"Daddy, what are you guys doing out here?" Hailie asked, peeking through the door to the screened in porch in the back of their house. The 4 adults looked up from their conversation, and Hailie sighed. "Its thundering and lightening out, and you guys are sitting at the porch?"

"Yeah babe." Marshall nodded. "We're watching the storm. Come on out here, sit with us."

"Kay." Hailie said carefully, closing the door behind her and walking over to Marshall. He was holding the baby, so she couldnt get up on his lap, and she sighed and got up into the empty chair next to him. "Is the baby scared?" She asked, kneeling on the chair and looking down at the baby.

"Why would the baby be scared?" Renae asked.

"Because, its thundering and lightening outside, DUH!" Hailie rolled her eyes.

"Naw, the baby aint scared. And thats not how you talk to Renae." Marshall said, feeding the baby his bottle.

"Sorry." Hailie mumbled, sitting down and looking across the porch at Laura. "Dont you think the baby is cute?"

"Yeah, I do." She smiled and found this to be an aweome oppurtunity to flirt with Marshall. "Hes really cute, he must take after your daddy." She grinned at Marshall who had glanced up at the mention of his name. He glanced at Renae, who was staring at Laura like she wanted to kill her, and then he looked at Kenny, who was smiling, and looked quite content with everything.

"Uh, thanks?" Marshall asked, more then said, and Renae glanced at him, a look that could shatter glass. He cleared his throat and looked back down at the baby.

"Okay..." Hailie said slowly, sensing tension in the room. "So Laura, do you want a baby?"

"Yeah, I've always wanted a baby. They are SO cute." She grinned.

"Yeah they are." Hailie agreed.

"So, uhm, Renae, I was wondering if I could talk to you, alone." Kenny asked. Hardly anyone looked up from what they were doing except for Renae. She nodded and stood up, Kenny did the same and they walked into the kitchen. Kenny closed the door carefully behind them.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Renae asked, sounding distracted.

"I am actualy in some trouble.."

"I KNEW IT!" She said, turning around. "I knew there was something you wanted."

"Listen," He started. "I want to talk to you about this, tell you the position Im in before you asnwer me. Okay? So just listen."

"Fine." She sat down at the kitchen table and rested her chin in her hand and propped her elbow up on the table. "So talk."

"Okay, well, you know, I have a job down at the bar on weekends. But, that aint enough, you know? I dont have that much money to buy food and clothes and stuff. I just wanted to ask you if I could maybe borrow a few thousand to get mself on my feet again. Please? I have a job, so its not like Im not working. Its just it aint enough. So please could I borrow a few thousand?" He pleaded, sitting down beside her at the table.

"Kenny, is this why you came to visit me?" Renae asked calmly, although she wanted to flip out on him. She didnt look up from the table, kept her eyes fixed on the napkin in front of her, not wanting to see him right now.

"No, I came up here to spend some time with you, get to know you. But I do need the money, and I wasnt going to ask except, I dont know." He shrugged.

"You just got here today, and you are already asking me for money? Kenny, what the fuck?" She sounded mad now, her anger beggining to grow. "No, I will not lend you money." She shook her head.

"Please, Renae, listen." He said. "I really need money, please? Come on, Im your brother, how you gonna do me like that?"

"Kenny..." She whined, she knew that she couldnt just refuse him totally, even though she didnt want to give him anything. But if what he said was true, and he didnt have alot of money, she felt bad. She knew what it was like to not have alot of money, she had absolutely NO money before she got her record deal, she lived out of her car because she kept getting evicted for not paying the rent on time or at all. She didnt want to have her brother going through the same thing, she didnt want anyone to have to go through that, even if she didnt like them, and to know that there was something she could have done to stop it, but didnt. She didnt think she could live with herself.

But she had begun to think that he just came up here for the money, not to actually visit her like she hoped. Deep down she knew that he wanted something, it was just a matter of time before she found out what, but she had hoped that he might actally have changed, and might actually have wanted to talk to her and find out how she was doing and get to know her. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hand exasperadtedly.

"Please?" Kenny pleaded. "Please Renae, for your big brother?"

She glared at him. "How much do you want?"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" He cried, throwing his arms around her. She just sat there, not returning the hug but not pulling away either.

"Dont thank me yet, Kenny." She said. He let go of her and sat back, wondering what she meant. "How much?"

"How about, 5 thousand?"

"5 sounds do-able, but Im gonna think about it. So Im not answering yet." She sighed.

"Thanks Renae." He smiled at her, she wanted to puke.

"Yeah." She mumbled, standing up and walking back out towards the porch. She opened the screen door, Kenny was following her, and she walked behind Marshall, touching his shoulder as she walked. He looked up at her and she had a look in her eye like she was pissed off and he looked to Kenny, who looked pleased.

The storm outside was still going on, rain pelted the windows of the porch and after a few minutes of watching the storm and talking, Renae stood up and walked over to Marshall.

