Here is a little something I have been working on for a little while and just decided to post it.  It's a brief scene (that we didn't get to see) taken from Fate. Thank you Stephanie for encouraging me to take this little scene a bit further!  :-)

Rated PG 13

Synopsis: Erica discovers what happens when she side steps Marissa's advice. A depressed Gary stumbles home from a bar. This is a small vignette taken from Fate.

Disclaimer:  Early Edition is own by Tristar Pictures

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Marissa's Wisdom
by Candi

Shivering and exhausted, Gary slumped down at the bar. His face was like an icicle from the long walk across town and his mind was a slur. In the background he could faintly hear Marisa's voice coaxing him to eat, and saying something about a shock.

"No, I'm not hungry, just tired"  he answered, trying not to sound irritated.

"Do you want to talk" Marisa asked softly, hoping in vain that this would be one of those moments when the two of them could talked like they use to. But somehow she knew that this was different. She could sense his sloughed body posture, and wanted to wrap her arms around him, to protect him.

"No" He groaned, rubbing his face hard in his gloved hands, as if trying to block out the memory of that whole dreadful day. But the memories kept coming, like a terrible nightmare. For an instant he looked up to find Erica standing directly in front of him, her eyes speaking silently, asking him to allow her to comfort him. From the corner of his eye he could see Marisa sitting closely beside him, also ready to comfort him.

Marisa knew the pain he was feeling, having lost a save. So important was life, his own life being altered for the sake of others, and for this to have happened she knew was a devastation for him. Her own heart ached with his and she felt totally helpless.

Feeling like an outsider, Erica stood behind the counter, not wanting to interfere, knowing that Marissa knew Gary, what made him tick, what to say, and when not to say it. Marissa knew him inside and out. But did she? The look on Marissa's face was now one of most uncertainty as if she herself was at a loss of what to say to her long time friend.

But Erica wanted to comfort him and in her own way. She felt she'd known him long enough, and seeing him like this made her heart sink. If she could just get him in her arms for a moment to hold him. No words, but the warmth of her body as a contact to assure him that he wasn't alone in this and that he wasn't to be blamed for what happened.

Drawing a deep breath, and seeming to exhale from the depts of his soul, Gary sat with his shoulders hunched, feeling total disappointment then resentment, and now anger at himself for the death of that old man.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and try and get some sleep, thanks" he murmured, rising somewhat unsteadily from the counter. The drink he had earlier that night, had already taken effect on him, and he stumbled slightly towards the office.

"K" Marissa answered softly. She had smelled the alcohol on his breath, and now hearing the unsteady rhythm of his steps, frightened her. It wasn't like Gary.

Instinctively, Erica begin to follow, a natural response from someone who cared for someone they loved who was hurting, only to be halted by the sound of  Marissa's soft, yet stern voice.

"Erica?"

In a daze, Erica turned slightly at the sound of her name being called, stopping just as the door to the office shut quietly behind him.

"Huh?"  She answered softly, her eyebrows arched in anticipation of what Marissa wanted.

"I wouldn't"  Marissa advised quietly.

Without a word, Erica turned to eye the closed office door and her heart sank again as she pictured Gary's slow unsteady climb towards the loft.

"But he's hurting Marissa" She cried softly, almost tearfully as she turned to face Marissa again.

"I know, Erica, and I know that you want to comfort him. But I really don't think that now is a good time."

Again Erica turned to face the closed door, her heart pounding and her mind a turmoil as she wrestled with what to do. She respected Marisa and her judgment very much and didn't want to step over that boundary. The two had became close since her arrival at Mcginty's, but she needed to be with him, he needed someone.

There was an uneasy silence except for the soft murmur of a few patrons left lingering over their drinks and the sound of the steady ticking of the clock on the wall behind the bar as Erica contemplated her choice.

Her mind made up, Erica moved slowly towards the office stopping suddenly to turn and face Marisa again.

"Excuse me Marisa" She said, her voice nervous and faint as she slowly opened the door to the office, and closed it softly behind her.

