Lizzy and Dana were laughing as they prepared lunch when the back door flew open and Mason entered under a load of luggage.  "Help!"

Lizzy and Dana looked at each other then looked at him and busted out laughing again.

"Just drop it Mason!" Lizzy yelled over the activity coming from the backdoor.

When Lizzy had awakened that morning it was to find Brian gone. She had cried a little but then resigned herself to having got what she asked for, one more night in his arms. Brian was everything she remembered and more. It seemed her memories had dulled on how wonderful she could be with him.

All she could feel was bittersweet emotions, and she had decided to focus on the sweet instead of the bitter.  She had spent some time in front of the mirror trying to hide her bruises, but in the end had washed her face and given-up. She had nothing to hide.

When she had made it downstairs it was to find Dana getting ready to start on lunch. Quinn had gone to the airport to pick-up Mason, Cassie, Grace, Bryce, and Davis who were all on the same flight from New York. Lizzy actually took a moment to feel sorry for the airline attendants.

Moving towards Mason she grabbed a few pieces of luggage from around his feet so he wouldn't trip.  She pushed them into the corner then moved back to helping Dana.

She heard Grace and Cassie gasp at the same time when they saw her face.

"Lizzy!" Mason took her face in his hand, tilting it so he could see it better.

"Don't worry Mason, my face is not my livelihood." She gave him a kiss on the cheek then moved to hug Grace and Cassie.

Davis and Quinn had their heads deep in discussion when they entered, but when Davis saw her he didn't seem surprised.

"What happened?" Grace asked, stepping over the luggage that Mason had dropped as she headed towards the refrigerator for a drink.

"Dana and I had a knock down drag out about what we would serve at the party. Dana won." Lizzy joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Lizzy," Mason warned.

"I got the crap beat out of me." Lizzy shrugged. "If it helps I think I broke his nose. Where is Bryce?" Lizzy asked, realizing he wasn't there and trying to change the subject.

"Brian called and said he needed to meet with him. He asked him to miss his connection in Dallas," Davis said, giving her a hug.

"Oh..." what was Brian going to talk to Bryce about? Maybe he was going to prepare him for a desperate Lizzy. Well, she wasn't desperate, in fact she felt better and more in control then she had in a long time.  She felt as if she had decided her future, she had laid it all on the line, and it was now in Brian's hands. She would wait until her next lifetime if she had to.

"Quit trying to change the subject. Who beat the crap out of you?" Mason reached out and grabbed Lizzy's sore arm.  She couldn't help the sharp intake of breath or the look of pain that crossed her face.

Mason pushed up her sleeve. "Lizzy!" he demanded.

"It was Patrick Alexander!" she yelled back.

"Who the hell is Patrick Alexander?" Cassie asked.

Mason's face grew grim. "That's Brian's brother. Now it makes sense. I wondered what was important enough to get Bryce to change his plans."

"Its fine, Brian took care of it," Lizzy insisted, turning to continue helping Dana with lunch.

"What do you mean, 'took care' of it?" Davis asked, leaning against the counter watching Lizzy.

Lizzy just shrugged.

"Brian dealt with the situation," Quinn said. "None of us could have done better, in fact we might have done worse. I'm satisfied."

Lizzy shot Quinn a look of gratitude.

"What's for lunch?" Caleb asked busting into the kitchen, completely unaware of the serious discussion going on.

That was enough to dispel the tension and the look on his face when Quinn told him he was just in time to take the luggage upstairs even made them smile, as did the expletives that came out of his mouth.

*******

Lizzy was relieved when she was able to retire to her room that evening. Bryce had shown up in time for dinner and he had seemed like everything was fine.  He had taken her chin and examined her face, but then he had just given her a kiss on the forehead and not said a word about it.

Lizzy looked longingly at her bed wishing Brian was there to share it with her.  She had just finished changing into her pajamas and had climbed into it when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called. Thinking it was one of her sister-in-laws coming in for a chat.  They had spent most of the day preparing for the party on Saturday.  They were going to have it outdoors under the oak trees behind the house.  It was going to be a real Texas barbecue with black tie and evening dresses.

