"You say I'm stuck somewhere back in between. My blurred memories."- Closer, Burn Season

Episode 12: "Closer"
Written By: Kelly Zollo

Scene 1: 574 Shoreline Dr. Apt #36., West Lake, NY

Looking around the apartment she can’t help but grin, as Tyler moves around the kitchen making them dinner. They still have some final prep work but they are presenting the case to Judge Newman in her chambers the following day. Ethan Leavitt has still not returned their calls neither has Lee Sanders, but that has not derailed them in the least. She is still holding out hope that even without the two witnesses Judge Newman will let them present and rule in their favor.

She still hasn’t talked to her parents about the case, she knows that they know she filed it, yet there is no outrage from them on the matter. She supposes that she should be grateful for that, they could have her head for it. She is an intern, it doesn’t matter that she is their daughter, she is still expected to follow the same rules. She glances up from her seat on the couch as Tyler makes if way into the living room handing her a glass of Merlot.

“You worried about the case?” Tyler asks, handing her the glass.

Callie shakes her head no, looking at him and taking the glass. “Not really, I’m just enjoying the calm before the storm. How much longer till dinner?”

Tyler takes a seat next to her on the couch, fire roaring in front of him and feeling the peace and calm for a few moments. He is happy that he has been able to do this for her, they have been working nonstop since the wedding. Going before Judge Newman the next day weighing on his mind. Taking a sip from his glass, he reaches his arm out to pull her to him on the couch.

“About half an hour, so we have time to sit here and do absolutely nothing.” Tyler assures her, placing is feet up on the coffee table.

Callie can’t help the smile on her face, as she curls into him on the couch taking her free hand in his to lace them together.

It’s quiet for a moment the sounds of the fire encompassing the room, the warmth radiating from the hearth. She still hasn’t decided if she wants to tell anyone about what Kate told her before the wedding, realizing it is still none of her business. She has far to much to worry about and Kate’s problems with Austin are the last thing on her mind. She loves her bother loves him very much, but she can’t entangle herself into the mess that Kate has started.

“You sure everything is all right? You’re really quiet.” Tyler offers.

Nodding her head at him she looks up at him to place her lips against his to silence his thoughts and statements about her not being all right. She is met with no resistance as Tyler places his glass on the end table, reaching for hers afterwards. Hands then pulling her towards him, they haven’t actually done the act yet, they’ve both been preoccupied with the case. She breaks her mouth from his for a moment to look at him, before smiling and capturing his lips again, the ringing of his phone stopping the kiss.

Tyler reaches into his pocket to pull out the phone and look at the caller id, seeing that it is work. “It’s Greg.”

“Go ahead and get it.” Callie says, pulling away slightly disappointed at the distraction.

Tyler goes ahead and answers the call, Greg letting him know that there has been a new lead with one of his witnesses. He can barely register that Ethan Leavitt was found in his office this morning, the California police are ruling it a suicide. The local state attorney wanting the West Lake police departments help with the case. He looks around quietly for a moment giving Callie a sympathetic look, before covering the phone.

“I have to go in, it’s about the case. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” Tyler offers, kissing her forehead before heading out of the apartment.

In the warmth of the room Callie throws her head back on the couch wishing that the case was finally over and done with.

Scene 2: 897 Trespass Way., West Lake, NY

They have been back from Spain for a few weeks, moving into the house together and getting set into married life. For Liz, her time in Europe was the best of her life she knows that now, she wasn’t using. She started again after they got back and she isn’t even sure why other than she needed it. She still hides it, often going to the guest bathroom to make a line or two when Austin isn’t home, he has been working a lot more since they have been back.

Taking the packet out now she checks the time it is still the middle of the day, Austin will be at the office going over the book release party with his father and Brian. She is still shocked that Pete is staying in town, her brother the mystery back to try and save people. Deep down she wishes that he would just leave again, her life was simpler without him trying to play big brother. Taking the white powder out of the bag, she makes the lines, before pinching her nose, taking the paper and inhaling the powder.

