Until I Have To Go

The dinner was as usual long and boring, but Lorelai’s teasing over the table made it funny, after all the geeks had a lot of fun in here a few weeks ago.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let us dance and be joyful for the day my daughter was born.” This was Colin’s favourite part. He walked to his daughter offered her his hand and asked. “My little Lady my I have the first dance?” He smiled at her, Jo looked from her father to Liam.

“Do you mind?” She asked her boyfriend.

“No that gives me some time before I have to dance with her.” Liam smiled and kissed Jo gently, before she went with Colin. She smiled and was relaxed dancing with her dad. She looked truly happy. Liam smiled, he could swear that Jo was sparkling like a star. She was the most beautiful star he had ever seen, and seeing her dance so beautifully. Colin and Jo dance a few songs before she came over to Liam.

“Liam! Hey. You wanna dance? It is an easy song, you don’t have to do much. Just spin around and walk in a big circle.”Jo smiled, her cheeks were a little flushed and she was very excited. She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear. “Do you realize that my mother can’t say anything anymore that we shouldn’t be close.” Liam grinned. “I’ll remind you after I danced with you.”

The maid didn’t like it but there was a phone call for Liam. The two were still sleeping, luckily mainly dressed.

“Excuse me, Mister O’Doherty Sir please wake up. There is a phone call. The lady at the phone said it is very urgent and has to do with your job.”

Liam woke up right away, he was only dozing anyway. He saw the confused look of the maid. “Yes I’m coming.”

Liam untangled himself from his girlfriend tight grasp and went into the kitchen and took the phone call.

“Hello, O’Doherty speaking.”

“Kid, listen there are troubles. You need to go to the Safehouse, right away. There’s a problem and for your and your girlfriend’s safety you have to leave, now.” Miss Penny Lane said to Liam, in an urgent voice.

When Liam came back into the room, Jo sat up and looked worried at him. She completely forgot how tired she was and how early it was for her when she heard that he got a phone call from work.

“What is it? Is there a new mission?”

“No.” He barely looked at her while he got out some clothes to change into.

From the way he looked Jo feared that something bad happened, maybe something had happened to Dick. “Is Dick okay?”, she asked carefully.

“Why should he not be?” He looked up briefly, but when he saw her worried face he turned away.

“Can you please tell me what’s going on?” She got up and walked to him, grabbing his arm.

Liam hesitated for a moment before he looked at her. “I have to go away.”

“Where? Why?”

“I can’t tell you any specifics because that would only put you in danger, and that’s the last thing I want.”

“But what…why…”

“I have to go into hiding for a while, to our safehouse. That sounds more serious than it is, so plase don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t worry? If I knew what was going on, I might-“

“I can’t tell you any details, Jo. If you know too much you’d be in danger too. I just have to go away for a while.”

“For how long?”

Liam had a very hard time looking at her. “I don’t know.”

Jo bit her lip. She felt tears in her eyes, but she nodded quietly. “Will I be able to write you? Or can I call you or-“

“No.” He shook his head. “Not unless we want to risk your safety, and there is no way I want to put you in danger.” He pulled her into a tight hug, and she buried her face into his shoulder, thinking what she could do to keep him, but she knew there was nothing.

“You’ll be alright”, he said while he stroked her hair, though he wasn’t sure how true that actually was. She might not be in danger, but that didn’t mean that she would be alright. She always had an extremely hard time when he was away for just three weeks, but now he didn’t even know when he would be back, it could be much longer than three weeks.
“Just make sure that you ask Ricky to keep you company as often as he can, and Teddy, of course. I’ll make sure that Graham looks after you regularly when you’re in London, he won’t be traveling until December, so…”

“You’re going to be away until December?”

“I don’t know, Jo. I really don’t know.” Liam noticed the black car outside. “My ride is here.” He carefully pulled her back.

“Just…just…” Her voice was trembling. “Come back to me, okay?”

A weak smile appeared on his face. “Promise.” He leaned forward and kissed her a last time. Then he carefully put her hand on his heart. “I’ve got you right here.”
Silent tears were running down her face, and she was unable to say something.

“Jo?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

Jo tiptoed and kissed him again. She always wished he would tell her so easily that he loved her but right now it felt like a goodbye.

“Never say goodbye because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting, and you are not allowed to forget me, ever! Do you hear me?” Jo kissed her boyfriend again and again.

“Yvaine, I am going away.” He whispered. “Listen if anything happens to me…

“Liam nothing will…” She couldn't finish her sentence.

“If anything happens to me, I want you to move on do you hear me? I want you to be happy and not turn into Jane Austen! Have a live, go out see the world, and never forget your funny crazy Irish boyfriend you once had. Promise me.”

“Liam I can’t…”

“Promise me!”

“I promise.” Jo studied his face.

“What are you doing memorizing my face?” Liam whispered.

“No. I don’t need to do that, I already know you by heart. No I was remembering every fight and bad moment we had.”

Liam looked surprised at her. “Why are you doing that?”

“Because all good moments we had are sealed in my brain, I will never forget them, ever. But the bad moments I tried to forget, but now they mean time with you so I need to remember them too.”

Liam smiled and kissed her one more time. “I have to go.”

Jo nodded hugged him one more time, inhaled deeply to make a memory how he smelled, how it felt to be in his arm.

“I love you too, with all my heart. More than the stars, the moon and even books, more than anything I ever loved. You are my one true love, and will always and forever be in my heart.”

Jo walked Liam down to the car, Liam kissed her one more time and got in the car. He would stop for a very brief at their flat in London to get some more things but right now, he was sitting in the backseat and watched his girlfriend go smaller the further the car drove.

Jo was holding Teddy close.

I’m strong Liam, I’m not crying or have a break down. I’m standing here see you drive away and don’t know when I see you again, and I’m not crying.

As soon the car was out of sight Jo went back inside and packed everything. She would not stay in Waterfall Downs without Liam. She would go on with her life and hope that one day she wakes up and Liam is lying next to her again, wait that his girlfriend wakes up to greet her. “Morning grumpy.” And kissed her. On her way back to London, Jo was remembering every second since the moment she had met Liam. It was the moment she wanted to be a pretty girl and not just this bookworm.