"Would you look at that? Brianna has just noticed that Kevin and his date have finally appeared," Jillian whispered to Brian.

"She looks a little shocked," Brian laughed.

"I guess she didn't know that Kevin and Miriam had worked things out. That could be a little shocking. I was shocked! I was never a big fan of her. She's too…perfect for Kevin. They got along too well, it just didn't seem to have any…" Jillian trailed off, unable to think of the correct answer.

"Chemistry," AJ interjected. He had been watching Brianna as well for a little bit. In between conversations with various guests at the wedding, she'd been checking her watch, and the doorway, assumingly waiting for Kevin to arrive. Now, her eyes wide with shock, she had a little bit of a lost look to her.

"Exactly!"

"You're right. Kev and Miriam just didn't have any chemistry. Now, another girl we all know and love, that wasn't just chemistry, that was electricity!" AJ explained.

"We could only hope. Unfortunately, she's not stable, and Kevin seems to want stable. And boring," Howie said, joining their conversation.

"Okay, so who wants to go over there and talk to her?" Jillian asked. They all turned and looked at Brian.

"No. She's drunk, and I'll bet she's a little pissed off. I already got one left hook from that girl, thank you very much."

"Yeah, but she feels bad about that one, so she won't attack you. She figures she owes you one," AJ cajoled. Brian sighed, and lumbered over.

* * * *

Brianna was staring down into her wine glass, and was startled when Brian sat down next to her.

"How's it going, Brie? You seem kind of quiet and alone. Why don't you come out and dance with us?"

"I don't want to," she mumbled.

"Why not?"

"Brian, I swear, if you don't fuck off, I'm going to break your nose," she said cheerfully, finally looking up at him. Brian laughed slightly, rolled his eyes, and nodded. He got up, and left the table, leaving Brianna alone with her thoughts.

"Brie, I'm happy to see you made it," Kevin said smoothly, sitting down next to her in the spot that Brian had just vacated.

"I'm not talking to you, Kevin Richardson. You can really be a jerk sometimes, you know that, right?" Brianna said, crossing her arms, and turning away from him.

"Well, I do try, Brie. What's your problem today, anyway?"

"I don't have a problem. Not anymore. This stupid wedding is over with, and now I can go back home and forget all about this mess that I've gotten myself into. Forget you, your stupid group and the constant hell I seem to be in whenever any of you are around," she burst out. She shot out of her chair and stomped away from him.

Kevin watched her go. He had to admit that the dress he had picked out for her was absolutely perfect. She really was beautiful when she was incredibly pissed off. It wasn't much of a stretch to figure out that she was mad about the dress, and that he'd been the one to be able to cajole her into coming to the wedding. Sighing over the constant mystery that was Brianna, he went to find his date.

* * * *

"Brianna, where's Kevin?" Nick asked, as he met her by the bar.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I am not the boy's keeper, alright?" she snapped.

"Sorry, just thought you might know. You two seemed to have grown inseparable in the past few months."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's the one you're staying with now, isn't he? And plus, you and he have been talking a lot these past months, or so he says."

"Well, we are inseparable, obviously. Check it out; he's right in front of your eyes," she pointed. Nick looked in the direction that her finger was pointing, and saw Kevin slow dancing with Miriam. Distantly, Nick remembered it was their song they were dancing to, and they were dancing a lot closer than a casual date would normally predict. Frowning slightly, he turned back to Brianna.

"When did that happen?"

"I have no flipping clue. It's the mystery of the hour. Everyone seems to think I might know or care, but I don't, so just spread the word, and tell them to stop asking me, or they'll end up like Brian," she said.

"They seem to have made up pretty quickly. That's really weird," Nick said. The song ended, and Kevin led his date off the floor towards the bar. Brianna seethed as they sauntered over in her direction.

"Brie, there's someone I'd like you to meet," Kevin said, smiling. Brianna met his eyes with a bored look on her face. He did a bit of a double take at her reaction.

"Alright, who are you?" she asked bluntly. The girl, who fitted the perfect ornamental girlfriend image stereotype, looked taken aback by Brianna's rudeness.

"I'm Miriam," she said softly, refusing to meet Brianna's eyes.

"Kev, get your ass out here before I have to drag it out here! This poor photographer has been trying to track you down for an hour now," AJ called out.

"Back in a sec," Kevin said to Miriam, who nodded and stood staring at Nick and Brianna awkwardly. Nick gauged the situation as tense, so he bolted after Kevin, not wanting to get in the middle of what was going to go down.

