These characters don't belong to me. I'm purely using them for my amusement and hopefully yours. I am making no money off of this story. I have to thank Pammie for reading some of this and pointing me in the right direction or just letting me tell her ideas. Also, I'd like to thank Mary for her help with some of the technical stuff that I'm still getting used to. Thanks to you both. Now, here's "What You See Isn't What You Get":

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What You See Isn't What You Get
by Courtney Felix

Gary glanced at his watch and then the newspaper again. He was sure he was on the right corner. He looked around for a girl on a blue bike. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her pedaling toward him. She started to slow down a little bit. When she came to a stop, he began to talk to her.

"No helmet, today?" he asked.

She looked at him strangely. "I never wear a helmet. Only geeks wear helmets."

Gary grinned. "Ashley, right?"

She nodded. "How'd you know my name?"

Gary smiled and leaned down to whisper to her, "Top secret."

Ashley smiled. "Really?" Gary nodded. Just then, a car ran the light. Tires squealed in every direction. Ashley looked at the intersection. "Whoa," she whispered. "Cool." By then, Gary was already halfway down the block.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary sat in the office at McGinty's waiting for Chuck. He was supposed to be there to help him with the new inventory sheets. Gary strummed his fingers on the desk as he waited.

"Hey, Gar," Chuck said, entering the office.

"Where have you been?" Gary asked him.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were supposed to be here a half an hour ago to start inventory."

"Was that today?" Chuck asked. "Sorry, buddy."

Gary sighed, "That's okay. I have to go now anyway," he said, glancing at his watch.

"What is it today?"

"Something at the airport. I'll be back later." He took his black leather jacket up off of the chair and put it on as he walked out of the office.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Later that day, Gary found himself at the airport. He made his way through the crowded terminals. He stood by Baggage Claim B, waiting for a woman who would get her sleeve caught. He stood there for what seemed like forever. He looked at his watch and checked the paper again. The story was gone.

"What?" he whispered. He turned the pages to see if it had moved. He didn't see it anywhere. He shrugged. "If you say so." He began to walk away when someone ran into him. He turned around to see who it was. His eyes became wide to find it was Brianna Metcalf.

She looked at him disgustedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized. Then, he smiled. "What?"

"Did the theatre send you?"

Gary wasn't sure what she was talking about. "I'm sorry?"

"Well, here," she said, handing him a bag that had been on her shoulder. "I have two more coming, so don't go anywhere. I have to get a cup of coffee. That junk on the plane was awful."

Gary took the bag. "I don't think you understand," he stammered. "I'm not from--"

"Around here?" Brianna asked. "That's fine. My car will be out front. The driver will take you wherever you want to go. Just ask, sweetie," she said, patting his cheek.

Gary stood with his mouth open. What had just happened? He hurried to catch up with Miss Metcalf. "I really don't think you understand," he said, jogging up beside her. "I'm not--"

"Didn't you find my other bags?" she asked. She looked at him. "Obviously not." She sighed. "Come on, I'll get them myself."

Gary shifted the bag that was on his shoulder and followed after her, again. He decided to go along with her.

He stood next to her at the baggage claim as she pointed out her bags. "That one's mine," she told him, pointing.

Gary leaned over and pulled the bag up beside him. It must have weighed thirty pounds. "What have you got in here?" he asked.

"I really don't think that's any of your business. There's the other one. I'm going to go get my coffee now. I'll meet you back at the car--" she paused. "What's your name again?"

Gary pulled her other suitcase off the conveyor belt. "Gary Hobson."

She nodded and went to get her coffee.

Gary strained to carry both of her bags across the airport. "I just hope there's not a dead body in here," he thought.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary set Miss Metcalf's bags down with a groan. Her hotel room was 15 floors up and all the way down the hall. She'd insisted that she didn't trust the bellboys. She looked around her room, nodding, giving it her approval. She then turned to Gary and smiled.

"Oh, thank goodness you were there today. I really should call the theatre and rave about you," she smiled. "You might get something out of that, hmm? A raise or something."

Gary sighed. "I tried to tell you, I don't work for the theatre."

She waved him off, "Whatever. Put my bags over there by the dresser. I'll unpack them later. You'll be back here tomorrow for me, won't you?" Gary couldn't believe it. She wasn't listening to one word that he said. He just shook his head and moved her bags like she'd asked. "Thank you, dear. You're such a help."

"No problem," Gary sighed. He looked at his watch. It was almost ten. "Goodbye, Miss Metcalf. I have to be going now."

"You're leaving already?"

"Yeah, I have to get back home," Gary began, pointing out the door.

"I thought you said that you didn't live in town," Brianna said.

"No, you said that," Gary replied.

"I'm such a scatterbrain! I don't know my right from left these days. Everything has just happened so fast," she looked to Gary. "You probably don't know what I'm talking about."

"Sure I do," he said. "Everyone feels like that at some point."

Brianna smiled. "You are a doll. Well, I'll let you leave. Thank you for your help today."

"My pleasure."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary closed the door to his apartment quietly behind him. He turned around and came face to face with Chuck. Gary gasped. "Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack."

"Me?" Chuck asked. "Where were you? I was worried."

Gary rolled his eyes. "Aw, come on, Chuck."

"Well, I was starting to get worried. Where were you, really?"

"I had some things to take care of."

"Real things or paper things?" Chuck asked.

"What's the difference?"

"Ouch," Chuck said, plopping himself on the couch. "So, come on, tell me. What happened today?" Gary sighed, put the paper down and sat in his chair, rubbing his eyes. The paper fell open to a picture of Brianna Metcalf. Chuck whistled. "If only she could have been one of your 'things' today."

Gary opened his eyes. "She was."

Chuck's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me?" Gary shook his head. "Then what are you still doing here?"

Gary looked at his friend, confused.

Chuck held up the paper. "Look at her, Gar. She's absolutely gorgeous."

"She's an actress, Chuck," Gary said. He paused for a second, "But she is pretty."

"Pretty," Chuck interrupted, "is an understatement." He stared at the picture. "Those blue eyes, blonde hair, great body--"

Gary grabbed the paper. "Don't drool too much, huh? I may still need this."

"Touchy, touchy," Chuck complained. "What's the matter with you anyway?"

"Nothing's the matter with me," Gary insisted, folding the paper.

Chuck's eyes got big and he smiled. "You've got a thing for her don't you?"

Gary got up out of his chair and headed for the kitchen. "You're crazy."

Chuck jumped up and followed him. "Ooh, come on. I want details."

Gary looked Chuck in the eye for a moment and then looked out the window, "There's nothing to tell," he insisted.

"Just tell me what she's like," Chuck pressed.

"Truthfully," Gary began, "she was pushy, rude, and scattered."

Chuck grinned evilly. "Buddy, you've got it bad."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At 6:30 the next morning, Gary's alarm went off. He groaned and rubbed the  sleep out of his eyes. He threw the blankets off of his tired body and started to go to the door. As he slipped on his robe, the cat came trotting by him. "How did you--?"

"I let him in," came a voice from the kitchen.

Gary rushed to the kitchen to see Brianna treating herself to a cup of coffee. "How did you get in here?" he asked.

"Your partner let me in."

"Chuck," Gary said under his breath, "I'm gonna kill you."

"I made coffee for the both of us, if you'd like some."

Gary shook his head in confusion. "Thanks," he said. He took a mug from the sink and rinsed it out a few times before filling it with coffee. He sat down with her at the table. "How'd you find me?" he asked.

She looked at him over her paper. "I have my ways," she said mysteriously.

Gary looked at her as if she was crazy. He took a sip of coffee as she went back to her paper. The paper! Gary snatched it from her quickly.

"Hey!" she cried. He jumped up and took it in the other room. She followed him. "I wasn't done with that," she told him, trying to snatch it back.

He kept it out of her reach. "Where'd you get this?"

"Down the block," she answered. She grabbed it from him. "I'll go buy you one if you want to read it that badly."

"When you let my cat in, was there a paper outside my door?"

Brianna flipped back to the story she had been reading. "Yeah, but there was something wrong with it. Your partner said that he would take care of it."

Gary's eyes widened. "Excuse me," he said, as he rushed out the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * *

Gary took the steps two at a time as he ran down to McGinty's. He burst through the door to find Chuck sitting at the counter with Marissa. "Where is it?" he puffed.

"Hey, buddy. Nice jammies," Chuck quipped.

Gary advanced on Chuck. "Give it to me," he hissed.

Chuck recoiled. "All right, all right. I didn't do anything with it," he insisted. "Man, you're edgy today." He went behind the counter and pulled the paper out and handed it to Gary.

Gary scanned the first page. He flipped open to the second. "I'll talk with you later," he said, reading as he headed back to his apartment.

Chuck and Marissa watched as Gary passed through the kitchen doors. Marissa raised her eyebrows. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Got me," Chuck answered. "Must be his new girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Marissa asked. She rested her chin in her hand. "What's she like?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary opened the door to his apartment, completely enraptured by a story in the paper. He turned the page and began to sit down in his chair. Brianna was already there. He jumped. "Sorry," he mumbled and sat down on the couch. He poured himself back into the story. When he finally finished, he felt hereyes on him. He looked slowly up from the paper.

"Have you done any acting?" she asked him.

"No," he said slowly.

"I think you'd be perfect as Richard."

"Richard?" Gary asked.

Brianna got up and looked him over. "You'd be absolutely wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, no," Gary said. "Absolutely not."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Gary came back from running his errands that night, Chuck was waiting for him in the office. Gary took off his coat and sat down at his desk.

"So, are you going to thank me, or what?" Chuck asked.

"Thank you? For what?"

"For her," Chuck answered. "I can't believe she came to see you, man. Just to answer the door for her was like," he paused, "an honor."

Gary eyed Chuck strangely. "You've flipped."

"No, you have."

Gary shook his head. "I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow."

"'Night, Gar," Chuck called, smiling evilly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary flipped the light on in his apartment. The cat greeted him at the door. "Hey, bud," Gary said, bending down to pick up the cat. "You hungry?" The cat purred as Gary scratched behind its ears. He set the cat back down on the floor when he opened the cabinet and pulled out canned cat food. He pulled the top off and put the can on the floor along with a small bowl of milk. The cat ate gratefully while Gary went to change his clothes.

After he'd changed, Gary went back to the kitchen and cleaned up after the cat. There was a light knock on the door. "Go away, Chuck!" Gary called.

"Gary?" a female voice called back.

Gary put the dish in the sink and threw the can away before he answered the door. He pulled the door open to reveal Brianna. "Hi," he said, softly.

She stood in the doorway. She looked shier than she had been that morning. "Can I ask you a favor?"

Gary shrugged. "Sure," he said. "Come on in." He led her into the apartment and took her coat. He offered her a seat on the couch. "What can I do for you?" She watched her mannerisms. She almost seemed to be a completely different person.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for being such a pain yesterday and this morning. I'm not usually like that."

