Esq. (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Who else do you think would go with me? I'm the Ice Queen." Megan said a little bit bitterly as she looked over at Jerry. "It's just Tubby and I...and you, I guess. Since we've decided to strike up a truce."

She didn't have many friends. Most of her friends were ones that she had because of Tyler and now that he had been caught with his pants down, she was sure that they would dump her in a moment's notice to soothe his broken heart. It was just as well, she thought to herself as she took another sip from her bottle.

"You know, a few years ago I found out that I have a sister." She told him, her gaze turning a little sad at the thought. "She's younger than I. By a few years, at least. My mom raised her."

That had been the hardest part about finding out that she had a sister. Her mother had kept her sister and gotten rid of her. It was hard to wrap her mind around that.

"I thought about contacting her, but I've always been too scared to. She probably has a nice little life that I would ruin." Her words were tinged with a sad anguish. "Maybe we could be friends one day..."

 

[BeachBum25]

Jerry slid over closer to Megan. He didn't like the way that she went from being excited to being sad. He had to take some of the blame for asking her who else she wanted to go on the ski trip. He wished he hadn't asked that. He caressed her arm lightly, trying to figure out how to flip the mood back to something more positive.

"I'll tell you what Meg. When we get back from the ski trip, I will do some research and I will reach out to your sister. I will gauge her interest in meeting with you. However, if I hear you mention anything about ruining her life again, I am going to be upset with you. You have overcome more than anyone could ever be expected to overcome, and look at you now. You are beautiful. You are successful. You are the top attorney in the Prosecutor's Office. Hell, I have heard all of the rumors about you being his hand-picked successor. Damn, you are the one who has everything going for her. You just need to be positive about just how great you are."

 

[heartofcourage]

When Jerry scooted closer to her to rub her arm, Megan realized that she didn't want to pull away. Normally she shied away from contact, but she didn't do that with him. As much as she might have disliked Jerry professionally, she knew that he was a kind and gentle man.

"I have a little black cloud that follows me around. Most of the time I'm good about telling it to go away. Sometimes...well, it's hard to push away." Megan murmured as she let out a soft sigh as he offered to contact her sister for her. "Maybe. I'll have to think about it. If you contact her and she agrees to meet with me, that means I might have to meet my mother too. I can't guarantee that would be a happy meeting."

She was a little stunned that he thought she might be the one to became the chief prosecutor one day. She never thought she was that good. There were others with better records who put in longer hours, but she was just as hard working as anyone else.

"Now you're just trying to flatter me." Megan said with a small smile on her lips. "But thank you for the compliments."

 

[BeachBum25]

"Megan, I think you know me better than that. I don't bullshit anyone. I never misled you before. I would not start now. You know you are the best in the office. You get all of the toughest cases, and you win the large majority of them...... even against me." He smiled at her, hoping she would get that he was joking with her.

"I will not do anything you don't want me to do Meg. I know you don't want to meet with your mother, and I totally understand that. On the other hand, it would be your opportunity to rub it in her face. You get to show her how successful you became and that she had no role in it whatsoever. In fact, you have been so successful in spite of her. Forget that for now....... let's figure out our ski trip."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, somewhere cold." Megan teased him back as she finished her second bottle and sat back comfortably. "Maybe a place with a nice view. Lots of good food. Some good shopping. A nice soft bed. I'm pretty easy when it comes to picking a place for vacation."

She gave Jerry a smile as she offered him her empty bottle, a nice little buzz going on in her head. She was well on the way to being happily drunk but she knew she had to pace herself lest they have a repeat of the night before.

 

[BeachBum25]

"Oh yea, I can see that you are not too picky. The list of necessaries is probably only about a page long," Gallo joked with Megan. "I am sure that we can find a place that is just fine for you. Maybe even find a place that will do the skiing for you too." He felt really comfortable with Megan.

