Hey, guess what ?……I'm back !! I wrote these chapters a long time ago but due to my lack of enthusiasm, I didn't really feel like posting them. Now you tell me what you think
Review, please, it will help me get my muse back
I already wrote a sequel to this story but I left it unfinished. I need your opinion…and encouragement.
Now enjoy !!
Chapter four
Thursday October 19th. Ally and Raymond are still in Detroit. One day left before the closing arguments.
"Maybe I should do it, Ally. You proved yesterday that you were too affected by this case."
"I warned you. You're the one who insisted ……"
"I know but I never realized how much it upset you."
"Okay, tomorrow I'll just sit at our table and listen."
"And behave. No more outburst in court."
"I'll try…" she replied with malicious grin.
*************************************************************************************
"Mistaken appearances : that's all it took for Mr. Dawn to figure out that his soon-to-be-wife was cheating on him. Miss Matthews wasn't reconsidering her feelings, she just need to back off. Okay, it happened a few days before the wedding ceremony, but is that a reason ?
You can call her a materialist but the fact is she suffered emotionally from the loss of her car. It was one of her belongings to which she attached a special significance.
Assuming she was wrong, leaving without warning. Mr. Dawn is still the one to blame for what happened. She had worked things out with herself and was ready to spend her life with him. And what did she see ? An aggressive person she didn't even recognize.
I once made the same mistake…" Ally raised her head and looked at him in wonder. Things had become personal. "…I left, afraid I would fail. I let my cowardice destroy the most important thing in my life. Expect that I'm responsible for that, 'cause I never came back." Larry turned to the jury and pointed at Emma. "She did and her only reward was pain and suffering. Mr. Dawn was perfectly aware of the consequences of his acts. He did it deliberately and has to pay for what he put her through. There's no escape from that and I'm sure you understand."
Larry sat back next to his client, peering at Ally. She was taking notes and looked very absorbed. It's a shame he didn't get to read her mind : "Try and focus on something…a paper !That's it, I have to write……he did mention he did a mistake, he gave up on 'the most important thing in his life'. Was it me ?Does that mean he's sorry for what he did ?"
Raymond began his closings : "Picture yourself four days before your own wedding. You're excited and terrified at the same time, you make a mountain out of nothing. To be brief : all your emotions are emphasized. Now try to picture Mr. Dawn. He wakes up and find out that the main character of the ceremony is missing. You can't blame him for panicking ! Now imagine you get a call from an ex who tells you your fiancée is with him, visibly in an unstable state of mind. What are you led to believe ? " Raymond intentionally put the accent on those last words. " Aren't you allowed to overreact ? Mr. Dawn was an emotional wreck by the time he received the phone call. And the car was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. It could have been anything else. His own car, for example. He didn't do it on purpose. He might have to pay for the wedding charges, but he can't be sued for anything else. He wasn't in his at the time he set the car on fire.
Love is blind, everybody knows that. But we don't often don't realize that love makes blind. Mr. Dawn experienced it." Raymond stood there for a moment, before adding to the jury : "He has already lost too much, don't make him lose his dignity."
Ally heard the traditional 'bang' of the judge and they were now waiting for the verdict. From Raymond estimations, they wouldn't have to wait too long, maybe the next day.
"My wallet is now in their hands." Said Julian sarcastically.
"I honestly hope the jury will sympathize with your pain, 'cause personally I do."
"Thank you, Ally."
"See you later." She took her briefcase and left. Raymond was planning on visiting his family and was already on his way, so that she was alone by the time she'd reached the steps of the courthouse. She was waiting for a cab when she noticed Larry sitting on the steps. He got and walked over her :
"Before you say anything : I have an important thing to tell you. Concerning us."
"I'm waiting."
"Um, not here. We could take a walk ? There's a park a few blocks away. We'll buy something to eat on the way and go there."
"Larry, I don't know…"
"Please.." he added in a beseeching tone, a half smile on his lips. Ally could never resist to that and Larry knew it.