Gary smiled, "Okay."

She continued. "And I was wondering if you would run through a few scenes with me. I wasn't kidding this morning when I said that you would be perfect for Richard. I really do believe that."

Gary let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, sure. Just tell me what to do."

Brianna smiled. She stood him up and positioned him by the window. "Okay, now in this scene, I come home and you're waiting for me."

"I'm waiting for you?" Gary asked.

"Well, yeah, you're my husband."

"Oh," Gary said nodding.

He stood in his spot, reading over a few of the lines. Brianna stood outside the door. Gary read the first line as she walked through the door. "Jessi, where have you been?" he said, reading the lines with as much emotion as he could.

"I went for a walk. It was no big deal."

"No big deal? Did you walk to Ohio?" Gary chuckled.

"I don't see why you should care," Brianna continued, her back turned to him. "It's not like it matters anymore."

"What are you talking about? Of course it matters," he said, trying to catch a glimpse of her face. He moved from his spot at the window and touched her shoulder. He glanced at the script, "You've always mattered to me."

Brianna turned around. "Do you really mean that, Richard?" she asked.

"Course I do," Gary answered. Brianna stood there for a second, not saying anything. "Is it my line?" Gary asked, breaking character. He searched the page quickly for their spot. He read the words and gulped. "And then--" Gary began, nervously. She pressed her finger to his lips, stopping him from speaking. She touched his cheek, lightly. It sent a shiver down Gary's spine. She leaned in close to him, eyes closed. He closed his own and met her kiss.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds before they both pulled away, catching their breath. They looked each other in the eye, an awkward silence filling the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary woke with a start. He looked at his clock, 5:32. He let out a long sigh. What was with that dream? He laid back down and relaxed, staring at the ceiling. He was going to kill Chuck for putting thoughts in his head.

An hour later, he still hadn't fallen back asleep. He couldn't stop thinking about the dream, but more importantly, he couldn't stop thinking about Brianna.

Meow. Thud.

Gary groaned, but threw the covers off of him and went to the door.

The cat trotted past Gary and settled himself on Gary's chair. Gary skimmed the first page and went on to the second. There wasn't anything requiring his attention until that afternoon. He folded the paper and left it on the coffee table while he got in the shower. He came out a while later, his towel draped around his shoulders while he zipped his jeans and buttoned his shirt. The
top button popped off. He groaned and threw it to the floor, abandoning thebutton to dry his short brown hair. The cat meowed loudly at him.

"What?" he asked.

The cat meowed again.

Gary dropped the towel on the floor and went to see what the fuss was about. The cat pushed the paper off of the table onto the floor. Gary took the paper up and looked at the page that was lying open. He grumbled under his breath, and grabbed his jacket from the couch, putting the paper in the inside pocket.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary zipped around the corner just in time to see the pot falling off the windowsill. He yelled for the people to get out of his way, but no one listened. He ran full speed just in time to knock a little girl out of the way. They both landed on the sidewalk with a thud. A split second later, the pot also hit the sidewalk and shattered into thousands of pieces. He covered the child's head to make sure that none hit her.

He took his arm away from her and stood up, looking up at the window to see a cat walking along the sill. A small crowd was gathering near them. He helped the girl to her feet and made sure that she was okay. When he was certain, he began to walk away. As he walked, he thought he could hear a faint voice calling his name. He turned around, but didn't see anyone. He shook his head and kept walking, checking the paper for his next assignment.

"Gary!" the voice screamed.

The intensity of it startled him and he did an about face right in the middle of the sidewalk. People pushed past him muttering as they did. He searched the crowd for a familiar face. He still didn't see anyone. Finally, as he was getting ready to turn around, he saw an arm wave frantically from across the street. He still couldn't see the face, but he waited.

He finally got a glimpse of his follower. His face lightened and also dimmed when he saw that it was Brianna Metcalf. "Hey," he said, beginning to walk with her.

She grabbed a hold of his arm and stopped him. "That was amazing!" she cried. "I saw you from across the street. You came out of nowhere! How did you do that?"

Gary became uncomfortable and began to walk again. "I guess I was just in the right place at the right time," he said, meagerly.

"You can't tell me that!" she cried. "You came shooting around that corner like a bat out of you-know-where."

Gary had to laugh.

"What?" she asked him, seriously. She grabbed his arm, stopping him again.

"You-know-where?" he said, still chuckling. "I believe the word you're looking for is," he paused and looked around. "Hell," he whispered into her ear.

She rolled her eyes. "If you must," she said. She smiled and it seemed to light up her whole face.

Gary noticed and felt the sudden urge to kiss her. He fought it back with all that he had in him. He wanted to spend more time with her. He thought quickly. "Go to dinner with me, tonight," he blurted out.

She looked surprised. "You don't want to be rid of me?"

Gary looked embarrassed. "If you have something else--" his voice trailed off.

"No," she said. "No, I'd love to."

Gary smiled. "Great, I'll pick you up at your hotel about eight?"

Brianna nodded. "Good. I'll see you then."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There were clothes all over the floor. A blouse flew through the air and landed on the bed. Brianna whimpered in frustration and lightly stamped her foot. "What happened to all my good clothes??" she asked herself. She looked at the alarm clock next to the bed. Gary would be there in less than a half an hour and she wasn't near ready. She sighed and began digging through the
clothes that were lying on the bed. She held up a blue blouse and a black skirt. She wrinkled her nose, but sighed and changed into them.

She was just fastening her necklace when there was a knock at the door. She took a deep breath and exhaled quickly. "Be there in a second!" she called. When she opened the door, Gary was leaning against the wall. He was wearing a navy suit and had a long black jacket draped over his arm.

He looked at her and smiled. "You look great," he said.

"You too," she replied, for lack of something better to say. "I just have to get my jacket and then I'll be ready, okay?" Gary nodded. "You can come in," she told him. Gary stepped inside and closed the door. "Sorry about the mess," she said, coming back with her coat. Gary took it and helped her put it on. "That's one thing I've learned, that my things seem to expand."

Gary laughed. "Ready?"

She looked over the apartment once more and nodded. Gary opened the door for her. "Thank you," she said.

"My pleasure. I really hope you like this restaurant."

"I'm sure I will," Brianna replied. "Can we make one stop after dinner, though?" she asked.

"Whatever you want to do," Gary said, pressing the elevator button.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary opened the door into the Geja's Cafe. Gary went up to the hostess. "Two for Hobson," he said.

The girl looked down a long list of names and crossed Gary's off. "Right this way, sir."

Gary smiled at Brianna and motioned for her to go first. The hostess led them to a table and gave them two menus. "Your waiter will be with you shortly," she told them.

"Thank you," Gary said.

Brianna looked around the restaurant. "This place is adorable. I love it!"

Gary smiled. He was happy that she liked it. He couldn't help but notice how much he'd been smiling since that afternoon. The paper was finally giving him a break, and he was certainly grateful for it.

The waiter came back shortly. Brianna looked at Gary with a helpless expression. Gary ordered a bottle of wine and then ordered the International Plate. The waiter nodded politely and left them.

"I hope you'll like it," Gary said. "I've heard that it's the best on the menu."

Brianna smiled. "I'm sure that it will be great."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After dinner, Gary hailed a cab. He opened the door for Brianna and told the cabbie to take them wherever she wanted. The cabbie nodded and looked to her. She rattled off an address and the driver pulled away from the restaurant.

Ten minutes later, they arrived outside a small, dark theatre. Gary paid the cab driver and followed Brianna up to the doors. She pulled a pair of keys out of her purse and unlocked the doors. She pushed them open to reveal a dark, deserted lobby.

"Did you forget something here?" Gary asked, still hanging back close to the doors and the light.

Brianna shook her head and took his hand. "I want to show you something," she told him, grinning.

At the touch of her hand, Gary felt a tingling surge though his body. He hadn't had that feeling in a long time. Not since Marcia. He felt so alive. He couldn't wait to find out what she would show him.

"This way," she said, not dropping his hand. She pulled him into the dark, empty theatre. They passed the rows of seats and she finally led him onto the stage. "Stay here," she told him.

Gary obeyed and stood, in the dark, looking around, trying to get his eyes to adjust. Suddenly, a flood of light washed over him. He put his hand up to his brow, shielding his eyes from the brightness.

"Sorry!" she called, from behind a large red curtain. Gary turned around and saw an elaborate living room set behind him. "Do you like it?" Gary only nodded, looking around at all of the old furniture. "Here," Brianna said, taking him by the shoulders, "stand there for a second, okay?" She left him standing next to the window.

"Sure," Gary said slowly.

Brianna disappeared behind the curtains again. She emerged a moment later with a book in her hands. "Here," she said, handing it to Gary. She flipped it open to a page. "Start there," she said pointing.

"You want to rehearse?" he asked her, puzzled.

"You don't mind do you?" she said, walking across the stage.

"No, I guess not," he said. He took his jacket off and laid it over a chair. "Where'd you say again?" he asked.

She walked back over to him and pointed at the spot. "You speak first. Just do the best you can, okay?"

Gary nodded. He cleared his throat. He read the line and looked up at Brianna. The lights were shining off of her blonde hair.

"It's your turn," Brianna said, trying to get Gary to read his line.

"Oh, sorry," he said, flustered. "Um, where have you been?" The line seemed extremely familiar.

"I went for a walk. It was no big deal," Brianna recited.

"No big deal? Did you walk to Ohio?" Gary said, rather flatly. He looked up, waiting for her to say something. She was staring back at him. "What?" he asked, a smile starting to form on his face. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. "What?" Gary insisted, grinning.

"You're horrible!" she cried, laughing.

Gary began to laugh too. "I told you that I'd never done this before."

"I should have taken your word," she dropped down on the couch in the middle of the stage. Gary walked over and sat on the arm next to her. "Now what?" she asked, looking up at him. "This," she said, motioning across the stage, "was a terrible idea."

"No, it really wasn't. I'm just no actor," Gary said, smiling. Brianna scooted over on the couch, making room enough for him to sit next to her. Gary slid down the arm and plopped down next to her.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Gary built up the nerve to put his arm on the back of the couch. Brianna looked at him, then away quickly, blushing. Gary tried to get a glimpse of her face. She wouldn't turn and look at him. Finally, he touched her chin and made her look at him.  Her face was flushed. Gary searched her eyes, trying to find the same
feelings that he'd been having. He hadn't stopped thinking about her thewhole day. He hated to admit it, but Chuck had been right about his "thing" for her.

He gulped. It had been a while since he'd done this. They leaned in closer to each other. Gary could feel her breath on his cheek. And finally, their lips touched. Gary closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, swept up in the moment.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Gary walked into McGinty's later that night. "Hey, buddy," Chuck greeted from the bar. "How'd it go?"

Gary sat down on one of the stools. "Fine," he said flatly.

Chuck looked disappointed. "That bad, huh? Well, there are plenty of women out there, Gar." He handed Gary a beer.

