A/N: I am so sorry for the wrong chapter this morning! It was early. And now…the real chapter 12!

We say goodbye to Jonathan but he will make a re-appearance later on.

As always, favoriting the story and me, as an author, means everything to me!

Patricia

12

Alex lightly knocked on Jonathan's door at 7:40 the following morning, hoping that he hadn't changed his mind from the previous evening. The first half of the night, she had slept like a log but woke up around three and just lay there, thinking about her brother. She had gotten up, sat outside, gone upstairs, had some water, gone into the study to read, gone back upstairs and made coffee—waiting for it to be an appropriate time to knock on his door.

So, here she was.

She heard shuffling, his big feet padding on the hardwoods, as he got closer. He pulled the door open a crack and smiled—eyes sleepy, hair messy, scruffy jaw line. "What do you want?" he feigned gruffness.

Alex's eyes filled with tears. She was beyond the point of controlling them.

Wordlessly, Jonathan opened the door wider for her to enter and she followed him, shutting it quietly.

Keeping her voice low, she questioned, "So…?"

He sat at the foot of his bed and rubbed his eyes and then ran his hands through his emerging beard. She joined him on the bed and waited. He looked down at her and smiled. "I'm gonna tell them."

Alex's mouth trembled. "Oh, John-John…" She wrapped her arms around his neck, "…that's what I wanted to hear." She pulled away looking into her brother's beautiful eyes, noting a few white eyebrows intermingled with the golden ones that she hadn't noticed before.

"When I woke up on the sofa around two…I called the facility and asked if they had space for me immediately…"

"And...?"

"They do…" Jonathan smiled.

Alex took his hands into her own and brought them to her mouth, kissing them. "I'm so glad, John-John…" She hugged him again.

"Me, too, Allie. Now…" he pulled away, "…the plane leaves at noon…it'll only take me a few minutes to pack, I want to go on one last swim with you before you drop me off…you and Olivia…so…" He peered at the alarm clock next to his bed, "…we should do this as soon as possible." He took a deep breath. "You ready?"

Alex nodded, taking her hand to his stubbly jaw. "Yes, Johnny. Whenever you are."

"Meet at eight? Bottom of the stairs?"

Alex smiled, "Meet you there."

… … … … … …

Alex entered their room and saw Olivia leaning against the railing of the balcony, her silky nightshirt barely covering her beautiful, bare ass. Alex smiled and walked to the sliding screen, pulling it aside. Olivia turned slightly, grinning as Alex slithered her arms around the brunette.

"Good morning…" Olivia husked.

"Good morning, yourself, sexy…" Alex nuzzled Olivia's neck, delicately kissing her love bite before resting her chin on the brunette's shoulder and looking out across the water. "He's going to tell them…"

"Really? When?"

"In about ten minutes we're going up…"

Olivia turned, putting her hands on the blonde's hips, Alex's forearms on Olivia's shoulders.

Alex leaned in and kissed her fiancé. Pulling back, she felt the sting of tears.

"Oh, baby…" Olivia said softly. "This is what you wanted…"

"I know," Alex said softly. "We're gonna finally have this off our chests, but…I'm gonna miss him."

"I know you are, Baby…" Olivia wrapped her arms fully around Alex, holding her tightly.

Alex knew that things were about to change—she felt it brewing—as she fell into the comfort of the strong woman in her arms.

… … … … … …

Waiting for her, in a pair of purple and white board shorts and a white t-shirt was her brother, standing at the bottom of the steps. He was such a handsome man—buff, tanned, burley, yet an undeniable sensitivity about him. He was one of the kindest men Alex knew and had the heart of a saint. She took in the trepidation in his face as she stepped in front of him.

She tried a smile, but felt the anxiety building inside of her for her brother. Doing this together made it easier, but it was still a scary moment for both.

Alex held out her hand and Jonathan placed his hand in hers as they walked up the stairs, side by side.

