Alone
Disclaimer: I don't own them because lets face it, I wouldn't have killed Speed off, I would have just written him out.
AN: This story came about due to a challenge posted on the yahoo Speed/Calleigh shippers group. I got the idea at around 3:30 this morning and it just wouldn't go away, so I got up and started typing it out (probably doesn't help that I couldn't sleep due to being majorly congested). Lost Son originally aired September 20th, 2004.
A very special thanks to my bestest friend Missy who also betad this for me. Love ya babe!!!!
Pairing: C/S
Challenge: "She sat alone in the bar wondering why he left her"
Spoilers: Everything up to Lost Son is fair game.
Isn't anyone tryin to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Wont you take me by the hand
take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
but I... I'm with you
I'm With You, Avril Lavigne
It was a rainy January day. The bar hadn't been frequented by many people that day but Russ, the owner and bartender, was fine with that. He began cleaning up around the bar when the door opened and she walked in. He looked down at his watch and saw that is said 5:30pm.
She was right on time.
Russ watched as the woman walked to the bar and sat at her regular spot, far left hand corner, second to last seat.
He began preparing her drink. She always asked for a Southern Screw first. She would then movie on to a Sex on the Beach then a Screwdriver. Depending on her mood she would then proceed to the hard liquors straight up.
He placed the drink in front of her; she nodded to him acknowledging his presence. He nodded back.
Russ went back to tending the bar, thinking of his blonde haired customer.
She began coming to the bar in early October. She wasn't a regular then though. Now she came in every Monday at 5:30.
At first she didn't say much, she ordered her drinks and kept to herself.
Then October 20th rolled around.
He remembered that day clearly.
She had come in again at 5:30. He could tell from her face it had been a long day. After her three drinks she opened up, telling him that a month prior her friend and colleague had been killed in a shooting.
Russ understood immediately.
She was trying to drink the pain away.
She was the type of customer that kept him in business. But Russ couldn't help but feel for this woman.
She was obviously beautiful, but he could tell that she was a caring person on the inside. He also could tell that the death of her friend was eating her up inside and she had no one to turn to, so she turned to the bottle.
Russ was snapped out of his thoughts when she called over to him asking for a re-fill. He nodded and proceeded to get her another drink. After he finished making it, he set it down in front of her.
"Anything else I can get you?" he asked
"No" she replied
Russ nodded and went back to work. As he cleaned he couldn't help but think about her.
November 20th, 2004
She walked in slowly to the bar. Her face showing stress from a long days work, but it was marred with extreme pain.
She sat down in her "regular" spot and ordered her "regular" drink.
When Russ handed her the drink, she stared at it. She looked up at him, tears brimming her beautiful blue eyes.
"What happened today Calleigh?" he asked her.
She didn't answer right away; instead she picked up her drink and downed it.
"I lost it." She said.
Not understanding what she meant, Russ replied "Lost what?"
"It."
"What is "it"?"
"Our baby, I lost our baby. Can I get a shot of Vodka?" she asked
Russ nodded. He had seen this before. From men and women alike. When they had lost something that they couldn't explain, they came to him.
He put the shot down in front of her and she slammed it down her throat.
"I'm sorry Calleigh" Russ stated
"Thanks, but it doesn't make it better. He's gone and now our baby is gone. I have nothing left of him. I'm sitting at this bar wondering why he left me and I can't answer the question. It just hurts too much"
After that moment Calleigh became a weekly regular to his bar.
Russ didn't know where she worked or whom she worked with otherwise he probably would have made them aware of her problem.
The alcohol had become her crutch, he could tell.
She obviously did a wonderful job hiding it to her coworkers, friends and family.
The bar door opened and an African-American woman walked in. Russ said 'hello' and told her to take a seat and he would be right with her. The woman glanced around the bar and headed straight to Calleigh.
Russ watched as the woman sat down next to Calleigh, who refused to acknowledge her presence.
Russ began to approach the women but stopped when he heard the other woman say to Calleigh, "come on sugar, let's get out of here."
A friend had finally noticed that Calleigh was falling.
The woman put her arms around Calleigh, who fell into them, letting her tears fall. All the anger and sadness that had been suppressed for the last four months was finally coming out.
As Russ was cleaning around them he heard Calleigh say "Alexx I can't do this anymore".
The woman, Alexx, pulled a ten out of her wallet and laid it on the counter. She helped Calleigh up, supporting her weight. Alexx nodded to Russ who nodded back. He watched the two women walk out of the bar.
As the door closed behind them he knew that he would never see Calleigh in his bar again.
And that put a smile on his face.
Fin
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