Posted by Kim on 8/18/2001, 12:08 pm Finishing up making the dinner salad and bringing it to the table, Dara told her that the police had leads on who the man was and they hoped to capture him soon. The two women sat down to dinner and discussed Ellen's plans for her upcoming March wedding to Matt. Ellen took Dara up on her previous offer to help with the wedding and asked Dara to sing at the wedding ceremony. Dara quickly and happily agreed. After discussing the wedding plans and her life with Matt for most of the evening, Ellen was able to turn the conversation to Dara. Sipping a cup of herbal tea after dinner she remarked," If I was in shock about hearing of your attack, I bet Mac must have been out of his mind with worry." Pausing a few seconds before responding, Dara replied, "He was very concerned and very kind." She felt herself becoming warm thinking about the previous night. "He actually stayed the night with me to make sure that I was o.k." "Oh," Ellen said watching Dara as she flushed and averted her eyes under Ellen's knowing gaze. When she raised her eyes again Dara said, "You know Ellen, being a prosecutor, I prize myself on having 'a poker face' and not letting people know what I think and feel. But this is the second time today that I've given myself away when I mentioned that Mac came over last night. Are my feelings really that transparent?" "I think that it's hard for you to hide how happy you are. And you are happy, aren't you?" "I'm very happy," a smiling Dara admitted. "I've been alone for so long I'd had almost forgotten what this feeling is like. But it's a little scary too...do you know what I mean?" Ellen nodded, "Absolutely. I was terrified of caring deeply or loving someone again as I loved Sam. But you know, there are no guarantees in life. If you're lucky and fortunate enough to find someone whom you truly care for and who cares for you, you have to live in the present and revel in those feelings. You look forward to the future and remember the past, but you live fully and enjoy the present. Believe me, a year or two ago you would not have heard those words from my lips!" Ellen said laughing. "But I've been blessed and have learned a few things along the way." "You're right of course," Dara mused as she thought of how well things were going in her life. "Right now I'm not going to worry about the future and just enjoy the present and having Mac in my life. For right now, I'll let the future take care of itself...." **** "You're still in your office." Kevin Collins had interviewed a prisoner in the Port Charles Jail for a competency hearing tomorrow and he decided to see if his friend was still at work. "I'm on my way out now," Mac said as he grabbed his coat. "Do you have plans for dinner? If not, how about going to the Outback with me?" "That would be great. We really haven't spent a lot of time together lately. Let me call Victor and tell him that I'll be in late tonight." The two friends spent time catching up on each other's news and commiserating their recent failed relationships. Kevin mentioned that he wasn't seeing anyone at this time but that Mac seemed to be doing well now that he was dating Dara. "You two looked really happy at the New Year's Eve party," he noted grinning. "Felicia literally couldn't take her eyes off of you two." Mac shook his head in disbelief and said, "That couldn't have been a very enjoyable evening for you Kevin. Why did you come there with Felicia?" "Obviously I probably wouldn't agree if I had known that I would spend so little time with her that evening," Kevin wryly remarked. "But I didn't relish being at home alone on New Years Eve. Even Victor had a date. And I didn't want to spend the evening thinking about Eve or Lucy and what they were doing." Pushing thought of his own personal relationships from the forefront of his mind, he said," You and Dara looked serious. Is it, I mean serious between you two?" "Yes Kevin, it is very serious. It's like something wonderful that been in front of my eyes for years but I was too blind to see it. But I see it now Kevin and luckily I think that Dara feels the same way about me. We're taking our time and we still have a lot to learn about each other, but I have no doubts about us. I'm looking forward to having Dara in my life for quite a long time, if not for the rest of my life." "Well that's bad news for Felicia. You know that she wants to get back together with you Mac. In fact, she's dropped several hints that I should talk to you 'as a friend' and help you two get back together." Kevin grimaced and narrowed his eyes thinking how Felicia had tried to manipulate him into helping her get back together with Mac. "I've always had a weak spot for your estranged wife but I told Felicia that I was keeping out of your marriage difficulties." Mac was relieved that Kevin wouldn't be roped into Felicia's schemes to bring them back together. "Thanks Kevin. I always plan to be there for the girls and if things get better between Felicia and me, maybe we could be friends again. But honestly I can't see it right now. And I certainly don't want to get back together with her. Our marriage has been over for quite a while. I know that now and I'd wish that she'd realize it too. I really did love Felicia but in a way I think that our marriage was a marriage of convenience for her. She didn't consciously think that but the bottom line is that she wants to be with me only because she perceives me as safe and a sure thing. She and the girls could always rely on me. But she never really loved me, at least not as I loved her." Mac took a large gulp of beer and said," But that is all over now. I'm meeting with her and the lawyers Monday about the divorce. Hopefully she won't put up a lot of resistance." Reflecting on his last few conversations with Felicia, Kevin gave Mac a look of sympathy and said, "I think that is wishful thinking on your part. But good luck pal. You know that I'm here for you if you need my help."
"I'm so glad to see that you're O.K.," Ellen said as she placed the Italian sausage pizza on the kitchen table. "I was horrified to read in the newspaper this morning about the shooting. Have they captured the person yet?"
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