"Carrie? What the hell…what happened?" a groggy Brian moaned as he slowly woke.

"I have no idea what happened, what's happening…" Cairo said, her pounding head impairing her thought process. She looked frantically around her.

"Brian, Nick saw us in bed together," she announced.

"So what? It's not like we're not fully clothed or anything," Brian pointed out grumpily, definitely not epitomising the idealistic 'morning' person.

"I don't think he realised that. Shit, what happened last night?" she asked, throwing her head between her legs, trying to quell a furious bout of nausea that was threatening to overwhelm her senses.

"We got drunk, and passed out in my room. You bitched about Nick, I bitched about how Stacey would be mad at me because I had to ditch her to look after her, and then we fell asleep," he explained.

"I know that much. But, how did I get drunk? Okay, I'm definitely a light-weight, but I'm seriously not that pathetic. One shot cannot do me in, this badly…oh god, I don't think I have ever been this hung over," she moaned.

"I don't…do you think Stacey will believe me when I tell her what happened last night?" Brian asked, as if suddenly thinking of that possibility.

"Sure. I mean, she loves and trust you, and she knows that there is nothing between us accept for a penchant for seeing Nick suffer every now and then," Cairo dismissed.

"Yeah, but if Nick…"

"Thinks that we…then why won't Stacey, right? Yeah, but just comfort yourself with the fact that whoever that was, that wasn't my Nick. Our Nick. That was just a stranger who looks familiar," Cairo said sadly.

"So, what happens now?" Brian asked tentatively.

"Well, in typical Cairo fashion, I'm going to track him down, we'll have a huge confrontation and a lot of shit will be said, but a lot will be left unsaid. We're very good at doing that, you know. And then finally, one of us will cross the line, and I'll say something that I'll regret, and then leave. And that will be the end," Cairo outlined, trying to find levity in the situation.

"Oh Carrie, do you honestly think that will happen?" Brian asked, desolate.

"I can hope that it won't, but things have not been right for too long. But don't forget, we do this at least once a year, it's tradition," she said, thinking of the first emotional confrontation that she and Nick had had.

"But you've only been together for two years," Brian protested.

"Only two years…Better than the four I wasted on Brad," she said shakily. Brian, knowing that Cairo prided herself on how strong she could be, knew that she was close to breaking down, so he just put his hand on her shoulder. Cairo gave him a small, half-smile, to thank him, and then returned to staring blankly in front of her.

* * * *

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Meagan said. Nick had been sitting quietly for a few minutes now, just staring blankly.

"I don't know what I saw. Meagan…I saw and I felt and I heard…but I don't believe it," Nick said, with an air of uncertainty.

"Nick, come on. You have eyes, you know what you saw. Don't let her manipulate you like this," Meagan pleaded, kneeling in front of him.

"But how? Why? Even if she wanted to…Brian? She would never with Brian," Nick said fiercely, knowing it was true.

"Look at me Nick. You have seen what has been going on, don't deny it now. All these weeks! You've caught them whispering together. Whenever you are not around, they're together. For God's sake, they were talking about you on the plane while you were asleep! This has been going on forever, and you've been so blind - so love sick - for that manipulative bitch that you couldn't even use your common knowledge to see it," Meagan insisted.

"But…but when she was with Brad, and there was so much between us, she wouldn't even kiss me then. Cairo is not a cheater, I know she isn't," Nick insisted.

"How well do you really know her now, Nick? You have been growing steadily apart since she left for that book tour. How well do you still know her?" Meagan persisted.

"But…I don't know. But it's Cairo…Do you understand this? Do you understand what she means to me?" he asked. Meagan flinched as she heard the pain in his voice.

"I know. But she doesn't. And she doesn't deserve to know," Meagan said softly, pulling the velvet box that he had been clutching out of his hand.

"What would I do without you, Meagan?" he asked quietly.

"I love you, Nick. Always have. No matter what happens, okay? I love you."

"Why won't she?"