Disclaimer: I own nothing IaHB related.
Note: A big thanks to Jo', who got me thinking about my fic last night on AIM. After talking to her, I decided to make the time to write more. So, I simply pushed all ideas of papers and finals out of my head and wrote this little chapter. Thanks Jo! And, of course, thanks to everyone else who keeps asking me about it and making me feel like, hey, maybe I should get off my lazy butt and write something.
And thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. You guys rock!
Don't forget to review.:)


Hank stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom, trying in vain to fix the tie that Tyler had lent to him just minutes ago. He groaned as he finished the knot and pulled. Yep, the tie was crooked again. Slowly, Hank reached up and untied to tie to start all over again. This would be his sixth try.

Normally, Hank did not ever have trouble tying ties. Over the years, he had had practice. As a doctor, Hank had worn his share of ties. And they had always been straight. No problem with them whatsoever. Until now.

What is my problem, he wondered as he pulled the knot tight and looked at his handiwork.

But, deep down inside, Hank already knew what the problem was. Melanie. Tonight, he had decided, he would tell her that they couldn't be together. It was as simple as that. He would tell her that it had been fun but they both had their own lives to live. Sure, she may have some tears and all that, but Hank would comfort her. After all, they could still be friends.

Hank's stomach sank as he thought over what he had rehearsed to say to Melanie. He didn't really want to tell her all of that. He didn't want to tell her that it wouldn't work out between them. He didn't want to act all macho, like what they had shared at the reunion didn't matter to him. No, that was not what he wanted at all.

All he wanted was to take Melanie with him back to Chicago. Was that too much to ask? She could live with him and they could grow old together. And he could make up for all the time that he had avoided her in high school. He would treat her like a princess, giving her everything she ever wanted.

But it's not going to happen, Hank thought as he let his hands fall to his sides. She's not going back with you to Chicago. She's going to Paris or Milan or wherever it is that models go. And it won't be with you.

Suddenly, the tie was forgotten.

Hank closed his eyes momentarily and all he could see was Melanie's face. He could see the shy look in her eyes right after she had kissed him on the bleachers that morning. He could see her long fingers intertwined with his own as they walked back to the hotel. And he could see the sweet smile she had given him as he said good-bye to her outside the door to her room. It was all so perfect. And tomorrow, Hank thought opening his eyes to face the reality of the situation, it was all going to be over with.

A knock sounded on the door to his room and Hank sighed. He knew who was outside the door and for a brief second, Hank wondered if he could get away with pretending he was not in his room. All he had to do was not answer the door and the person on the other side would eventually go away. But, a part of Hank wanted to see the beautiful eyes that had held him in awe the night before. He wanted to see the long dark hair that was so soft under his fingers. Most of all, he wanted to see Melanie's smile. Inevitably, she would be smiling at him when he opened the door. Of course, that would be because she had not heard what he had to tell her yet. Once he told her what he thought, he knew there would be no more smiles. And that killed him inside.

I just need to see it once more, he told himself as he moved towards the door slowly. He grasped the knob of the door firmly in his hand and prayed that he had the strength to do what he felt needed to be done for both of their sakes. Hank pulled the door open and smiled sadly at the girl who had stolen his heart just the night before.

"Hi Hank," she said, smiling brightly.

Ah yes, Hank thought, it was a beautiful smile.

"Hello Melanie," he returned, trying his best to smile. Act like it's no big deal, he told himself. Then maybe it won't be such a big deal to her either.

Hank stood aside so that Melanie could come into the room. She breezed by him, making sure to kiss him on the cheek as she went. Hank felt her lips touch his cheek gently and he closed his eyes for just a minute, relishing in the gift that had just been bestowed upon him. Yes, there would be no more kisses as well after she heard his news.
Hank closed the door.

"I have some news," Melanie said, the excitement in her eyes so clearly evident.

For just a brief second, Hank could see the old Melanie there. But, it didn't bother him like it might have in high school. In fact, seeing a bit of the old Melanie was kind of nice in Hanks' opinion. It's kind of cute, he thought with a sad, sad smile.

