Gwyn's POV
What I needed to do was not bash and try to make Brian madder at Penny. I needed to get him to a desperate state of missing her. He's been going without sex for months, I just needed a way in.
“Why don't we go out on the balcony of my suite? I think you need some fresh air.”
“If you have something alcoholic.” He said.
“I have some wine.”
“That works.” He said.
He went out and sat in one of the chairs on the balcony. I brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses.
I handed him a glass of wine and he sipped it and said. “I can't believe Penny, is she just trying to piss me off?”
“I think she's very alone, the tour is almost over, she's still there and she just wanted to get out of the house.” I said.
“You're right, but why with that guy?”
“He is who she has spent most her time with since you've been gone, because he's her Doctor. Have you ever heard of the Florence Nightingale effect? I know she has no real romantic interest in him.”
“It's not her I'm worried about. I just miss her and I feel bad that she is alone.” He held out his glass for more wine. He didn’t notice that I was not actually drinking from my glass. “Maybe you’re jealous of Adam because he is there and you’re not.”
“I wish she were here with me. It will be such a relief when we know she's better.” He looked very sad. “I can't wait to hold her in my arms, to dance with her and know she's not going to…” His sentence trailed off.
“Why don't you practice; I'll be a fill in for Penny. It might make you feel better, like she’s here.”
“That wouldn't be a little weird for you?” He asked.
“Penny and I have been friends for a long time, if I can help you through this I don't mind.”
“Oh, what the hell!” He slurred and then downed the rest of the glass of wine in his hand.
He stood up and stumbled into me and he straightened up and held me as we danced. As the song progressed, he held me closer and I could tell the "wine" was working.
I said “Bri, are you okay?” Doing my best Penny imitation.
“I’ve just missed you so much Penz.”
“I’ve missed you Junior.” I said looking at him. “Kiss me please.” Then he kissed me, our lips pressing together for just a few seconds before increasing intensity. I started to pull his t-shirt out of his pants. He started to unbutton my blouse.
“We belong together, Brian.” I realized as soon as I said that, I had slipped up.
“What?” then stopped and pushed me back. “Holy Shit! What the fuck are you doing?” He said.
I knew I needed to play this innocently. “Oh, my God! We both drank too much, we got carried away.”
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He yelled. “Penny Is going to kill me!”
“You don't have to tell her. It was nothing.”
“I've got to go Gwyn!” He ran out of my suite.
My experiment didn't have the end result that I had hoped for but I knew what do if Adam failed. It would just need to be at the right place at the right time, using the right mixture.

Adam's POV
I was very torn; she was at my house. She was pissed at Brian and ready to drink. Should I take this opportunity? I shouldn't take advantage of her, I care too much about her. But on the other hand, I could be putting her in danger if I don't.

We went outside and talked, she downed two more glasses of wine. I didn't try to stop her. I had robbed her of the possibility of drinking for months, I knew it wouldn't take much to get her drunk. I was drinking my own fair share. I told her about my nearly 20-year marriage, lying to her about how it ended. She told me about her first three husbands. She even talked about her second husband and how Brian and the others saved her.
“Not many women can say that a man loves them enough to risk his life. You not only had your current husband do it, but your ex-husband right at his side. You are an incredible woman; I see why they would do that.”
“Thanks, but they are the incredible ones. They became friends, despite me. God, I miss Bri.” She said with such sadness.
“I know you do and I am so sorry.” I said.
“You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault I had to stay here, you are saving my life too.” She smiled and held my hand squeezing it for a moment. “You are a very special person.”
I felt a knot in my stomach, the guilt pulled at me. I had to get away for a moment. “I'll go get another bottle of wine.”
“Are you sure it's okay for me to have more?”
“It's fine just this one time. You don't have to drink more if you don't want to. I could bring you a glass of water.”
“I've got a one-night pass from my Doctor. I'm not wasting it!” She was smiling, but I could still see the sadness in her eyes.
I brought the wine out and we continued to talk and drink.

Penny's POV
It was so nice to relax, have someone to talk to and enjoy the beautiful evening. I couldn't help but miss Brian, no matter how mad I was.
Poor Adam, I was babbling on about my life. When I started talking about Brian, I couldn't stop. I told him the whole story of how we met, we literally sat there for over two hours talking and drinking wine.
“I have heard him play, he is amazing.” Adam said.
“He is; he works very hard too. He is constantly playing, creating, trying new techniques. I love listening to him work on that even more than watching him on stage. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing him on stage. But when he's at home and working, that's what I love the most. Sometimes I listen and he doesn't even know it.” The memory made me miss him more.
“I bet he likes to watch you paint.” Adam said.
“I don't let him very much. He likes to watch me sketch though. But that doesn't really compare to what he can do.”
“I bet you he doesn't think that.” I was drunk, but the look on Adam’s face reminded me of Brian. “It sounds like you have many wonderful times together.”
“We have, I miss even the little things. On a night like tonight we would probably do much the same as you and I are. But we would probably dance together.” I wanted to cry, but I wasn't going to let myself.

