A Wedding song 20: If I Knew You Were Coming....
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THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY
"No."
"Darien... c'mon. You gotta."
"I do not."
Bobby leaned his forehead briefly against the wall just outside the Official's closed office door and sighed out his exasperation.
"You got no choice. You knew this was comin'..."
"I don't care! Why can't he see that you and I make the perfect team? You and me, Fawkes and Hobbes. Why the hell do we need somebody else? Look what happened with the last third wheel he tried to add on!"
"For cryin' out loud... okay, I'll admit Monroe was a little unstable..."
"A little?!"
"So she went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. That doesn't change the good stuff she did before. If she hadn't been there in Vegas, Bobbi Claire could be an orphan right now. We can't always watch every inch of each other's backs. Sometimes.... we need a third agent. You know that."
"It's not fair, damn it..."
"Maybe not, but that's life in the employ a'the US government. Nobody's forcin' ya to take the guy bowlin'. Just... come in an' meet him, okay?"
"I got better things to do. We should be out trackin' down Stark..."
"I know, an' we'll get to that. This is just a meet an' greet. It shouldn't take all that long."
"I need to be outta there in time to go to therapy."
"You will be. Do I hear a yes comin' on?"
"Yeah... nothin' says I have to like him, right?"
"Not a damn thing."
"Good. Let's get this over with."
After favoring Darien with a quick kiss of gratitude, Bobby opened the door and led the way into the office.
"Only twenty minutes late, gentlemen. Forget to replace the batteries in your watches?" Borden questioned gruffly, but with humor sparkling in his eyes.
"Nah. We were outside tryin' to figure out how the doorknob worked." Darien countered, renewing the game that he and his boss had been engaged in for the past week or two, to the delight of Borden and the utter confusion of his well-paid secret weapon. Fawkes had no idea what force of nature was slowly transforming Charlie Borden into a human being but he wasn't about to risk jinxing the change by not playing along.
"It seems you mastered it. You'll be tying your own shoes next."
Darien grinned, but did not venture a comeback. He'd learned early on that the first rule of the game was Charlie always got the last word. "Now that you're here we can get on with the purpose for this briefing. Eberts, if you'll show him in, please?"
"Of course."
Moving to the second door in the office, Eberts leaned into the room next door, spoke quietly then stood back and allowed the Agency's newest employee to enter. Bobby stood immediately, but Darien had to be prompted.
"Get on your feet, kid! Don't you make me look bad...."
"Agent Fawkes, Agent Hobbes. Meet your new team member. This is Special Agent Daniel Masters."
The tall, well-built man strode confidently forward to join the group. As the others moved to greet the newcomer Darien held back, carefully studying the latest addition to their most unusual family. He marginally approved of the length and style of the man's sandy blonde hair, but decided to reserve judgment on everything else.
"Hey." Bobby said shaking Masters' hand vigorously. "Welcome to the asylum. A little tip; get your Valium before everybody else does. The supply don't last long around here."
"Interesting greeting. Beats ' Hi, how are you' I guess." The other man chuckled.
"You'll learn real fast that nothin's ever normal around here."
"Never a dull moment, hmm?"
"Not ever. That's what makes workin' here so much.... well, fun ain't the word exactly."
"Stimulating?"
"Close enough. Have a seat."
The group, all except Eberts, claimed their chairs again. Borden grinned at them and Darien instantly got mildly nauseous.
"What?"
"No need to look so worried, Fawkes. I'm giving you all the day off today.... in a fashion. I want you to spend a few hours getting to know each other. Show Daniel around the city, help him get oriented. Then find a quiet, private place and show him what you can do."
"Wait a minute. I got my.... appointment today."
"I'm sure Bobby can handle him alone for that hour. Go on, now. The three of you go get acquainted."
Darien glared at Bobby pointedly.
"Okay, so I was wrong. It don't *have* to be bowlin' though..."
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THE PARKING GARAGE: A FEW MINUTES LATER
"So. What do you feel like doin'?" Bobby asked the newcomer. "Anything except bars or strip clubs is okay."
"Because? Not that I would have suggested either of those anyway, but I'm curious."
"I got good reasons to give up both an' better things to do with my time."
Danny glanced down at Bobby's left hand and smiled in understanding. Hobbes noticed him noticing and blushed slightly before returning the smile.
"I see. Congratulations. "
"Thanks."