"Actually, Mel, I have something to tell you too," he said before he could stop himself. For a moment, Hank was confused. He hadn't meant to tell her until after the dinner, had he? He hadn't wanted to spoil the dinner for her. But, now he was trapped. She was going to wonder what he had to tell her and there was no backing out of it now. It was as if a part of him had known that he just wanted to get the whole thing over with. I guess there is no time like the present, he thought warily.

"You go first," Melanie said, and then she noticed Hank's tie. It was still hanging askew, the knot totally done wrong. She laughed out loud and moved closer to him. Her hands moved up to touch the silk material of the tie. She slowly untied the mess that Hank had made.

"You tell me your news and I will just fix this for you," she said, her attention on the mess at hand.

Hank took a deep breath and tried to remember everything he had rehearsed to say. But, it was hard to concentrate when her fingers were constantly flicking against the skin of his neck. Even her slightest touch sent tingles through his body. What was he supposed to say?

"I...um.....well, I have been thinking," Hank started, trying to ignore the fact that Melanie had stepped closer to tie the tie better.

"Uh huh," Melanie said, her attention totally focused on the tie. Really, she couldn't wait for Hank to spit out his news so that she could tell him her great news. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she told him that she had cancelled shows to be with him. She bet he'd be really happy, maybe even ecstatic.

"And, well, I think that.....I mean, we both know that tomorrow we are leaving to go back to our lives."

Melanie pulled tied the tie perfectly and pulled the knot tight.

"I think we both know that we can't be together. So, maybe we shouldn't....you know, kid ourselves any longer. I mean, it wouldn't work out between us anyway. We are just too different people living totally different lives," Hank said, happy that the words he had been thinking for hours were finally out in the open. But, something made him instantly regret his words.

Melanie froze, her hands still on the tie. She could not believe what she was hearing. There was no way that Hank had just said what she thought he said, was there? He wouldn't have really said....., she thought. No, there is no way he would have really said...... It was strange how she couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"What?" She asked in a cold, quiet voice. She set to work on the tie again. It had to be perfect. Apparently, Melanie thought, like everyone of Hank's relationships.

"I said," Hank started again, "that we are just two..........jeez Melanie the tie is tight enough!" Hank broke away from Melanie and pulled the knot out of the tie so that he could breathe again. Man, she had really pulled it tight. She must be really upset, he thought wrongly.

He looked at her sympathetically and noticed that her head was down. She was looking at the floor and Hank couldn't see her eyes. But, he did notice that her shoulders were shaking. Was she crying?

"Aw, Melanie," he said soothingly and he took a sep towards her. He reached out a hand to pat her on the shoulder, but her next words stopped him cold.

"Don't touch me."

Hank pulled his hand back as if he had been bitten by a snake. He watched as Melanie raised her head. He could finally see her eyes, the ones that he had fallen in love with the night before. But, now they were not sweet and enticing as before. Now, daggers of coldness and fury shot out of them as if to pierce Hank right through the heart. In all the years he had known Melanie, he had never seen her look so very ticked off. But there was something else under the anger. Something that cut Hank to the bone to see- hurt.

"Don't kid ourselves?" Melanie said and she took two steps back, away from Hank's grasp. "You make it sound like this whole thing has been a ruse."

Hank shook his head in frustration. "Well, in the grand scheme of things, maybe it was. I mean, did you really think that we would be together after the reunion ended? It would be impossible. I mean, I am sure that you already have plans for the next few years with your career."

Hank watched as the anger boiled in Melanie's eyes.

"You..... have... no idea.. The last few days have meant so much to me, Hank," she said, and then her temper got the best of her. She was tired of it all. For years, she had thought about the homecoming dance and about Hank. For years, she had wished it had all gone differently. And now, here she was with the person she had loved all that time and he was spouting off nonsense to her. Melanie simply wasn't going to take to take it anymore.

"Listen, Melanie-," Hank said, but Melanie cut him off.

