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                      Swans Crossing: the Reunion	
  		        Chapter 8:  Hope For a New Day
		           By Michelle Rutherfurd

CAUTION! This story contains some adult themes/situations.

        Sydney woke up with a splitting headache.  She decided that rather 
than try to go back to sleep, she ought to go get an aspirin.  But as she 
stepped out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom, she realized that 
this wasn't her room!  She looked around in horror at the familiar sights 
of the room she had woken up in, and finally back to the bed where her 
eyes rested on a sleeping Garrett.  In an instant, everything that had 
happened the night before came rushing back.  She had slept with Garrett 
Booth!
        How could she have let herself do this?  She was engaged to be 
married to another man!  And besides that, it wasn't like her to go to 
bed with someone so easily.  Sydney Rutledge may have her bad moments, may 
make mistakes, and may go to extremes sometimes, but no Rutledge women 
(especially not Sydney, considering her current marital status) slept 
around.
        Now what was she going to do?  She wished there was a way to keep 
this from getting around to everyone.  Pretty much all of her old friends 
were now aware of her engagement.  And besides that, what if Garrett 
didn't realize what a mistake this had been on Sydney's part and that 
she had no intention of leaving her fiance to start a relationship with 
anyone else, even if it was her high school sweetheart.
        She was so confused.  So lost.  She wasn't sure what to do or 
what to think.  Should she stay and wake Garrett up now and talk to him 
about what had happened?  Or should she wait until he woke up and talk to 
him then.  She had to make it clear to Garrett that she wasn't at all 
planning on abandoning her plans for the future, which happened to include 
James.  But as she remembered more and more little details of the night 
before, she couldn't help but smile at how good it felt to be held in 
the arms of a man who loved her--really loved her.  Her and Garrett 
didn't have the empty, phony relationship she had with James.  What they 
had was real.
        But still, it had to be ignored.  She quickly gathered her clothes 
and dressed and quietly kissed Garrett on the cheek before rushing out.  
She had to leave--she needed to sort out her feelings.  Despite her 
determination to go back to Paris at summer's end and marry James, 
Sydney couldn't ignore the rising hope she was feeling for a relationship 
with Garrett.  And it scared her to death.
			*	*	*	*	*
        Garrett woke up a little before dawn that morning, and as quickly 
as he woke, he remembered the night before.  He looked around the room for 
Sydney.  But she was gone.  He called out her name as he quickly pulled on 
his robe and ran down the stairs.  He moved from room to room until he came 
to the kitchen.  A few feet from the doorway, he heard a noise from within.  
        He made his way to the dimly lit room hopefully and called out a 
final "Sydney?"
        And there in the kitchen stood Glory putting her empty coffee cup 
into the sink and gathering her purse and car keys.
        "Sorry to disappoint you--it's just me.  But I wouldn't mind 
knowing why exactly you're looking for Sydney so early in the morning.  
Did she stay the night? 
        "Yes she did, and yes we did," he replied.  "But apparently 
it meant nothing to her if she just picked up and left this morning."
        "Don't be so negative, Garrett.  I gotta go.  Nancy and I are 
eating breakfast at the soda shop and then J.T.'s meeting me there to 
talk.  But Garrett, maybe she's just confused.  There's still hope."
        "Yeah.  Whatever.  Anyways, good luck," he replied distractedly 
as her words floated through his mind.  "There's still hope..."  And 
though his mind told him to forget it, his heart still believed there was 
a chance for him and Sydney.
			*	*	*	*	*
        Nancy and Glory sat side by side an hour later, waiting for J.T. 
in the corner booth of the soda shop.  Glory looked nervously from the 
clock on the wall by the soda fountain to Nancy.  She didn't know what 
was about to happen.  She didn't know J.T.'s reason could possibly be 
for blowing up at her and saying such cruel things to her.  And she was 
afraid to find out.  For the first time in the past seven years, Glory 
Booth was very much unsure of her relationship with J.T.. 
        Just then J.T. entered the shop, with Neil close behind, and the 
two made their way to the girls' table.  
        "Neil, would you join me at the jukebox?  I think these two need 
to be alone," Nancy said.
        "Sure.  Good idea," Neil answered at the two left the other 
couple in an ackward silence.  
        After what seemed like a lifetime, J.T. spoke.  "I guess I 
should start at the beginning.  Lately, I've been getting cold feet.  
Or it's starting to seem like more than that.  And then, out of nowhere, 
Mila just came along and let me open up to her.  It just felt so new, 
exciting... And after she told me what you said about my poetry, I just 
felt so distant from you and so close to her.  So I think we should--" 
(Glory cringed and braced herself for the worst) "call off the wedding.  
I'm so sorry to hurt, but I just need some time."
        And without another word of explanation, he left.  Glory sat 
there, stunned, for a moment.  She barely noticed the tears rolling down 
from her unblinking eyes or Nancy and Neil shaking her and asking her what 
had happened.
        Then she snapped back into reality, gave a meek look to Nancy and 
Neil, and then bolted out of Swans.  As she ran, thoughts kept running 
through her head: "Why doesn't he love me anymore?  What changed?  WHY 
WAS THIS HAPPENING?"  And then a though came to her.
        A plan began to form.
        There was still time...there was still hope.
			*	*	*	*	*
        Neil made his way into Swans Club later that morning.  After Nancy 
had left, he started to walk around town, lost in thought.  He and Nancy 
