A/N: Thanks as always for reviewing, sorry about the thing last night, I know it's strictly against the rules and what not, but I appreciate it anyway!

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Chapter 36: Coming Clean

"Hey," Dave walked into Tammy's apartment. She looked at him and smiled and kissed him. He looked around and noticed clothes thrown around and a suitcase on the bed. "You're packing?"

"Of course," she said.

"What for?" He asked.

"You're kidding," she smiled. He looked at her. "Eden Hall Alumni Gala, happens every year, I'm sure you got an invitation."

"Oh right that," he nodded. "You go to that?"

"Every year," she nodded. "We all go, my mom and Tom love it, and Rick and Cassie don't hate the chance to not be elbows deep in parenting for a night." He nodded. "You're not going?"

"I haven't gone since Logan stopped making us all go to check up on Brad," he shook his head. "Also, Janet was always working, she probably would have made me go too." She nodded. "Do you want me to go?"

"Not if you don't want to," she kissed him. "It would be a big event, lots of people, easy to slip away." He laughed.

"Your family um," he looked down, "I mean besides Kelly. Do they know about us?"

"Tommy does," she said. "But my mom and Tom have no clue, and Rick and Cass definitely don't, and I can't bother Jimmy with it."

"Bother him?" Dave said. She sighed.

"Yes," Tammy nodded. "This isn't exactly an uncomplicated situation Dave, and Jimmy's got his own complicated situation right now." He kissed her.

"Complicated," he said. She nodded. "It's complicated now?"

"Dave," she pulled away.

"I just want to know when it got complicated," he said.

"When we took our clothes off," she said. "Dave, I'm not saying I want to stop, or that I don't want see you anymore, I just mean," he nodded.

"I got it," he said.

"I don't think you do," she said. "Dave this is a lot of things, fun and interesting and comforting, but it's not simple."

"Do you care about me?" He asked.

"Yes," she said. "So much."

"I care about you," he stepped forward and kissed her, "that's it. It's simple."

"No," she shook her head. "It would be if we were the only people in the world, but we're not." He nodded. "Kiss me," he did. "Have you talked to a lawyer yet?" She whispered. He kissed her again. "Dave," she stopped him. "Have you?"

"Tammy," he said softly.

"You haven't," she whispered and pulled away. He looked down.

"Like you said, it's not simple," he whispered.

"That part is," she said. "At least for me. I won't be that person. I won't be the girl sitting around waiting for her married boyfriend to file the papers."

"OK," he said. "So what does that mean?"

"It means call me again when you talk to a lawyer," she said.

"When did you see Steve?" He asked.

"What?" She said.

"The way you were talking," he said. "It sounds like when you give interviews, which is when Steve puts words in your mouth."

"He never did that," she shook her head.

"He did that," he laughed. "But it's OK, because that's his job since he's technically still your publicist."

"Well it would look really bad," she shrugged, "if I fired him because we broke up."

"Right," Dave nodded. "When did you see him?"

"Are you jealous?" She teased and kissed him

"Tammy," he said. "When did you see him?"

"A few weeks ago," she shrugged, "I ran into him, we talked."

"About us?" He asked.

"A little," she nodded. "Come to Minnesota," she said. He sighed. "Come, please? It'll be fun, and you'll see me in this really sexy dress, and maybe I could very carefully break it to my mother that we're seeing each other." He looked at her. "I can't be with you if you stay married to Janet, Dave. I can't."

"I know," he whispered and kissed her. "I understand that." They kissed again. "I thought that we could actually see each other tonight."

"Hm?" She said. "We've seen each other most nights for almost a month now."

"Outside of your apartment," he said. "I made reservations at Balthasar."

"You want to take me on a date?" She said. He nodded. "At a popular restaurant where Page Six always has spies?" He sighed. "I can't be dating a married man, especially not the husband of the woman who I just very publicly parted ways with." He nodded. "That was sweet though."

"See it's moments like that, that I wish your publicist wasn't your ex boyfriend," he said. She laughed. "Pizza or Chinese?" He took out his cell phone. She kissed him.

"You're very good," she said.

"You're not going?" Jimmy said. Julie looked at him. "Jules, come on."

"What about me going to gala will be at all helpful right now?" She looked at him.

"It would shut Rick up, and we'd get to have fun," Jimmy said. Julie laughed.

"I can't," she said. "I can't leave Steph and Mike here, I can't do it."

"Bring them," he said. "Eva and TJ are around the same age. If we're doing this being a family thing, let's do it."

"Not this year," she shook her head.

"Why will next year be different?" He asked.

"Because it will be!" She said. "It'll be next year, and hopefully, Steph won't be having nightmares that make her scream every night, and Mike will be less hostile towards you, and it's a whole year." He nodded.

"OK," he said. "But I still think you should come."

"I have nothing to wear." She shook her head.

"Oh yeah, right, because my sisters don't run one of the most popular and successful fashion labels in the country or anything," he rolled his eyes. She looked at him. "Is it really because of Steph and Mike or does this have something to do with,"

"Your brother and father?" She said. "Yeah, thanks, I'm not seventeen anymore, I can handle your dad and Rick's distaste for me." He sighed. "It's not about Ellie either. I just can't leave Steph and Mike right now. You go, have fun, spend time with your family and your old friends, and drink too much scotch with Scooter and give my best to the movie people." He kissed her. "That's not going to help." She whispered.

