One of my favorite storylines in GL was definitely Springfield's big blackout in July of '92. Holly had become closer to Roger in the beginning of the year, only to run away from him again when she realized the part he had played in Daniel St. John's death. She was now trying to rekindle her romance with Ross, unaware that he was giving into his passion for Blake for the first time that very night. As for Roger, he was still reeling over the fact that Hart had just left town and was starting to notice Jenna Bradshaw. Holly seemed to be the last thing on his mind, and as he said to Maureen when they were trapped in the staircase at the beginning of the blackout, he couldn't fathom why Holly could inspire such chivalry from all her exes. However, the look that he gave his ex-wife at the end of the night, before the lights came back on, for those of you who can remember, led us to believe that he might still care for her after all. I remember thinking that I would have wish the night had gone differently. Hence this story.
"I need to talk to Michelle," Maureen said to Billy Lewis.
She and Roger had just broken out of the staircase in which they had been trapped since the beginning of the blackout and joined the rest of Nick McHenry and Mindy Lewis's wedding party at the top of the Towers. Well, not all of the party; many people were still trapped in different parts of the building or simply unaccounted for. Julie Camalletti and Dylan Lewis were stuck in an elevator, and so were Jenna Bradshaw, the jewel thief, and Michelle Bauer. Ed had disappeared along with Lillian Raines, and so had Blake and Ross Marler. As for Mindy, she was last seen fleeing her own wedding, her veil blowing in the wind. The heat was getting unbearable, threatening to send people over the edge.
Hamp Speakes, Billy, Vanessa Chamberlain, Holly, Mallet and Harley Cooper had gathered around Maureen and Roger as soon as they entered the room and told them of the latest developments. Harley stopped Maureen before she could follow Billy, who was heading to see if he could free his son. "Wait a minute. She's in a different elevator."
Maureen turned to her inquisitively. "She's not with Julie and Dylan?"
Harley briefly glanced at her boyfriend Mallet and sighed. "No."
Roger stepped in. "But do you know what floor that elevator is stuck on?"
"Forty-eight," Mallet curtly replied.
Roger ignored the detective's tone and addressed Maureen. "Ok. I can open the lock to that door to the stairwell if you'd like."
"Pretty good at breaking and entering, aren't you, Thorpe?" Mallet sneered.
Maureen clutched at her purse in an effort to keep calm and turned to Mallet. "Please, let him try. I've got to talk to Michelle."
"Look, you just can't mention to her what we're trying to do, ok?" Mallet replied.
"Why not?"
Harley put a hand on her shoulder, making Maureen face her. "Well, Maureen, there is a small problem."
"It's about 5 foot 4 and has an English accent," Mallet added.
"Who is in that elevator with my daughter?" Maureen cried, finally losing her temper.
"Her name is Jenna Bradshaw. She's a…jewel thief," Harley explained, in a tone she hoped was reassuring.
"Oh, no!" Maureen said, fighting back the tears.
"But Maureen, they just happened to wind up in the same elevator," Mallet said.
"Absolutely, there is no reason to believe that she will hurt Michelle at all," Harley added. "It's just that we think she has some stolen jewels on her and we don't want to give her an opportunity to get away from us."
"I don't believe this! I feel like I'm dreaming!"
Roger walked up to her and took her by the shoulders, a move that didn't go unnoticed by Holly, who was standing in the background. "Now, listen, they are right; there is no reason why this woman would hurt Michelle, but on the other hand, it's not wise to put anyone who's trapped on the defensive."
"Are you talking from experience?" Mallet couldn't help but ask arrogantly.
Roger stared at the cop but kept silent. Maureen ran a hand through her hair, panicked. "I just wish I knew where Ed was."
"It's going to be alright," Roger assured her before leaving with Harley and Mallet.
Roger made good on his promise to Maureen and half an hour later, Michelle was safely back into her mother's arms. As for Jenna, she was apprehended by Harley and Mallet as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, under Roger's intrigued gaze. He stayed behind, wiping the sweat on his forehead as they all left the stairwell to go back to the restaurant on the fiftieth floor. He leaned on the wall, enjoying a moment of peace in the dark before going back to the chaos upstairs. He felt proud of himself; at least one thing had gone right tonight, he thought.
"Here, take this," he heard a voice say behind his back. He turned to face the entrance of the stairwell, surprised to find Holly standing in the doorway, holding a towel filled with ice cubes.
He took the towel and pressed it against his neck, letting out a sigh of pleasure. "I didn't see you come in," he finally said.
"I followed you guys, but I stayed out of your way. I just couldn't stand to stay upstairs and do nothing anymore; it was driving me crazy," Holly said, picking up the front of her satin black dress and pulled it away from her body in a vain attempt to cool herself.
Seeing this, Roger handed her back the towel so that she could run it against her own skin. She was about to walk up to him to pick it up when she tripped on something lying on the floor. She would have felt flat on her face if Roger had not been there to catch her. He soon threw her aside, however, and lunged to the door of the stairwell, which violently shut two inches from his nose.
"Damn!" he said, grabbing his hair with both hands and kicking the door. He then leaned down and picked the object on which Holly had just tripped, putting it back in his pocket.
"That was my wallet you just kicked out of the way," he said, trying not to sound too accusing.
She squinted at him before making for the door. "Why are you looking at me this way? It's not my fault if you can't bother to pick up your trash," she said, trying the doorknob.
"That trash was holding the door open," Roger said, going back to sit on the stairs.
Holly shook the doorknob harder, still refusing to let the situation sink in. Roger waited for the penny to drop, fanning himself with his wallet. Finally, Holly stopped trying and leaned against the door.
"We're stuck?"
"Yep."
"I thought you had picked this lock open!"
"I had, but now that the door is shut, I have to do it all over again, and I can't do that unless you have a hairpin or some other object of the same shape that I could use," Roger replied, eyeing his ex-wife from head to toe. Her hair was loose and she had no purse. Holly let herself slide down the door until she sat on the floor.
"We're stuck," she repeated, and this time, it was not a question.
