Chance looked up to see a silhouette in the doorframe... a very feminine silhouette. "Charlize?"
"Hey, Chance... Grissom said he hadn't seen you at the party all night... and that you're missing all the fun cooped up with all these books," Charley Montoya said with a smile, "he thought I might have some luck in tempting you there myself."
"He couldn't have picked a better person," Chance said, laughing.
"So are you coming, or not? It's getting pretty close to midnight already."
"Sure..." he replied, setting his book down and grabbing a light coat, "...but I was thinking of going outside for a bit of fresh air before I join the others. The air is kind of musty in here."
"I don't blame you. Whoever came up with the idea of relocating to a fish factory should be shot."
"Shall we?" Chance said, opening the door to the outside for her.
They stepped outside and began walking among the old cobblestone roads built more than two hundred years ago.
"You smell nice," he said.
Charley laughed. "Well, anything would smell better than that place back there."
"No, I mean it. You smell very nice tonight. And you look very pretty in that dress. I guess I've gotten so used to you wearing old jeans and T-shirts, not to mention that baseball cap, all the time, that I'd almost forgotten how pretty you are."
She didn't say anything at first, but just smiled and continued walking. A group of little kids ran by holding streamers which glinted in the moonlight. She shivered. "Mm. It's a bit chilly out here."
"It's that sea air," Chance said. "Keeps the temperatures fairly mild. Here, you can have my jacket; I don't need it."
"Thank you, Kris," she said, putting the jacket on over her dress. "As you can probably tell, I'm not used to wearing dresses very much. I was always a bit of a tom-boy, to tell you the truth."
"Never would have guessed," Chance grinned. "So... California!"
"Yep. Good old California. Ever been there?"
"Only once, while I was in university. Backpacked across America back in... what was it again? I think it was '94 or '95. I have some second cousins who live in America. Some in Minneapolis, and a couple in Oregon. Anyways, yeah, I went all the way down the coast that summer. Some people taught me how to surf, though it wasn't hard. I used to snowboard a lot."
"Yeah, you're from the land of snow, aren't you?"
"Well, the land of skiing, at any rate. Though I always preferred snowboarding. More of a challenge."
There was a pregnant pause in the air before Charley spoke again.
"Chance, there was something I wanted to ask you..."
"Sure... anything."
"I've heard a rumor that's been going on about you."
"Oh?"
"I probably shouldn't say anything about this, but... the rumor is that you're in love with Shirley."
"What?"
"I mean, I don't necessarily believe it, but people are talking about this..."
"Really? Which people in particular?"
"Oh, just... people. I don't think Mick or Shirley have heard it yet, but it's possible."
"Hm."
"Is it true?"
"Well..." Chance thought about it for a moment. "No. No, it's not true. At least, not technically..."
"'Not technically'? That's some qualifier..."
"I don't know if anyone's mentioned this to you yet, but... I come from a different timeline. In that timeline, Shirley and I are... were... an item. But... 'that was in another country, and besides, the wench is dead'..."
"Always hated that line."
"Sorry. But the rumors are false. Although this Shirley seems very much like my Shirley, she's not. The two of us have not gone through all the experiences that made my Shirley... my Shirley. The Shirley you know is Mick's. Period. That means hands off."
"Hmm... interesting. I notice you say 'my Shirley'... You're obviously still in love with her, then? The Shirley of... your timeline?"
Chance was silent once more for a few moments. "I'm... not sure. I... I really don't know how to answer that."
"Kris, you don't have to, I..."
"We should probably be getting back."
Chance and Charley walked back to the fish factory in silence.
