By the time I get to JC's, Deven is outside on the front stoop. No Harry and no baby. Only one bag. Something doesn't seem right. She wants to talk to my brother, to try to explain things to him. Doing that could fuck him out of the relationship he's working toward or send him back to the institution and he's been happy since finding this Persephone chick. 

Is Cassie there? I wonder how she was after I left the club, making Crayola drop crushed molly into her drink. I wonder how she's been, considering that it's been about two months since I've seen her.  

My cell phone rings as Deven tosses her bag into the backseat. Why would he be calling me? "Hey, Bones." 

"Meeting at my house around seven, no more than ten minutes." 

"When do you ever call a meeting?" 

  "Just show up, it's important and has to do with the tour." 

"All right, I'll be there. Make sure Jen is there." 

"She was the fist one to agree to it."  

"Fine, I'll be there," I tell him, hanging up the phone. 

She climbs in the passenger seat, buckling up instantly. "Hey, Nick." 

"What's up?" 

"I just have to handle this shit with Aaron."  

"Sooner rather than never?" I tease. 

"Yes, after the dream I had recently." 

"What dream?" I ask curiously. 

She launches into it, only sparing a single detail for the end. "-and that guy is your brother." 

"You want him to get you pregnant?" 

"Lord no! I want him to know exactly how I feel, from the beginning to now." 

I nod, my eyes on the road. "Have you heard from Cassie?" 

"Only if it's business related or checking on Jackson." 

"Where are your two little tag alongs?" 

"Back home. I have to do this without Harry with me." Her phone goes off and I see her fire off a text quickly. "I'm just going to say what I have to and head back home." 

"You sound like you're in a rush to do this and get back," I comment, knowing her as well as Cassie. 

"Where's your Klingon?" 

I sigh. "Not with me." 

"Why not?" 

"We broke up seven months ago." 

"Oh, I'm sorry." 

"Cassie introduced me to Lauren." 

"She does that. How has Aaron been?" 

"He might have a girlfriend soon," I inform her, glancing at her at a red light.  

A pang of guilt and hurt flash across her face, a smile quickly covering it up. "I'm happy for him." 

My phone rings, making noise that I assigned his contact information with. "Hey, you have someone to meet with and they're with me." 

"Who and how long?" he groggily demands, his voice heavy with sleep. 

"Someone that wants to talk to you and we will be there in fifteen to settle the situation." 

He grunts, this specific one meaning he wants to get it over with. He hangs up, signaling me that I should bring Deven over. "Well?" 

"He didn't say no." 

I race to his house and walk in, Deven right behind me. "Oh, fuck no!" 

"Just please hear me out and I will never bother you ever again!" she pleads him. 

"Five minutes, it's all the time you get. I have to get ready for my lunch date with Persephone." 

She quickly tells him how she feels and about the dream, silence from Aaron the entire time. "-which is why I had to come tell you in person. Nothing I wrote could explain it the way I just did and I'm sorry for causing you the pain I did." 

He rubs his thumb and first two fingers across his forehead, sighing. "I'm sure not gonna take you back, but apology accepted and that dream of yours is something Chris is going to need to pick apart. My guess is that in the back of your mind you wish things could've come out much differently and they still would have come out the same way, only difference could've been me taking my child and hurting you just like I had been hurt. I wanted us to work, but everything is against us. We are done and I hope you're happy, hopefully you can move on. We can go about our lives and stay away from each other, remaining happy in the lives we have. I genuinely like this girl and you seem to be happy and I hope for the best for us both." 

"Thanks for the closure."  

"Good-bye and stay away." She looks defeated and battle worn when we get in the car. Her head is down and she's breathing shakily. 

"You can crash at my place," I offer. 

"No, just drop me off at Chris' and I'll go home tomorrow." Her phone rings and she answers. "I'm flying back tomorrow. I just needed closure and I got what I was looking for. I love you and Jack, too. Night." 

I drop her off and head for AJ's, not wanting to be late. I knock and Cassie opens the door. "You're early." I shocked her, but I can't blame her when I've hardly ever been early since I was 17 unless someone was riding my ass about it.  

"What?!" Kevin shouts, irritated. 

"Did you not learn before?" Howie hollers, pointing at me behind himself. 

"Cass," Brian mutters, hanging his head. 

I can't hold it in any longer. "BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I boisterously laugh, doubling over.