TITLE: Killer Instincts

AUTHOR: Greenlee duPres

DISCLAIMER: Just the regular legal stuff. Don't own MARCAL, wish I did, but alas. I'm just writing cuz I love it. I'm not making any money off of this. and all that other fun stuff:)

A/N:This is my first MARCAL fic. I love feedback. Feedback is my friend. Good or bad, I can try to take it LOL. This fic is just me expanding on an idea I had one night. Hope you enjoy it. ~Greens

"You know you don't have to leave Marcie." Jen Rappaport said as she helped Marcie Walsh set a few items up in her dorm room at Llanview University. "There's plenty of room."

"I can't impose on you and Joey anymore." Marcie said with a sniffle. "You've already been too good to me. I'll be OK." Marcie knew it was a lie. How could she possibly be OK? She didn't think she would ever be OK again.

"You call me." Jen said. "You call me if you need anything, OK? Whatever time it is." Marcie nodded simply. "And try to get some sleep, will you." Jen took her hands momentarily, giving Marcie a reassuring glance.

Marcie just wanted to be alone, letting out a deep sigh as Jen left the room. She walked over to the door, shutting it tightly and turning, resting her back against the wood frame. Maybe moving back into the dorm wasn't such a good idea.

There weren't many boxes for her to empty, only one or two. For now she just wanted to forget about it. She dug her hand into one of the boxes to grab for a pair of pajamas, coming up only with an unframed photo.

Marcie sat down on the edge of her bed. "Al," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, Al." She brought the photo into her chest. "Why'd you have to be so... you?"

"Don't do this. All this beating yourself up. You couldn't have stopped it."

"Why?" Marcie said. "Why were we given everything to have it taken away?

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"No," Marcie cried. "I can't hold you. I can't touch you."

"But I'm here... with you. I'm not going anywhere, Marcie. Ever."

Those words sent the world to a halt All clocks, all movement, everything. "Come on now, sugar." Luna stood behind Al. "You know you can't go making promises like that."

"Why not?" Al said. "I mean... come on, Luna. I'm not just going to leave her. Not like this. Not now, not ever."

"You can't just keep wandering around."

"Who's wandering? I'm not wandering. I know exactly what I want."

"Of course you do, sugar. It's something you can't have."

"Who made that rule?" Al folded his arms across his chest. "That's a pretty stupid rule!"

"I don't make em baby. Just enforce em." Luna could see the disgust in Al's eyes. "Listen sugar. You're still here, right?"

"Here?" Al said. "How do you figure?"

"Not many people get the chance that you got."

"What chance?" Al said. "Marcie is sitting... she is sitting right there and I can't touch her. I can't... hold her."

"It's frustrating, I know."

"Oh no you don't. You say you do, but you really don't. I can't handle this."

"Then maybe you're ready to throw in the towel. You're ready to let go of life here."

"You're not helping, Luna." Al paced. "I'm not going anywhere, unless it's back home."

"Back home?" Luna said.

"You know what I mean. Back to my life. Back to my Mom, to Marcie. I can't watch them go on like this, Luna."

"I know you care about them, sugar."

"I just don't want them to be so hurt because of me." Al paused, watching Marcie. How badly he just wanted to reach out and touch her. To show her that he was there, he always would be. "Luna, why?" he said. "Why did I get to stay here when I can't do anything. I'm not helping her."

"You have to help her... give up the ghost, in a manner of speaking. You gotta get her to let go, darling."

"I can't. I can't do that Luna because I'm... I can't let her go."

"Just say it darling."

"I love her, Luna. I would have never made it passed the spring if it hadn't been for Marcie. She saved me from myself. I have to go back to her."

"Well..." Luna said. "There may be one way around this."

"A way around what? Around me being dead?"

"No, you're still gone, sugar."

"Then... I don't get it. Maybe you can tell me in a language I understand."

"It's a little hard to explain, darling." Luna said. "Maybe it'd be easier if I just show you."