"Okay. So alcohol and naked women are out. What's left... how about greasy food, way too much chocolate ice cream and mini-golf?"
"Oh, yeah! Count me in!" Darien piped up excitedly from the passenger's seat of the SUV. Danny grinned indulgently at Fawkes' youthful exuberance as he settled into the back seat.
"Not for you, bud. You got an appointment, remember?"
"I can skip it just this once..."
"No you can't. Cheryl'd read us both the riot act an' you know it. Skippin' ain't an option unless it's really important. Feedin' your bottomless pit stomach don't count."
"Bobby..."
"No. Get your belt on, kid. We gotta get movin' or you'll be late." Hobbes announced with finality as he slid into the driver's position and buckled his own safety belt.
"Tell you what, Agent Hobbes." Masters offered, leaning forward slightly. "Why don't you show me some of the sights of San Diego while Agent Fawkes does what he has to do? Then we can eat and hit the putt-putt course after we pick him up."
Darien nodded frantically, squinching his eyes shut and folding his hands in prayer.
"You sure you don't mind?"
"Not at all. I've only been in town a little while. I'd love to see some of the historical places, check out the architecture, find out what restaurants to avoid so I don't get poisoned..."
Bobby laughed.
"Okay. Long as that's what you want."
Darien drew his bent arm back along his ribs sharply and hissed;
"Yesss! Shoot, score! I get junk food *and* I get to whip your butts at mini-golf! Life is good."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, junior. Who whipped whose butt last time? Huh? C'mon. Say it. Who wiped the artificial turf with who?"
"You, but only 'cause you cheated! I know you kicked your ball in the hole on the eighteenth, you just won't admit it!"
"I did no such thing. Bobby Hobbes never has to cheat to win."
"Yeah? What about when we were playin' X-box the other night? You kicked out the plug when you thought I wasn't lookin'!"
Bobby flushed and ducked his head slightly.
"I live in the real world, partner, not in Nintendo-land... an' that was an accident, I told you..."
In the back, Danny relaxed into the seat behind him, arms crossed over his chest, grinning as he absorbed the dynamic between the two men.
{Oh these two are going to be an utter trip to work with. I can't wait to find out what the Official meant when he told Fawkes to show me what he can do...}
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"So things are going well?"
"Understatement of the year, doc. Everything is better since.... since that day."
"You still can't get over being embarrassed about that, hmm?"
"I'm workin' on it. I just don't like gettin' that emotional in fronta anybody but Bobby or Claire."
"Remind me who Claire is again."
"She's a medical doctor at the Agency. Well, she's more of a scientist I guess, but she's usually the one who patches me an' Hobbes up when we run headlong into bad guys an' brick walls.... stuff like that. She's also one of my best friends... oh, and Bobbi's god mother. Can't forget that."
"Ah-ha. The origin of Roberta's middle name."
"You got it."
"Does her Godfather work with you as well?"
"Yeah. Another incredible friend. When Bobbi Claire first came along, he helped us so much. Just about lost his job 'cause he was spendin' so much time watchin' the baby while we got everything ready for her. Nothin' you can do to get friends like that. I think God just... puts 'em there when we need 'em so we always have a lifeline to hang onto. Eberts... that's what he is. God's gift to new parents."
"He sounds like an amazing man."
"You don't know the half of it. Bein' an accountant, he's always been this straight-laced, stick up his butt, numbers and paperwork are everything guy. Since Bobbi Claire, he's changed so much. When he holds her, he gets this look on his face like he's about to fall apart or melt into a puddle of goo on the floor. An' this.... this was completely outta the blue." he told her, holding out his left hand for Cheryl to view. "I never woulda thought he could keep a secret if it wasn't about work, but he shocked me an' Bobby outta our shoes, I swear. Eberts an' Claire threw us a big engagement party an' surprised with these a few days back."
"It's beautiful. Bobby's is identical?"
"Uh-huh, except mine has his name engraved inside an' his has mine. I'd show you, but..."
"Oh, no. Of course you don't want to take it off. Have the two of you talked about a date for the ceremony yet?"
"Not yet. It's been.... crazy at work lately. No time to think about anything but keepin' our heads down and dodgin' the fallout."
"Fallout? Is it anything you can tell me about?"
"I guess. It's not classified. Another agent, one we worked with a lot... she kinda... lost it."
"It?"