"Alright, let's go then."
Like Larry said, they stopped on their way to the park and bought take-away food. Ten minutes later , the two of them where sitting on a bench, eating in an awkward silence. Larry finally spoke :
"How's everyone in Boston ?"
"Do you really care ?" she asked, suspicious.
"Of course, tell me."
"Well, a lot has changed since… " she paused, looking for the right word "…your departure. Richard hired two lawyers."
"And Raymond Millbury ?"
"Oh, he's Glenn's best friend." Seeing that Larry was lost, she explained :"Glenn is one of the new lawyer of the firm. Raymond needed a job and you know, Richard and money…"
"I get that."
And for about an hour, they talked that way : about their work, the changes at Cage and Fish, the different cases they took charge of…but they kept avoiding the main subject that neither Ally nor Larry wanted to bring up.
"And how's doing that little boy of yours ?"
Larry's face was beaming with pride : " Sam turned eight ! I had the bad idea to allow him to organize a big party in my apartment. The day after it as like a hurricane came into the living room!"
"I see…"
"Ally," Larry felt uneasy. He had already cleaned his glasses twice and the words just couldn't get out. Noticing the anxious look in Ally's eyes help him summoning the courage he had left. " I have to tell you something. It happened in May…Wanna walk a little ?"
"Okay."
They walk through the park for a while, being close to Larry actually felt good and Ally couldn't break the silence. She knew Larry had to do it by himself. He took off his glasses once more and put them in his pocket.
"Ally, I've always believed in omens. Last May, I got trapped. Do you remember that romantic dinner I planned for us ?"
"Yes, why ?"
"Something went wrong that night. I, uh…"
"Go ahead. What happened ?"
"I ordered a fruit cobbler, remember ?"
"Yes, and I recall the strange look on your face when I eat it." The memory of that night pinched her heart.
"The reason why I was acting so strange was that…..there were supposed to be a ring in it."
Ally's face fell : "A ring, wh-what, why ?"
"I was planning to propose." He let out in one breath.
"You what ?" Ally breathed for air, this was something she had never thought of. "propose ?" She became pallid and Larry quickly took hold of her.
"Ally, are you feeling okay ?"
She didn't responded right away. "Me ? Oh, I'm just…s-"
"Stunned ?"
"Shocked would be more appropriate."
"I know I should have told you……but I already had hurt you so much. Telling you that would have caused you more pain."
"Why ? Why did you leave ?"
"You dumped me, remember that ?"
"You were having lunch with your ex behind my back! What was that supposed to mean ?"
"I called Helena to talk about you. I thought that the failed proposal was an omen. Knowing she would help me, we had lunch : that's when you arrived with John and dump ice cream on my head. Helena was convincing me to tell you everything and propose again."
"And what kept you from doing that ?"
"You broke up with me and it knew it was over. I didn't leave for Detroit the same day. I picked up the phone a thousand time to call you. But I was afraid."
"Afraid of what, Larry ?"
"You !!"
"Oh, no ! you're not going to put the blame on me, Larry Paul. It's all your fault. You go from marriage to busting up ?"
"That's exactly what Helena told m-"
"And she was right. You had to tell me what was really going on instead of running away. AGAIN."
"Well, it's not like you would have listened. You proved that you didn't trust me. What did you expect ? Were you ready too see forever with someone who didn't even trust you ?"
"no, of course not." She reluctantly confessed.
Larry stooped and turned to her. Gazing deeply in her eyes, he said : "I owed you the truth. For us." She was on the edge of crying. A tear slowly fell down her cheek. "Please, don't cry…it's not your fault." Gently, Larry wiped it away, caressing her cheek. Her tear turned into sods and Larry opened his arms to her. She let him hold her, tenderly rubbing her back. "Shh, it's alright, Ally. Everything is going to be alright…"
"I missed you, Larry." She managed to say, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "What happened to us ?" Larry disengaged himself from her and slowly lifted her chin, his eyes interrogating hers. He reached to take her hand in his and kissed her as their fingers slowly intertwined.