"No, you listen, Hank!" Hanks' eyebrows shot up on his forehead in surprise. He watched as Melanie took a step forward, ready to do battle.

"All that time ago in high school, I really cared about you. I thought you were the greatest person in the world. But, then the whole homecoming thing happened and I swore that I would never show you my feelings again."

Hank's mind reeled as he remembered how she had been a bit standoffish to him after the dance all those years ago. It all seemed to make sense now.

"And now, now that I finally have the chance to be with you for real, you go and ruin it! Do you realize that in less than ten minutes you have cheapened everything that has happened between us this weekend?!?!"

Melanie took another step forward and poked a finger at Hank's chest. "I love you, you big oaf! Are you too blind to see that?!?! And it's not impossible for us to be together after the reunion. Sure, it might take some work, but I was willing to try. But, you......you weren't willing at all! And, I for one, was not kidding myself!"

Suddenly, before Hank could respond, Melanie surged forward and kissed Hank on the mouth. Her lips covered his own and his eyebrows shot up even higher. The force of her crashing into him made him stagger backwards and almost lose his balance. He reached out and grabbed her waste, trying to steady them both. Hank lost all contact with the outside world. All he knew was that Melanie was kissing him like there was no tomorrow. I am being taught a lesson, Hank thought happily as he leaned forward to deepen the kiss.

But, Melanie pulled away and smiled ruefully. "Kidding ourselves, huh?" She said. And then she was moving away from him towards the door of his room. As her hand touched to doorknob, she turned around to face him one last time. "And don't you dare try to blame this on my career, Dr. Beecham. Yeah, I had plans for my career. But, I had just come down here to tell you that my plans for the next few weeks had been cancelled so that I could spend more time with you. But, I guess that doesn't matter now, does it?" And then she was gone, slamming the door behind her.

Hank flinched at the loud sound. He couldn't believe what had just happened. It had not been the reaction he had been expecting. He had expected crying or something of the sort. But Melanie, as was becoming the habit of hers, surprised him. She had actually been angry and Hank couldn't really blame her.

His mind reeled with everything she had said. Did she really call me a 'big oaf'? He thought. Had she really changed her schedule around just for me? Hey wait-did she say she loved me?"

Suddenly, Hank knew he had made a very grave mistake.

..................................................

Melanie flew into her room. She closed the door and leaned against it, allowing the sobs to finally escape. They had been threatening ever since she had been in Hank's room. But, she would not allow him to see that. Oh no, she would not. Melanie was pretty sure that the cleaning lady in the elevator had known something was wrong with her, but she had said nothing.

Tears flowed down Melanie's cheeks as she thought of what had just happened in Hank's room. She couldn't believe the things he had said to her. The entire weekend had been like a dream so far and Hank wanted to ruin it with his own dose of reality. Well, Melanie thought, dropping to the floor in anguish, just like in high school, Hank did a great job making me feel awful.

She had wanted to be with Hank for so long. And she had really let herself think that this weekend there might be a chance. But now..........

No, Melanie told herself. I will not let Hank walk away this time.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood slowly, her legs shaking a bit. It was time to get ready for the dinner. Melanie just hoped that she could stay away from Hank until she thought of the right thing to say.

................................................


"Hey Brooke," Hank called as he reached the doorway in which she stood.

"Well, hello there, Doctor Beecham," she responded and then gave him a light hug. "Your dinner companions are this way."

She turned and made her way through the room with Hank following behind her. He looked around the room, but did not see any sign of Melanie. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing, he wondered. He wished that he had never said anything to Melanie. It had all turned nasty after he had opened his mouth.

"Here you go," Brooke said as she stopped near the table. She pointed to his seat next to Tyler. Making another check on the sheet on her clipboard, she turned and walked back to her position at the door.

Hank pulled out the chair and slid into it. "Hey guys," he said to everyone around the table.

"Hey," four non-enthusiastic people replied as one. No one made any attempt at conversation and Hank was glad. He didn't really feel like talking.