"Everything. She went nuts. Nearly took my baby with her too..."
"Maybe you'd better start at the beginning."
"Yeah... well, see this agent, she had to give up her own baby a couple years ago. She never got over it. Claire was watchin' Roberta Claire an' this other woman walked in an' took both of 'em hostage. Shot poor Claire in the kneecap. It'll heal, but it'll never be totally right again."
"How did you find out what was going on?"
"The psy... she... called me on my cell phone. Said I'd killed her son an' now she was gonna kill my daughter." Darien said, casting a quick glance at Cheryl before improvising the next part. He didn't want to go into the super-growth formula and James' real cause of death, certain she wouldn't believe him. "I said... he's not dead. I couldn't prove it of course. None of us knows where the kid went after.... She told me to go back to the Agency... she wanted me there to watch Claire an' my baby die. I rushed back, found out where they were... I walked in an' I tried to talk to her, but... she wouldn't listen. She couldn't, I guess. Help finally got there... they wounded her bad enough so she had to give up. I looked at my baby... I didn't think about anything. Not that I remember, anyhow. I just ran to her.... I pulled her away from that crazy b... from that woman. It was the first time I'd held my little girl in, like, two weeks. I sat on the floor... I just held onto her, talked to her. Since then... I have a hard time puttin' her down. Bobby says I'm gonna end up carrying her to college."
"I'm sure she'll be telling you to go soak your head long before that. A teenager's job is to make their parents feel as old as possible and convince them that they know absolutely nothing."
"Teenager.... she's gonna be a teenager... ah, crap...." Darien moaned, slapping his hands over his eyes and sagging in his chair. His reaction drew a laugh from Cheryl.
"Yes, but not any time soon, fortunately. Where you are with Roberta right now is a wonderful place. She's not quite walking yet, she still depends on you for everything and you and Bobby are her world. It's good that you're taking advantage of this opportunity while you have it. It doesn't last nearly as long as you wish it would."
"I know.... she's already pullin' up, figurin' out her balance. The other night, she stood up in her playpen.... she made a sound, this little yell, like 'Hey, wow, look at me! I did it!' I wanted... I wished I could tell her to slow down.... that she wasn't ready yet. But.... it's me who's not ready."
"No parent is. The only consolation we have is knowing that every milestone they pass, every step they find the courage to take means we did our job right."
"Yeah. I guess I'm just.... I'm not so sure I can do the job at all. Nothin' in my life ever scared me this much. She's countin' on me not to be a screw-up...."
"That's another wonderful thing about babies. They're clueless about our pasts, and even if they knew how many times we've done a face-plant into the mud, they wouldn't care. All they want or need is to be secure and to be loved. You've given her that. Everything else will come in time."
"No manual? You're sure about that?"
"Yes, I'm sure. You're not alone, Darien. Besides Bobby, you just got finished telling me that you have at least two other people who are ready, willing and able to support you through anything."
"And you."
"And me. Raising a child is scary, no question, but you can't let that fear convince you to isolate yourself. When you get frightened or you feel as if the world's crashing down on your head, you need to reach out."
"I try.... it's so new to me..."
"What is?"
"Trusting that somebody's gonna reach back. It's such a damn risk. It's like puttin' your hand out in the dark, knowin' there's a huge hole a few inches in fronta your toes.... if you stretch too far an' there's nobody there...."
"Didn't Bobby tell you something like that once? I think it was about flipping a coin."
Darien's expression slowly brightened as the memory returned.
"Yeah. It was back when he was havin' a hard time sayin' he loved me."
"That was as big a risk for him as this is for you. He was terrified of what would happen, but he took that chance. He trusted you. I understand you've been hurt. I know it seems like every time you open yourself to someone they either betray you or they go away, but don't you think it might be time to try again? Do you think you can reach out into the dark one more time?"
"Maybe. Hang on... somethin' just clicked. Somethin' else I told him a long time ago.... he'd just found out I can paint. I told him I'd never really let on to anyone that I could do that. He asked me why him an why'd I finally decide to trust him with my secret. I said.... I said if anyone was worth takin' a chance on... it was him."
"Is that still true?"
"More than ever."
"Something to think about for Monday, hmm?"
"More like somethin' to talk about with Bobby...."
"Also a good idea. By the way, when do I get to see some of your artwork?"
Darien smiled thinly at Cheryl, faintly beginning to regret ever mentioning the subject. (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((
TBC......