Gary took a swig and wiped the corners of his mouth. "Actually," he said, getting up, "we're going out again tomorrow. Good night!" he called as he headed up to his apartment.

Chuck stood open-mouthed watching Gary leave. A wide grin spread across his face. "Yes!" he said, punching the air. "Finally!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary woke to the alarm clock at 6:30. Instead of slamming his hand on it, as usual, he listened for a second before pressing the button lightly. He got up and stretched for a second. He took his robe off of the foot of the bed and put it on.

Meow. Thump.

He tied the robe as he headed for the door. The cat was sitting there, as always, looking up at him. He meowed as the door opened.

"Hey, cat," Gary said, picking up the cat and the paper. "Hungry?" he asked. The cat purred loudly in response. Gary walked into the kitchen, set the cat on the floor and the paper on the table. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a half gallon of milk. He took a small bowl out of the cabinet and filled it halfway. He set it on the floor in front of the cat. "Enjoy," he said.

He replaced the milk in the refrigerator and took the paper off of the table. He scanned the front page. A small fire in a restaurant. "No big deal," he thought. He went on to the second and third pages. There was nothing major there either.

Gary turned to the Entertainment pages. There was a big article on Brianna. He smiled and began to read. It was the usual celebrity questions. Then, as Gary went on, he became more interested.

    Somehow, during the course of my interview with Miss Metcalf, the subject changed to love. I couldn't resist asking her the one thing that men all over Chicago and all over the country want to know: is there anyone in her life. She tried to avoid it adamantly, but I finally persisted and got an answer. "I hate these types of things. I always end up embarrassing myself or someone else," she paused for a moment. "I won't say that there is a definite person in my life, but I will say that there is someone."

Gary let out the breath that had caught in his throat. He kept reading.

    I kept pressing for more information. She gave in again, almost willing to talk about it, now. "I haven't known him very long. I don't even know if anything will happen seriously between us. I'm just hoping that there is the option in the future." She made me change the subject then, but I can tell you that her mystery man lives in Chicago. All I have to say, mister, you are one lucky man.

Gary couldn't believe it. He closed the paper. That was something he never expected to read. He looked at his watch. He only had an hour before the restaurant fire. He got up, put the cat's bowl in the sink and got dressed.

As he was heading out the door, he grabbed his jacket. The cat meowed at him as if to say, "Have a good day!" as Gary walked out. He whistled as he walked down the stairs. He opened the door to the office and greeted Marissa and Chuck.

"So you're date went well last night?" Marissa asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Gary answered, "it was fun."

"Hmm," Marissa continued.

"What?" Gary asked. Chuck smiled with Marissa.

"Oh, nothing," she answered.

Gary looked back and forth between his two best friends. "You both scare me."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The paper led Gary to a little "Mom and Pop" restaurant not too far from McGinty's. He opened the door and was greeted by an older woman in an apron. "Hello, welcome to Mel's." She led him to the counter. "Can I get you coffee or something?" she asked.

Gary smiled politely, "No, ma'am. Actually, I'm here--"

"How about something to eat? Our French toast is delicious."

"No, thank you. Actually, is there anyone else here with you?" he asked.

She nodded. "Larry, my son, he's in the back there. He's such a good boy. He's always helping his mother out," she smiled.

Gary smiled again. "That's nice," he said. "Listen, can I go back there for a minute and talk to him?"

"Why? Do you know him? He didn't tell me he was having any friends come in this morning."

Gary stood from the counter. "Do you mind?" he asked.

"No, go on."

"Thanks," Gary said. He opened the doors and stepped into the kitchen. No one was there. He pulled the paper out of his back pocket. He skimmed it, looking for what caused the fire. He found it. "A towel--" he muttered. He looked around. He saw something smoking in the corner. He glanced around, made a mad dash for the fire extinguisher and sprayed the smoke.

"What are you doing?" Larry yelled, as he came back in the kitchen.

"There was going to be a fire," Gary said.

"That was no fire!"

"Huh?" Gary asked.

Larry looked into the sink where Gary had used the extinguisher. He lightly stamped his foot. "Those dishes were just cooling. I hadn't even washed them five minutes ago. Now, I'm going to have to do them again." He turned to his mother. "What'd you let him back here for?" he asked.

"He said he was your friend."

Gary tried to back quietly out of the kitchen while they were arguing. He would have made it all the way out and been gone before either of them had noticed. He would have, that is, until he saw the real fire starting on a grill. Quickly he pulled the smoking cloth off and threw it on the floor, stomping on it.

"Now what?" Larry asked, looking at Gary, annoyed.

Gary thought quickly. "A bug," he answered.

Larry's face became bright red. "Get out!" he yelled.

Gary's eyes widened and he took off out of the kitchen doors and the restaurant. He got out onto the street and looked at the paper. The story had changed. "Why do you do this to me?" he asked it. People on the street eyed him strangely as they passed. He scanned the page. Nothing for about a half an hour. He looked around and began to walk in the opposite direction. He shoved the paper in his back pocket.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Somehow, he found himself at Brianna's theatre. He pushed on one of the doors. Surprisingly, it opened. He went inside the lobby and listened. He saw people inside on the stage. He took a deep breath and walked into the theatre. He took a seat in the very back row. He saw Brianna on the stage and smiled. She was wearing sweats and an old t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back
in a sloppy ponytail.

Gary settled himself in his seat and took off his jacket, placing it in the chair next to him. He slumped down low, hoping that they couldn't see him. Gary watched them rehearse until it was time for him to run his next "errand". He got up quickly and as quietly as he could.

Brianna saw someone leave the theatre out of the corner of her eye. She looked out into the empty auditorium and delivered her line in time to see Gary slip out of the doors. She smiled slightly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary trudged up the stairs to his apartment late that night. He unlocked his door and turned on the light. The cat meowed loudly at him. Gary ignored him and collapsed on the couch. His easy day had become complicated after he left the theatre. The car crash he had had to stop caused a horrible chain reaction of new stories throughout the rest of the day.

Gary leaned his head back against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. The cat jumped up next to him and meowed. "Go away," he groaned. The cat persisted, standing on his hind legs, his front legs on Gary's chest. Gary lifted his head. "I'm not doing anything else," he told the cat. The cat just looked at him. "I'm through, finished, done," he continued. Then, he added,
"For today." Gary leaned his head back again, covering his eyes with his arm.

The cat sat next to him on the couch. He began butting Gary with his head, trying to get in between him and the back of the couch. Gary groaned and sat up. "What do you want?" he asked. He pulled the paper from his back pocket. "There's nothing else in here. I checked before I came up here." He flung the paper on the coffee table in front of him.

The cat jumped onto the table and pushed the paper onto the floor, trying to get Gary's attention. "I don't care," Gary mumbled. The cat jumped up into his lap. "Leave me alone," he said. The cat nudged Gary's arm. He didn't get a response. The cat, finally, bit Gary through his shirt. "Ow!" Gary cried. "Fine, I'll look at the thing!" He snatched the pages from the floor. The cat
jumped down and sat with a paw on a picture. He meowed. "Thanks," Gary said, sarcastically, taking the paper from under the cat's paw.

He skimmed the headlines for something that had changed. "There's nothing he--" he began and then stopped. He stared at the paper and then looked at the clock on the wall. "Fifteen minutes," he breathed.

Gary didn't even take the time to grab his jacket before running out of his apartment. He flung the door open and ran down the stairs. He ran through McGinty's causing more than a few stares from customers.

Gary ran full speed. He looked at his watch. There were still a few minutes left. Why did he insist on ignoring the cat this time? He pushed his feet faster. He rounded the corner by the theatre. He slowed a little, hearing voices in the alley. He looked around the corner and saw two large men standing over someone. "Brianna," he breathed.

"Hey!" he yelled. The guys turned and looked at him.

"Gary!" Brianna cried. "Help me!"

"Shut up!" one of the men yelled.

"Get away from her," Gary commanded.

"Who is going to stop us?" the other asked. Gary stood there, silent, fists clenched. "That's what I thought."

Gary took a step toward them.

"No! Don't!" Brianna cried.

"Don't you even think about it," said the first man.

Gary took another step.

"You asked for it, dude," said the first man. He took three long strides and was standing right in front of Gary.

Gary gulped, suddenly sorry for his decision. He looked up into the man's face. He had to be six inches taller than Gary.

"Now what are you going to do?"

Gary found his courage again. He punched the man square in the stomach. He didn't even flinch.

"Is that the best you've got?" the man laughed. He made his own fist and hit Gary in the stomach.

Gary doubled over in pain.

"Gary!" Brianna cried.

He looked up and saw her standing across the alley. She looked as if she was ready to cry. He held his hand up and shook his head not for her to come any closer. Her eyes pleaded with him. He looked back down at the ground and groaned, bending over with his hands on his knees.

By then, both men were standing around Gary. They each took a turn at him. The first man punched him again, in the face this time. The second one punched his side. Gary grabbed it, groaning and fell to the ground.

 "No!" Brianna yelled.

"Shut up!" bellowed the first man, advancing on her. "Get over there!" he said, pushing her down the alley.

The second man delivered a hard kick to Gary's ribs. They laughed seeing Gary bleeding, gasping for a full breath, and clutching his side in pain. Their laughter stopped when they heard sirens coming near them. As they walked away, the first one knelt down and whispered in his ear, "Stay out of other people's business next time." When he got up, he gave Gary one last kick in
the side.

Brianna came out of her hiding place after they had gone. She saw Gary writhing on the ground. She ran to him and knelt down beside him. "Oh my god, Gary, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Gary said, struggling to get the words out. "Get," he said, struggling to catch his breath and talk, "the police. Siren--"

Brianna hesitated for a second before running out onto the street. She came back a moment later, the sirens had faded away. "They didn't come this way," she said, returning to his side.

Gary sat up, painfully, against the wall. "Just give me a minute," he insisted. "I'll be all right." He took a few shallow breaths.

"I need to get you to a hospital," Brianna said, sitting down next to him.

"No," Gary insisted, taking a ragged breath. "I can't go to the hospital. Call Chuck at the bar. He can come pick us up."

"Gary, I'm calling an ambulance," Brianna said, taking out her phone.

"Please, Brianna, don't," Gary said, looking at her, a pathetic sight. "Please," he repeated.

She sighed and flipped her phone open. She pushed the power button. Nothing happened. "Dammit!" she hissed.

"What?" Gary asked, his breath still short.

"It's dead," she told him.

"It's okay. We'll walk."

"What? You can't walk like that!"

"I'll be fine, just help me up."

"I don't like this," she said, taking his hand. "You don't think anything is broken do you?"

"Just my ego," he answered.

Brianna smiled slightly. She helped him stand. He flinched. "Are you okay?" Gary nodded. "Think that you can walk that far?" Gary nodded again, a pained look on his face.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Almost a half an hour later, they came to the entrance of McGinty's. Gary's arm was over Brianna's shoulder, her arm around his waist.

