Drew was downstairs in the kitchen with everyone having a second cup of tea, but instead of sitting at the table, he was standing at the French doors, watching Chiara's cottage. Everyone knew what he was doing, but no one said anything.

He stood up taller and came to attention when the door opened, and he watched Ned come out, still in his pajamas, hair in a slept on mess.

Ned turned around and hugged Chiara, who was still in her pajamas as well, holding her tightly and long, giving her a peck on the mouth before releasing her. He said something to her before releasing her, something that made her smile. He then dropped a kiss on her nose before turning away and loping up toward the house.

Drew stepped away from the French door so Ned could come in, which he did, calling, "Good morning," to everyone. He got himself a cup of tea and sat at the island, taking a sip as he looked around.

"You want something to eat?" Luke asked.

"No, ate already, thanks," Ned answered, gesturing toward the cottage.

"You going to sleep over there every night, then?" Drew asked from his place by the doors.

"Don't see how that's any of your sodding business, you motherfucking wanker," Ned responded, setting his mug down with a bang.

"Hey, I'll thank you not to talk to my fiancé like that, you foul-mouthed little turd," LeeAnne said from the table.

"Hey, I'll thank you not to talk to me at all, you no-morals little slag," Ned retorted, doing a fair imitation of her midwestern American accent.

LeeAnne gasped and stood up, as did her sister. LeeAnne looked at Drew, who looked back at her evenly, taking a sip of his tea.

"Aren't you going to do something?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm your fiancée, and I'm carrying your child! Don't I deserve a little respect?"

"I didn't hear a bloody thing," Drew answered. "I'm going to the music room, I have a few things to check on before we get going today. See you in there, lads."

"I'm leaving in a few minutes, don't you at least have a good bye for me?" Nicholle asked. She gestured toward her bags, which were sitting by the front door. "I'm flying to Los Angeles to see about LeeAnne's house."

"Good bye, Nicholle." Drew said as he left the kitchen.

The others also murmured their good byes as they went about their morning business. To LeeAnne no one said a word.

A car pulled up in the drive, and LeeAnne walked her sister to the door, still crying, and kissed her good bye.

"Are you going to be okay here all by yourself?" Nicholle asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," LeeAnne assured her sister. "You go make us some bank, okay?"

"Will do."

And Nicholle was gone.

Gary was waiting to hand her the baby so he could get to work, so she took her, drying her eyes, and went upstairs to change and get Sienna dressed as well.

Gary turned and went into the music room, but he could hear the shouting before he even shut the door.

"You were there all bloody night, you bastard!" Drew was shouting in Ned's face. "Now I'm not going to ask you again! What did you do there? Where did you sleep? Did you sleep with her?"

"You lost all right to ask me that when you fucked that cunt that you have living in your house, Andrew!" Ned shouted back. "You heartless cocksucker, you should've heard how she cried while I held her in my arms! Whatever we did or didn't do after I managed to get her calmed down is none of your fucking concern!"

Drew was pulling his arm back in a wide swing that Luke grabbed at the bend of the elbow just in time when Gary saw it and shouted a warning. Luke held on with grim strength, bearing Drew to the ground in his efforts to keep him from hitting his lifelong friend.

Ned saw what had nearly happened, and Gary then had to go and hold him back to keep him from jumping on Drew and whaling on him.

"Let me go! Fucking let me go!" Drew was yelling at Luke, straining at the arms that held him. "I can take him. I can take him!"

Ned heard his words, and renewed his frenzied attempts to break free of Gary's grip so he could beat up Drew, shouting that he was "so much stronger than the wanker."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Luke muttered, finally just sitting on Drew's chest. "This isn't about who can take whom, you fucking bellends." He put his full weight on Drew, waiting until he was sure Drew was under control.

"Are you fine now?" he asked, looking back and forth from Drew to Ned and back again.

He pulled Drew up to a sitting position and stared at him until, reluctantly, Drew nodded.

"If I let you go, you going to be calm?" Gary asked Ned.

"I'll be calm," Ned answered. "He's the one who lost his head."

"This is fucking mental, Luke," Gary said. "There's no fucking way we're getting any work done like this."

"I know," Luke answered glumly. He thumped Drew in the chest with his knuckles. "You do my head in, you do."

He helped Drew stand up as Gary released Ned, and they watched the two would be sparring partners to make sure they wouldn't start fighting, right there in the studio.

