| Mildred Westerfield burned the phone lines in the days following seeing Colby and Brian at the lake. However, except for her closest cronies no one seemed to care. Seeing Colby with Brian had become so commonplace that even the blue bloods had seemed to lose interest. Her biggest surprise was the reaction she received from William when she called him as soon as she got home that night. The phone rang as William was helping Catherine into bed. He pulled the sheet up around her and leaned over to pick up the phone. “Hello.” “William, good you’re home.” “Mildred? Is everything all right? Thornton? He’s…” William drilled the questions out quickly. “No we are fine, but your daughter-in-law isn’t.” She said in a peeked tone. “Colby?” What’s happened?” William looked at Catherine to see her brow furrow at the mention of Colby’s name. He took her hand and rubbed it to soothe her. “She was with that young singer, William.” “Yes, Mildred. I know. They’ve been seeing each other for a while now. This is not news to us.” He rolled his eyes at Catherine. She smiled at him and his heart leaped slightly in his chest. He needed to end this conversation quickly. “Well be that as it may, but I saw them kissing tonight on the pier at the lake. And it was not a peck on the cheek either, William. Their bodies were pressed together. It was vulgar, much too provocative a display for such a public place.” “I see,” William said slowly. “Tell me, Mildred, how long did you stand there watching? It must have been long enough to be able to discern how provocative this kiss was.” Catherine laughed slightly at his comment. A year ago he would have been railing against Colby himself and now he was defending her. “Well I,” she stammered, “that’s not the point William.” “I think it is,” he said pointedly. “What Colby does or doesn’t do is really no concern of yours. I doubt that she or her young man would allow themselves to go beyond the bounds of proper deportment in public.” “William, they were,” she persisted. “They were what Mildred? Kissing in public? Couples do it all the time. I’m sure you and Thornton were no different at Colby and Brian’s age. Leave it alone.” He let out a sigh; exhausted with the way this conversation was going. “William, what has gotten into you? Only a short time ago, you would have backed me on this.” “Yes I would have Mildred, but I realized that life is too short to worry about the lives of other people. Go to bed and tell Thornton to be ready to get his tail whipped on the golf course in the morning. Goodnight Mildred.” With that, William hung up the phone. “Now where were we,” he said as he sat on the end of the bed. “William,” Catherine said the word slowly. Her speech was nearly back to normal, but she needed to process her thoughts before the words would come. “You really meant what you just said to Mildred?” She searched his face to see if his guard would come up, but it didn’t. His face remained relaxed and he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Yes I did. Colby has to live her own life. She is a beautiful, intelligent woman and we both know that she would never compromise herself or Brian.” William got up and removed his shirt and draped it over the wooden valet. “You know my sweet, if we had been at the fireworks tonight, I might have been tempted myself to kiss you in the moonlight.” “William!” Catherine giggled as he came and slid next to her in the bed. “Come here,” he took her in his arms. “I’ve been such a fool. All these years I missed out on having you near me every night.” He kissed her forehead and Catherine looked up and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I love you Catherine. And I promise, I won’t let anything happen to Colby.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The repercussions of their little public display of affection on July Fourth was nothing compared to the fallout that occurred when the pictures hit the streets in all the national tabloids in August. The only one who didn’t flinch was Garrett. He sat back and let it all unfold just like he planned. The day this nightmare began Brian and Colby were separated by nearly 3,000 miles. He was in California for a series of meetings with producers of the new album. Brian awoke early that morning still groggy from the minimal sleep he had. He had been on the phone with Colby longer than either of them had expected. He had been gone five days and couldn’t wait to return. He had hoped she would join him but it just didn’t work out. So they spent most of their nights on the phone. He showered and dressed and ate a quick breakfast before meeting Kevin and Howie in the lobby. Among other commitments that day they were scheduled at a press conference at noon. They sat down at the table as the cameras flashed and the videographers let their tape roll. They had been assured that the conference would last no more than 30 minutes. Brian took a long drink from the water bottle in front of him. He had decided while showering this morning that he was going back to Kentucky in the morning. He had been gone long enough. He missed Colby too much and whatever details they needed from him they could do over the phone. Kevin leaned over and covered the microphone. “So we are all on the same page right?” Brian and Howie nodded. They had agreed to discuss their charities and the new record nothing else. Nick had been in a couple of scrapes while they were on hiatus and of course AJ’s sobriety was always a hot topic, but riding over in the car the three of them had concurred that this was strictly business today. Their personal lives were just that, personal. