Title: New beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This is my very first fanfiction story so please be kind. It is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This is part one of how many depends on feedback, please let me know what you think. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. _____________________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 1 "Eugene, I think we should broom her, we start fresh and then we build a partnership - if that's the answer." Lindsay didn't wait around for Eugene's response, instead she fled the office with tears in her eyes. The drive to Helen's was slow and difficult, as she had to stop several times to compose herself before she could continue. But the tears were still falling as she knocked on Helens door. 'Who is it?" "Helen, it's Lindsay" came the muffled reply "Hey Babe, what's the matter" Helen asked as she opened the door, one look at Lindsay had her ushering her friend quickly inside. "I… um… he said… and…." "Lindsay slow down, take some deep breathes, do you want a drink?" Lindsay nodded and Helen fetched her a straight scotch. "Now sip this and start again, slowly this time." Lindsay took a deep breath "I was just packing up to leave the office and I overheard Bobby talking to Eugene, he want's to fire me. Helen, I don't think I've ever seen him so mad" "Fire you!" Helen was incredulous "Because you asked for a partnership? Unbelievable, the scum, well we're not going to take this lying down, I know I'll have Mike run him through the system and see if he has outstanding parking tickets, if not maybe Mike can create some for him…." Lindsay looked at her strangely "Helen…." But Helen was warming up to the idea now and didn't hear her "You know after that Isikoff incident the Police have just been looking for a reason…." " HELEN!!!" Helen stopped her pacing and spun around. "What?" "We can't get Bobby arrested just because he want's to fire me." "So what then you just go in tomorrow and pretend you didn't hear anything and wait for him to fire you. Lindsay that just isn't you, you deserve to be partner, Bobby's an idiot if he doesn't realise that." "It's not just Bobby, it's everyone, they're all so mad. Elanor, Rebecca, Jimmy…. I just don't seem to fit in there anymore." Tears were sliding down her face again and she paused to compose herself. "Everything's such a mess Helen, I don't think it'll ever be the same again." Helen sat down beside her "Then maybe this is fates way of telling you it's time for a change" Lindsay looked at her quisically "What do you mean?" "Lindsay your not happy there, Bobby's never going to give up control of that office, which means no partnerships, maybe you should leave" "And do what?" Helen hesitated "Ok, I have an idea, just hear me out before you comment alright" "Helen, what are you thinking?" "Well… I've been pretty unhappy at the DA's office, and we've always wanted to work together, I think we should start our own firm." She finished the last part of the sentence in a rush. There was silence for what seemed like an eternity to Helen, finally when she couldn't take it anymore she turned to Lindsay "God Lindsay say something, I'm dying here." "I, I don't know what to say. Helen this is such a big step" "Not really, I mean it is a Gamble, but then I come from a long line of Gambles so that's no problem" "Funny" "Come on Lindsay it'll be fun, just you and me, we get to set up the firm the way we want, we'll be in charge, it might be a bit tight at first but I really think we can make it work" "But you hate criminals, and you hate criminal defense attorney's more, I can't believe you want to become one" "Who said anything about criminals, Lindsay all the big money's in civil actions these days, besides you're right I don't want to spend my days getting murderers free. So what do you say?" She could already see that Lindsay was warming to the idea. "Our own firm, Dole and Gamble…." "Ah, Gamble and Dole" Helen interrupted "We'll flip for it" Lindsay said, "But seriously Helen, I don't think I can go back into that office even to turn in my resignation, I can't face Bobby, I just can't do it" Helen looked at her realisation dawning, "You’re in love with him." "Hey, no, why would you think that? "Lindsay I've known you since college, you can't lie to me, you're in love with him" Lindsay suddenly found Helen's coffee table fascinating, so much so that she refused to take her eyes off it. "Lindsay, if you love the guy, fight for him, running away won't solve anything" "No Helen, you didn't hear him in that office, I did. He was just so mad. Besides we're totally wrong for each other, I mean he doesn't even want me, if he want's anyone it's you. Even if we did get together it would just end badly and then we'd be right back here. It's best I end it now, I just can't face him" "If you want I can do it…" "Would you" Lindsay jumped in "I mean I wouldn't have asked but if your volunteering…" "Funny, I'll do it for you on one condition" Lindsay looked suspicious "What?" "Gamble and Dole…" for the first time that night Lindsay laughed "Fine, but Helen you won't say anything about….. well you know…" "I won't say a word, I'll just tell him that you've decided it's in the best interests of the firm to leave, if he want's to know more he'll have to contact you." She pulled out a notebook, "Now let's talk about us…" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, what do you think, please let me know if it's even worth continuing. Bron Title: New beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This is my very first fanfiction story so please be kind. It is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read part 1. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 2 Office of Robert G Donnell - Attorney at Law The hallway was dark as Helen stepped off the Elevator, most of the offices were closed for the weekend but Lindsay had told Helen that Bobby worked most Saturdays. They had both agreed it would be best for Helen to talk to Bobby without the presence of everyone else. Helen opened the door and stepped inside, she could see the light burning from Bobby's office and was glad to see that apart from that the office was indeed empty. She rounded Rebecca's desk and noticed Bobby concentrating on paperwork, she knocked lightly on the doorframe. Bobby jumped visibly. "God, Helen you scared the hell out of me" She smiled slightly "Sorry" "Yeah, you look sorry" he took a calming breath "So apart from scaring me half to death, what brings you here on this bright, sunny Saturday?" "Bobby" she gave him a strange look as she sat down " it's pouring out there it has been for the last 2 hours" "It is?" he went to the door and looked out the window "Well then what brings you out on this miserable Saturday afternoon? I must admit I didn't think I'd see you again so soon after….." he turned back to her with a smile, but it quickly died when he saw the look on her face. "What's going on?" "Bobby sit down" He sat beside her on the couch "This doesn't sound very good, what's the matter Helen?" When she didn't answer straight away he grew concerned "Are you alright? If something's wrong you can tell me, I mean…" "Bobby, I'm alright, although thanks for asking, anyway it's not about me, it's about Lindsay" "Uh-huh" he frowned "What about Lindsay, because if she sent you to convince me to make her a partner Helen, you can go back and tell her it won't work. I won't be railroaded or blackmailed, or pressured. This is my decision. I'll make it when I'm ready" "Well from the sound of it you've already made your decision" Bobby opened his mouth to interrupt but Helen stopped him. "No Bobby, let me say this. Lindsay didn't send me here to talk you into making her a partner, she sent me here to turn in her resignation" She reached into her bag and retrieved a letter and handed it to Bobby. "She'd like it to begin effective immediately, her workload has been reasonably light since she's given up the drug cases, so if someone could take over her caseload that'll probably be easiest for everyone. I'm just going to collect a few things off her desk and I'll be out of your way." She rose to leave but Bobby's voice stopped her as she reached the door. "Helen, why?" "It's not my place to say Bobby, just read the letter" she gathered a few of Lindsay's personal effects from her desk, and turned to look back at Bobby, he was where she had left him hunched over the letter reading it intently, with a sigh she turned and quietly left the office. _____________________________________________________ Rebecca was surprised to find the office door unlocked when she arrived Monday morning. As a rule she was generally the first to arrive except when one of the lawyers were working on a big case that required a lot of overtime, however things had been relatively slow lately. She noticed Bobby's light glowing in his office and went in to say hello, but his appearance surprised her. "Jeez Bobby, you look terrible, tell me you haven't been here all weekend" Bobby looked up surprised "God, what is it with everyone sneaking up on me, I think I've lost ten years off my life just this weekend" Rebecca sighed "Bobby have you been here all weekend?" "Not all weekend, no" "Then what's with the crumpled outfit, you certainly look like you've been here for awhile" "You know Bec, just trying to catch up on some of the backlog" he said trying to avoid the question. But Rebecca wasn't falling for it "Bobby, we don't have a backlog at the moment, unless a case came up that I don't know about, we certainly don't have enough of a backlog for you to be working all weekend…" "Not all weekend" he interrupted "Uh-huh" she still looked sceptical "Look if you don't want to talk about it that's fine, but I'm here if you need me. This wouldn't be about the partnership issue would it?" "Why would you say that?" "Because it's been bothering you, and there's nothing else I can think of. Is it?" "Kind of" "Have you reached a decision?" "Actually, it turned out that I didn't have to, it seems the problem just rectified itself" "What do you mean?" Rebecca asked confused. "Lindsay handed in her resignation" "What!" Rebecca was astounded "She quit" "Actually she sent Helen to do it for her, it's all here in her letter" "Show it to me" she demanded. Bobby handed her the letter and she scanned it quickly, "I hereby submit my resignation, effective immediately, I apologise for the short notice, but I believe it is in the best interest of the firm to handle it this way. Please convey my apology and best wishes to everyone. Yours sincerely Lindsay Dole." She looked at Bobby "That's it? That's not much of a resignation, what reason did she give, or what did Helen say?" "She didn't give a reason, and Helen didn't say anything, just to read the letter, but it didn't say anything either" "Well what did she say when you rang her" Bobby looked down "I didn't ring her" "What!!! Bobby how could you not ring her?" "Don't yell at me Rebecca" "I will yell at you, she hands in her resignation and you don't even ring her to find out why" she swatted him on the arm "Why not?" "Hey!" Bobby yelled as he ducked from Rebecca's second shot which was aimed at his head "Knock it off Bec" he sighed, "I was going to ring her, but then I got to thinking and the more I thought the more it seemed like this was just another form of blackmail" Now Rebecca looked confused "You want to run that by me again?" "Well think about it Bec, she knows I wasn't about to make her a partner, so she thinks that if she quits I'll come crawling back to her, on hands and knees offering her anything she wants" Rebecca hit him on the head twice. "Hey!" Bobby said "What was that for?" "The first one was because you're an idiot, the second one was in case you didn't get the point of the first one" "It makes sense, it's just another power play of hers and I'm getting sick of it. This is my firm, if she's not happy with how things work in my firm that's too bad. Her tricks aren't going to work on me." Now it was Rebecca's turn to sigh "Bobby one of these day's you're going to wake up and find out your pride has made you a very lonely man, then you're going to have to ask yourself if it was all worth it." "It's not about pride Bec" "Isn't it?" "No, well maybe a little, but I built this place from the ground up, it's my firm, and I won't be pushed by anyone into something I'm not ready for" "Will you ever be ready?" "I don't know, but if I do ever expand this place to include partners it'll be my decision" "So you're not even going to talk to her?" Rebecca asked. "No, and I don't want anyone else talking to her either. She made her own decision to leave, lets all just abide by her wishes" Rebecca was incredulous "Bobby, you can't force people not to speak to Lindsay, she's our friend too" "I mean it Bec as of right now it's company policy, no communication with Lindsay, she made her play and she failed, that's that" Rebecca shook her head sadly "I think you're making a big mistake" _________________________________________________________ End of Part 2 - Please tell me what you think. Bron Title: New beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This is my very first fanfiction story so please be kind. It is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 & 2. