This is a fluffy, sappy, bit of fanfic. Tee-hee. It's a Gary\Marissa romance. I started working on this story when I was about 10-years old, before I even knew what fanfic was. I found it a little while ago when I was cleaning my room, (don't even ask what else I found!) and decided to finish it up.

Spoilers: None.

Disclaimers: I don't own anything at all! And nobody should sue me anyway, because all they'd get is a curly fry, and a couple of pennies. (The contents of my piggy bank) All characters are sole property of CBS and Sony TriStar.

Enjoy. :) Hopefully.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Magic In the Sky
by Ally McKnight

Gary Hobson trudged homeward, his last save complete, and his watch reading just after midnight. He figured he'd take a quick shower once he got home, and then hit the sack. He was bushed. Stifling a yawn, he continued his walk through the park, thinking about his life. Not that he had one. Just the same old routine. Get up, save lives, go to bed, do it again the next day. Of course, the type of work he did always varied, (you never knew what kind of idiotic stunts somebody was going to pull,) but it all seemed to same to him.

Hearing a small sigh from the direction of a park bench, Gary turned his head slightly. His eyes widened. Marissa. She sat on the bench, her guide dog, Reily, sitting at her feet.

Marissa instantly sat up straight, and her face perked up as she heard Gary approach.

"Gary...hi."

"What are you doing here?" Gary asked, sitting down next to her, so close she could smell his cologne. Marissa smiled. He smelled nice.

"I could ask you the same thing," was Marissa's reply.

"Just finished a save. Done for the night. A hysterical mother thought her child was kidnapped. In reality, he was asleep in his tree house." Gary paused, and jammed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "It's past midnight, you know?"

"I know," Marissa said, nodding. "maybe I just came to look at the stars," she added, a twinkle in her chocolate brown eyes.

Gary chuckled.

"Shhh, do you hear that?" Marissa asked, softly.

"Hear what?" Gary asked, straining his ears, but still unable to hear anything but the El train rumble by.

"It sounds like...it sounds like...it sounds like a rusty wheel." A look if mock surprise crossed Marissa's face. "Why Gary Hobson, are you smiling?"

"Guilty," Gary confessed, laughing. It had been a long time since he had last laughed.

"Long day, huh?" Marissa asked.

"You bet." Gary stared up at the sky. The stars shone brightly. He sighed. "The stars really do look beautiful." He gave Marissa's hand a friendly squeeze. "I wish you could see them."

Marissa looked thoughtful. "I think it's better that I don't. That makes the magic of them twice as strong."

"Yeah, I guess it does," Gary agreed, a dreamy look in his eyes. "You know when I was a little kid, my dad would take me camping. He'd bought this beautiful telescope and we'd look at the stars together. Dad never made me learn all the names of the stars though. He said knowing would ruin the magic of naming them yourself. He used to say that every child deserved a star." Gary glanced up. "The Gary Hobson Star is out there somewhere."

Marissa smiled. "I guess that means mine is somewhere up there too. Hmmm, I never knew your father to be a philosopher like that."
 
Gary chuckled. "Well I don't know about that. Dad had the same theory for beautiful women too. Good from afar, but once you learn their names and every other little detail about them, run the other way." Gary shook his head.

Marissa laughed. "You father is quite a character isn't he? You must have had an interesting childhood."

"Yeah," Gary agreed. "Interesting, waiting to see how long it would take my mom to go nuts putting up with some of the stunts my father pulled. It was like having an immature older brother. He's a good guy though. He never hesitated to give me a hug or a kiss, or to tell me he loved me, like some fathers did. Come to think of it, both of my parents were very affectionate."

"My mom was like that," Marissa said quietly.

"You talk a lot about your mother," Gary commented, "but I've never heard you say anything about your father."

"He died when I was 12. Lung cancer."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You know I hate sorry."

"Sorry...I mean, ummmm..."

"Don't worry, Gary. I know what you mean." A genuine smile crossed over Marissa's face. "He was a nice man. Loved to sing. My mom says that's where I get my talent from. He used to tell me I sing like an angel. Before he died, he made me promise not to cry for him."

There was a long stretch of silence before Gary spoke.

"Did you?" He asked. "Cry for him?"

"What could I do? I was a 12-year old, blind girl who had just lost her papa. Of course I cried. I apologized to him. I wonder if he ever forgave me."

"Of course he did," Gary insisted. "How could a man stay mad at a beautiful, intelligent, funny, woman like you.

Marissa grinned and blushed. "I can think of plenty of ways." She shivered.

"Are you cold? Do you want to wear my jacket?"

"That's all right. I'm not cold. Just thinking about things."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Gary scanned Marissa's face, and noticed a single tear trailing down her cheek. With a gentle thumb, he swept it away.

"You're a good man, Gary Hobson," Marissa whispered, smiling gratefully.

"Not without you, I'm not," Gary replied softly.

"I really have to be going," Marissa said, abruptly, picking up her purse.

"Marissa, wait."

"Yes, Gary?"

"I-I've been thinking, well, I've been thinking about it, I've been thinking about it, and wondering why, well, wondering why, we never get to talk anymore. This must be, um, it must be the first time we've had a full, had a full conversation in weeks." Gary scratched the back of his neck nervously, and  looked at Marissa who sighed.

"I guess we've just been busy with everything. You've got the paper, and I've got to run some bum's bar for him, because he's too lazy to do it himself," she teased gently.

"Oh, yeah? Well that bum who owns the bar better be smart, and never let you go." Gary's voice dropped. "I bet you mean more to him than you'll ever know."

"Likewise," Marissa said, in almost a whisper.

Slowly, hesitantly, Gary leaned his head in towards Marissa's. To his great surprise, she sensed his movement, and met him halfway in a tender kiss. Each felt comfortable in their warm embrace, and they both enjoyed every second of it.

Marissa pulled away suddenly, ending their moment of passion.

"What's wrong?" Gary asked, running his hand down her arm in a gentle caress.

"I love you, Gary, but I don't know if I can do this," Marissa explained, tears brimming in her eyes. "How do I know what when you wake up tomorrow, you'll feel the same way that you do now? Or how about in two weeks? In two months? In two years?"

"Marissa...you have to trust me," Gary said softly, squeezing her hand. "I would never, ever, do anything to hurt you." He paused. "As long as there are stars in the sky, I will feel the same way that I feel tonight. And that's madly in love with the girl of my dreams."

Marissa hesitated, then smiled a bit. "How will I know if there are stars in the sky tomorrow, if I can't even see them tonight?" She asked, knowing what Gary's reply would be.

"You can feel their magic," Gary replied.

Marissa's smile widened, and the couple kissed again, under the beautiful Chicago sky.

And the stars shone a little brighter, that night, as they watched over the young couple, symbolizing the pact of love the two had made for each other that night.

        THE END!!!

Email the author: coventrys@yahoo.com
 

Back Home to McGinty's

Stories by Title

Stories by Author