Welcome To The Harem

Alone by Christina Davis
Summary: "You can't run from the past if you bring parts of it back into your life." Jeffrey, Marita. The Truth missing scene. Written for the Harem Jeffrey Spender challenge.

TITLE: Almost
AUTHOR: Christina Davis
EMAIL/WEBSITE: christy@thepiratequeen.net / http://thepiratequeen.net
RATING: PG
ARCHIVE: Anywhere, just ask
KEYWORDS: Jeffrey, Marita
SPOILERS: The Truth
DISCLAIMER: All characters are the legal property of people with lots more
money then I.
SUMMARY: ".you can't run from the past if you bring parts of it back into
your life."
AUTHOR NOTES: For the Harem's Jeffrey Fic Challenge. I exceeded the 500
word limit by almost 100 words but as I haven't written anything in ages I
figured it was okay. This story is dedicated to the Jeffrey/Marita ,
post-William fic that is lost somewhere on my hard drive.
FEEDBACK : Love it!


She had smoked once when she was sixteen and had hated it. Alcohol didn't
do much for her either ,though when it had become clear that Alex was never
coming back she had drunk a whole bottle of red wine. Caffeine however had
always been a problem. And not even caffeine in its more sophisticated form
of coffee or tea. Marita Covarrubias was a slave to the kind that came in
the little red cans. She was currently standing in front of the soda
machine trying to convince herself that even one would be a bad idea in her
current state.

Jeffrey Spender found her like that, frowning slightly at the machine. He
studied her for a moment, taking in how healthy she looked. The hair that
had been stringy and ready to fall out when he saw her last was now healthy
and full of life. She looked a bit too thin and her shoulders were bent but
she had survived. His mind wandered to another blonde-haired woman who had
not been so lucky and a sigh issued from his mouth.

She jumped at the sound. Turning towards him she almost gasped aloud but
was able to stop herself. Adjusting her face into what she hoped was a mask
of calm she smiled.

"Hello Jeffrey."

If his face was able to register surprise it would have.

"I didn't think you'd recognize me, Marita."

She frowned and the mask almost broke, "I saw you walk in before, Agent
Skinner had told me that Jeffrey Spender was going to be testifying around
the same time as me. I put two and two together."

He nodded and they stood staring at the floor. He finally looked straight
at her and she looked up and met his gaze.

"It's nice to see you looking well," he softly said.

"Thank you."

He paused, "I wanted so badly to get you out that place. I thought about
you often, it took me forever to track down if you were alive or dead."

She cut him off with a wave of her hand, "Jeffrey please, you don't have to
say anything. Please don't say anything. It was a million lifetimes ago.
We were different people, the world was a much different place."

He nodded, sorry to have brought it up. The day had already been too full
of reliving the past for both of them. He wondered where she was off to now
that she was done testifying and if it was as lonely as the hotel room that
waited for him when he finally left. He wanted to take her out to dinner,
spend all night talking to her, run his fingers through her hair that was so
very alive. If she didn't look so scared and eager to run he would have.
It was better that he didn't, you can't run from the past if you bring parts
of it back into your life.

"I should go."

She gave a sad smile, "Take care of yourself, Jeffrey."

"Stay well, Marita."

He walked away and she watched him go. She wanted to run after him and beg
him not to make her go home to the same empty apartment she had spent every
night alone in since Alex had vanished without a trace. Instead she kept
her eyes on him until he turned a corner and she could no longer see him.

She turned back to the soda machine and with trembling hands put a dollar
bill in and took her soda. Smoothing down her hair, she headed home.

END