Once at the top, Alex looked up into his face. He was already emotional and she witnessed him take a deep breath, staring straight ahead before looking back at her. Alex nodded and Jonathan did as well.

They entered the kitchen, "I'll get us some coffee."

"Sounds good." Jonathan proceeded to grab a croissant from the basket on the island, stuffing half of it in his mouth. "They're out there…" Jonathan's voice was anxious, muffled by the bread in his mouth.

Alex looked through the patio door and spotted her parents sitting outside on the balcony, each with a section of the New York Times held up in front of them.

"Should we tell them to come in?" he asked nervously.

"No…no, we shouldn't, John-John…calm down. Let's let this happen. You're gonna give yourself an anxiety attack. Just follow my lead, big bro…" She rubbed his back gently, feeling him relax slightly.

He nodded and took another deep breath before sipping his coffee.

Their mother came in from the balcony, Mr. Cabot following. Their parents looked up and smiled when seeing them.

"Oh, good…glad you're up…" Mr. Cabot began as Mrs. Cabot went to refill her coffee, "…Rick and Lorna Lowenstein are having a dinner party this evening at their house. They invited the three of you. We're going to leave here at six."

The Lowenstein's had been family friends since Jonathan was in diapers. When their parents were younger, just starting out and trying to build names for themselves, the Lowenstein's were their first, close friends, both husbands struggling to climb the law ladder before establishing themselves as two of the best attorneys in the Hamptons. Gradually, they succeeded together, their friendship becoming more like a family and the Cabots and Lowensteins had remained close to this day.

They had a daughter and a son, as well, roughly the same ages as Alex and Jonathan, and the four kids had become quite close growing up with each other.

There were only two major differences between the Cabots and the Lowensteins—style and personality. The Cabots preferred the sleek, tailored look of subtle hues and clean lines, demeanors reserved. The Lowensteins, on the other hand, were what Alex and her brother referred to as "stuck in the sixties"—funky styles and slightly on the rambunctious side and Alex loved every bit of it.

Alex and her brother had always loved Rick and Lorna, their eclectic house, and their kids—it was just the right balance for the straight-laced, clean-cut Cabots.

"I won't be able to join you this evening," Jonathan tried, his voice shaking. He tried to clear the nerves from his voice.

He looked at Alex and then moved to the kitchen table, Alex following with her mug, as the two sat, Mr. Cabot already there, slicing a nectarine.

"Oh, OK, Dear," Mrs. Cabot said as she sat at the other head of the table, Alex and Jonathan in between them. "Another time, then. I know Diana and Gabe are going to miss seeing you, though. Diana is expecting her second."

"Wow," Alex commented. "Already?"

"Where are you going tonight, Johnny?" Mr. Cabot questioned.

Alex looked at her brother and nodded slightly.

"I'm going to be going on a trip to better myself…not for work," Jonathan declared.

"Better yourself?" Mr. Cabot questioned.

"I think I need to start off by saying something…"

Alex felt her eyes sting with tears.

"There are some things about me that you don't know...Your perfect son isn't so perfect…" He paused, looking at his parents and Alex, and then his parents again. "There's a part of my life that you know nothing about, Mom and Dad."

"Go on…" Mr. Cabot prompted, his face serious.

Jonathan's voice began shaking. "If it weren't for this girl right here," he looked at Alex, "…one of the most amazing women I know, if not the most amazing…I probably wouldn't even care or be telling you this. But, I can't do this to her any more. She doesn't deserve it. I've been selfish to make her carry around my burdens." Jonathan was crying now, his lower lip shaking, eyes running.

Alex handed him a paper napkin and he wiped his eyes and nose.

"She's been my rock and my confidant for all of these years…I can always turn to her…but it's time to set this secret free."

Alex reached across the table and placed her hand on top of her brother's trying a smile.

He waited. Mrs. Cabot's expression was petrified; their father had a patient, yet concerned, look on his sun-kissed face.

