"Jude!" Maura called after him, struggling through the waiters and patrons before getting bogged down by a large party trying to be seated. Dazed, she walked back to her office slowly, shutting the door behind her and dropping onto the couch. Rick leaned against her desk, watching her. She couldn't look at him. She didn't want to yet. Why had Jude shown up then? Why had she allowed Rick to kiss her? There was the question of the day. She certainly hadn't expected his kiss and yet, she certainly hadn't fought it either.  

"Mo?" She glanced up at him then, meeting his cool gaze. It was all perfectly normal to him, it seemed. "Are you all right?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head.  

"Well, don't worry about him, he'll be fine," Rick continued sitting next to her. "He would have found out sooner or later. Better now than later."

Maura stared at him, her face an expression of shock. "What are you talking about? Sooner or later?"

"This was bound to happen...you and I. I've been hoping for it since I moved here and I think you have been too," Rick said laying a warm hand over hers. She jerked it away, pulling back in horror.

"You're dating my sister!"

"I won't after today. Maura, we were meant to be together. We've been holding each other at bay for months now and today I think we've really made it happen. I like Jude a lot, but he doesn't know you like I do. And he's got a lot more things to worry about than you. I don't have a thing in the world except you to think about."

"What about Jillie?"

"Jillie's great. She'll understand," Rick shrugged.

"You don't know her very well then. Look, I don't know why I let you kiss me, but you have to back off and give me some time," she said. She needed to think things through and more importantly, she needed to talk to Jude.  

"How much more time do you need, Maura? I've waited and argued with you for nine months now. I know you have some sort of relationship with Jude Fontaine and I shouldn't have kissed you," he admitted hanging his head. "But I've wanted to do that since I came here. And I know you've wanted it too, despite what you've said and done. We have so much to catch up on and do. Give me a chance now. You owe me that much."

"I don't owe you anything," she replied softly.  

"Maura, you walked away from me ten years ago without so much as a letter or a phone call. You may not owe me anything, but I owe it to myself to tell you something." He took her hand again, squeezing it tight when she tried to wrestle it back. "Maura Conlan, I love you. I don't know what I did to lose you before, but if you'll just tell me, I won't do it again."

Maura felt like crying. She should tell him, she thought suddenly. Tell him all about Tristen while she had this chance. It was the right thing to do. She took a deep breath and met his eyes, praying for the strength to tell him. Rick gazed back at her, hopeful and expectant. Oh God. She couldn't tell him! It was better that she kept Tristen to herself. There wasn't much Maura had in her life, but she had the knowledge of her daughter and no one else did. She would keep it forever if she had to, just to hold onto her own precious secret.

"If you need time," he said when she remained silent, "I can do that. But Maura, remember what I said. I do love you and I know you still love me. Forget about everything and every one else and focus on that." He leaned closer and grazed a kiss across her cheek. "I'll come around to your house in a few days."

"No, I'll find you," Maura said looking up at him as he stood. "I'll find you in a few days all right?" He nodded, running a hand over her cheek. Despite the wrenching sensation in her gut over Jude, his touch warmed her. Oh God, she thought miserably as he left, I am in some serious trouble.  


Scene 2:

Numb. He couldn't feel a thing. Perhaps that was for the best, he thought reading over the message left by Don Morrison. He didn't need emotions anyway, they were entirely overrated. He looked at his watch and shoved the message in his pocket. It was time for the Board meeting. He was trying to keep the image of Maura in Rick's arms out of his head, but it was burned there, refusing to go away. He wished he hadn't seen it. Who would have wanted to see that? But see it he did. At least it was before things got too complicated. Oh who was he trying to kid? Everything was complicated before, because he was pretty sure he was in love with Maura Conlan. 

He rode the elevator to the top floor, getting off and walking down the hall to the meeting room, wanting to get this over as soon as possible. Rounding a corner, he stopped where he was, spying a lithe blonde hovering near the reception area. From the back, he would have sworn it was Maura. Except that Maura's hair was much longer than this blonde. The woman turned her head showing her profile and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Jillie. Only Jillie. How was that a relief, he asked himself continuing towards her.  

"Jillie. What are you doing here?"  

