I'm Still Here: This Is My Now

Time drew on and the rain had grown to an almost pour. She hadn't changed the position of stance as her piercing green eyes stared out the window, not even once in the last twenty minutes. He waited patiently, one hand resting on the curve of the bed. If there was anything he had learned in his life, it was patience.

Just like he knew the ways of advanced mathematics, she was a profiler, a psychologist who understood the human emotions and could tap in without difficulty into other's minds, drawing out whatever she needed. That's what made her so good. She pushed away her own, focused on the case at hand and she knew that she would have to reverse the process and then some in order to get herself out of this one.

She began to draw in words, Shaking her head, she shifted to face him. Exhaling she gave in slightly, her eyes leveling with his until she had drawn herself to sit down beside him. He nodded realizing her confusion, took in the sight of her red eyes; tear stained cheeks, and increased tired demeanor. The thought ran through his mind that so often she took on a tough focused degree, and he imagined her at the office, surrounded by Colby, Don and David, his lips turned up as he consciously exhaled in gratitude at the protective stance the three men gave off as they stood talking. Their eyes scanning the area, efficiently taking in the technique of body language, tone and perception, The only thing that had been lost was seeing how far they were all drifting and were unable to entirely read the other. If only they could see this side of her.

"It's just that I've never," She made a little movement with her hand. "I've only started confiding just recently and I am admitting that it's never as easy as it looks." Offering an awkward smile, she let her hand slip back into her lap. He returned her gaze with a very strong look of contemplation as he brought his hand to rest upon hers.

"I wish I could take everything upon my shoulders for the sake of your happiness but I know that I cannot."

"And it's really great that you would, there's just been so much going on these last few months that I haven't taken the time to look around and realize that I have many people surrounding me, the one thing that I've only been pleading for half of my life." Offering a gentle smile, her fingers interlaced with his. "I'm a lot happier here. I know that if I had stayed in New York, my life would have turned out very different." She gave his hand an extra squeeze. He squeezed back and leaned in to kiss her lips gently.

Her hand framed his cheek as they gazed into each other's eyes. "That's because you're a fighter my dear." Breaking out into a contagious smile, they deepened the kiss even further, before coming up for air. Mirroring his smile, she let her other hand rest on his right cheek as she closed her eyes and leaned in as her lips collided with his without another word. Her hand glided down his cheek, her body began to relax and she drew in another breath.

"So I promised my father I would give him a call." She revealed quietly, "I can only imagine sitting around a table now, when I clearly remember that stern look on his face when I was a little girl and I would try to sit down at the table at home and you couldn't miss the fact that I had been playing in the mud." Recollecting, she smiled openly as he raised a playful surprised raise of his eyebrow.

"I take it you did that often?" Nodding he inquired, gently tucking a misplaced piece of hair back behind her ear. Smiling at the gesture, she nodded briskly.

"I would go back behind the field at school and play football with the boys." Furthering she added, "On this particular day it had been raining and I knew dinner was exactly at six. I had been just a little late and had run into the house while everybody else was washing up for dinner. Well I ended up slipping into my chair just as my father put down his newspaper. He jumped slightly; taking a second glance to wonder how long I had been sitting there and then he would finally ask 'Where have you been?' as he folded up his newspaper. I had managed to dry myself off quite well, only to come up with an answer of, 'playing football' in the most considerate tone that I could manage without getting off on the wrong foot."

"What got you into playing in the mud in the middle of a rain storm?" Tossing his paper to the corner of the room, he straightened as his oldest daughter looked up from just pouring the pasta into a strainer in the sink. Her eyes stared at him intently as she warned him not to start anything. It always turned out badly in the end.

Looking at the empty table Megan got up to busy herself with getting out dishes from the cupboard. "I like playing football whether rain or shine." She pressed setting the dishes carefully on the counter and pulled out forks.

Her father frowned, "Those guys are half the age of you and yet you still go out there despite rain or shine." Unfortunately this was another day that he hadn't listened, and there was another memory to throw out the window.

"I challenged him so often; it was like we were constantly calling duels with our lives."

"You did have a good reason to be angry at him. He clearly wanted you to be something you weren't but what you tried to be, and in the end it's evident that he finally sees that or at least as he wonders what it would be like to understand.