"I can't go in the front," he said, shaking his head. "The customers can't see me like this."

"Is there a back way?" Brianna asked.

Gary nodded, but it was too late.

Chuck had burst through the doors. "Gar!" he cried. "What happened?"

"Can I tell you in the morning? Please, I just want to go up and get in bed."

"Yeah, sure, buddy." He got under Gary's other arm.

"No, no, no. I don't want to go in the front," Gary insisted.

The three made their way slowly to the back of the building. Gary let go of the two of them and opened the door on his own. He leaned into it. "I'll be okay," he said. "You don't have to follow me upstairs."

"Like hell we aren't!" Chuck said. "I'm going," he said, following Gary inside the door.

Gary was about to protest again, but he sank down to the floor. Chuck and Brianna quickly helped him back to his feet.

"Up you go," Chuck said. He put Gary's arm over his shoulder and began helping him up the stairs to his apartment. They made their way slowly up the stairs. Brianna turned the handle on the door. Surprisingly, it opened
easily.

"I must have forgotten," Gary said, sheepishly.

Chuck pushed the door all the way open. "Where do you want to go, buddy?" he asked.

"Just help me to the couch," Gary answered. Chuck and Brianna helped Gary to the couch. They lowered him down carefully and slipped out from underneath his arms.

"Are you going to be okay here by yourself tonight?" Chuck asked.

Gary nodded. He took a deep breath. "I just need to relax. I'll be okay in the morning." He looked at the worried looks on his friends' faces. "I promise," he said.

"Well, if you're sure--" Chuck began. "I better get back downstairs. Marissa will wonder what happened to me. You want me to check on you before I go home tonight?"

"Chuck, I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'm just checking. Miss Metcalf, it was nice to see you again. Bye, Gar."

After Chuck had left, Brianna stood in front of Gary, not sure what to do. "Um," she said finally, "I guess I should--" she began, pointing to the door.

"No," Gary said, quickly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Brianna smiled, nervously. "Sure," she said, sitting down next to him. "You know, that really looks awful," she said, touching a large bruise that was forming on Gary's cheek. He flinched. "Sorry. Do you want me to get you some ice or something?"

"No," Gary said, leaning forward. "I'll get it." He stood up and walked toward the kitchen. He opened the freezer and took an ice pack out.

"Does this happen often?" Brianna asked, kiddingly. She had followed him into the kitchen.

"Oh, you know," Gary said, not sure how he should answer. They were quiet for a few moments.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, finally.

"What?" Gary asked, moving the ice pack on his face and sitting down at the table. "Oh, um," he said slowly. His face turned red. He didn't have anything he wanted to talk about. He just didn't want her to leave. "What were you doing at the theatre so late?" he asked.

"I had an interview with a newspaper today," she said, sitting with him. Gary's face turned even redder. "I was just getting done and out of there when that jerk and his friend jumped me."

"That jerk?" Gary asked. "Did you know him?"

Brianna sighed heavily. "He was a guy from my old neighborhood. I used to live here, you know. Anyway, I guess you could say he was my boyfriend for a while."

Gary listened closely. He wanted to keep his focus on her and not the throbbing pain in his side and cheek. "Any reason he would want to hurt you?"

"You don't really want to hear about that, do you?" she asked him, half-smiling.

"Sure I do," Gary said, looking down at the table.

She put her hand on his and changed the subject. "Thank you for being there tonight. I don't know how you do it, but thank you."

Gary put his icepack on the table and looked into her eyes. He wrapped his hand around hers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meow. Thud.

Gary lifted his head, his eyes only half open. His alarm clock hadn't even gone off yet. The only light in his apartment was from the street light. He rubbed his eyes, letting out a yelp when he touched his bruised cheek. His eyes shot open then and he realized he was on his couch. He sat up and looked at his bed. Brianna was there. He scratched the back of his head.

Meow.

"All right," Gary whispered. "I'm coming." He got up, slowly, his side still aching. He opened the door and bent down to get the paper. "What are you doing here so early?" he asked, yawning. The cat just purred and wrapped himself in and out of Gary's legs. Gary picked him up. "I'll get you some breakfast," he said, shutting the door.

The cat trotted into the kitchen area, followed by Gary. The cat jumped up onto one of the chairs and sat watching Gary as he put the paper down and dug through the refrigerator for something that the cat could eat. He emerged, a can of cat food in his hand. He picked the cat up off of the chair and set him and the can of food on the floor.

There was a rustle from another part of the apartment. Gary picked up his paper, and looked around. Just then, Brianna entered. She yawned, smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. Gary tried to keep himself from crying out. Without realizing it, she had kissed his bruised cheek.

"Morning," she yawned.

"Yeah," Gary said. He didn't dare try any more for fear that he would give away his pain. After he had gotten over the urge to scream he asked, "Did you sleep well?"

Brianna smiled. "Like a baby. You?"

"I managed," Gary replied. He sat down at the table and opened his paper.

"Anything interesting?" she asked, sitting down with a small glass of orange juice.

Gary flipped a few more pages. "There are just a few--" he stopped, realizing what he could have said.

"Hmm?" Brianna asked, she hadn't heard him.

"No, nothing interesting," he said quickly.

"As usual," Brianna said, sighing and resting her chin in her palm. They were silent for a minute, Gary reading the rest of his paper, Brianna drinking her juice. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," Gary said, closing the paper.

"Well, we've kind of been seeing a lot of each other the past few days, right?"

"Yeah," Gary said, slowly.

"And I kind of told someone that we were sort of seeing each other--" she continued.

Gary looked at her, waiting for more. "It was a reporter--" he thought. He wouldn't dare say it, though.

Brianna looked at her empty glass. She tapped her fingers on the table. She sighed, "Okay, I told a reporter," she blurted out.

Gary smiled. "I know," he said.

"It'll be in there somewhere," she said, pointing to his paper. Gary could only smile, knowing that he had read it the day before. "Well," she continued. "You know what it says." Gary nodded. "Well, to get right to the point, I'm going to need someone to take me to the opening of my play. And since I told the reporter that you lived in Chicago--"

"You want me to take you?" Gary asked, finishing her request.

"Would you, Gary?"

Gary smiled, "I'd be happy to. When is it?"

"Tomorrow night," Brianna said, almost reluctantly. "I know that's really short notice and I would have asked you earlier, but I wasn't really sure--"

"It's okay. I'm not busy."

"Really? Oh, thank you, Gary!" she cried, jumping up and hugging him. His side hurt like hell, but he could have cared less.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary got cleaned up and went down to McGinty's after Brianna had left for rehearsal. He was whistling as he went into the office. Marissa and Chuck were arguing over something when he opened the door.

"We don't need a seniors night, Chuck!" Marissa insisted.

Gary sat down at his desk. "She's right," he butted in.

"You guys have no vision. We give the geezers 50% off, they'll love it!"

"No way, Chuck," Gary said.

"Fine," Chuck sulked. He got over it quickly and asked, "Hey, how's your eye?"

"Your eye?" Marissa asked. "Gary what happened?"

"It was nothing," Gary said.

"Nothing?!" Chuck exclaimed. "Marissa, last night Gary saved Brianna Metcalf from being killed!"

"What?" Marissa said. "Gary are you okay?"

"Chuck, you're exaggerating. She wasn't going to end up dead. She was just going to be sore for a while. Now, I'm the one that's going to be sore."

"You got one heck of a shiner though, buddy."

"Thanks, I know," Gary replied. "My side is still killing me too."

"Shouldn't you go to the doctor, Gary?" Marissa, the voice of wisdom, asked.

"No, I'll be okay. I'm just a little bruised, that's all."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Gary said, crossing and squeezing her shoulder as he passed. "I have to get going." He started out of the office.

"Be back in time to close up tonight!" Chuck called after Gary. "It's your turn!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary got back to McGinty's that night just in time to close. This had to be one of the longest days of his life. He yawned as he closed the door. He looked around. There was no one there. Chuck was really going to hold him to closing the place up. He scratched the back of his head and then got to work.

As he finished wiping down the bar, someone came in. Gary looked up. He saw Brianna and smiled. "Sorry, miss, we're closed."

"I know," she said, playing along. "I was hoping that I could catch my boyfriend before he went home." She walked toward the bar.

"Well," Gary said, wiping down the bar again. "I could give him a message tomorrow that you came by."

She sat down on one of the barstools. He stopped in front of her and smiled. "Hi," she said.

"Hey. How'd rehearsal go today?"

"Great, but I'm beat."

"Want anything?" he asked.

"Beer?" she replied.

"Sure, I'll be right back." Gary disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with two beers in his hand. When he came back out, he didn't see Brianna. He looked around for a moment and saw her by the jukebox. He crossed to her quietly and put his arm around her, her beer in his hand. "Were youplanning on drinking this now?"

She looked up at him and smiled, punching a couple of numbers on the jukebox and taking their beers. She set them on the nearest table and took Gary by the hand. "Dance with me," she commanded him.

Gary tried to pull away. "I'm really not a--" he began. It didn't do any good. Brianna had pulled him out onto the open floor and her arms were already draped over his shoulders. Gary conceded most willingly and wrapped his own arms around her waist.

They moved together along with the music. Gary couldn't believe how natural it felt to be with her. He wasn't at all flustered like he seemed to be with most women. They just seemed to click. She rested her head against his chest and sighed. He nudged her playfully with his chin. She looked up at him, smiling. There was a split second of electricity and both of them leaned in and kissed.

The music ended and so did their kiss. They pulled away, the moment still lingering. Brianna was the first to say something. "I need to--" she said, motioning to the door.

Gary kept his arms where they were. "Tell me something about yourself," he insisted.

"Gary," she said. "It's really late--"

"Please," he pouted. He dropped his arms but took hold of her hand. "You can't leave until you've had your beer," he said, opening the bottle. She looked at him and smiled. He had her.

"All right," she said, taking the bottle. "But only one."

"Okay," he agreed. He took his own and pulled out a chair for her.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, awkwardly.

"Anything," he answered, eagerly. "Whatever you want to tell." He took a swig of beer.

"Anything?" she asked. "That's pretty broad." She leaned back in her chair, thinking. "Oh, I don't know," she said, finally. "Why don't you tell me something?"

"Okay," Gary said. "Now, you have to remember that I've never told this to anyone else before, alright? Not even my parents know."

Brianna leaned in close to him. "What? What is it?"

Gary hesitated for a moment. He couldn't do it. It wasn't the right time. He thought quickly and made something up. "Have you ever seen that movie Rounders?" he asked her. She nodded. "Well, right out of college I used to do that. I was a 'rounder'. I was really good at poker. I absolutely could not lose. One night, I got into this really heavy game. I had all my money riding
on it. Finally, it was down to another guy and me that was twice as big as I was. I knew that when I won I'd have to haul out of there fast. It finally came down to the last bet. I was an idiot and shoved all my chips into the pot. It was almost fifteen thousand dollars: everything that I'd won in the last few months. I looked right up into his eyes, no expression at all. I laid down my cards and waited. I was sure that that money was mine. I about had a heart attack when he beat my hand with a royal flush. I watched him take my money and have never touched a card again."