Jillie turned at the sound of Jude's voice, an amused smile passing fleetingly over her lips as she flashed him her Press pass. "Oh, really, you don't have to sound so enthused." Shrugging lightly, she gave him a once-over. "Gwen called a board meeting, didn't she? Talk about as subtle as calling in the cavalry."

"Well, no one ever accused her of subtlety," Jude agreed. "It seems she told everyone but me about it. Including the media."

"Rick has a way of finding these things out," Jillie told him. "But you are on your way there, aren't you? I can't imagine you'd want to miss this one."

"Rick." The image of Rick and Maura flashed through his head again. "I am on my way inside. I have no idea what will happen," he added distracted by the image.

Jillie arched a brow, taken aback by his aloof manner. If she had been in his place, there was no telling what she'd be planning, but she was sure she wouldn't be floating around somewhere on another planet. "Well, if I were you, I'd be on my guard. Your...Gwen seems capable of almost anything - or so I hear." She had to remind herself that she was here on business, not as a social call. "Might you be willing to give me a statement after the meeting?" she asked, her journalistic side kicking in.

"I'll give you one right now," he said snapping out of the fog. "Effective immediately, I will be stepping down from my position as Vice President of Communications. As for the minutes of this meeting, they are private and anything discussed during will be kept confidential unless the Board deems it necessary to make it public. Will that do?"

"What caused your decision of resignation?" she pressed, as if she couldn't guess. 

"You're a journalist, you figure it out," Jude replied crossly. What was Jillie doing here? Didn't Phoebe usually cover ME? Of course, he thought, as it occurred to him. She was out of the way and he was with Maura. Nice. "And tell your...editor...tell him, he isn't as smart as he thinks he is."  

She was mystified, but she covered it well. "Oh? Any other messages? And should I relay that these are courtesy of you, or are they general words of wisdom?"

"Do you even know where he's at?"

"Do I need to?" Jillie countered.

"I'll tell you where he is, Jillie. Because you don't deserve to find out the way I did," he replied pulling her away from the receptionist who was listening intently. "Your boyfriend, if that's what he is, is with your sister. And considering what I've just seen, I'd say he isn't being completely faithful to you just now."

She stared intently at Jude, weighing his words in her mind. "I don't believe you," she said finally. "Rick...." Rick what? Rick wouldn't? She'd caught him staring at her older sister on more than one occasion. No, this time she had to hand it to Maura. "Even if he would, Maura wouldn't. Not if you two...." 

"Well, we never did," he confirmed for her. "And I assure you, they are indeed together. For how long...well, I can only guess that it is a fairly recent development all things considered."

Jillie eyed Jude in a new light. Maura's stupidity seemed boundless at times. But that didn't matter. Her sister's bad choices aside, she couldn't honestly believe Maura would so easily fall into Rick's arms when she'd been spending every waking moment with Jude Fontaine. "Did you two have a fight or something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. But I don't see how that matters given what I saw her doing not twenty minutes ago," he ventured. In fact, given the intimacy of Rick and Maura, he would say his relationship with her was at an end.

"It matters because, despite my feelings for my sister, I know she's not the type to bed-hop...or whatever you would call it in this situation. And while we're on it, what exactly did you see?"

He closed his eyes and brought the picture back. "Rick and Maura in an embrace." His eyes fluttered open. "And not some innocent 'we knew each other when' embrace. There was intent and meaning there. Whether it came from him or her or both of them, when they finished their kiss, they had other business to attend to," he added embarrassed at having to describe it.

Jillie's thoughts raced. Could it be true after all? Did Maura and Rick have something going on behind their backs? Oh, she could deal with Rick on her own, and in her own way. But Maura...Maura was another problem altogether. "What did you two fight about?" she asked softly, almost sympathetically.

"Me," he sighed. "I'd rather not go into the details if that's all right. Suffice it to say we have differing viewpoints on my situation right now."

She watched him, openmouthed, everything suddenly shifting into focus. A small laugh bubbled up, a rather humorless sound. "Of course," Jillie murmured, more to herself than to Jude. "It all makes sense."

"Oh? Perhaps you'll shed some light on it for me then," he said dryly. "Because none of it makes sense to me."

