A door slammed and an angry person stormed by.

"Brian, what's that all about?" Howie asked, watching Nick stomp away from them as he passed.

"I think he's mad," Brian answered.

"Well obviously. But what about? You're really the only that can talk to him without losing his head."

"I think it has to do with the fact that Cairo has been answering her cell and she's not home and she hasn't called Nick. Basically he's freaking," Brian explained. Howie nodded understandingly.

"I wonder why she hasn't even called him. That doesn't really seem like her, even though we've only met her once," Howie said, furrowing his brow.

"That's why Nick's going postal!" Brian said. They had three dates left of this tour. Nick hadn't been talking to anyone except to yell at them since the second or third date. It wasn't shaping up to be the best tour they've ever had.

* * * *

He pulled up into his driveway and got out. He stood looking at her house when suddenly the door opened and she came running out; straight into his arms.

He spun her around and they excitedly told each other how much they missed one another and how glad she was that he was back. The sun was shinning, the breeze was blowing and everything was great. She was in his arms, they were both smiling. It was a perfect moment.

He awoke to a persistent shaking. Blinking furiously in the sudden harsh light, Nick looked up to see Brain, Howie, Kevin and AJ all standing over him.

"Nick, we're leaving for the airport in like five minutes. Unless you want us to leave you to snoozing," Kevin said, concerned about their schedule. It was 4 a.m. where they were, and it was a little early for them. They had finished their last concert earlier that night and now were all anxious to go home.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. It's way to early to be up, guys," Nick complained and then sighed. It had all been a dream. He thought again about how much he wanted to be home and smiled, for the first time genuinely in weeks, thinking that he would be there very soon.

* * * *

Cairo dropped her keys on her end table, flipping through her mail. It had been a miserable trip home, and when she finally arrived, she found the whole city a soggy, gray mess. It had been raining for three days straight. Even the ocean was dark and angry. It fits my mood perfectly, she thought ruefully. She had been so glad to be able to escape the sorrow that had engulfed her family after Brad's death, she had never expected to come home to rain.

Her family had found out about everything, even the Trista factor. It was horrible and Cairo truly sympathized with Carlos, Trista's husband. For Cairo, the betrayal wasn't life altering. Of course, she was completely torn up inside because of it, but she hadn't been married to Brad. But Trista had a husband and two children. Cairo was secretly ecstatic to escape the drama that was sure to unfold as soon as everyone had gotten over the shock of Brad's death.

She stopped cold when she came to the last letter. She immediately recognized the handwriting and after checking the post mark realized exactly who it was from.

She ripped open the letter. After reading it, she crumpled it up and tried to rip it apart but found herself too weak. She closed her eyes, and for the millionth time in the past three weeks, she wept.

* * * *

He was going insane. Absolutely, utterly insane. He had been home for two days. And he had seen no sign from Cairo.

Her house was dark and it looked like she hadn't been there at all since the day they left together. He tried calling, but he always got the machine. She still wasn't answering her cell and she still hadn't called him.

He was about to freak. On top of it all, it was raining. The weather was horrible, which reflected the mood. He didn't know how the guys had put up with him for so long, and he was lucky that they didn't snap at all. He knows that he certainly would have.

He walked to his back door, looking out at the dark, choppy waters. It was cold, for Orlando. The rain was beating down steadily and the wind had started to pick up. As he gazed out, a slight movement caught his eye. He looked over towards Cairo's yard and he saw her.

Her back was towards him; she was gazing out towards the water. She was soaked, her drenched hair flying about wildly in the strong wind. She was shivering, that much Nick could see. He could also see that something was really wrong.

* * * *

"Kay, baby, how long have you been out here?" a voice rang out behind her. She ignored it and continued to stare at the hypnotic movement of the waves. They were dark and gray, just like she felt.

"Kay? You better get inside, you're freezing!" Nick said worriedly.

"He's dead," she whispered.

"What? Who's dead?" he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Brad's dead," she said.

"Oh my god. Kay, are you okay?" he asked, immediately concerned. She started to move when she suddenly collapsed.

Nick tightened his grip around her to prevent her from falling. He noticed how pale she was and now she was trembling. He placed his hand on her forehead.

"Kay, you're burning up! Let's get you inside," he said. She couldn't move so he picked her up and carried her into the house.