When she handed him her second bottle, Gallo was a little surprised. He didn't think she would be drinking at all after her previous encounter with alcohol. Without asking, he got up and headed to the kitchen. He finished his beer on the way. After getting two more beers, he returned to the living room and handed one to Megan. "So, how is 007 making out in this one? He hook up with any hot ladies yet?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm not THAT bad." Megan said as he teased her about her long laundry list of what she wanted out of a vacation spot. "Maybe just good company is all I really need."

Watching as he stood and made his way back into the kitchen, she let out a long sigh. She was lonely. It was the craziest thought in the world. She had a good friend in the making sitting there next to her and she was incredibly lonely. Jerry was good at making her feel relaxed but her soul was screaming for something more.

"Thanks." She said as he came back with another bottle, handing it to her as he asked her about the movie. "Mr. Bond always gets the girl. I suppose this one isn't any different."

Glancing towards Jerry, Megan dared to scoot closer, her head leaning over to rest against his shoulder. She let out a sigh as her cheek came into contact with the soft fabric of his shirt. It might have made him uncomfortable, but she sorely needed that moment.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you, Jerry." She murmured softly.

 

[BeachBum25]

There was something that just felt right about what was happening right now. Gallo felt comfortable sitting here with Megan. They were joking with each other and their attitude toward each other was relaxed. Maybe they were renewing a friendship that, in his opinion, should never had been broken.

When she rested her head on his shoulder, he was shocked, but he had no objection to it at all. "Meg, that is ancient history as far as I am concerned. I know what you went through growing up made trusting others difficult. I also understand that someone has to take care of the self before they can worry about someone else."

He paused for a second. Gallo thought he should just shut up and let her talk and just be the listener. After all, that was what she said she needed. "Forget all of that mumbo jumbo. Just know that I am not upset with you about what happened in the past, and, if I was, I would just take it out on you in the courtroom." He nudged her a little to make sure that Megan knew he was teasing.

 

[heartofcourage]

Megan glanced at him as he talked about taking out his frustrations on her in the courtroom. He was joking with her and she smiled slightly.

"Well, I'll have to be on top of my game when that day happens. I can't have you winning all the cases." She murmured as she placed the beer that he had handed her on the coasted on the coffee table. "And...I really want to make this friendship work. I'm tired of being lonely. I really want a friend that I can count on."

 

[BeachBum25]

Gallo put his arm around Megan's shoulders. He pulled her close to him. "I want it to work too Meg. I want you to feel that you can trust me, that you can talk to me, that you can talk to me, that you can count on me to help you whenever you need it."

It felt right to be sitting there with Megan. There was nothing about the fact that he had his arm around her other than he was showing her that he wanted to be her friend. He wanted to make sure that she knew he could trust him. After all, trust was the real basis of any friendship.

"So, here is what you need to do Meg. You need to take a few days off and let me know when those days are, so that we can plan our ski getaway. I want it to be a fun time in which we get to help our friendship grow and strengthen."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll look at my schedule." She murmured softly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her tightly. "How about you just surprise me? I like surprises."

She did like surprises. Little things like flowers, chocolate, and little notes always made her day. However, those things were few and far between. She was surprised when she thought about her relationship with Tyler that they were so compatible. They simply didn't fit together. Jerry had always been the one that she should have held on tightly to.

"I'll have to find someone to take care of Tubby while I'm gone. Or I guess I could board him at the vet for a while." She murmured, her eyes feeling heavy as she relaxed into the moment.

Jerry was warm and she felt safe. He always seemed to have that kind of effect on her.

 

[BeachBum25]

Gallo had thought about trying to surprise Megan, but then again he wasn't sure if she would be able to get the time off, and he didn't know what her trial schedule was like. She deserved something good to happen to her, and he wondered how he could facilitate that.

"You want to be surprised? I am going to surprise you. We are leaving tomorrow night. We are going to the airport. We are going to get on a plane to someplace cold. When we get there, we will find a place to stay, and we will stay there until we are ready to come back." Gallo wasn't normally the spontaneous type. He liked everything well planned out, but this situation called for spontaneity.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Really?" Meg murmured, picking her head up from his shoulder as he told her that he was taking her away tomorrow. "What about my cat? My cases? My apartment and loser ex?"