Brianna sat next to Gary, mouth gaping open. "Are you serious?" she asked, still stunned by his story.

Gary smiled, evilly. "No," he laughed. "But I kept you here, didn't I?"

"Gary Hobson!" she cried, slapping his arm.

"Ow!" he cried, laughing.

"I didn't believe you," she insisted, smiling, giving herself away. She got up and began walking toward the door.

"Oh, I knew you'd never believe a story like that," he said, trying to hide his own smile. Gary followed her and looked at his watch. "It's really late," he said. "Want me to walk you back to the hotel?"

Brianna yawned. "No," she said. "I'll grab the first cab that I see."

"Sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Like you're a lot of protection anyway," she said, touching his still bruised cheek, smiling.

"Oh, thanks," he snorted.

She gave him a quick good night kiss and then walked outside, Gary close behind. "Oh, don't forget about tomorrow night."

"What's tomorrow night?" he asked, straight faced.

"Gary!"

"Oh! Right! The opening," he teased. "I won't forget, I promise." He kissed her again and she left.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary woke with a start the next morning, but it wasn't because of the cat or his alarm clock. He looked around for a second seeing if anything had fallen off of a shelf or anything that would have startled him awake. He couldn't make out a thing. He looked at his alarm clock. It was 3:30. He groaned and leaned back against his pillows. He took a few deep, slow breaths trying to get his heart rate back to normal. It hadn't been anything.

He laid back down and closed his eyes, trying to get back to sleep. Something just didn't feel right. He couldn't put his finger on what was wrong, but he knew it was something. He tossed and turned for almost a half an hour before he decided that he was awake for the day. He threw the covers off of himself and grabbed his robe off the end of the bed.

He made his way through his dimly lit apartment and settled himself on the couch with the TV remote. If nothing else, a good infomercial would put him to sleep. He pushed the power button and squinted while his eyes adjusted to the light. He settled back into the couch and began channel surfing. He stopped when he saw a familiar face. He smiled and set the remote on the arm of the couch, next to him. He nodded off again watching one of Brianna's movies.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary woke again a few hours later to the sound of his alarm clock going off beside his bed. He got up slowly, a dull ache in his side and turned it off. Just as he was about to look out the window, the cat meowed loudly from outside the door. Then, he heard the familiar plop of his paper. He walked to the door and let the cat in. He bent down and picked up his paper. He went to the kitchen table and sat down, scanning the articles for something he would have to do that day.

He read through the whole paper and there was absolutely nothing. He shook his head in disbelief and began to read through it again. After the second time, there was still nothing. He didn't know what to do with himself. He hadn't had a day off in two years. He leaned back in his chair. Was the paper trying to tell him something? And if so, what?

Gary dressed quickly and went down to McGinty's. Chuck was in the office. "Hey, Gar," he greeted. "Going somewhere?" Chuck asked, eyeing Gary's coat.

Gary looked down. Without realizing it, he'd picked up his jacket. He sat down behind one of the desks. "Chuck," he said. "I have the day off."

Chuck's eyes widened. "You're kidding! This is great! You don't have anything to do. We can go to the track. No, we'll go get a lotto ticket."

"I've never let you do that anyway. What makes you think that because I have the day off it will change?" he asked his friend.

"Just wishful thinking, I suppose," Chuck answered. He sat down at the other desk. "I don't understand, Gar. You've used the paper for Marissa, but you won't help out your best friend. Something's not right here."

"Marissa needs Spike. Besides, I was just testing it," Gary answered.

"Testing it," Chuck huffed. "You'd never test the paper for me."

"What's the matter with you today?" Gary asked.

"Nothing," Chuck insisted.

Gary gave Chuck a strange look, but took him at his word. "Well," he said, "I'm going to get out of here. I have a few things to do before tonight." Gary shoved the paper in his back pocket.

"Why are you taking that?" Chuck asked. "You don't have anything to worry about today."

Gary shrugged and put his jacket on. "You never know."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary walked down the street. He had to find something to wear to the opening that night. For some reason, he didn't think his regular jeans and a sweater would cut it. As he neared the mall, a thought hit him. Suddenly, his hands went to his back pocket. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed. He sighed and hung his head as he realized he'd left his wallet in the loft. He
looked back the way he had come. He didn't want to walk all the way back to McGinty's just for his wallet. He thought for a second. Maybe Chuck would bring it to him. He dug into his front pockets for a quarter. He found oneand smiled. He looked around for the nearest pay phone. He spotted one across the street.

He waited for a break in traffic and then jogged across the street. He picked up the receiver and put it to his ear. A shiver went through him. The thing was freezing. He dropped the quarter in and waited for the dial tone again. Nothing happened. He took a step back from the phone. "What the?" he said. Then, he remembered it was thirty-five cents. He dug a dime from his pocket
and dropped it in. The dial tone rung in his ear. He punched in the number to McGinty's.

"McGinty's, this is Chuck. What can I do for you?"

"Chuck!" Gary said.

"Gar! Did you change your mind?"

"About what?" he asked.

"Look, I got a real good deal going on here, buddy. All I need is one score."

"You're out of your mind," Gary answered. "Listen, I need you to do me a favor."

Chuck was used to giving up easily with Gary. "Sure, what's the matter?"

"I left my wallet up on the table in the loft. Can you get it and bring it to me?"

"Yeah, buddy, where are you?"

"Uh, I'll meet you inside the Water Tower Mall, okay? At Isis?"

"Okay," Chuck said. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Chuck," Gary said, hanging up.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chuck grumbled as he trudged up the stairs to Gary's place. He didn't mind doing things for his friend, really. He just wished that sometimes Gary would do something for him. He always seemed to be doing for others, "When will it be my turn?" Chuck wondered.

As he got to the top of the stairs, he searched his pockets for Gary's extra key. He turned and looked down at the stairs. "Please tell me I didn't leave them down there," he said, exasperatedly. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He tried Gary's door just in case. It opened. "Thank you, Gary."

The cat meowed at Chuck from the couch. "Hey, furball."  The cat growled softly at him. "Just grabbing this," he said, picking the wallet up from the table and holding it up for the cat to see. Chuck tossed the wallet up in the air and caught it in his hand, grinning. He turned and left the loft, closing the door behind him. Something in between the staircase and Gary's table had
cheered Chuck up. He didn't care what it was. He smiled and jogged down the steps.

"Marissa!" he called into the office.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"I'm taking Gar his wallet. I'll be back in a little while!"

"Okay, bye!"

Chuck unlocked the McGinty's van and slid into the driver's seat. He turnedon the ignition and waited for the engine to warm up a little bit. He put the van into drive and began to pull out of the alley. As he pulled out into the street, a car slammed into the side of the van. Chuck sat there, momentarily. He was speechless. Soon, he regained his verbal skills and got out of the van.

"Oh, man!" he cried, surveying the damage.

"Sir, I'm really sorry. I didn't see you coming out of that alley. Jeffery Gold," he said, extending his hand to Chuck.

"It's okay," Chuck sighed, shaking the man's hand. . "Do you have your insurance papers with you?"

"That could be a slight problem," Jeffery said.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary stood outside of Isis for almost an hour. He crossed his arms and checked his watch again. It shouldn't take Chuck this long. He sighed and glanced at his watch again. He shook his head. He couldn't stand there any longer.

He shoved his hands in the pocket of his jacket and began to walk out of the mall. As he walked, he looked around for Chuck, just to make sure that he hadn't missed him. He walked out of the mall, not sure of what to do with himself. So, he just began to walk.

He found himself, not surprisingly, at Brianna's theatre. He opened the doors quietly and stepped inside. There seemed to be a discussion going on onstage.

"He would choose today to get caught!" someone yelled.

Gary opened the door a crack and slipped inside. He took his seat in the back row again.

"Calm down, Mark," Brianna said, placing her hand on his arm.

"Calm down?!" he screamed. "We can't open without him! There's no play without the male lead!"

"What about the understudy?" Gary piped up.

Mark looked out at Gary who was walking toward the stage. "Who the hell are you?"

"He's with me," Brianna said, grinning slightly. "His understudy got called back suddenly to New York. No one thought something like this would happen. Jeff hasn't ever missed a performance." Suddenly, her face lit up. "Would you guys excuse us for a moment?" Brianna asked the director and the rest of the cast. She hopped off of the stage and jogged up to Gary. She smiled and looked into his puddle green eyes. "Do me a favor?" she asked, looking up on stage and smiling.

"No," Gary said, instantly. "No, no, no, no, no," he rattled off quickly.

Mark, the director, walked back onto the stage and they both stopped. "He won't be back! Looks like you're Richard now, kid."

"Oh, no," Gary said, shaking his head. "I can't be Richard. You haven't even seen me act!"

"I have, and I told Mark about you," Brianna said. "He'll do fine."

"But--" Gary protested. "You said that I-- Oh, nevermind."

"Great. Then let's get started. You only have three days to learn your lines."

"Three days?!" Gary exclaimed. He was in way too far over his head.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary trudged up the stairs to his loft later that night. He opened the door and flung his jacket onto the recliner in front of him. He crossed to the kitchen and retrieved a beer out of his refrigerator. He twisted the cap off and took a long swig. He walked back to the door and closed it. He took another drink of beer and then sat on the couch. The cat jumped up next to him and began to purr. "Hey, fleabag." He scratched the cat's head.

Just then, Chuck flung the door open. "Gar!" he cried. "Where have you been all day?"

"Me?" Gary asked. The cat jumped down off of the couch. "What about you? Why didn't you get to the mall?"

"Buddy, you'll never believe what happened to me," Chuck said, he shut the door behind him and made himself at home in Gary's recliner. "I was getting ready to bring you your wallet, right? So I get down to the van and start it up, and this guy sideswipes me! He just blew in out of nowhere. So, I get out and see what he's done to the van, which is NOT pretty by the way. To make things worse, he doesn't even have insurance. Hey, weren't you supposed to be somewhere tonight?" Chuck finished.

"They had to push back the opening. One of the actors got into a car accident today and is being held indefinitely because he doesn't have car insurance."

"Uh oh," Chuck groaned. "You mean that I--"

Gary shook his head. "If I hadn't been an idiot this morning and forgotten my wallet, it wouldn't have happened. Sorry, Chuck. And to make matters worse, I have to fill the guy's role tomorrow."

Chuck laughed out loud. "You've got to be joking. Gary, you can't act!"

"I know that and you know that. And very soon, all of Chicago will know it, too."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary showed up for rehearsal the next morning, the paper in tote. He didn't know how he would handle it, but he had to. He had the whole morning free. At one, he had to stop a little boy from fracturing his skull on the school playground.