Adam's POV
I stood up and held my hand out to her. “Shall we dance? I'm not Brian, but you can pretend I am.”
“You really want to dance with me knowing I am pretending you are someone else?” She asked.
“If it will help you feel better, I don't mind.”
She took my hand and stood up. She stumbled a bit and I helped her steady herself. I already had music on, so I put my arms around her. She pulled me in closer. We swayed to the music and she had her head on my shoulder. I thought about what a lucky man Brian was. I knew this was the moment I had been waiting for. The song ended and Penny didn't let go. I heard a sniffle and I knew she was trying not to cry.
“Penny, don't cry.”
She shook her head. “I'm not crying.”
“Penny, look at me.” She did and I wiped the tears from her cheeks. “It's not much longer, he'll be back and you'll be well. You will have many more nights like this.” She was very drunk and caught up in the moment. I pressed my lips to hers. She kissed me back as I held her closer. I ran my hands up her back as she kissed down my neck then back up to my ear.
“Your touch feels so good.” She whispered. I started kissing down her neck detouring to nibble on her ear.
“I want you so much Penny.” I whispered.
She said “Oh Bri, I've missed you.” Then I realized I couldn't do this. She thinks I'm the man she loves. I stopped and stepped away from her.
“Penny, it’s me not Brian.”
“What just happened?” She said. “What did I just do!”
“We have both had too much to drink; you were thinking about Brian. I was thinking about how lucky he is and we kissed. You called me Bri and we both stopped.”
“It was more than just a kiss! I just cheated on my husband!” She was freaking out.
“Penny, it was a drunken kiss. We stopped and we both have our clothes on. You didn't cheat on him, you missed him and wanted me to be him.”
“He is not going to understand that!” She was now pacing back and forth.
“You don't have to tell him.”
“I don't know if I can keep it from him. The guilt would be too much. I have to leave, where's my purse?” She started toward the house.
“Penny, you've had too much to drink to drive and so have I.”
“Adam, I have to go home. NOW!”
“Okay, I'll call a cab for you. Just try to calm down.” I felt terrible for two reasons, that it happened and that I enjoyed it. I had also failed and Gwyn was not going to be happy.

Brian's POV
When I woke up my head was killing me. The sun was blinding through the windows of the room. I tried to remember what happened the night before between the time I went up to Gwyn's suite and waking up on the couch in my suite. I vaguely remembered going out and drinking wine on Gwyn's balcony.

My phone rang, I grabbed it off the charger. It was Penny.
“Hi Penelope.” I tried not to sound like I had a hangover.
“Hi Brian.” She sounded like she was crying.
“Are you okay?” The only sound on the other end of the line was crying. “Penny, what's wrong?”
“Brian, I'm so sorry.”
“Sorry about what?” I asked.
“I'm a terrible person, I just miss you so much. I love you.” I realized she was drunk.
“Penny are you drunk? Where are you?”
“I just got home from Adam's.” I was so hungover, I forgot about her going to his house. I suddenly envisioned killing that fucker.
“What did he do to you?” I could tell she was freaking out.
“It wasn't just him, we were drunk. I missed you so much, he asked me to dance and pretend he was you. He wanted me to feel better.”
“Then what happened?” I asked. She was now crying so hard I could barely understand her.
“Kissed” was all I could understand.
“He kissed you?”
I understood her say “Yes”. I had to get her to calm down.
“Penny, I'm not mad at you. I need you to calm down so we can talk about this.”
“I said your name and we both realized what we had done.” I was finally able to sort of understand what she was saying.
“I thought you weren't supposed to drink?”
“He said I was okay to have a couple glasses of wine. Then when I got so upset about your messages that he said I could have a one-night pass.” She said, still crying.
“He did, did he?” Now I was getting madder. She had managed to calm down some. “How did you get home?”
“He called a taxi for me.”
“So, he got you drunk, kissed you and shipped you home in a taxi!” I was getting more and more pissed by the second.
“Yes, I mean no. I had to get out of there and we were both too drunk to drive. Brian, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I love you and only you. Please forgive me. I'll do…” I had to cut her off before she totally lost it. I also had to keep myself under control.
“Penny, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. I know you love me. You haven't had alcohol for nearly nine months. You missed me and he took advantage.”
“But I did it!” She was starting to cry again.
“Sweetie listen to me. What time is it there?”
“Around midnight.” She answered.
“I want you to go to bed and get some sleep. You are going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning.”
“Can't I just come be with you? I can't do this any longer.” She pleaded.
“I wish you could, I wish I could come home and kick that guys ass. But Penny, you can't and I can't right now. I'll be home in less than two weeks.”
“Fuck the treatments, fuck this stupid illness. I don't care if I die, if I am with you until the end!”
“That's the alcohol talking, you don't really mean that. Please just go to bed and get some sleep.” I wanted so bad to tell her to get on a plane to meet me and not go to Ohio.
“Please Brian! Do you still love me; don't you miss me?” Her words tore at me..
“Yes Penz, I love you with all my heart. I miss you every minute of every day, but I need you to be with me the rest of my life. I refuse to risk your life. Get some sleep now and I'll talk to you in the morning.”
“I can't sleep.”
“Honey, I have a feeling that if you close your eyes will have no problem going to sleep.”
“Okay, I'll try. I love you and I'm so sorry.”
“It's okay Penz. I love you.”