With her back against the door Erica's heart was pounding fiercely in her chest. She hadn't wanted to side step Marisa's advice, but felt that she had to this time, she had no choice. She would suffer the consequences later.

It was dark as she made her way through the small office space, then to the staircase that led up to Gary's loft. Knees shaking, she paused for a moment at the foot of the stairs.

She couldn't help thinking how little she had learned about Gary beyond a few personal likes and dislikes. She had known for a long time that he had avoided relationships. His failed marriage had left him wounded and with a broken heart, so she knew to tread lightly not wanting to frighten him off. The responsibility of the paper left him with no time for her, or for himself for that matter which was why she was happy that he'd found time from the paper to take in the planetarium with her that afternoon.

She had seen him in many ways since she began working at Mcginty's. Happy, amused, grumpy, and sad, even angry at times when things didn't go the way it should have on a save.

They had made love only once since they began dating and it was she who had initiated it. Being the gentleman that he was, Erica thought it was sweet how Gary would constantly avoid her flirtatious teasing and playful prompting only to finally one night give in to his desire.

That delirious sweet look of ecstacy on his face that night was one she would always remember as he finally accepted what she was offering him. Tension relieved he slept soundly beside her and in that moment in her heart Erica knew that she was in love with him.

She had studied him sleeping peacfully beside her, his arms wrapped tightly around her as if he was hugging his pillow. Although slightly uncomfortable Erica had smiled revelling the moment thinking he was definitely not used to sharing his bed!

Shifting to accomadate his awkward position, she had snuggled closer to him and whispered in his ear that she loved him, knowing that he was sleeping soundly, and couldn't hear her. She wanted him to say those words back to her but as the days passed, he never did, and seemed a bit distant towards her after that night, even guilty somehow. She was hurt that he seemed to avoid a more closer and intimate relationship with her, carrying on with his duties of the paper, oblivious to her needs and wants. It hurt her that he seemed satisfied with their relationship the way that it was. But seeing him this way hurt her even more.

Out there in the bar he seemed like a totally different person from the happy confident man she had been with not 24 hrs ago. She didn't know what to expect and as she slowly ascended the stairs she bit her lip nervously, contemplating what she would say to him now.

The hallway was softly lit at the top of the stairs. Through the bumpy glass window of his door there were no lights on inside of his apartment, except for the eerie blue glow of the night sky illuminating from the large picture window over looking the sofa. Holding her breath she tapped gently on the door.

Inside of the apartment, Gary sat hunched in front of the window staring blankly out into the bleak night sky. For the life of him his mind just wouldn't be still. Clutching his head in his hands he tried to block out the picture of the old man plunging 10 stories to his death. Over and over that vision played out in his mind as anger and regret seeped in. He could feel dispair welling up from the pit of his stomach, making it's way up to his heart, and he closed his eyes tight trying to block it from taking over him
completely. He couldn't cry, he was too angry to cry. But he knew now that he could never forgive himself for his decision made on that roof top. Damned the paper! He thought, rubbing his face hard in his hands. Damn the cat!!

*Tap-tap*

The gentle tapping on the door brought Gary back quickly, and his eyes shot up towards the door. Blinking he couldn't place the image on the other side of his door glowing in a white haze from the soft lighting of the hallway.  He hesitated to answer, wishing whoever it was would go away.

*Tap-tap*

Irritated, Gary drew in a long breath and rose slowly making his way to the bathroom. Not bothering to turn on the light, he turned on the faucet and leaned over the sink letting the cool water run through his fingers before splashing a cool handful over his face. For an instant he caught his reflection in the mirror, the darkness of the room making his appearance even more menacing and he quickly turned away. Grabbing a towel to wipe his face dry he made his way slowly towards the door.

"Yeah" He sighed irritably through the closed door, his voice tired and monotone and Erica was taken aback by the sound of it.

"Gary..it's me...Erica" She said softly.

Closing his eyes tightly, Gary wished he hadn't answered the door at all.  There was another long pause and then a click, and the door opened slightly. Right away Erica's eyes was drawn to his and she drew back suddenly at the sight of them. His eyes looked hollow and tired and seemed to have aged 20 years since she had seen him that afternoon. He stood staring back at her.

