AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is based off several other characters as well as their storylines from NBC's "Days of our Lives," yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own NBC's "Days of Our Lives" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

This story takes place during the time Hope is carrying Bo's first baby. I have changed the "history" somewhat to include Justin, Adrienne, and Dr. Marcus Hunter.

~*o*~

Two days had passed since Hope's release from the hospital, but she had not seen her husband since that day. She assumed that Bo was away on yet another business trip for his father considering he hadn't come home. Justin, on the other hand, had been very attentive. He stayed by Hope's side, doing his legal business from the Kiriakis mansion in case she may be in need of anything.

"Hope, what would you like for dinner?" Justin asked her as he came into the living room and found her relaxing on the love seat reading a book.

"Not much. I'm not really hungry," she responded as she looked up from the novel.

Justin frowned. Since the loss of the baby, Hope didn't seem to have much of an appetite. He wished he knew of a way to help her feel a little better. "Well, I'll have Cooke fix us some soup and sandwiches then," Justin said as he started to leave the room.

"Justin, wait..." Hope called out to him. She set the book aside and reached out for him, taking his hand into hers.

"Thank you for looking out for me the past couple of days," she said as she gave him a smile.

"Don't mention it, Hope. I just wish there were something... anything I could do to help you through this terrible time," Justin said to her sincerely.

*And Bo should be here. There's no excuse for his behavior,* Justin was thinking.

"You've already done so much. Really you have," Hope told him. "It makes me feel so comforted just knowing you're here..."

"I'm going to spend the whole evening with you, Hope," Justin promised her. "Would you like that?"

"I'd love it. What will we do?"

"I don't know. We could watch a movie. And just relax and enjoy a big bowl of popcorn. How does that sound?"

"That sounds wonderful. I don't want to be alone right now..." she told him sadly. She was thinking of Bo, and how he had practically deserted her. She knew they'd had an awful fight, but even so, Bo had just took off somewhere when she had needed him most, and he hadn't even told her where he was going.

"I know," Justin said as he looked deeply into her eyes. "But you'll never be alone. You'll always have me."

She wanted to say she loved him, and he was her very best friend, but she hesitated. She couldn't say those words to Justin right now, because he wanted more than that. He was clearly in love with her, and more than anything, Hope didn't want to hurt him.

She smiled at him gently and simply stated, "Thank you, Justin."

"You're welcome," he said as he gave her hand a tender squeeze. "I'm kind of in the same boat, you know. I miss my boys so damn much. This house seems so empty without them. I only get to see them on the weekends. It's never enough."

"I know it's not. Are you going to try to work things out with Adrienne?"

"No, it's impossible. She's right about everything. And she's not coming back here; not while I still have feelings for you."

Hope nodded as she didn't know what to say. She knew that Justin couldn't turn his feelings off and on for her just like a light switch. Adrienne was badly hurt because Justin had feelings for Hope and deep down, Hope really couldn't blame her. Even so, she hated to see Justin suffering without his little boys.

"I'll go see about our dinner," Justin told her. He left the living room and went into the kitchen to speak to Cooke.

Justin and Hope had their dinner in the formal dining room, then went to the living room to pick out a movie. Victor had quite an assortment of videos to chose from. "What kind of movie would you like to see?" Justin asked.

"I think something scary or a comedy would be best. I can't really deal with anything too dramatic or a tear-jerker right now," responded Hope.

"Me either," Justin replied.

"How about this one?" he asked as he held up a movie for her inspection. It was a light-hearted comedy.

"I think that's perfect."

"Great," said Justin. "Cooke's getting the popcorn ready, so I guess we are all set."

Justin popped the movie into the VCR while Hope got comfortable on the love seat. Justin sat down next to her. At first he wasn't so sure about their proximity, but then after only a couple of minutes, it seemed very natural that Hope should sit so close to him. By the time Cooke arrived with a large bowl of buttered popcorn, Justin was very relaxed. Unfortuately Hope wasn't. With all the stress she had been under, she was still rather tense. Justin looked at her in concern. "Hope would you like me to massage your shoulders for you?" he offered.

