Title: Just Long Enough

Author: CandyRain aka chocolatekisses

Disclaimer: I don't own Judging Amy or it's characters.

Summary:

From "Judging Eric" . . .

Zola: You're in love with two other women.

Bruce: What?!

Zola: Your ex-wife –

Bruce: We were never married –

Zola: And your boss . . . I saw you with both of them today, and it was obvious.

We know what Zola saw between Bruce and Mia, but what did she see between Bruce and Amy?

Zola's POV

I look at myself in the mirror as I rinse my hands in the sink. This day hasn't really been what I expected when I agreed to go out with Bruce. First, I get into an argument with his ex, in front of his daughter, and when I'm expecting a romantic evening with just the two of us, I end up at the birthday party of his boss' knife-wielding babysitter instead. He has promised me something special after this, though. I smile at the thought before drying my hands and leaving the restroom.

I hum to myself as I make my way down the hall. This "date" may not have started out the way I'd anticipated, but I get the feeling that Bruce Van Exel isn't the kind of man who leaves a lady disappointed at the end of the night. When I turn the corner, I look through the observation windows and see him standing next to Amy. She's standing in a chair removing a "Happy Birthday" banner from the wall. I can't see her face, she's facing the wall, away from me, but I know she's talking because Bruce is looking up at her. I don't resist the urge to roll my eyes at the scene. I saw the way she looked when I walked in with him. I know she doesn't like me much, and I'm sure she knows the feeling is mutual.

I realize that one of them must have said something funny because he starts to laugh and when she turns around she's smiling, too. He holds out his hand to help her off the chair. She takes it and lowers one foot to the floor. As she's bringing her other foot to the floor, the chair slips, and she wobbles a little. Immediately, Bruce's other hand is at her waist steadying her, as her free hand flies to his shoulder.

'How graceful!' I think to myself in a moment of private amusement. Then, just as I'm chastising myself for being spiteful, I notice that the smiles they were sharing only moments ago have disappeared and been replaced with pregnant stares.

They stand that way, immobile, for what feels like ages. Finally, Amy drops her eyes and says something. At the same time, she moves slightly, drawing Bruce from his own bewitched daze. He pulls his hands away from her and deposits them in his pants pockets and I release a breath I don't even know I've been holding.

I turn abruptly and retrace my steps toward the restroom. I have to figure out what I just saw. What it means. Whether it means anything. I return to the mirror and face my reflection again. "Am I overanalyzing this?" I say to the image in the glass. The room is silent as I search for the answer. So much of me wants to say "Yes. It was nothing," but that little rational part knows that it was. Yes, he was helping her down, being courteous, that was nothing, but the other part, that was something.

It was that something that made her so angry when I insinuated that his relationship with her was keeping him from joining my class action lawsuit. It was that something that made him feel like he needed to be here tonight. When he mentioned it, I thought that it was a little odd that we'd be attending; he'd admitted to me that he didn't know the boy very well, but I let it go. Now I see. He held her just long enough and he looked into her eyes just long enough . . . just long enough for me to see how obvious what I've been telling myself isn't there, really is.