Series/Sequel: Lost Horizons universe, definitely a sequel to "Filling Spaces" sort of a sequel to "Add It Up"

Feedback is always welcome at: jb7811@bellsouth.net

Thanks to Mouse for beta and the title.  Thanks to Nicole for beta and handholding.  And big thanks to anyone still reading this series.

Warnings: Partially and non-graphically deals with the *aftermath* of date rape of a teenage girl (not Gabriella).

Summary: Gabriella demonstrates how much like her father she really is, and also comes to terms (a little more) with Dominic's relationship with Bobby.
 

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Gabriella tightened her arms around her crying, shaking friend and snuffled back her own tears.  She was upset for Kara, of course, but the anger was growing stronger.  She wished with all her heart that Michael would burn in hell for what he'd done.  Pulling a few more tissues from the box, she dabbed at Kara's face and said, "Shhh...it's not your fault.  You know that, Kara.  That--that  *asshole* took something precious and that's *not* your fault.  You did *nothing* wrong."

Taking a tissue to wipe her own face, Gabriella tried to be compassionate but firm as she continued, "You--*we* have to tell somebody."

"It'll kill my mom.  She's gonna say I shouldn't have gone out with him.  I can't...I just can't..."

"She won't say that, Kara.  You have to--"

"No, I can't--"

"You *have* to or he'll do it again."  Smoothing Kara's hair back off her cheek, Gabriella was aware that some of her anger bled through in her voice, but she couldn't help it. "He'll do it to some other girl.  He's probably done it before and no one called the police.  We have to stop him."

"But Gabi...everyone will *know*."

"Yes, they'll know what a prick he is, and that he's not to be trusted.  I'll be right with you the whole way," Gabriella said, wishing she didn't have to be in the position to offer such an assurance.  Ironically, she'd come to Kara's in the first place to talk about her own problems.  But her own upset was so minor in comparison that she felt guilty for even remembering it at this moment.

Kara shook her head sadly, and said, "I don't think I can do this."

"Yes, you *can*."  Gabriella thought hard for a moment and then, with none of the reluctance she felt, said, "Listen, my dad has a friend who's a police detective.  He's really nice, and this is what he does.  He goes after guys like Michael."

"I'll have to tell my mom first."  Kara sniffled, and rubbed at her eyes as fresh tears began to slowly leak from beneath her clenched eyelids.

"Yeah, why don't you go talk to your mom.  She's not going to blame you.  I'll call my dad and get Bobby's number."  At Kara's panicky look, Gabriella rubbed her back and said, "I won't tell my dad unless you say it's okay, but I don't know Bobby's number so I have to call him to get it, okay?"

Kara nodded slightly, her face crumpled in misery as she pulled away from Gabriella.  After taking a deep breath and letting it out on a shaky sigh, she got up and walked slowly from the room.

Gabriella waited until the door shut behind her then picked up the phone by the bed and called home.  Dominic picked up on the second ring and she said, "Daddy, it's me.  I need your help.  Actually, um...I need Bobby Marlow's number."

She barely got the words out, when Dominic started asking questions, alarm and worry ringing in every word.  "Are you okay?  Sweetheart, what's wrong?  Where are you?  I'll be right there."

"No, Dad.  I'm fine.  It's not me," Gabriella hurried to reassure him.  "It's a friend of mine.  She...she needs to talk to Bobby about what happened to her tonight."

"What hospital is she at?"

"We're at her house."

"Listen to me, Gabriella."  His voice remained low and soothing, but took on professional authority.  "If she's been raped, she needs to go to the hospital right away and get examined.  Don't let her take a shower or bath, okay?  Which hospital's closest?"

Gabriella gave him the name of the first hospital she could think of, and hoped it was the nearest one.

"Bobby will meet you there, okay?  Are your friend's parents there?  Do you want me to come to her house and get you?"

"No, I'll go to the hospital.  I told her I'd stay with her."  Gabriella glanced at the closed door and strained to hear what was going on in the next room, but it was very quiet.  "Her mom's here--Kara went to talk to her."

"Bobby and I will meet you at the hospital, okay, sweetheart?"  It wasn't really a question and Gabriella didn't want to say no anyway.  She wanted her dad there.  She wanted his strength because she was afraid she might run out of her own.

Gabriella told him goodbye and hung up the phone.  She could tell by the certainty in Dominic's voice that Bobby was probably right there next to him.  She couldn't decide how she felt about that, because at the moment there were too many other emotions vying for dominance--anger, pain, fear, and relief at not being alone with this anymore.

Although she knew that the worst was nowhere close to being over, she felt a little better anyway as she went to check on Kara.

*^*^*^*^

Gabriella tightened her arms around her middle and wondered why hospitals always seemed to run the air conditioner in overdrive.  She was freezing from deep inside, and watching the emergency room entrance for any sign of her dad.  She'd only been waiting for a little over half an hour, but it seemed like it had been days, when Dominic and Bobby swept through the big double doors like men on a mission and God help anyone who got in their way.