Bryce stuck his head around her door. "May I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Lizzy patted the bed, inviting him to put his feet up.

He took her up on her offer and leaned against the head board crossing his arms in front of him. "How much do you know about Brian's past?" He turned to look at her, getting straight to the point.

"Not much, I found out about the Army Rangers a few weeks ago." She sat up a little straighter in bed.

"The only reason I am telling you this is because I think it is important for you to understand what happened between Patrick and Brian last night. It is important that you don't blame yourself."

"I don't," Lizzy said it so matter of fact that Bryce couldn't help but chuckle in response.

After a moment he continued. "Brian's home life growing up was not good. His father was very abusive so at the earliest opportunity Brian left home and joined the Army. He felt it was his only choice, if he hadn't left home he would have killed his father."

Lizzy nodded her head.  If she had heard this story before yesterday she would have said that he was exaggerating, but after last night, after seeing Brian's rage, she could see him, if not killing, really hurting someone.

"The Army was able to take all of that rage and teach him how to channel it. Brian told me a little about what happened last night, and if he had wanted to kill Patrick he could have done it with one blow. The Army trained him how to kill." Bryce looked at Lizzy making sure he wasn't overwhelming her.

"When I met Brian he was fresh out of the Army. He had been shot  and the bullet had done serious damage to his shoulder making him fit only for light duty so he took an honorable discharge and decided go back to school.  We were both freshmen, but the difference was that I was eighteen, fresh from home, and he was twenty- four with a lifetime of experience behind him already. For some reason we took to each other. We became fast friends, brothers really. He taught me a lot, and I hope I taught him a few things."

Bryce sat up and turned to her. "He has a hard time trusting and opening up, but the most important thing about Brian is that he is unbelievably loyal."

Bryce stood up and raked his hands through his hair.  Lizzy could tell that he was uncomfortable with what he was going to say next so she waited patiently while he paced her room. 

"I have an idea about what happened between the two of you eight years ago."

Lizzy moved to get out of bed, preparing to defend Brian.

"No, Brian has never said a word, he wouldn't, but I am not blind.  There were changes in both of you after that summer." He started to pace again.

"I told..." his voice broke so he cleared his throat and started again. "I told Brian that you were so young, and that I was worried about you in the big city. I told him that I thought you were ready to make a big mistake about your future. I..." He took a deep breath, "I told him that it would be better for you to focus on a career rather than a romance."

He sat heavily on the bed, not looking at Lizzy.

"I knew Brian, or I thought I did. He had never had a serious relationship in the eight years I had known him. I did not want you to be another conquest.  I didn't want you to get hurt.  I saw the way you looked at him whenever he was around.  I was so angry at Mother for arranging for you to work for him, so I did the only thing I could think of to protect you, I warned him off."

"Well it worked." Lizzy jumped out of the bed, livid, but just as quickly as her anger had come it had left. It really didn't matter. It wasn't Bryce's fault it was all Brian's, he was a man who was capable of making his own decisions. He could have told Bryce to mind his own business if he had really wanted her.

"My only defense was that I didn't understand love."

"And now you do." They were both thinking of Grace, and how lucky he was to have her.

"Brian never made me any promises even before you interfered Bryce. He has always been his own man; if he wants something he stops at nothing to get it.  If he had really wanted me he would have kept me. So you see, I don't blame you. I don't blame anyone. Brian knows how I feel, in fact, I think you all know how I feel. It just wasn't meant to be, at least not in this lifetime."

"Lizzy, I don't think..."

"No Bryce, I'm tired, and Mom, Dad, and Rainer get here tomorrow, so right now I need all of the beauty sleep I can get." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You will forever be my big brother, and I love you. Now go on back to your lovely wife and let me get some shut eye." She had to practically shove Bryce at the door.  He kept trying to talk to her which would just make the situation worse.

After he was gone she turned off the light and climbed into bed only to fall asleep and dream of Brian.