"She hasn't told you," Jillie said slowly. Of course Maura wouldn't have told him. That would mean admitting she'd done something wrong. That would mean letting go of her sordid little secret. "Jude...I don't know if Maura will ever be able to see this from your point of view. I'm not sure she could handle it." At the questioning look on his face, she squelched the urge to smile. "In fact, I'm pretty sure Maura's sympathizing with Gwen right now," Jillie continued. "You see, Jude, about ten years ago...Maura gave her own child up for adoption."

He blinked, letting her statement sink in. It made sense. And it was Rick's child, no doubt. It explained her views of Gwen and her insistence that Gwen did what she thought was right. And Jillie knew. Somehow, he doubted that Maura had shared that with her sister. They just weren't close like that.  

"Does Rick know?" He asked.

Jillie shrugged casually. "I sincerely doubt Maura has let him in on that little piece of information. Then again, I could be wrong."

"And how do you know? Somehow, I doubt Maura told you," he added with a hint of skepticism.

Her clear blue eyes reflected something akin to pity. The poor bastard. She almost felt sorry for him, still trying to hold onto some piece of the pure, flawless Maura. "I found the picture. She had a daughter. Her name is Tristen. I also found the letter our mother wrote to Maura, urging her not to have an abortion. I think Mom wanted her to keep the baby, but she was already too sick to help Maura raise it. In the end, I suppose Maura decided it would be easiest for everyone to let someone else take care of the child. So she gave it away and never told anyone."

There it was. That was the truth of it and they both knew it. He knew Maura wasn't perfect but this seemed almost unforgivable in his current situation. Maura felt sympathy for Gwen and in order to allay her own guilt, she wanted him to forgive and forget. Impossible.  

"Thank you for sharing, Jillie. That clears up quite a bit for me." He glanced at the receptionist who was waving at him. "The board meeting. Look, I have to go. But if you wait here, I'll make sure someone gives you a story, all right?"

She nodded, the look in his eyes twisting at her conscience. She hadn't lied. She'd told him the truth. She shouldn't feel bad about that. "I suppose I should thank you as well," Jillie said in parting. "For telling me about...." She shook her head. It just wasn't worth it right now. They'd both been had. "Good luck in there. For what it's worth, I think you should give them exactly what they deserve."

"Don't worry about that. Every one will get exactly what is coming to them."


Scene 3:

"Get ready to eat my dust Wallace," she warned, hopping out of the car  on their arrival. Surprising to some, Piper was highly competitive, she hated losing at games. She always won bowling though.

"I'm shaking in my boots, Conlan," he laughed. "But I've got to eat first. Those fries are calling my name. You want some?"

"Of course I do, this place has better fries than Micky D's. Oy, I haven't had Micky D's in forever and two decades." That's what happened when you dated Chase Garret, get rid of the divine luxury of junk food and rancid, bowling shoes, instead it was replaced by filet mignon. It was steak to Piper, either way.

"I can't even afford McDonald's," Noah replied cheerfully, grabbing a seat at the counter. "At least these guys are cheaper." He nodded to the man behind the counter, who stopped briefly to take their order and eye them mistrustfully. "I guess you're glad that play is over," Noah remarked after the sodas arrived. "What's next on your acting agenda? Are you gonna get an agent?"

"Nooo," Piper laughed, sticking her tongue out at Noah. "Frank plans to do another Shakespeare play this spring and he already asked me to be in it, so I'm not going to take on any other plays because I don't want it interfering with Frank's. What about you, how's your life?" Piper used to know all about what was currently going on in Noah's life, but now she had no clue.

"Same as always. Lots of studying if I want to get into medical school," he  said as the food arrived. He doused his fries in ketchup and picked one up.  "Don't give me that look. I know medical school is a couple of years away but I want to make sure I get in, you know?"

"What look?" Piper asked innocently, stealing some fries for herself. "You'll get in and you know it," she said confidently, with an affectionate nudge. It felt great and still put butterflies in her stomach to finally enjoy herself with Noah again.

