Ultra Violet was filled to capacity. Marcie Walsh sat at a corner table waiting for her boyfriend Michael McBain to arrive. She wasn't in the mood to be there, but it was the only way she would be able to spend time with him. By some unlucky twist of fate, their schedules never seemed to coincide.

She supposed it was her fault. Her job at the Llanview PD kept her really busy. She hoped that Michael didn't think she was making excuses not to see him because that definitely wasn't the case. She just hated to let Bo down. He had done so much for her, simply by giving her this job. The least she could do was help him out as much as she could. Plus the extra money really came in handy for school.
And that was another thing... Her grades had really started to fall lately, and Michael had been so sweet to help her with her classes. She really should be studying now, instead of being at Ultra Violet, but Michael had insisted that he meet her there. After all, it was Friday night. He told her he would be there as soon as his shift at the hospital ended.

The thought of seeing him soon made her nervous, which was ridiculous. She saw Michael all the time, and yet it felt like a school-age crush. It was funny... this feeling of nervousness was so similar to when she first met Al. Every time she saw him, her heart would do this funny little flutter inside her chest. She never dreamed she'd be feeling that way again.

Al... God, how she missed him.
At times she even felt guilty for being with Michael when Al was in her thoughts almost every day. It wasn't as though she didn't try to stop her relationship with Michael from happening. She fought it as hard as she could. He was such a jerk in the beginning; she did everything she could to try and fend him off. He begged her to go out with him on Valentine's Day and didn't give up until she said 'yes'.

Valentine's Day... something happened that day that changed everything between them. She just wished she knew what it was.

She picked up a menu from the table and looked at it, unable to concentrate on the words. As she glanced over to the bar, she noticed that Jen was flirting with Rex and was clearly tipsy from drinking too much. Marcie shook her head, wondering when Jen was going to learn that alcohol always ends up hurting people later in life... just like drugs.
Without warning, her thoughts drifted back to Al...

She saw what drugs did to him. Even when they were his system was completely drug-free, it cost him his life. It wasn't fair. He was so grateful to her for helping him through the Detox and told her that she had saved his life. Marcie still couldn't believe that she had actually locked him in her dorm room all night. She never thought of herself as brave until that night. During the entire ordeal, she never once considered herself or her own safety. She was only thinking of Al, and wanting him to get better. She wondered if that was the moment that she realized that she was falling in love with him.

He was such a wonderful person. He showed her she was beautiful when she refused to believe it herself.
She'd never saved anyone's life before, but Michael had...He'd saved her life. She could have died from the injuries that Dr. Haver inflicted on her. She shuddered, as she pushed the images from her mind. Thinking about the night he attacked her only resulted in nightmares and apprehension. She couldn't believe she didn't realize that he was the Music Box Killer! What was she thinking? Walking across campus alone at night? He could have killed her!

She was terrified when she woke up and found herself in the hospital. Everything seemed so unfamiliar and new. Ron told her that Michael had been by her side every minute and that Michael had been incredibly worried about her. The doctors informed her that she'd been in a coma for a few days. A coma... It seemed so unbelievable now. It was a miracle that Michael was working the night that she was brought into the ER. She might not be alive if it weren't for him.

Marcie was jolted out of her thoughts when Jen approached the table and sat down.
"Jen, what are you doing here?" asked Marcie.
"Oh, just hanging out with Rex." Jen replied.
"Jen, really... aren't you over him yet? Rex is such a loser." Marcie said.
"Gee, Marcie..." Jen said. "Why don't you tell me what you really think of him?"
"Jen, I'm sorry but Rex is bad news. You can do so much better."
Jen scoffed. "Yeah? Like who? Joe? Yeah right. In case you've forgotten, he just served me with divorce papers."

Marcie sighed. She was really hoping that things would have worked out between Jen and Joey. He was so good for her. Obviously his values hadn't rubbed off on Jen.
"Look, Jen. I'm sorry. I just don't like you hanging around Rex, okay?"
"Okay, forget about it!" Jen said in a voice filled with irritation. Jen quickly changed the subject. "So are you here alone? I thought you'd be with Michael. Where is he?"
Marcie smiled, happy to be talking about someone much more pleasant than Rex for a change.

"He's going to meet me here when he gets off from the hospital." She noticed Jen's expression change, and suddenly became tense. She'd seen this look before.