"Here, Ill take the baby to bed." She said, reaching out for it. "Im going to bed too. I have a headache."

"Its, 9 o clock." Marshall said suspiciously.

"Yeah, but, Im tired." Renae threw a glance to Kenny and then took the baby from Marshall. Marshall watched her and then glanced around as she went in the house.

"Maybe, Im gonna go up to bed too." He said slowly, watching Kenny suspiciously, wondering what he could have possibly said to make Renae go upstairs this early. She was usually up into all hours of the night, talking his ear off or working or doing something. She never went to bed this early.

"Yeah, I think, we're tired too." Kenny said, standing up and then looking down at Laura who was still sitting in the chair, obviously not listening to what was going on around her. "Right?" He asked, she looked up and then looked at Marshall, who was also standing by this point.

"Oh, yeah." She nodded.

"It was a long drive." Kenny said, Laura raised an eyebrow. Kenny hadnt drove the whole way up, or at all. He had made her do it, claiming that it was her car. He hadnt given her gas money, and had made her stop everytime there was a Burger King or Taco Bell in sight, and when they stopped there, she had to pay because he had no money. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah," Marshall was staring at Laura, wondering why she rolled her eyes all of a sudden. "Hai, you gotta go to bed girl."

"Okay Daddy." She said, getting off the chair and following everyone in the house.

After they all went up to bed, Marshall tucked Hailie in and then walked past the nursery door to the bedroom door, and opened it slowly. He peeked in slowly, not sure if Renae was in here or the nursery. He saw her, sitting on the side of the bed, staring at the tv set. The tv was off, but she continued staring at it, deep in thought. She was holding the puppy, Sally, patting her fur softly.

"Renae?" He asked quietly, walking in and closing the door behind him. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She sighed.

"You sure?"

"No."

"Uhm, okay?" He said, sitting down beside her. "What happened in the kitchen?"

"What?" She looked at him like he was crazy.

"Oh, when you and Kenny went in there to talk. What happened?"

"Well, he wanted to ask me if he could borrow some money." She said quietly.

"How much?"

"5 Thousand." She looked down.

"Damn."

"I know. I just feel like he only came up here to get money from me, you know?" She asked.

"Yeah, I know, but like," He shrugged. "Just be careful, I guess. Are you gonna give it to him?"

"Actually, I was thinking of it..." She trailed off.

"What? What the fuck? Why?" He asked, getting mad at Kenny for taking advantage of Renae.

"Because, hes my brother!" She sighed.

"Yeah, you must be really close to him, right?" He said sarcastically.

"No...But like...Hes having money trouble, you know? And like, I make more than enough money every day. I can give some to him, dontcha think?"

"I guess." He shrugged.

"Well, like what am I gonna use half the money I have for? Its all gonna be left over in the bank. I really dont need all that." She explained. "As long as I keep selling records, Im not worried about it."

"But, you havent talked to him in like 6 years, and here you are giving him money, its not like he even made an effort to talk to you before. Doesnt that bother you?"

"Yeah, but I mean, how can I refuse him, when hes my brother?" She looked over at Marshall.

"You dont owe him shit, dont feel like you owe him money, because remember, he was the one that you said that stole your paychecks. My mom used to do that too. So I know how you feel. And you cant say that you dont mind it, because you know that you do." He watched her put the dog down on the ground and watched it walk away.

"Yeah, I know, but like, I feel bad. What if he cant afford to pay his rent and he has to live on the street? No roof over his head, no nothing! I would feel so bad, I know what its like to not have any house, I lived out of my fucking car for 7 months until Dre gave me the record deal." She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and put her face in her hands, staring at the dog across the room, trying to think of what to do.

"But you worked hard, and look where you are now. Do you think you would be here if someone gave you a free ride?" He looked at her questioningly.

"Good point, but see, its hard to believe that Kenny is like he is today. When I was 10, he worked really hard, and he and Jeff did good for us, but then like, he started hanging around with Diego, and he got hooked on drugs, and like, he became an alcoholic and a drug addict. And then like, he turned into a complete asshole." She explained. "And its like a shock, you know?" She sat up straighter and looked up at him.

"Uh huh. But, people change. You gotta just accept it, or leave them alone. You know what Im sayin'?" He asked, putting an arm around her shoulder. She nodded.

"I dont know. I dont even know what I should do anymore. Ugh!" She looked up at him. "You know that bitch was flirting with you?"

"Laura?"

"Yeah, Laura." She mimicked the name.

He laughed. "Yeah, she was, wasnt she?" He smiled, as if happy about that. She rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder.

"Shut up, I was mad."

"Yeah, I saw the look on your face. I thought you were gonna kick her ass." He shook his head and sighed. "Damn, I would have loved to watch that."

"Im sure that you would, but Hailie was right there and Marsh, and I just didnt feel like starting a huge fight." She sighed.

He shook his head. "Theres always tommorow."

"Dont hold your breath." She snapped. He shrugged and laughed. "I wanna watch tv, but theres nothing on."