"I'd still like to get into it with the best GPA in my year." He grabbed another fry, stealing a look at Piper. He missed this, he realized. He missed their time together. Dinah was still a great friend and a nice girl, but she didn't make him feel the same way...relaxed and comfortable. "What does your dad think about your acting career? I bet Maura isn't too happy with it."

"I honestly don't know what they think, I'm kind of afraid to ask. I think Dad just assumes it's a phase," she answered with a shrug. Going for another fry the sometime he did, she chuckled, quickly drawing her hand back. "Oh my gosh, guess what?!"

"What?" Noah said pulling his hand back as well. He laughed and motioned for her to take a fry. 

"Now you can't tell anybody," Piper said, "I think Jillie and Jewel are the only ones who know." Piper held out her pinky. "Pinky swear."

"Pinky swear," he replied wiping his hand on a napkin before linking his finger with hers.

Piper glanced over her shoulder. With a huge grin, she leaned forward and said in conspiring tone, "I got a tattoo."

"What? Christ, Piper! Where?"

Piper's smile broadened in delight at Noah's reaction. She whipped around in the spinning stool. Pulling her shirt up slightly to show Noah the little fairy on the small of her back.

He leaned forward, looking at the small design. "Your dad will flip when he sees that," he commented. "But it's very cool. Very you," he added with a grin.

"Dad's not going to see it till after I move out," she said, whirling back around to face Noah. "So you like? It hurt so bad, Jewel still has scars on her arm from me digging into it."

"Jewel? Oh that's the girl I see you with on campus," Noah said as she turned. "What's she like?"

"Jewel?" Piper asked with a laugh. "She's exactly what you would expect from someone who looks like that. She's in theatre arts to, but she does costume design. She's great with a sewing machine, she did my dress and everyone else's for Midsummer's." Piper wholly admired Jewel and her free spirit. The way no one else's opinion mattered, but her own though she wasn't afraid to ask what someone else thought. With her black and red hair, eyebrow ring. "She always has connections to local concerts. We saw Alien Ant Farm a couple weeks ago."

"Cool. Think she could get me some tickets to Wynton Marsalis when he rolls into town?" Noah winked at her. Piper used to tease him about his musical tastes. He couldn't help it if he appreciated jazz more than the music most people his age listened to.

"Um, if I knew who that was, maybe," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "You should come to the concerts sometime. We get front row tickets. Chase hates that stuff, he won't go." Piper sighed realizing she had brought up Chase. "C'mon, let's get an alley." She slid off the stool, dragging Noah with her.

Grabbing the fries to take with them, Noah let Piper drag him to the shoe rental counter. She asked for their sizes and led him to an empty lane. "I hate bowling shoes," Noah said with disgust. "I hope they clean these things somehow."

"Noah, these shoes have so much character," Piper chided, slipping her small feet into the...rancid shoes. Piper picked out a hot pink bowling ball for herself. "They probably just drop 'em in some disinfectant." 

"Yuck," he said, picking out a plain black ball for himself. "Ladies first," he said nodding to the lane. "And no cheating."

"Noah, I would never cheat," Piper exclaimed innocently. Without any hesitation, Piper released the ball over the slick service. "Woohoo!" she cried as the ball made contact with the pins. One remained and Piper waited with anticipation to see if it would tip over. When he did, she leapt into the air. "I rule!" Piper performed a victory dance before sauntering over to Noah. "Good luck dear heart."

He took his turn, enjoying the evening. He knew quite well that Piper would beat the pants off of him but he didn't care. It was nice being with her. Especially since she hadn't demanded that he spend time with her. He was sorry about the whole Dinah thing, but if she wouldn't be so demanding he could swallow it better. At the end of the tenth frame and Piper way out in front, he dropped his ball in the ball return. "I'm not even going to bother with this round. You win. You rule," he admitted.

"No! No! I want to finish...just to verify that you can't beat me in bowling," she said with a wild grin.

"No way, I can't take the embarrassment," he laughed waving her off. "You win. I admit defeat."

"Uh, Noah!" Piper whined. Honestly, she just wanted to spend more time with him, more time enjoying herself.

"Nope. Not going to humiliate myself." He looked at the clock. They'd been there for nearly two hours. "Shit. Come on, it's late and I have a ton of studying to do yet. Besides, Maura will kill me if I don't get you home before one a.m."