Brianna walked up behind Gary on stage and put her arms around him. He turned around and greeted her with a kiss. "Morning," he said. "Where is everyone?"

"They'll be here soon. Why don't we start running through some things?" she suggested.

"Sure," Gary complied. "I'm game."

"Want to just start from the beginning?"

"Great," Gary answered. He pulled the script out of his back pocket. The paper fell out on the stage.

"What do you have that for?" Brianna chuckled. "You're not going to have any time to read that thing," she insisted. She picked it up and threw it off the stage, pages flying in three directions.

Gary looked out, mortified. He got past it and opened his script to the first page. Brianna began to recite her lines. Gary interjected with his when it was his turn, but he was still completely distracted by the paper.

"Gary!" Brianna said, trying to get his attention back.

"Huh?" he said, snapping back to life.

"It's your line."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized and read his line.

The rest of the cast joined the two shortly and a real rehearsal got underway. Gary got along well until he had to go offstage and he had time to think about his paper. He had to get back out there and get it. He couldn't help thinking that something might have changed.

"Richard!" the director bellowed. Gary searched his script and walked back out on the stage, saying his line.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary ran as fast as his feet would take him. He hurdled the fence to the playground and sprinted across it to the large jungle gym. He heard teachers shout as he raced across the playground. He didn't have time to stop and explain. He was running behind already. He didn't have any time to spare.

Just as Gary slid himself through two of the bars, the boy fell. Gary landed on the gravel with a thud, the boy on top of him. "Are you okay?" he asked the kid. The little boy nodded his head. "Yeah?" Gary said, smiling. "Good." He stood the boy up and stood up himself, brushing the dust off of his clothes. He hit his head on the cold metal bars. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He smiled and nodded at the kids and climbed out of the jungle gym to meet the uneasy glances of many of the teachers who had seen him tear across the yard. "Hello," he said to them.

They didn't say a word.

Gary felt insanely uncomfortable and quickly said goodbye.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary rushed through the stage doors. As he threw his jacket into the dressing room, he heard the director scream. "Hobson!!!"

"Coming!" He called back. He took one last look at the paper and set it down with his jacket. He closed his eyes and wished silently that nothing would happen until he was able to leave. He pulled his script out of his jacket pocket and ran onto the stage, sliding for about a foot until his shoes regained their friction. "Sorry I'm late."

"Page forty," said Mark, obviously agitated.

Gary's face turned red with embarrassment as he turned to the rest of the cast and opened to page forty. He hadn't meant to be late, but there was another little thing he had to take care of. Sure, he'd saved the kid, but he hadn't counted on anyone calling the police. As he was walking away, a police car pulled up and stopped him. They'd kept him for almost fifteen minutes for
questioning.

"Hobson!" the director yelled again.

Gary snapped back into the rehearsal. Brianna stood offstage, covering her mouth. She shook her head. He'd never forgive her. He hadn't wanted to do this. She'd forced him into it. She caught a glimpse of him and he smiled. She grinned back. Maybe he wasn't angry after all.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary yawned as he walked into his apartment late that night. He groaned and stretched as he shut the door behind him. The cat meowed weakly. "I'm hungry, too, buddy."

He kneeled down and picked the cat up off of the floor, scratching its head as he walked to the kitchen. He put the cat down in front of the refrigerator as he opened it. He pulled out a package of ham and the half loaf of bread. He set a few pieces of ham on the floor for the cat while emptying the rest onto the bread. He took out a jar of mustard and got a knife out of one of the drawers in the kitchen.

He twisted the lid of the jar until it opened with a pop. He dipped the knife into it and spread the mustard onto the bread. The cat rubbed against Gary's leg. "You won't like this," Gary told him. The cat seemed satisfied and jumped up onto one of the chairs at the table. Gary sat down and took a bite of his sandwich. He wasn't halfway through when the phone rang.

He put the sandwich down on the table and searched for his cordless phone. It rang four times before Gary could find it. "Hello?"

"Gary? Honey?"

"Hey, Mom," Gary answered, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "Is something wrong? It's really late," he said, yawning as if to illustrate his point.

"No, we're fine. I just wanted to check on you. I haven't been able to get a hold of you the past couple of weeks. You're always out doing one thing or another."

"Yeah, sorry. I never got a message from you, though," Gary said, glancing at his answering machine.

"Oh, honey, you know I don't trust those things."

Gary smiled; his mother and her quirks. He heard something in the kitchen. He walked in and found the cat on the floor with the rest of his sandwich. "Give me that," he said, bending down and swiping it from the floor.

"Gary, is someone there?"

"Huh? No, Mom. There's nobody here. Listen, I have to get going. I'm really beat. I'll call you later this week, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie. Goodnight. Say hello to Marissa and Chuck for me."

"Sure will, Mom," Gary said with a smile in his voice. "Good night." With that, he hung up. He almost took another bite of the sandwich in his hand when he remembered where it had been. He turned his nose up and threw it in the trashcan. He yawned again. He really was exhausted.

He took the paper and his script out of his back pocket before he made his way to the couch. He kicked his shoes off and relaxed for a moment. He knew he needed to memorize the rest of his lines, but he couldn't bring himself to open that script one more time that day.  So, it lay there with his newspaper. He put his head on the armrest and closed his eyes. He hadn't planned on going to sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary woke up to the sound of a light knock on his door. He could see a figure in the glass, but couldn't make out who it was. He rubbed his eyes, tried to shake the sleep out of his head, and looked at his watch. It was four o'clock in the morning. "This had better be good," he grumbled to himself. He got up from the couch and walked to the door, opening it a little to see whom it was. "Brianna?" he said, groggily. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Gary, I'm sorry to wake you up, but I couldn't help thinking that you hate me for dragging you into this. I knew you didn't want to do it, but I pushed and I kept plugging you to Mark--"

Gary squinted at her, his eyes still adjusting to the lights on the street. "You came here now, to talk about that?" he asked.

"I knew it was a bad idea," she said, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm just going to go, now," she said. She started to turn to leave.

Gary grabbed her arm. "No, you don't have to go."

She stopped and turned to look at him. "Really?"

He didn't want to imply anything, but nodded his head. "I'll make some coffee or something," he yawned. "I needed to get back to memorizing my lines, anyway." He walked into the kitchen, still mostly asleep. He pulled the coffee out of the cupboard and began the coffeemaker. He took two mugs out of the cabinet as well and set them on the counter.

He walked back into the living area where Brianna was sitting on the couch, flipping through his script. "Any suggestions?" he asked.

"Pray," she offered, smiling.

He chuckled. "It about seems that's the only thing that's going to help me now." She gave him the script and opened it to a page that he had dog-eared a page. "Like this," he began. "I can't get the hang of this speech."

"Let me see," Brianna said, leaning into him, touching his shoulder.

There it was again. That spark that Gary had felt the first time that they'd kissed. It was the feeling that he couldn't ignore when he was around her. He, timidly, put his arm around her. She looked up at him, smiling. He studied her for a second before leaning in and kissing her. It wasn't like their other kisses. This one was filled with passion. It was filled with the love that neither of them could keep to themselves anymore.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Gary woke up the next morning, his arm was completely asleep. It was still around Brianna. He tilted his head, trying to get his neck to pop. When it did, he stretched his back. He was careful not to wake Brianna as he moved his arm. He stood up and stood on his toes, raising his arms in the air, extending his whole body. He turned around and looked at the clock, shaking
his arm, trying to get it to wake up.

"Six o'clock," he mumbled. He sniffed the air. Something didn't smell right. He sniffed again. The coffee! He ran into the kitchen and turned off the coffeepot. He held his breath as he poured what he could into the sink. The smell was horrible. He ran water into the pot and looked around for somewhere that it could air out. He opened one of the kitchen windows and set the pot
outside.

As he was closing the window, he heard the familiar thump of his paper and the cat's meow. Then, strangely, he heard another softer thump.

He looked over the small bar to see if Brianna had heard the cat. She hadn't, she was still asleep. Gary jogged to his door, curious to see what the other thump had been. He opened the door for the cat and saw his paper and another, smaller paper beside it. The cat walked in, swatting at Gary as he passed.

Gary picked up the smaller paper and stared in disbelief at the cover. It was "The Tab", Chicago's own infamous tabloid. He couldn't believe it. There on the front page was Brianna and he. He looked at the date. It was tomorrow's Tab.

"I can change it," he said to himself. But how? And why did he have tomorrow's Tab?

He examined the picture more closely. It was a photo from the night before, Gary and Brianna sleeping on the couch. How could they have gotten it? Gary opened the page and looked at the pictures that went along with the story. They were digital. Gary couldn't believe it. It was a picture of Brianna and himself in his bed. He shook his head. This paper could not hit the
newsstands.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary had a few early morning things to take care of with the paper and wasn't back when Brianna woke up. He looked around his apartment for a moment, then locked up and went down to McGinty's.

He had both papers his back pocket when he walked into the office.

"Morning, Gar," Chuck greeted. "Any hot tips for me, today?"

"No time, Chuck," Gary brushed him off. He sat down in the desk across from his friend. "Look at this," he said, pulling the Tab out of his pocket.

Chuck looked up and saw the paper. He whistled. "You two look cute together," he said.

"That's not what I meant, Chuck!"

"What?" Chuck asked.

"It's tomorrow's!"

"Huh?" he asked, examining the paper more closely. "When did you start getting The Tab, buddy? I didn't know you were into those stories."

Gary smiled at Chuck sarcastically. "What am I supposed to do about it?"

"I don't know," Chuck answered. "Call the paper and ask them if they're doing a story about you?"

"You're a lot of help," Gary said. He looked at the front page, again. "You know," he said, thinking out loud. "If they've got these pictures, that means they are following us." Suddenly, his eyes got wide. "Chuck, what if they figure it out?"

"Figure what out?" Marissa asked as she entered the office.

"Gary's got The Tab with a picture of Brianna and him on the front of it. He thinks he's being followed," Chuck said, monotonously, as if it were nothing.

"Gary, that's awful," Marissa said. "What are you going to do?"

"There's got to be a way that I can change this," he muttered.

"You could always try my idea," Chuck offered again.

"Thanks, you're a pal."

"What's the big deal?" Chuck asked. "It's just a stupid tabloid. It's not like anyone actually pays attention to those things."

"Well, if it was important enough that I got it a day early, I think there's something worth checking out." Gary looked at it again, but couldn't figure it out. He looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh, I'm going to be late. I'll see you guys later."

"Where are you going?" Chuck asked.

"Rehearsal," Gary answered. "Opening night is tomorrow."

Chuck cringed. Then tried to stifle a laugh as Gary left.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary left the theatre that night about eleven o'clock. He looked at the Sun-Times to make sure he didn't have anything that night. There was a small story about a car crash on the other side of town.

