roger's plan pt.1

After his latest meeting with Alan Roger couldnt stop thinking about Alex. He felt remorse for what had to Holly all those years ago. and the other women he had hurt. but alex was different. somehow she had always seemed strong enough to take what he could dish out. she could always hold her own with him. but thoughts of their marriage were plaguing him. he couldnt get the immage of her begging for forgivness after that whole absurd plot to set him up as being unfaithful with holly out of his mind. she had actually begged him to forgive her, and he knew all along he was indeed being unfaithful to her by carrying on an affair with mindy. she had actually stranded them at the cabin durring a snow storm to reconnect with him and he had rejected her. "why is all this bothering me now?" he asked himself out loud. "damn alan for putting me in this position. shes not going to trust me again. why am i letting myself care about her again? he's not really going to hurt her. he's not doing anything that i havent allready done to her. its not like we havent all been down this road before..." but still the immage of her wouldnt leave his mind..."i know what i have to do...and alan isnt going to like this one bit..."

As Roger was coming up with his own plan to deal with Alan and his resurfacing feelings for Alexandra he was more than a little dismayed to find Alan at his door. "What is it now?" he asked impatiently.

"What is it now? I'll tell you what it is, Thorpe. It's our lucky day. I was just at Alexandra's and do you want to know what bit of good fortune just fell right into our hands?" Roger gave him a sceptical look as he went on. "You wont have to exert yourself too hard to get her distracted now. Her whole world has just been turned upside down. Without you or I having to lift one finger."

"What are you talking about, Alan? What happened to Alexandra?" He tried to hide the concern he suddenly felt for her.

"Brandon is back. Our father. I was in the secret passage and heard her scream. when i stopped to listen i over heard. do you realize what this means? shes going to be devistated, Roger. between our plan to drive her crazy and your hot and heavy pursuit of her this is going to be too much for her. shes going to be her most vulnerable. now is when you need to get to her. she cant defend herself on all sides. while her attentions are divided is when we strike."

"What? What do you mean Brandon is back?" For a moment he was speachless. "What about you? He is your father too. You dont care? What about your sister? She always said you protected her from Brandon. How could you just leave her there alone now? You need to be there and support her now. Thats how we use this to our advantage. I know how to handle my end of this. But think about it. You need to gain her trust as well. Now is when you need to be there. I cant just drop in and pretend like nothing ever happened. She's not a fool. She would see right through that. I have my own plans for her." Roger thought for a minute, not used to being caught off guard he didnt want it to show. "Why dont you try to get Brandon on your side?"

"What's wrong with you, Roger? You've been acting rather strangely lately...Dont be concerned about Alexandra's safety. Father was overbearing and cruel. But not violent. Thats your area of expertise. He may critisize her but he wouldnt hurt her. I know how i want to handle father and alex. i want to see some results out of you. so far i've done all the dirty work here. when are you going to step up and get her to be your wife again?"

"In due time, Alan. you know our history. you cant expect the woman to fall right back into my arms. i'm working on it... "