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THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY
"No."
"Darien... c'mon. You gotta."
"I do not."
Bobby leaned his forehead briefly against the wall just outside the Official's closed office door and sighed out his exasperation.
"You got no choice. You knew this was comin'..."
"I don't care! Why can't he see that you and I make the perfect team? You and me, Fawkes and Hobbes. Why the hell do we need somebody else? Look what happened with the last third wheel he tried to add on!"
"For cryin' out loud... okay, I'll admit Monroe was a little unstable..."
"A little?!"
"So she went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. That doesn't change the good stuff she did before. If she hadn't been there in Vegas, Bobbi Claire could be an orphan right now. We can't always watch every inch of each other's backs. Sometimes.... we need a third agent. You know that."
"It's not fair, damn it..."
"Maybe not, but that's life in the employ a'the US government. Nobody's forcin' ya to take the guy bowlin'. Just... come in an' meet him, okay?"
"I got better things to do. We should be out trackin' down Stark..."
"I know, an' we'll get to that. This is just a meet an' greet. It shouldn't take all that long."
"I need to be outta there in time to go to therapy."
"You will be. Do I hear a yes comin' on?"
"Yeah... nothin' says I have to like him, right?"
"Not a damn thing."
"Good. Let's get this over with."
After favoring Darien with a quick kiss of gratitude, Bobby opened the door and led the way into the office.
"Only twenty minutes late, gentlemen. Forget to replace the batteries in your watches?" Borden questioned gruffly, but with humor sparkling in his eyes.
"Nah. We were outside tryin' to figure out how the doorknob worked." Darien countered, renewing the game that he and his boss had been engaged in for the past week or two, to the delight of Borden and the utter confusion of his well-paid secret weapon. Fawkes had no idea what force of nature was slowly transforming Charlie Borden into a human being but he wasn't about to risk jinxing the change by not playing along.
"It seems you mastered it. You'll be tying your own shoes next."
Darien grinned, but did not venture a comeback. He'd learned early on that the first rule of the game was Charlie always got the last word. "Now that you're here we can get on with the purpose for this briefing. Eberts, if you'll show him in, please?"
"Of course."
Moving to the second door in the office, Eberts leaned into the room next door, spoke quietly then stood back and allowed the Agency's newest employee to enter. Bobby stood immediately, but Darien had to be prompted.
"Get on your feet, kid! Don't you make me look bad...."
"Agent Fawkes, Agent Hobbes. Meet your new team member. This is Special Agent Daniel Masters."
The tall, well-built man strode confidently forward to join the group. As the others moved to greet the newcomer Darien held back, carefully studying the latest addition to their most unusual family. He marginally approved of the length and style of the man's sandy blonde hair, but decided to reserve judgment on everything else.
"Hey." Bobby said shaking Masters' hand vigorously. "Welcome to the asylum. A little tip; get your Valium before everybody else does. The supply don't last long around here."
"Interesting greeting. Beats ' Hi, how are you' I guess." The other man chuckled.
"You'll learn real fast that nothin's ever normal around here."
"Never a dull moment, hmm?"
"Not ever. That's what makes workin' here so much.... well, fun ain't the word exactly."
"Stimulating?"
"Close enough. Have a seat."
The group, all except Eberts, claimed their chairs again. Borden grinned at them and Darien instantly got mildly nauseous.
"What?"
"No need to look so worried, Fawkes. I'm giving you all the day off today.... in a fashion. I want you to spend a few hours getting to know each other. Show Daniel around the city, help him get oriented. Then find a quiet, private place and show him what you can do."
"Wait a minute. I got my.... appointment today."
"I'm sure Bobby can handle him alone for that hour. Go on, now. The three of you go get acquainted."
Darien glared at Bobby pointedly.
"Okay, so I was wrong. It don't *have* to be bowlin' though..."
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THE PARKING GARAGE: A FEW MINUTES LATER
"So. What do you feel like doin'?" Bobby asked the newcomer. "Anything except bars or strip clubs is okay."
"Because? Not that I would have suggested either of those anyway, but I'm curious."
"I got good reasons to give up both an' better things to do with my time."
Danny glanced down at Bobby's left hand and smiled in understanding. Hobbes noticed him noticing and blushed slightly before returning the smile.
"I see. Congratulations. "
"Thanks."
