When You're Gone

Mack noticed Rose slip out of the crowd of disappointed female guests and drop Ronny's bouquet of lilies. He saw her exit the ballroom very quietly, pausing to talk to no one. And he knew exactly where Rose was going to go. Should he follow her? He was expected to make a toast later and Will would flip if he just ditched the wedding reception.

But at the same time, Mack found he didn't really care what Will thought. Rose was more important at the moment. Besides, Dax or Tyzonn could say something if need be. He took a deep breath to steady himself and then followed Rose's path out of the hotel.

Just as Mack had suspected she would, Rose drove across San Angeles to the quaint suburb where the 'dream' house stood. Mack watched her park her car across the street and get out. Rose's brown eyes stared at the house as if it had all the answers she was looking for.

"I thought you might be here," he told her as he got out of his own car and stood beside her. She looked at him quizzically, one eyebrow raised. "Will told me he showed you the house. The den was going to be converted to an office for you. Or at least, I wanted it to be," Mack continued, his blue eyes staring up at the house as well. "Care for some company, Rose?"

"It's just as much your sidewalk as it is mine," answered Rose, turning her eyes from the house to Mack. "But really, Mack, what are you doing here?"

"I saw you leave the wedding reception. You looked really upset and confused. And I know things between us ended up badly-"

"Disastrous, you mean," commented Rose. "You don't have to water it down to spare my feelings, Mack. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."

Mack merely shrugged. "Anyway, I just thought I'd tell you that you can always talk to me if you want to. I still care about you, Rose. That's the part of our relationship I miss the most: our friendship. Before we were lovers we were friends, best friends. I miss that."

Rose laughed a hollow, bitter laugh. "Don't be so nice to me, Mack. I don't deserve it. You should hate me for what I did to you, did to both of us. All you wanted was for me to marry you and I turned you down. I broke both of our hearts."

Mack shook his head firmly. "I could never hate you, Rose. Never. I get it. You didn't want to marry me. I can't change that now. But I'd like to be your friend again. Neither of us has healed yet, Rose, and we need to. We need to get on with our lives. We can't just pretend anymore."

"It wasn't that I didn't want to marry you, Mack. It was that I couldn't. I just couldn't."

"Why?" His question was quiet but it had been asked, and now she had to answer.

And Rose looked into his eyes, traveling down to the depths of his very soul. She saw his pain quite clearly and as he stared back at her Rose was certain he could see hers as well. "Oh Mack," she breathed. "Don't you get it?" He was confused now. Rose pressed on. "I used to wake up next to you every morning and wonder how the hell I'd ever gotten so lucky as to be with you. I used to curl up next to you and wonder what you were doing with me rather than someone who was actually worthy of your time and affection and love. If I married you…"

"If you married me what? What, Rose? I'm trying to understand but I'm having a hard time with it," Mack said, a hint of frustration in his voice now. "Come on sweetheart, talk to me."

"You were sitting out on the fire escape holding me and telling me all those beautiful plans you had for the two of us: marriage and traveling and children. You wanted to buy us this house-" she waved a hand towards it, "And then, like I wasn't already scared you might suddenly change your mind and share all these plans with someone else, you start waving a ring under my nose! You terrified me, Mack. You terrified me. You're everything I've ever wanted and you wanted me in return. What's not to be scared of?"

"Then why didn't you tell me you were scared, Rose? We could have figured it out together rather than break up." Mack reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She shivered lightly at his soft touch.

"It doesn't matter now, Mack. It's too late for us now. There's been too many years lost to be able to fix it now." Rose sounded heartbroken and sad but mostly defeated, as if she had no hope for anything anymore. It broke Mack's heart to hear her like that.

"So that's it, huh? No hope for us? That's not the Rose I remember. She wouldn't have given up on us, much less herself. You really have changed, haven't you? I hate to say it, Rose, but maybe we are better off apart. I'll see you around." He didn't mean a word of his statements, but he was hoping Rose would say something to make everything right again.

"Where do you think we'd be right now, Mack? If we'd stayed together, if we'd gotten married…do you think we'd still be happy? Do you think we'd still be traveling the world like you wanted to? Do you think we'd have children?"

"I honestly don't know, Rose. I honestly don't know. We never will."

She moved then, walked right passed him and kept on going. He called her name but still she went forward. "Rose!" he yelled again. Finally Mack just ran to her, catching her easily. "Like I said, I want to be friends again. If that's all we can be than that's OK. I need you in my life, Rose. I need you."

"How touching," growled a new voice. "Too bad you're never gonna live to see another day. Now gimme your purse, lady." Rose saw Mack move in front of her as if to shield and protect her.

"You're gonna have to get through me first," Mack said in a low, dangerous-sounding voice to the would-be thief. "And I wouldn't bet on that happening any time soon. Get out of here, Rose," he added to the frozen Rose.

"The lady's just as stupid as you are if she ain't gonna try and run for it," snarled the thug. "Just gimme your purse, little Rosie, if you wanna keep you and your man's lives."

"Don't you dare talk to her," Mack seethed, and from his pocket he pulled something Rose hadn't seen since she was eighteen years old: an Overdrive Tracker. "Overdrive Accelerate!" yelled Mack, and in his place stood the red Overdrive ranger. Rose noticed the thug recoil.

"Oh God, Mack, be careful," Rose whispered. "Please be careful. Please."

"I'm not going to hurt him. I just need to scare him off." And with that he took out the Drive Lance, holding it at such an angle that he looked like he was about to attack any second.

"Hey Mr. Ranger sir, really, there's not reason to get physical, is there? I'm real sorry. Honest. I'll just be leaving now."

"Oh no you don't," Mack replied firmly. "Apologize to Rose." When the would-be robber didn't say anything, Mack took another step forward. "Apologize."

"I'm sorry, lady," he said hastily. "Call him off, would you?"

"Power down," Mack said in a satisfied tone. "Now get out of here."

From his coat the other man pulled out a small gleaming metal object. Rose's heartbeat doubled as she realized what it was. "No," she said in a terrified whisper. If he wanted her purse that badly he could have it. There was nothing valuable in it.

"Get out of here, Rose," Mack said quietly. "Go on. Get to safety. I can handle him." Rose could not move. She couldn't even find any words to say.

"Shoulda just given me the purse," sneered the robber, and then he squeezed the trigger and fled, pushing Rose to the ground as he passed her.