A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to post a new part. My computer was
broken and for a while all my files we're missing so now I'm just happy I
have them back. Anyway, now I'll hopefully be able to continue to post a
new part every day until the last.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ New York, Mars 1995 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Toby kissed Andy on the cheek and put his arms around her from behind. "Andy, don't be mad at me."
"I'm not," she said with a deep sigh. "I just don't understand why she has to stay here." "I've already told you. I invited her here. I haven't seen her in nine months and now she and I finally had a free weekend at the same time." He turned his wife around so she was facing him. "And I knew you wouldn't let me go to California so I asked her to come here," he continued with a bitter tone.
"Do you blame me?" Andy said loudly. "You've dated her!"
Toby looked away. He had never told Andy the truth about his and CJ's relationship and he had begged his family not to either. He had planned to tell her but as time passed Andy noticed how attached Toby was to CJ and he knew that telling the truth would only make it worse.
He moved a hand to his forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't love CJ anymore, at least not in that way."
Andy turned to him with angry eyes. "That's the problem, Toby. Even if you're not *in* love with her you act like it. It's always CJ this and CJ that! When something good happens she's your first call. When something bad happens she's your first call."
Toby reached out his hand but she moved away from him. She had tears in her eyes and breathed heavily.
"I just. Toby, I'm not going to be here when she arrives. I'll go and see my parents for the weekend."
As much as Toby wanted his wife to stay he couldn't help but feel joy of having a weekend alone with CJ.
When she arrived at Friday night Andy wasn't there, as promised. After dinner Toby and CJ sat down in the living room with a glass of wine.
"Where's Andy?" CJ asked.
Toby shifted uncomfortable on the couch and CJ smiles sadly.
"Come on, you knew I would ask."
"She has gone to visit her parents," he said after a brief moment of silence.
"Oh," CJ said and sipped her drink.
Toby sighed, moving a hand to his forehead. CJ knew Andy wasn't too fond of her and even if she'd never admit it, it made her sad. Toby was a big part of her life and if his wife didn't like her she wasn't sure of how much Toby she was going to have left in her life.
"I'm sorry," Toby said quietly.
CJ tried to smile. "Don't be. When is she coming home? Do I get to see her?"
Toby smiled slightly because CJ was really trying.
She relaxed and couldn't help to feel a bit satisfied when he told her she wouldn't.
"Hey, can't you come and sit here?" Toby asked suddenly and patted the empty spot on the couch right next to him.
"Probably best if I didn't," she said and smiled because he was flirty tonight and if he was in that mood it wouldn't take long for her to be either.
"You should have told her," she said quietly holding her glass tighter with both hands. He groaned. "I know. Now it's too late though. She would file for divorce if she found out about us now."
For a minute they just sat quiet, looking at each other. CJ was the first to look away.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked. "About Andy, I mean. You probably won't like it."
"Probably not, but go ahead." He looked expectantly at her.
"You can't go to California to see me because Andy's afraid of us being alone at my house, right?" Toby slowly nodded. "Then how come she dares to leave us alone here?"
Toy shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"Maybe too many memories in California", he said finally and poured up another glass of wine for himself.
CJ didn't say anything. It was probably the right answer.
"I've missed you," he blurted out. "It isn't enough to see you a weekend two times a year. At least not for me."
She shrugged and smiled softly. "I guess that's the price you have to pay for putting an entire continent between us."
"I guess," he said slowly.
They were quiet for a while, both thinking of what to say and what to not say.
"So, how's marriage?" She asked.
"It's good. We're trying to get pregnant," he admitted.
"Oh," CJ said.
He sighed and put a hand to his forehead and rubbed it. "I don't know, though. We've been trying for a long time."
"I'm sorry."
Toby smiled. "It's not your fault."
CJ looked away and Toby knew what she was thinking.
"CJ, don't. Don't do that to yourself."
"What?" She asked innocently.
"Think that if it wasn't because of you I would have had two kids now because that's a lie." CJ put her hands over her face, swallowing the lump in her throat. They never talked about the accident. She hadn't heard him mention Haley or Jacqueline, their unborn child, since the divorce.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Haley would have been ten years this year and Jackie."
Toby held up a hand. "CJ, don't. Just don't."
CJ nodded. Toby wasn't the type who talked about these kinds of things, at least not anymore. Maybe she had hurt him too much.
"Listen, I'm going to bed now."
As she walked pass him he took her hand in his. "Do you have to?"
Without a word she slipped her hand out of his and walked towards the guestroom.
The next morning she was already dressed and her bags were packed, when Toby entered the kitchen.
"Are you going home?" He asked, not at all surprised.