My love
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right
My first love
You're every breath I take
You're every step I make
And I
I want to share all my love with you
No one else will do
And your eyes they tell me how much you careOh, yes you'll always be my endless love
As the kiss became more passionate, Larry grabbed her by the waist, tightening his embrace. They were finally letting their emotions rule.
Two hearts
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun
And forever I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms
And I
I'd play the fool
For you, I'm sure
You know I don't mind
And yes
You mean the world to me
I know I've found in you my endless love
Ally let out a small groan but pushed Larry away. Both were out of breath. "No, I can't do this again."
"I'm sorry, I got carried away."
"Don't be sorry, Larry. I'm not blaming you. It's just that…it's not a way to resolve things. I came here for an answer, now I've got it.
"You must hate me right now."
"Believe me, I've tried ! But actually I'm more sad than angry. Look at us : how pathetic we are! We threw us away for what ? You were right in your closings. It was all about mistaken appearances."
"So…?"
"So, I don't know. I think I should go back to my hotel and mope a little, I mean 'rest' a little. I'm still absorbing the fact that we were almost engaged and it's quite confusing."
"I understand. Where are you staying ?"
"What?"
"Your hotel."
"Oh, the St Regis."
"Do you want me to walk you there ?"
"Thank you but I'm a big girl !" she tried a half smile.
"Right. Still we can walk in the park, it's not late. I just want to feel you near."
Without responding, Ally took his and they resume their walk, her head resting on his shoulder. From the outside, they looked like any of those happy couples, walking hand in hand unaware of the world surrounding them. And in a way, they were.
******************
It was way past seven when Ally got back to her hotel. She and Larry kind of lost track of time. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she threw herself on the bed and fell asleep.
*************************************************************************************
A loud bang woke her up with a start. It took her a few minutes before realizing someone was knocking with insistence on her door. She got up, grumbling, ready to bite the stranger's head off.
"What the he- …Raymond ? What are you doing here, do you know what time…?"
"I got a call from Larry."
"A call, why ?"
"We're due in court this afternoon for the verdict, 2p.m." Noticing her sleepy face and her clothes, he added "Late night ? You didn't even change."
Fearing the answer, Ally asked cautiously : "What time is it, Raymond ?"
"1p.m, why ?"
"What day ?"
"Ally, are you sure you're okay ?"
"What day ?!"
"Saturday."
"Oh, shit !! I fell asleep…"
"I already got that."
"I have to take a shower and dress. When- ?"
"In less than an hour."
"Okay, meet you in court." And she shut the door.
******************
On her way to the courthouse, Ally was thoughtful. She kept reminiscing a dream she had the previous night : she was in her hotel room, reading, when suddenly the intro of 'I belong to you' began playing in the background.
You are the flame in my heart
You light my way in the dark
You are the ultimate star
You lift me from up above
Your unconditional love
Takes me to paradise
There was a knock on her door. Surprised, she would get up and open the door to find : nothing.
"Never mind, I guess. I don't even like Lenny Kravitz. Even so, what does it mean ?" A passer-by looked at her in wonder : she didn't realize she was talking in a loud voice. "What are you looking at?" She startled him.
"No-nothing."
"Then go your way !" He did so 'cause when Ally's pissed, you better hide.
The rest of the way was pretty calm so that Ally was almost in a good mood when she'd reached her destination. Unfortunately, she was late and everybody was already inside. She quickly entered the room and sat next to Raymond. "Glad you made it ! " he whispered, dryly.
"Has the jury reached a verdict ?"
"We have, your honor."
"What say you ?"
"In the matter of Matthews versus Dawn, on the charge of emotional distress and material injury, we find in favor of the plaintiff. And we order the defendant to pay damages in the amount of $ 70.000,00 for the car. He also has to pay half of the charges of the ceremony.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this conclude your service. We're adjourned."
Everybody got up and so did Ally, she hugged Julian. She truly felt happy for him : this verdict meant the jury didn't buy the emotional distress thing.
