A.J. looked around the empty apartment, a frown curving his lips down. He hoped Shane wasn't letting it go, the place held some good memories for them. He was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn't hear the man who walked into the room, nor did he see what he had in his hand. A.J. didn't realize he was there until they spoke.

"Are you going to miss being here?"

Turning, A.J gave Shane a crooked grin. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He thought back to the first night he'd spent here with Shane. "Brunch will never be the same." He shivered as a strong arm encircled his waist. Looking up, he gave Shane a shy smile. "Shane?"

"We don't have to let it go, we can keep it as a getaway for us. You know, when we're in town we can stay here instead of a hotel." Shane hugged A.J. back against him, letting out a soft sigh against his hair. "We're going to want our alone time when we have the kids."

A.J. nodded, eyes drifting close as Shane gently massaged his neck. "When are you going to pick up the boys?" Their plans for the weekend included two shows on Friday, a camping trip with the kids on Saturday, and breakfast with the family on Sunday. "Patrick is bringing Amber to the second show Friday."

Shane nodded I'll pick up the boys once I get to town. School's already out for them so they get to spend the week with me. What if we go get Amber early? Clay and Alex will be with us so they..."

"Wait, ok look, honey I'm all for Alex going with us, Clayton too for that matter but why both of them? What's going on with those two, are the dating or what?" A.J turned in Shane's arms, looking up into a pair of dark, worried eyes. "Shane, what is it?" Stomach churning with nervous energy, A.J waited for Shane to say what was on his mind.

Shane let out a soft sigh as he thought about how to tell A.J about Clay and Alex. Just as he opened his mouth, the doorbell rang. Frowning, Shane looked at the brunette in front of him then to the door. "Were you expecting anyone?"

"No, I, uh, well Dre said he may come by but I figured we would already be gone by then." Standing behind Shane as he turned to answer the door, A.J held his breath in anticipation. "Shane, what if..."

"It would save me the trouble of having to hunt his ass down." Shane looked over his shoulder at the grinning brunette. "Sure you wouldn't mind me beating his ass so..." He chuckled at the flush that bloomed on A.J.'s skin, shaking his head as he opened the door. Turning, he was met with a pair of gray green and sea green eyes. "Clay, Alex, what brings you two by here so early?" He studied both their expressions, noticed the determined look on his nephew's face and the worried one on Alexander's. "Gentlemen?"

"We need to talk to Uncle Allen, there's somethings we need to tell him."

Shane nodded, stepping back as A.J moved around him. "Well come in, he's right here as you can see."

"Clay, Alex what's up we were just talking about you two! So which one of you is up for babysitting for a week?" A.J grinned at the two men in front of him, stomach fluttering in nervous excitement. The determined look on Clay's face reminded him of Dre and Sadie, Alex on the other hand looked as if he were facing a firing squad. Frowning, he looked between the pair, confused by their silence. "Clay, Alex?"

"Umm, Uncle Allen, there's something we need to tell you." Clay looked from Shane to Allen and back.

"Go ahead, I'll be in the back if you need me." Shane gave A.J a quick kiss, smiling as he looked up at him in worry. "Don't worry, I'm not going far."

A.J nodded, his gaze turning back to Clay and Alex as Shane left the room. "Ok, so what's up you two, why the serious looks?"

"Uncle Allen..."

"Clay, maybe we should wait?"

A.J watched as the two in front of him got into an argument. "What the fuck is wrong with you two, wait for what and why are you arguing about it?" He looked at both Clay and Alex, waiting for an answer. "Clayton?"

Clay looked at is uncle, a frown curving his lips down. "Ok so the thing is that Alex and I have been seeing each other."

A.J grinned as he looked between the pair. "Well, ok, that's not a bad thing. What did your mom's have to say about it?"

"Well Juls was cool with it from the beginning, mom was, well mom was worried but she, umm, she didn't really say to much."

A.J frowned at Clay's hesitation, glancing over at Alex, he wondered at the pale face and shuddered expression. "Alex?" When the other man jerked in surprise, A.J realized there was more than what he thought. "How long have you two been together?" As both men looked at each other then back at A.J., he knew he wasn't going to like the answer. "Clay?"

"We, uh, we've been seeing each other for almost seven years."

A.J stiffened as he looked from Clay to Alex then back. "Seven years, seven years and you're just now telling..." A.J broke off as another thought hit him. "Six years ago you told me about this guy you were dating named Alex..."

"Th-that was...I-I was seeing Clayton but I did not...H-he told me he was older than he really was and I..."