One day she’ll give it up, she will it just won’t be today. Today she likes the powder against her nose, as she cleans up the counter, the high starting to take over. Gripping the edge of the counter for support as everything goes blurry. Normally this doesn’t happen, normally she just passes out no symptoms, this feels different. This has her mind wondering if her supplier gave her a bad batch, reaching for the bathroom door she stumbles out of the bathroom the room spinning.

The blood drops she can see on the floor, are blurry and she can feel the warm liquid against her bare feet, as she closes her eyes to make her vision return to normal. Light is sensitive to her eyes, her hands reaching upwards to block the sun from the windows. She contemplates calling an ambulance, barely making it a few more feet before she hits the ground, her heart racing in her chest. Fear sitting in as she reaches her hand out to the phone cord before everything goes black.

Peter Jones has spent the last twenty minutes pounding on his sister’s front door, her car is still parked in the driveway and he called the office she isn’t due back at work till next week. Peeking around the corner through a window to see if he can see anything, the house is dead silent. He turns his attention back to the door, as he hears a car pull into the driveway and he turns around as Austin gets out of the car. He really has no excuse why he is at his sister’s house other than to see how she is adjusting to being married, they had a far from ideal childhood.

“Pete, what brings you by? Liz decided to lock you out or something?” Austin asks as he approaches the door and takes out his key to unlock the front door.

“I have a few days off before I start at the hospital next week, just thought I would come by and see how the newlyweds are doing...’ Pete states, following him inside the house noticing his sister on the ground. ‘Liz!”

It takes a few moments for Austin to pull it together that his wife is laying in the middle of the hallway, blood on her feet passed out before he rushes to her and Peter. Pete is already looking for vitals, finding a week pulse and then looking at her eyes. They’re glassy and cloudy something that he is used to seeing, the blood another indicator that she is using. He can see the white powder outlined on the rim of her nose and looks over at Austin wondering if he knew.

“Call 911, she’s overdosed.” Peter says, checking her pulse and her shallow breathing again.

Austin feels like his whole world is spinning around in circles, as he watches Peter working to make sure his wife makes it to an ambulance. Using, as in drugs does Peter know something about his sister that he doesn’t? How long has she been doing it? It would explain her erratic behavior over the weeks leading up to the wedding, but the last few weeks have been fine. Looking at his wife’s pale body, he feels numb almost as if he is married to a complete stranger.

“Austin the phone, call 911.” Peter’s voice carries through his thoughts.

Phone in had he numbly dials.

“911, emergency.”

Austin is finally able to speak. “My wife needs help.”

Scene 3: West Lake, Shoreline

Vanessa doesn’t now what had compelled her to go into town and grab the while lilies, hailing a cab to take her to the lake but she is there. Staring at the wooden cross before her unsure if she should place the flowers down on the marker of her best friend, unsure of what to say. She has been twisted in knots for weeks, not telling anyone about her encounter with Jake kissing her or the wedding. Memories of a happier time, for a fleeting moment that she summed up to being sentimental.

Her mouth is dry as she attempts to say something, quickly shutting it realizing that there is nothing that she can say to a piece of wood. Hannah is in the ground because of her, her friend is not coming back she learned that years ago. However, standing at her grave she wishes it to be true, wishes that she could be six feet under, wishes she hadn’t been drinking. She can feel the sting of tears behind her lids, as she leans down to the marker to place the flowers there.

“Her favorite,” the voice behind her says.

Turning around Vanessa comes face to face again with Jake.

Jake knows that he isn’t supposed to be angry with her for being here, Hannah was her friend, her best friend but he is. He can’t help it even if he wants too, it doesn’t matter what she used to be to him, she had been behind the wheel. The thought comes and it’s quickly replaced by his own guilt about why she was even in the car to begin with and self loathing takes over. They haven’t seen each other since the wedding and despite how angry he is at her, he desperately wants to reach out and kiss her again to hold her and be the person he should have been years ago.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” he says quietly.