Piper sighed, "okay," she answered regretfully. Sitting down to slip off her bowling shoes. 
They returned the shoes and walked back to his car, both silent. He unlocked her door and held it for her as she climbed in, taking a moment for himself before he got in as well. Now why couldn't Dinah be fun like that, he wondered as he drove back towards the Conlan home. 

"I had a good time," he said as they stopped at the light on Main. "I haven't been bowling in ages."

"Yeah, me too," Piper replied. It had been a long time since she had had a good time, period. "Welp, here's me." Piper climbed out of the car. "I think everyone is either gone or asleep."

"Here let me walk you to the door. Make sure no one jumps out at you from the bushes there," he added before she could protest.

"I don't think that's going to happen, Noah," Piper began, relieved that Noah couldn't see the pink in her cheeks under the starry, night sky.

"You can never be too careful," he replied falling in step beside her. They paused at the steps, long enough for Piper to dig out her key. "Hey Piper, you know when we talked that day of Luke's wedding?"

Piper shifted uncomfortably, keeping her head down, pretending to have trouble finding her keys.  "Um...yeah...," she answered, wrapping her hands around the keys, but not pulling them out right away.

"You didn't really answer when I asked you if you were happy or not. You practically dragged it out of me that I wasn't. But you never said whether you were or not. So," he said, taking a breath. "Are you happy with Chase?"

She felt her breath catch in her throat. "I told you I was," Piper said in a tight voice, keeping her gaze still low.

"Really? Look me in the eyes and tell me you're happy. because I don't think I believe you. Especially after seeing how badly you needed a night like tonight."

"Noah," Piper stammered. "It's just Chase hates stuff like this, thinks its trashy." She bit her bottom lip, "no, I'm not happy." She said, finally settling her blue eyes on Noah.

"I didn't think so," Noah answered softly, touching her hair. "I guess this is good night." His eyes held hers for a moment, lost in them, all the while he was wondering what it would be like to have Piper as the woman in his life. It wasn't until he was actually kissing her that he realized what he was doing. 

Bending her head into the hand that cupped her hair, Piper closed her eyes and released a soft, unexpected sigh. She had been expecting it, but not until Noah's warm lips met hers did she react. Starting slightly at the shiver the slightest touch of his lips gave her, Piper pulled herself closer to Noah. She never felt that with Chase, with Chase she felt indifferent. With Noah she felt everything.

When she didn't pull away, he continued kissing her, enjoying the feel of her lips and the way she responded to him. Dinah was never so...soft or accepting of him. His fingers caressed her hair and cheek, marveling at the softness of both. If there was a heaven, he decided, this is what his would be like.

A flood of warmth. The Virginia winter was fairly bitter, but she felt like she was in the Caribbean. And like the bright sun of the Caribbean the porch light flickered on. Piper jumped at the sudden light they were thrown into it, tearing herself regretfully from Noah.

Noah took a step backwards at Piper's release of him. He couldn't take his eyes from her. Not even when a form appeared in the doorway of the Conlan home could he look away.

"Not to interrupt," Maura said from the doorway. "But it's really late, Piper. And cold. Don't stay out there too long."

What the heck was Maura doing home, wasn't she supposed to be out frolicking with Jude. Piper frowned at her sister, feeling a desire to run her bare feet through icy puddles, then catch pneumonia just to piss her off. Piper shut the door practically in Maura's face. 

"I'm sorry," she stammered, her hand fluttering up to her warm skin and the flush through her face.

"For what? Maura? Don't worry about her, I'll talk to her if you want me to," Noah replied, blinking at last, the spell broken.

"No, that's okay," Piper interjected. "I should go," she said finally, lowering her gaze again, embarrassed to look Noah in the eyes. "I'll see you around, Noah." And before Noah could say anything, Piper quickly slipped in side. Maura was nearby and Piper shot her a dirty look, not for her interruption, but more for her, 'it's cold, it's late,' crap.

"Great. Now he won't be able to wait tables while you're around either," Maura said with a frown, her bad mood expanding even further before climbing up the stairs back to her own room.
 

On the next Episode of Secret Horizons...

Episode 78