October 2018

"Bad day?" Sharon looked across the counter at his hunched shoulders and downcast eyes.

Billy huffed as he shucked his coat and tossed it onto the vacant stool beside him. "Bad week," he sighed, before wordlessly taking the cup of coffee she offered. "Bad month, bad year, bad life."

"Should I guess or do I need to?"

He let his eyes meet hers for a fleeting moment. It wasn't a lie exactly. Phyllis definitely wasn't making things better. Seeing her sitting behind the desk at Jabot made him crazy. It was his father's company, his birthright and now here she was, just taking over. Wasn't it enough that she'd nearly broken him? Now she had to take his legacy as well?

"I'm gonna take that as a no." Sharon's voice was soft and compassionate as he locked eyes with her again. "Judging by the look on your face, things haven't gotten any better at Jabot. You want to talk about it?"

"Not tonight." That, at least, was honest. The last thing he wanted was to sit here and rehash his relationship fiasco with Sharon. He needed time to think. There was always a way out of these things. He'd learned that much over the years. It was just a matter of thinking creatively.

It never would have happened if everyone had simply left him alone - if they'd stopped trying to manage him, if they'd given up on turning him into the ideal Abbott heir, but they couldn't accept him as he was- with his flaws. Everyone always wanted to fix him which always forced him to prove that there was nothing to fix. Only this time …

Stealing money from Jabot had been wrong. He'd admitted that. His father's legacy wasn't something with which he could gamble, but now, since he was on his own with no one to answer to, what did it matter?

The coffee stunt at his lips as he took a long sip without letting it cool. The pain provided a welcome distraction. He'd dug himself into yet another hole and this time no one was around to help him back out.

Crimson Lights was virtually empty at this time of night. Soon enough they'd be closing up and he'd have to decide where to spend the rest of what was sure to be another sleepless night.

Time was a luxury he no longer enjoyed. There were no more excuses, no more stalling - it was now a matter of waiting and wondering. What kind of price would be paid for this? His own life felt meaningless and part of him wondered what anyone would think they'd gain by removing him.

Lying had become second nature to him, but no amount of loss, excuses or stalling techniques would change the fact that he was now out of time.

They wanted their money - money he didn't have- and they wanted it now, but what would they take as a fitting substitute?

That was the question that haunted him. That was the reason he was here tonight and not at his family home or tucking his children into bed. A debt would be paid one way or another, but he couldn't stand to think of his family being the pound of flesh. Even as worthless as he felt, his life was the best they'd get.

"Where are you taking her?!"

Sharon's voice was obviously stressed as she walked further back into the room. He followed her with his eyes as she walked behind the counter and reached for the edge to steady herself. "And you're sure she's okay?"

Her voice still shook as she gripped the phone tightly. "Okay. Just tell her that I'll be there as soon as I can. Let her know that I'm on my way."

He was already standing at the counter as she sat the phone down and exhaled slowly in a feeble attempt to compose herself.

"What's the matter?" His voice was soft and filled with concern as he searched her face for clues. The young couple seated in the corner booth and the college kid still busily tapping away on his laptop seemed completely oblivious to everything. "You seem upset," Billy said softly, letting his hands rest on the cool wood in front of him. "Anything I can do?"

"It's Mariah," she admitted, her voice barely audible, her mind still racing with thoughts too terrible and horrifying to vocalize. "She had an accident. It was a police officer on the phone." She gestured to the receiver that still sat mere inches from her trembling fingertips. "He called to tell me that they were taking her to the hospital just as a precaution. He said she was fine, but …" Her eyes welled up with tears as she met his gaze. "I just need to …"

"Right, yeah, I mean, you need to see for yourself." He glanced at the clock on the wall before turning his attention back to her. "Why don't you take off. I can handle it here. It's close to closing time anyway and it's not like I've never done this kind of thing before, right?"

Sharon let out a shaky breath as she considered the offer. "You don't know how to …" Her heart wasn't in the argument. None of this mattered if it meant she'd get to go to her daughter and see for herself that she was okay. "If you're sure," she said quickly, silently hoping her slight hesitation hadn't given him time to reconsider the offer.

"Of course I'm sure," he said softly. "I've had plenty of practice running a bar before and even though coffee wasn't usually what I was pouring, it can't be all that different, right?" He smiled and lightly touched her arm. "You just go take care of Mariah and don't worry about anything here. I'll make sure everyone clears out and I'll lock up."

"Thank you," she breathed. Digging into her pocket, she pulled out the key and placed it in his hands. "You don't even have to worry about the tickets or anything." Her words fell from her mouth quickly as she gathered her belongings and headed for the door. "Really Billy," she said again, looking back over her shoulder once last time before letting the door shut behind her, "Thank you."

He nodded as he watched the door swing close. Slowly he let his fingertips close around the cool metal of the keys. Soon enough these people would go back to their homes, their lives, their realities, but maybe for tonight, he could just stay here.