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 3 The knock on the door startled Lindsay, she sat where she was, afraid to answer it, torn between her hope that Bobby had come to visit her, and her fear that he hadn't. The knock sounded again, more determined this time, with a shaky breath she stood and opened the door. "Oh, Rebecca…. Hi" "Well, I've certainly had warmer welcomes than that. Either you were expecting someone else or you really don't want to see me?" Lindsay took a step back "Neither. I'm sorry of course I want to see you, come in please" Rebecca took a step inside "Would you like a drink, coffee, tea, I think I have some juice…." Nerves had Lindsay putting her hands in her pockets so Rebecca couldn't see them shaking. "No thanks, I'm not thirsty, I just came to talk to you, do you have a moment?" "Your timing’s good, I happen to have a lot of moments right now" Rebecca sat down "Lindsay I'm serious, Bobby told me you resigned, I read the letter… What there was of it, what's going on?" "I'm sorry, I wanted to come in person, I just thought that um…" Lindsay fumbled trying to find the right words. "What happened? One second you’re asking for a partnership, the next second you’re resigning. Lindsay it doesn't make sense" "I guess I just saw how much the issue was dividing the firm, and I thought it was better all around to leave." Lindsay hedged. "And if I were stupid I might buy that excuse" Lindsay looked away "Level with me Lindsay, what's happening?" Lindsay sat down next to Rebecca "I guess I just realised that my vision of the firm, wasn't everyone else's, I've noticed the tension between everyone lately. We're not the friends we used to be, I don't want to be responsible for that" Tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked to keep them at bay. "You're not responsible, Lindsay it's ridiculous to take all the blame, if we've all drifted apart a little it's everyone's fault…." "It's the way I feel Rebecca" Lindsay interrupted, the tears were now sliding down her face and she took a deep breath before continuing. "So does everyone know?" Rebecca nodded "Yes" "Are they…. um…. are they ok?" "Well they're shocked, Eugene, Ellenor, Jimmy, they all thought I was joking when I told them. It was kind of sudden" "And Bobby?" The words were out of Lindsay's mouth before she could stop them, she instantly regretted the question "Oh god, forget I asked, I don't think I want to know" "He's hurt, although he won't admit it. But mostly he's just mad" Rebecca hesitated not knowing how to phrase the words. "Now it's my turn to ask you what you’re hiding" "The reason the others didn't come with me was because they're covering for me" Lindsay was confused "What do you mean?" "We thought it best that Bobby didn't know I was coming here until after I spoke to you" "Why?" Rebecca paused "Bobby's got it into his mind that by resigning you're trying to force him into offering you a partnership to get you to stay" Lindsay was astounded "Is that what everyone else thinks?" This time there was no hesitation "Of course not, we've all tried to talk to him about it, Eugene argued with him for an hour, but he's being stubborn, that's one of the reasons I'm here I thought that if you came in and talked to him we could get it all sorted out" "He really thinks that this is a tactic? That I could manipulate him like that" "Well after you surprised him in the staff meeting…." "God, I explained that. I did that to protect him, and he accuses me of….." she was so angry she couldn't continue. "If you just came in, we could straighten the whole thing out" "NO!" Lindsay took a deep breath to calm herself down "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell at you, Bec. But If that's the way he feels I really don't think there's much to talk about" Rebecca stood up to leave "You know the place won't be the same without you, are you sure?" Now there were tears in her eyes too. Lindsay hugged her "Please don't cry I'll start again too. I'm really going to miss you guys" Rebecca hugged her back "What will you do now?" "Pick myself up and go on I guess" "Take care of yourself" Rebecca said crying harder. Lindsay opened the door. "You too" Rebecca stepped through the doorway but turned just as Lindsay was shutting the door, "Don't be a stranger" Lindsay shook her head sadly "I think it's in everybody's best interest for me to keep my distance, at least for awhile, give my love to everyone, and tell them I'll miss them" "What about Bobby, do you want me to tell him anything?" There was no holding back the tears now for either of them "Just… just take care of him Bec, that's all" Rebecca nodded "I will" with that she turned and walked down the stairs. Lindsay shut the door and turned to lean against it. Her legs gave way beneath her and she sank to the floor with a strangled cry as she buried her face in her hands and wept. ________________________________________________________ Well this part was a little more serious, please tell me what you think, I appreciate the feedback Bron Title: New beginnings Part 4 Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This is my very first fanfiction story so please be kind. It is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1, 2 & 3 . All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 4 Five Years Later The snow was falling in sheets in Boston, so heavy it was hard to see even a few meters in advance, making travel of any kind particularly hazardous. Very few people were on the streets and those that were unlucky enough to have to be out were rushing to their destinations as quickly as possible. It was with this thought in mind that Jimmy and Ellenor pushed through the doors of the high-rise office building that housed their latest appointment. Ellenor shook her head and snow came tumbling down around her. "God of all days to have a settlement discussion, we had to schedule one for today, right in the middle of a blizzard" Jimmy was trying fairly unsuccessfully to stop snow falling down the back of his collar "I don't know that it would technically be classed as a blizzard but it sure feels like one, thank God we're here, maybe it'll stop by the time we have to leave" Ellenor looked back out through the door at the thick snow "Yeah I'm sure that's going to happen" she said sarcastically "And maybe Santa will bring me that new car I've been asking for too" "There's no need to be snide Ellenor, I was just making a comment" Jimmy said trying to hold on to his fraying temper. "I mean it wasn't me who booked an appointment for all the way over the other side of town in the middle of a snow storm…." "Shut up Jimmy" Ellenor interrupted "Lets just find out where we have to go and then get this over with, shall we?" Jimmy looked around the large foyer "There's a directory over there, lets look at that" They trudged over to that large board mounted on the wall "Lets see Finkel and Strauss, there it is on the fifth floor" Jimmy said, he turned around to walk to the elevator and ran straight into Ellenor who was glued to the floor, staring at the board "Umf …" Jimmy grunted and took a step back "Ellenor what are you doing? The office is on the fifth floor lets go…" "Jimmy look" Ellenor said indicating the board "Two frames down from Finkel and Strauss…look" Jimmy turned back around to glance where Ellenor was indicating, there in gold lettering were the words: Gamble and Dole "Oh my God" said Jimmy "So this is where Lindsay is, I heard she was around here somewhere, but I didn't know it was here… boy she must be doing really well to be able to afford rent in this place" Ellenor looked at him "Do you think we should go and visit?" "Right now? We've got that settlement" Ellenor shook her head in frustration "Obviously I meant after the settlement Jimmy, could you try to limit your stupid responses to only one a day?" "That's mean Ellenor" She sighed "You're right, I'm sorry. So what do you think?" Jimmy shrugged "I'd like to see Lindsay again, it's been a long time, what about you?" "Yeah, I'd like to see her and Helen both, we'll just drop in after the settlement, and see if they're there" They turned and headed for the elevator. _________________________________________________________ "Ok, we'll discuss your offer with our client and get back to you" Ellenor said as she rose and gathered her papers. "If he agrees we'll schedule a meeting to sign all the paperwork" she shook the hand that was extended to her and Jimmy did the same "We'll be in touch" she repeated before leaving the office and heading to the elevators. "Man that was the longest settlement negotiation I've ever sat through" Jimmy complained as the elevator doors opened "I didn't think that guy was ever going to stop talking about his cat…" "Please Jimmy, I've lived through it once already today, let's not go through it again, what floor was Lindsay on?" "Seven" Ellenor pushed the button and waited for the lift to stop "Here we go" she said as they stepped off the elevator. They walked around the corridor until they came to a set of double glass doors with the name of 'Gamble and Dole' stenciled across the front. Jimmy pushed the door open and Ellenor walked in ahead of him. She stopped a few steps inside and Jimmy stopped beside her. He looked around impressed. The office was moderately sized, consisting mostly of an open area in the center housing a number of desks all facing in a variety of different directions. To the left was a recessed area accessed by three stairs, that contained long wooden tables and floor to ceiling books. Ladders made of the same wood as the tables slid along the walls to allow access to the harder to reach areas. To the right was a wall of glass housing from what Ellenor could tell around twelve offices, they curved away from the foyer and out of view, each contained different shades of vertical blinds to provide privacy if needed. At the back of the office were two sets of double doors with a name plate on each. Ellenor couldn't read the names from where she was standing but assumed these must belong to Helen and Lindsay. She took a step forward but was stopped by a lady approaching her. "May I help you?" "We'd like to see Lindsay Dole please" "Do you have an appointment?" She asked Ellenor shook her head "No, we're old friends of hers, we'd just like to say hello" "Could I have your names please?" "Ellenor Frutt and James Berlutti" "One moment please" she walked to the first set of double doors and knocked quietly, a few seconds later Lindsay came rushing out. "Ellenor, Jimmy, what a great surprise!" She said, several heads turned at the uncharacteristic outburst from their boss, but Lindsay didn't pay any attention. "What brings you by?" "We had a meeting on the fifth floor, we noticed your name on the sign downstairs and thought we'd stop by and say hello" Lindsay hugged them both "I'm so glad you did, do you have time for a chat or do you have to get back?" Jimmy shrugged "We've got some time" "Great come into my office" she lead the way "Helen's in a meeting at the moment, she's going to be upset that she missed you" She indicated some chairs "Please have a seat, would you like some coffee?" Both Jimmy and Ellenor shook their heads "No thanks" Jimmy said, he looked around the office "Wow, it looks like you're really doing well for yourself" Lindsay blushed "We're doing ok, we've expanded, you should have seen us when we were just starting out, the place was quite a bit smaller then" she smiled "You two look great, how are things with you?" "Pretty much the same" Ellenor responded, "We're still working for Bobby, so's Eugene and Rebecca…" "She's a lawyer now" Jimmy broke in Lindsay's jaw dropped "Rebecca's a lawyer!! When did that happen?" "About a year after you left, apparently she was going to law school at night, none of us even knew about it" "That's great, so it's still just the five of you?" Lindsay asked Ellenor nodded "And Lucy, she's our receptionist. We hired her when Rebecca passed the bar" "So are either of you married? Are there any kids running around?" "Nope, well not for us, Eugene remarried his ex-wife, they have a one year old daughter" Ellenor answered "Eugene got married again, you're kidding" "No, they went on a holiday and eloped about two and a half years ago" Lindsay shook her head "So much time has passed, in some ways it seems like only yesterday that were all together not four years ago" "Five" Jimmy corrected "Five!!" Lindsay did a mental calculation "I guess that would be right" Ellenor looked at her "Why didn't you contact us Lindsay, Rebecca said you would" Lindsay sighed "I wanted to so much, especially in the early days." She paused the confession not coming easily "….. Rebecca asked me to keep in touch and I did fully intend to contact you" She looked up at them "but I guess I felt we didn't really end on the best of terms, and because there was so much to do here I just used that as an excuse to keep my distance. By the time I actually worked up the nerve to pick up the phone and call days had turned into weeks and weeks into months. So instead I submerged myself in work, getting this place off the ground became my sole focus….. Everything was so tight at that stage, we were taking any cases we could just to stay afloat, I was so tired, emotionally and physically" She paused again to collect her thoughts "We'd been in practice for about a year and a half when we won a really big settlement, against a construction company who caused the deaths of several of their workers because they substituted substandard material in their buildings to save money. The jury awarded damages of $17 Million, the contingency allowed us to hire some extra people. Suddenly the pressure was off us, we'd managed to survive, and I wanted to call you all and share the news…" "But" Ellenor prompted when it looked like Lindsay wasn't going to say anymore. "Well, I didn't want you to think I was bragging, I'd left it so late to call by that stage that it seemed especially wrong to do it after our first big win, so I put it off again. I guess I just kept convincing myself that the time wasn't right, I'm so sorry" "So it had nothing to do with Bobby" Ellenor asked Lindsay looked down "Why would you think that?" "Because you haven't mentioned him at all since we walked through the door" "I haven't?" Lindsay tried to look surprised but didn't quite pull if off "Oh well then, how is he?" "Pretty much the same" Ellenor replied, she paused "He's not seeing anyone you know." "I didn't ask" Lindsay jumped in Ellenor smirked "Of course you didn't…… so are you?" Lindsay looked down again "Well you know, I've been so busy, with work and everything, I haven't had a lot of time to date" "Uhuh" Ellenor look skeptical "Well ok then" she looked out the window behind Lindsay "You know Jimmy, I think you were right, the weather is clearing up, we should go before it gets worse again." They both stood up "It was great seeing you again Lindsay, maybe we can catch up again soon. I know Bec and Eugene and …. everyone would love to see you." Lindsay hugged them both, "That'd be great, tell them hello for me" "Will do, say hi to Helen, maybe we'll catch her next time" "She'd like that" Ellenor and Jimmy left quickly, Lindsay turned to look out the window and saw a thick blanket of snow still falling outside. With a confused sigh she sat and continued her paperwork. ___________________________________________________________ Ellenor practically dragged Jimmy to the lift, and pushed the button, they stepped inside. "Jeez Ellenor what's the rush" Jimmy complained "I mean the weather's not better if anything it looked worse, you know I don't particularly want to go outside." "I want to get back to the office" Ellenor said "Are you going to tell Bobby we ran into Lindsay?" "Well of course I am you big dope, do you think I'm braving the weather for fun?" "You know, you've been cranky lately Ellenor, it was just a question…." "A silly question…." She interrupted Jimmy glared at her "I really don't think you should have told her Bobby wasn't seeing anyone. It wasn't really your place" "I had to tell her something so she'd open up" "About what?" "About whether she was seeing anyone" "Why would that matter anyway" Ellenor looked at him "You know Jimmy sometimes you really are a dope" ____________________________________________________ End of part four - Please send me feedback, good or bad I really like to know what you think Bron Title: New beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1, 2, 3 & 4. