From the door she could see that something was horribly wrong, her mum was pale as a ghost and not moving. Brody looked up, heartbreak in his eyes and choked out,
'She's gone,'
In the space between this world and the next, Marlie Monroe was arguing with death, she could still hear the crying she had left behind and she was sure it was too soon. But death would not be swayed and a pillar of cold marble took up residence in the home where the woman it remembered had once lived and loved.
Brody was unconsolable, he had always thought that being ten years older, he would go first. Hallie worried about him and the stress added to her own grief proved to be the final nail in the coffin of her relationship with Brian.
Brian had flown in for the funeral and Hallie had arranged for him to stay in a local hotel, she knew her dad needed space and not to be surrounded by strangers, Brian made it clear he didn't much care for the arrangement but Hallie had too much else to think about to mind.
A week after the ceremony, the night before Brian was due to return to the city Hallie went to meet him in the hotel bar. From the moment she walked in she could tell he was itching to have a tantrum and she wasn't in the mood for it.
'God this place is a dump, Hal', he began, 'I can't believe you want to stay in a town where THIS is the nicest hotel!'
'Oh you poor little city boy!' Hallie exploded, 'It must be awful to be dragged out of your Upper East Side apartment to rough it with your hick girlfriend for her red-neck momma's funeral. How do you stand it?'
'Hallie, you're causing a scene' Brian muttered embarassed, 'I never said any of that, you're making me look bad'.
'Frankly Brian, I don't give a damn. You're too damn concerned with how you look and what people think of you. The only person in this room who's opinion should matter is mine, but you're too busy moaning to even ask me how the reading of the will went today.'
'Hallie, that is spectacularly unfair' Brian seethed, but Hallie wasn't done.
'I don't care if you think it's fair, I'm so past being fair. I've spent almost two years "being fair", appreciating the risks you took for me, making allowances for the age gap. But somewhere down the line I substituted being fair for being happy. And I'm done.
Take your pity and your condescension and go back to the city and stay there. We're over Brian.'
Brian just stood there, mouth open and watched her leave. Realising everyone was staring he straightened his collar, ordered a gin and tonic and retreated to his room. Hallie Mornoe didn't know what she was passing up!
Hallie arrived home fuming but relieved. In the morning she'd probably regret her public outburst but she'd taken the plunge and ended things, and it felt right.
As the weeks rolled by Hallie focused on keeping her dad cheerful. If it wasn't for Hallie, Brody never would have eaten or showered, without Marlie his appetite for life seemed to have gone.
Brody occasionally surfaced enough to try and encourage Hallie to get out and live her own life. He knew that she and Brian had broken up and worried that with her spending so much time shut up with him she wouldn't meet anyone new.
He got pretty upset about it so to calm him, Hallie popped out occasionally, visiting her siblings and her new nephew Zander who looked just like his mother and grandmother.
She even went on a disastrous date!
Less than six months after Marlie passed away, Brody followed her. Hallie was distraught but unsurprised. Her parents had needed each other to survive and as she grieved she imagined her father shaking Death's hand and following him to his love.
As the guests arrived for the funeral, Hallie tried to compose herself and found herself in her parent's room. The bed was made and their belongings gone but Hallie knew that she would never enter this room without feeling them there.
Hallie said her final goodbye alone. She had never felt so lost and unable to resist any longer she pulled out her phone and dialed the number she had tried so hard to delete.
'You've reached the answering service of Cai Serverus. You know what to do at the beep.'
'Cai, it's Hallie' she whispered before realising what she was doing. 'I'm sorry this was a mistake' she garbled and hung up.
When the funeral was over Hallie sat down with Oscar and Marisol, exhausted by everything that had happened.
Oscar cleared his throat and took Marisol's hand.
'I completely understand the feeling Hallie, Marisol and I were going to talk to you soon anyway but we wanted to wait until the stress of the funeral was over. We're having a baby and we want to get our own place with my inheritance. Will you be okay on your own though?'
Hallie gave a weak smile. 'It wont be easy Oz, but I think I've been using other people as an excuse for not getting on with my own life for long enough. It's time I see what I'm made of.'
Not wanting to wait any longer Hallie struck a deal with her firm for the remodel the next day and set about packing the house.
She was rushing about in her rattiest clothes when a knock came at the door.Thinking it was the movers she rushed to open it and froze when she saw who the visitor was.
'Hallie are you alright? I came as soon as I got your message' Cai began before Hallie dropped what she was carrying and threw herself into his arms.
Words poured out of her with little order or sense to them.
'Oh Cai, I've missed you so much. I'm so sorry I was a terrible friend, I'm so happy to see you. You grew your hair back, I like it - oh I'm so rude come in! What am I wearing?' and ten minutes later Cai was waiting on the couch while Hallie cleaned up.
He'd tried to forget her, he'd been doing well until her heartbreaking voice-mail had cut through all his defences and taken him right back to the day she'd rejected him. In spite of all the hurt he couldn't leave her hurting and alone so he'd come and he wondered how bad the damage would be to the life he'd built.
Hallie emerged looking just as he remembered and told him all about her life, her losses and Brian. Cai listened, wishing he had been there to help her. He told her about his new art show, about the book he had been asked to write and that his dad had also recently died.
Hallie looked at her old friend with new eyes as he hung on her every word. She couldn't believe she had been so blind to his good looks and kind nature. Cai was everything Brian hadn't been and she found her eyes lingering on his mouth as her heartbeat accelerated.
Without knowing what she was doing, Hallie closed the space between them and kissed him, all of the years of friendship melting in to something more, something dangerous, something she could feel burning from her lips to her toes.
Cai ran his hand tenderly through her hair before stepping away, unable to meet her gaze.
'Hallie, I have someone waiting back home for me. She loves me, I- I can't', he breathed. His shoulders tight with regret and frustration.
Hallie flushed, apologised and made awkward small talk until Cai made an excuse to leave. She wasn't sure if she was more humiliated that she'd misread the situation or upset that she'd realised too late that Cai was made for her.
A week later Hallie packed her case and left the house she had always called home for the last time. She was leaving the happy memories along with the sad and taking a trip to Europe while the remodel took place.
As she rounded the corner she felt tears in her eyes. This was the end of an era, but she knew that she would return refreshed and ready to take up the legacy mantle in a house that she had built.
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Hallie moves back in - as do a couple of familiar faces!