Nearly leaping off the hard plastic chair, Gabriella met the men at the edge of the waiting room.  Dominic immediately opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace gratefully.  "They wouldn't let me go back there, but her mom's with her."

Dominic petted the back of her head, but it was Bobby who spoke first, asking, "Are you okay?"

Startled, Gabriella looked up at him, at the concern written in his eyes, and nodded slowly.  He nodded back and continued, "I'll go talk to the doctor, but I need your friend's name first."

"Oh.  Oh, yeah.  It's Kara...Kara Young."

With a quick glance at Dominic, Bobby turned and went to talk to a woman behind the admitting desk, leaving the two Da Vincis alone.  Dominic led Gabriella over to a quiet corner and sat her down.  "You're shivering.  Do you want me to get you something--tea or hot chocolate?"

"No, thank you."  Gabriella looked up at him and smiled hopefully, "Can I have your jacket instead?"

"Sure, baby."  Taking off his suit coat, Dominic wrapped it around her shoulders and sat down next to her.  "How's your friend-- How's Kara doing?"

"She was still a wreck last time I saw her."  Gabriella sniffed at the lapel of Dominic's jacket and picked up the foreign scents of cigarette smoke and a different kind of aftershave mixed with the more familiar, comforting essence she associated with her dad.  She was reminded of her earlier thought about Bobby being at their house when she called.  It was a good distraction from what must be happening to her friend just down the hall, so she asked her dad outright, "Was Bobby there when I called?"

Dominic looked her in the eye and nodded, "Yes, he was."  Then he turned to watch Bobby disappear through a set of swinging doors with a woman in a white coat.  Rubbing his hand over the back of his hair, Dominic looked back at Gabriella.  The concern in his eyes was strangely similar to Bobby's earlier expression.  "How are you with that?  You kinda sidestepped the subject last time it came up."

Gabriella sighed and reminded herself that she'd wanted a distraction.  "I don't know.  It's weird, but..." In the privacy of her own mind, she'd already tried to deny that her dad had told her he was bisexual or whatever, although she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her shocked.  But all she'd had to do was remember the look on his face when he talked about Bobby to know it was true.  She still had questions though.  "Well, why did you all of a sudden decide...?  You surely haven't been through, like, every single woman in Vancouver yet."

Dominic blinked and shook his head like maybe he wished he hadn't brought it up.  "Well, it's not really *sudden* or a new thing.  Bobby's new, but--"

Not really wanting to hear anymore along those lines, Gabriella interrupted him with a hand on his arm and said, "Dad, I already know more about your sex life than I want to--mainly, that you *have* one.  I've known that for a while, you know, and I'm fine with it.  I mean, you're not married to Mom anymore, so you're free to do whatever you want.  Same as she is."

Dominic nodded and said, "That's true.  I just want to make sure that you're okay with this.  That you're not going to be traumatized."  The almost sarcastic emphasis he put on the last word made Gabriella think he wasn't too worried about such a possibility, and that made her feel oddly confident and mature, even though earlier she'd been clinging to him, hoping he could make it all better.

"It's very freaky, Dad, I won't pretend otherwise, but I can deal.  I'm not a child.  And there's always a bright side--like, no stepmother in the future."

"Oh, has that been a big concern for you?"

"Hey, one Mom getting on my case about every little thing is plenty, thank you very much."  Gabriella smiled a little and nudged him with her shoulder.  "I do want to know something.  Why Bobby?  What do you see in him?"  He was okay looking, but nothing special that she could see.  He seemed very quiet, which her dad probably considered a good thing--fewer arguments.

Dominic's brows lowered and his eyes narrowed consideringly, and Gabriella got the distinct impression that he'd never stopped to think about it.  He reeled off some things they had in common--a lot of which seemed work related to Gabriella--then he stopped and got a faraway look on his face.  Gabriella wondered what he was seeing as he said slowly, "I think Bobby needs me."

Gabriella thought about Bobby for a moment.  She'd been very distracted with a boyfriend problem of her own the night he'd had dinner at their house, but she did remember one thing that had stuck in her mind after that first meeting.  "Does it have something to do with why he looks so sad?"

Dominic shook his head a little and said, "I don't know.  Yeah, maybe.  He's had a bad time of it this past year."

Gabriella started to ask what he meant, but she saw Bobby approaching and forgot what she was going to say.  She stood up and asked, "When can I see Kara?"

"I think you can go on back now.  Ask the nurse by the door and she'll show you.  I'm gonna grab a patrolman and go pick this guy up.  She'll have to come down in the morning to make a formal statement," said Bobby, then he turned from Gabriella to Dominic before saying a little stiffly, "I'll talk to you tomorrow sometime, okay?"

