It had been three weeks since Holly got back from Acapulco. It had been a little bit of a rough transition back to her normal life, but she was fully in the groove now. Things with Ross were great and she and Roger were masterfully avoiding each other at work. When they had to be in the same room, they did a great job of getting along and were unfailingly polite to each other.

She was about to leave for the day when her phone rang. She debated not answering it, but she ended up grabbing it in case it was important.

"Holly Lindsey."

"You're a hard person to track down!"

"Hi, Alex," Holly said, making a face. She knew she should've let it go.

"I was just on my way out the door. Can I call you later?"

"In theory, yes, you could. But you've been ignoring my calls and I need to talk to you about Acapulco."

"I'm not ignoring you. I've just been very busy. There was a lot to catch up on at the station, especially since we're heading into sweeps, and…I mean, you know I'm engaged."

"Why don't you come to dinner tonight? You can come over right now and we'll have drinks and then dinner."

Holly bit her lip. She really didn't want to go over there, but she couldn't come up with a good reason not to and she knew Alex wouldn't let it go. It was probably better to just get it over with now instead of waiting until Alex stopped by the station or the house.

"That sounds wonderful. Let me just call Ross and tell him he's on his own for dinner and I'll be by. I'll see you soon."

She hung up, took the deepest breath and then called Ross. He wasn't in his office, so she left a message, then left a second one on the machine at home.

Then, with no plausible way to postpone it any longer, she drove over to Alex's. When she arrived, she sat in the car for a moment and then rolled her eyes at herself. "God hates a coward," she told herself sternly. "And once you go in, you're much closer to going home."

She walked up to the front door and knocked. Vera answered so quickly that it seemed like she was standing there waiting. She probably was, Holly thought.

"Hi, Vera. Alex is expecting me?"

"Of course, she's in the library."

Holly knew the way, but Vera accompanied her anyway.

"Thank you," she murmured, as she walked in.

"Hi, Alex. You're looking well."

"You too!" Alex said, coming over to give her a hug. "I guess you didn't get much of a tan."

"No; I was indoors most of the time, unfortunately. So what's on your mind, Alex?"

"I was just curious about what happened in Acapulco. Did our plan work?"

She'd decided on the plane ride home that if Alex asked, she'd lie. There was nothing to be gained in telling the truth, especially since what had happened had nothing to do with the scheme she and Alex had agreed on. She was very relieved to hear that her voice didn't sound different at all.

"Roger loves you," Holly said. "He wasn't interested in me at all."

"You said that you thought he would take the bait." Alex studied her face closely, her eyes narrowed.

"I did say that, and I thought that he would."

"And I talked to Perkins and he said that he was supposed to meet you at 10."

"Right. But then nothing happened. I…hit on Roger, and he turned me down cold. He told me how much he loved you and how much he wanted everything to work out between the two of you. He was kind about it, as kind as he could be, but he was very firm. There was no chance he would change his mind. And it's just as well, because Perkins didn't show up anyway."

"Yes, that's because he had a heart attack."

"What?" Holly was stunned. "Is he okay?"

"He's back home; I think they released him last week. But he had my card on him and so they called me. You and Roger were already on the way back home, so I was very concerned about what happened, especially since there wasn't a safety net like I had promised you when we decided to do this little scheme of ours."

"Right, and I appreciate your concern. But like I'm sure Roger told you, nothing happened between us. He was a perfect gentleman."

"I see. Well, that's good to hear, Holly."

"I was told there would be alcohol?" she said, trying to get off this subject.

"Of course." She went to hit a button and then said, "Oh. It looks like the intercom was on this whole time. Oops."

Holly was about to ask what that meant when Roger burst into the room.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he yelled at her. "It was all a lie? Everything that happened was just something you two decided to do ahead of time?"

"No, I…" she began, but Alex cut her off.

"You should know that Roger told me the truth about what happened. He told me about all of it, the part about how you started crying—I can't believe how pathetic you were, Holly, although I probably shouldn't be surprised. And then he told me about your magical night. And equally magical next morning. He seemed to think that maybe you had a chance at being together. But he ALSO seemed to be under the impression that you wanted what had happened. That you were…how did you put it, Roger? Aching for him like he'd been aching for you?"

Holly turned to look at Roger again, but he refused to meet her gaze.

"He didn't believe me when I told him what a great actress you were. I think he may regret his faith in you now, though."

"Alex…" Holly didn't know how she would finish that sentence, but she didn't have to. She looked over at the door and saw Ross standing there. He was staring at her like she was a monster.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you that I invited him over, too," Alex said. Her face was the happiest Holly had ever seen it.

"Why did you do it?" she asked Alex quietly.

"You treated me like I'm a fool, Holly. I don't accept that from anyone, but especially not from you. So I'm guessing Roger and Ross are probably both about to storm out, right?" she asked, looking at both of them in turn. "So now you get to decide which one you're going to chase after. I've got my own idea about that, but I'm excited to see if I'm right."

