Date: ??/??/2001
From: SouthernSlider

Maggie opened the door to the suite to find Colin and Kelly on the sofa locked in a lover’s embrace.  She screwed up her face in disgust.  Could those two never getenough of each other?

“Cool it, you two.  You’re not alone.”  She strode in front of them and slapped at Colin’s knee.  They released their liplock with a disappointed sigh.

“How is Conie?”  Colin asked, giving Kelly a gentle squeeze.

Maggie threw her jacket on the back of the chair and glanced absent-mindedly out the window.  Colin looked at Kelly when Maggie didn’t respond, and Kelly shrugged her shoulders.  He turned back to Maggie and repeated his question.

“Huh?  Oh, he’s doing fine.  The doctor is running a couple of more tests just to be sure.  We should be able to leave soon -- another day or two at the most.”

“I’m glad to hear things are going well.  Did you tell him I would be there later this afternoon?”  Kelly said.

“Yes.  He’s expecting you.”  Maggie sighed and turned back toward the window. Colin frowned at her actions, then rose and headed in her direction.  Kelly stayed back, and let Colin check out what was bothering her.

When Colin reached Maggie, he found her with watery eyes.  It almost stunned him.  He couldn’t remember ever seeing the tough Maggie Beckett even on the verge of tears.  What could be the problem?  She had just said Conie was fine.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

She turned, with tears threatening to spill over, and knew there was no way out of it.

“Not really, but I guess I’m going to have to explain, aren’t I?”  Colin heard her heavy sigh as she turned back to the window.  “I ran into Quinn on the way back from the hospital.”  She swiped at a tear trying to escape; her breath ragged as she tried to inhale. “He can’t seem to get Wade off of his mind these days.”  Colin lay his hand on her shoulder.  Maggie turned to him at his touch.  “She’s always going to be there, isn’t she? I’ll never have his full attention!”

Maggie fell into Colin’s arms, buried her face in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably.  Kelly looked on until the tug at her heart couldn’t be ignored. She felt sympathy for Maggie, for she knew the woman had it bad for Quinn.  But at the same time, she selfishly wanted Quinn to belong to only Wade -- even if Wade wasn’t around anymore.  Kelly slipped out the door with tears of her own.  The scene was more than she wanted to witness.

As she opened the door, she ran head-long into Remmy.  He grabbed at her shoulders to soften the collision, then saw the tears as she looked up at him.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”  His thoughts turned immediately to Wade.  They looked so much alike.

“Nothing Remmy.  I just need some fresh air.”  She swiftly left his hold on her and headed down the hallway without another word.  Remmy followed her with his eyes for a moment and then stepped into the room.  “She and Farm-boy must have had a tiff,” he mumbled as he closed the door.

When he turned around he saw Maggie and Colin at the window.  Colin’s arms were fully around Maggie and she had her arms around his waist, her face resting on his chest.  “What the hell?”  Surely this couldn’t be what it looked like?  There had to be another explanation.  He cleared his throat to let them know he was there. Colin immediately looked up, but didn’t try to end his embrace.  Remmy moved toward them with a frown on his face.

“What is going on?”

Maggie pulled away at the sound of his voice and hurriedly started wiping away the tears that had stained her face.

“Nothing.  Absolutely, nothing, Remmy.  You two just forget you ever saw this, you hear?”  She pointed at her swollen eyes and still-damp face.  Trying to get her emotions under control, she sniffed and headed for the bedroom.    The door slammed from the force she used.

“Will somebody tell me what the Sam-Hill is going on around here?  I walk in the door and you’ve got every female in the place crying.  What have you done?”

“It is not me, Remmy.  It is Wade -- or Quinn -- or both, I guess.”  He explained what Maggie had told him and then inquired about Kelly’s crying.  In his attempt to console Maggie, he hadn’t realized she had gotten upset too.

“Stay with Maggie, please.  I am going to find Kelly, and hopefully, my brother.” Colin rushed out the door and left Remmy shaking his head.

“What a slide this is.  What a damn slide.”  Remmy slid his hand over his face and sighed.  Now his lunch with Wade weighed even more heavily on his mind.

***

Colin entered the streets and looked one way and then the other.  No sign of Kelly in either direction.  He turned to his right and started walking.  Within minutes, he was in front of the Sassy Brass Bar.  Instinct told him he would find Kelly in there. He opened the door and stepped in, spending just a moment to adjust his eyes to the darkened room.

Just as he had suspected, there sat Kelly at the bar watching the rehearsal in full swing on stage.  He slowly made his way to her side.

“Can I get you anything, buddy?”  Brad asked immediately.  Colin noted he and Kelly were the only two customers in the middle of the afternoon.  He slipped onto the stool next to Kelly and ordered a beer.  Kelly kept her eyes glued to the stage and never acknowledged his presence.

When Wade finished her last number she glanced quickly at the pair that had been watching her.  Her heart had done a flip-flop when her sister’s double had come in.  And the way they were both staring at her, it still wouldn’t give into a regular heartbeat.  She wondered if this Kelly had a sister.  And who was the man with her?  He had been with the group the other night when she saw Remmy and Quinn for the first time in two years. If she didn’t know better she would think he was Quinn’s brother.  But that certainly wasn’t true.  Or could it be?  Maybe on this world Quinn had a brother -- and wouldn’t it be a hoot if Quinn’s brother and her sister were an item on this world.  She smiled sourly at the irony of that thought, then turned and left the stage.

 

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Nominated by DieselMickeyDolenz