"Twenty-three year old Myles Canon was on his way home last night when he fell asleep at the wheel of his Ford Explorer. Canon was awakened when his car hit the railing of a bridge. No one was hurt in the accident, but the bridge will need some minor repairs and will be shut down for the better part of a week next month."

"Good," Gary said. "I'm going home." He stuck the paper in his back pocket and began to walk toward McGinty's.

As he opened the door to the bar, Chuck bombarded him. "Buddy, you've got to help us. Two of our waitresses called in sick. We're dying here," he said, handing Gary a tray. "I know you're tired and you probably have something else to do, but please take orders for about an hour."

Gary sighed. "Sure," he conceded. "Let me put my jacket in the office, okay?"

"Thank you, Gar! I could kiss ya!" Chuck said, smiling.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

An hour waiting at McGinty's had turned into two and then three. Finally, Gary got a break when it was time to close up. Chuck promised him that he would do it that night so Gary could go up and get some sleep. Gary trudged up the stairs to his loft.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket and fumbled with the lock for a moment. He swung the door open and closed it behind him. He turned on the small lamp beside the couch and sat down, ready to relax.

There was a knock on the door. Gary groaned. "It's unlocked," he called. He knew it had to be Chuck or Marissa.

Marissa walked into the apartment, Spike beside her. "Gary, are you all right?"

"Yeah, Marissa," he answered. "I'm just tired. Anything wrong?"

"Not really, I was just wondering if you'd figured anything out about The Tab."

"To tell you the truth," Gary said, pulling it from his pocket, "I haven't had another chance to look at it." He looked at the front page again. There was nothing there. He knew that. He had stared at it all morning looking for a clue.

"Did you read any of the stories?"

"Huh?" Gary asked.

"Well, what if it's not about you and Brianna? Couldn't there be something else that is in there that can't be found out?"

"Like what?" Gary said, suddenly flipping through the rest of the pages. He scanned all of the headlines looking for anything that would give him reason to get The Tab. He looked all the way through the pages. "There's nothing," he said, finally.

"I'm sorry, Gary. I don't know what else to tell you. I guess that you're just not supposed to BE the news, you know. I don't think you were ever supposed to be on ANY front page," Marissa put her hand on Gary's for a moment and then stood up, making her way out of the loft.

Gary sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. Marissa was probably right. It was the only logical solution that he could come up with. He put both papers in front of him and pulled his script out of his pocket. It was time for some last minute fine-tuning before he went to sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary woke the next morning to the thump of his paper. He looked at his clock. He still had a few minutes until the alarm went off. He groaned, but threw the blankets off of himself. He trudged to the door and opened it, watching the cat trot by.

"Good morning to you, too," he mumbled, leaning over to get his paper. "At least you only brought me one this morning, huh?" Gary recoiled when the cat gave him what seemed to be an angry glare. "Okay," he said, "okay. Nevermind."

Gary sat himself on the couch and began to leaf through the paper. He hoped that he wouldn't have to do anything that night. As he looked through, it seemed like he had a light workload that day. He had to rescue a man from tripping over a pipe and suing the company and then he had to stop an elderly man from electrocuting himself in his home.

Gary kept reading and soon found himself drawn into the review of his play. He couldn't help the feeling that he shouldn't be reading it, but the review intrigued him, and he read it in spite of himself. When he had finished, Gary put the paper down in disappointment. The critic hadn't liked it. Even worse, the critic had ripped Gary to shreds. Gary gritted his teeth. Surely, the
people of Chicago didn't take just the word of this guy. Gary folded his paper and left it on the coffee table while he went to get cleaned up.

He emerged from the bathroom about twenty minutes later, much calmer. He was still towel drying his hair when he walked over to the couch. He draped the towel around his neck and jumped back when he saw Chuck sitting on the couch reading his paper.

"Chuck!" Gary cried. "What are you doing?" He snatched the paper from Chuck's gaze.

"Tough break, about the play, buddy."

"You read that? Chuck, I've told you before not to read this thing. You didn't look at anything else, did you?"

Chuck scoffed. "Well, I was hoping you'd know me better than that, Gary Hobson," he answered dramatically.

"Cut it out. I'm the actor, not you," Gary said, smiling.

"Not according to that article, you're not."

Gary shook his head. "Yeah, I know. It sounds pretty bad, doesn't it?"

"Sorry, Gar," Chuck said, sincerely. "Does that mean I don't have to go tonight? Because, man, I saw this amazing girl yesterday working at the bank--" his voice trailed off, leaving Gary to make the rest up in his head.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you want."

"Thanks, buddy!" Chuck started to leave Gary's place when he suddenly remembered something. "Almost forgot," he said, pulling something out of his shirt pocket. He winked at Gary. "Knock em dead, tonight!" he called.

"Funny!" Gary called back, unfolding the piece of paper he'd been given. It had a phone number on it. He studied the number for a moment, seeing if it registered at all. Nothing. Gary threw the towel on the floor and began to run down the stairs after Chuck. He caught up to him in the office. "Where'd you get this?" he asked, out of breath.

Chuck looked at him like he was crazy, "Some guy just dropped it off. He justsaid to give it to you. What is it?" he asked, trying to steal it back from Gary.

"Nothing," Gary replied. Chuck was still eyeing him. "I mean, I don't know."

"Okay, Gar," he said. "Hey, you better get going if you're going to make your rehearsal on time."

"Oh man!" Gary exclaimed as he looked at his watch. He only had a few minutes to stop the man from tripping. Gary ran out of the office and up the stairs to the loft. He grabbed the paper off of the coffee table and then grabbed his jacket off of the coat tree. He slammed the door behind him and ran down the stairs out onto the street.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary ran into the theatre literally seconds before his call time. He ran straight backstage and got into his makeup chair. His makeup artist gave him a strange look before taking out the makeup and began to cake it onto his face.

"I'll be so glad when this is over," he told her.

"You've got a while, honey," she responded.

He smiled. If only she knew. She finished his makeup and was brushing his hair when Mark came backstage. "Hey, kid," he greeted. "I need him on stage as soon as possible," he told the woman. She nodded but didn't change her pace of work.

"He's always nervous opening day. Don't let him psych you out, honey." Gary just smiled and nodded. "We were really lucky with you," she continued.

"How's that?" Gary asked, he wasn't sure if he'd heard her right.

"Well, you're the same skin tone as Jeff was. You're the same size, build, we didn't even have to alter the costumes!" she said, laughing.

Gary kind of chuckled. He didn't know what he was supposed to say. Thankfully, Brianna came and sat down in the chair next to him. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hi, Gary," she said. Everything about her seemed to be tired.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm okay. I just didn't get much sleep last night. I was nervous and excited. Well, you know."

"Yeah, I know, believe me," he answered. He could feel his stomach turning flip-flops as they spoke.

"You'll be fine, honey," the makeup woman spoke up again. "Don't you worry about a thing!" Again, Gary couldn't help but thinking that if only she knew--

"All right, doll, go get your costume and I'll see if it needs any last minute touch ups."

Gary stood from his chair and went to get his costumes. Brianna followed him. "What's with all those pet names, doll?" she asked, smiling.

Gary turned and smiled back. Her blue eyes were sparkling as she looked at him. He gulped hard, "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now."

"Why don't you?" she asked, bumping into him, playfully.

"I don't want to ruin my makeup and go back to her again," he said, laughing. She couldn't help but laugh too.

"Everyone on stage!" someone called. "All cast and crew on stage!"

Brianna sighed. "I guess that means us."

"Guess so," Gary answered. He hung up the pair of pants that he was holding and walked to the stage with Brianna, his arm around her shoulders.

It took a few minutes for everyone to get on stage, but when they were all gathered, Mark stood in front of them. From the looks of it, he was going to make a long speech. Brianna and Gary settled themselves on the couch in front of him.

"Okay, people. This is it. I want everything to go like clockwork tonight. We're going to hit a few problem spots this morning, before lunch. Gary, a lot of the rehearsal this morning will be for you." Gary blushed but nodded. "I just wanted to tell you all that this has been a great production and I'll hate to go at the end of the week. All right, that's it. There's no long, drawn out speech this time. Go get your costumes on and be ready for Act One, Scene Two." Mark clapped his hands and the crewmembers began to scatter to their different places backstage. "Oh, Hobson!"

Gary turned around. Mark was waving him to come over and see him. "Yes, sir?"

"Hobson, look, you're a great kid and it has been great working with you, but Jeff wants to come back after this week."

Gary let out a sigh of relief. "Hey, no, that's great."

"All right, well, I just wanted to let you know. Get back there and put your costume on, kid."

"Okay, thanks." Gary ran backstage quickly and grabbed his first costume.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary ran out of the theatre as fast as he could as soon as they broke for lunch. He hadn't planned on morning rehearsal taking so long. He had to sprint to get to the old man in time. Gary pulled the paper out of his pocket and quickly scanned the story again. He at least needed to know the place and the name.

Gary shoved the paper back in his pocket and darted up the stairs. "Mr. Ross?" he called, pounding on the door. There was no answer. He banged on the door again. "Walter Ross?" He heard the floorboard creak in front of the door.

"What do you want, kid?" the older man asked.

Gary pushed past him and into the kitchen.

"Hey!" Walter yelled after him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Gary unplugged the blender. He pulled the cord from the socket and examined it. The wire was badly frayed.

"I have to use that, you know," Walter said, taking the cord from Gary.

"Not this you're not," Gary insisted. "It's too badly frayed. You'll electrocute yourself if you try and use that. You need a new one, Mr. Ross."

"I have to mix my medicine in that," he told Gary.

Gary looked at his watch. He needed to start back already. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and wrote down the address to McGinty's. "Look, if you'll go there and talk to my partner, he'll let you use our blender. You just can't use that one," Gary told him. He handed the piece of paper to the man.

"Seems like an awful lot of trouble for a stupid blender," Walter said. He sighed. "I'll just use the one next door. Thanks though, kid. You probably saved my life."

Gary smiled. "No problem." He looked at his watch and dashed out of the apartment. He only had fifteen minutes to get back and he still hadn't picked up any lunch. His stomach was starting to sound like a lion. He stopped at the first place he saw and ordered a sandwich. He would have to eat on the run.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary slid in the door and kept on going back to the make up table. He had just made it. He needed to touch up his makeup and then he would be ready for the afternoon's run through.

Gary sailed through the run through. It seemed almost too perfect. "Of course it is," he thought. He couldn't shake the review from that morning. He already knew that night that they were going to fall flat on their faces. All of them. "And after such a good rehearsal too," he muttered.

"After such a good rehearsal what?" Brianna asked.

Gary snapped his head up. He hadn't realized anyone else was around. "Huh? Oh nothing. I was just kind of talking to myself. I do that sometimes."

"I guess I'll have to get used to it," Brianna said, smiling sweetly.

Gary grinned, "Yeah, I guess."

Brianna looked at her watch. "Only two hours until truth time. You ready?"