She was never a person to simply leave on a whim, but the idea was very welcome. She had enough time coming to her and there were more than enough people working in the office that her cases could have been covered. Perhaps she should just take the chance and go with Jerry, have a good time and face the world when they got back.

"Okay. Let's do it."

 

[BeachBum25]

"Take the cat to the vet and board her there. There are a lot of other attorneys in your office, so, there will be plenty of people to pick up the slack while you are gone. Although, they wont be able to do the job as well as you do. Tomorrow I will get in touch with a someone who will make sure that your ex is gone and that the locks are changed. He will also take care of filing the eviction paperwork if he isnt gone. I on the other hand will spend tomorrow begging a couple of judges to grant me continuances on several cases that are scheduled in the next week."

Gallo could not believe where this was going. He was excited about it and he almost wished they could head out right now. Then again, he was happy to be just sitting around with Megan. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and their ski trip would be an adventure.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Okay." Megan said simply, already making plans to get Tubby to the vet and get her clothes packed in the morning. "I can be ready to go by tomorrow night. I'll let you deal with the travel arraignments."

She had a true and genuine smile on her face as she thought about what they were going to do. It had been a long time since she had taken a vacation and never one on this short of a notice. It made her giddy and gave her a hope that had been missing for a very long time.

"You know, if you spoil me too much, you might never get rid of me." She said with a small laugh as she teased Jerry. "Like an abused dog that simply loves you for the attention that you give it."

 

[BeachBum25]

"Megan, I never wanted to get rid of you. Having you back as a friend makes me feel good. I am really looking forward to spending time with you on the trip, but I am not going to rub you behind the ears or give you doggie treats."

His mind started wandering to places to go. He thought about Vermont, Colorado and Utah. He decided that he was not going to be totally spontaneous. However, he was still going to surprise Megan with their destination. After she went to sleep tonight he would make all of the arrangements, including flight, hotel and ground transportation.

 

[heartofcourage]

They talked for a while longer about the trip before Megan drifted off to sleep against Jerry's shoulder. The beer had made her sleepy and the movie had long since ended. She was truly excited, looking forward to the chance at relaxing at some location that was outside of the city. It was like a dream was coming true, slowly but surely. She would finally get to go on the trip that she had missed so many years ago and Jerry and she could begin to build on the friendship that they had recently rekindled.

 

[BeachBum25]

Gallo picked Megan up and carried her into the guest room. He laid her on the bed, pulled back the covers, and then tucked her in. After making sure she was okay, Jerry went out and cleaned up the bottles, turned off the television, and then turned off all of the lights.

When everything was cleaned up and shut off, Gallo went into his bedroom and turned on his laptop. The first thing that he did was send emails to a couple of judges' clerks asking for the judge to grant a continuance. It was rare that Gallo asked for a continuance, so, he was pretty sure the judges would grant them. He smiled a little. The prosecuting attorneys would probably see this as a sign that Gallo didnt have a very good case, and they would be excited at the prospect of beating him in court. That would not happen though.

Then Gallo turned to the trip. He decided on Park City, Utah. Why, he had no idea other than the fact that when he looked at the resort and the lodge it looked like something that Megan deserved to have. He called the resort to reserve a room. The only thing they had available at this late notice was a suite. The clerk told him it was real expensive though. Gallo booked it. Yes, he wanted to give Megan the trip of her life. After booking the suite for a week, he went online and made airline reservations and arranged for ground transportation. Then, he called it a night.

 

[heartofcourage]

Megan slept soundly and woke up early the next morning feeling refreshed and excited for her day. She wondered where Jerry was taking them, but she knew he really meant it when he wanted it to be a surprise. Instead, she got out of bed, showered and pulled on her last set of fresh clothes. She then stepped into kitchen to grab a bagel and leave him a note that she was going to her apartment for clothes and to take Tubby to the vet. She promised to be back in an hour or so.

