Nothing Changes like Time
Chapter 8
A/N: This chapter has some...not very nice words in it :) Nothing extreme... just the one beginning with 'f'.So i have now pre-warned you.Oh yeah, sorry for the slow update….. Its here now! Rejoice!!! Lol… don't forget to review!! So now the drama's over, you may proceed to read...
"He can what?" Doug hissed as he grabbed Jacks arm. "He can't stay here!"
"Why not?"
"It's….it's noisy…Amy…"
"Doesn't wake up at nights any more, you know that."
"Jack—"
"It's ok, he turned us down."
"There was no 'us' at the time you asked that brash question."
"Sorry then."
"Jack!"
"Yes?" Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest, smiling bemusedly at Doug's frustration.
"I—I—"
"You're jealous?"
"No."
"Liar. You have so much unfounded jealousy don't you?" Jack stated rather than asked. "And you've got to be an idiot, seriously Doug, do you really think I'd get involved with Tobey at all? Especially in his current situation?"
"Well you do have a tendency to get involved with interesting people…"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Freeman, Eric, me…"
"You're absolutely right!" Jack exclaimed throwing his hands up in the air. "I must have a subliminal attraction to closet cases. Why do you think that is?"
"I don't know, maybe you're into claustrophobia?" Doug snapped at Jack, trying to conceal the hurt.
There was a silence and Jack threw himself in the middle of their bed and put his hands over his face. "It's bloody freezing," he muttered.
The slow Sunday afternoon was gusty and the streets of Capeside weren't overly populated. The wind was fierce and Gareth pulled his coat around his shoulders. He didn't mind the cold so much, (being born and bred in Canada), and the formation of snow on the ground always sent a warm spark through his body: a spark that reminded him of family, warmth by the fire and hot cocoa. It was nearing Christmas and this year had been the only one that he had been worried he might go to the family Christmas gathering without Tobey since they met. How could he tell his parents? Would they even care? They didn't like Tobey anyway…
He walked into the news agency and bought the newspapers, glancing over the headlines. "Record Lows: Temperature Continues to Plummet".
As he was paying, his mobile rang. He glanced at the number and his breath caught in this throat. The shopkeeper looked at him.
"Are you going to answer that?"
Gareth looked down again, mentally weighing up the choice. He threw the money on the counter, picked up the newspapers and answered the phone, walking out.
"Why the hell are you calling?" he asked gruffly.
"I had to," came a voice from the other end.
"I told you not you."
"No one knows where you've gone…I was just checking to see if I could tell them and ...to see how you were doing."
Gareth pinched the bridge of his nose and crossed the street.
"No, don't tell anybody," he snarled, his thick Canadian accent drawing attention on the street, "Unless of course you want everybody to know that you were fucking the boss," he said lowering his voice. "And…how do you think I'm doing? Jesus…" he trailed off and stopped still in the middle of the street.
"When are you coming back?"
"I don't know. Why does it matter? I can work from anywhere."
There was a pause from the other end of the phone.
"How's Tobey?"
"Don't ask that."
"I'm sorry."
"You have no right."
"I said I was sorry."
"Yeah well, sorry doesn't fix everything you know," Gareth said caustically. "Don't call me again. Forget about me."
"I can't."
"You have to."
"You can't tell me what to do or…or how to feel."
"Where did u pick up that pathetic line from? And anyway,I can. You see, in our little arrangement, I'm god. I call the shots," he hissed into the phone. "So, forget about me, don't call me. And if you had any brains at all you'll send me your two weeks notice."
"I wont do it."
"It wasn't an ask, it was a demand. I love Tobey; you were just a fuck. I fuck you then you fuck off, which is what you should have done when Tobey left Canada. So do me a favour, when I get back, don't be there."
Gareth hung up and slipped the phone into the back pocket of his jeans. He had become disorientated and now had no idea where he was. He glanced around. Capeside had never been a place he'd visited regularly; as soon as he and Tobey got together they had moved to Canada. Sure they had made a visit to his parents during a short holiday to move his stuff out but that was it.
He kept walking and found himself at a park that was right next to the water. No one was around, except a lone figure sitting on a bench, gazing out onto the bay. He looked deep in thought, but Gareth wasn't really in a position to choose the person to ask for directions so he made his way over.
"Excuse me—" he started then stopped. A tall, athletically built man with black hair and blue eyes looked up with him. Gareth looked at the red brimmed eyes and something inside his mind clicked. "You're not Jack McPhee are you?"
