Only Time

He'd never been prepared to commit, but was something about to change? A carby, but with a lot of characters from the show, and some original characters. Set with the characters in collage.

This story begins in 1991, I don't know how accurate a lot of the descriptions and places I describe are but it's how I see them in my head. I have written a couple of chapters ahead, I hope you all like it and please read and review…I'd like your feed back…Thank-you for reading.

Only Time

Typical him

His pace quickened as he continued to tail her ever fading body. He really didn't understand what he'd done wrong, again. He watched her long curly hair dancing as the icy wind captured it. She was a major in diagnostic radiography, and had a passion for what see was learning, a flare appeared in her eyes as she worked. They'd been dating for almost two months, which for him, was a record. Her passion attracted him, and although he'd learnt she had a abundant jealousy stream flowing within her veins, it hadn't seem to bother him. He continued to follow her along the poorly lit sidewalk, the street lights drowned the road with bright beams but seemed to abandon the gloomy sidewalk. As she turned the corner, he lost his temper and refused to follow her anymore, why bother when all she was going to do was act immature and accuse him of talking too much with other women, with that she meant his grandmother. Anyway it's not like he'd grown feelings for her, two months wasn't long, although in his standards it was a lifetime. He'd never been prepared to commit, at twenty one all he was interested in was having a good time without the watchful eye of his parents.

The moon snuck behind a darkening cloud, the air seem to suddenly drop below freezing, he tightened his coat around his torso and made his way towards 'Delia's'. A small café that no matter what time you appeared there, always seemed open. It lay slightly off a main road near one of Northwestern's campuses, in a pretty location, it almost seemed you'd walked through a travel machine to the inner depths of Italy, it was run by a lady in her mid forties, a native Italian, her face was evidence of her younger beauty but time had taken its toll and her beauty was now a ghost from the past. Black shadows appeared under her hazel eyes and as she smiled life's grievances where evident.

'Ciao signor. What brings you here so late into night?' the Italian twang obvious as she spoke, she carefully adjusted her glasses and assessed the young man in front of her.

'Evening Giovanna', he smiled simply, 'I think me and Jessie broke up'.

'You mean you two are no more', again he simply nodded and she gave a sympathetic nod, 'I get you some cioccolata calda?'

'Thank-you', he smiled and went over to a booth.

He had worked here in his first year at North-western, only a Friday night and Saturday morning, but he had enjoyed it. It became easier to understand Giovanna, her broken English and the elegant Italian words she used without noticing. He never understood why the place had been called 'Delia's' , it seemed such a universal name for somewhere with so much cultural history within its walls. He now worked in a small chemist on the corner of Ninth Avenue, it seemed more appropriate with him studying medicine.

Later that night, he walked through the campus and towards his dorm. After a long discussion with Giovanna he felt better, although he did realise breaking up with Jessie, hadn't really bothered him, maybe because he wasn't even sure if they had gone their separate ways or not. Darkness engulfed his dorm. His roommates where obviously out. He shared with two other medical students. Stephan Jordan, or 'Stevo', as he preferred. He was a narrow minded idiot that only ever thought about sex, but then again he was fond of him, even though he was not sure why. Then there was Oliver Casper, from northern Carolina, he partied like there was no tomorrow, but probably the cleverest person he had met in the twenty one years he'd lived.

He carefully keyed in the code to the dorm entrance, (two attempts wrong and the alarms sounded), then started his ascent to the fourth floor where their dorm was. He removed a rusting key from his jeans pocket and opened the door. It was simple, just an ordinary dorm, a large living quarters with a ancient kitchen integrated, a bathroom and three undersized bedrooms. It was probably the most unhygienic place in the whole building, it was never cleaned, the dishes would lie filthy for weeks on end, until finally someone would use the last spoon and realise they would have to, at least, wash some of them. Dirty pants seemed a common site, considering they where all men, a large number of the pants seemed to be women's. Life was simple. He was a typical student, living in typical student filth, and typical poverty.

He retreated to his room and clicked the button to hear his messages.

You have three new messages. Message one. Left on May 29th at 8:37pm.

'Johnnnnn…Hey…Chase speaking man..Of course you knew that, right? Fancy ditching that stupid annual ball tomorrow, call me man'.

Chase was his first cousin, always been the black sheep of the family and always would be. He had lived in a bubble for the past five years of his life, constantly high off cocaine but recently John had began to worry about him, he'd fallen into a loop of stronger drugs, even heroine at times.

Message two. Left on May 29th at 10:23pm.

'I'm so sorry about tonight…'

Delete! Jessie! He didn't want to hear it, her voice wasn't genuine. She probably just got home and felt lonely, he tried to make his heart believe his heads motive.

Message three. Left on May 29th at 10:30pm

'Hello John dear. I'm not at all comfortable on these modern answer machines. Eleanor and your father are coming tomorrow. I hope you're not too disappointed dear. Remember to tell the girl you are courting to dress appropriately. I was not fond of the way she dressed last time we met. And please John, I know you dislike these events, but it means a lot to your Grandfather and if you smile it might be a lot more bearable. You need to be here on time dear, we can't be waiting on you. Bye dear'.

The familiar voice of 'Gamma', however condescending it sounded, he could hear the care in her voice. She was sixty seven years of age, although it was hard to tell. Her skin was weathered and she had a mass of white hair, which never once had he seen out of place, but all together she was extremely active and always working towards bettering the foundation. Her message had reminded him, with no Jessie, he would be dateless, yet again, and stood mind numbingly bored tomorrow evening somewhere that he couldn't be more out of place.

He collapsed on his bed, and took a quick look around the room. On the walls stood a few pictures. One of him, Stevo, Oliver and a bunch of unfamiliar girls, it was spring break of '89, they had spent it in Florida. Under that lay a more painful memory reminder. It was him, Chase (before the drug abuse began) and Bobby. Bobby was the older brother from the Carter family, always confident, excelled at everything he tried and loved all the foundation work their family did. He had died in the summer of '79, aged only fourteen. Leukaemia poisoned his body, the last six month of his life had been lived going to and from hospitals, ever so slowly he died. The common cold had overwhelmed his immune system, the leukaemia had made him unbelievably weak and all it took was a slight cold to end his life. At the time they had been in Dakota, they flew back not a family but as individual people. The picture showed John, a small skinny boy aged only eight, stood in the shadow of his older much taller brother, and then Chase, a chubby boy at the other side of Bobby with mud staining his skin. It was taken a year before Bobby's diagnoses. Finally there was a small picture of his Gamma and him stood under the enormous Oak tree that sat at the bottom of her garden.

He carefully set his alarm for the next morning, before removing his shirt and jeans and climbing into his single bed. As he turned to face the wall, the bed creaked with disapproval, he closed his eyes and fell asleep dreaming of his childhood.