When her cab arrived, she set about calling the office as the driver took her to her apartment. Tyler's car was long gone and that was a relief as she went upstairs. Some of his things were still there, but she decided she wasn't going to worry about it. Her cases were all covered by other lawyers and Tubby was waiting on her patiently at the door. She leaned down and scratched behind his ears, smiling at his rusty purr as she gathered his things before she started to pack her own bags.

Once Tubby was loaded into his carrier and her bags were in the cab, she shut the door on her apartment and got to work on the last of her errands. Tubby was dropped at the vet and she found that she still had some time for shopping. She bought a new coat and some snow boots, things that she never had.

 

[BeachBum25]

Jerry got up and got ready for the day. He saw the note from Megan when he went into the kitchen. For a second, he worried that she would get cold feet, but he put that thought out of his mind and headed out. He met with a friend of his that was going to take care of the details with Megan's apartment. He was going to keep an eye on it, get the locks changed, and, if her ex was there, he would deal with it. Well, you could say that the guy was not really a friend... he was more of an acquaintance.

Gallo then checked in with the court clerks, and found out that his requests for continuances had been granted. He thanked them, and then he called his clients. They werent happy about their cases dragging on longer, but Gallo explained it was strategic to lure the prosecutors into a false sense of security.

As Gallo headed back to his condo, he stopped to buy ski pants and a ski jacket. While walking through the store he decided not to buy them now. He was going to wait until they got to Utah and then he would buy them. this way he would only have to pack them for the return trip. He left the store and headed home to pack.

 

[heartofcourage]

When Megan entered the condo a short time later, she had coffee in her hands and her suitcase trailing behind her. "Hey. I'm back." She called as she left her suitcase and her new purchases by the door and walked to Jerry's room.

"I got you some coffee. Just the way you like it." She said, offering him the cup in her hand with a slight smile. "I still remember some things from those late nights studying in the library."

 

[BeachBum25]

When Gallo got home he went into his closet and dug out his suitcase. It had been quite a while since he had gone anywhere. His schedule kept him busy, and left little to no time for vacations. Of course, the schedule left no time for much of anything.....not that he had been looking for anything.

He heard Megan come in bearing gifts of coffee. "How could anyone forget those nights of studying." He took the coffee from her and he took a sip. "Thank you. You certainly do remember how I take my coffee." He sat the coffee down on his dresser and put a few things in his bag. "Since we are both ready, I think we should just head to the airport. We can get something to eat there, and then make our way to our destination."

He wheeled his bag out into the living room. He placed it next to Megan's and then walked around the condo to make sure everything was okay. Once that was done, he walked over to Megan, put his arm around her , looked down at her and said, "let's go skiing."

 

[heartofcourage]

Megan busied herself with last minute details of her own, checking on her purse and to make sure that she had enough cash on her to last her the trip. She was slightly startled when Jerry wrapped his arm around her shoulders, but she gave him a smile as he said those words.

"I've waited a long time for this." She said in complete honesty. "Thank you for planning it."

She then pulled away from him, grabbing the handle of her suitcase and waiting for him to do the same. She was ready to get away and explore somewhere new. It was all the more special not that she had a friend to share it with.

 

[BeachBum25]

When Megan pulled away fro him and went and grabbed the handle of her suitcase' Gallo thought that maybe he was moving too fast with the friendship angle. He walked over and took the handle of his suitcase and followed Megan out the door.

When they got to the lobby, the doorman whistled for a cab. "Thanks Marty,"Jerry said to him. "We are going to the airport." After their suitcases were loaded in the trunk and the driver was given their destination by Marty, Megan and Gallo got into the cab and they headed for the airport.

It was a quiet ride to the airport. Gallo wondered if he upset Megan by putting his arm around her. When they got to the airport, they checked their bags and headed off to security. Once they were through security, Gallo asked, "do you want to grab a bite to eat? We have a little time."

 

[heartofcourage]

Megan glanced towards Jerry as he offered lunch before their flight. "Sounds like a plan." She said as she took his arm and let him lead the way, her carry on bag over her shoulder.

"Relax, Jerry. You're not going to drive me away by hugging me. I'm too stubborn and you know it." She murmured as she glanced up at him with a smile. "You're stuck with me for a long, long time."