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 5 "Lucy where's the Kellerman file?" Rebecca asked as she searched her desk "I left it right here, what did you do with it?" Lucy looked up from her computer with a frown "I didn't touch it, why does everyone always blame me when something goes missing?" "Maybe it's because you always move things" Rebecca turned to her "You know I think you do it on purpose just….." "Oh of course I do" Lucy interrupted her "Cause I've got nothing better to do than chase after you and hide your files when you aren't looking" "I wouldn't be surprised, it's probably in your desk drawer as we speak" Rebecca marched over to see for herself, but Lucy stood up blocking her way. "Get away from my desk, I've told you I don't have your file" she said "Not half you don't, give it to me" Hearing the commotion Eugene came out of his office to see Lucy and Rebecca standing toe to toe arguing "What's going on here?" he asked loudly to make himself heard over the screaming. Rebecca turned towards him "Lucy stole the Kellerman file" "Bite me" Lucy retorted. This started another screaming match. "ENOUGH!!!" Eugene yelled, he went to the filing cabinet and pulled out a file and handed it to Rebecca, "The Kellerman file, I had it yesterday, I told you I was filing it, remember?" Rebecca took the file "Oh yeah, I forgot" Eugene shook his head "What's going on Bec? It's not like you to fly off the handle like that." She got defensive "Nothing's going on, I couldn't find the file and I'm going into court tomorrow and….." "Ahh….." Eugene said nodding Rebecca glared and took a step towards him "What?" He smiled "Nothing Bec, it's just that you always get a little uptight before a trial, don't worry about it, nerves are nothing to be ashamed of" "I do not get uptight" "Yeah right" Lucy muttered under her breath, Rebecca whirled around to glare at her and Lucy ran and hid behind Eugene "Don't let her hit me" she squealed. Eugene shook his head "Nobody's hitting anybody, if we all could just get back to work…." He was interrupted by the door opening and Ellenor and Jimmy entering the office, snow still clinging to them, Ellenor took note of the scene in front of her "What's going on?" she asked. "Rebecca's hostile" Lucy piped up, from her vantage point behind Eugene. "Lucy" he warned. "What?" she said, braver now that there were more people around "She accuses me of running around the office stealing files when no-ones looking and when she's wrong does she apologise…." She paused waiting for a response from anyone, when no-one seemed inclined to give one she answered for herself "No, she doesn't" Eugene looked at her "Are you finished?" "Well she could have apologised" Lucy mumbled as she sat back down behind her desk. "Whatever" Ellenor responded, she looked around, "Is Bobby here?" Eugene shook his head "No, he's in court today, but he should be back soon" "Damn I forgot about that" Jimmy smirked at her "Gee I'm glad we rushed" She glared at him "Shut up Jimmy" Eugene sighed "Not again" he muttered, then stepped between Jimmy and Ellenor before another fight could break out "Ok what's going on?" "You'll never believe who we ran into after our settlement negotiation" Ellenor said "Who" Eugene asked "Lindsay" "Oh my God" Rebecca said stunned "You saw Lindsay, where?" "Her office is in the same building as our meeting was, just two floors up, so we thought we'd drop in and say hello…" "Who's Lindsay?" Lucy asked. Everyone turned to look at her. "Lindsay's a lawyer who used to work here" Rebecca responded "She left about a year before you started" "Wow there used to be another lawyer here, how come you've never mentioned her before?" "Bobby didn't want us to talk about her, so her name was kind of taboo after she left" Ellenor answered." Lucy leaned forward "This sounds like some great gossip, I can't believe you guys have left me out of it, tell me everything" Eugene spoke up "Lucy I don't think we should get into it right now, Bobby wouldn't appreciate us talking about it" "Talking about what?" Bobby asked as he walked through the door. Everybody but Lucy jumped. "Bobby, hey how was court" Eugene asked trying to change the subject. "Court was good, I won" he looked at everybody in turn "Is someone going to tell me what's going on" Everybody looked at everyone else, not knowing what to say, finally Ellenor spoke up "Jimmy and I ran into Lindsay today" Bobby was visibly surprised. Everyone was watching him waiting for him to say something. He had a thousand questions, so he asked the first one that came into his mind "How is she?" Ellenor and Jimmy looked at each other silently trying to determine who should speak, again it was Ellenor "It seems she's doing well Bobby. She's got an office on the east side of town" she looked around at everyone "She said to say hi to everybody" "I always knew she'd do well for herself" Bobby said, he looked down "She's probably married with two kids by now" he muttered Again Ellenor and Jimmy looked at each other, this time Jimmy spoke "Actually Bobby, she's not" Bobby looked at him "How do you know?" "Cause Ellenor asked" Jimmy said "Jimmy" Ellenor nudged him in the ribs trying to stop him from giving away the fact that she'd divulged information about Bobby. "Unfortunately we didn't get to see Helen" she said trying to change the subject. But Bobby wasn't interested in a subject change "So she just told you she wasn't seeing anyone?" he said Ellenor shuffled her feet. "Well you know she asked about everyone and we were talking about Rebecca passing the bar and Eugene getting re-married and it just came up in the course of the conversation" she glared at Jimmy daring him to challenge her version. "Did she ask about me?" As hard as he tried to keep his voice neutral a glimmer of hope came through in the question. "Well, like I said Bobby, she asked about everyone, and when we mentioned the idea of catching up with her again she seemed pretty open to it." Ellenor responded. "In fact I have to go back to her building to wrap up the Geller case, I thought I'd drop in on her again, maybe catch up with Helen this time…." "When are you going back?" Bobby interrupted. "Ah well, I have to contact the client, but if he agrees and I think he will, probably tomorrow. I'd really like to get it over with" "Me too" said Jimmy "Tomorrow" Bobby said quietly. He moved towards his office. "I've um got some work to finish up, you guys should go home, the weathers getting pretty bad out there" He walked around the corner. "Bobby" Rebecca stopped him as he walked through the doorway "Are you alright?" He smiled at her "I'm fine Bec, thanks. I've just got a lot of work to do" He closed the door. "Boy" Lucy said, "Things are getting really interesting." ______________________________________________________________________ _____ End of part 5. Please send feedback Bron Title: New beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story starts during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 5. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 6 "Jimmy are you ready?" Ellenor asked as she retrieved her coat. She looked out the window at the steady snowfall. "Thank goodness the weathers cleared up a bit" Jimmy reached for his coat as well "I'll say we don't need a repeat of yesterday…." He was interrupted by Bobby coming out of his office and moving towards them "Hey Bobby are you going out? I thought you finished your case yesterday?" "Ah yeah I did, I thought I might come along with you guys to help you with the negotiations, you know a show of support from the head of the firm" Bobby replied. "Oh well, we're not really negotiating it's all been settled, we're just finishing up the paperwo…." His sentence was cut off when Ellenor jabbed him sharply in the ribs and glared at him, "We'd love to have you come along Bobby" she said. ____________________________________________________________________ As soon as they left Lucy turned to Rebecca and Eugene who had been watching the byplay with interest. "So come on guys, I've been dying to know, what's the story with Bobby and Lindsay?" "It's really none of your business Lucy" Eugene said. Lucy knocked her head against her desk "This is sooo unfair, everybody knows except me, you can't leave me with just part of the picture, I'll die" she said dramatically. Eugene was unconvinced "Uhuh, what part of the picture do you think you have?" She sat back up excitedly "Ok I'll tell you what I've pieced together so far." She paused for dramatic effect "Lindsay used to work here…." "Good going, Sherlock" Rebecca interrupted. Lucy glared at her "Don't interrupt Rebecca. Now where was I? Right Lindsay used to work here, she and Bobby had a fight, probably cause he wanted to sleep with her or something. She left, he hasn't seen her in five years, but just the mention of her name has him using really bad excuses to go and see her again, hoping against hope that this time she'll go out with him." She sat back smiling "So how did I do?" Eugene stared at her, "What makes you think he asked her out, you've never even met her." "No but I've worked with him for four years now" "So?" "So" Lucy said "Eugene, he doesn't date, for four years now I've never seen him take anyone out, all the women who come in here flirting with him and he never pays any attention to them. I've offered to fix him up with some women every now and then but he just gets mad, and gives me some speech about how he can find his own dates. It all makes so much sense to me now" She sat back satisfied. "So she turned him down hey?" Rebecca shook her head in exasperation "You offered to fix Bobby up with women?" "Well he was always so cranky, I figured it was because he wasn't getting any, so I tried to help" She got defensive "Hey if anybody had bothered to tell me he was pining away for the love of his life I wouldn't have interfered" She glared at both of them. "You've got it wrong Lucy" Eugene said "Lindsay left because she asked for a partnership and Bobby wasn't prepared to relinquish control of the firm, that's all" Lucy was astounded "You mean there was nothing between them, no relationship at all?" Both Eugene and Rebecca looked uncomfortable "What?" Lucy asked "What aren't you telling me?" "Well they did have a relationship at one stage, but that was over before Lindsay asked for the partnership" Rebecca said. "I knew it" Lucy smirked "I knew I was right" ______________________________________________________________________ __ "Well" Bobby said rubbing his hands together nervously "That didn't take very long" The elevator arrived and he stepped inside, when he turned around he noticed Ellenor and Jimmy hadn't followed him. "She's on the seventh floor Bobby" Ellenor told him "Aren't you guys coming?" She shook her head "We said hello yesterday, we'll see you back at the office" the doors shut in front of him "Good luck" she said softly. __________________________________________________________________ Bobby took a deep breath and summoning all of his courage pushed open the doors of Gamble and Dole and took a step inside. He looked around the interior of the office noting the nice décor and spacious area with interest. He wasn't surprised Lindsay and Helen had done so well for themselves, and on a subconscious level he was happy for their success. But he was much to nervous to dwell on it at the moment. He noticed a group of people milling around a desk and stepped forward to ask for assistance when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Oh my God, it's Bobby Donnell" With a small smile he turned around. "Hello Helen" ____________________________________________________________________ End of part 6. Well I just thought I'd leave it there for now. Please tell me what you think. Bron Title: New beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 6. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Special thanks also to my new friend June for her valuable thoughts and comments. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 7 Helen walked over and hugged Bobby warmly. "Well this is certainly a surprise, in fact I can honestly say you're the last person I expected to see standing in my foyer. What brings you by?" She raised an eyebrow "You don't need to hire a lawyer do you?" Bobby chuckled feeling his tension ease a little "No, I haven't been arrested" "Well I had to ask, you know old habits are hard to break" He frowned "I do not make a habit out of getting arrested" She smiled "Bobby you spent so much time in a cell they nearly named one after you" He looked down "Well that was mostly for contempt, I was only arrested once" he cleared his throat, "But anyway" he said trying to get the conversation back on track "Ellenor and Jimmy mentioned they were here yesterday, and seeing as I was in the neighbourhood I thought I'd drop in and say hello" Hellen looked confused "Ellenor and Jimmy were here yesterday?" All of Bobby's tension came flooding back "Ahh, Lindsay didn't mention it?" "Oh well, I've been in meetings since yesterday morning, I just finished about ten minutes ago, so I haven't had a chance to catch up with Lindsay yet." Bobby tried to sound casual "Is she here?" Helen nodded "She's in her office, but she's on a conference call at the moment…." "Oh" The last shred of Bobby's courage deserted him and he felt an overwhelming desire to leave "Well tell her I said hello" he looked at his watch "Jeez, is that the time I should get going, I've got another appointment…" he turned towards the door. "Hey!" Helen said grabbing his arm "Where are you going?" she frowned at him "If you'd let me finish my sentence I was about to say that she should be finished in a couple of minutes." Now she smiled "I'm sure I can keep you company til then" she turned and headed towards her office, assuming Bobby would follow, with one last lingering look at the door he did just that. ________________________________________________________________ "So" Helen said as she sat down behind her desk and motioned for Bobby to sit opposite her "You've come to see Lindsay" Bobby squirmed under the direct stare "Ahh, both of you, I came to say hi to both of you" "Uhuh" Helen rested her elbows on the desk and leaned forward "It's been five years Bobby, now suddenly here you are, and I'm supposed to believe you just dropped in to say hello" "If you want me to leave Helen I can, Lindsay doesn't even need to know I was here" "Oh no, you're not getting off that easy Bobby" "I don't think I need to justify myself to you" She glared at him "I