"What is it Jonathan?" Mrs. Cabot questioned, her voice controlled, yet matter-of-fact.

"For the past ten years, more so in the past couple of years, I've had some problems with opiates and alcohol."

There. It was out. Then why did Alex feel the color drain from her face, shaky, as though she would fall off of the chair?

"I have been in treatment facilities a few times without success. I always seem to go back to using." He waited. "But I have a spot reserved at a facility in Florida for six months. This time I'm going to do it."

Neither parent said anything. They simply looked at each other, and then Mr. Cabot calmly began buttering a piece of toast, as Mrs. Cabot got up from the table, retrieved the bowl of strawberries from the counter, returned to the table, set it down, and then went back into the kitchen.

Alex looked at Jonathan, extreme shock on his face at their lack of reaction. He shook his head lightly. Alex raised her eyebrows with a face that said, I don't know, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

"Daddy?" Alex tried, reaching out to her father's hand. He slammed his knife on the plate, the clang deafening, and stood from the table, exiting the room. Within seconds, they heard the downstairs door, leading to the beach, slam shut.

Alex looked at Jonathan, whose tears had started all over again. He shook his head.

Alex watched as their mother walked into the butler's pantry, her hand over her mouth.

Jonathan whispered, "Shit."

Alex shrugged her shoulders again. "I'll go to Mom…" she said softly. "You go to Dad…"

The two stood, Alex placing her hand on Jonathan's back before he turned into her arms, the two hugging, Jonathan shaking with emotion. "You did well, John-John…It's all up to them, now…"

Separating, Alex slowly walked to the butler's pantry as Jonathan went downstairs to find his father.

She entered to find her mother bent over the wooden chopping block of the island, forehead in her hands. "Mom?"

Her mother was silent, save for the sniffles and tiny whimpers coming from her tiny body.

Alex walked closer, standing next to her mother, giving her several seconds to compose herself, and was surprised when her mother allowed Alex to rub her back lightly, soothingly. "It's another one of those things, Alex…"

"What is, Mom?"

"Another one of those things that I always knew but didn't want to admit."

"So, you knew about John-John?"

"I had my suspicions…but denial is a horrible thing."

Alex stepped even closer to her mother, wrapping her arm around her.

"Your father…I've tried to tell him of my suspicions about Jonathan in the past but he wouldn't see it. He couldn't imagine his boy, the doctor, the star athlete and valedictorian, top one percent of his med school class, would ever have problems like that."

Alex rubbed her mother's upper arm and leaned her head on her mother's. "Mom…I think he's ready to change this time. We're gonna get our old Jonathan back," Alex's voice was hopeful.

Mrs. Cabot looked up at her daughter with red-rimmed eyes, her nose red from crying. Her mother turned into her daughter and Alex wrapped her arms around her mother as she wept, letting so many emotions from so many years spill out of her.

OOOOOOOO

Olivia paced the bedroom, biting the skin around her thumbnail, analyzing it, and then biting again. She went out onto the balcony and leaned over, now examining a tiny loose piece of skin on her forefinger before biting into that, as well.

She saw Mr. Cabot exit the house and begin walking down the dock and towards the beach. A few moments later, Jonathan was running after him. Olivia was driving herself crazy wondering what was happening. Where was Alex? Where was their mother? What was going on?

Olivia went inside and decided to busy herself with something other than the agonizing wonderings flying around her head. She showered quickly, put on her bikini and a pair of upper-thigh, white linen shorts and a red tank top. She slipped her feet into her brown flip-flops and shook out her wavy hair, letting it air dry on its own.

By the time she had completed these tasks, she heard the door open. She looked up, rushing to Alex, whose eyes were red and puffy, glasses off. Alex walked into Olivia's open arms and Olivia held her, Alex clenching the brunette's ribcage tightly.

"It's over…" she whispered.

