Later that evening Jay climbed out of the shower and proceeded to get ready for dinner. He was looking forward to an evening with his old friends, a good meal, a couple of beers, and if he was lucky a dance with Lexie. He pulled out his best shirt and a nice pair of jeans. He brushed his hair and grabbed his hat before thinking twice and setting the hat back down. He wasn't conceited but he did look good.

He took the elevator up one floor and walked down the hall to door 418. Jay took a deep breath before knocking on the door. A few seconds later Alex opened the door. Jay took her in; she was beautiful in her short black dress with her hair pulled up on top of her head the way that had always driven Jay crazy.

"Wow, Lexie, you look amazing." Jay said taking a deep breath and finally finding his voice.

She smiled up at him before saying, "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

"I thought maybe we could ride together." Jay said not able to keep his eyes off of her.

"Yeah, let me just grab my bag." She said walking into the hotel room and picking up a little black bag that was sitting on the bed. She turned back to him and followed him out the door.

Jay and Alex meet the others at a little restaurant on the edge of town. It was an expensive restaurant that Ellie had picked out. It was the same restaurant Sean had taken her to the night he had proposed. The six followed the hostess to a large table at the back of the restaurant. Jay pulled out a chair for Alex and she smiled at him as she sat down and he pushed her in. For the first time in a long time Jay was actually happy.

"I'd like to make a toast." Jay said after the waiter had taken their orders and brought everyone but Emma a glass of champagne. "To good friends and great love."

"To the past, present, and future." Alex said beside him.

"To new beginnings and second chances." Spinner said who was sitting next to Alex.

"To our extended family and it's soon to be newest addition." Emma said placing a hand on her stomach.

"To death do us part." Ellie said looking at Sean.

"To dreams that really do come true." Sean said kissing Ellie gently on the lips.

"And last but not least, to any reason to party." Jay said. Everyone laughed as a little bit of the old Jay shined through. They all clicked glasses toasting to everything that had just been said.

Dinner had turned out really nice. Half way through Ellie had pulled out a camera and began taking pictures until she had driven all of her friends completely crazy and had used and entire roll of film. The conversations had been light and warm hearted. After dessert the waiter walked over and laid the bill on the edge of the table.

"Dinner's my treat." Jay said reaching for the bill as his friends began to protest. Jay just ignored them pulling his credit card out of his wallet and placing it in the folder with the bill.

"Fine," Sean said. "But first round of drinks are on me."

Jay chuckled at his friend and slapped him on the back saying, "That's a deal."

After the waiter brought back Jay's credit card the group headed a few blocks over to a club called Xellence. Jay had been there a couple of times when he had come home to visit Sean and Ellie. It was a nice place very classy. The group managed to find a table big enough for all of them near the dance floor. Sean and Ellie went straight to the dance floor and were shortly followed by Emma and Spinner leaving Jay and Alex alone at the table.

"Do you want to dance?" Jay asked standing up and holding out his hand to her. He was silently praying she'd say yes.

Alex shook her head yes and took a hold of Jay's hand as she stood up. She let him lead her out onto the dance floor. Alex wrapped her arms around Jay's neck as he gently put his hands on her waist and gently pulled her closer. She winced in pain as he touched her bruised rib.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned by the look of pain on Alex's face.

"I'm fine." She lied forcing a smile on her face. "I'm just a little sore form the gym. I just joined and I think I may have over done it the other day."

"Do you want to sit back down?" Jay asked not buying her lame story. He had always been able to tell when Alex was lying and just because he hadn't seen her in five years didn't mean he'd lost the gift.

Alex shook her head no and moved a little closer to Jay. They danced until the song ended and then went back to the table. The others joined them shortly after.

"Sean, would you mind if I danced with Ellie?" Jay asked when Alex excused her self to go freshen up.

"Not at all." Sean answered giving Jay a curios look.

Jay led Ellie out on to the dance floor and pulled her close so she could hear him. "I think there's something wrong with Alex." He told her.

"I know." Ellie replied.

"What do you mean you know?" Jay asked shocked and hurt at the thought that Ellie had lied to him.

"I've sensed it for a while now. She won't tell me what's going on but I am very worried." Ellie explained.

"But every time I called you told me she was doing great. You lied to me?" Jay asked defensively.

"What would you have done? What good would it have done for me to tell you I was worried?" Ellie replied equally defensively.

"You should have told me." Jay said trying to control his anger. "You're supposed to be my friend."

The song ended and Jay walked away from Ellie and headed to the bar. He ordered a liquid cocaine and downed it before ordering another one. He had almost finished the second when Sean walked over to him.

"Is every thing okay, man?" Sean asked sitting down next to his friend at the bar.

"Every thing's just fucking great." Jay replied finishing his drink. He flagged the waiter and ordered another one.

"You should probably slow down." Sean said in concern.

"You're right. Can you give Lexie a ride back to the hotel? I'm going to get out of here." Jay said standing up and laying some money on the counter. He fished around in his pocket and pulled out his truck keys.

"Yeah, of course we will. Why don't you let me drive you back to the hotel?" Sean suggested holding his hand out for the keys.

"I'm not that drunk, Sean. I'll see you tomorrow." Jay replied walking out of the club.

"Can I ride back with you?" He heard the familiar voice ask from behind him when he was half way to his truck. It stopped him dead in his tracks and his body tensed up. He turned around to look at her his heart melting on the spot. He couldn't tell her no even if he had wanted to. He shook his head yes as she walked closer.