Adam’s POV
Once Penny left, I felt so awful. I drank another bottle of wine. I hated myself, I realized who I had become. I was not merely Gwyn's puppet anymore, I had acted on my own lust and desire for Penny. I had become as obsessed as Gwyn, doing despicable things in a quest for someone. In a fit of self-loathing, I threw the bottle against the wall.

I woke up on the floor in my bathroom. My cell phone was screaming in my pocket (or it sounded like it to my pounding head).
“Hello”
“It’s about time you answered the phone asshole. I KNEW YOU WERE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” Brian was yelling at me on the other end.
“I didn't mean for it to happen. We had too much to drink. She was missing you and crying.” I kept lying, digging myself deeper and deeper.
“You mean you got her drunk and took advantage of her loneliness.”
“I did, but it wasn't what I planned to do. I'm sorry. I just wanted her to not be alone for one night. I wanted to be a friend, but I couldn't help giving in to wanting more.” I tried to be as honest with him as I could without telling him about Gwyn. I didn't want this incident to lead to Gwyn and put Penny in danger. “She literally called me by your name when I kissed her. When she realized, it was me and not you, she freaked out and insisted on leaving.”
“So, you admit you have more than platonic feelings for Penny?”
“Yes, I am ashamed to say I have for quite some time.”
“Mother Fucker, if you so much as touch my wife in a non-medical way again, I will make sure you never touch any woman again. Do you understand?”
“You have every right to feel that way.”
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“She is going to Ohio tomorrow. You will call her in a few hours and apologize for what happened and tell her that her next treatment will be the day after I get back. That is only 2 days off from her normal schedule. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“You are not to see her until that visit and you will never see her again without me present. I don't want her to blame herself for this or feel any worse than she already does, so if she does talk to you after you apologize you will act like nothing happened. BUT you WILL NOT see her in person. Understood?”
“I understand, thank you for understanding it wasn't her fault.” I said.
He hung up on me.

Brian's POV
After calling Adam Gabriel. I tried again to remember what happened between being at Gwyn's suite and waking up in my suite. I called Gwyn, she said that we both drank a lot and then I left and went to my suite. She said that was all, but I kept feeling that there was something I wasn't remembering.

My phone rang and it was Penny.
“Penny?”
“Hi Brian” she said softly.
“I'm surprised you're up already, are you okay?”
“Not really, I feel like shit mentally and physically.”
“I'm sorry this happened. It's my fault for not being there.” I said.
“Brian, I love you for always trying to protect me but you can't take blame for my stupid mistake.”
“I haven't been there for you as I should have been over the phone and FaceTime during the last month. I don't want you to dwell on this. It is not going to do your health any good.”
“I never wanted to hurt you.” She started to cry.
“Yes, it hurts, but you were drunk and missing me. You left right away. I talked to Adam, he feels terrible too.” I knew this wasn't the time for I told you so. “He told me how lonely you have been, I'm sorry.”
“You talked to Adam?” She asked.
“Yes. We talked and came to an understanding. Everything is okay.” I tried to ease her mind. “So, no more worrying about this. You need to get some rest and get rid of your hangover. You have to pack and be ready for your flight tomorrow morning.”
“You are the most amazing man in the world. I don't deserve you.” She said.
“I am not amazing; I just love you.”
“I love you, will you call me later?”
“Of course, get some rest now.”
After disconnecting the call I realized that I didn't feel amazing, for some reason I felt guilty.

Notes