"I love you," he said. "I don't want to spend a weekend without you. Not right now, I'll be worried."

"So then don't go," she laughed. "But I'm not going to tell you to stay. You're not my husband, I'm not even sure you're my boyfriend." He nodded. "I'm just not ready to go to Eden Hall, and deal with your family and the Ducks and Dean Bowman asking me for donations." He laughed. "I'm just not ready."

"OK," he nodded. "I get it. I am gonna go."

"You should," she said. They kissed again. "I hate missing you in the tux." He laughed. "I need to go pick them up."

"Sure," he nodded. She started walking out. "Jules," she turned and looked at him. "We still get to be 25. OK?"

"OK," she nodded.

"Not bad digs you've got here," Kyla said walking around Dean's apartment. It was fairly sparse. "Really, homey."

"It's not really my home," he shrugged.

"You live here," she said. He laughed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "During the season, home's Chicago. I have a place there too, much nicer, more homey." She laughed. "Do you want a drink or something?"

"Sure," she nodded. "What've you got?"

"What do you want?" He asked. She smiled.

"Do you get girls drunk in your apartment enough to have anything I want?" She said. "What if I want something crazy?" He laughed. "Do you have white wine?"

"Yes," he nodded and went into the fridge. "So what's the deal here?"

"What do you mean?" She laughed. He sat down. "We went on a date. We're having a drink. I'm sure you've done this."

"A few times," he handed her the glass of wine. "I just meant, me and you."

"You like me," she said, "I like you." She kissed him. They leaned back and he pressed on top of her. He kept his hands gentlemanly on her waist until a few minutes later when she moved one down to between her legs.

"Kyla," he said. She looked at him.

"You're a really hard guy to throw yourself at," she said. He looked at her. "Am I reading the signals wrong here?"

"No," he said. "I mean, look I like you. I don't want to rush this, because I like you." She smiled.

"Dean," she leaned forward. "You're not rushing anything. I'm used to guys who are still in school and think that romance is offering you a hit off their bong and paying for your tequila shots that night." He smiled. "You bought me a nice dinner, by that count you should at the very least be able to touch my boobs tonight. I'd rather do more." He laughed. She stood up.

"You're not like other girls are you?" He asked. She straddled him and kissed him.

"Why don't you show me your bedroom and find out?" They kissed softly.

"I can do that," he nodded.

"Good," she stood up again. She took his hand and pulled him up. "I'm going to rock your world Dean Portman." He smiled.

"I have no doubt of that," he whispered. She giggled as they walked back into the bedroom.

"You can't have her say that," Claire shook her head.

"Why not?" Scooter groaned. "It's emotionally true."

"She cannot say that," she shook her head. "It's out of character and stupid, not to mention, oh I don't know, you're an idiot."

"Claire," he said. She looked at him. "If we've really resorted to name calling, I'm going home. Kelly is starting to get freaked out."

"About me and you?" She laughed. He shrugged. "For the love of God, why?"

"Because of all this Dave and Janet crap," he rolled his eyes. "He's sleeping with Tammy and," Claire looked at him.

"He's what?" She said. He shrugged. "God, he's an idiot."

"I know," Scooter sighed. "This is going to cost the family isn't it?"

"If Janet finds out, you bet your ass it is," Claire sighed. "Logan's already freaking out, he says that if Janet gets a smart lawyer," she shook her head. "Look, everyone knows that neither of them were faithful, but there was never proof, the first one to get proof, if it's her."

"Yeah," Scooter nodded. "I know. The gallery doesn't have enough to pay for what she could ask for."

"Which leaves the family," she said. "And if she finds out that he's having an ongoing affair with her old boss."

"You know so much about this kind of thing?" He raised his eyebrows.

"The Nichols weren't quite as discreet as you," she said quietly. "Nor did Grant trust me as much as Logan did. Probably because he wasn't the man Logan is."

"Oh," he said. "Yeah, I could have guessed that. You had to sign a pre nup?"

"Yeah," she said. "I forfeit all monetary rights beyond child support if I was caught in an affair."

"God, how did you put up with that kind of bullshit?" He shook his head.

"Now? After over five years of marriage to Logan? I have now idea," she said. "But then, I," she sighed. "My sister got married four weeks after she graduated high school, to a man who'd known her since she was a toddler. By my standards Grant and I might as well have been strangers, it made sense that he would want to protect himself, and me." She closed her eyes. "I was a lot younger." Scooter laughed. "Go home," she said.

"We're done?" He said.

"Scott, it's three in the morning," she sighed. "My daughter is asleep upstairs, and apparently your wife is paranoid that we're having an affair, so yes, we're done for tonight."

"OK," he stood up and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm glad you're my sister in law and not Liam Nichols's."

"That's sweet, Scott," she said. "Go home and get some sleep."

"Sure," he said. "Here tomorrow, or New York?"

"Here," she said. "And she can't say that."

"Go to hell," he said. "I'm the brilliant novelist."

"You're the guy who had to beg me to help you find your voice again," she said. "If you call yourself brilliant again. I'm out."

"Good night Claire," he said.

"Good night," she laughed as he left.

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