had yet another great talk.  He wished he could make their relationship 
more than just conversation, though.  He really felt like they were 
connecting.  But he had such bad luck with girls.  He didn't want to 
ruin this wonderful feeling.
        As he walked into the dining area, he noticed a very distraught-
looking Saja slumped into a chair, so he made his way towards him.
        "Hey man!  What's wrong with you?" he asked his friend.
        "Nothing.  I really don't want to talk about it.  But hey, I 
understand something's going on between you and Nancy.  How's that 
going?"
        As Neil really started to get into it, Saja thought to himself, 
"How could I have hurt Sandy like that.  What came over me?  Two wrongs 
don't make a right.  I have no right to try and hurt her for the mistake 
she made.  I really screwed up.  I only want what's best for her so that 
means I'll just have to..."  And suddenly, he knew.  He knew what 
needed to be done.  And as he hurried his good-byes to Neil, he rushed off 
with new hope.
			*	*	*	*	*  
        Owen and Sandy sat in their studio talking that afternoon.  They 
were supposed to be working on their new song, but instead found themselves 
discussing their feelings for each other.
        "I know you have a boyfriend, Sandy," Owen was saying.  "But 
I can't help the way I feel.  I don't know why I never saw it before.  
But I do now.  I love you Sandy Swan."
        Sandy stared at him, wide-eyed for a minute.  She couldn't 
believe it.  After caring about him all this time, he finally felt the 
same way.  
        "I really care about you, too, Owen.  But I love Saja, and I 
can't leave him.  The more I think about, the more I realize that our 
kiss was a mistake.  I'm not ready to give up on Saja.  I'm too in 
love ."  But deep in heart she couldn't help but long for another kiss.  
And as she turned to meet Owen's eyes, she saw that he felt it, too.  
Just as she was about to protest, Owen hushed her by letting his lips meet 
hers in another passionate kiss.  
			*	*	*	*	*
        Jimmy and Callie sat across from each other at the kitchen table 
of Callie's sub.  They had stayed up all night talking.  She did her 
best to explain why she hadn't written or called, and why she left in 
the first place.  But there was one thing she couldn't share.  And it was 
killing her to hide it.
        "You know what?  I don't even care!  I'm just glad you're 
home again in Swans Crossing.  You wouldn't believe how much I missed 
you."
        "Yes I would.  I missed you that much, too.  I still love you.  
I always have and I always will."
        "I love you, too," he began.  "So will you still make me the 
happiest gearhead alive and be my wife?"
        "Of course," she answered, as she leaned over the table to kiss 
him for the first time in seven years.  It felt so good to be near her 
again.  And for the first time in seven years, he felt that life was worth 
living.  
                            *   *   *   *   *
        Mila walked through the store with a smirk on her face as she 
replaced certain items of clothing back on the racks.  "Too slutty, made 
me look fat," she thought outloud as she put them back.  She was looking 
for the perfect outfit to wear tonight.  For tonight was the night she had 
been waiting for.
        Mila had gotten up ealry and headed for the mall looking for some 
cute outfits to wear to some up-coming premiere parties back in Hollywood 
next fall.  But then, after purchasing a few things, J.T. called her on 
her cell phone.  
        "It's over between me and Glory.  I really want to see you.  
Meet me at the club at eight."  And he hung up.
        And then her shopping trip took on a whole new meaning: to find 
the perfect outfit to seduce J.T. in.  Sure she felt a little bit guilty 
about betraying the only people who had really loved her.  But it had to 
be done.  It was part of the plan.  And anyways, they just didn't know.  
        They didn't know how good it felt to be class president, head 
cheerleader, girlfriend of the school's hunky quarterback (Garrett), 
former childhood actress, "Class Beauty" three years running...the list 
went on forever.  She never experienced anything like that before she came 
to Swans Crossing.  And she loved every minute of it.  She thrived on the 
attention.   
        But then, little things started to bother her--little things about 
Sydney.  Sydney was changing, growing...for the better.  She became less 
superficial, more caring and honest.  And even though everything Mila 
gained she had gained to Sydney's loss,  Sydney didn't seem to care at 
all.  And that made Mila thirst for more.  It made all that she had 
achieved less meaningful, and she wanted more.
        But soon, other people noticed the change in Sydney.  And they 
liked her more than before because of it.  The senior class voted Sydney 
class president and Homecoming Queen. Garrett professed his undying love 
to her after dumping Mila.  The cheerleaders voted her captain again and 
held a big pep rally in her honor.  Everyone wanted Sydney back where she 
belonged: at the top of the social latter of Swans Crossing.
        But Mila would not go back to second best.  She had seen what it 
was like to be voted "best" and "most" in everything.  She had had 
it all, and it got to a point where she would do anything to get it back.  
But after her first year of college she lost hope and returned to 
Hollywood.  But her success there renewed her confidence and determination.  
So now she was back, fighting for what was rightfully hers.  
        As she bought the dress she carefully selected.  And in an excited 
anticipation, she started out towards her waiting limo to whisk her home 
to get ready.  It was finally happening. Ahead of her she saw the changes 
yet to come, and how shaken her so-called "friends'" perfect lives 
would become.  She had new hope.  For up ahead was a new day.


		      Copyright: Michelle Rutherfurd 2000    

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