen, can we go somewhere and get a drink. Maybe we could lend each other some support."

"I appreciate your offer Larry, but I've got a lot of thinking to do with regard to Brian. There are so many things that I need to know. Maybe there is still a chance we could work it out."

"Then, let me walk you home, Ally."

"Larry, just let me go. This whole thing is a big enough mess. I don't want to complicate it further."

"I understand. But, remember I'm just a phone call away if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Larry"...she said, pulling him forward to give him a hug. But, as his face came closer to hers, she felt that powerful draw between them and before she knew it she was kissing him and letting his arms envelop her. "Larry, what is it with us"...she said pulling away again.

"I don't know exactly, Ally., but I hope someday we'll be able to find out." Then he walked out of her office without another word.

...later that evening...

Ally went straight to her room, drew a bath and sat in the hot water sweating and thinking. Around eleven, the doorbell rang. She knew it was Brian, because he was smart enough to know she'd probably have said no if he'd called first.

She could hear Renee letting him in..."Ally, Brian's here!!"

"I'll be there in a couple of minutes"...Ally answered, trying to stay calm. "Well, Renee's going to get the picture soon...once the fireworks start flying."

Renee whizzed out of the living room as soon as Ally arrived. She could tell from the stricken look on Brian's face that something was definitely wrong.

In the tub, Ally had wondered about whether she could forgive him or not. As much as she wanted to play the wounded woman role, she couldn't forget that she'd cheated on him too with Larry. Although for some reason, she'd never felt guilty about it. And what did that say..."neither of them were satisfied with each other???" He probably deserved another chance, but she decided it would require some serious groveling and promises on his part for that to happen. She decided to just walk into the living room and let him talk first.

"Ally, thank you so much for seeing me. I..I..I don't know what to say"...he said talking really fast and looking very nervous.

"Well, you'd better think of something. You're the one who came here. I'm willing to listen, but I'm not going to make it easy for you by talking first. So talk!!"

"Ally, I don't really have an excuse. I started seeing Helena a week after the party at her apartment. She called me about some legal work for a friend and, well, one thing led to another. I feel so guilty about the whole thing."

"Poor you"...Ally sneered with no sympathy.

"I do feel guilty, especially for letting it go on so long."

"I'm sure no one was holding a gun to your head, Brian."

"I guess that's the point Ally...no one was. You know I love you dearly, but with Helena...well, I feel like it's the real thing."

"You...You're breaking up with me?"

"I'm not going to insult you with the details, but we want to be together. Her husband already knows and he's asked for a divorce. I'm going to marry her, Ally."

"You sleazy, oily pig. You gold-digging, two timing PIG, PIG, PIG. Get out of my sight this minute"...Ally shouted at him. She wanted to throw the Larry thing at him to save face, but she knew it could end up in Larry's divorce case and she didn't want to do that to him.

Brian started backing out of the room..."What about my stuff?"

"I'll throw it out on the rear deck tomorrow night, you weasel. Better pick it up before it snows all over it. Now get your sorry ass out of here and take your chicken thermometer along with it."

"Chicken thermometer???"...then he realized what she was referring to. "Happy to oblige you bitch"...he replied, slamming the door behind him.

Renee waited a respectable amount of time and then came back into the room. She thought Ally would be in tears, but she was just sitting there. "Are you okay, honey"...Renee asked.

"Believe it or not, Renee, I'm fine. I don't even feel like crying. He's had an affair with Helena Fisher, I caught him in the act, he's dumped me to be with her, and I think I'm relieved. On some level I always knew I didn't have the right love with Brian. But, I wanted to get married so much I decided to settle because I thought he was the perfect catch, given the standard criteria.

"Ally, you already know my feelings about Brian. I'm not going to bring that up again. But I do want to say how proud I am of the way you're handling this."

"Ally wasn't paying much attention to Renee. Then, abruptly, she got up. "I'm sorry to run out on you, Renee, but I really need to make a phone call. There's someone I have to talk to right now."

Renee looked puzzled, and headed back to her room.

"I can't talk about it now, Renee. You'll understand soon enough."