"It's late" He said drawing a deep breath and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry" Erica apologized, "I-I just thought that m-maybe you could use some company"

"I..I don't...think that I would be very good company tonight Erica, thank you" His voice was firm and still monotone.

Biting her lip, Erica pushed, " Maybe if you got a small break from the pa--"

"I-I don't think so-" Gary started, but stopped abruptly his voice trailing off as images of Jerimiah falling invaded his thoughts again. Running his fingers through his hair, he drew in a deep breath, and found himself back on the roof top of the apartment building. He could see Jeremiah's face looking up at him, pleading for help.

"Gary" Erica called softly, reaching for him through the small opening of the door. Grasping him around his neck, she gently pulled him to her and could feel his body resisting her embrace, pulling back gently from her.

"Erica-I-I think it's best if you left" He whispered against her hair, trying to be polite, trying to be gentle. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back gently yet firmly, away from him.

"Please!" his voice was husky.

Turning pale Erica shrank back to stare at him, dumbfounded by his awful withdrawal. His eyes held hers and it  frightened her. It also frightened her to see his sweet countenance replaced with anger, and bitterness and she quickly lowered her eyes to stare down at her hands instead.

"You can't blame yourself for this Gary"

"Oh no?" Gary' s brows raised, his teeth clenched, "Well, who do I blame Erica--because I sure as hell didn't see any one else on that roof top but that old man and me!."

There was an uneasy silence as Gary's words, quick and sharp, hung heavy in the air and for a moment they stared quietly at each other. Running a hand through his hair Gary blew out a frustrated breath and looked off towards the darkened staircase. He had no one else to blame but himself. He was the one who coaxed the old man to follow him across that ladder, no one else. If only he'd waited until help arrived. He knew that they were in trouble the minute the old man began to shake as he neared the end of the ladder. He was so close!

Erica was silent as her eyes moved passed his shoulder to the pile of newspapers, stacked neatly beneath the large window. She thought about how much of his time he had sacrificed to accommodate that huge stack and it made her heart sink. What a huge burden the paper must be. Now he was faced not only with the legal dealings concerning the death of a man but the mentality of losing a soul as well. Biting her lip, her eyes shifted back to Gary whose gaze was fixed upon her and more intent.  Embarrassed, she lowered her eyes quickly to stare at her hands again, hoping that her face hadn't revealed what she had been thinking.

"Maybe I should have listened to Marissa" She said thoughtfully.

His eyebrows raised Gary searched her innocent face. His jaw tight,  Gary didn't want to hurt her by saying what he was really thinking and held the poison that laced his tongue. Drawing in a deep breath, he studied her face for a moment thinking about what it was Marisa might have told her. He smirked inwardly and running a hand across the back of his neck he looked off
again. He loved Marissa dearly, but she always seemed to know everything about everything, and it irritated him. What irritated him more was that she was usually right. He glanced back down at her.

"And what might that be Erica?" he said responding irritably, his eyebrow furrowed.

For the first time since meeting him, Erica was afraid. Not so much of him, no. Despite the anger that consumed him now, to Erica, he would always be sweet, gentle and kind, he couldn't help it. It was who he was. But she was afraid that because of this unfortunate circumstance she had lost a part of him to that tragedy as she had lost a part of him after they had made love.
Somehow she felt that things would never be the same.

His question still ringing in her ear Erica looked up fighting back tears and feeling foolish for not having listened to Marissa.

"T-That maybe...maybe I should leave you alone.." she swallowed hard answering the question, "a-and to give you some time" she spoke thoughtfully.

They stared at each other quietly neither saying a word, Gary's eyes saying it all. She should have listened to Marissa.

Her feeling hurt, Erica bit he lip thoughtfully and turned slowly to leave.

"Erica" she heard him quietly call her name and she turned around her mind in a daze.

"M-Maybe in the morning huh?" he lied ruffling the back of his hair.

Nodding, she turned again and he watched her slowly descend the stairs. When she was out of sight, he took a deep breath and closed the door quietly.

The End

Email the author: Candi30938@aol.com
 

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