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you are ready, so are we.” Kevin said loudly and the press quieted down taking their places. “We have agreed to meet with you today for a brief time, however we will only discuss our charities and our work on the new album. Anything else is off limits. So let’s begin.” To their surprise questions were kept within the parameters of the two topics and each of the guys responded in kind. They were nearing the end of the session when a man up front jumped up and threw an envelope at Brian. Confused and uncertain as to what it contained he cautiously opened the flap and pulled out the contents. The look on his face told both Kevin and Howie it was not good. “So Brian, tell us who is the woman? And is the rest of her as good as what is exposed there?” With that the video screen to their left flashed a picture of Brian and Colby on a beach somewhere. Brian was holding her in his arms and she appeared to be only wearing the bottom portion of a bathing suit. A gasp went through the crowd. “Where did you get these? I can’t believe this. She never…we never…I can’t believe,” Brian spoke incoherently as he dropped his head in his hands. Another picture flashed and then a third. A loud buzz permeated the room and the cameras flashed as Brian glanced up to see the pictures. Anger flared from his eyes and he pounded the table. “That’s enough,” he screamed at them. “I don’t know where you got these but they’re a fraud.” He stood up, gathering the contents of the envelope. Kevin and Howie did likewise and started towards the door but the reporters in the front rows rushed them as they neared the exit. “We’re done here,” Kevin said, exasperated by the turn of events. “When will you people ever learn?” He shook his head dismayed. “Who is she? Where did you meet her?” They kept on. “How serious is this? Is it the same woman who accompanied you to New York last October?” The questions only fueled his anger more and Brian turned and grabbed the microphone from the closest reporter and threw in on the floor. He took him by the collar of his shirt and brought his face real close to his own. “Leave it alone, do you hear me?” Brian said through gritted teeth, “because if you don’t, you will be sorry.” Kevin pulled him away. “Brian don’t stoop to their level. Let’s go. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” They passed through the door and walked quickly to the awaiting car. When they got in Kevin took the envelope and opened it. He muttered an expletive under his breath when he saw the pictures. Every known tabloid had these pictures splashed on their front page. He stuffed them inside the envelope. Why would anyone want to do this? Brian was biting his bottom lip and Kevin could see that he was on the verge of tears. As the car pulled away from the curb, Brian’s phone beeped. He pulled it out. The number was Colby’s. How was he going to explain this to her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As Brian was being badgered with questions both Colby and the Spencer’s received similar envelopes. A courier arrived at each home to hand deliver them. Colby had spent the day cleaning up around the house and was headed for a shower when the bell rang. She opened the front door and was greeted by a young man. “Colby Spencer?” “Yes.” He shoved an envelope in her hands and left. Before Colby could even question him he was in his car and backing out of the driveway. She closed the door and walked back to the kitchen. She slit the envelope open and pulled out its contents. A gasp escaped her lips as she stared at the pictures of her and Brian in the most compromising situations. Each picture had them partially unclothed with Brian holding her or kissing her. But the last was the worst. It showed her very pregnant sitting on a beach with Brian. As she looked at each picture tears fell and her hands began to shake. Why? Who could have done this? They had never been anywhere like this. The more she looked at them she would swear that these pictures were somehow fabricated. Who hated them so much to want to go to such lengths as this to destroy them? My God, Brian could be ruined with the likes of these out on the newsstands. They had fans of all ages. What would parents think of this? They had been able to withstand the commotion over AJ and from what he had told her they were stronger than ever as a result of it. And now this, could they overcome it as well? Her shock wore off and anger replaced it. She threw the pictures on the floor but as angry as she was the tears started again. She slumped to the floor and absently dialed Brian’s cell phone. She needed him now. She needed the comfort of his arms around her, even if it was the last time, because, maybe this was another sign that they didn’t belong together. It seemed as if they were always being plagued with some outside force pulling them apart. She cried, sobs racking her body that when the phone rang it startled her. “Hello,” she sobbed into the phone. “Colby?” William’s voice came through softly on the other end. Colby wiped her eyes. When he found out about all this, Colby was sure that no matter how much he had changed in the last months, he was not going to be happy about these pictures. She took a deep breath to compose herself. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ William and Catherine had been sitting out on the terrace enjoying the break in the heat. Catherine was reading the latest Patricia Cornwell release and William was working on some reports he had brought home from the office. His laptop was open and on the table. This had become standard in the months following Catherine’s stroke. He would go to the office for a few hours in the morning and come home for lunch and spend the rest of the day with Catherine, helping with her therapy sessions and just enjoying each other’s company. So when Sanders told him there was someone at the door for him, William was a bit surprised. After confirming he was William Spencer, the young man handed him the envelope and just like Colby, before William could ask what it contained the man was gone. “Sorry sir, he wouldn’t give it to me, said he had to deliver it directly to you.” Sanders apologized. “Not to worry, Sanders.” William walked back towards the terrace. As he came through the door he pulled the contents out. “What the hell,” he bellowed. Catherine looked up startled at his outburst. “Oh my God,” he said as he flipped through the pages. “William, what is it?” Catherine was concerned. He was pale and that look that she had come to know for more years than she cared to remember returned to his face. “William?” He dropped the envelope on the table anger seeping through every pore of his body. Catherine went to take the pages, when he grabbed her hand. “Don’t. You don’t want to see.” His eyes pleaded with her. “William, we promised there would be no more secrets. You wouldn’t keep anything from me. Tell me. We can work this out together.” He sat down next to her taking hold of her hand in his. He knew this would hurt her deeply but she was so strong. She had come back to him even after he had all but given up. She was right. Together they would have a united front. “Catherine, it has something to do with Colby and Brian. There are pictures in there,” he swallowed hard and looked directly at her, “and they are in various stages of undress.” “What? Colby and Brian? What kind of pictures?” She was confused. Did he just say they were naked? Her breathing became shallow and William talked soothingly to her to get her to relax and breath deeply. “They don’t look real to me. I mean the original pictures of them probably were, but I think they may have been altered to make it appear that they are,” he didn’t finish the sentence. He could think of only one person who would have the audacity to put something like this together. He shook his head, flesh of my flesh, he thought. It would stop and he would see to it. Catherine leaned over and took the envelope. She slowly removed the photos, after only looking at two she threw them on the table as she cried. William held her close and told her he would take care of everything, the first thing being he needed to talk to Colby. He wondered if she had received them as well. Once Catherine was composed, he picked up the phone and dialed Colby. Knowing his history with his daughter-in-law, he knew she would be hard to convince that he had no hand in this. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “William, what a surprise.” Colby tried to sound normal, but knew he would detect the hesitancy in her voice. “Colby I have some disturbing news.” William’s voice sounded strained. “Catherine?” Colby asked quickly. “No she is fine.” He cleared his voice. “Colby I just received a package by courier and it contained pictures of you and Brian.” “Oh God, William, I can explain.” The tears started again and Colby became hysterical. “We never…William you have to believe me, Brian and I…these pictures they aren’t what you think.” She rambled on not hearing his reply. So she had received a package as well, and if William had to guess so did Brian. None of this surprised William. “Colby, calm down. I believe you.” He looked across at Catherine, who still sat there shaking her head in disbelief. She was still a bit shaken but had assured him that she would be fine. If his instinct was right about who was behind this, he would see to it that he was dealt with accordingly. “Colby did you hear me,” he said. “I believe you.” “You do,” she gulped through her sobs. “William, why? Who would do this to us?” “I think I know.” “You don’t think…” Colby pulled herself up straight against the sofa and she wiped her cheeks. “Garrett?” “Yes. This has his hand all over it. I want you to know I will handle this. Have you talked with Brian?” “I tried calling but only got his voice mail. My God William, this is all over the country. I mean these pictures are…” she started to cry again. She had to get away. She needed to go somewhere no one would find her. How would she ever be able to face anyone again? “I can’t stay here William. I need to leave for a while.” “No! I may have an idea. Let me know when hear from Brian.” No sound came from the other end. “Colby? “All right.” She hung up hoping Brian would call soon. |