A/N: Yeah, I'm on a roll today, =). So, this is the final part of the
Miranda-fic. I want to thank everyone for your wonderful feedback and all
reviews I've got, so; thanks! And I hope this last part doesn't disappoint
you but I felt I couldn't write so much more about this now, it'd just be
the same over and over again and it would be too long. It'd be nice to get
a review of the last part *grins*. It's always fun to see what you think.
Part 21
CJ was in the kitchen preparing dinner when she felt Miranda pulling her skirt. She lowered herself to her knees and smiled.
"What's the matter, sweetie?"
"Can't you come and watch cartoons with me?"
CJ smiled softly. "Miranda, I have to prepare dinner and..."
"Please!"
"That's not fair. You know I can't say no to you when you get your puppy- eyes."
Miranda grinned and stretched out her arms. CJ picked her up and walked towards the living room.
"What is this?" CJ asked.
"Duh! It's Taz!"
"Isn't that a bit scary for you?"
"Aunt CJ!"
Just then, the doorbell rang. Miranda looked at CJ who smiled.
"Who might that be?" She asked. "Do you want to go and open the door?" Miranda looked a bit frightened. "Come on, I'll go with you."
She picked her up and walked towards the door and opened it. Miranda smiled brightly when she saw who it was.
"Toby!"
"Hey, pumpkin." He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Come watch cartoons with us?"
CJ grinned when she saw Toby's painful expression.
When they had been watching cartoons for fifteen minutes, CJ rose. "I think I better continue with dinner."
"I'll help you," Toby offered.
"You know, I know how to cook," CJ said when they were out in the kitchen.
Toby grinned. "CJ, this is me, Toby, remember? You can't cook, plus I couldn't take watching more cartoons."
CJ smiled. "Okay, I admit it. I can't cook and I probably never will learn how to."
"Why don't you cut the salad and I'll do the cooking?"
"Sure."
They were quiet for several minutes, both thinking of something to say to the other.
"Toby," CJ said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"Later tonight, after we've put Miranda to bed, I think we need to talk."
Toby, not liking the sound of 'we need to talk' just nodded slowly. Just then, Miranda entered the kitchen with her purple bear in one hand and her favorite book in the other.
"Toby! Read to me!"
"We're going to eat now," Toby said. "Maybe after dinner."
After they put Miranda to bed they sat down on the couch in the living room.
"Oh, you want a glass of wine or maybe scotch?" CJ asked.
"No thank you. I'm driving."
"Oh," she said quietly. "Are you sure?" He nodded slowly. "Okay, I need some wine for this so I'll be back in a few seconds."
After the left, Toby groaned and thought briefly of getting out of there before she returned.
"Here," she said and held out a glass of scotch.
"CJ, I just said."
CJ sat down next to him, nervously sipping her wine. "Toby, believe me. You'll probably need it. Just. I'll pay for a cab or you can crash on the couch, just." She turned to look at him with begging eyes. "Please."
He took the glass. "Okay," he said quietly.
They had been sitting quiet next to each other for five minutes now. Toby was too afraid of asking what was so important and CJ was too afraid to bring this up, knowing she'd make a fool of herself. Suddenly, she felt his hand cover hers.
"CJ?" He said softly. "Whatever it is you need to talk to me about, just say it."
She turned to look at him and it was first now that he noticed the unshed tears in her eyes.
"CJ?" He asked, now worriedly.
CJ placed her finger over his lips to silence him.
"Toby, I still love you", she blurted out. "I mean, I'm still in love with you." Without giving him a chance to speak she continued. "I have loved you all the time, Toby. You've been the only man I've ever loved and probably the only man I ever will love."
Slowly she turned to look at him and he just looked at her with an expression she wasn't able to read. "I just, I need to know, Toby."
When she didn't continue Toby looked confused at her.
"Need to know what, CJ?"
CJ nervously sipped her wine. "I need to know if there's ever a chance of us getting together, some time in the future, because otherwise I can't stay here. I've watched you marry Andy, I've watched you go out on dates after that and I can't bare to stand on the side looking at you and other women anymore. It just hurts too much."
She looked nervously at him. She still wasn't sure of what was running through his mind. He had an expression she hadn't seen before and it scared her.
"So, is there?" She asked when he didn't say anything. "Is there, even the slightest, chance that maybe sometime in the future you'd want me again?"
He looked at her and slowly shook his head. "No."
It was as if her entire world shattered around her. She drank up what was left in her glass then poured up another one. Toby just looked at her without showing any kind of emotions.
"Okay," she whispered after a short moment. "Then I have too..."
