"So you actually climbed up the roof?" Nick laughed softly.

"What else was I going to do? I don't have my phone with me, I didn't have any keys. I was locked out, and it was the only way I could see," Brianna defended herself, laughing. It sounded stupid to her, now.

"And then you fell through the floor. Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, surveying her with a serious look. Brianna knew that look. If she didn't confess that she wasn't alright, he'd hound her until she did.

"I'm just really stiff, especially my back. But a night sleeping on a floor can do that to a person," she answered. It was the first quality time she had been able to spend with Nick since she arrived. After being dragged, like a truant child, to Kevin's house, she had fallen asleep in the comfort of the guestroom bed he'd offered her. After waking up, she discovered that Kevin had arranged a rental car for her, and that his house was empty. He'd gone to the studio.

"That's good. So, should I pull Kev aside and give him the 'watch your step around my girl' lecture?" Nick asked.

"My dear boy, how many times must I tell you, I just don't feel the same way about you. I don't find you attractive."

"You should get to know Laurel."

"That was a change of subject."

"Well, we're out here, and she's by herself in there."

"She can come out, can't she? Nothing's holding her back," Brianna said innocently. She couldn't wait to see Laurel's reaction after she was a witness to classic Brie-Nick bonding.

"I think she feels that she'd be a third wheel. If you were to ask her…"

"Hey, no problem. How are things with you two, anyway?"

"They are amazing. Brie, she's just perfect for me. She needs me and I need her more than anything. Nothing else matters, it's just…magic," he sighed.

"That's great," Brie said, feeling sick. He looked so happy, but she had noticed all the differences in him already. He could hardly make time for Brianna, all of it was consumed with Laurel. He only wanted to talk about her; her illness, her transplant. It was driving Brianna insane. And somewhere in her head, a little voice kept saying that this is how it would be forever…unless she did something about it.

And that was getting harder and harder to plot. Nick was so happy. And Laurel…how on earth did you take on a blind girl?

"Well, aren't you going to go ask Laurel to join us?" Nick prodded.

"Yeah. Here, give me your glass. I'll enter under pretense of refueling," Brianna said.

* * * *

"Is that you, Brie?" Laurel called from the sitting room. Brianna detoured from her direct line to the kitchen to speak with her.

"How could you tell?" Brianna asked, a little curious.

"You have a smaller stride than Nick, and you sound like you're skipping whenever you walk," Laurel smiled, as she explained.

"That's kind of eerie that you can tell that much just from what you hear," Brianna said thoughtfully.

"Well first impressions are the most important, aren't they Brie? And I have a feeling I know what your first impression of me was," Laurel said, suddenly switching from nice to heinous bitch hoaning in on her greatest rival.

"Try me," Brianna said. When all else fails, just be blunt, was her motto. She had no idea how to handle a suddenly-hostile-Laurel.

"The first thing you though when I entered the room yesterday was 'oh shit, she's blind'. How in the hell are you going to manage to destroy the relationship of a blind girl? It just wouldn't be fair, now would it?" Laurel said, standing up.

"Destroy your relationship? What on earth?" Brianna stammered, afraid because Laurel had hit it dead on the mark.

"That's why you are here, isn't it? Nick may not see through your excuse of coming down here to visit your mother, but I do. You panicked when he proposed, and you realized that if you stayed away, you might loose him. So you flew down here, eager to break up what we have because of whatever the hell motives you have, and then you meet me. And the plan goes to shit."

"Does it?"

"Come on, I have some power here. I can't see. I am physically handicapped, and you have nothing to compete with that. It was unexpected. It has you thinking that maybe you shouldn't go through with this, that maybe it would be wrong to ruin the best thing she has in her whole world. That maybe if you just walk away and be the best friend that you have been for so long, it would be a great gesture of what a wonderful human you are. After all, what do you have to fight against a blind girl?" Laurel said coldly, walking straight up to Brianna quite as if she saw her.

"How about history?" Brianna asked, trembling a little bit.

"If you try anything, I'll blow you out of the water," Laurel threatened.

"Chill, because I'm not here to ruin your precious relationship. You can have Nick, I'd never date him. I flew down here because I wanted to make sure that you and I would get along, before he committed until death do you part. He's my brother, and you control him. You don't like me, I don't see my brother. Understand?" Brianna said, which truly was part of her reason for the sudden visit.

"Then don't try anything. You may have history, but I have him," Laurel warned, and then she turned and walked confidently out of the room. Brianna swore under her breath, because she felt about two inches talk after that conversation. Laurel had a certain dignity about her that just made any confidence that Brianna had crumble upon sight.

"Brie, what's taking you so long?" Nick asked, walking in.

"Just your crazy girlfriend threatening me because she's seen too many screenings of My Best Friend's Wedding," she hissed under her breath.

"What?"

"I was just talking to your crazy girlfriend about my best friend's wedding, if and when she'll ever agree to marry your sorry ass," Brianna improvised.

"Why crazy?"

"Because she's with you. Come on, we are going for a walk," Brianna declared, needing to get as far away from Laurel as possible.

"Sure. Let me get Laurel, she'll love to come," Nick exclaimed, dashing upstairs.

"Perfect," Brianna smiled through clenched teeth.