His eyes wandered around the table at his friends. Tyler and Val were trying so hard not to look at each other. On the other hand, Caitie and Jamie stared at each other like doomed lovers. Hank sighed. Yeah, it seemed as if everyone was feeling the way he was.

His eyes noticed the empty chair between Jamie and himself. I wonder who is going to be sitting there, he thought vaguely. But, now he really was kidding himself because deep down inside he already knew.

................................................

Brooke watched as the slender girl neared the doorway. And she smiled as she noticed that Melanie was dressed to kill. She was wearing a beautiful deep blue dress, which looked like nothing store bought. And it fit her perfectly.

Hank is really in trouble tonight, she thought happily.

As soon as Melanie reached Brooke at the door, Brooke smiled even larger. "Melanie it is so good to see you again," Brooke chirped happily. "Hank and everyone else are already inside. So, if you'll just step this way......"

"Um,..well, actually I was wondering if there was any way I could sit at another table. I mean, is there room at any of the other tables?" Melanie asked rather hopefully. Her confidence had slowly dissipated on the way to the dinner and now she really didn't want to face Hank all that much.

Brooke looked at her in surprise. I guess this is more serious than I thought, she thought silently. She pretended to look at the sheet on her clipboard, which, indeed, showed a whole bunch of empty spaces at tables.

"Nope, no room anywhere except where you are assigned," Brooke said quickly and clasped the clipboard to her chest before Melanie got a glance at the seating chart.

Brooke grabbed the other girl's hand and pulled her into the dining room. "This will be great," she told Melanie over her shoulder as she pulled the other girl to the table. "You'll get to see everyone again and remember all the great times you guys had in high school."

"Yeah, whatever," Melanie mumbled. Good times in high school? All she could remember was that awful night at homecoming. And how Hank had never really wanted anything to do with her. She shook her head as they neared the table. She could see everyone already sitting there. There was Jamie, Caitie, Val, Tyler and, of course, Hank.

Melanie steeled herself as they came to a stop next to the table. No big deal, she thought. She just hoped that time would go fast so that she could get out of there.

"Well, here is everyone," Brooke said as she showed Melanie where to sit. Melanie sank into the chair as Brooke walked away from the table.

Melanie looked at her dinner companions and smiled. "Hi everyone. It's so nice to see you again." She favored all but one with her smile.

Then she turned to her right side where Hank sat, staring at her. She gave him the darkest look she could possibly muster and simply said, "Hank."

Four sets of eyebrows raised at her dark greeting. And they watched as Hank started, "Melanie-."

"Shhh, Hank," Melanie said, "I am trying to enjoy the evening before I am 'banished' back to my career tomorrow."

Melanie looked away from Hank and noticed that everyone else at the table was watching her. They all seemed a bit surprised at her brashness. Melanie smiled. "You see," she said to them, leaning forward conspiratorially, "it seems that my career is all that is important to me." She looked back at Hank, the dark look back in her eyes. "Apparently, my career is all that matters."

Five sets of eyes suddenly were cast downward as Melanie's barb to Hank set in. Yes, they had all seemed to have that mindset, didn't they? They were all so worried about the lives that they had created for themselves that they had not even given any true thought to what mattered most- their relationships. And they all felt ashamed.

I want to see K's Camp, Caitie thought.

I could move to the city. Mike could take care of K's Camp, Jamie thought.

I could teach in the city, Tyler thought.

I would move my whole life for Tyler, Val thought.

I want her to stay with me, Hank thought.

And Melanie,........... well, Melanie simply thought of how much her career really didn't matter when she was around Hank. Because she loved him and that, truly, was all that did matter.

................................................

Brooke stood a ways away from her favorite table and smiled. She could see that they were all deep in thought. Tyler and Val tried not to look at each other. Jamie and Caitie stared at each other rather longingly. And every once in a while, Melanie would glare at Hank. Ah, here we go, she thought deviously, and she started walking towards the table. Time to put my plan in action.


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