The Anniversary
Part Four
By Aeris Jade Orion
aerisjade@worldnet.att.net

Rating: R
Timeline: Last seen new episode
Spoilers: yes, yes, and yes
Pairing: KW/KL, KW/EC, EC/MG

Disclaimer: Not mine, they belong to Warner Bros.



The dark grey sky was cloudless, seeming to stretch on forever. The rainfall was a steady beat against the dark Mercedes parked nearby. The grass was a lush candy green, impeccably cut and fertilized. A loud crack from above the dark blue tent brought her eyes up to see a thin line of silver slash through the sky.

"...father, the son, the holy ghost. Amen."

Across the blue casket was a brown-haired woman about her age, staring steadily at her. She couldn't read anything in her statement as those bloodshot eyes drilled into hers. She gripped the black cane, missing the comfort of her crutch. 'Why did I have to leave it in the room?'

"Ready?"

Kerry glanced over at her lover in surprise, having finally become aware that everyone had left. She found herself smiling sadly at Kim as the blonde held out her hand to help her up. If it had been anyone else, she would've been insulted. Anyone but Kim. Kim had a manner about her that made her feel that something as simple as getting the door for her was done out of respect.

"I thought we could stop for something to eat before we start back."

Kerry nodded absently as they started to climb into the black Mercedes. As long as they put a good twenty miles between them and this cemetery, she didn't really care.

"Kerry..."

'No.' She faltered as that voice cut through her carefully masked feelings. She gripped the armrest of the half-opened door and stared at the last person she wanted to talk to.

"Kerry, I..." The dark-haired woman trailed off awkwardly. "I just wanted you to know that I never blamed you."

She fought against the immediate flood of fear and guilt. She didn't want to be forgiven, she didn't deserve redemption.

"Mom never really understood that it wasn't your fault. She needed someone to blame."

Kerry ground her teeth, wondering ideally why she was being forced to listen to this. "It was my fault. If I hadn't been driving..."

"He would still be dead. The other driver was drunk, the traffic light was broken. It was an intersection that had been responsible for numerous accidents. Nothing you could've done could've changed things."

All the ghosts over the years seemed to intensify in her heart at the matter of fact tone in her sister-in-law's voice. In all the years since his death, neither Bobbi nor her mother-in-law had given her the slightest hint of understanding or forgiveness.

"I've lost both my brother, and now both of my parents, I don't want to have to lose my sister too."

She felt the last stone crack under that soft plea, and stood up. Bobbi was in her arms before she could take more than a step from the car, breaking down in her arms. The tears falling bitterly, for all the family members they'd lost, and the one's they nearly lost.


Two Months Later


"So?"

Kerry glared over her chart at her lover. The tall blonde had been absolutely ecstatic since making peace with Bobbi. She'd been the one to suggest they invite her over for dinner next month, when Bobbi would be in town for a business convention. She'd also gently suggested that she might want to consider having a talk with Corday.

"So, Bobbi said yes, and her daughter is staying with me for a few weeks."

She went back to her chart, knowing without a doubt that Kim was giving her a look. She had been avoiding the whole Corday issue since the night they'd meet.

"And?"

"And what?"

Kim playfully tugged the chart from her hands and dropped it on the lounge table. "And...what have you done about Corday?"

Kerry reached over, taking the chart back. She did not want to be talking about this. "Nothing."

"Kerry...."

"Don't 'Kerry' me. I do not have any issues with her." She cleared her throat and went back to the chart, not seeing the writing, but the disbelieving look on Kim's face. She didn't really believe what she just said, she knew there was no truth in it. Every time she and Elizabeth saw each other there was a deep hurt there, even if momentary. They'd both gone through the motions of laughing, talking, and working together, but there was still that underlying emotion that one night of passion had produced.

"You don't really believe that." Kim's voice became softer, gentler, lulling. It was what she did when she was angry, upset, or even trying to make someone stubborn see her point. "You can't keep letting this brew. It will only serve to make things more difficult for you."

She glanced up at those blue eyes and felt her resolve melting. When she got that concerned passion in her eyes there was no turning her back on her. "This isn't a good time. With Mark's strange behavior since his tumor was removed, and her pregnancy..." She shook her head violently, there was no way she was putting herself into the crossfire. "In a few months, when they've both had time to settle, then I'll think about it."

She dropped her eyes as she realized that neither woman had missed the 'think about it.' The quiet "hmm" from Kim only proved that.

"I'd better get going. I'm supposed to meet Christy for coffee in a few minutes."

Kerry leaned back watching her lover's lean body gracefully leave. She regretted her inability to get past her awkward feelings of public affection, but even now, she just couldn't bring herself to do much more than give her arm a squeeze. Then again, that was who she was.