"So, relieved ?"
"Well, I still have to pay $ 70.000,00."
Raymond cut him off :"Julian, it's the best verdict we could expect. We didn't win on the papers, but speaking of money, it's a victory. Do you get that ?"
"Yes, I guess."
Suddenly, the room went dark for Ally and she lost balance. Raymond caught her in time before she fell and sat her on a chair. "Hey, what's wrong ?"
"I'm feeling a little dizzy." She faintly replied. "Must be the skipped meals."
"Well done ! You didn't even eat something before coming ?"
"Since when do I call you Dad ? I don't need a lecture."
"I can see that you still have resources !!" he joked. "Can you walk ?"
"Of course, I'm not dead yet !" she tried to get up but her legs went weak.
"Okay, let me help you. Slid your arm behind my neck. Here." She did what he said and he supported her by the waist. "Let's go. We'll take a cab this time." To Julian : "I see you tonight." They exited the courtroom.
In the meantime, Larry managed to get rid of his client. She wasn't satisfied with the verdict and wanted to appeal. It was the least of his concerns at the moment. By the time he'd talked her out of it, Ally was nowhere to be found…once more.
******************
"Feeling any better ?"
"Yeah, I just needed to eat. I'm okay."
"Sure ?"
"Really. Thank you."
"It's nothing, saving the damsel in distress…that's me !"
"Raymond…"
"I was kidding. I'm gonna leave and let you have some rest. Don't forget to pack : the flight's tomorrow morning at nine."
"Got it. Oh, and don't forget to tell Julian I was glad to meet him. He's really sweet."
"I will. Cab will be waiting for us in front of the hotel at eight. Until then, take care."
Once alone, Ally laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She was fully awake and the food she eat earlier had given her whole strength back. "Get up and do something useful, you can't sleep anyway !" By seven o'clock, she had packed all her stuff. Satisfied, she left her room for the hotel restaurant. As she was locking her door, "the" song began playing.
You are the flame in my heart
You light my way in the dark
You are the ultimate star
You lift me from up above…
She turned around to face…nobody. "God, I'm so stupid. It's just a song passing through my head. Nothing else."
During her diner, Ally couldn't focus on what was in her plate. Her mind was somewhere else : Larry. She kept chewing things over and over : "He wanted to propose, the ring ended up in the wrong fruit cobbler, I broke up, he left. Wow, my life for the past six months sounds like a soap opera. And now ? Am I ready to start over ? I want to but I'm petrified : what if he leaves ? I can't live without him but Reason tells me I have to. God, I'm facing a big issue. When it comes to love, everything should be simple. Instead of that I'm sitting alone at a table, completely lost……and scared to death at both ideas of loving or losing him."
Her monologue lasted for more than an hour. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was already half past nine. "Time to go to bed when there's an early morning !" The elevator took her to her floor, and when she stepped out of it……
I belong to you
And you
You belong to me too
You make my life complete
You make me feel so sweet
Someone was standing by her door, and it wasn't Lenny. Her heart missed a beat when she recognized him.
"Larry ? How did you know that…?"
"You told me you were staying at the St Regis. Thought I'd stopped by."
"Oh," she thought, disappointed. " He only came to say goodbye : at least he's able to say it face to face."
"The truth is, I took some resolutions this afternoon."
"Which ones ?"
"Never wonder 'what if ?' " He took off his glasses and looked deeply into her eyes. " I love you , Ally. Maybe even more than before, and I wanted you to know that."
"Well, I-I don't know what to say…" she mumbled, trying to hold back the tears caused by his declaration. Larry smiled slightly : she used exactly the same sentence when he first told her he was in love with her.
"I couldn't let you go without knowing that." Stepping closer, he added : "And I wanted to do that." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.
You make me feel so divine
Your soul and mind are entwined
Before you I was blind
But since I've opened my eyes
And with you there's no disguise
So I could open up my mind
Soon, the kiss got out of control and Ally found herself struggling with her key to open the door while Larry was teasingly kissing the nape of her neck. The instant they entered the room, Ally pushed him against the door, and began undoing his tie.
