Disclaimer/warnings/rating: See Part 1
Feedback: Email TT

Realigning Destiny
By TT

Sometimes chance intervenes in our lives and causes destiny jumps the tracks. When this happens, fate steps in and realigns destiny’s course to bring us to where we need to be. But, as with the course of true love, the road of realignment doesn’t always run smooth.

Part 14: Paper

Stephanie took her piles of pictures and papers and headed over to Bob's computer. Setting her information on the chair , she quickly stacked and cleared the papers on the desk, setting them in a neat pile on the floor. She picked up her information from the chair and began sorting it into piles.

The pictures she set on the end of the desk in one pile. The hand-written transcripts she placed in another. The third pile held information on the people and places involved.

Picking up the searches first, she scanned through them quickly. Bob had done a good job with them, but she could probably find a bit more. There were some searches she could run today from here, but others would have to wait until the office tomorrow.

Settling those pages on the desk, she picked up the first one and started the computer. A few years ago, Bob had set both her and Charlie up on his home P. C. She rarely used her account, but was glad she had it.

As the main screen came up, she noticed a forth login had been added. It simply said, “Carlos”.

She smiled and quickly ran her fingers over the name. Before she came to Montana, she had thought about settling in Arizona. She'd found a nice town that seemed to fit.

A Small Town In Arizona

She had just picked up the local paper when she heard a woman call, “Carlos!”

Although she knew it couldn't possibly be Ranger, it had been impossible not to look up.

Her heart clenched at the sight of a small child with longish black hair and mocha-latte skin. The boy ran to his mother and when Stephanie caught sight of him, she knew that the boy was no relation to her Carlos. But for a split second she had wanted to believe.

Setting the paperback down, she headed toward the motel to get her things and find a new place to stay.

Viciously shoving her clothes into her suitcase, she chided aloud, “He's not your Carlos any more and never will be again.”

Shutting the top of her suitcase, she desperately tried to ignore that portion of her heart that insisted Ranger would always be hers.

Present

Logging into the computer, Stephanie began her searches.

Reaching for a pencil, she accidentally knocked some papers on the floor.

When she bent to gather them, she knocked over the stack of papers she had moved to the floor.

Uttering a soft curse, she got out of the chair, and began collecting those papers as well. Fortunately each set had fallen in a different area.

As she moved to place a handful of papers on the stack on the floor, one paper in particular caught her attention.

At the top of the paper in bold type was her name: Stephanie Plum.

Her body stilled. After a moment, she slowly reached out and picked it up from the top of the stack.

Settling more comfortably on the floor, Stephanie dropped the sheets she had gathered and settled in to read the one she had found.

Scanning the information on the paper, she could see it contained the basic information that could be found out on-line – vital statistics, news articles, etc.

The first thing to catch her eye was the date of death.

She was unable to stop the gasp at the sight. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized her family had had her declared legally dead when her body hadn't been found. She couldn't imagine the pain that had caused, the heartache she had inflicted on her loved ones.

It wasn't until a tear splashed on the page that she realized she was crying.

Blinking rapidly to try and clear her vision so she could read the rest, she found she could only really make out two words written in Bob's scrawling hand, “Why lie?”

Another sob escaped as she not only mourned for the life she had abandoned, but ached for the pain and doubt she had inflicted upon her friends here in Montana.

Maybe it had been sharing the truth with Bob and Ranger that had loosened her emotions on the issue of her disappearance, but whatever it was, years of fear, loneliness and heartache chose that moment to come out.

Thought the purging of her emotions was intense, it didn't last long. Still, by the time she got herself under control, the paper that had caused her breakdown was wet and wrinkled.

Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, Stephanie gathered her papers and stood.

Placing everything on the desk, she snagged a few tissues from the box on the desk and blew her nose. She took another to wipe the tears from her face, making sure to wipe under her eyes to make sure to remove any mascara that had run.

As she tossed the used tissues in the garbage can, she glanced at the door, wondering why neither Bob nor Ranger had come to check on her. Not that she expected either of them to be anxious to be near a crying woman, but, still, they cared for her. Wouldn't they check on her?

Crossing the room, she found the kitchen empty and the door to the basement open. That would explain why neither man came, they didn't hear her. In all honesty, she was more relieved that they hadn't shown up to comfort her than disappointed. She hated crying in front of people and right now she needed to prove to both men and herself that she was strong enough to handle this situation.

Her mind made up, she turned back into the room and settled at the computer. Her first searches were almost done, checking to make sure the printer had paper, she focused her attention on the information the programs had found.

To Be Continued in Part 15 – 039. Coffee Break

To TT's 100_Prompts Table
To TT's Main Page
Email TT