A.J felt his temper rising as he listened to Alex and Clay try to explain why they had not told him. "Hold on, wait a fucking minute. If he is the one you almost got expelled from school for, why the fuck are you still with him?! Are you telling me that after everything your mother and Uncle did you stayed with the man who..."

"Expelled? What...who was going to be expelled?"

A.J looked between Clay and Alex, saw that Alex hadn't known and that Clay seemed to be hiding more than they all knew. "Are you telling me Alex didn't know Clayton?"

"No, I never told him and neither did Alistair. Alex would have never finished school if he knew I'd been expelled because of him! He was my tutor, he would have been..."

"Wait, jesus, what the fuck are you talking about now?! Who was your tutor? Alex? Are you fucking telling me that not only were you under age, you were involved with your tutor?! The same fucking tutor your moms and I got into it about because of your studying habits?" A.J glared at Clay, his temper fraying as he realized just how long Clay and Alex have been together. "Now I understand why your mother was so worried. Why she had come to Japan..." He broke off as another thought hit him. "Shane knew, he knew you two were seeing each other because he was the one who helped keep you in school."

"Juls asked Uncle Bray if he knew anyone who could help. Mom refused to ask anyone she knew! She felt that I should have listened to everyone else and waited but Alex could have found someone else by then and I..."

"Who the fuck cares!" A.J sucked in a quick breath as he turned away from Clay. "You're to god damn smart for everything that happened Clayton. You put your mother through hell, do you know that? She was scared of what Juls would have to do in order to keep your ass in school and it's all because you couldn't wait till you were old enough to fuck!"

"Thant's not how it was Uncle Allen, I love Alex! Then and now, I swear we hadn't done anything, not that I hadn't tried but Alex kept turning me down!"

"Smart on his part." A.J felt his hands shaking as he tried to keep from leaving the room. Sadie had been sent to Japan to bring him and Shinsuke home. She had said a mutual party was interested in them joining the WWE. "You were used as an excuse..."

"No, I didn't know the full situation until after Bray brought Juls to meet me. By then I had already done what needed to be done."

A.J looked up at Shane, eyes narrowing as he slowly walked forward. "Are you telling me you didn't know about Clay and Alex at first?"

"I did not, I was asked to speak on behalf of an intelligent young man. One who had a bright future ahead of him as a pediatrician or cardiologist." Shane took a deep breath, watching as blazing blue eyes followed him. "Bray came to me because he knew I could help."

A.J glared at Shane, momentarily forgetting about Clay and Alex. "What doesn't make any damn sense is the fact that you've known everyone for a while. You had to have known..."

"I didn't, Allen, I promise you I did not know about Clay and Alex until later and by then I'd already met you." Shane watched as the man in front of him turned into himself, his eyes going flat, mouth thinning into a tight line. "Allen..."

"No, Sadie came to Japan because of the interest of a mutual party. I thought it was your dad, h-he tried to...before but I..." A.J gave an angry shake of his head as he stepped back from Shane. "You asked Sadie to come to Japan?" At Shane's silence, A.J looked away from him. "Why, why would you have Sadie of all people..."

"Because Juls mentioned they knew you, that Sadie had grown up with you. I was surprised because we'd been trying to find you and Shinsuke after your...after Wellington kept refusing our calls. I never knew about dad propositioning you until Sadie told me about it but by then I'd already met you. Once, at TNA, you walked by me talking to someone. I didn't think anything of it until you got in the ring and I was hooked. I've followed your career since then, you were someone that was needed at WWE and if I could get you there then I would. I didn't think I'd fall for you, not after the first meeting we'd had."

A.J frowned at Shane, trying to remember the first time he'd seen Shane. "I hadn't seen you before the contract signing so how..."

"Three years before that, you and Shinsuke were at NJPW. You may not remember because I was with Marissa then but we had gone out, wined and dined the night away, until Wellington showed up causing a scene. That's when we lost contact with you two." Shane watched as A.J tried to remember the night mentioned. He knew he needed to correct Clayton's unintentional mistake as he watched A.J back away from him. "Allen?"

"Wells said you, uh, you had been watching me all night, th-that I'd missed a chance at getting some money for us to pay the hotel bill that night but Shin and I had just gotten our checks from NJPW." A.J studied the rug in front of him, a frown curving his lips down. "He kept insisting that I'd really messed up, that you were..."

"I wasn't there for that, I was there to make sure we could convince you both to come to the WWE. You were wanted for your talents, after I'd met you officially as a WWE employee you were already dating Chris and I was already in the middle of my divorce." Shane watched as ocean blue eyes focused on him. He stood still, waiting for what ever Allen would do next.