I belong to you
And you
You belong to me too
You make my life complete
Larry unbuttoned her blouse with urgency and soon he unlatched her bra, making her shivering at his touch. All of a sudden Ally couldn't wait any longer, she had to taste him, to feel him. She tore off his shirt and Larry didn't protest, he'd totally lost control.
I always loved you from the start
But I could not figure out
That I had to do it everyday
A tremor of pleasure run down her spine as she felt the warmth of his body pressed against hers. It's been so long since she touched him and still she knew how to please him. It wasn't long before the two of them were both naked. Larry laid her gently on the bed and started kissing her everywhere, slowly exploring her body, causing her tom moan and arc her back. At this point, Ally didn't to waste time in foreplay, the urge to feel him inside of her was becoming to hard to handle.
So I put away the fight
Now I'm gonna live my life
Giving you the most in every way
"I can't take it anymore……Larry, make love to me." Hungry for each other, their reunion was passionate. They rapidly became one and therefore fell asleep in complete exhaustion, curdled up in each other's arms.
******************
"You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you…you'd be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much…God, she's so beautiful when she's sleeping. I want to stay like that forever."
Ally opened her eyes and smiled at the vision of Larry gently stroking her hair while singing. He, on his side, simply couldn't stop staring at the amazing woman laying beside him.
"Hi."
"Hi, Mr. Larry." No more words were necessary. Ally snuggled up to him and he put his arms around her. "It feels so good to be in his arms again. I want to stay like this forever."
Minutes passed by and Larry finally broke the silence : "You don't regret it, do you ?"
She shut him up with a kiss. "No, I wanted it as much as you did."
"Good, I mean I'm not sure I'll be able to go on like nothing happened after that night." He paused then asked "What does the future hold for us, Ally ? What are we gonna do ?"
She stayed quiet. Tears began to form in her eyes, she abruptly had become conscious of the situation : she had a plane to catch a few hours later. "What on earth am I supposed to tell him ?" Forcing a smile, she replied "Let's not worry about tomorrow…" With a mischievous look, she finished her sentence :"…'cause right now, you're all mine and I plan to take advantage of that." She rolled on top of him and slowly planted kisses on his chest, going lower and lower.
"Okay, that's cheating !!" he said, giggling. "You know that I'm trying to have a serious conversation ?"
"Oh ?!" she pouted, "I had something else in mind…" She was now temptingly kissing him.
"I realized that. Now seriously : do we have a chance to make it work this time and how ?"
Ally rested her head on his chest. "I don't know. First you'd have to clear things with Sam. If you come back to Boston, how will you manage to see him ? There's a lot to talk about before even reconsidering a future for us."
"You're right, I can't go on pretending like everything's fine with Sam's custody. I still have some major issues with Jamie about that.
"So you see what I mean ?"
"Yeah."
"And still, what assures me you'll stay this time ? Larry, I would like to believe in us. It's just…the biggest step doesn't have to come from me. You're the one holding the keys in your hands. Just decide what you want to do with them."
Larry lifted her chin so that he could read her eyes. "And you'd trust me ?"
"If you don't give me reasons not to, I will."
"So it's a yes ?" She nodded. "I will overcome my fear of failure, Ally. I sometimes let that get in the way of letting you know how much you mean to me."
"Speaking of that…" Lovingly caressing his face, she continued : "I want you…to show me how much I mean to you. Now." And she kissed him. This time, Larry didn't pull away, he responded to her kiss by tightening his grip and once again their passion brought them to fullness.
******************
"I shouldn't do that…this isn't me." While putting on her shoes, Ally took a look at the wonderful man asleep in her bed.
It's daybreak and you are asleep
I can hear you breath now
Your breath is deep
But before I go
I look at you one last time
I can hear a heartbeat
Is it yours or is it mine ?