Jack was startled and his eyes snapped open wide. It took him a moment to register. The man who knew his name looked extraordinarily like himself…
"I'm sorry, you probably have no idea who I am…" Gareth continued.
Jack stood up, "Gareth Pendlebury, by any chance?"
Gareth smiled. "So I'm right?"
"I guess so, if I am."
There was an awkward silence and finally Gareth put his hand out and Jack shook it.
"What a strange way to meet, I was going to ask you for directions."
"Lost in Capeside?"
"I haven't spent too many hours wondering around the streets…how did you know it was me?"
" Ah, the accent gave it away I think," Jack said moving a step back to take in what he saw as a reflection of himself. "How did you recognise me?"
"Tobey has an affinity with keeping photos…"
"Right," Jack said, suddenly wiping the tears from his eyes. He cast a long look back in the direction of the town. "If you follow this road then turn left you'll get back on the main street…do you know your way back from there?"
"Yeah, I do, thanks," Gareth said slowly, turning away. He stopped and looked back at Jack. "Um…thanks for looking after Tobey."
"Don't thank me. Just make it right," he said then muttered, "for both our sakes."
After Jack had left the house Doug had bundled Amy up in the patrol car and gone down to the police station to finish off some paper work.
The office was deserted and after setting Amy down in her playpen in the corner of the room, he sat at the desk and opened the top drawer and brushed his fingers over the picture of Jack and himself having dinner in New York the previous Christmas with Pacey and Joey. Jack and Doug had promised to hold Christmas at their house this year but Doug was beginning to doubt that it would, he could only hope for the contrary.
He stared at the stack of work on his desk and sighed, remembering what Jack had once said , "Procrastination is the only real way to start a laborious task." Admitting his partner was right for the first time in a while, Doug picked up the phone and pressed '2' on the speed dial.
"Hello?"
"Hey Pace, its me."
"Dougie! How's it been going?"
"Well, I need some advise…"
Doug poured his whole story out into Pacey's ear and the conclusion was met with a pause and clearly some space for Pacey to think through what he was going to say next.
"I have no idea why you're asking me bro'," he said with a low chuckle. "This all seems pretty messed up."
"You're not far from the truth Pace," Doug said, feeling the edges of his eyes tingle. He took a deep breath, "I tried so hard to keep Jack in my life and it all seems so pointless now. I don't know if he's going to stay or leave or—"
"He wont leave."
"Joey?"
"Yeah, you kinda lost Pace... you were on speaker phone."
"Oh," Doug said, a little relieved that he was getting some advise from a much better source. "What do you mean, 'he wont leave'?"
"Well for a start, we're talking about Jack, who, granted, isn't the most level headed person at the best of times, but he's not a deserter. Not anymore. Not now he has Amy and not now he loves you."
"You met Gareth? On the street?" Tobey yelled, unintentionally, but trying to work this all out in his head. "He was lost?"
Jack sighed, "That's what I said."
Tobey stood in front of Jack with his mouth gaping. Jack had called him and said to meet at the Ice House.
"Come on Tobes," Jack said. "We were bound to run into each other eventually. I think he really wants to fix things between the two of you."
"Oh, you do, do you?" Tobey said, dramatically throwing his hands on his hips.
"Just sit down—"
"What did he say?"
"Tobey," Jack warned. Tobey resigned and sat opposite Jack in the booth.
"Well?"
"Don't get short tempered with me," Jack said. "It was a by-chance meeting. We're not collaborating behind your back."
Tobey took a deep breath and slumped into the chair. "So…did he say anything?"
"He just thanked me for 'looking after you'," Jack said, making quotation marks in the air.
Tobey smiled. "Don't belittle what you've done for me Jack. Both you and Doug have gone above and beyond the call of friendship," he looked down and toyed with the saltshaker. "And I know that you and Doug have had a few differences where I'm concerned…"
Jack looked up, his blue eyes flashing.
"…And I'm aware of it and feel terrible to think of how happy you were before I came back here, but seriously Jack, before I came to Capeside I had no idea you resided here, least of all did I know you were involved with Pacey's brother and town Sheriff."
"Tobey—"
"And I just wanted you to know how sorry I am for what's happened."
"Don't be sorry. My problems with Doug were ever present before you came back. I think its all been bubbling and this has just given us a chance to pick at each other. It's not irreparable. And Doug and I aren't the point. You need to sort this out with Gareth, its nearly Christmas for god's sake."