Since I've been away for so long from the fanfiction scene, I decided to begin a new fic to get back into the groove of things again. I'll begin where I left off on my other fics, but in the meantime, here's something new..Enjoy!

Chapter One

A baby that wasn't his, a half-brother that seemed to be getting more than his fair share of the family wealth, and a love wasted on a woman who did nothing but lie and manipulate him were all things that plagued Nicholas Foxworth Crane's mind as he ruminated over the pitiful mess of his life.

"Fox,"

Fox felt a nudge on his left shoulder, but intent on drowning his sorrows in continuous rounds of alcohol he ignored it and continued to sip on the amber liquid swishing in his clear glass.

"Fox," He heard the earnest desire laced in the voice of the woman trying to capture his attention, but Fox was far from interested in indulging in any interaction with any other living soul. Taking another sip of his drink, Fox winced as the liquid burned a trail down his throat before collecting into a tingling mass of fluid in his stomach. As he lifted his arm to take the last swig of what remained in his glass, Fox felt a frustrated punch that was hard enough to knock the rest of his drink onto his wrinkled polo.

"What the" Fox said in disbelief as he watch his drink penetrate through his shirt. Grabbing a handful of napkins and dabbing at his shirt angrily Fox looked up into Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald's penetrating gaze. "I don't want to talk to anyone Theresa," Fox mumbled as he quickly looked away and resumed to save his shirt from a noticeable stain.

"Fox, you need to go home." Theresa said firmly. "Drinking away your sorrows isn't going to get rid of the pain. I know you're hurting," Theresa said more gently, "But you can't drink it away. Come on Fox. Let's go."

Fox threw the soaked napkins onto the counter and shook his head. "I don't want your pity Theresa. I appreciate that you're trying to help me out, but I don't want your help right now. So could you just do me a favor and leave?"

"No," Theresa said frowning. "I'm not going anywhere unless you come with me." Determined, Theresa crossed her arms and pressed her lips into a straight line. Slightly amused, a tiny smile tugged at the corners of Fox's mouth as he gazed upon Theresa's small frame, his eyes tracing the tempting curve of her neck downward past her shoulders to the small yet still noticeable womanly curve of her hips.

Theresa cleared her throat loudly, lifting an eyebrow. "Well?" She said tapping her foot impatiently. "Are you coming with me or not?"

Fox shook his head as he averted his gaze elsewhere. "As tempting as your offer sounds, I'm going to pass." Fox said as he turned back to the bar and attempted to grab the attention of the bartender. "You should go on home. Good night Theresa,"

"Fox," Theresa said placing her hand on Fox's shoulder. "You shouldn't deal with this alone."

"I don't want any company," Fox retorted as the bartender proceeded to refill Fox's glass.

"Stop being so stubborn," Theresa said her eyes aflame with the fiery spirit Fox initially noticed when he first met her.

"I should say the same thing to you," Fox said lifting his glass to Theresa. "Besides, how did you know I was here?"

"I needed to get out of the house," Theresa said looking away. "I saw you walk in, and I've watched you drown yourself in rounds of alcohol. I couldn't let you hurt yourself like this, so I came over her.

"Ah. I see" Fox said nodding. "Well, I appreciate To our stubbornness," He toasted before taking a mouthful and entering into a fit of coughing. "Ahh," He exclaimed through bouts of choking. "That was rough."

Theresa sighed sadly as she shook her head in disbelief. "Fox, you should talk about what's going on. How you feel"

"No," Fox interrupted. "There's nothing to talk about. The woman I thought I loved turned out to be a complete fake. End of story."

"I know there's more to it," Theresa said searching to hold Fox's gaze with her own.

"How would you know?" Fox snapped. "Why can't you just accept the fact that I don't want to talk about anything right now?" He asked already immensely irritated-his words slurring from the mixture of alcohol and frustration. "Besides, what makes you think I would want to talk about relationships with you? You aren't the best person to turn to for relationship advice." Fox laughed bitterly. "After all, look at where you're at with you and your so-called fated lover Ethan."

"Excuse me?" Theresa asked as her eyes widened with surprise at Fox's verbal attack. "How dare you"

"Wait," Fox said holding his hand up and setting his glass down with a loud clunk. "Before you go off on me with that little fiery temper of yours, you have to admit- I have some basis in what I just said."

"I can't believe you." Theresa said disgusted while her eyes held a pained expression. "Even though you may have had too much to drink tonight, that gives you no excuse to say things like that to me." Theresa's lower lip quivered as she shakily stood up. "I just thought I should be there for you." She said regaining her composure. "But fine, Whatever. You obviously don't care, so why should I?"

"You're right. Right now I don't care," Fox said sadly- his flushed cheeks a sign of the sudden rush of heat warming his body. "Nothing matters anymore." Fox said depressively as he swayed in his seat. As Theresa gazed at Fox with a mixture of disdain and pity Fox suddenly became overwhelmed with the urge to vomit. He immediately ran to the front door with Theresa following close behind. While bracing himself against the wall, Fox wretched the contents of his stomach onto the littered pavement as Theresa stood beside him and patted his back comfortingly. Moaning, Fox rested his head on the wall's cool surface.

"Come on," Theresa said softly as she placed his arm around her neck and her arm around his waist. "Let's go to my car."

Reluctantly, Fox agreed- the desire to curl up in the safe confines of a nice warm bed becoming the only coherent thought in his pounding head.