(Three Weeks Later)

Annie woke feeling the effects of the night before. She couldn't have felt worse if she had been hit by an 18-wheeler. Damn, she could barely think straight and it took all the strength she could muster (which wasn't much) just to climb out of bed. And she wondered why she even bothered, and more importantly, why she hadn't gotten used to mornings like these, even if she couldn't remember what in the hell had happened the night before.

For the past three weeks it had been the same routine, but the magic was gone. The show meant nothing to her anymore. Those first few performances after her argument with Jimmy that caused him to leave her pained her to the core and she had barely gotten through the second Act before she burst into tears. But since it happened at almost every performance, she'd learned to hide it well, slowly making her way to the back of the stage as the cast bowed to the thunderous applause.

Cats was once again the hit of Broadway, and he should be happy, but she was miserable. However, being at work was nothing compared to being at home alone. That was the worst. She barely spoke to anyone, not even Caroline, choosing instead to dodge email and voice mail messages. With any luck Caroline would assume that things were great with Jimmy and that they had been spending a lot of time together. And she knew that Caroline would be happy for her. If only that were the case.

Besides, if the glimpses of Caroline and Richard that she'd caught in the hallway were any indication, Caroline wasn't all that interested in Annie's love life anyway. Caroline, it seemed had found a new love of her own. As obnoxious as the guy was, Annie couldn't help smiling at the stolen kisses Caroline and Richard shared when they thought no one was around. But the moment Annie returned to her apartment, she was sobbing into her pillow.

She missed Jimmy so much that it physically hurt. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd sent him emails and called his office only to have her attempts ignored. And despite the countless messages she left for him, she never heard a word. It was becoming harder and harder to have a normal life. Or any life for that matter. She wanted so badly to talk to Caroline but she couldn't bring herself to admit that she'd screwed things up, badly. She was mere minutes from booking a one-way trip to… well, she didn't care where she ended up as long as it was far away from civilization. But she remained where she was.

Needing to do something, anything, she went to check her mail. But even on the way to the mail box she couldn't help but think about what had happened. How had she managed to screw up her life so badly? Why hadn't she just told Jimmy how she felt about him? That she was in love with him? Instead she yelled at him; horrible, awful things that she would never yell at another soul-not even Del, Richard or Charlie-and she certainly didn't love any of those creeps. Well, it was too late to do anything about it anyway. Jimmy was gone and-

The envelope in her hand stilled and she stared at the address in shock. She knew the address well. But it was the name of the sender that made her feel as though she might faint. It was from the IRS.

Jimmy…

With record speed she tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter, imagining what it might say. Dare she hope that he'd poured his heart out to her in the most romantic (and unusual) love letter ever written? The idea made her heart flutter and she quickly unfolded the letter, which, to her dismay was not a love letter at all. It was surprisingly formal, which was never a good sign.

Dear Ms. Spadaro:
It has come to our attention that you have failed to comply with a recent audit, demanding that you pay the amount below immediately and in full or risk severe legal consequences. Below you will find a breakdown of your owing, along with the grand total. For your convenience an envelope has been provided for your payment. The postage however is your responsibility. We look forward to resolving this matter soon.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Callaghan.

Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of his handwritten signature above his printed name, a testament to how pathetic her life had become. But the sentiment was short-lived when she glanced at the total amount due;

$420,000

No… it wasn't possible… this had be a joke. For the total was more money than she had seen or would ever see in her lifetime… at least all at once. And then she noticed the date… Due immediately. She couldn't possibly pay this bill. It would completely wipe her out, emotionally and financially. She wouldn't be able to pay her rent or her car payments, utilities, or even eat for that matter. She needed someone to talk to, badly.

Her eyes blurred by tears she staggered over to Caroline's apartment, praying that he friend was home. But she was too weak to even knock on the door. Instead she slumped against the door, sobbing into her hands. She cried so long that she'd forgotten where she was until the door opened suddenly and she fell onto her friend.

"Whoa! Annie, what in the hell are you doing out here?"
But the question only made Annie burst into tears once more, sobbing into her friend's thick terry cloth robe.

Caroline looked at Annie helplessly and guided her into the apartment, shooing her cat Salty out of the way. They sat on the sofa and she managed to get up long enough to make Annie a cup of tea. "Here you go."

Annie took the cup with trembling hands. "Thanks."

"What's going on?"

Annie looked up tearfully. "God, Caroline if you only knew what a loaded question that is! Everything is wrong!"

"Does this have anything to do with that guy, Johnny?"

"Jimmy and it has everything to do with him, Caroline! He hates me!"

"Oh come on, that's ridiculous. He doesn't-."

"He won't return my calls or reply to my emails and I just got this letter in the mail!" She handed Caroline the letter, crying harder as she watched her friend pull out the piece of paper. And as expected, Caroline's eyes widened. "$420,000? Are you kidding me?"

"And they want it in full! I can't possibly come up with that kind of money, Caroline! I'm going to have to move to another state! Like Wisconsin!"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Trust me; you do not want to move to Wisconsin!"

"What am I going to do?"

"You need to talk to him as soon as possible!"

"Are you crazy? I can't! What would I say? I've ruined everything!"

"If you love him like you say you do, and believe me, I think you do… otherwise you wouldn't be here sobbing to me at this time of night…Look, just talk to him, okay?"

"I don't know what I would say!"

"You'll think of something, trust me. Things will work out. If you and Jimmy are meant to be, it will happen."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

Annie smiled through her tears and hugged Caroline tightly. "Thanks Caroline."

"No problem. "Now go home and get some sleep so that you'll be ready to face him tomorrow."

Annie smiled as she returned to her apartment. Tomorrow was the beginning of the rest of her life.