Author's Note: There is mention in this part of the song Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg. It obviously doesn't belong to us.

Part 10

The apartment was silent as Isabel stepped inside; the kind of eerie quiet that descended upon any home when something had happened to its occupants. She and Kyle had shared their space amicably for quite some time but she knew there was no way they could just go back to that. Not after all that had happened. But now she knew that wasn't what she wanted and there was no time to waste.

A bell rang somewhere in the city, a different bell than the Temple Bell at Ontario Place. She could recognize the sound of the Temple Bell after spending the previous New Year's Eve at the Buddhist ceremony with Kyle. He'd found it inspirational and he'd enjoyed the time they'd spent there. She'd left with a headache but she'd never told him that. She hadn't regretted going. Watching him enjoy it had allowed her to ignore the urge to leave and find someplace quieter because, headache aside, when he was happy so was she.

The bell! The one that wasn't part of the ceremony and rang out just moments ago had been announcing the half hour and she knew she had to hurry. It had only taken one phone call to find out where Kyle was. She didn't know if he'd stay there though. The bar they went to on occasion was usually pretty low key, but the fact that it was New Year's Eve meant that even its patrons would liven up to welcome it in.

She took the quickest shower she'd ever taken in her life, mentally searching her wardrobe at the same time. She hurried to get dressed, ignoring the dozens of high heels lined up on the floor and grabbing a pair of flats on her way out of the room. Before she could slip them on the doorbell rang and she huffed out an annoyed breath as she practically ran to the door. She pulled it open, her mouth open to tell whoever it was that she was on her way out and didn't have time to talk, but the words never had the opportunity to form.

Michael pushed his way into the apartment without bothering with pleasantries. His sharp gaze missed nothing as he gave her the once-over. "Where're you goin'?"

"It's good to see you too, Michael. I don't have time to – "

"Make time."

The words were issued in that no-nonsense, authoritative tone he used when he was handing out orders and she bristled. "Go be with your girlfriend, Michael."

"He's talkin' about leaving."

Pain shot through her when he shared that bit of information. Maria hadn't said anything about that, but knowing Michael, he'd probably decided to hold onto that so he could throw it in her face when he confronted her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He crossed his arms over his chest, the pose one of intimidation but she didn't back down. "Was it worth it?"

"This is none of your business and I'm not gonna stand here and discuss my personal life or my decisions with you."

"You need to discuss them with someone because you're obviously incapable of making smart ones. Maybe he can phase in and out but it's not safe for him to be out there on his own."

"I have somewhere I need to be and I don't have time to get into this with you."

He shrugged and followed her around the room as she collected things, trying to figure out what she was doing. "Are you goin' out?" he asked incredulously. He stopped moving when she whirled around to face him and his eyes moved over her again. "You are. You're goin' out."

She rolled her eyes at his accusatory tone. There was no point denying it. She picked her phone up and sent a quick text. "Yes, I'm going out and no, you can't go with me."

"I wanna know what happened between you and Kyle. A week ago everything was fine and now he's bunking in with the Sheriff and you've been holed up at your parents' place. That's not exactly standard operating procedure."

That earned him another eye roll.

"Look," he muttered when she didn't give him anything, "you guys slept together. Fine. If it's not gonna go anywhere then just let it go and fix this."

She snorted indelicately. "Just fix it? I'm just curious, Michael. Could you and Maria just fix it? Just slap a band-aid on it and move forward, be good friends?"

"Me and Maria don't have a problem. What I'm sayin' is you have to fix this. He can't fix it. If he could he'd be here instead of me."

"So he sent you."

"No! Tight ass wouldn't even tell me what happened. Not that I needed him to," he clarified just in case she misunderstood. "It's obvious what happened. You two slept together and then you freaked out."

Isabel just stared at him. Partly because his behavior annoyed her and partly because he was right and it was a little unsettling when Michael was actually perceptive about things. He was far from stupid, but he tended to downplay his intelligence and she preferred it that way.

"I know your wires are all crossed up and you're y'know, confused and stuff. I mean, what with Alex and then Grant and that whole Jesse fiasco, it makes sense you'd be tied up in knots about getting involved with someone else. Anyway, my point is, if Kyle's that guy you're gonna have to let all that other stuff go. He's not gonna share you with…" he foundered, "y'know, your past."

"Excuse me?"

Hmm, not good. That was the quiet voice. The one that held a wealth of warning laced in every syllable. "You know what I'm sayin'."

Isabel slipped her shoes on and pulled her coat on before picking up her purse when a horn blew outside. She opened the door and grabbed Michael's arm, using a little alien urging to get him out on the porch. "Goodbye, Michael."

"Hey, I'm not done!" He looked down when his phone began to vibrate and he turned it over to glance at the caller ID. Maria. The woman had the worst timing. He flipped it open and lifted it up to his ear, his eyes following Isabel's hurried steps as she maneuvered the recently shoveled walkway to the taxi waiting at the curb. "Yeah?"

"How many times have we discussed the proper way to answer a phone?" Maria asked patiently.

"Huh?"

"Excellent response, Spaceboy. You've only got about twenty minutes to get here or I'm gonna miss my New Year's kiss."

"Yeah, I'm on my way. I'll be there." He put his phone in his pocket after ending the call and shook his head at the absurdity of this night. His gaze was thoughtful as he watched the taxi taking off in the direction of the bar and a soft smirk lifted his lips. And people scoffed at his abilities as Dr. Love. He ignored his phone when it vibrated again, knowing it was Maria starting a barrage of texts to make sure he was really on his way.

Isabel was grateful when the driver didn't try to engage her in conversation. He'd only asked where she was going and then checked to see if she'd mind if he turned the volume up on the radio. The music was louder than it would normally be, but it wasn't too loud. She could see the driver's fingers drumming against the steering wheel in time to the music and she was trying to figure out her next move when the next song began.

It was a song she'd heard plenty of times around the holidays but she found herself listening to the words more closely. Same Old Lang Syne. The song wasn't a happy one and it certainly wasn't filled with hope. Really, it was sad. A lonely woman, apparently well off but trapped in a loveless marriage. A lonely man who had success and was obviously popular, yet he wasn't happy. A chance meeting between two old lovers that resolved nothing and only enhanced those feelings of loneliness. She shook her head, wondering why the writer hadn't injected some sense of hope into the lyrics. No, she didn't want that to be them one day years down the road.

Her attention was pulled back to the present when the cab came to a stop and she leaned forward to pay the driver before getting out. She watched him pull away and her eyes were drawn to the neon sign blinking over the bar across the street. The New Year was just minutes away and as her thoughts went over everything that had happened between her and Kyle the other night she felt her nerves rear their ugly head. She stood under the streetlight, her feet suddenly feeling as if they were frozen to the spot when the door opened to allow one of the patrons to leave. She'd recognize him anywhere, she thought as her gaze locked with his.