"So…you've known Kevin long?" Brie asked.

"Yeah, we've been together for almost a year now," she answered.

"Been together?" Brianna asked naively.

"Well, we had a bit of break for a few months. Things were just getting too intense, you know how it can get. But it looks like we might be working things out," she said, her eyes suddenly lighting up. Something inside Brianna twisted.

"That's great. Especially someone who is as good in bed as Kevin is, that's something you wouldn't want to let get away," she said, throwing back the remnants of her drink. She watched with a suppressed smile as Miriam's face slowly turned pink.

"You've slept…with Kevin?" she sputtered.

"Yeah, well, when you live with a guy for awhile, it's bound to happen, no matter how you try to pretend you're just friends with them," Brianna said with a fake smile. She sashayed off into the crowds, leaving one very upset date behind her.

* * * *

"I want one of just the five Boys, too," Laurel called out to the photographer, who began to move people in and out of the arrangement. Kevin was laughing and talking to his band mates when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Just a sec, Miriam, I got to do this photo," he said. His explanation died in his throat as he turned around to see her face. She was definitely upset and he had the sickening feeling that he'd been the cause.

"You never told me you slept with her Kevin," she practically shouted. All of the activity around them died as everyone turned to stare.

"What are you talking about, Miriam?" he asked softly, hoping that he wouldn't be overheard.

"Brianna! Like you don't know! You told me that you were just friends, but now I find out you've slept with her?" she shouted, obviously infuriated.

"Miriam, shut up because you don't know what you're talking about," Kevin warned.

"I don't care that things are over, and I don't care that we've agreed to keep it that way. But to find out that you're replacing me with her? Who the hell do you think I am?"

"Watch it," Kevin warned.

"She's a psychopath! Look what she's done to Brian! And you choose her to replace me? Your once normal and perfect girlfriend? I won't stand for this Kevin, you can be sure of that," she declared, as she spun on her heel and stormed off. An awkward silence fell over those who had witnessed their fight.

"Kevin, man, can we talk for a second?" Nick said, through clenched teeth. Kevin sighed, and followed Nick out into the hall, away from the crowds of his wedding reception.

"Was what Miriam said true?" Nick asked calmly.

"Look, Nick, it's not what she made it out to be," Kevin attempted to explain.

"Is it true?" Nick demanded.

"Yes, but-"

"Shit, man! Of all of them, you were the one I trusted with her the most! Why do you think that I asked you to pick her up at the airport that day?" Nick exploded.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Brianna is my girl, I love her to death and she's like my sister, but I know how guys act when they're around her. They all want to get in her pants. I'm very protective of her, so when I found out she was coming down that time, I figured you would be the one I could trust the most not to try anything with her. Shit, I should have known that I couldn't trust even you with her!"

"Shut up, Nick. You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know the circumstances, and if you think hard enough, you'll know that I'm not the only one who's gone down that road before," Kevin stated as calmly as he could. He'd almost managed to forget that night, managed to forget what it had felt like to wake up the next morning to find her gone. Almost, but it was always at the back of his mind. Nick's rant was bringing back all the memories, and he was becoming more and more frustrated with it.

"She told you about that?" Nick asked, seemingly a little wounded by that revelation.

"Yes. Put two and two together, and you'll figure out why it happened. Or maybe not, because you were too busy with your girlfriend's operation when her mother was dying, you didn't have to watch her watch her mother die, so maybe you won't know," Kevin raged.

"Oh."

"You know something Nick, it really bugs me that you still think you need to protect her. That you still have the right to do so! I mean, for gods sake, you've barely been there at all for the past four months! She practically died falling from the second floor of her house because you wouldn't offer her a place to stay, she's had to watch you in all your happiness completely shut her out of your world, and then when her mother died, you were too busy with that little world of yours to be there for her when she need you the most. So fuck off, because you aren't her best friend anymore. I've done nothing wrong, nothing worse than you've done."

"Don't be so self-righteous, Kevin, at least I can make it clear to her how I feel about her. She's knows I love her like a sister. Does she think that you love her?" Nick fired back.

"That's it, Carter. I'm done with you. If we don't stop talking, you're going to end up bleeding, and I'd hate to do that to Laurel on her wedding night. Look, where is Brie?"

"I don't know. She came and said good night, and wished me and Laurel the best, but she'd had all she could take. She said she was going home, to get away from this mess for awhile," Nick said softly. Kevin's heart jumped in his throat. That wasn't supposed to happen.

"Kevin, wait!" Nick hollered after him as he ran out the door.