Ned and Drew glared at each other, but did keep their distance.

"Okay, lads, we're taking one of those what's its , mental health days today, got it?" Luke addressed the other three. "Gars, you spend some quality time with your little one, and you two," he said sternly to Drew and Ned, "don't even be in the same room with each other, I mean it."

"Not a problem," Ned responded.

"Not for me either," Drew added, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

They exited the music room, with Gary going to find Sienna and Luke going in search of Mara. Ned sent a text and sat down in the lounge.

Drew went back to the kitchen to get another cup of tea, not wanting to go upstairs and risk running into LeeAnne, and in a couple of minutes he saw Chiara coming up the steps to the French doors.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd be here," she said, her voice quiet. She was wearing a pretty pink blouse that he'd always liked on her and pair of denim shorts that showed off her pretty legs. Aside from a slightly hoarse voice and slightly puffy eyes to indicate a night of tears, Drew thought she looked lovely.

"It's okay, you're allowed to be here," he said with a small smile.

Chiara shrugged, obviously uncomfortable, as she edged passed him, and Drew realized she wasn't there to see him. He watched as she went into the lounge, and he heard Ned telling her he unexpectedly had the day off.

He then heard them go out the front door together, and wondered where they were going. With no embarrassment whatsoever, Drew went through to the lounge, and watched them walk around the side of the house and out of sight. He followed them, from window to window, until he saw them pass through the gate, hand in hand, into the cemetery next door.

"That didn't take long, did it?"

Drew turned to find LeeAnne watching him at the doorway to the mudroom.

"What didn't take long?" he asked.

"Didn't I see them holding hands?" she asked, elegant ankles crossed as she leaned against the doorway. "It's barely been twelve hours since you dumped her, and Ned's already spent the night with her and holding her hand, taking her out for romantic walks on the property?"

"It's not a romantic walk, that's a graveyard," Drew told her. "Her parents are buried there, she likes to go there when she's upset."

LeeAnne shrugged. "Whatever. He's into her, it's going to happen faster than you can say 'wanna fuck?'" She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"So, when am I getting my ring?" she asked, apparently believing the subject of Ned and Chiara closed.

Drew shrugged. "I don't care. "Go online and pick one, and I'll get it for you, just make sure you don't exceed the agreed on amount."

"What? You mean we aren't going to London to pick it out together? No romantic proposal?" LeeAnne's childish features looked hurt and surprised.

Drew blinked in equal surprise as he shook his head. "No, course not! There's no romance going on here, make no mistake. This is a business transaction, pure and simple. There's nothing about London in the contract, is there?" He walked past her and put his teacup in the sink. "Email me the link to the one you want, and I'll make sure you get it, yeah?"

"But, is that how Chiara was going to get hers?"

Drew leaned over the sink and closed his eyes, swallowing and gripping the edge for a moment before turning around.

"Yes, actually, it's exactly how she was getting hers."

"Really?" LeeAnne was looking carefully at Drew to make sure he wasn't lying to her.

"Really truly, she didn't believe in all that crap, so you're getting exactly what she was getting, no worries," Drew assured her.

"Well, okay," LeeAnne finally agreed, mollified. "I'm going upstairs right now to look at my laptop and pick one out," she announced, running over to the stairs. "You wanna come and help?"

"No, thanks, I'll stay down here," he said, not bothering to hide his distaste.

"Okay," she answered, disappointed. "Your loss." She ran up the stairs, where Drew heard her trip, probably on some toy of Sienna's, which she never bothered to pick up.

"Dammit," he heard her call out.

He wandered out to the side garden, where he found Gary sitting on the bench swing, singing to Sienna. Gary slowed down long enough for Drew to sit next to him, and the two young men sang to her, throwing in some harmonies whenever the songs warranted.

Sienna, who had recently learned to more or less sit up on her own, stared at them, smiling a droolly, toothless smile, enchanted by the pretty songs.

Eventually, lulled by the melodies and the swinging motion, Sienna fell asleep against her father.

"How you hanging in, mate?" Gary asked his friend.

"I'm okay," Drew answered.

"Man, I'm sorry I ever brought her here, I really am," Gary finally said, putting a hand on his friend's knee.

"Me too, Gars, me too," Drew answered, covering his eyes with his hand and shaking his head. "You'll never know how sorry."

The two men sat in silence in the cool, pleasant morning with the baby sleeping leaning against one of them.