think you do, Lindsay's my best friend, if you're just here to hurt her again….." "Hang on, I just dropped in to say hello, who said anything about hurting anyone" "Oh I forgot, you were just in the neighbourhood" "That's right" "So it's taken you five years to find our neighbourhood?" Bobby looked uncomfortable "Well I didn't know where you were" "We moved across town Bobby, not across the country" He sighed "Helen, what do you want me to say? Ellenor and Jimmy mentioned you were here, as you've pointed out, I haven't seen you in awhile, and I wanted to see how you were doing. At one point in our lives we were all good friends, I've missed that, that's all" "So that's what you're going to say to Lindsay, that you want to be friends again after five years?" Bobby sat up straighter in the chair "You know I don't know why you're making me out to be the bad guy, she left me…. um… the firm" "Because you let her go" she looked at him "You didn't even try to fight for her Bobby, you chose your business over her and you let her walk away. She probably won't thank me for telling you this, but it took a long time for her to get over that. She loved you and you let her down." "If she loved me she never would have left in the first place" Helen looked at him incredulously "She left because you were going to fire her" "What!!!" This time it was Bobby's turn to be stunned "Where'd you get an idea like that?" "From Lindsay, she was in the office and she overheard you talking to Eugene, you said you were going to fire her" All the blood drained from Bobby's face "Oh my God, I'd forgotten about that." He looked up at her "Helen, I wasn't going to fire her, I was just angry and…. well venting I guess, I dismissed the idea as soon as I said it. It was just a fly away comment, that's all" "Well it wasn't to Lindsay, she came over to see me and she was really upset, she said she couldn't go back even to hand in her resignation, she made me promise not to mention anything to you, and I told her I wouldn't, that if you wanted to know more you'd talk to her yourself. But we both know that didn't happen." Bobby put his head in his hands "She must hate me" he stood up "You know I think I should go, before she sees me, that'll be best for everybody" Helen shook her head "I don't think so" "Why?" She smiled at him "Cause Lindsay's finished her call and she's headed this way" _______________________________________________________________ Can you tell I like to end things with a cliffhanger? Part 8 will be along shortly, please let me know what you think. Title: New Beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 7. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Special thanks also to my new friend June for her valuable insights and comments. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 8 Panic was the first emotion that ran through Bobby's body. Last night when he had been imagining this moment the circumstances had been totally different. He had been in more control, he'd been calm, relaxed even and Lindsay had been happy to see him. But he wasn't feeling calm now, he was feeling a whole range of emotions and he wondered how he ever thought coming here would be a good idea. He quickly scanned the office for an escape route, but none seemed available. Helen was watching him with interest "Looking for somewhere to hide Bobby?" she smirked "You could try under the desk or behind the plant, that usually works on TV" He was looking a little pale so she decided to take it easy on him "Why don't you sit down….." She was interrupted by Lindsay opening the door and walking into the office. "Helen, Mr Marshall's agreed to…" She stopped in mid sentence as she noticed Bobby. "Hey Babe" Helen said "Look who was in the neighbourhood" Lindsay and Bobby just stood looking at each other neither of them speaking. Helen looked between the two of them and shook her head "Well, I guess I'll leave you two to catch up" As she passed by Lindsay she whispered "I'll be outside if you need me" and she walked out closing the door behind her. Bobby couldn't believe how much Lindsay had changed, when she had walked into the office to talk to Helen, she had carried herself with a confidence Bobby didn't remember her having before. He knew it had been a long time since he had seen her but she seemed to walk a little taller than he remembered. Of course that was before she noticed him standing there, Bobby watched the range of emotions pass over her face, shock being the most evident, before she managed to compose herself, just watching her achieve this had a wave of pride sweeping over him. 'God she's something' he thought to himself. He noticed some physical differences as well, the most obvious being her hair style, which he last remembered had been well past her shoulders, it was now cut in a short bob, that suited her perfectly. It gave her an air of maturity, that coupled with the slim figure nicely outlined in the suit skirt and blouse made for a very attractive package. Lindsay was unaware of the direction of Bobby's thoughts, to say she was surprised to see him standing there was an understatement, she had thought Ellenor of Jimmy may visit again in the near future, if they had another appointment in the building. She also wouldn't have been surprised to have a phone call from Rebecca or Eugene, but the last person she expected to see only one day later was Bobby, standing in Helen's office like it had only been a week, instead of five years since they'd last spoken. The silence wore on, because Lindsay had managed to control her emotions Bobby had no idea what she was thinking, but determined that she was probably too surprised or too angry to speak, he desperately hoped it was the former, 'there's only one way to find out' he thought and took a step forward "Hello Lindsay" he said. The shock was slowly wearing off Lindsay, she opened her mouth to talk but found no words were coming out, so she cleared her throat and tried again "Bobby, this is a surprise" "That's what Helen said" He took another step towards her, "You look great" "Um, thanks" she said embarrassed, she moved around behind Helen's desk in an attempt to put some distance between them, Bobby noticed and took a step back as well. She indicated the chair he'd been sitting in earlier, "Please have a seat" She said as she sat down in Helen's chair. There was another awkward pause "Um …. " Bobby had no idea where to start so he chose the safest topic he could find "The office looks great, it looks like you've really built something here" he looked around desperately and his eyes settled on a painting hanging above the filing cabinet, he indicated to it. "Ah, that's nice, is it an original?" Lindsay didn't know the reason for Bobby's visit, but she was sure it wasn't to talk about the furnishings, "No it's not" she leaned back in the chair "Bobby why are you here?" The directness of the question threw Bobby, he scanned his mind for an answer and when one didn't immediately come forward he settled on the truth. "I wanted to see you" Lindsay didn't respond but her raised eyebrows spoke volumes. Bobby took a deep breath and continued "Ellenor and Jimmy mentioned running into you yesterday, I haven't been able to think of anything else since. I wanted to see how you were doing" Lindsay wasn't giving an inch "You could have asked them" "I did, they said you were doing well and that you wanted them to visit again, I kind of hoped that might include me as well" "So here you are" He squirmed in his seat "I know it's been a long time" Again Lindsay was silent, Bobby grew defensive "It's not like you came to see us either" "No" Lindsay agreed "And to tell you the truth Bobby I never would have" Again he was taken aback by her bluntness "Why not?" She didn't answer immediately, trying to think of the best way to phrase the response without revealing to much "I was angry when I left, I felt ….." she searched for the right word and used the only one that came to mind "Betrayed… I guess, I handed in my resignation and if it hadn't been for a visit from Rebecca I never would have even known you'd received it…" Bobby leaned forward "Rebecca visited you?" he interrupted Lindsay shook her head in disbelief "You didn't even know that, why am I not surprised" she looked him right in the eye for the first time that day "Yes she came to visit me, on behalf of the other members of the firm, she tried to talk me out of leaving" "Obviously it didn't work" Now Lindsay was getting angry, five years of pent up emotion came rising to the surface "No it didn't work Bobby, and you know why?" she didn't even wait for him to respond "It didn't work because the one member of the firm she wasn't speaking for was you, handing in my resignation didn't even rate a phone call from you, let alone a visit. So I did leave, and I didn't visit you, in fact I've done everything I could to avoid you up until now…." She broke off, as the composure she had been clinging so tightly to cracked and the tears she'd been holding back threatened to overflow. She looked away. Bobby was stunned by the outburst, he could tell how hard Lindsay was trying to keep herself together and he was upset that by being there he had opened old wounds he didn't realise existed. He wasn't exactly sure how to go about making things right, but he desperately wanted to. "Lindsay, Helen told me about you overhearing my conversation with Eugene" she turned back around to face him, "Please don't be mad at her" he said quietly "She was telling me the real reason why you left, I thought….." "I know what you thought Bobby" she broke in "You thought I was trying to blackmail you into offering me a partnership…" Bobby looked at her with surprise "I've always known, that made it worse I think, that you thought I was capable of that" Bobby wondered if he could do any more damage "Lindsay I was wrong, about everything, your reasons for leaving, my reason for not going after you, I know sorry can't even begin to cover it, but I am so sorry." He leaned forward "I know you have no reason to believe me, but what you heard that night was me just blowing off steam, I never had any intention of firing you" he stood "I have no right to ask this of you, and I fully understand if you say no but…." He paused taking a deep breath "I was wondering if you'd give me the chance to start over" She looked up at him "I know I've let you down, and I certainly don't deserve a second chance, but we used to be friends once Lindsay, I'd be forever grateful if we could be again. Pride kept me away this long, but I don't think I have any left. Please give me a chance to earn back your trust." Tears were running freely down Lindsay's cheeks, there was no way she could speak through the lump in her throat. Her silence had Bobby clutching at straws "Everybody else misses you too, if you won't say yes for me could you at least for them?" Lindsay nodded slowly and Bobby released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, "Can I call you?" she nodded again. "Great" he said "I'll get your number from your secretary" he moved towards the door, and opened it, but turned before walking through, "Thank you" he said quietly and left. Lindsay turned to look out at the snow falling outside, she let the tears fall, purging herself of all the emotions she'd been keeping inside, for five years. She didn't know if it was possible to be friends with Bobby after all this time, but just having the opportunity to confront him about the past helped to heal a few wounds she'd never been able to close, if for no other reason than that she was glad he'd come. She hoped they could be friends though, because as much as she'd tried to hide it, she had missed him and everyone else too. Perhaps pride had gotten in the way but if he was willing to try again, then she could meet him halfway, it couldn't hurt to try she thought, and smiled through the tears. For the first time in five years the future looked positive. _________________________________________________________ Please send me feedback, I'd really like to know what you thought. Bron Title: New Beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 8. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail..com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Special thanks also to my new friend June for her valuable insights and comments. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 9 Lindsay didn't bother to turn around when she heard the door open, instead choosing to keep her eyes trained on the weather outside, it was oddly calming watching the snow fall, and she desperately needed some time to compose herself. She knew it was Helen who had entered, she also knew that Helen would give her that time. 