Hope looked at him, wondering if that would be a good idea. After all, Justin had recently admitted that he was pretty much madly in love with her, but despite all that, he was her dearest friend, too. He had been a wonderful friend to her, and she knew he wasn't planning to make the moves on her. Justin genuinely cared.

"Alright," she agreed as she gave him a little smile. She turned around on the love seat, so he would have access to her shoulders and back. Justin gently brushed her long dark hair aside, placing his hands upon her tensed shoulders. With a firm, yet gentle touch, he began to massage away all the tension and the pain that had been locked within her stiff muscles. She sighed softly as the tension and discomfort she had been feeling began to melt away.

"Justin, that feels amazing," Hope said as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the massage. It felt so wonderful that she almost fell asleep. She absolutely did not want Justin to stop.

Soon he had rubbed all the tension out of her neck, back, and shoulders. Sensing that she wasn't ready for him to stop, Justin suggested that he should rub her feet for her as well. "Oooo... would you?" she said as that sounded like such a heavenly idea. She took off her house slippers and propped her foot up on the coffee table.

Justin grinned as he took Hope's small foot into his hand. He began to rub it as well, gently squeezing away the tension. "How does that feel?" he asked her.

"I love it," Hope responded.

Suddenly they both looked up, seeing Bo standing in the doorway. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, seeing his cousin rubbing his wife's feet while they were seated close together upon the love seat.

"Ohhh wow, I'm glad you could finally grace us with your presense, Brady. Where the hell have you been?" Hope asked him angrily.

"I went on a business trip," Bo responded. "Now answer my question. What's going on with you and my cousin?"

Justin rose to his feet to confront Bo. "Nothing's going on, but she just lost YOUR baby. Why haven't you been here for her?"

"You can honestly tell me that nothing's going on between the two of you? I walked in to find you TOUCHING her. Why the hell are you getting COZY with my wife?" Bo demanded. "What about your own wife?"

"For your information, Adriene left me."

"Why? Why would she leave you?"

"Is it any of your business? You should be taking are of your own wife and mending your relationship with her and stay out of my relationship with Adrienne."

Justin and Bo glared at each other as their rivalry grew. "Don't tell me what to do," Bo hissed. "I'll take care of my wife just fine... thank you!"

"You're doing a piss-poor job of it so far," Justin sneered.

Before Justin could say another word, Bo punched him. Justin wiped the blood from his lip and said, "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"Shut the fuck up or I'll slug you again!" Bo warned.

Hope jumped to her feet and stood in between them. "No more punching or fighting!" she yelled at them. "I won't sit there and have the two of you fighting over me like a couple of love-sick teenagers. Until the two of you can act like adults, I don't wanna talk to either one of you."

She turned on her heel and ran upstairs, leaving both Justin and Bo to stare after her. "She's my wife... stay the hell away from her!" Bo barked at Justin.

"If you love her so much, you better start showing it... or you're going to lose her," Justin warned.

"To you? Ohhh I don't think so," Bo said as he ran upstairs to speak with Hope. He stood outside her bedroom and knocked, but she refused to answer the door.

"Go away, Bo. I have nothing to say to you," she told him.

"Hope, open the door. I still love you."

Not in the least bit convinced, Hope lay down her bed. Her marriage was in shambles, and her husband had become a selfish jerk. She couldn't remain with him in this situation. Their relationship just wasn't healthy. As soon as she was healed from her miscarriage, she knew it was time to face the truth. Her marriage was over. It was time to move on with her life.

Downstairs in the living room, Justin sat down with the popcorn and resumed the movie. He knew that if Bo didn't make a drastic turn around soon, Hope would be leavinghim. *Then she'll be free to date me,* Justin thought to himself. As tempting as that thought was to him, he didn't want Hope have to lose Bo. He wanted Hope's happiness above anything else. Being with Bo had always made Hope happy, but now Bo seemed to be making her miserable. Maybe it was time to face the fact that Hope wanted something far more than Bo was capable of giving her. Perhaps someone else was far better suited to make Hope happy.