Olivia swayed with Alex, her own eyes tearing. Olivia closed her eyes and began stroking the back of Alex's hair, dipping her nose into the blonde's locks. She detected a certain demeanor in her fiancé—a peace now inhabiting her body.

Alex pulled away, looking at Olivia's mouth. She leaned in and softly pressed her lips to the detective's, her hands moving to Olivia's waist, hips, then her backside.

The blonde pulled away and pressed her forehead to the Olivia's and breathed deeply, closing her eyes. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "All of these years and it's finally out." She opened her eyes and pulled away and then ran her fingertips over the brunette's cheeks and jaw, moving her hair from her face, setting it behind her shoulders. She smiled, and Olivia couldn't help but smile back, seeing the serenity wash over her fiancé's entire being.

Alex pulled Olivia's tank strap aside and smiled, eyeing her bikini.

"Come on, let's get you some coffee…you've been a good girl and lasted more than you should have had to without caffeine. We can walk to the beach chairs and I'll tell you all about it."

"Sounds good to me, Babe…" Olivia smiled.

… … … … … …

After Alex told Olivia what happened, word for word, play by play, Olivia took a morning dip in the water. Alex watched her fiancé attack the water with such precision, such grace, admiring every line of her powerful, feminine form.

"Hey, Allie…" Jonathan's voice shook Alex from her thoughts.

"Hey, John-John…"

Jonathan pulled up a third lounger next to his sister, being the gentleman and not taking Olivia's lounger where her towel had already been placed.

"I brought you guys a couple of bagels…I know you haven't eaten yet and Olivia's been cooped up downstairs this whole time. So…" he took two large, foil-wrapped items from a plastic bag he had on his lap and pulled out two nectarines after them.

"Thanks, Johnny. Olivia will appreciate this after her swim." She peeled the foil away revealing a toasted everything bagel with her favorite—chive cream cheese. She took a bite. "Mmmm, it's good."

"It's the least I can do, Allie," Jonathan said, staring out across the water, his blue eyes slightly dazed. "I can't believe the truth is finally out there…that they finally know…" he turned to Alex and smiled. "Thank you…"

Alex's eyes filled with tears for the umpteenth time that day. "You're my brother…I'll stand by you through anything."

Jonathan's voice cracked, "And you have, Allie…"

"And Dad?" Alex asked.

"He said that part of him knew, but he didn't want to believe it. He said that he was so angry with himself for not wanting to see it sooner…so that I could get help and not deal with it for so long. You know Dad…he blames himself when something goes wrong with one of us…"

"Same with Mom," Alex whispered as she watched Olivia begin walking from deep to shallow water, her strong, tanned thighs flexing as she neared the water's edge and then stepped to the sand.

"That's what I want…" Jonathan said as they both looked at Olivia.

"You want Olivia?"

Jonathan threw his sister a look. "I want a love like the way you two look at each other.

Alex smiled. "It is pretty great, isn't it?"

Olivia finally approached the chairs. "Hey, guys…" she was slightly breathless.

Alex handed Olivia her foil-wrapped meal once she had settled on her lounger. "Jonathan brought us breakfast."

Olivia unwrapped the top half of the bagel. "Mmmm, Jonathan…" she took a large bite, "…mmmm…really good," she managed around chewing. "Thank you…"

"You are very welcome, Olivia. I wish I could get to know you better and spend more time with you before I go but I guess we're gonna have to wait until I get back," he smiled.

"We'll have years, Johnny," Olivia stated, looking directly at Alex and winking, a twinkle in her eyes, as she took another huge bite of her bagel, the cream cheese oozing out. "Mmmm…so good," she moaned.

Alex turned to her brother and smiled, "I told you she'd like it."

… … … … … …

OOOOOOOO

"Al…you have to calm down," Jonathan tried, his arm around his sister in the second row of the Rover. Their parents had said their goodbyes at the house and Alex and Olivia were now taking him to the airport, the brunette in the driver's seat.