I look at your lips
I know how soft they can be
Did they know what they wanted the times they kissed me ?
I'll remember you
You will be there in my heart
I'll remember you
But that is all that I can do
But I'll remember you
It was almost 8a.m. and soon she would have to take her cab. She had chosen not to wake him up 'cause she knew she wouldn't have the strength to tell him goodbye. "Funny, months ago Larry felt the same way…" :
** "I can't handle goodbyes, okay? So just.... you can bare with me on this and just know that I love you and I'll be back.
"Okay."
"And I'll swing by on the way, you know.... just real quick, and then I'll, uh..... you know, I won't say goodbye. But I'll just –"
"Leave a note."
"Yeah. If I so much as look at you I'll never get on the plane." **
She didn't understand him at the moment. "I get that now." she whispered to herself.
Your eyes that always make me shiver
Now they're closed
They just sometimes twitch a little
And your body I could own for an hour
It sent me to heaven with its heat and power
She watched him a few more minutes, time for her to memorize his face, then she walked over the nightstand and placed there a letter.
I'll remember you
You will be there in my heart
I'll remember you
But that is all that I can do
But I'll remember
******************
When she got in the hall of the hotel, it was awfully noisy. She was still enveloped by the calm of her room and everything seemed sounded to be far away from her. Someone came up behind her and squeezed her shoulder.
"Ready to go ?" Raymond was all smile and it kept her from falling apart.
"As ready as I can be."
"Let's go then.
On the way to the airport, Ally had that vacant look on her face. She didn't feel good about that 'letter thing', but she had to do it. Raymond broke her reverie : "We're arrived." They quickly entered the airport to find out that their flight was differed.
"Great !" she sighed "Hope we won't have to wait too long.
"I'm gonna call Elaine. She was supposed to pick us up. "
******************
At the St Regis hotel, Larry began to stir and found Ally's side of the bed empty. "Ally ?" The room remained silent. He got up and went in search of her. She wasn't in the bathroom either. It became obvious that she had left. Devastated, he sat on the edge of the bed and through his forming tears, he distinguished a letter with his name on it. He took it and recognized Ally's handwriting. "She's leaving a note, just like me." Afraid of what it would say, it took several minutes before opening it. When he did, he couldn't hold back the tears and let them flow.
******************
"Attention please, flight 5032 is now ready for boarding…"
"Well, we didn't have to wait that long !"
Still thoughtful, Ally acknowledged by a small "Yeah." Once on the plane, she mentally recited the letter she'd written.
*****************
"Larry,
You were right, it's not that easy to say goodbye. I didn't want to wake you so I thought a letter would be the best way to let you know how I feel. Once again, I found myself facing an issue : there are no words to describe my feelings for you. You're my everything, you make me complete. I've watched you sleeping and that song came to me :
Till my body is dust
Till my soul is no more
I will love you
Love you
Till the sun starts to cry
And the moon turns to rust
I will love you
Love you
But I need to know
Will you stay for all time
Forever and a day?
See ya ?
Ally"
Larry cried, but these were tears of joy : Ally still loved him and was willing to start over. For once, all he had to do was trust it. Hell to omens. He was given a second and would work things out. She told him he had the keys…" I'm gonna do something right with them and I'm gonna make it, for her. For us."
******************
Ally was reading some magazines during the flight but couldn't concentrate on the words. They filed off without any signification. Her mind was set on Him : "It's up to you, Larry. Please don't blow it this time."
And I'll give my heart
Till the end of our time
Forever and a day
And I need to know
Will you stay for all time
Forever and a day?
And I'll give my heart
Till the end of our time
Forever and a day
Till the stars fill my eyes
And we touch the last time
I will love you
Love you
The End …??
"Don't worry, the sequel is on the way. I'm really mean with the cliffhanger thing but it's only because I want you to let me know your opinion on this fic before I continue this (what I could change or add...). Since it's my first fic ever, I think that I can improve things for the sequel. So just review to tell me what you think of it, and I'll post the sequel in a few weeks :))"