Gap-Filler: "Flight Of Fancy"

By: Lori (SixteenOzs)

DISCLAIMER: "ER," the characters and situations depicted within are the property of Warner Brothers Television, Amblin Entertainment, Constant c Productions, NBC, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. The story presented here is written solely for entertainment purposes, and the author is not making a profit.

Please do not post or redistribute without the disclaimer above, or without the consent of the author.

Feedback is welcome. Please send all questions, comments or criticisms to SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com

SUMMARY: Continuation of the episode "Flight Of Fancy"

RATING: PG

Mark carried their dinner as Elizabeth unlocked the front door.

"Thanks for driving," he commented as he flipped on the lights, then walked through the dining room into the kitchen and sat the bag on the bar.

She smiled while taking off her coat and placed it over a chair at the kitchen table. "Don't mention it. Besides, you looked like you could use the rest."

"Thanks," he chuckled, placing his coat next to hers. "Want to eat in here?"

"Sounds good to me," she nodded. "I'll get a couple bottles of water."

"Great," he replied as he sat down and began to unpack their dinner; a Greek salad for Elizabeth and a Philly cheese-steak sandwich for himself.

"I just did not feel like cooking tonight," she remarked while taking the seat next to him. Handing him a bottle of water, she added, "Here you go."

"Thanks," he smiled. "And I know exactly what you mean about not wanting to cook."

She chuckled. "Rough day at the office?"

"Something like that," he replied with a rueful laugh.

"So, what if we talk about something more cheerful?" she suggested.

"Okay," he agreed as he unwrapped his sandwich. "Have anything in mind?"

"Possibly," she nodded while opening her salad. Turning to smile at him, she softly said, "Our wedding."

"I'm thinking you already have an idea or two."

She hesitated a second, then suggested, "What about a nice, small ceremony? Sometime in the spring, maybe down by the water near Navy Pier."

"Navy Pier?" he questioned.

She smiled coyly. "You do remember what happened at Navy Pier, don't you?"

"Hmm..." he grinned, "I seem to remember missing a boat there once."

She laughed, then prompted, "What happened next?"

He gently slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer. Just before their lips met, he whispered, "This."

"I thought you might remember that," she smiled as the kiss ended.

"Vaguely," he chuckled.

After a moment, she wondered, "What do you think?"

"Of getting married by Navy Pier? I think that sounds absolutely wonderful."

"I was thinking just a few family and friends," she explained. "Nothing huge."

"Your parents, Rachel, friends from work," he suggested as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"That would be nice," she said softly. She picked at her salad with the fork, eating a bit, before she added, "I'd certainly want Daddy to walk me down the aisle, but if he came, I'm not sure Mother would. Even if she did, I'd probably spend most of my time worrying about trying to prevent them from making a scene."

"They know how important this is to you. I'm sure they could put aside whatever feelings they have for each other long enough to make sure you're happy," he assured her.

She considered this, then smiled and said. "We could always elope. There's only one person whose being there really matters to me, and that's you."

He chuckled, taking another bite of his sandwich. "I'm not completely sure about this, but I think I HAVE to be there."

"That would help, wouldn't it?" she laughed.

He watched her for a moment, a slight smile on his face, then suggested, "We could always save elopement as a back-up plan."

"I just keep thinking about Tom and Janet," she said softly. "They got married in an ER Trauma Room, with no one they'd known more than a few hours present. But I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone as happy as they were."

"I know," he nodded. "All that really matters is how we feel about each other."

After a moment, she admitted, "I don't want a long engagement. Janet said they'd been engaged three years. He started getting sick soon after he proposed, then they just kept putting it off, wanting to wait until he got better." She paused and drew in a deep breath before looking back to him. "We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or next month. I don't want to assume that there will always be time to do it later, only to realize too late that we were wrong."

"I agree. Completely," he said seriously. As he re-wrapped the uneaten half of his sandwich on the bar, he suggested, "Let's go in the living room, where we can be more comfortable."

"Okay," she nodded, placing the remainder of her salad next to his sandwich before slipping her hand in his and walking towards the sofa. She settled next to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder and lace her fingers with his.

"What's wrong?" he wondered gently after a few moments, sensing something amiss.

She swallowed hard, then quietly said, "Not really. I suppose everything that happened today is just finally catching up with me."

"Yeah," he agreed as he lightly ran his hand over her shoulders. "You okay?"

"I am now," she promised. "You're here."

They were both quiet for several minutes, until he finally commented, "We were on the phone when the chopper started having problems."

"I know," she whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he inquired softly.

"The last thing I heard you say was, 'What the hell's that?'" she said after a moment. "I assumed you were talking to the pilot. Then, horns, shouting and nothing."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was happening," he said apologetically.

She smiled slightly, "Somehow, I figured you had other things on your mind."

"Maybe at first," he agreed, "but as we were falling, you were the only thing I was thinking about."

"You don't want to know what I was thinking after the phone went dead," she admitted wryly.

"Malucci said you were pretty shaken up," he commented.

She looked at him curiously. "When was this?"

"After I got back to the ER and we got Tom stabilized. He asked me how you were doing," Mark explained.

"Malucci said I was shaken up?" she questioned.

He grinned. "Well, actually, I believe he used the term 'freaking out.'"

She had to laugh in spite of herself. "I hate to admit it, but he's not that far off."

"Want to tell me about it?" he prompted.

She drew in a shaky breath. "After the line went dead, I just started running through the possibilities in my head. Each time, I kept coming back to the worst. It scared the hell out of me," she admitted quietly. "I didn't want everyone else to see that, so I was snapping at people left and right, telling them to call around to see if anyone had more information on what had happened to your chopper."

"Elizabeth, I am so sorry," he whispered.

She turned to look at him and smiled slightly as she ran her hand over his cheek. "Why are you apologizing? This wasn't your fault."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said seriously.

"In a strange way, I'm not," she said after a moment. "It's certainly something that I never want to go through again, but if I wasn't sure before, this convinced me that saying yes when you proposed was the best decision I ever made. I need you in my life."

"I feel the same way," he assured her firmly. "I hope you know that."

"I do," she nodded softly. "I love you, Mark."

"I love you, too," he said, his breath brushing against her cheek, just before his lips met hers.

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December 6, 2000