Gary took a deep breath and exhaled. "As I'll ever be," he told her.

She smiled and patted his cheek, "I'll see you later, Gary."

"Yeah," he said as she walked away. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something didn't seem right between them. There was something that she was hiding from him. "Then again," he mumbled to himself, "I'm hiding the paper from her."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary took his bow that night with the rest of the cast. His hands were soaked with perspiration, he'd been so nervous. But at that moment, smiling out at the audience, he didn't feel like there was anything wrong at all. He felt comfortable.

The cast took one more bow and then the curtain closed. The applause died down and the cast went off in different directions to make sure their things were back in the right places. Gary was checking on a costume when Mark patted his back.

"Not a bad performance tonight, kid. Not bad at all."

Gary smiled. "Thanks. When did you say Jeff was coming back?"

"I didn't per say. He's thinking the night after tomorrow."

Gary nodded. "Great."

"You sticking around to read the reviews?" Mark asked.

Gary considered it for a moment. He figured it was some kind of tradition or something. "You know, I have to be up pretty early in the morning. I better just go on home."

"All right, kid. We'll see you tomorrow night."

"Yeah," Gary said. He gave a short wave and walked away, hoping to find Brianna. "Have you seen--" he began to ask one of the stage managers.

"Over there," the man said, pointing across the stage.

Gary thanked him and jogged over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You looked great tonight," he told her.

She sighed and leaned into him. "You too." Suddenly she turned around. "You're sticking around aren't you?" she asked, noticing he had his jacket with him.

He shook his head. "I have some things at McGinty's I have to catch up on. I need to get home."

"Come on, Gary. Please stay. For me," she gave him the puppy dog eyes. Gary hated the puppy dog eyes. They ALWAYS melted him. For once, he decided to stand firm.

"Naw," he said, finally. "I really have to go."

"Okay," she said. "I'll call you when the verdict is in."

Gary smiled. "Okay." He leaned close to her and kissed her softly. She closed her eyes and brought her hand to the back of his neck. He pulled away first. "I have to go," he said, quietly. He gave her another quick peck on the cheek and then left.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It seemed like it had only been minutes that Gary had been in bed when his phone started to ring. He groaned and looked at the clock. It HAD only been minutes. He rolled over and grabbed the phone off of his nightstand. "Hello," he said, groggily.

"Gary?" someone asked, then sniffed as if they were crying.

"Marissa?" Gary asked, his heart jumping into his throat.

"No, no," the voice said. "It's Brianna. Oh, Gary, it's horrible."

"Brianna? What? What's the matter?"

"They killed us, Gary! They absolutely slaughtered it!" she told him, sobbing.

"Aww, Bri, I'm so sorry," Gary said, sympathetically. He turned his bedside lamp on. He heard her blow her nose.

"Mark says we're only going to do the play for four weeks," she said and began to cry again. "I really needed this job, Gary."

"I know you did," Gary told her. He felt incredibly bad. "Look why don't you get to bed. You didn't get much sleep last night. It'll do you some good. Come by McGinty's in the morning and I'll get you some breakfast and we'll talk, okay?"

Brianna sniffed. "Okay," she said thickly. "Good night, Gary."

Gary hung the phone up. He knew it was coming. He also knew how much that Brianna had wanted the play to succeed. She hadn't had a hit anything for some time. He sighed and leaned back into his pillows. Well, he would see her tomorrow. There had to be something that he could say then.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gary was wiping down tables the next day when Brianna came in. She saw him and immediately ran to him and embraced him. It was the tightest hug that anyone had ever given him. He put his arms around her as well. "Why don't we sit down, huh?" She nodded. He pulled out a chair for her. He looked down at the table. "Brianna, I really don't know what to say. I'm just really sorry."

Brianna smiled. "It's not your fault, Gary. There were just too many things that went wrong. Don't get me wrong, you did a wonderful job last night, but the whole thing in general just must not have been right, you know?"

Gary nodded. "This is my last night. Why don't I take you out after the performance?"

Brianna smiled. "I think I'd like that."

"Good."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That night after the curtain call, Gary waited around for Brianna. She found him leaning against the wall backstage, deep in thought.

"Something you want to share?" she asked.

Gary smiled. "Not really. You ready to go?"

She nodded. He helped her put on her coat and put his arm around her shoulder as they left.

Gary opened the door to the small diner and they stepped inside. Gary slid into one side of the booth, Brianna in the other.

"Gary, listen I--" Brianna began.

"Brianna, I wanted to--" Gary said at the same time.

"Go ahead," they both said at the same time. Each one laughed nervously.

"Go," Gary said, smiling.

"Well," Brianna began, nervously. She took a deep breath. "Gary, I want you to come to Los Angeles with me when the play is over."

Gary stared at her in disbelief. "I--" he began. "Brianna, I just can't do that." She smiled, putting up a brave face. "It's not that I don't want to, because believe me, if there were different circumstances--"

"No, no. It's okay. You don't have to explain."

"I'm sorry, Brianna," he said.

"That's okay. You know, um, I'm really not all that hungry. I'm just going to go back to my hotel."

Gary nodded, but didn't say anything. He knew that if he did, he would end up telling her about the paper. He didn't think that she could handle it. He watched as she left and then put his head down on the table to think for a moment before he decided to leave too.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He messed with the keys for a moment before getting into the loft. He flipped on the light switch and saw the cat lying on his bed. The anger he'd been building up flooded out, finally. He threw his jacket across the room. He needed something else, he wasn't done. There was still angry energy to be spent. He pulled the paper from his back pocket and ripped it in half, throwing it across the room as well. He panted, trying to calm himself down. He threw himself onto the couch. He tried to convince himself that it was just another meaningless relationship that the paper had ruined for him, but he knew better. He knew that this one could have gone somewhere.

He turned over on the couch and looked at the answering machine. It was blinking. He swallowed the rest of his anger and pushed the button. First was a message from the insurance company. "Mr. Hobson, this is Chuck Weasely from J & JK Insurance. I left a telephone number with your partner this morning. Please get back to me as soon as you can." The machine beeped. Gary sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn't want to mess with any insurance issues. He erased the message and pressed the button for the next one.

His mother's voice played. "Gary, honey, it's Mom. Call me back when you get this message. I'll talk to you soon. I love you. Oh and your dad says hi."

Gary couldn't help but smile. His parents were always there when he needed them. They didn't even know it this time. He looked around and picked up his jacket, hanging it on the hook. He snatched the paper off of the floor and put it on the table.

He changed into his usual t-shirt and sweats before scooting the cat out of his bed. "See you in the morning, fleabag," he said before turning out his light.

* * * * FOUR WEEKS LATER * * * *

Gary took a deep breath and looked at the doors to the theatre. It was now or never. He exhaled and stepped inside. All around him people were chatting. Gary gave his ticket to the man in the booth. "Have a good evening, sir," the man said.

Gary nodded and smiled in response. He didn't think anything about this evening would be good. His stomach felt like it would turn inside out at any second. He didn't think that he could sit through the whole play. He made his way to his seat. The lights flashed three times signaling curtain time. Gary stood up, letting the people in his row pass. He sat back down and opened his
program before the lights dimmed.

Even looking at the black and white headshot Gary couldn't help but think how beautiful Brianna was. The lights dimmed and Gary closed the program, looking up onto the stage at the all too familiar set. He couldn't help but thinking that only four weeks earlier he'd been up there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After the play ended, Gary stood and applauded with the rest of the audience. He took a deep breath and began to make his way backstage. Right as he was about to go up the stairs to the dressing area, he chickened out. He couldn't do it. He had his hand raised to knock on the door, but he couldn't get it to move.

He put his hand down, defeated and began to walk away. He didn't stop walking until he was out of the theatre. He leaned against the wall, mentally beating himself up for not being able to talk to her. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. His mind would wander and he would be able to feel her touch and the way he had felt with her. He hadn't felt that good in a long time. He wanted that back in his life. He needed that back in his life.

He hung his head and covered his eyes. He wanted to leave. With all that he had in him, he wanted to leave. He just couldn't bring himself to walk away from the wall. Finally, he was able to do it. He was going to go home. He stepped away from the wall and began to walk in the direction of McGinty's.

"Gary?"

Gary froze mid-step. He closed his eyes. He wanted to turn around more than anything. "Just turn," he mumbled to himself. "Turn around."

Brianna jogged over to him. "I thought that was you," she said, giving him that killer smile.

"Hi, Brianna," Gary said weakly. "You were great up there, tonight."

"Thanks," she said. "Kind of bittersweet, you know? I'll be sad to leave this cast, but the good news is that it got me another job in Los Angeles. I'm going to be leaving next week."

"Don't leave," Gary pleaded in his mind. He could tell that his face had fallen at the news. "That's great," he said, forcing a smile.

"Would you want to go out for some coffee?" she asked him.

"More than anything," Gary thought to himself. "No, I better not. I promised Chuck that I would be back in time to help him close up."

"Oh," Brianna said. "Well, maybe I'll be back in Chicago sometime and look you up."

Gary's heart ached at those words. "Yeah, that would be great," is what Gary meant to say. Instead he blurted out, "Brianna, don't leave."

She looked up at him, shocked. "What?"

There, he'd said it. Now he had to come up with a convincing argument. He took her hand. "Please, don't go." He paused building his courage. "I love you."

Brianna literally felt weak in the knees. His words just seemed to melt her. "I," she began. "I love you too, Gary."

Gary smiled. "Then stay."

"I can't do that," she answered him, dropping his hand. "I'm sorry," her voice broke. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Why?" Gary asked.

"I can't give up my career right now."

"You could find work here," Gary interjected.

"I'm sorry, Gary," she said again, her eyes filling with tears. Quickly, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and then ran inside the theatre, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She didn't stop when Jeff called to her. She couldn't see anyone.

Gary stood out on the sidewalk, staring. His whole body seemed numb. He turned mechanically, and began to walk home.

As he climbed the stairs to the loft, he regained his emotions. He opened the door and kicked his shoes off. He pulled the paper from his back pocket and slung it on the table. He draped his jacket over the back of a chair and went into the kitchen for a beer.

He loosened his tie and sat on the couch, his beer in hand. There was a light knock on the door. Gary took a long drink. The person knocked again. "Go away," he yelled. Tap, tap, tap. "No one's home!" he yelled again.

The door swung open slowly. Gary took another long drink of beer. He cursed himself for not locking it when he'd come in. He didn't look up to see who his visitor was. He didn't look up that is, until he felt warm breath on his cheek. He smelled that sweet perfume.

He closed his eyes and just inhaled her for a moment. Then, their lips touched. He put his hand to the back of her neck.

She pushed away from him momentarily, giving each time to catch their breath. She smiled at him, looking devastatingly handsome in his suit.

"Well," she said, pausing, "maybe we could work something out."

He smiled and they kissed again.

THE END
 
 

Email the author: HolywdBnd@aol.com
 

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