Alex sobbed against her brother's chest, her breathing coming in gasps. "God…I'm such…a loser…I can't even…keep myself…together…for ten minutes!"

Jonathan caught eyes with Olivia in the rear-view mirror and they both smiled. "How are you a loser, Allie?" He took the tissue that Olivia was offering from the front seat and wiped her tears away.

"I…just am…don't ask…difficult…questions…"

Olivia smiled as she drove, knowing she'd be the blonde's comfort on the way back and throughout the evening.

Olivia pulled up to the curb of the airport at gate 34 and put the car in park, turning the engine off. A man with a dark beard, moustache, and dark sunglasses, resembling Mark Ruffalo, held up a sign that said, J. Cabot and Affinity Acres below it in smaller print.

"There he is…that's Lucas" Jonathan managed, waving at the man. Alex continued to hold on to her brother, her grip like a vice. Jonathan tried to peel Alex off of him, Olivia witnessing a smile on Alex's face as she dug her fingers in more firmly. "Allie…let go…" he laughed.

Alex finally let go and gave the top of his thigh a hearty slap. "That's for ten years of secrets, Jackass."

Alex pulled the handle and stepped out, Jonathan following. Olivia came around the other side and stood next to, but slightly behind the blonde.

"You know…if you didn't have Olivia, I'd worry about you, Allie," Jonathan declared honestly. "But, knowing that you have each other and that she loves you as much as you do her, it makes it so much easier. I know I'm leaving you in more than capable hands." Jonathan stepped forward towards Olivia. "Take care of her for me, Liv…OK?"

Olivia smiled, "Of course…no question." Olivia stepped closer and hugged her future brother-in-law. "You get better," she said against his muscular bicep.

Jonathan pulled away and smiled at Olivia before looking at his sister. "Allie-Al…don't be a pill for Ollie-Ol…" he pointed at her. "Got it? We gotta keep her…"

Alex grabbed Jonathan firmly, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He returned the embrace, cradling the back of her head with his large hand.

"I'll call when I can, Al…"

"August fifteenth, Jonathan. I'll be the one at the altar with the blonde hair."

"I wouldn't miss it, Allie."

"I love you," she whispered, tears now streaming down her ivory face.

"I love you, baby sis…" Jonathan pulled away slightly and kissed Alex's forehead and then held her hands. He looked behind him at the man referred to as Lucas. "Hey, man…how's it going?" He gave Lucas a hearty handshake. "I'm Jonathan."

Alex stepped back into Olivia's hold as the brunette embraced her from behind, wrapping her arms around the blonde's stomach, feeling her tremble and hearing her erratic breathing as she struggled to control another round of sobs.

Jonathan stuck his hand up in a single wave and wordlessly turned, walking with Lucas through the doors. He disappeared to the left and Olivia held on tighter to her fiancé.

The detective whispered against Alex's ear, "I'm so proud of you, Babe."

"Yeah?"

Alex's breathing began to even out again.

"Yeah."

Alex turned in Olivia's arms and Olivia held her wholly as Alex trembled, her tears falling on Olivia's bare shoulder. Olivia began a soothing, "Shhhh…" until she felt Alex's shaking cease. The women pulled away, blue eyes meeting brown. Alex smiled. Olivia touched Alex's lips with her index finger, her eyes dipping to the blonde's mouth.

"My brother will finally be my brother again," Alex whispered.

Olivia nodded.

"If you liked him like this…you'll like him even better…"

"I can't wait to find out…" Olivia finally, eagerly, pressed her lips to the blonde with an ease, a comfort, a peace.

"Home, James," Alex whispered, smiling.

"Yes ma'am…" Olivia smiled.

The women walked arm in arm to the car, got in, and headed back to the beach house—one more weight removed from their lives, setting them on the path for the wonderfulness that lay ahead.