She stopped talking when she felt his hand covering hers. With tears in her eyes she turned to look at him. He smiled softly.
"I don't want you sometime in the future, CJ," he whispered gently. "I want you now."
He leaned closer and softly kissed her on the lips.
THE END.
Part 21
CJ was in the kitchen preparing dinner when she felt Miranda pulling her skirt. She lowered herself to her knees and smiled.
"What's the matter, sweetie?"
"Can't you come and watch cartoons with me?"
CJ smiled softly. "Miranda, I have to prepare dinner and..."
"Please!"
"That's not fair. You know I can't say no to you when you get your puppy- eyes."
Miranda grinned and stretched out her arms. CJ picked her up and walked towards the living room.
"What is this?" CJ asked.
"Duh! It's Taz!"
"Isn't that a bit scary for you?"
"Aunt CJ!"
Just then, the doorbell rang. Miranda looked at CJ who smiled.
"Who might that be?" She asked. "Do you want to go and open the door?" Miranda looked a bit frightened. "Come on, I'll go with you."
She picked her up and walked towards the door and opened it. Miranda smiled brightly when she saw who it was.
"Toby!"
"Hey, pumpkin." He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Come watch cartoons with us?"
CJ grinned when she saw Toby's painful expression.
When they had been watching cartoons for fifteen minutes, CJ rose. "I think I better continue with dinner."
"I'll help you," Toby offered.
"You know, I know how to cook," CJ said when they were out in the kitchen.
Toby grinned. "CJ, this is me, Toby, remember? You can't cook, plus I couldn't take watching more cartoons."
CJ smiled. "Okay, I admit it. I can't cook and I probably never will learn how to."
"Why don't you cut the salad and I'll do the cooking?"
"Sure."
They were quiet for several minutes, both thinking of something to say to the other.
"Toby," CJ said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"Later tonight, after we've put Miranda to bed, I think we need to talk."
Toby, not liking the sound of 'we need to talk' just nodded slowly. Just then, Miranda entered the kitchen with her purple bear in one hand and her favorite book in the other.
"Toby! Read to me!"
"We're going to eat now," Toby said. "Maybe after dinner."
After they put Miranda to bed they sat down on the couch in the living room.
"Oh, you want a glass of wine or maybe scotch?" CJ asked.
"No thank you. I'm driving."
"Oh," she said quietly. "Are you sure?" He nodded slowly. "Okay, I need some wine for this so I'll be back in a few seconds."
After the left, Toby groaned and thought briefly of getting out of there before she returned.
"Here," she said and held out a glass of scotch.
"CJ, I just said."
CJ sat down next to him, nervously sipping her wine. "Toby, believe me. You'll probably need it. Just. I'll pay for a cab or you can crash on the couch, just." She turned to look at him with begging eyes. "Please."
He took the glass. "Okay," he said quietly.
They had been sitting quiet next to each other for five minutes now. Toby was too afraid of asking what was so important and CJ was too afraid to bring this up, knowing she'd make a fool of herself. Suddenly, she felt his hand cover hers.
"CJ?" He said softly. "Whatever it is you need to talk to me about, just say it."
She turned to look at him and it was first now that he noticed the unshed tears in her eyes.
"CJ?" He asked, now worriedly.
CJ placed her finger over his lips to silence him.
"Toby, I still love you", she blurted out. "I mean, I'm still in love with you." Without giving him a chance to speak she continued. "I have loved you all the time, Toby. You've been the only man I've ever loved and probably the only man I ever will love."
Slowly she turned to look at him and he just looked at her with an expression she wasn't able to read. "I just, I need to know, Toby."
When she didn't continue Toby looked confused at her.
"Need to know what, CJ?"
CJ nervously sipped her wine. "I need to know if there's ever a chance of us getting together, some time in the future, because otherwise I can't stay here. I've watched you marry Andy, I've watched you go out on dates after that and I can't bare to stand on the side looking at you and other women anymore. It just hurts too much."
She looked nervously at him. She still wasn't sure of what was running through his mind. He had an expression she hadn't seen before and it scared her.
"So, is there?" She asked when he didn't say anything. "Is there, even the slightest, chance that maybe sometime in the future you'd want me again?"
He looked at her and slowly shook his head. "No."
It was as if her entire world shattered around her. She drank up what was left in her glass then poured up another one. Toby just looked at her without showing any kind of emotions.
"Okay," she whispered after a short moment. "Then I have too..."
She stopped talking when she felt his hand covering hers. With tears in her eyes she turned to look at him. He smiled softly.
"I don't want you sometime in the future, CJ," he whispered gently. "I want you now."
He leaned closer and softly kissed her on the lips.
THE END.