They were half way back to the hotel before anyone spoke. Alex was the first one to break the ice. "What's wrong?" She asked looking over at Jay whose jaw was clenched in anger and frustration.

He thought a moment about what he should say. He could lie and tell her he was fine just like she had lied to him or he could confront her about it. "Why don't you tell me, Lexie?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jay." Alex said taking her eyes off of Jay and fixing them on the road ahead of them.

"Why are you lying to me?" Jay asked trying hard not to yell it at her.

"Because, Jay, it's none of your business." Alex shot back. "I haven't seen you in five years, what gives you the right to question me?"

"You told me once that you would never be like your mother and yet here you are making up ridiculous lies about mysterious bruises. Your husband to be, does he hit you?" Jay asked as he pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"I told you what happened. If you choose not to believe me that's your problem." Alex said as Jay parked the truck. She put her hand on the door handle and started to get out.

"Please, Alex, just talk to me." Jay begged. Alex could see the hurt and sadness in his eyes and it ate at her heart but how could she tell him about everything that had happened. She'd kept so much form him since they broke up, since he had moved to Wasega.

"If I tell you everything that's happened the last five years you'll hate me." Alex said trying to control the tears that were pushing their way to the surface.

"I could never hate you, Alex." Jay replied wanting so badly for her to confide in him.

"Okay, I'll tell you everything but can we go inside?" Alex asked dreading what was about to happen.

They climbed out of the truck and walked up to Jay's room on the third floor. He unlocked the door and held it open as Alex walked in. He followed behind her letting the door close by itself.

"This isn't easy for me, Jay, so do me a favor and don't judge me until I'm done." Alex said turning around to face Jay once the door was closed. "That day in eleventh grade when I found out I had gonorrhea. The doctor found something else, I was pregnant." Alex went on.

"What?" Jay asked shocked beyond belief. Lexie had been carrying his child and she hadn't told him.

"I was so angry when you told me about you and Amy that I thought about not having it and then I found out about Emma and the anger grew. In the end I decided to keep the baby and then you were telling me goodbye. Ellie tried to get me to tell you but I didn't listen." Alex continued.

"Ellie knew?" Jay asked angry that Ellie had kept yet another secret from him.

"I asked her not to tell you because I wanted to tell you myself but when I went to the doctors to hear the heart beat, there wasn't one. I lost our baby and decided that I couldn't tell you. You were getting your life together and I knew telling you that our baby had died would tear you apart." Alex replied a tear breaking lose and running down her cheek.

Jay sat down on the edge of the bed not trusting his feet to hold him up. He had been a father for a short time and no one had told him. He was devastated over a loss he had known nothing about. The people he had loved the most had betrayed him.

Alex watched Jay her heart breaking at the complete devastation on his face. She whipped the tears from her cheeks before continuing, "The doctors told me I could never have another child and I was okay with that because if I couldn't have our baby then I didn't want any."

"What does any of this have to do with your bruised ribs?" Jay asked keeping his eyes on the floor in front of him. He couldn't look at her knowing she'd lied to him about so much.

"When I met Mike he made it perfectly clear he didn't want children and at the time I was okay with that because I couldn't have any." Alex said trying to find the right words to explain what had happened. "But my biological clock must have started running because lately I haven't been able to stop thinking about our baby. I want to be a mother and its hard knowing that may never happen."

Alex took a deep breath before continuing, "I made the mistake of telling Mike that I wanted to talk to a fertility specialist. He had had a bad day at work and was angry, really, really angry. It's the only time he's ever hit me and he did apologize."

"And that makes it okay?" Jay asked clutching the bedspread beneath him in anger. He was feeling so many things and he couldn't sort them all out. He needed some fresh air but he wasn't sure his legs would support his weight.

"No, it doesn't make it okay but I don't want to be alone anymore. If I can't have a child at least I can have the wedding." Alex replied voicing her childhood fantasy that she had kept to her self for so long.

"I know that people change but I never would have guessed you would have changed this much in just five years. I don't know you anymore, Lexie, and I'm not sure I want to." Jay said finally getting the courage to look at her. "You should leave. I need some time to think. I need to be alone."

Alex nodded her head in sadness as she headed for the door. She opened it but paused and said, "I'm really sorry, Jay. I know I should have told you a long time ago. I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me."

Jay didn't move until the door had clicked closed behind Alex. He wanted to hit something, to throw something, to break something instead he stood up and walked into the bathroom. He turned the water on and waited for it to heat up. He undressed and climbed into the steaming hot shower. He put his hands on the wall and his head under the shower head allowing the water to mix with his tears. How could she not have told him? How could Ellie not have told him? Why had he ever agreed to come home? Jay stayed that way until the water ran cold and his body began to shiver. He climbed out and walked back into the other room still angry, still scared, and still confused.

Jay sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the phone. "Can you have a bottle of liquor sent to room 302, please." Jay said and then waited for an answer on the other end. "No, it doesn't matter what kind as long as it's strong."

Jay didn't drink often it reminded him of his father and everything Jay had sworn he'd never be, but tonight he needed to forget. For once he needed and wanted to forget all about Lexie, all about their past. Tonight he was going to drown his sorrows in a bottle he would deal with everything else tomorrow.