Dominic nodded and watched Bobby walk away, while Gabriella watched him, seeing a faint longing that was quickly blinked away.  She had assumed that they were really *together*, since Dominic had said he'd been seeing Bobby pretty steadily.  But now she realized that it might be more complicated than that.  She remembered thinking that she and Rob were going together and later finding out the jerk was also dating someone else.  She'd called it cheating, but he'd called it not being committed.  Even if it had been simple miscommunication, she'd still dumped him.  Maybe there was a similar thing going on with Dominic and Bobby.  Maybe they had different expectations or perceptions of the relationship.  Whatever, they'd have to work it out themselves.  She shrugged and went to see her friend.
 

*^*^*^*^
 

Mrs. Young had insisted Gabriella go to school instead of to the police station with Kara, but as soon as school was out Gabriella had gone straight over to see Kara.  With her mother and an aunt there to constantly remind her that she came from a line of strong women, Kara seemed to be doing better.  Gabriella was relieved that Kara seemed to be more willing to put the blame where it truly belonged, on that jerk Michael, and not on herself.

When the doorbell rang, Gabriella had only been home for a few minutes.  Her dad was due in soon, but he wouldn't be ringing the bell, so she looked out the peephole before opening the door.  For some reason, she was unsurprised to see Bobby Marlow waiting patiently on the doorstep.  She opened the door and said, "Hi, Detective Marlow.  Dad's not home yet."

"Hello...uh yeah, I know.  Didn't see his jeep out front.  But I hoped you might be here."

Gabriella stiffened defensively and gripped the doorknob tighter, ready to slam the door shut at a second's notice.  "Why?"

"I did come to see Dominic," Bobby said, in a reassuring tone as he took a slow step backward.  "But I thought if you had questions or something you wanted to talk about..."

"About you and Dad?"  Gabriella asked incredulously.

"Ah...I actually meant about your friend and what happens next, that kind of thing."

"Oh."  Gabriella smiled a bit sheepishly and motioned him inside.  As she followed him into the living room, she said, "Dad already explained the procedures, but we could talk about that other thing..."

Bobby appeared distinctly uncomfortable which had a relaxing effect on Gabriella.  She curled her sock-clad feet underneath her and propped her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand, giving him her full attention.  "Are you gay or what?"

Bobby blinked slowly and said, "No, not particularly.  Logical question, though."

"So you're like my Dad, dating women sometimes too."  Gabriella nodded along with Bobby and prepared to try to understand.  "Is this a new thing for you or did you always like guys?"

"Dominic's not the first."  Bobby shifted in his chair, but returned her gaze steadily.

Gabriella thought back to the conversation the night before and decided to ask him the same question she'd put to her father.  "Why my dad?  What do you see in him?"

"Is this an interrogation or a job interview?"  Bobby asked, eyes crinkling faintly as if he was more amused than he wanted to show.

"Which would be more appropriate?"  Gabriella shot right back with a grin.

"Good question, but I don't have an answer.  You're a lot like Dominic, aren't you?  Smart, courageous, and very protective."

Gabriella got a warm feeling from the implied compliment, but didn't let that distract her.  "Is that what does it for you?  A man who's protective?"

Bobby tilted his head and shrugged.  "Never thought about it, but I guess he and I have that in common.  Dominic's a good guy."

"I'm rather fond of him myself," said Gabriella, pleased to get a real smile out of Bobby.

"I can see why."

Gabriella shook her head and said, "You're not going to really answer my questions, are you?"

Crossing his legs and folding his hands over his middle, Bobby shrugged again.  "I don't feel very comfortable about it, no.  It's vaguely reminiscent of being a teenager and having some girl's father giving me the evil eye and making me promise to have his baby home by curfew.  I haven't been in this situation in a long time."

"You haven't dated anyone with a kid before?"  Gabriella was surprised when her casual question caused Bobby to look away, while tense little lines appeared on his forehead.  The silence was so complete, she could hear the clock ticking.  Feeling constrained by the closed down expression on Bobby's face, she didn't say anything as the uncomfortable minutes ticked passed.

"I did once, but that was different."  The offhand way Bobby said the words was completely negated by the stiffness of his posture and the sadness in his eyes.  Gabriella saw what her dad had meant, because Bobby certainly needed *something*.  Whether that something was Dominic or not, she didn't know.

Before Gabriella could reply, Bobby shook his head sharply and seemed to force himself to relax.  He smiled and said, "Are you worried that I'm going to...take up too much of Dominic's time?  Time that should be yours?  I'll try not to.  You'll always come first with him, you know.  Always."

