Harbour Lights

Marilyn Day had been in Ogunquit for exactly three weeks, and it had been three weeks too long. It was surprising how she could destroy so much in just less than a month.

She had messed up way too many things and her stay was now expired. She couldn't remain here in Ogunquit. She may have fucked up her relationship with Will, but that didn't mean she had the right to do the same to Evie's relationship with him. She knew she had to go, to allow them to fix things on their own…but she didn't want to. Dragging herself overseas seemed like an impossible dream, like something that could never happen.

But she had to do it. She had to. It was the right thing to do. And sticking around would make things worse; she had to leave Will and Evie alone if she wanted them to have a chance at all. And she did want them to work, she really did. She wanted Will to finally have a girl that would stay with him – he deserved at least that much. And she wanted Evie to be happy, because even though she barely knew the girl, she still couldn't get the image of the crying, brokenhearted fiancée out of her mind.

But Evie doesn't deserve him.

No. No, she couldn't think like that. Will and Evie had to work out – Marilyn wouldn't be able to cope with the guilt if she knew that the couple broke up because of her. And it's not like shedeserved Will, either.

Marilyn continued to stuff her clothes in her bags. She had to keep packing, to keep moving, because she was terrified that if she stopped then she wouldn't be able to start up again. She had to go through with this. It was not optional at this point. And she had to hurry, too, before anyone could stop her. And she had to be out of Ogunquit before Will got out of the hospital. Because if she caught even the tiniest glimpse of his face…she would be right back to square one.

Lacy shirts and skinny jeans flooded the suitcase. She hated these clothes. But that's what they wore in France, so therefore she did, too. When it was filled to the brim with her European clothes – her summer outfits, which were exclusively worn in Ogunquit, remained in her closet – she had to use all of her weight to close it. When the deed was done she sighed and sat on her bed.

Staring out the window, she could see the ocean raging; a storm was coming soon. Already, a velvet blanket of fog was tumbling in. These were the moments when the lighthouse would be put to good use but, unfortunately, the lighthouse was broken. Just like Marilyn herself.

Inhaling deeply, Marilyn stood up and with a great effort picked up her suitcase. She dragged the thing down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her mother and Chante were sitting with cups of Earl Grey steaming in their hands. Upon hearing the thumping sound as the suitcase hit each step, the two women looked up curiously as Marilyn stumbled into the room, looking more worn down and sad than they had ever seen her. They stared at her in silence, waiting from some sort of explanation to escape her lips:

"Can you drive me to the airport?"

◊ ◊ ◊

"It's time to go home," Adam said excitedly.

Billy Bamf sat in his wheelchair impatiently as Adam steered him around the hallways. The doctor had signed his release form not even five minutes ago, and Will was ready to get the hell out of there. Of course, he couldn't walk on his own; Adam had to push him around like some sort of cripple.

"Whee!"

"Adam, if you crash me into one more fucking wall, I will stab you in the eye with a scalpel."

Adam ignored him and proceeded to chase a few nurses with the wheelchair. "Billy! Stop chasing these poor girls, you pervert," Adam jokingly scolded, making his voice especially loud and obnoxious.

"I'm sorry about him, he must have escaped from the mental ward," Will apologized, and the nurses rolled their eyes impatiently and walked away.

"You have a way with the ladies, Billayy."

"Just drive me home, you moron."

"Okay."

Adam started running at full speed and then he suddenly stopped, letting Will fly across the floor. His wheelchair slammed into the front doors and it was a miracle that the glass did not shatter.

"Adam!" Will growled.

"Dude, it's not my fault," Adam protested. "I thought those doors were automatic."

"I'm pretty sure you did that on purpose, you douche."

"Yeah, okay, I sort of did."

Will got out of his wheelchair to punch Adam and then they walked out to the car together. Adam was still laughing at Will when he started the car and up until they merged onto Route 5. "You're going the wrong way," Will informed his friend as he watched the signs whizz by. "We're supposed to be taking Route 5 south, not north."

"Uh huh," Adam grinned.

"Wait," Will glared, "where the hell are you taking me?"

◊ ◊ ◊

"It's time to go home," Marilyn muttered to herself and shut her eyes. Chante was the one to drive her. Her mother had been too upset to see her go, so she stayed at home instead of coming along. Marilyn watched as unfamiliar trees and signs passed by. She frowned; this wasn't the way to the airport. "Why are we taking Route 5?" she asked.

Chante tried to hide a smile but failed miserably. "You'll see," was all she said.

Marilyn immediately grew suspicious of the excitement boiling in Chante's eyes. She tried to protest, but of course Chante was determined to do whatever she was planning. What could Marilyn really do, anyway? Jump out of the car while at 73 mph? Yeah, good plan.

So instead she watched as the scenery changed around her. Eventually they got off the highway and started driving down narrower, bumpier roads. The trees grew thicker and the roads were unkempt, and wildflowers sprouted rebelliously through the cracks in the asphalt.

They were heading north, to the more desolate part of Ogunquit. Marilyn found this odd, since there nothing here in North Shore except for a few rocky beaches there that no one ever visited. What did Chante have in plan, some sightseeing? Seriously? No one ever bothered going to this part of town and there weren't any houses or stores or anything. It was like the desert by the ocean.

As the minutes passed, Marilyn wondered just how far Chante was taking her. And – Wait. How the hell did Chante even know how to get around? She was a foreigner and she knew nothing about Ogunquit; there was no way she knew where she was going. Unless… Unless someone told her where to go. Unless someone planned this out with her.

"Chante, you better not be – "

"We're here!" she chirruped and parked the car.

Surprised by the sudden stop, Marilyn took the time to look around. They were at a dead-end. She vaguely remembered the place from her childhood memories; as a kid, Marilyn and her friends liked camping out to make bonfires. But this was a part of North Shore that she had rarely been to due to the fact that it was so abandoned. There was nothing alive here, not even a few measly seagulls. All Marilyn could see was the navy waves and the grey sky, and a few rocks and sand dunes in between.

And then she heard the crunching of tires as an old, faded blue Mercedes pulled up.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Why the hell is Marilyn's car here?" Will demanded and Adam just smiled. He stepped out of the car and Adam followed suite, and then he watched in shock as the two girls stepped out of the other car.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Is that Adam's car?" Marilyn asked and Chante just smiled. The two girls got out of the car and Marilyn wanted to faint when she saw Will standing there.

◊ ◊ ◊

The two ex-lovers almost died of heart attacks.

They caught each other in an eye lock, but Marilyn was quick to break it. Will then turned on Adam, "What the hell, you dick! What was the point in bringing us here?"

"You two need to work some things out," Chante said calmly, and Marilyn's eyes flashed a deathly glare in her direction.

"So you that bringing us here will just fix everything?" Marilyn demanded. For the first time in a while, she wasn't sad or hurt – she was furious.

Everything was supposed to go according to plan: she was supposed to catch the first flight back the Paris and never come back to Ogunquit again. She was supposed to forget about Will and try to live her life as if he never happened. She was supposed to let Will move on from her.

But now all of that was ruined.

"No, I think that leaving you two here will fix everything," Adam said pointedly.

Marilyn was seething. "Adam, I swear on my father's grave you will die before sunrise if you even – "

"Goodbye, Mare. Have fun." Before either Will or Marilyn could stop him, Adam had jumped back in his car and locked them out.

"I'm sure you two will figure something out," Chante winked and got into Marilyn's car and started the engine.

Without another word the two took off, leaving billowing clouds of dust behind them as they screeched away.

And now William Banfield and Marilyn Day were very angry and very much stranded.