"What's wrong, Jen?"
"Huh?" Jen asked wondering how Marcie could read her so well. "Nothing, why?"
"Jen, I'm not stupid. What were you going to say?"
"Nothing, I just..."
She could see Jen searching for the right words, but she was tired of waiting.

"Well, come on Jen! Out with it!" Marcie said, unsuccessfully hiding her growing anger.
"Well, I just can't figure it out." Jen finally said.
"Figure what out?" Marcie asked.
"You and Michael." Jen said. Marcie sensed that Jen was extremely relieved to get the words out.
"What about us?" Marcie asked, crossing her arms.
"It just doesn't make any sense." Jen said. She saw the hurt slowly emerge in Marcie's eyes, but she knew there was no way to go back now. She had already ruined their conversation by sticking her foot in her mouth... Might as well finish it.

Marcie said nothing and waited for Jen to continue. "Well, I mean... why Michael would be interested in ..."
"In someone like me." Marcie said, finishing Jen's sentence.
"No, Marcie! I just meant, well...Michael's so successful and all and..." Jen struggled to find the right words to fix the situation.

"I know what you meant, Jen!" Marcie said. Threatening tears rose to the surface, but she couldn't let Jen see her cry. "You don't have to spell it out for me!" She picked up her purse and coat and walked toward the front door of Ultra Violet. Tears stung her eyes as she fought to keep them from falling.

"Marcie, I'm sorry, okay?" Jen said, trying to get Marcie's attention. Marcie ignored her and kept on walking.
Marcie stopped at the front door and looked back at the bar. She wasn't surprised to find that Jen had already resumed her conversation with Rex, as though she'd forgotten all about hurting Marcie's feelings. Jen seemed to be having the time of her life. Fine. If she wanted to ruin her life, that was her problem. Jen's attempts to apologize no longer worked with Marcie. She'd heard the same excuses over and over. She sighed. Some friend Jen was...Why did she even bother?

Sighing, Marcie stepped outside and put on her coat. Where was Michael? He should be here by now. She really needed him, and it was so strange that he hadn't called. Angry tears spilled onto her cheeks, and she noticed some people outside the club staring at her but she didn't care. Why was she even worried about what Jen thought of her? Jen obviously didn't care who she hurt. She just said whatever she felt.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Michael's number. It rang continuously before the voicemail answered.

"Hi, this is Dr. Michael McBain. I'm sorry I can't answer your call right now. Please leave your name and number at the tone. If this is an emergency, please call 911 or Llanview

Hospital at 555-6785 Thank you."
Sniffling, Marcie brushed away the tears running down her cheeks. "Michael, where are you? You're supposed to meet me at Ultra Violet. I really need you. Please call me." Angrily, she shut the phone and tossed it in her purse.

She gave her valet parking pass to the attendant and waited for her car to arrive. She rarely drove, but it wasn't safe to be walking home at this hour; especially from a place like Ultra Violet. It was worth the extra money to have her car parked for her. Finally as her red car pulled up, she tipped the driver and got inside. Throwing her purse on the seat next to her, she slammed the door and drove home.

Minutes later, she arrived at the dorms. After the incident with Dr. Haver, she was very nervous walking from her car to the dorm. Since then, extra security measures had been implemented at the college, but the changes were minimal. She still didn't feel safe, but she grabbed her purse and got out of the car, walking to her dorm room without looking back. She walked upstairs to her room and unlocked the door. Closing it behind her, she bolted the lock and took off her coat, throwing it across her chair.

Her computer was still on, so she checked her email for any messages from Michael.
Nothing...
The tears returned and she shut off the computer. She walked over to the bed and lay down, sobbing as she clutched her pillow tightly.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Michael...
She sat up and put the pillow aside, realizing that the pillowcase was now wet with tears. She grabbed a Kleenex and dried her eyes. Thank God he was here. The only place she wanted to be right now was in his arms.
She walked to the door and grabbed the doorknob. A smile crossed her face for the first time since she arrived at Ultra Violet.

"Michael, thank God you're here! I missed..." she said opening the door.
"Well, well, well... Miss Walsh. What a pleasant surprise!"
Marcie's eyes grew wide with horror and she put her hand over her mouth as her body trembled.

"Oh my God...Dr. Haver!"