Another week goes by and Bass finds himself at a loss for what to do with himself. The most exciting thing he's done is carry the laundry from his fourth floor apartment to the laundry room on the ground floor. The kitchen counters have been piled high with containers from take-out restaurants for over a week and he hasn't made a single attempt to clean them up. If it weren't for the fact that he need clean clothes for work, he probably wouldn't bother with the laundry either. But he needs this job. Leaving behind Bass Monroe meant leaving behind all of Bass Monroe's money, and Bass Miller gets a crappy hourly wage.

Which is why he should stop eating so much take-out and buy some actual groceries. His poor wallet can't handle it and neither can his waistband. He's been ignoring the scale that he finally unpacked, afraid that it might tell him exactly what he doesn't want to hear. That he's a pudgy, middle-aged security guard.

A depressed, middle-aged security guard.

He's seen it before in a million other people. Friends, family, strangers he met on the job. He'd always thought they were just looking for attention, now he knows better. A new city, a new name, no friends, and a shitty job. It's the perfect recipe for his own personal disaster.

Miles calls every other day or so to check up on him, but it just isn't the same as hanging out and watching a game. He misses kicking his feet up on the coffee table with a beer in his hand. He even misses Nora scolding him like a child for doing it.

The bar has been his only salvation. He keeps finding himself there after work, chatting with Jeremy and even going so far as to play a game of pool with the other middle-aged guys that don't know what they're doing with their lives. He isn't sure whether or not 'Annie' plays a part in his continuing to go to that specific bar. As a man of pride, he likes to think that he isn't chasing after the ghost of a woman who's probably half his age, but it's obvious that Jeremy thinks otherwise. While the bartender hasn't mentioned her, Bass gets the feeling that he's waiting for her to show up and that he's wondering what will happen when she does.

Deep down, Bass is wondering too.


While Archie takes his evening nap, Bass watches the security feeds and eats the leftover casserole that Mrs. Archie sent for him. As irritating as Archie can be, Bass has to admit that he's a good guy. He probably went home and told his wife all about the poor, lonely guy that eats Fruit Roll-Ups for dinner and had her make something just for him. Regardless of how he got it, Bass eats the casserole without complaint. It's the first time he's eaten real food in over a month and his taste buds are happy to have it.

The security feeds are boring, as usual, though he does watch as a man applies a new poster to the bench at the bus stop across the street. It's too grainy to make it out on the screen, but he thinks it might be a blown up picture of someone's head.

He watches as people enjoy the summer evening. Small families making their way out of the park around the corner and young couples having dinner at the bistro down the street. It's all a pain to watch, though whether it's because of the jealousy or the boredom, he isn't sure.

As the sun sets it casts an orange glow around everything, making the outdoor cameras practically useless. The glare covers most of the feeds on the screen, but Bass watches through it even though he knows nothing will happen in the few minutes it takes for the sun to set. He can see bits and pieces around the edges and in the corners. A leg here or an arm there. Then he sees a small head of dark hair on the feed outside of the park, followed shortly by a woman whose blonde hair is golden in the sunlight.

Bass' breath catches in his throat. It couldn't be... It's been three weeks since he's seen her, but something in his gut is telling him to get on his feet. He leaves Archie snoring in his chair and takes off through the meandering halls of the museum to the back door where they load and unload the artwork. He barges through the emergency exit door and runs down to the end of the drive towards the street. There are a few people hanging around, but no little boys with dark hair and no blondes. He looks at the empty entrance to the park and shakes his head in disappointment as a red Range Rover pulls away from the curb nearby.

Wait a minute.

As the car rounds the corner, Bass spots the female driver, her blonde hair easily visible even after sunset.

"Annie," he breathes, watching the car dissappear behind a wall of buildings. Something inside him warms at having finally found her. The fact that she hadn't just been a figment of his imagination is extremely satisfying. Now if only he'd thought to get her license plate number.

He heads back inside and finds Archie right where he left him, only now there's a little drool dribbling from his lip. Bass tries to sit and be calm, but the excitement of finally finding her is too much for him to handle. He analyzes every second of it.

The boy, who is the boy that was with her? Well she is married, so it's entirely possible that the kid is her son. And that car. Range Rovers aren't cheap, so whoever's picking up the tab on that must be loaded.

Bass remembers seeing her wedding ring in the bar, all of the diamonds on it. Whoever 'Annie' is married to apparently values his money more than his wife. That on its own is a depressing thought.

When the night shift guys come in, Bass can't help but not feel tired. All he can think about it going to the bar and telling Jeremy that he finally found her. Which the bartender would just make fun of him for, of course. He decides to go to the bar anyway and just not tell him about seeing 'Annie.' On his way there, he passes the bus bench with the new poster on it and frowns at Tom Neville's face. The asshole is everywhere in this town.