Gabriella felt a rush of relief at hearing him vocalize the thought she'd been afraid to.  She hadn't even let herself think about it too much because of the fear that Dominic might choose Bobby over her.  She knew intellectually that it was ridiculous, but in her heart, intellect had little to do with anything.  She'd always been secure in her father's love, but there was something about Bobby, or more importantly, the way Dominic looked when he spoke of Bobby, that had made her just a little apprehensive.  She'd hid it well--she thought--because she didn't want to worry her dad.  She'd wanted to impress upon him that he was free to have his own life, so that he'd afford her the same courtesy.  She could only hope the message was getting through.

When Dominic walked in a few minutes later, Gabriella and Bobby were still sitting there staring at each other.  He got one look at the tableau before him, took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and sighed.  Pointing the hand holding his glasses at them both, he looked at his daughter and his friend or lover or whatever Bobby was now and said sternly, "Well, the cat's not going back in the bag, so we're all just going to have to deal with it, okay?"

Bobby looked back at Gabriella and smiled, and Gabriella grinned back.  Then she turned to her father and said, "We're good.  So, what do you want for dinner?  You know, Grandma's been teaching me how to cook..."

Dominic looked relieved, and then frowned playfully and suggested, "Why don't we go out?  Wherever you want to go, it's on me."

*^*^*^*^

"And did you see that outfit Jennifer had on today?  When did she win the lottery?"  Gabriella sprinkled some Smarties on her ice cream before passing the box to Kara.

"Didn't you hear?  Her mom got remarried last weekend.  Her new stepdad is really loaded--like Fortune 500 rich."  Kara plunged her spoon into her bowl and stirred the ice cream and chocolate candies together.  "Lisa said that she heard they'd already been car shopping."

"Wow, what a dilemma.  Oh, step-daddy dearest, should I go with the Lexus or the Infiniti?  Or maybe we should scoot over to the Porsche dealership..."

Kara snorted and said, "I'd go with one of those new Beetles.  I think they're cute."

"Yeah, if you want to drive around in a bug," Gabriella said with a laugh.

"Hey, it's better than taking the bus everywhere," Kara replied indignantly, then she smiled as if to show no offense was taken.  She took a bite of ice cream and then swallowed quickly to say, "Ooh, I love this song.  Turn it up."

Reaching over her head to the radio on the dresser, Gabriella blindly hit the volume button a couple of times.  The bouncy pop music filled Kara's room as the girls ate in silence and Gabriella wondered if Kara was really as okay as she seemed.  Gabriella figured it was much better to distract her into thinking about all the usual stuff rather than dredge up those things she might not be ready to talk about.

"What were you all weirded out about the other night when you came over?  You said something freaky was going on, but you never had a chance to say what it was..." Kara frowned for a moment, and put her bowl on the nightstand.  Pulling a pillow into a tight grip in her lap, she forced a smile and said, "So what was up, huh?"

Rolling her eyes to cover the sympathetic tears that almost started, Gabriella sighed, "You're not going to believe this, and I swear, if you tell *anybody*, I will kill you.  My dad is, umm, *dating* someone kind of...unusual."

Kara raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, don't stop there. Tell."

"He's dating...Bobby Marlow."

"You mean...  But he's..." Kara stopped and blinked.  "You've got to be kidding me.  Your dad is gay?"

"No, they're both *bisexual*, apparently.  Maybe that's indicative of a mutual fear of commitment.  I don't know."  Gabriella shook her head and turned the radio back down to its previous level.

"Wow, Gabi, that's just bizarre.  Does your *mom* know about this?"  Kara's eyes were wide, and she looked like she might burst into laughter at any moment.

"Uh, no, and I'm in no hurry for her to find out."  Gabriella shuddered theatrically and was glad when Kara gave in and laughed.

"He's kinda good looking, don't you think?"

"Who, Bobby?  I don't know.  He's all right for an old guy, I guess."

"He has a nice voice.  That's what I remember most, how calm and soothing it was...when he...talked to me." Kara's breath hitched and she sniffed, but she didn't cry.

Gabriella wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but she got up off the floor and sat next to her on the bed.  She wrapped one arm around Kara and squeezed gently.  "Wanna talk about it...that night?"

Kara shook her head, and said, "I'd rather talk about something else right now.  Maybe later."

"Whatever you need, you just let me know and I'll do it, okay?"  Gabriella waited until Kara nodded, and then said, "Now, some of us were thinking about going to a movie Friday-- you're coming right?  But there seems to be a disagreement brewing about what to see.  Lisa votes Tom Cruise, but I'm thinking Russell Crowe.  Julie said whatever is fine with her, so you could have the deciding vote here.  Now I won't try to influence you or anything, but come on, it's *Russell* and the previews look *so* good.  It'd be a really fun movie..."

"Good thing you won't try to influence me," said Kara with a smile that warmed Gabriella's heart.  She had no guarantee that Kara would be okay in the long run, but at least she was keeping it together right now, and that was enough for the moment.

The End.

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