"Sucks to be you. You know, we dont have to watch tv up here..." He trailed off. She giggled and leaned over, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Then, what else is there to do?" She asked teasingly. He grinned against her lips and wrapped his arms around her.

"I can think of a few things..." He said suggestively.

"Hehe. Really?" She asked, pushing him backwards onto the bed and straddeling him. He chuckled lightly.

"Okay, we have a few more days to get them broken up, and get the money." Kenny said, shutting the door behind him when he and Laura walked into the bedroom they were sharing.

"You dont have the money yet?" Laura turned around and raised her eyebrows at him, her hands on her hips.

"No, not yet." He sighed, and cringed as he saw the angry look on her face. "BUT I WILL SOON!" He added quickly. She rolled her eyes and nodded although she didnt believe him.

"You know, I shouldnt have trusted you." She said, walking forward and poking him in the chest. "I knew this was a waste of time and I thought I was going to be making money off of this stupid idea you had. Now if I dont get my money, Im leaving and I wont flirt with him until I see the money in my fucking hands, got it asshole?" She growled. He sighed and nodded, backing away from her.

"You'll get the money, trust me. You'll get it."

"I dont think I believe you. This better not fucking fall through, or else you are in serious trouble. I took this weekend off at the bar for this shit. If this falls through, I will kick your fucking ass." She threatened.

"Listen to me, Im getting 5 thousand from Renae, I knwo she will lend me it, she just hasnt given it to me yet. But trust me, if I know my sister, and I think I do, She will loan it to me. She can never refuse me, since we were kids, Ive always gotten what I want. Dont worry about it."

"How can I not?!" She yelled exasperatedly, and then lowered her voice, not wanting anyone to hear her. "How can I not?" She whispered furiously. "Do you know how much I need this money? And I took time off work to get this money, and if I dont get the money I lost this money and the money that I would have made from work, plus tips."

"Look, Dont worry about it. Lets go over our plan okay? So like, good flirting tonight by the way."

"Oh," She blushed. "You mean when I said that the baby took after him?"

"Yeah, I saw the way he was looking at you when we first got to the door, very nice work there."

"Thank you." She smiled and walked over to the bed and sat down. Kenny followed her, but sat on a chair at the desk next to the bed.

"Okay, so like, tomorrow, Ill find a way to get Renae alone, and like, maybe we can go out somewhere okay? And you stay here with Marshall. Now, while we are gone, you have to try and seduce him." He said, leaning forward and looking her in the eye with a mischievous grin. "Just get him in bed, and keep him there, Ill find a way for Renae to walk in on you guys-"

"WALK IN ON US?" She exclaimed. "I thought she was going to find out after, DAMN, I dont want her walking in on us!"

"Thats the only fucking way that she will find out!" Kenny sighed.

"Well, she cant walk in on us, that will be mad fucking embarrassing. She could kick my ass easily! And she will!"

"How else can she find out then?" Kenny asked skeptically. "Look, thats the only way. Then afte she finds out, we can stick around just long enough to watch the fun begin and pretend to fight with each other and shit. Then we split, you take the money and then we good, right?"

"Ugh," She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She felt like such a whore for going along with this. But, she tried to focus on the goodpoints, getting money, fucking a really hot celebrity, getting Kenny off her back. Those were all important points.

"Good girl." Kenny grinned. She forced a smile. She felt like she was just some object to him, but then again, she remembered that was all that she really ever was to him. Just someone to talk to when he was bored, someone to fuck when he was horny, she never meant anything to him, or else he wouldnt have cheated like he did. "Now lets get some fucking sleep. I am so tired. That drive killed me yanno." He said, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, right, I was the one that was doing all the driving, you hogged the radio, ate and slept the whole time." She rolled her eyes and stood up, walking over to the bags in the corner and unzipping her duffel bag. She picked out a pair of blue and green plaid pajama shorts and a blue oversize tee shirt, and walked into the bathroom that connected to their guest room.

She got changed, brushed her teeth, fixed her hair and removed her makeup, and then looked up into the mirror. She saw a broken person staring back at her. She saw someone who prostituted for money, she saw someone who was selfish, and someone with extremely bad judgement. The reason for her bad judgement, she realized, was that she had never stopped loving Kenny. Maybe thats why she came along on this little trip of his, but either way, she was sure that she still did love him. How could she love him, after everything he had done to her?

She shook her thoughts and gathered her things, walking back into the room to see Kenny in just his boxers, getting into the king sized bed. She sighed. Now she had to sleep in the same bed as him, this couldnt be good. She was afraid to get close to him again, afraid of getting hurt again maybe. But she argued with herself, how could he possibly hurt her by sleeping in the same bed as him?

He couldnt. But it brought back memories of the old days, when they were still going out, the old days when they were in 'love'. Of course, Kenny hadnt loved her. The relationship was totally one sided. He used her for everything. She sighed and climbed up into bed beside him and rested her head on the pillow as he turned off the light, and they both slipped into a deep sleep.