He doesn’t say anything as he watches her rise from the ground wiping her hands on her jeans and then at her eyes, wiping at the tears. Instinct kicks in and he takes a cautious step forward to dry her tears and she takes a step backwards holding out her hand to stop him. It stings him more than he thought it would, her stopping him and he looks at her flexing his jaw. She’s tougher now, four years ago she would be a puddle in his arms and he is seeing that she no longer needs that from him, his time to comfort her has passed.

She can’t help the tears in her eyes that begin to form, “Do you think this has been easy for me?”

Mouth dry he waits a moment before speaking, “She was your friend.”

She doesn’t know what else to say, as she attempts to move past him only for his hand on her waist to stop her. It’s dead silent near the water, both not wanting to disturb it or make it go away. Standing there they’re both reminded of happier times, both reminded of their mutual love for Hannah Donovan. Reminded that at one time they loved each other.

“I have to go,” she manages to get out.

He considers it for a moment, his hand on her waist looking at her before leaning in and kissing her, anger and passion behind it. She resists for a moment only to succumb to it hands gripping the back of his neck. It feels right for him, it always has with her and that moment in the quiet of the lake is no different. As quickly as it comes, it soon passes with a gush of wind and her pulling back.

“I have to go,” she repeats, before quickly making her way back down the road to the waiting cab.

He doesn’t know what to do other than stand there and stare after her, as she runs down the road towards the cab. He wants to chase after, to save her and he finds himself frozen. Glancing back at his sister’s grave for a moment, guilt on his face about how everything is turning out. Knowing how disappointed his sister would be in him, over what he did to her. Walking down the path, he can feel someone watching him, glancing back at his paranoia before continuing down the road.

Scene 4: Cade's Car

Cade has been a jerk the last few weeks there is no stopping that, it is just is how he is and tonight he has made the vow to make that up to Kate over dinner. Talking with his aunt and his sister a few weeks before helping him step up to the plate. Instead he is driving the car with Kate in heading out of West Lake towards New York City, a relaxing weekend alone. He has rented out the main suite of the Hilton, went ahead and bought tickets to the opera for her, something she enjoys.

Kate doesn’t even know why she has agreed to a weekend alone with Cade, she doesn’t know why they are even still together. It comes back down to her as he pulls out of her driveway to head down the street, it’s because Austin is married. She has no one else to go to, Cade is a good person, a good man and deep down she knows he deserves the truth. Something that she is certain that she can’t give him, she can’t hurt him like that with the truth.

“We should be there in an hour or so, traffic is looking good.” Cade offers, stopping at the light.

Kate doesn’t know what she is supposed to say to that as she looks at the red light, wishing that she was somewhere else. It seems like an eternity until the light turns green and Cade makes his way through the stop. With the radio on she can barely hear the ringing of her cell phone until Cade points it out to her.

“You going to get that?” Cade asks.

Kate looked at him for a moment before glancing at the caller id, seeing the hospitals number come up, she wasn’t on rounds today. She had asked for the time off when Cade had called with the proposal. Figuring if she said no it would just make her feel more guilty and she had went o her mother to ask her for the few days off. Her mother had looked at her worried before agreeing to the time off.

Breaking from her thoughts she speaks into the phone. “Hello?

“Kate, thank god. It’s Austin, it’s about Liz. I’m at the hospital, she was passed out at the house,’ Austin says on the other end. ‘I was hoping that you could come meet me. I’m scared. Please Kate.”

Her heart sinks into her chest as she listens to Austin’s plea on the other end of the phone, guilt seeping in. If she had just just told Austin about the drugs to begin with, or if she and Austin hadn’t of slept together. Hearing his frantic voice however, wavers her emotions to look over at Cade with pleading eyes, as he pulls over to the side of the road sensing that something is wrong.