"You could've just gone after me. You didn't need to hurt them like this."

"This way is better. I do feel guilty about hurting Ross, at least somewhat, but you and Roger both deserve this. And you know me, Holly. If I'm wronged, I enjoy a scorched earth-style revenge. But anyway, I think it's time you get out of my house."

Holly gritted her teeth and walked out. Roger and Ross had indeed both already left and she didn't know what to do. She didn't even know who she wanted to talk to, so she decided to just go to Ross's, grab some things, ideally crash with Ed and Maureen that night and then go stay in a hotel until she found a new place to live. She should've known it wouldn't be that simple, though; Roger was leaning against her car.

"Please don't," she said. "I really don't have the energy to fight. I'm sure you're angry and you have every right to be, but I can't do this right now."

"Too bad," he snarled. "Why would you agree to help her ruin my life? Alex was right. You're an amazing actress. And you didn't have to fake being vulnerable, Holly. It could've just been sex and it wouldn't have mattered but no, you had to…"

"None of what happened was fake," she said. "I did have a panic attack. Everything I said to you was genuine and I wanted you to make love to me. I didn't tell Alex because I didn't think there was a reason for her to know. I told you I didn't want to change my life and that we didn't have a future. That's all still true. But our last night in Acapulco, that was true, too. It wasn't a trick. And I just wanted..."

Holly trailed off, aware that she was about to say a lot more than she wanted to. She took a few more steps toward him, hoping he would move away from her car, but he stood still.

"C'mon, Roger, let me leave. I'm exhausted and we can hash this out tomorrow. Just write down every horrible thing you want to tell me and you can devastate me with them tomorrow. You can enjoy knowing that I'll be replaying them in my head all day."

"I don't have anything else to say to you." He moved away from the car and walked past her, giving her a wide berth.

She closed her eyes and exhaled, then got in the car and drove away.

Once she was officially out of earshot, she screamed "FUCK" at the top of her lungs. It startled someone in a Honda Accord so she gave them the "I'm sorry!" awkward half-wave.

When she got to their house, she debated whether or not to use her key. She finally decided to let herself in.

"Ross?" she called once she was inside. "I'm just here to get a few things and then I'll go, okay?"

"Pack a bag and leave your key."

He was sitting in the living room, reading and refusing to look at her.

"So we're not even going to try?" she asked, walking into the room.

"I don't see a point in it. I'm not going to be able to look at you without seeing Roger. If you wanted a future with me, you wouldn't have lied to me about Roger being there. And you definitely wouldn't have spent the night with him. So no, we're not even going to try." He turned a page, still not looking at her.

"Ross, I love you. I want a life with you as much now as I did before I took the trip. My feelings for you haven't changed." She sat on the couch next to him and gently took the book out of his hands. "I don't believe you've stopped loving me this fast and I think what we have is good enough to fight for."

He looked at her and she was stunned at the anger on his face.

"I don't love you anymore. I hate you right now, but it's a close race between that and disgust and I think the disgust is what will win. I don't understand how you could make a deal like that with Alexandra. I really don't. Is what we had worth that little to you?" He picked up his drink and took a sip but then threw it at the wall. The glass shattered and Holly flinched.

"This is what you like, right? The danger? The fear of not knowing what the man you're with will do? It's a little thrilling to you, right?"

"Stop it," she said, her voice steady. "I'll take a lot from you because I know you're hurting and I deserve what you've said before that last part, but I don't deserve this."

She stood up and went into their bedroom and into the closet. She grabbed her suitcase and threw some clothes into it, then walked into the bathroom and put the rest of her things in the bag.

"I can come back for the rest of it this weekend. I don't know where I'll be yet."

"I'll have everything boxed up and delivered once you do know. I'll take your key, though."

She nodded and took it off the key ring, then put it on the table.

"You can work out the arrangements with my secretary. I don't want to talk to you again."

"Fine. That sounds great to me, too."

She picked up her suitcase and walked out, closing the door behind her. She tossed it in the backseat of her car and then drove to Ed's. Maureen answered the door.

"Hi, Holly. Ed's not home; there's an emergency at the hospital."

"I'm so sorry to impose but is there any way I can crash in the apartment tonight? I'm a little bit homeless right now and it's the longest, most ridiculous story, but it's just for tonight. I'll check into a hotel tomorrow and find a place to live as soon as I can."

Holly knew she didn't like her very much, so she was surprised when Maureen gave her a hug and said, "Of course you can. Stay with us until you find a new place to live. You don't have to pay for a hotel. You're Ed's best friend; there's no way we wouldn't have you stay here."

It had been quite the day and Holly started to cry at the unexpected kindness. The embarrassment of that made her cry harder.

"Do you want some tea?" Maureen offered.

"Are you sure?"

"I was just about to make some for myself."

"In that case, tea sounds great."

"Okay, the key's where we usually keep it; go run your suitcase up and come back down when you're settled."

Holly nodded and fled.

