Fallen 2
By: Mariel
She liked him.
Liked his humour, his smile, and his dedication. She liked the way he thought, the way he talked, and the way he looked at her when he spoke. She liked that he cared about what he did each day. Liked that he was solid, sometimes stolid, but never boring. Liked that he was reliable, but at the same time wildly surprising in unexpected ways at unexpected moments. But no matter the twists and turns his mind took, he still made her feel protected when she was with him. Safe. Cared for.
She liked that, too.
And he liked her. He liked the glitter of humour in her eye when she was amused. Liked the way her lips crooked when she smiled. Liked the way her hands moved when she was caught off guard and had to talk and think quickly at the same time. He liked the protective feeling he felt when he thought about her. Liked the way her mind worked, and the way they communicated without speaking. He liked her dedication and her spirit, and yes, liked that she was sometimes affected by what she did each day. He also liked that in some way he couldn't define, she made him feel safe. Cared for. Accepted.
At the beginning of their relationship, the when, where, and how of it had fallen easily into place. That it would end they never stopped to consider. Van Doren, however, had made them wary and respectful (for a time, at least) of the danger of discovery. For the first time since they'd started their affair, they'd been forced to think about what they were doing and where they were going and what would happen should their affair become public.
But only long enough to conclude that they didn't really have to worry. They might be chastised, reprimanded, have their fingers slapped, but when all was said and done, they came to one conclusion: it wouldn't be serious enough for them to have to stop.
- - -Jack's cell phone rang. Samantha felt him roll over and heard his fingers scrabbling to find it on the bedside table. Finally successful, he put his head back down of the pillow, flipped his phone open, and put it to his ear. "Malone."
Samantha felt Jack's body stiffen and turned to look at him in the darkness.
"Maria," he said, his voice losing almost all traces of sleep.
He listened a moment, then lied easily. "Yeah, I'm home. What time is it, anyway? I turned the phone off. I need some sleep and figured anyone who really wanted to reach me would use the cell number. How's the conference going?"
Samantha heard Maria's tone grow louder and more strident, but could make out none of what she was saying. Jack struggled to a sitting position. Samantha, in turn, reached over to turn on the bedside light. Looking at his face, she could tell there was a problem. Maria had reached him here on his cell phone before, but this time was different. Jack looked at her and raised a cautioning hand. Fear coursed through her. Had something happened to one of the girls?
"I'll be right there. I'll explain-" He was cut off by more loud words, then the sound of a dial tone.
Jack turned a shocked face towards her. "Maria took a late plane out to get home early. She's there now, and knows I'm not." He got out of bed and quickly reached for his clothes. Silence - shocked, guilt-ridden, and impenetrable - hung between them.. Samantha got up and collected some of his things for him. In only minutes, he was ready to go.
Still maintaining silence, she walked him to the door. Once there, she discovered she had no idea what to say in order to break it. 'Good luck' as he left hardly seemed appropriate. They hadn't expected this, had never, in all this time, ever really considered the possibility that Maria might find out. That seemed incredibly stupid, now.
He paused at the door to look at her. Raising a hand to touch her cheek, he told her, "I'll see you in the morning," and then he was gone.
She stood in the hall for several moments after he had left and stared at the door. Lifting a hand that trembled, she pushed hair from her face and turned towards her bedroom. The sudden emptiness of her apartment screamed at her. The fragility of what they'd built together taunted her from the now empty bed. She could feel the cracks in the foundation of their relationship spreading, felt the warm corner of illusion they had created for themselves crumble under the weight of reality. This wasn't going to work. Being found out at work could have been dealt with, but being found out by his wife? Never. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn't, no matter what, risk losing his daughters. There was something psychologically significant in his past he didn't speak of, but she knew it was there all the same, and whatever it was would have him clinging to his daughters - and therefore his marriage - with every ounce of his strength.
For the rest of the night, she wondered what he had faced when he'd got home. Half expecting Maria to throw him out, her subconsious waited for him to return to her door. Unable to sleep, she paced the floor of her apartment restlessly and soon found herself dusting and tidying as a physical outlet for her worry. By dawn, her apartment was immaculate.
By dawn, she knew he would not be returning.
And by dawn, she knew what would have to be done.
- - -
At work the next morning, the team was immediately confronted with two missing persons cases. Jack, unusually late to arrive, had immediately set to work. Only the dark circles under his eyes and an air of distraction hinted to her what must have transpired the night before. Thrown straight into the business of finding a missing six-year old and another case involving a forty-five year old businessman, he and Samantha had no time to speak privately.
On the car ride to speak to the parents of the missing child, Danny glanced over at Samantha and commented, "You look tired."
"I am. Didn't sleep well last night. I'll be okay," she told him. She turned and looked out of the window, signalling it was not something she wanted to talk about.
Danny nodded, and observed casually, "Jack looks pretty out of it today, too."
She didn't respond.
End
Fallen 2