"Isobel called."
Toby just nodded, letting her go.
TBC.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ New York, Mars 1995 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Toby kissed Andy on the cheek and put his arms around her from behind. "Andy, don't be mad at me."
"I'm not," she said with a deep sigh. "I just don't understand why she has to stay here." "I've already told you. I invited her here. I haven't seen her in nine months and now she and I finally had a free weekend at the same time." He turned his wife around so she was facing him. "And I knew you wouldn't let me go to California so I asked her to come here," he continued with a bitter tone.
"Do you blame me?" Andy said loudly. "You've dated her!"
Toby looked away. He had never told Andy the truth about his and CJ's relationship and he had begged his family not to either. He had planned to tell her but as time passed Andy noticed how attached Toby was to CJ and he knew that telling the truth would only make it worse.
He moved a hand to his forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't love CJ anymore, at least not in that way."
Andy turned to him with angry eyes. "That's the problem, Toby. Even if you're not *in* love with her you act like it. It's always CJ this and CJ that! When something good happens she's your first call. When something bad happens she's your first call."
Toby reached out his hand but she moved away from him. She had tears in her eyes and breathed heavily.
"I just. Toby, I'm not going to be here when she arrives. I'll go and see my parents for the weekend."
As much as Toby wanted his wife to stay he couldn't help but feel joy of having a weekend alone with CJ.
When she arrived at Friday night Andy wasn't there, as promised. After dinner Toby and CJ sat down in the living room with a glass of wine.
"Where's Andy?" CJ asked.
Toby shifted uncomfortable on the couch and CJ smiles sadly.
"Come on, you knew I would ask."
"She has gone to visit her parents," he said after a brief moment of silence.
"Oh," CJ said and sipped her drink.
Toby sighed, moving a hand to his forehead. CJ knew Andy wasn't too fond of her and even if she'd never admit it, it made her sad. Toby was a big part of her life and if his wife didn't like her she wasn't sure of how much Toby she was going to have left in her life.
"I'm sorry," Toby said quietly.
CJ tried to smile. "Don't be. When is she coming home? Do I get to see her?"
Toby smiled slightly because CJ was really trying.
She relaxed and couldn't help to feel a bit satisfied when he told her she wouldn't.
"Hey, can't you come and sit here?" Toby asked suddenly and patted the empty spot on the couch right next to him.
"Probably best if I didn't," she said and smiled because he was flirty tonight and if he was in that mood it wouldn't take long for her to be either.
"You should have told her," she said quietly holding her glass tighter with both hands. He groaned. "I know. Now it's too late though. She would file for divorce if she found out about us now."
For a minute they just sat quiet, looking at each other. CJ was the first to look away.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked. "About Andy, I mean. You probably won't like it."
"Probably not, but go ahead." He looked expectantly at her.
"You can't go to California to see me because Andy's afraid of us being alone at my house, right?" Toby slowly nodded. "Then how come she dares to leave us alone here?"
Toy shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"Maybe too many memories in California", he said finally and poured up another glass of wine for himself.
CJ didn't say anything. It was probably the right answer.
"I've missed you," he blurted out. "It isn't enough to see you a weekend two times a year. At least not for me."
She shrugged and smiled softly. "I guess that's the price you have to pay for putting an entire continent between us."
"I guess," he said slowly.
They were quiet for a while, both thinking of what to say and what to not say.
"So, how's marriage?" She asked.
"It's good. We're trying to get pregnant," he admitted.
"Oh," CJ said.
He sighed and put a hand to his forehead and rubbed it. "I don't know, though. We've been trying for a long time."
"I'm sorry."
Toby smiled. "It's not your fault."
CJ looked away and Toby knew what she was thinking.
"CJ, don't. Don't do that to yourself."
"What?" She asked innocently.
"Think that if it wasn't because of you I would have had two kids now because that's a lie." CJ put her hands over her face, swallowing the lump in her throat. They never talked about the accident. She hadn't heard him mention Haley or Jacqueline, their unborn child, since the divorce.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Haley would have been ten years this year and Jackie."
Toby held up a hand. "CJ, don't. Just don't."
CJ nodded. Toby wasn't the type who talked about these kinds of things, at least not anymore. Maybe she had hurt him too much.
"Listen, I'm going to bed now."
As she walked pass him he took her hand in his. "Do you have to?"
Without a word she slipped her hand out of his and walked towards the guestroom.
The next morning she was already dressed and her bags were packed, when Toby entered the kitchen.
"Are you going home?" He asked, not at all surprised.
"Isobel called."
Toby just nodded, letting her go.
TBC.