“I’ll be there in a little bit,’ Kate says, hanging up the phone to then look at Cade. ‘We need to head back to the hospital. It’s Liz, they found her passed out at the house. I’m sorry.”

Cade knows that he shouldn’t be angry at her or at Austin, they have been friends for ages, but when she got the call he knew they weren’t going. He pulled over to the side of the road to let Kate finish up her phone call, figuring that it would be polite. He knows that she and Austin have a past, but he never thought it would be glaring him right in the face. Austin could have chosen anyone to call and be there for him, but instead he chose Kate.

He isn’t sure if he should still be jealous or not, Austin is married now and has been for a few weeks he has moved on. When she mentions that they need to go back to the hospital, he can only simply nod at her. Looking into the rearview mirror to avoid turning out into oncoming traffic, before he pulls out onto the road. He is disappointed that they can’t go, but he knows if he makes a scene about it that she will no doubt put more of a distance between them.

“Of course.” Cade manages to mutter pulling back on the road.

Kate notices his tone and she nearly winces wondering if he does know all of her secrets. “Cade, it’s not like that he sounded really upset.”

He has no choice but to trust her statement as he looks back on the road, simply nodding his head.

Scene 5: Club 90, Paige's Apartment

Shane has tired to understand the events of the wedding to the best of his ability over the last few weeks. Deciding what to do with Paige's confession, something that he isn’t even sure is true given the fact that she was drinking when she confessed. He had taken her home from the wedding, as she stared out the car window intent that he wasn’t going to learn the details. Furthermore, he hadn’t bothered to ask as her confession set in unsure if he wanted to know the details or not. He is off at the hospital for the day and he now finds himself at her apartment outside the door, waiting for her to answer.

By the time she gets there he can tell that she hasn’t slept in days, there are dark circles under her eyes, her hair is a mess. Holding the door open for him he takes a look around the living room of her apartment and the mess that is awaiting in the living room. A stark contrast from the neat and tidy girl that he has known over the years, she liked things in order and he can already tell she doesn’t give a damn now. He spots the nearly empty bottle of Merlot on the end table by the couch and nearly asks if she is already drinking before noon.

“What do you want Shane?” Paige finally asks, tying the robe around her waist.

She isn’t sure why he is there at the apartment, she figured that she did enough destruction to send him running months ago. She is used to men running with her, using her, building up false hope with her. She sums it up to watching her parents growing up, with a skewered view on marriage and commitments. She only wishes the same fate doesn’t fall on her brother with Liz, though given the phone call she received and hour ago, he’ll most likely get a divorce from Liz.

“I came by to see how you were, you haven’t been into the club in a few days. I was hoping we could talk about what you said at the party about Ryan’s father.” Shane offers.

Paige manages to roll her eyes and let a sigh escape her lips, “I figured that you would be running off to turn me in to tell you the truth.”

Her tone and statement makes him take notice of how broken she is that very moment, her sense of caring is gone. Guilt is apparent in her tone and her attitude, yet he can’t bring himself to turn her in not until he knows all the details.

“I don’t even really know what happened Paige, you were drinking babbling about killing someone. I thought I would get the full story before going to the police.”

At least he is honest about his intentions on the matter, at least he isn’t trying to bull shit her into thinking that he can still care about her. She is grateful for that in more ways than he can ever fully imagine possible. It is technically her fault that Ryan's father is dead, she has come to an ugly truth about that fact over the last few years. Hannah knew what happened, Hannah was a part of it and she ended up dead.

“I was in college, decided to take a photography class with Hannah. He was a charming professor, married, his wife lived in California with his younger son. I would meet him after class, he persuaded me to pose nude for him a couple of times,’ Paige says, pausing for a bit. ‘I wasn’t exactly proud of it. I found out he had other lovers. I found out that he taped us.”

Shane can feel himself inwardly cringing as her past comes at him in a whole new light, knowing that she had an affair with a married man. He doesn’t say anything more to her for a bit, as he waits for her to continue.