'One of the benefits of having a friend who knew you as well as you know yourself', she thought, and the thought brought a small smile to her face. There were times in the last five years that she would have gone insane without Helen, her friend had been a rock, and Lindsay wondered idly if she would ever be able to repay the favour. She hoped so. She heard Helen sit down and tap lightly against the arm of the chair, Lindsay knew what the movement signified. It was Helen's way of saying 'Take as much time as you need, but just in case you forget I'm here, I'll remind you every now and then'. One of the perks of knowing your best friend as well as she knows you, Lindsay thought, and with a small shake of her head that Helen couldn't see, she turned to end her friends suspense. Helen took note of Lindsay's appearance, the obvious signs of crying, and her first instinct was to chase after Bobby and yell at him for not heeding her warnings and hurting Lindsay again. But then she took a closer look at Lindsay and saw past the red puffy eyes, to a sense of calm that had been missing from her previously. Helen decided that maybe she ought to get all the information first, she could always yell at Bobby later if it came to that, she did after all know where he worked. She leaned forward and handed Lindsay a tissue, "You want to talk about it?" Lindsay nodded "Yes" Helen smiled and tried to lighten the mood "Good, cause I wasn't leaving until you did anyway" Lindsay smiled back at her "It's your office Helen, I'm the one who has to leave" Helen waved a hand in front of her in a dismissive gesture, "Semantics" She said, then more seriously "So tell me what happened" Lindsay took a deep breath "He wants to be friends" Helen was absolutely stunned "He actually said that… I can't believe it, I told him not to….." She broke off suddenly realising what she'd revealed. "Yes, I heard you were giving away information" Helen had the grace to look guilty "Lindsay I wasn't trying to interfere, I was just…" "It's ok Helen" Lindsay didn't have the heart to make her friend suffer, "I know what your intentions were, you were trying to protect me, I'm not mad at you" "Good" Helen said relieved "So how did you respond?" "I told him I thought that would be good" Helen couldn't believe her ears "What!!! You let him off the hook, you didn't even make him suffer? Lindsay how could you?" She stood and started pacing the office "I knew I should have stayed" She whirled around to confront Lindsay "That was my first instinct you know, but I said to myself 'No Lindsay's a big girl, she can take care of herself' And look what happens" She shook her head in disgust "I bet all it took was a smile, and you probably just caved right in…" "Helen" Lindsay had been enjoying her friends tirade, but when it looked like it might go on for awhile she decided to cut her off. Helen stopped mid sentence and stood glaring at her "I was just playing with you, you're so easy to bait" Helen took a calming breath, but kept the glare "So you didn't agree?" Lindsay paused "I did….but" She said holding up a hand to stop Helen from launching into another speech "It's not what you think" Helen flopped back into the chair "So tell me what really happened" Lindsay leaned forward against the desk "We talked, …. About how long it's been since we've seen each other…." "His fault" Helen broke in "He accused me of not visiting them" "I would have kicked him out" Helen said with conviction. Lindsay smiled at her "I know you would, but I didn't, instead I got angry…. I told him that I never had any intention of visiting him and that I'd actually done everything in my power to avoid seeing him" Helen was impressed "That's good, what else did you say?" "He asked why and I told him how angry I was that he made no to attempt to contact me when I resigned, and about my visit from Rebecca….. we discussed his reasons for handling things the way he had." "Then what?" "He apologised" Lindsay shrugged "It was quite eloquent actually, you know in all the time I've known Bobby I don't think I've ever heard him apologise before, he said he misunderstood my reason for leaving and that he was wrong not to come after me." She paused "Then he said that pride had kept him away for this long and that he didn't have any left, and that he wanted a chance to earn back my trust and friendship, but he'd understand if I said no." Helen felt herself getting a little choked up "So you agreed?" She asked softly Lindsay looked up at her "You know what I realised Helen?" Helen shook her head "I realised that life's too short to hold a grudge, maybe Bobby and I can't recapture our friendship but I think I'll be happier knowing I tried than knowing I didn't" Helen nodded "I think you're right Lindsay….. while we're on the subject of confessions" She took a deep breath "I've always wondered how much of a part I played in you leaving the firm." Lindsay looked confused "What do you mean?" Helen wasn't quite able to look Lindsay in the eye "I just keep thinking back to that night you came to my house, it had been at the end of a horrible week for me, I'd just lost a big case, and here you were asking my advice about whether you should resign or not. I like to think I had your best interests at heart, but I wonder if I didn't let my desire to leave my job colour my advice to you to leave yours. I wanted to start a firm with you Lindsay, we used to discuss it in college, and even when I went to work for the DA it was always in the back of my mind. But I never really gave you the chance to think about it, I pushed you into it when you were most vulnerable, and I just keep thinking that if I had sent you back to talk to Bobby, then maybe you'd be married with a couple of kids right now." Lindsay was more than a little stunned "Helen you can't think that…." "But I do Lindsay" Helen said looking up at her with tears in her eyes "I remember you when we first started this firm, you were so sad, I wanted to talk to you about it then, but every time I mentioned Bobby's name you'd close up, so I convinced myself that I was doing you a favour by leaving it alone, but I guess I was just being selfish again" Lindsay stood up and walked around the desk to crouch in front of Helen. She looked her right in the eye "Helen, starting this firm with you was the best decision I ever made, you're the best friend I've ever had, I don't know what I would have done without you, especially in those early days. You've never let me down Helen, please don't doubt that." "I love you Lindsay" Helen cried hugging her tightly. "I love you too" Lindsay said as she hugged her back. __________________________________________________________ End of part 9 - Please send feedback, I value your comments Title: New Beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 9. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Special thanks also to my new friend June for her valuable insights and comments. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 10 The streets of Boston were filled with colour, it was the first week of December, and all around shop windows were filled with cheerful Christmas decorations, trying to entice shoppers to spend their money. People were moving in and out of shops, mingling on the sidewalks, some were taking in an early meal in the many café's that lined the streets, the bad weather didn't seem to faze them as they started to celebrate the holiday season. Bobby wasn't worried about the bad weather either, actually it suited his mood perfectly, he strode past the store windows with barely a glance in their direction, dodging people he had no interest in interacting with. He knew everyone would still be at the office, probably trying to come up with work to do to justify waiting around for him, so they could find out all the gossip. 'Well they're in for a long wait' Bobby thought to himself, he knew they meant well, and if it wasn't for Ellenor and Jimmy he never would have had his conversation with Lindsay, so he owed them for that, but his thoughts were still in turmoil at the moment. It felt like he had a hundred different emotions swirling around inside him, and he had no idea how to deal with any of them, so he certainly couldn't explain them to his friends. He turned the collar of his coat up to help buffer the snow, and kept walking. He was angry, that emotion he could identify, he was angry at Rebecca for not telling him she'd visited Lindsay, at Lindsay for not trying one more time to make him realise what an ass he had been, but mostly he was just angry at himself. For five years he'd been so sure that he'd been blameless in everything, a victim of circumstance, when what he'd really been was a fool. He wondered if that's how everyone had seen him and had just let him go on to make a bigger fool of himself, the thought just made him angrier. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, he knew he was being irrational, he needed to stop blaming others for his mistakes, he'd taken the first step with Lindsay, shifting the blame to the other members of his firm would only serve to alienate them as well, he certainly didn't want that. He started to shiver a little, despite the thickness of his coat the cold air had him chilled to the bone. He picked up his speed in an effort to get his blood circulating again, he didn't have any clear destination in mind when he had left Lindsay's office, walking had just seemed like the best option for clearing his head. He rounded a corner and had to sidestep a couple coming out of a building, the warm air caught Bobby's attention and he turned to see where they had exited from. It was what appeared to be a small Irish Pub, Bobby looked at the sign hanging over the doorway reading, Reflections, 'well that's fitting', he thought to himself, he'd done nothing but reflect since leaving Lindsay. Bobby wondered if fate had stepped in to bring him here, he had no intention of returning to the office, the idea of going home to his empty apartment didn't really interest him, and if he stood on the street much longer he might just freeze to death, suddenly there was no where else he'd rather be. He didn't know if it was fate or not, but since he was already here what harm could a few drinks do, life might make a little more sense after a couple of beers. Satisfied that he'd at least been able to make one good decision today, he pushed open the door. A gust of warm air hit him immediately, Bobby removed his gloves and rubbed his hands together as he sat down on one of the many stools that surrounded the bar. There weren't a lot of people inside, which suited Bobby perfectly, he motioned to the bartender and ordered a beer, and sat there quietly drinking it, lost in thought. He was startled when a bowl of nuts landed in front of him. "You look like a fellow with a lot on his mind" the bartender said with a friendly smile. "Let me guess, women trouble?" Bobby looked up into the eyes of the bartender, he was an older man, bald, short and round as a barrel, but his smile was infectious and despite his mood Bobby couldn't help but smile back "How did you know?" "Well a number of things really, but the first one would have to be that, the attractive young lady at the end of the bar has been giving you the eye for the last five minutes and you've been ignoring her, so either you're near dead, or your mind's on another female" Bobby didn't even bother to glance at the woman, the bartender nodded his head "Definitely another woman" He looked at Bobby's hand "Well you're not wearing a wedding ring, so I'm assuming it's not a wife, so it must be your girlfriend?" Bobby shook his head "I'm lucky to rate as her friend" "So either she's not interested or she doesn't know you're interested" He shrugged "I don't know, I just saw her again after a long separation" he paused "We didn't end on the best of terms" The bartender nodded in understanding and handed Bobby another beer "So she kicked you out on your ear hey? Don't worry about it lad, many a man's been in that predicament" Bobby sighed "No she was pretty good about it, she's at least left the door open to friendship" The bartender was surprised "She didn't kick you out, and you're sitting alone drowning your sorrows in here, what's the matter with you boy? Opportunity doesn't knock twice you know" Bobby smiled at him "I didn't want to rush her I guess, I thought I'd get out before she changed her mind" The bartender leaned in closer, "So what was it that you did, that caused this big separation?" "What makes you think it was my fault?" "Lad, if there was one thing my dear old da taught me it's that it's always the fellows fault. The sooner you own up to it and apologise the happier everyone is" "I've already apologised" The bartender slapped him on the shoulder proudly "There you go son, that's the way, so what is it you're apologising for?" he leaned down and whispered "You didn't cheat on her did you?" Bobby shook his head "No" he frowned "Well there was something with her best friend but that was after we broke up" he shook his head "No, I didn't cheat on her, we just had a misunderstanding that's all" It seemed to the bartender that the first story sounded much more interesting, but he figured his young friend wasn't going to talk anymore about it, so he focussed on the second part instead. "What did you misunderstand?" "We used to work together, we had an argument and she quit and I thought at the time that she was just trying to blackmail me into going after her…." The bartender nodded "So instead you stayed away" Bobby raised his empty glass "Exactly" "Until you came to your senses" he handed Bobby another beer "How long did it take you to apologise, I hope you didn't go back in under a week, we may always be wrong, but we do have our pride you know" Bobby hesitated "It was a little longer than a week" "A month? Son you are brave" Bobby didn't respond "Longer than a month?" "Five years" The bartenders jaw dropped "Five years, and she didn't boot you out? You're not brave, you're charmed, the luck of the Irish lad, that's what you've got" "Well I don't think I was totally to blame, there were misunderstandings on both sides" "It doesn't matter boy, you're not getting it, the lady's always right. As my dear old da used to say, if you want to be criticised then get married" he laughed at his own joke, but stopped when he looked at Bobby "Oh cheer up son, if she didn't kick you out it can't be that bad, you've said you're sorry, now buy her some flowers, grovel a bit more and make it up to her" Bobby sighed "It sounds like a lot of trouble" The bartender looked at him "Do you still love her?" There was a short hesitation "Yes" "Then no amount of trouble's too much" For the fourth time in as many minutes Rebecca went over to look out the window, Ellenor glared at her "For God sake Rebecca will you sit down, it's not like you could see him out the window anyway the entrance is on the other side of the building." Rebecca feigned confusion "I wasn't looking for anyone, I was just checking the weather" "Well that hasn't changed since the last three times you've checked it, so sit down" Rebecca marched over to her, "Don't tell me what to do Ellenor, you don't run this place, if I want to….." "ALRIGHT" Eugene said loudly, everyone turned to look at him "You know, all we ever seem to do is fight these days, doesn't anyone else get sick of all the tension in here? We could make a little more of an effort to get along." "Oh my God" Rebecca said sitting down. They all turned to look at her "What's the matter Bec?" Jimmy asked "That's what Lindsay said" Now everyone was confused "What?" Eugene asked "When I went to talk to her just after she left, one of the things she said, was that she noticed the tension in the firm and how angry everyone seemed. She said she didn't want to be responsible for any bad feelings so it was better for her to leave" There was a stunned silence, finally Ellenor spoke "You're telling us that Lindsay said she was leaving because of us…." "Well not totally…." Rebecca interrupted "…And you're just now telling us?" Ellenor continued as if Rebecca hadn't said anything "Didn't it occur to you that this might have been useful information to us at the time?" Rebecca glared at her "I'd forgotten about it" Ellenor threw up her hands "Oh well if you'd forgotten about it" she said sarcastically "Rebecca how could you forget that?" "Because" Rebecca said through clenched teeth "At the time I assumed the reason Lindsay was leaving was because of her fight with Bobby, when she said the comment about the tension, I thought she was just throwing in another excuse" she stood up again and pointed at Ellenor "You'd have thought the same if you'd bothered to be there" Ellenor took a step forward "What's that supposed to mean" Lucy leaned closer to Jimmy and whispered "If this turns into a fist fight my moneys on Ellenor, I've seen her hit" Eugene glared at her "Lucy" he said in warning, while Jimmy tried to hide his smile. Rebecca and Ellenor weren't paying them any attention "It means" Rebecca said "That you were more than happy to stay here, and let me go and talk to Lindsay, so don't criticise me now" Eugene decided things were getting heated enough and stepped in between them "Alright, this discussion is going nowhere, why don't we all calm down" They both sat down, Rebecca looked at her watch "He should be here by now" Ellenor smirked at her. "Maybe it went so well they went out together" Lucy piped up "Maybe it's none of our business" Eugene said. "You know it's getting late, I think we should all go home" "That's ok I don't mind waiting around" Lucy volunteered "All of us Lucy" He waited while everyone packed up their things then shepherded them out into the hallway. He didn't think Bobby would be back in the office tonight regardless of how it went with Lindsay. As hard as it had been to hide it, he was as curious as everyone else, 'Please let it have gone well' he thought as he closed the door. __________________________________________________________ Well that's it for part 10, please let me know what you think Title: New Beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 10. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Special thanks also to my new friend June for her valuable insights and comments. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 11 All eyes were trained on the door as it opened, nearly everyone had made an effort to arrive early this morning, with the exception of Eugene they had all been at work by 7, eager to hear the events of yesterdays meeting between Bobby and Lindsay. The only problem was that no one had bothered to inform Bobby of this early morning get together, so they had all been left sitting around for nearly an hour waiting for him. Now it appeared the time had finally arrived. Everyone waited anxiously…. the doorknob turned…. the door opened….and Eugene walked in. They all sat back with a huff and Eugene looked at the disappointed faces, "Well hello to you too" Lucy glared at him "We thought you were Bobby" Eugene shook his head, "Don't you people have anything better to do than interfere in other peoples business?" "It's not interfering Eugene, it's called showing concern, you should try it sometime" Lucy retorted. Eugene took a step towards her "I beg your pardon, just because I don't go around snooping in other peoples affairs, doesn't mean I don't care, I just know how to respect peoples privacy" he looked at all of them in turn "You should all be ashamed of yourselves" This remark caused an all out fight, with everyone talking over the top of everyone else, so nobody heard Bobby walk through the door. He stood for a minute watching everybody yell, then shut the door loudly to get their attention. The fight stopped immediately. "What is going on here?" Bobby asked. "Nothing" Lucy said defensively "That's right" Ellenor jumped in "We were just arguing about the … Kellerman case" she finished lamely. "Uhuh" Bobby looked unconvinced, but he wasn't really interested in taking it any further either, he walked towards his office. All eyes followed him. "What!" he said glaring at them. "Nothing" Lucy repeated again quickly Bobby shook his head and closed his office door behind him. There was silence for about five seconds before Ellenor asked "Well whose going to go in and ask?" "Not me" Jimmy said quickly "I will" Lucy put her hand up. "Forget it" Eugene replied. Lucy sent him a scathing look, "I can be tactful" when no-one agreed with her she tried another approach "Lets draw straws" "I think Rebecca should go" Ellenor said totally ignoring Lucy. "Me? Why me?" Rebecca asked "Cause you've known him the longest, and Eugene wouldn't ask the right questions" Ellenor responded Eugene shook his head "I don't want any part of this ambush" he said as he went into his own office. Rebecca turned to Ellenor "Why don't you go?" "Rebecca, I found Lindsay, I think I've done enough, it's your turn now" she smiled and sat behind her desk. "My offer still stands" Lucy said. With barely a look in her direction, Rebecca headed to Bobby's door and knocked quietly before entering. Bobby looked up from the file he had been reading. "Hey Bec, what's up" She sat down on the couch opposite him, "Do you want to talk about it?" It was pointless to pretend he didn't know what she was talking about "There isn't much to say" "She wouldn't talk to you?" Bobby shook his head "No we talked, she was pretty angry at me" he looked at her "Why didn't you tell me you'd been to visit her?" Rebecca wasn't prepared for the question, she faltered slightly "Bobby, I…. well, I tried to talk her into coming back, I thought everything could be sorted out if you two could just talk about things, but she was upset… I think she wanted you to come to her" "It's been five years Bec, I spent all that time thinking I was right, did she tell you why she left?" Rebecca shook her head "She overheard me talking to Eugene one night about firing her" Rebecca gaped at him "She thought I was going to fire her and she left to save me the trouble, and I let her go" he put his head in his hands "I just let her go….. you cared enough to visit, God I wish I'd made the effort" "Is it too late, Bobby?" Rebecca asked softly Bobby looked up at her, there were unshed tears in his eyes "Surprisingly enough no, I at least had the sense to apologise, I asked her if we could be friends again, she said we could try" Again Rebecca was surprised "You want to be friends… I thought…" She shook her head "Is friendship enough?" Bobby took a deep breath, confessions never came easy to him but he'd always been able to talk to Rebecca "For five years, as angry as I was at her, I've never been able to think of anyone else. If friendship is all she'll offer, I'll take what I can get. Hopefully if I can earn her trust again…" he shrugged "I don't have anything to lose, she's the only one who ever made me happy, that scared me at the time, but now… well, after seeing her again, being alone scares me more" Rebecca smiled encouragingly "If anyone can do it you can, just be patient Bobby" she stood "Are you going to call her?" Bobby nodded "When?" she asked "I thought I'd wait until after lunch" he shrugged "I don't want to appear too desperate" She patted him on the shoulder before heading towards the door, "Well if I can help in anyway, let me know" "Bec" he said as she was opening the door, she turned back to look at him and he smiled at her "Thanks" She smiled back as she closed the door behind her. Bobby stared at the telephone for what felt like the hundredth time that day, it was two o'clock in the afternoon, and he hadn't been able to concentrate on work at all. He'd meant what he'd said to Rebecca that morning, he didn't want to ring Lindsay to early, as well as not appearing too desperate, he also didn't want to put too much pressure on her. But he didn't think he could wait any longer, nervously he picked up the phone, and dialed the number he had gotten from Lindsay's secretary. The phone rang twice before it was answered. "Gamble and Dole, how may I help you" "Lindsay Dole please" "Could I say who's calling?" Bobby cleared his throat "Bobby Donnell" "One moment please" Bobby waited nervously, finally he heard Lindsay on the other end of the line "Bobby… hi" The sound of her voice wiped his mind blank, all the clever things he'd spent the whole day thinking up suddenly vanished. "Umm…. I hope you don't mind me ringing you so soon?" "No, no that's fine" She was sounding a bit nervous herself. It gave him a little more confidence, 'what the hell' he thought and bit the bullet "Have dinner with me?" He was met with stunned silence. "Please" he added. He'd just about given up on any sort of answer and was searching for things to say to salvage his dignity when he heard Lindsay say "When?" 'The hell with pride' he thought as relief swept over him "Tonight, tomorrow, name a day" There was another shorter pause "I'm free tonight" Bobby smiled "Great, I'll pick you up at seven?" "Seven's fine" "What's your address?" She told him and he jotted it down, "So I'll see you tonight" "Yep, tonight" Lindsay confirmed, they said goodbye and hung up. Bobby sat staring into space for a few moments, the relief he was feeling was tremendous, he'd been scared that Lindsay might have changed her mind after their conversation, and was extremely happy that she hadn't. He picked up his pen and started writing, for the first time that day he was actually able to work. Things were a little different in the offices of Gamble and Dole, sheer panic greeted Lindsay as she hung up the phone. When Bobby had told her yesterday that he'd call she had hoped it wouldn't take him another five years, but she hadn't really expected it to be the next day either. She had imagined yesterday that they might start rebuilding their friendship slowly, maybe a few more conversations or a cup of coffee now and then, now just one day later they were going on their first dinner date, she should have known Bobby would jump in with both feet, that was just his way. They'd never even had a dinner date in their previous relationship, not that they were actually dating back then, they were just being recreational as Bobby had liked to call it. The closest they had come to dinner was left over pizza in the office after bouts of hot, sweaty, mind blowing sex. She looked at her watch and panic set in again, it was two-fifteen, and he was picking her up at seven. She stood and headed towards Helen's office, knocking lightly before entering. Helen was hunched over her desk doing paperwork, but she looked up as Lindsay walked in, one look at her expression had her sitting up straighter. "What happened?" Lindsay sat down in the vacant chair "Bobby just called" Helen put her pen down on her desk "And?" "We're going out to dinner, tonight" "TONIGHT!" Helen was stunned "That's not enough time, don't men know anything, you can't just ring a woman up and invite her out for dinner that night, it doesn't work that way….." "Helen" Lindsay interrupted, Helen looked at her "I chose tonight" "Lindsay why would you do that?" Lindsay stood and started pacing, "Well I was surprised, I hadn't expected him to ring just yet, let alone invite me out to dinner, so when he said I could choose the night, I knew if I put it off, I'd just be a nervous wreck so tonight seemed the best solution" she sat down again "Was I wrong?" she asked anxiously. Helen smiled at her friend sympathetically "No you weren't wrong, it just means we've got a lot to do in a short period of time" Lindsay breathed with relief "So you'll help me?" Helen looked offended "As if you have to ask, of course I will" She stood up "Well lets get going, what time is he picking you up?" Lindsay paused "Seven" Helen shook her head and headed for the door calling to her secretary to tell her that she was out of the office all afternoon with Lindsay and to hold their calls until tomorrow, with a small smile Lindsay followed after her. End of part 11. Please send feedback. Title: New Beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@hotmail.com Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 11. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@hotmail.com . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Special thanks also to my new friend June for her valuable insights and comments. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 12 Lindsay looked at her reflection in the mirror, what had seemed like nerves four hours ago was nothing compared to what she was feeling now, she ran her fingers through her hair in a nervous gesture. "Lindsay stop doing that, I didn't spend all this time fixing your hair for you to mess it up now, keep your hands away" Lindsay dropped her hands to her sides "Sorry" Helen looked at her watch "6.30 and I think you're ready, God I'm good" Lindsay smiled at her "Yes you are, I can't thank you enough Helen…." "Sure you can" Helen interrupted "Let me stay here until Bobby shows up, I want to see the look on his face when he sees you" Lindsay looked at her "Forget it" she walked towards the door, "In fact, he'll be here soon" "Heartless woman" Helen shook her head as she went to exit, on impulse she turned and hugged Lindsay "Have a great time tonight" she walked through the open door, "I'll ring you tomorrow to see how it went" Lindsay shut the door behind her and leaned against it, she couldn't believe that after five years Bobby could still reduce her to these emotions. It wasn't like this moment hadn't played out in her head at least a hundred times over the past five years. As mad as she had been at Bobby the possibility of reconciliation had always been her hidden little secret dream, one she could take out when she was sad or alone, but the reality of it was terrifying. She felt the knock on the door before she heard it, it made her jump, and she looked at her watch, 6.45pm, she had no idea where the last fifteen minutes had gone. The knock sounded again and she turned to answer it, with a deep breath she opened the door. Bobby stood there staring at her, not saying a word; self-conscientiously she tugged at her hair, "What's wrong?" Bobby's eyes traveled over Lindsay, taking in the lovely burgundy dress that highlighted her figure to perfection, her hair, her makeup; he couldn't take his eyes off her. He shook his head to clear his mind "You look wonderful" She smiled shyly "Thank you…. I wasn't sure where we were going so…" Bobby shook his head "No it's perfect" he straightened his tie nervously "Umm, I've made reservations, are you ready to go?" She nodded "I'll just get my purse" she reached down and grabbed it, following Bobby out the door and locking it behind her. The restaurant Bobby had chosen was quiet and elegant, they were shown to a table near the window that overlooked a small park. Lindsay looked around "This is nice, I've never been here before" Bobby smiled at her "Neither have I, Eugene recommended it" Lindsay picked up her menu "Ellenor told me he'd re-married Sharon, that's great" Bobby nodded "Yeah, he's really happy" there was an awkward pause, "So… are you ready to order?" he asked signaling to the waiter. There was a stilted silence when their orders had been placed and the waiter had left, Bobby searched his mind for something to talk about. "So tell me about the last five years" "It's been mostly work" "Do you like running your own firm?" Lindsay shrugged "It was difficult at first, it's hard to make the transition from having a steady income every week to drumming up your own business in order to survive. And I was changing fields from criminal work to civil, so