"Okay. So alcohol and naked women are out. What's left... how about greasy food, way too much chocolate ice cream and mini-golf?"
"Oh, yeah! Count me in!" Darien piped up excitedly from the passenger's seat of the SUV. Danny grinned indulgently at Fawkes' youthful exuberance as he settled into the back seat.
"Not for you, bud. You got an appointment, remember?"
"I can skip it just this once..."
"No you can't. Cheryl'd read us both the riot act an' you know it. Skippin' ain't an option unless it's really important. Feedin' your bottomless pit stomach don't count."
"Bobby..."
"No. Get your belt on, kid. We gotta get movin' or you'll be late." Hobbes announced with finality as he slid into the driver's position and buckled his own safety belt.
"Tell you what, Agent Hobbes." Masters offered, leaning forward slightly. "Why don't you show me some of the sights of San Diego while Agent Fawkes does what he has to do? Then we can eat and hit the putt-putt course after we pick him up."
Darien nodded frantically, squinching his eyes shut and folding his hands in prayer.
"You sure you don't mind?"
"Not at all. I've only been in town a little while. I'd love to see some of the historical places, check out the architecture, find out what restaurants to avoid so I don't get poisoned..."
Bobby laughed.
"Okay. Long as that's what you want."
Darien drew his bent arm back along his ribs sharply and hissed;
"Yesss! Shoot, score! I get junk food *and* I get to whip your butts at mini-golf! Life is good."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, junior. Who whipped whose butt last time? Huh? C'mon. Say it. Who wiped the artificial turf with who?"
"You, but only 'cause you cheated! I know you kicked your ball in the hole on the eighteenth, you just won't admit it!"
"I did no such thing. Bobby Hobbes never has to cheat to win."
"Yeah? What about when we were playin' X-box the other night? You kicked out the plug when you thought I wasn't lookin'!"
Bobby flushed and ducked his head slightly.
"I live in the real world, partner, not in Nintendo-land... an' that was an accident, I told you..."
In the back, Danny relaxed into the seat behind him, arms crossed over his chest, grinning as he absorbed the dynamic between the two men.
{Oh these two are going to be an utter trip to work with. I can't wait to find out what the Official meant when he told Fawkes to show me what he can do...}
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"So things are going well?"
"Understatement of the year, doc. Everything is better since.... since that day."
"You still can't get over being embarrassed about that, hmm?"
"I'm workin' on it. I just don't like gettin' that emotional in fronta anybody but Bobby or Claire."
"Remind me who Claire is again."
"She's a medical doctor at the Agency. Well, she's more of a scientist I guess, but she's usually the one who patches me an' Hobbes up when we run headlong into bad guys an' brick walls.... stuff like that. She's also one of my best friends... oh, and Bobbi's god mother. Can't forget that."
"Ah-ha. The origin of Roberta's middle name."
"You got it."
"Does her Godfather work with you as well?"
"Yeah. Another incredible friend. When Bobbi Claire first came along, he helped us so much. Just about lost his job 'cause he was spendin' so much time watchin' the baby while we got everything ready for her. Nothin' you can do to get friends like that. I think God just... puts 'em there when we need 'em so we always have a lifeline to hang onto. Eberts... that's what he is. God's gift to new parents."
"He sounds like an amazing man."
"You don't know the half of it. Bein' an accountant, he's always been this straight-laced, stick up his butt, numbers and paperwork are everything guy. Since Bobbi Claire, he's changed so much. When he holds her, he gets this look on his face like he's about to fall apart or melt into a puddle of goo on the floor. An' this.... this was completely outta the blue." he told her, holding out his left hand for Cheryl to view. "I never woulda thought he could keep a secret if it wasn't about work, but he shocked me an' Bobby outta our shoes, I swear. Eberts an' Claire threw us a big engagement party an' surprised with these a few days back."
"It's beautiful. Bobby's is identical?"
"Uh-huh, except mine has his name engraved inside an' his has mine. I'd show you, but..."
"Oh, no. Of course you don't want to take it off. Have the two of you talked about a date for the ceremony yet?"
"Not yet. It's been.... crazy at work lately. No time to think about anything but keepin' our heads down and dodgin' the fallout."
"Fallout? Is it anything you can tell me about?"
"I guess. It's not classified. Another agent, one we worked with a lot... she kinda... lost it."
"It?"
"Everything. She went nuts. Nearly took my baby with her too..."