"You didn't...on purpose?" A.J. was trying his best to convince himself that this wasn't the same shit as with Wellington. That Shane meant what he said, this wasn't some type of game to him. He searched the face of the man in front of him, trying desperately to push back the doubts and fears whispering in the back of his head. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Tell you what, that I wanted you long before I even knew what it was? I couldn't, I was married and you were chasing your dream. I wouldn't stand in the way of that."

"But after, you could have told me after Shane I would have understood! You said you love me, why hide this from me?" Shaking his head, A.J headed towards the door, pulling out his keys and cell. "You've been doing that a lot lately and I can't...Wellington did enough of that. If you love me you wouldn't keep hiding shit from me. From the girl with Faith to this, why not just tell me the truth?" A.J stood by the door, his back to the three men in the room. "Why are you making decisions for us both when I've been making my own for awhile now? You can't love me if you think I can't figure shit out for myself or do anything on my own anymore."

"Allen, that's not..." Shane broke off at the look on A.J.'s face, realizing just how things looked from his end. "Where are you going?"

"I can't be around you right now. I have to...just, I'll call you later." A.J turned away from Shane, stomach churning as he tried his best to convince himself that Shane wasn't trying to do what Wells had. He wasn't trying to use him for money or his talent but he couldn't. The similarities...

"Uncle Allen?"

A.J stopped, turning to look back at Clay and Alex. "You should have told me sooner, I would have probably agreed with your mom but I would have understood." He glanced over at Shane before looking at Clay. "Love will make you blind to a number of things. Especially the fault in the other but I would have understood you were in love. I know what that feels like, better than anyone else." Turning, A.J left the apartment, Shane's voice following him down the hall. "I love you but that doesn't mean you have the right to manipulate me like you did." Stepping onto the elevator, A.J. didn't see the man watching him. He was so caught up in his thoughts about Shane he missed when the other slipped onto the elevator behind him. By the time the doors closed and A.J realized he wasn't alone, it was already to late. "What the fuck are you doing here Wellington, if Shane..."

"Ahh but we both know you two just had a disagreement so he won't be coming after you." Wellington walked over and ran a finger down A.J.'s cheek, smiling as he pulled back from him. "Don't be like that sweetheart, you know I've really missed you Allen. Give me a chance to make it up to you, let me show you that I've changed."

A.J didn't let him see his nerves, keeping his temper in check as the elevator moved down to the lower levels. "No thanks Wellington, I'm good where I am and Shane and I didn't have a disagreement so you can get the fuck..." He broke off at the red headed man who appeared before the open doors, stepping back in surprise. "Jesse?"

"As you can see, Jesse is all grown up now and he really does adore you."

"If either of you touch him I swear I'll kill you before anyone can stop me."

A.J bit back the sound of relief that rose in his throat. Looking behind the red head, he saw Shane. No matter what, when ever he needed him...

"Awww, you think he needs saving? He invited us to join him, why else would we be here?"

"He damn sure wouldn't invite you here knowing I'm here." Shane could feel his temper rising as he glanced over at A.J. Something had told him to follow him, to make sure he was ok and he was glad for his decision. "Honey?"

"I-I was going to the store, I didn't know..." A.J. watched as Jesse turned on Shane, fists raised to hit him. "Shane!" He watched as Shane grinned then ducked the fist coming towards him.

Shane watched the man in front of him, stepping back from a wildly thrown punch. He ducked under another swing, drawing back and hitting the man with a series of punches to his midsection. When the other dropped to his knees, Shane turned his dark gaze to the pair in the elevator. "He belongs to me, you and your friends have been warned more than once. We will settle this like we should have a long time ago."

"Fine with me, let me know the place and time. Allen here has my number if you need to reach me."

A.J jerked at the hand on his ass. Turning in surprise at Wellington, he punched him in the jaw. "Don't fucking touch me you asshole! Didn't you just hear him say we're together?! What the fuck is wrong with you Wellington! I keep telling you he's going to kill you, why won't you just listen?!" A.J glared at Wellington. "You always were a stubborn bastard, refusing to take no for a fucking answer." Taking a deep breath, A.J. walked out of the elevator, standing next to Shane. "I am with Shane, understand? There is no way in hell I'd ever give him up for you so stop fucking bothering us!"

Shane pulled A.J behind him as Wellington stepped out of the elevator. "I'm not going to be so nice about this anymore. You think you can take him from me then prove it."

"Shane what the fu..."

"You won't last long with me McMahon."

Shane's grin turned dark as he ignored the angry voice behind him. "I'll let you know the details. Pray for your soul Wellington, because your life is mine."