there was a lot to brush up on as well." "What made you decide on civil litigation?" "Helen" she smiled "There really wasn't any decision to be made she told me right up front that she didn't intend to spend her days getting criminals free, and that was that" "That sounds like Helen" "Yeah, she was so great though, she found the office, she basically decorated it on her own. I remember she used to drag me around all these second hand markets and auctions looking for furniture, we were still building our client base so we didn't have a lot of money but she made what we had stretch… she was determined to make us succeed" Bobby looked confused "And you weren't? That doesn't sound like you" "It's not that I wasn't, I guess with being in private practice before… you hear of so many new firms going under, I just wanted to be prepared for that outcome if it happened, so I was trying not to get too emotionally involved. But Helen wouldn't give up, she was determined" "So is civil practice as rewarding as criminal?" Lindsay looked a little uncomfortable "I don't really try too many cases any more, I had to in the early days, but ever since we expanded we decided that it was better if one of us became an administrative partner and the other handled the trial work" Bobby was astounded "But you were so good" "I still am" She smiled "It works well for us, it was a good decision, truthfully I don't miss trial work too much. Every now and then I'll take a case, but mostly I just supervise" Bobby watched the waiter place Lindsay's plate in front of her and then do the same for him, as soon as he left he leaned forward. "You know I used to look out for you in the courthouse, once I saw a women walking away from me, and I could have sworn it was you, but then she turned around and I could tell right away it wasn't…" he stopped not knowing if he should go on. Lindsay stopped eating "What would you have done if it was?" Bobby looked down at his plate "I don't know" They ate the rest of their meals in silence, when the waiter cleared their plates away Lindsay finally worked up the courage to ask the question she had wanted to ask for some time. "Why didn't you come and see me after I resigned Bobby?" Bobby fiddled nervously with his dessert spoon "I don't know" There was something in his eyes, a look that suggested he was hiding something, Lindsay noticed it right away "I think you do" he paused still unable to answer, she leaned closer "If we're going to have any sort of relationship it has to be founded on honesty, tell me" "I was scared" he said quietly She hadn't been expecting that response, she sat back surprised. "Of what?" "You… us…..all of it" "But Bobby, there was no us when I left" "There was always an us Lindsay" Lindsay was confused "But you'd been with Helen, I thought she was the one you really wanted that's why I pushed the two of you together" Bobby shook his head "Helen was an escape, one I grabbed at like a life line, but I knew from the start we'd never work out" "Why?" He took a deep breath "Because she wasn't you" Lindsay was having a hard time taking all of this in "Bobby that doesn't make sense you broke up with me to be with her" He nodded "I know…. I wasn't prepared for how I felt about you…. I was falling in love with you and it scared me" he paused trying to find the best way to explain. "Everyone I've ever loved has left me, I thought if I left you first it wouldn't hurt as much, so when you mentioned Helen it gave me an excuse to end things. But that's all it was, an excuse, I think she knew it too and when we broke up, there I was back in the same position." He looked up at her "I wasn't ready for a long term commitment and I knew I wouldn't get you back without one. So, when the partnership issue came up it seemed like as good a reason as any to push you away again. But it wasn't the business I wasn't ready to share Lindsay, it was me." Lindsay sat there a little stunned "And now?" He took a deep breath "Those were the worst five years of my life. By pushing you away, I accomplished the one thing I was most scared of, I was alone" She picked up her napkin and started fiddling with the corners in a nervous gesture "Surely you dated other women" Bobby looked very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading "Not really, one or two maybe but nothing long term" Lindsay's look was incredulous "In five years, you're kidding?" He grew defensive "Well, how about you, how many guys have you dated since you left?" he regretted the question as soon as he asked it, he wasn't really sure he was prepared for the answer. Lindsay looked down "Well that's different" He smiled relieved "How?" "Well I was busy, you know starting up a new business and everything, I didn't have a lot of time" Her answer wasn't very convincing "Uhuh, so neither you or Helen have had time to date in five years?" "No Helen dates…" She answered without thinking, then she realised what she'd revealed "Oh…" Her answer cheered him immensely "Can I ask you a question?" Lindsay looked at him a little bit suspiciously "Ok" "Why didn't you come to see me?" She opened her mouth to answer but he put up a hand to stop her "Before you answer, I know what you overheard with Eugene and I know what Rebecca told you, but the Lindsay Dole I knew back then would have confronted me about that… you just ran, why?" "I was hurt…" she looked at him and her own words about honesty came back to haunt her, he was being forthright with her he deserved the same "I was in love with you and totally convinced you didn't want any part of me." Now the shock was Bobby's "Why?" She thought about her answer for a moment "Because I had no idea how you felt about me, the whole time during our relationship you never gave me any indication of your emotions, but with barely any coaxing at all you left me for Helen. I convinced myself that we were better off. But when the two of you broke up I couldn't help but think maybe we might still have a chance, and then the partnership issue arose and your first instinct was to fire me…. I was devastated; my self-esteem was at an all time low, so when Helen mentioned starting a new firm I jumped at it. It seemed at the time a lot easier an option than going to work everyday knowing you didn't feel what I felt" Bobby looked ashamed "I'm so sorry about that comment, I never had any intention of firing you, I wanted to push you away but not permanently" "But you did" He shook his head "Not intentionally, to be honest I was arrogant enough to believe you'd come to me, or at the very least contact me. When you didn't I convinced myself it was for the best, and that we weren't really meant to be" She released the napkin she'd been holding "Maybe we weren't" "I don't believe that" She looked at him "Why not?" "Because I never got over you, I kept trying to convince myself that all I needed was time, but it still hasn't happened, maybe we both took the easy way out at the time… " "I wouldn't call the last five years easy" She interrupted. He reached across the table and took her hand "Is it too late for us Lindsay?" he asked. "I meant what I said to you at your office, I do want to earn back your trust and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to do that, but is friendship the best we can do?" She shrugged uncertainly "I don't know" "I don't mean to push you, believe me when I say that I'd rather have you in my life as a friend then go without you again. So if all we're destined to be is friends I'll except that, but if there's even the smallest possibility we could be more…." He paused afraid he was pushing too hard too soon "Well just think about it ok, whatever you decide is fine" She nodded "I will" He smiled at her relieved "Great…. Umm would you like to go for a walk?" She smiled back "I'd love to" He stood up, leaving money on the table to cover the bill and escorted her out of the restaurant. In contrast to the bad weather of the last couple of days, the night was quite clear with only a feathering of snow falling down. Despite the cold weather Bobby's words warmed Lindsay, they walked slowly through the park and she looked up at the stars, Bobby turned to look at her. "A penny for your thoughts" She smiled "I was just thinking about us" He stopped and turned to face her "What were you thinking?" he was a little scared of her answer. She looked up at him, "I was thinking that it was good that we finally cleared the air, but if we keep bringing up the past it will be very hard to move into the future" He took a deep breath "What are you saying?" "I guess I'm saying lets start again, from the beginning, let's just wipe the slate clean" He smiled at her "Really?" She nodded "Really, I don't know anything about destiny Bobby but if we have a chance here let's take it" she took a step towards him "I don't want to live in the past any more" He closed the gap between them and pulled her against him hugging her tightly, she hugged him back. After a moment he leaned back and ran his hand lightly down her hair, "I won't let you down." She put her hand up to his mouth to stop him "One day at a time Bobby" He reached for her hand, and kissed it lightly. "Would you like some coffee?" She smiled "I'd love some" The snow fell lightly around them and she shivered slightly, he noticed the movement and placed his arm around her bringing her closer to his side. With no hesitation at all she placed her arm around his waist and fell into step beside him. _____________________________________________ End of part 12. Well what did you think? I hope you liked it, please send me feedback good or bad. Bron Title: New Beginnings Author: Bronwyn Morris - bkmorris@h... Author's Note: This story is set during the second season episode Food Chains and then branches off, basically everything that happens in the show after that point doesn't happen in this story. This story makes more sense if you read parts 1 - 12. All feedback can be sent to bkmorris@h... . Oh this may be irrelevant but I'm from Australia so any mistakes I make in the future regarding the American legal system aren't intentional. Special thanks to my sister Kylie for editing this story for me. Special thanks also to my new friend June for her valuable insights and comments. Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to DEK and ABC, I don't own them nor do I profit from them. ___________________________________________________________ New Beginnings Part 13 Lindsay rushed around her apartment looking for her earrings. She had put them somewhere safe so she wouldn't lose them, and as always happens when someone does that, now they were lost. Under normal circumstances this wouldn't be a big problem, she would have just gone to her jewelry box and chosen a different pair, but these weren't normal circumstances, she had specifically chosen this pair of earrings to match the dress that she had chosen to wear tonight. Because tonight she was going to the Robert G Donnell – Attorney at Law annual Christmas party and she wanted to look her best. As Bobby had explained it to her, since Lucy had started working for him, every year she would throw a Christmas party and invite clients and friends and family. It was apparently something all the lawyers looked forward to and he'd asked her to come along as his date. In the last two weeks since their first date they had been spending most of their free time together, talking, having dinner, seeing movies, and basically reestablishing their relationship, but it had just been the two of them. Tonight they were taking their relationship to the next level by actually declaring to everyone that they were dating, and although she was glad they were telling everyone – actually at times she wanted to scream it from the top of a building – she was still nervous at the actual prospect of doing so. She knew they would have questions, and even though she hadn't seen everyone in a long time, knowing Ellenor and Rebecca like she did, she knew they would be blunt and personal and she didn't know if she had the answers. She wasn't even sure what Bobby had told them because she hadn't been back to his office yet. The one time she'd mentioned dropping in Bobby had asked her to wait for the party because he'd expanded the office and he wanted to show it off to her. Apparently Lucy had a way with Christmas decorations and this was the way Bobby wanted her to see the it for the first time. Something shiny caught her attention and Lindsay whirled around nearly knocking over a vase in her haste. Reaching out on reflex to steady it, she noticed her earrings on the side table. With a sigh of relief she put them on just as there was a knock at the door. Bobby was standing there looking gorgeous in one of the three piece suits he seemed to favour. She smiled at him as he stepped inside. "I'm nearly ready" she said looking around the room "I just cant find my shoes…" Bobby took so long running his eyes over Lindsay she found it hard not to fidget under the intense scrutiny. She had brought this dress with him in mind because she knew that blue was his favorite colour. The soft, shiny material draped around her body and when it caught the light it sparkled and gave off a hint of translucency that she knew would keep Bobby guessing all night. It fell to just above her knees and she had decided to go with simple and tasteful jewelry to complete the image, hence her frenzied look for the earrings. Bobby finally dragged his eyes up to Lindsay's and she heard the whoosh of breath escape through his teeth and smiled at the obvious compliment. Bobby was just finding his tongue and was about to verbalise his thoughts when he noticed how nervous Lindsay seemed. He was surprised as Lindsay was usually so calm and sure of herself "Lindsay what's the matter?" he asked. She looked up surprised. That wasn't what she'd been expecting him to say. "Nothing why?" "You just seem a little nervous" She sighed "I am a little. This is the first time we're really going out as a couple and what with seeing everyone again and meeting all your other friends, I guess I'm just feeling a bit worried" Bobby reached out and took her hand "Am I moving too fast for you? I mean if this is too much too soon…" "No" Lindsay interrupted, "I want to go, its just that…" She paused trying to find the right words to explain. "Just what?" Bobby asked confused. "I want to make a good impression" she said quietly. Bobby smiled at her and squeezed her hand softly "Lindsay they're just as anxious to see you as you are to see them. Everyone's really looking forward to tonight and it's mostly because you're going to be there. You wouldn't believe how hard it's been for me to get everybody to work these last few days, all they can talk about is the party" he looked around the room and noticed her shoes beside the couch, he pointed to them "Are they the missing shoes?" She glanced over and nodded "That's them" she said walking over and slipping them on. "You know Bobby, I could have met you over there, we're probably running late and I don't think it's polite to be late for your own party" "My motive was purely a selfish one" he replied as she looked over at him "I wanted to walk into the room with the most beautiful woman there". He walked over and removed his arm from behind his back, she hadn't even noticed he'd been hiding anything. He handed her a single red rose "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" She bent her head to sniff the rose, breathing in it's subtle fragrance. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up to his. "You look lovely" he said kissing her softly on the lips. She smiled at him, slightly embarrassed, she was still getting used to this new affectionate side of Bobby, "Thank you" He held out his hand "Are you ready to go?" She took one more deep breath and nodded. ___________________________________________________________________- The party was in full swing when they arrived, they could hear the music as soon as they stepped off the elevator. The office door was open and Bobby paused to let Lindsay walk in ahead of him. She took one step inside and stopped in her tracks. Bobby had told her he'd expanded the office but she hadn't realised the difference it would make. Gone was the peeling grey paint on the walls, replaced instead with a soft, soothing green. Gone too were the metal shelves that had cluttered up the small space. There was a large room behind where Lindsay's desk had been. She could see the conference table in there and assumed it was now the boardroom, then her attention was captured by the area beside the boardroom which had been opened up into a library. It looked wonderful. All of the old desks had been replaced by beautiful wooden ones. Lindsay looked at the desk she would still be sitting at had she stayed and felt a small twinge of sadness as she wondered who sat there now. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind, she'd made a conscience decision not to live in the past, she would stick to it. She turned her attention back to the room, the entire office had been converted into a Christmas wonderland. A huge tree stood in the new library, every branch decorated, the top holding the biggest star Lindsay had ever seen. Tinsel was hanging from the ceiling, across the walls, it seemed there wasn't a single surface that didn't hold some form of Christmas decoration. Lindsay was mesmerised, Bobby looked at her "Do you like it?" he asked. Her answer was really important to him but he tried not to let it show. She turned to look at him "It's wonderful" she said sincerely Bobby smiled, relieved "Yeah, Lucy really excels herself at Christmas" Lindsay shook her head "It's not just that Bobby it's the expansion as well. I'm looking forward to getting the full tour later on" Bobby raised his eyebrows suggestively "I think that can be arranged" She smiled at him and slapped him lightly on the arm "Stop that" She turned around just as Rebecca walked out of the boardroom, she noticed Lindsay right away and rushed over arms extended "You're finally here" she said enveloping Lindsay in a big hug "It's so wonderful to see you again Lindsay" Lindsay was overcome by the reception, she hugged Rebecca back fiercely "It's great to see you, too" Rebecca's welcome had drawn attention to Bobby and Lindsay and suddenly they found themselves surrounded by the other members of the firm, everyone was exchanging hugs and greetings and all trying to talk at once. Bobby stood back a little and watched the scene before him, it felt right, like placing the last piece of a puzzle together and seeing the completed picture for the first time. He'd always known what was missing, he just hadn't realised how much it had affected everyone else as well. He watched Jimmy shoulder his way past Ellenor to hug Lindsay and Ellenor frown at him, and Bobby smiled, these people were his family, and seeing them all together again, so obviously happy made him realise exactly how much he had distanced himself. He decided that it was time to stop pulling away from people and instead start appreciating the fact that they were with him. Everyone was talking at once, firing questions at Lindsay and Bobby caught the look of desperation she gave him. He stepped closer and took her hand, reassuringly, and raised his other hand to get their attention, "Guy's she's going to be here all night there's plenty of time for questions, we've got an entire office full of people here I think we should mingle." He looked around the room and noticed Lucy in the corner holding a serving tray, nodding and trying to edge away from an over talkative middle-aged man who was waving his arms around while talking enthusiastically. She noticed Bobby watching her and rolled her eyes, Bobby smiled "Jimmy go over and rescue Lucy from Mr Watson" he said nodding in Lucy's direction. Jimmy frowned "Why me?" "Because he's your client and you invited him" Jimmy wandered off, muttering under his breath, Bobby looked at everyone else, "Let's all mingle shall we?" Eugene nodded and started to walk away, as an afterthought he turned back, grabbed Ellenor's arm and dragged her with him,"Eugene" she shrieked but followed anyway. Rebecca, seeing that everyone else had left, decided that was enough people from the firm mingling, she wanted to talk to Lindsay. She leaned back against Lucy's desk but the look Bobby gave her had her standing up straight again. "Didn't you invite any clients Bec?" he asked pointedly. "Sure" she replied "But I want to talk to Lindsay" Bobby shook his head "Later" he said "We just walked through the door" She walked away in much the same manner Jimmy had, and Lindsay fought hard to hide her smile but couldn't. "Thanks, I forgot how everyone likes to talk at the same time here." He smiled back "That doesn't happen at your office?" "Ah no, we tend to wait until the other person's finished, it's just a style we've developed" Bobby shrugged "To each their own" Lindsay looked around the crowded room again, "Speaking of my office, Helen doesn't seem to be here yet" "Maybe she got lost" She looked at him, exasperated "I think she remembers the way" "Are you hungry?" he asked tugging on the hand he was still holding "We should get some food before it all goes" he leaned in to whisper in her ear "You wouldn't believe how much people can eat when the foods free, I should start charging admission" She hit him lightly on the arm "You can't do that" "I'm serious" he said, but there was a gleam in his eye belying his words "This thing costs me a fortune, I don't know why I keep agreeing to it" He was grumbling good-naturedly and Lindsay could tell how much he loved these parties. "The things you do for your staff" she said dryly "It must be horrible for you putting up with all these people just to keep them happy. I hope they appreciate it" "Me too" Bobby said smiling. Just as he reached the food table he was approached by one of his clients, Bobby held out his hand in greeting "Dennis, good to see you" he introduced him to Lindsay. "Nice to meet you" Lindsay said. Dennis nodded, "A pleasure" he looked at Bobby "Bobby could I speak to you for a moment please, it's important" Bobby sighed, unfortunately everything to Dennis was important, he looked uncertainly at Lindsay, she smiled reassuringly "Go, I'll be fine here" He squeezed her hand "I won't be long" he said and then indicated towards his office "Let's go into my office, Dennis" Lindsay watched them walk away and then turned back towards the table, she was just about to help herself to a plate of food, when Lucy, newly rescued from her run in with Mr Watson, walked up. "So you must be Lindsay" Lindsay looked at her, not sure who she was "That's right" "I'm Lucy Hatcher" Lucy said holding out her hand. Lindsay shook it "Hey good grip" she said, impressed. "That says a lot about a person" Lindsay didn't know exactly what to make of Lucy, she was like a whirlwind. She was younger than Lindsay had expected and she was wearing some sort of strange halo on her head with what looked like mistletoe hanging from the end. She thought that Lucy probably made working at the office interesting to say the least. Lucy was doing her own study of Lindsay, not being at all discreet as she ran her eyes up and down the length of her, "That dress is perfect for you, a great style." She leaned in closer "I'm very good with fashion, I'm always giving tips to Rebecca and Ellenor but they never want my counsel" She shook her head, bewildered. Lindsay had no idea how to respond to that "Thank you" seemed the safest way. "So, you used to work here?" Lucy asked, then continued before Lindsay could reply. "Can you believe I only just found out, it is so hard to get any information out of anyone here. I mean how do you function if people won't give you all the details?" Lindsay could tell Lucy wasn't really expecting an answer "and then I had no idea what to expect. How do you get a mental picture of the love of someone's life when you're as closed up as Bobby?" She moved her head to the side thoughtfully still examining Lindsay. "You're better than I pictured though, I can see why he's so smitten" she nodded "Much better than Jody" Lindsay raised an eyebrow "Jody?" Lucy waived her hand dismissively "Oh don't worry about her, she's just someone I tried to set Bobby up with, he never dated and so I thought he might have trouble meeting women" Lindsay frowned "I see, and did it work?" "No" she sighed "I'm trying to be nice and instead I end up with this half hour lecture about minding my own business, and not prying into other people's affairs". Lucy rolled her eyes. Lindsay bit back a smile and nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure you were just trying to help" "Exactly" Lucy said, as if someone finally understood her "And that would be easier to do if I had all the information up front, I mean I can only work with what I'm given, I'm not a mind reader. I just don't understand why people don't take me into their confidence more, I'm the soul of discretion" She said this with such earnestness that Lindsay had to struggle to keep a straight face. Just when she thought she might lose the battle Rebecca walked up. "Lucy, shouldn't you be mingling?" Lucy looked at her "I am, in case you haven't noticed Rebecca, I'm talking to Lindsay" "Well, we're nearly out of punch, and Matthew just walked in" Lucy turned her head and started searching for her boyfriend, she smiled when she spotted him, "Well, I'll just see about the punch" she said and left. Rebecca watched her walk towards Matthew "She'll never get around to filling it up" She motioned her head towards Lucy "Sorry about that, she can certainly talk" Lindsay couldn't hold back her smile any longer "She's great, she must make the office interesting" Rebecca nodded "Sometimes too interesting" she looked Lindsay over in very much the same fashion Lucy had "You look wonderful Lindsay, it's so good to see you again" Before Lindsay could respond they were joined by Ellenor and Helen who had just arrived. "What are we talking about?" Ellenor asked. "I just saved Lindsay from Lucy" Rebecca responded. Ellenor nodded, "Who's Lucy?" Helen asked Ellenor searched the room and pointed to Lucy who was dancing with Matthew "She's our receptionist" Helen looked over "What's she wearing on her head?" Rebecca rolled her eyes "Mistletoe" They all watched as Matthew leaned down and kissed her "It seems to work" Helen replied, "Maybe I should get some". She looked at Lindsay, "Something tells me you won't need any this year" Lindsay blushed "Helen!" Ellenor coughed into her hand to disguise her laugh "So things are going well with you and Bobby?" They watched Lindsay turn a brighter shade of pink "The office looks wonderful" she said in a not so subtle change of subject. "Oh come on Lindsay help us out. Bobby's like a closed book, do you know how hard it is to get information out of him?" Ellenor pleaded "You have to give us something" "He does come to work everyday smiling now" Rebecca pointed out to her "That's true" Ellenor said "but it isn't details. We're lawyers Lindsay we like details" "There's not much to say" Lindsay said hedging. Ellenor sighed with frustration and turned to Helen "Is she like this with you, surely you've got some information?" Helen raised her eyebrows suggestively "Well she comes to work smiling too" "Helen!" Lindsay said blushing again. Just then Bobby walked up to them. He noticed the other women smiling and Lindsay's blush. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" he asked. Ellenor gave him her most innocent look "Not at all" "Uhuh" He said looking skeptical "Well then you won't mind if I borrow her for a while will you?" They watched him take Lindsay's hand and lead her to the side of the office that had been cleared to make room for dancing. Bobby pulled Lindsay into his arms and they started to sway to the slow music. "They look so wonderful together" Rebecca said turning back to Ellenor and Helen. "Like two pieces of the same puzzle" Ellenor agreed. They were meant to be" Helen said. Ellenor and Rebecca nodded in agreement and turned their attention back to the dance floor Bobby and Lindsay were oblivious to the scrutiny they were getting, as they moved slowly to the music. Bobby looked down at Lindsay and smiled "Sorry I was gone for so long, it's hard to get away from Dennis when he starts talking" Lindsay smiled back "That's ok I've been having an interesting time, I met Lucy" Bobby groaned "I should have prepared you for her" he said, but Lindsay could hear the affection in his voice. "What did she say?" "Oh this and that" she answered vaguely "She did mention something about a woman named Jody" Bobby frowned "Jody?" "She said it was some woman she tried to set you up with because you didn't date" He cleared his throat "She talks too much" he said looking down at her "Lindsay, I didn't go out with her" "Bobby I was just teasing you, your past is your own business" She smiled and changed the subject "I really love what you've done with the place Bobby, it looks wonderful, like you're finally where you always wanted to be." He pulled her closer, the music swirled around them and at that moment they could have been the only two people in the room. Their bodies moved as one, as if they'd been dancing together forever, and would continue to do so. Bobby leaned down and kissed her lightly of the forehead "I am now" he murmured softly. __________________________________________________________ The End. Well that's it for New Beginnings. I want to thank everyone for their kind feedback it is really appreciated. Bron