It's just after midnight and it's only Thursday so the bar isn't crowded at all. The only people there are the guys just like him. The ones with no place else to go and nothing better to do. Jeremy grins at him the moment he walks through the door.

"What?" Bass asks, wondering if maybe he's got some of Mrs. Archie's casserole on his face.

"Ah, it's nothing."

Bass takes a seat at the bar and accepts the beer Jeremy pushes his way, the grin still firmly in place. "Seriously, what's up?"

The bartender bites his lip as if he's making a decision. "Why do you keep coming back here?" He finally asks.

"What do you mean? Am I not welcome here?" The idea hurts, but Bass shoves it aside. He's dealt with not being welcome before and this doesn't feel like that.

"No, no, of course you're welcome here. I just don't understand why you choose to come here."

Bass looks around at the old bar with its peeling paint and ugly vinyl stools. It smells pretty awful too. Actually, now that he's thinking about it, the only reason he's come back to this place at all is to find 'Annie.' But he can't tell Jeremy that.

"I like the... atmosphere," he says lamely.

"Right." Jeremy rolls his eyes at him, but perks up a little as he looks over Bass' shoulder to the door. "You're here for the atmosphere."

Bass frowns at the emphasis on the word and his frown deepens when Jeremy tilts his head towards the door. He turns to look at whatever has caught Jeremy's attention, his heart stopping in his chest when his eyes land on the same blue ones he's been dreaming of for weeks.

'Annie' is standing in the doorway of the bar looking directly at him.

There's a moment when their eyes meet that she starts to smile, a little dimple showing in her cheek, but then it disappears and she pushes the bar door open, hurrying out into the night.

"Hey, wait!"

Bass doesn't even stop to say goodbye to Jeremy or pay for the drink he never even got to sip. He rushes through the door and out onto the sidewalk, looking up and down the street for where she might have gone. Her long, blonde hair swings in a curtain as she disappears around the corner. Bass follows, running to catch up with her.

"Wait," he shouts. And he knows she can hear him when she speeds up, hurrying to get away from him. Luckily he's got longer legs than her. He catches her by the arm and yanks her to a stop.

"Just hang on a sec," he pants, clutching his chest.

She tears her arm from his grasp and backs away, cradling her wrist as if she's hurt. She stares at him, her eyes burrowing through to his soul. There are a million things he wants to say to her, he just can't decide which one to say first.

"Are you OK?" He finally asks, gesturing to her wrist which she's still holding onto.

She quickly drops it and nods her head. "I'm fine."

She stares at him again and Bass suddenly feels like he's back in the seventh grade trying to explain why he hasn't done his homework.

"I'm sorry I grabbed you. I just... I wanted to..." The words are all jumbling in his head so he shuts his mouth and thinks for a second. "I didn't think I would ever see you again," he finally says.

A smile twitches at the corner of her lips but falls almost instantly. "I'm sorry." She backs away from him, shaking her head. "I-I shouldn't be here."

"Wait, I just want to talk to you." Bass says, following her as she retreats backwards.

"I can't." She rasps out. "If anyone sees me..."

She turns on her heel and hurries off down the street. For a moment, Bass considers letting her go. It would probably be for the best anyway. But there's an alley up ahead. If he could just talk to her for a second...

"Wait, wait, wait." He grabs her arm again, gently this time, and steers her into the alley. She struggles against him for a second, but he blocks her path of escape.

"I have to go," she says firmly.

"Then why did you come back?" Bass asks, suddenly angry. "Why even bother coming back here if you're just going to run away?"

Her mouth drops open and Bass finally notices just how close they are. He could count the freckles on her nose. He takes a step back, shaking his head sadly. "Why did you come back?"

It takes a minute for her to answer, the words sounding tortured as they come out of her mouth. "I thought I saw you earlier and I... I don't know. I just couldn't help myself."

"By the park. The Range Rover."

She nods and a smile breaks out across his face.

"I knew it was you."

He steps closer again and this time she lets him. "I've been thinking about you for weeks," he admits softly, then shakes his head. "Sorry. I know that sounds creepy."

She shakes her head slowly. "It doesn't. I've been thinking about you, too."

Bass let's out a breathy laugh. After all this time, it's nice to know that it wasn't all in his head.

Then her phone starts to ring. She checks the caller ID and looks up at him with wide, terrified eyes. "I have to go."

"Wait-"

"-No, I have to go."

She turns away but Bass catches her by the hand and pulls her back to face him.

"Will I see you again?"

Her eyes take a moment to roam over his face, a smile playing at her lips. "Yes."

Then she's gone.

The walk home is like a walk of victory. He smiles the entire way. Someway, somehow, he will see her again. He just hopes it doesn't take another three weeks before he does.