“He liked drugs, I would go over to his house spend the day with him sometimes, he would talk about leaving his wife. I showed up one day and found Hannah there, imagine my shock at that, perfect Hannah Donovan, naked with her professor. It didn’t last very long, she left. He and I fought, he pulled out a gun, it went off shooting him, he fell down the stairs. I left him on the floor made my way through the house to the front door, Hannah was there behind the front door when I opened it.”

Paige shakes her head pausing for a moment seeing his doubt.

“I told Hannah what happened, she said we should go to the police. We were on the way to her car when we heard the gunshot from inside the house. You don’t believe me do you? Do you really think I would make all this up?”

“I didn’t say that, where is the tape? The gun?” Shane finally asks, once the information has caught up with him.

Scene 6: West Lake, Shoreline

Ghosts are supposed to be able to do something, let someone know they are there and yet she feels helpless. First Paige at her grave site, Jake followed by Vanessa. Confirming that her friend paid for their lies that night, confirming that she can’t fix her brother and her best friend. Standing there watching the exchange she can only yell at them to get over it, to no avail. No one hears her.

Tyler came to see her to let her know that he was sorry about opening up the investigation and she had to laugh into the wind at the statement. She wanted to be free of watching the people she loved, hurting, seeing them so sad. She wanted to cross over, she wanted to be on the other side, she wanted to be at rest. If her little brother could tell the truth she sure wasn’t going to stop him.

Everything was simpler when she was alive, she could fix things, she was good at it. It was what she did. She fixed her siblings when they were struggling, she put Cade back together and she always fixed her best friend. Until that night, the night that she took the pictures, the night that she helped cover everything up. The guilt had grown so much that she couldn’t contain it and she needed fixing leaning on Vanessa.

Had she of known that they had targeted her, she would have never drank that night she would have never begged Vanessa to drive. She would have slept it off at her parent’s cabin, comforting her friend instead of getting in the car. Instead she had been rambling, crying upset with what she had done to the point that Vanessa, as angry as she was at Jake had volunteered to drive. A drive that neither of them could take back, neither one could change, taking the truth with it.

She knows that Vanessa doesn’t remember any of it, probably barely remembers getting behind the wheel. Part of her wants her friend to remember the other part doesn’t, the other part doesn’t want to hurt her friend. The visit had provided her a glimpse, the bubbly girl that she knew as Vanessa is gone, replaced by coldness. She is only going to venture that that stems from a prison cell, that they put her in.

Her heart breaks at the thought, as she hears Jake’s car pull away from her grave and she wills a tear to fall, only for nothing to come out. She can’t speak, she can’t cry, she can only wait for it all to be over. She looks out across the lake at the house holding the secrets and wonders if her friend really knows who Brian McAllister is. If Brian has been honest with her about his connection to the house and West Lake.

She only saw him once before in a picture that Elliot kept inside the house, a picture of him, his mother and his brother Ryan. Elliot rarely spoke about his youngest son when they were together, his past in California something that he didn’t like to talk about. Sleeping with a faculty member at the college had never been part of her life plan, cheating on Cade had never been part of the game plan. She never told anyone, not even Vanessa it is a secret that she is proud to say she did take to the grave.

Some secrets she wants buried other’s she wants out, her affair with Elliot Davison being one that the would like to stay hidden. Knowing now that it will come out especially if her brother digs far enough, wondering if Cade will forgive her. The last thing she wants to place on anyone is more guilt or hurt, she wants them to move on with their lives. For them to be happy, she wants to feel that they can be at peace with her death as much as she is.

She hardly doubts that peace will come soon, four years later and she is still here, stuck by the lake. Stuck watching and waiting, stuck wanting to comfort those that come to her and being able to do nothing. Stuck in her blurred memories of a past life that she wants to leave behind. Hoping that one day she will be released, hoping that she will at one day finally feel at peace.

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