She felt, rather than saw, Kim. She ignored her, though, after the stunt she'd pulled earlier, she was the last person she wanted to see. Ambushing her like that, forcing her into agreeing to dinner with that...that...bimbo. If Kim thought she was going to get away with treating her like that then she'd be sleeping alone for the next week. The worst of it had been Malucci.

Every time she thought he couldn't get any more stupid he just had to prove her wrong. They'd been openly dating for two and a half months. She'd openly announced to half the staff that her lover was Kim, and he still had no clue.

Waltzing up to her and saying he'd heard Kim was gay. Okay, she could handle that little statement of idiocy. However, when he began asking if another women was Kim's girlfriend, and then starts saying how he wishes he could go to 'that little party...' It was just too much, even for someone as infinitely patient as her.

"How dare you! Damn it, Kerry! They sawed off half his skull, then they inserted high dosage chemotherapy waters into the empty cavity..."

She sighed mentally as Corday charged in front of her by the admittance desk. She had never seen the surgeon so out of sorts. Her olive skin was now tinted purple red. Even her voice was strained to its limit. The woman standing in front of her was in love and standing up for her mate, and that scared her more than she'd ever care to admit.

"Hello Elizabeth, how are you?"

The surgeon's skin seemed to darken even more at her calmness. The hurt that had been between them seemed to become a pliable thing, driving Elizabeth's anger and her calmness. "...It caused temporary swelling right next to Broca's. Of course he's has a little aphasia. But that was six weeks ago. The swelling's gone down and he's back to normal now! If anything, I find his honesty rather refreshing. We could all do with a little more candor around here."

She felt her heart stop. Both of them knowing exactly what she was talking about. She managed to smile with an understanding that she wasn't feeling at the moment. "Candidly speaking, then, are you sure that you can be objective about this?"

"Of course I'm not objective!" The surgeon trailed off for a second, struggling to get control over her rage. Striking out was not going to help anyone. "Look, I've been with him every moment and I can tell you he's making remarkable progress and is no danger to anyone, except perhaps easily threatened minor demigods!"

"He may be endangering patients." She followed Elizabeth's sudden shift of attention to see Kim sliding around the corner of the admittance desk. She threw a quick glare at her lover, telling her to stay out of it. She needed to deal with this herself if she was going to keep her authority defined. "I'm not unsympathetic to his circumstances, but I have larger responsibilities."

"It's despicable and you should be ashamed of yourself. I hope that you end up with a possibly fatal illness one day, Kerry, so that I can do absolutely nothing to help you."

She stared in shock at the surgeon, ignoring the small glimmer of regret that flickered across her face. Hormones, love, what ever had driven the surgeon to this, she would never be able to fully forget what she'd just said.

Elizabeth took a step back then quickly left, leaving her feeling shaken. She'd never expected something like that from Corday.
"What was that about?"

"Uh...some days I really hate this job." She was more than aware that this only proved what Kim had been saying, but right now, she wasn't about to give either woman the satisfaction.

"Well, you, me and everyone else around here. Are you ready?"

Ready? She searched her mind for some clue as to what she was talking about, but the last hour had only served to send her mind into chaos. She had found herself thinking about just taking off, no warning, for two weeks. Maybe go to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Alaska. Just as long as she got away from all of this.

"Dinner?"

"Right. Yes. I just have to, uh, drop this off." 'Don't follow me, don't follow me... She's following me...' She growled softly and thrust the offending chart into Carter's arms. He could handle it. Right now she had to figure out how to get out of dinner without killing someone.



"I blew it."

"No you didn't."

She glared over at the raven-haired pixie. "I don't recall asking you."

"That's because you didn't." The teenager hopped onto the island with a wicked grin. "So you had a fight, it's no biggie. In a couple of hours you'll kiss and make up. Besides, that's the best part..."

"Jessie..."

The teen smirked at the warning tone in her aunt's voice. Even after a few months of having the love bug, she still let people know who was boss. "Oh come on, are you telling me that it isn't?"

She sank back in her chair with a dreamy little smile as she remembered the argument her and Kim had two weeks earlier. It was incredibly stupid. She'd wanted to go to Delany's for dinner and Kim had wanted to try out that new restaurant. But Jessie was right the fight was worth it, if only for their making up.

"See. Now I want you to go find her and make up. Right now."

She cast an exasperated look at her niece. How was it that Bobbi's daughter ended up with her stubbornness? The mischievous pixie jumped off the island and shooed her towards the front door.

"Will you go already? Or do I have to call her myself?"

"All right, all right. I'm going..."



Aeris Jade Orion
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