Hi all. It's me again with my second attempt at fanfic. When I first  started writing this I was having a blast, but I have to admit that as more ideas for other stories came to me, I got impatient to finish up. I hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Although the characters of Early Edition live on in my heart, they don't really belong to me. They belong to Sony, Tri-star, CBS ......ad nauseum. I'm not profiting (financially, at least) from this story or these characters. 'Nough said? Good, then here we go.
 

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Should've Stayed in Bed
by Shana

Gary smacked the alarm and rubbed his eyes, listening to the familiar sounds that had marked the beginning of his day for over three years now, a cat's meow and the thunk of a paper. As he struggled to untangle himself from the sheets, the cat gave another persistent meow.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin. Don't get your whiskers in a knot." he mumbled.

He stumbled to the door, stubbing his toe on the umbrella he had carelessly tossed aside late last night. Great, was this an omen for the kind of day he was going to have?  He hoped not.  Picking up the paper, he began to read the headlines.

Gary scanned the rest of the headlines, not seeing anything too serious.  He showered, dressed, and proceeded downstairs for his morning coffee with Marissa. As he entered the bar, he stopped and stared, dumbfounded at the sight before him.  Jellybeans!  There were jellybeans everywhere, in jars, in bowls, even in the beer mugs.  And there was Patrick in the middle of it all, perched on the top of a ladder hanging a strand of giant inflatable jellybeans.

Gary went back through the kitchen door and came out again, hoping his eyes had decieved him.  No such luck!  He found Marissa in the kitchen and without so much as a greeting began questioning her in that calm voice that belied his anger.

"Marissa, what is Patrick doing?"

"Good morning to you too", she responded, handing him a cup of coffee. "Patrick is decorating the bar for Jelly Bean Night", she said with a grim smile.

"I see, and whose idea was it to let Patrick have Jelly Bean Night?"

"Yours", she responded with barely concealed amusement.

"Mine!" "No, no, no, no, no, I never gave him permission for that", he gestured toward the bar as if she could see.

"Gary, you most certainly did.  I was there.  I tried to talk you out of it, but you were distracted, as usual. I know you're busy with the paper Gary, but you need to start listening---really listening."

As she spoke, Gary once again scanned the headlines.  He looked up again when the room became silent.

"Huh?"

"Gary!"

"I know, I know, I need to start listening."  Gary returned his focus to Marissa. He ran his hand over the back of his neck in frustration. "This is worse than that karaoke night.  The bar looks like, well, like it was decorated by Willy Wonka on acid."

Marissa smiled and sipped her coffee.  "Atleast it's only for one day. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal---well, as normal as can be expected from this place.  Besides, I didn't think karaoke night was so bad."  She sighed, thinking back to the evening she met Emmit, and how they'd danced the whole night.

Gary checked his watch. "I gotta get going."  He gulped his coffee and stalked out, head buried in the paper, mumbling about eels, flamingos, and jellybeans.  He didn't notice that Patrick had moved the ladder, that is, until he ran right into it.  Down came Patrick and the giant pinata he had been hanging.  It broke apart on the ladder, raining jellybeans on Gary's head.   He managed to break Patrick's fall, not doing his  back any favors in the process.

He left the bar without a word to Patrick, afraid of what he might say. As he came out to the sidewalk, he could be heard to say, "I should've stayed in bed".

cue opening credits
 

Email the author:  shana93@optonline.net
 

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