"Maybe you'd better start at the beginning."
"Yeah... well, see this agent, she had to give up her own baby a couple years ago. She never got over it. Claire was watchin' Roberta Claire an' this other woman walked in an' took both of 'em hostage. Shot poor Claire in the kneecap. It'll heal, but it'll never be totally right again."
"How did you find out what was going on?"
"The psy... she... called me on my cell phone. Said I'd killed her son an' now she was gonna kill my daughter." Darien said, casting a quick glance at Cheryl before improvising the next part. He didn't want to go into the super-growth formula and James' real cause of death, certain she wouldn't believe him. "I said... he's not dead. I couldn't prove it of course. None of us knows where the kid went after.... She told me to go back to the Agency... she wanted me there to watch Claire an' my baby die. I rushed back, found out where they were... I walked in an' I tried to talk to her, but... she wouldn't listen. She couldn't, I guess. Help finally got there... they wounded her bad enough so she had to give up. I looked at my baby... I didn't think about anything. Not that I remember, anyhow. I just ran to her.... I pulled her away from that crazy b... from that woman. It was the first time I'd held my little girl in, like, two weeks. I sat on the floor... I just held onto her, talked to her. Since then... I have a hard time puttin' her down. Bobby says I'm gonna end up carrying her to college."
"I'm sure she'll be telling you to go soak your head long before that. A teenager's job is to make their parents feel as old as possible and convince them that they know absolutely nothing."
"Teenager.... she's gonna be a teenager... ah, crap...." Darien moaned, slapping his hands over his eyes and sagging in his chair. His reaction drew a laugh from Cheryl.
"Yes, but not any time soon, fortunately. Where you are with Roberta right now is a wonderful place. She's not quite walking yet, she still depends on you for everything and you and Bobby are her world. It's good that you're taking advantage of this opportunity while you have it. It doesn't last nearly as long as you wish it would."
"I know.... she's already pullin' up, figurin' out her balance. The other night, she stood up in her playpen.... she made a sound, this little yell, like 'Hey, wow, look at me! I did it!' I wanted... I wished I could tell her to slow down.... that she wasn't ready yet. But.... it's me who's not ready."
"No parent is. The only consolation we have is knowing that every milestone they pass, every step they find the courage to take means we did our job right."
"Yeah. I guess I'm just.... I'm not so sure I can do the job at all. Nothin' in my life ever scared me this much. She's countin' on me not to be a screw-up...."
"That's another wonderful thing about babies. They're clueless about our pasts, and even if they knew how many times we've done a face-plant into the mud, they wouldn't care. All they want or need is to be secure and to be loved. You've given her that. Everything else will come in time."
"No manual? You're sure about that?"
"Yes, I'm sure. You're not alone, Darien. Besides Bobby, you just got finished telling me that you have at least two other people who are ready, willing and able to support you through anything."
"And you."
"And me. Raising a child is scary, no question, but you can't let that fear convince you to isolate yourself. When you get frightened or you feel as if the world's crashing down on your head, you need to reach out."
"I try.... it's so new to me..."
"What is?"
"Trusting that somebody's gonna reach back. It's such a damn risk. It's like puttin' your hand out in the dark, knowin' there's a huge hole a few inches in fronta your toes.... if you stretch too far an' there's nobody there...."
"Didn't Bobby tell you something like that once? I think it was about flipping a coin."
Darien's expression slowly brightened as the memory returned.
"Yeah. It was back when he was havin' a hard time sayin' he loved me."
"That was as big a risk for him as this is for you. He was terrified of what would happen, but he took that chance. He trusted you. I understand you've been hurt. I know it seems like every time you open yourself to someone they either betray you or they go away, but don't you think it might be time to try again? Do you think you can reach out into the dark one more time?"
"Maybe. Hang on... somethin' just clicked. Somethin' else I told him a long time ago.... he'd just found out I can paint. I told him I'd never really let on to anyone that I could do that. He asked me why him an why'd I finally decide to trust him with my secret. I said.... I said if anyone was worth takin' a chance on... it was him."
"Is that still true?"
"More than ever."
"Something to think about for Monday, hmm?"
"More like somethin' to talk about with Bobby...."
"Also a good idea. By the way, when do I get to see some of your artwork?"
Darien smiled thinly at Cheryl, faintly beginning to regret ever mentioning the subject. (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((
TBC......