When she came back down, the tea was ready; Maureen and the two mugs were at the kitchen table.

"So what happened?" she asked sympathetically.

"Oh I basically ruined my entire life. I can't even blame Alex for it; this is something I did all by myself." Holly held the mug in both hands, enjoying the warmth.

"I'm going to need a little more context, if that's okay."

"Well, when I was in Acapulco, I wasn't alone. Roger was there with me."

Maureen put her tea down. "Oh, Holly. You didn't."

Holly studied the tablecloth very intently as she nodded and said, "Yeah. I did. But I know you see a different side of him than most of the other people here. And he was so…sweet. And there's something about him when he's like that, when he's kind. But that's not even the worst part."

"I don't think anything could be worse than that, Holly." Maureen said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." She told her everything—the plan that she and Alex came up with, the way that the plan had backfired and what happened after. And then what had happened when she went to Alex's house tonight and the conversations with Roger and Ross.

"So you still think that was the worst part?" Holly finally said.

"I'm sorry Ross was horrible to you. That's not okay."

"I deserved most of it," Holly said, drinking the rest of her tea.

Maureen took the mug and put it down, then took Holly's hand and squeezed it, waiting until she looked up to say, "No, you didn't. You made a mistake. Ross isn't perfect, either. Sometimes I think that he doesn't deserve you, and this just proves me right."

"I appreciate that," Holly said, tearing up again. "God, what is wrong with me? I never cry but all of a sudden, I can't stop."

"It's a lot," Maureen said, sympathetically.

The front door closed.

"Honey?"

"We're in the kitchen," Maureen called.

Ed walked in. "I talked to Ross. You can't be here, Holly."

"The hell she can't," Maureen said. "I told her she's staying until she finds another place to live."

"Ross is my best friend," Ed said. "I told him we were on his side."

"You can be on his side all you want, Ed. I'm on Holly's side and we've already arranged it."

"Do you know what she did?"

"Yes, I know what happened. Did Ross tell you the things he said?" Maureen snapped. "If that's your best friend, you have horrible taste in friends."

"He's angry!" Ed said. "He has every right to be."

"I'm right here," Holly said. "Please stop acting like I'm not, Ed. We're friends, too."

He sighed. "I know. I'm sorry, but I can't be on your side here."

She nodded. "I understand. I'm going to go to sleep. Thanks again, Maureen."

She got up and moved over to the door and Maureen stood and walked her out. "I mean it, you're welcome as long as you need to be here."

"I appreciate it, but I don't want to cause problems for you."

They hugged and Maureen said, "If Ed causes problems, it's on him."

Holly laughed. "Fair enough."

She went up to the apartment over the garage and got into pajamas, then got in bed. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep. Her mind wouldn't stop whirling around.

She lay there in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. It sounded like footsteps on the stairs but she was pretty sure that she was imagining it. A second later, there was a very quiet knock on the door.

She got back up and opened the door. She wasn't surprised to see Roger standing there.

"If Ed sees you, he's going to have you arrested for trespassing," she said, but stepped back and let him in.

"I saw your car and then parked three streets down. He won't know I'm here."

She debated pointing out that she knew Ed's house was nowhere near any of the routes Roger would take to get home, but decided to keep her mouth shut. She sat down on the bed and gestured toward a chair, but he continued standing, pacing around the room.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"That's interesting, since you were so angry at me earlier," she said.

"I'm furious at you. I still wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I appreciate that. This isn't my best day, but I'll be fine."

"I know this shouldn't matter, but was any of it real?" She could tell that he hadn't meant to ask it and that he wasn't pleased the words had come out.

As always, any time he was vulnerable in front of her, her good sense crumbled.

"All of it," she said quietly. "That last night? Everything was real. And I'm sorry you found out about what Alex and I had planned, especially the way you did. But that wasn't why we made love that night. That's why I didn't tell her the truth. I didn't want to ruin your life."

"You didn't want to ruin YOUR life," he shot back.

"I didn't want to ruin our lives," she amended. "You're right, I wanted us both to get what we want."

"Alex isn't what I want."

"Neither am I."

"Do you really believe that?" He shook his head. "Christ, Holly. You don't pay attention at all, do you?"

Her breath caught as he gently kissed her, then immediately stepped back. "I've wanted you since the moment I met you. Everything I've worked for is connected back to you. I don't care about Spaulding except that I wanted to impress you. I want to give you the world."

"I don't want the world," she said. "And I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything or be anyone but who you are. You don't have to earn me, Roger."

His eyes searched her face, then he broke into a grin. "Are we really trying this?"

"Yes," she said, smiling. "But I'm very newly single, so I don't want to rush anything. I know you may have other ideas about how fast we should move, but I woke up this morning engaged to someone else. So please, let's just take it slow here."

"Does that mean I should go?" He smirked.

"I mean, there's no point in us going backwards." She grabbed his hand and pulled him down on the bed.

Author note: I think this is genuinely the end; I also thought I was done before and it turns out I wasn't.