Been Here All Along

► "You're Not Alone."

I hate that all of you knew who it was gonna be

+++

Phil pulled Scarlett closer and held her tight as she wept in his arms. He knew it had been a long day for her, and he didn't want her to be alone. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back, hoping to make her feel safe. He had a lot on his mind as it was, but he needed to look out for Scarlett. He cared too much to let her run away by herself. Who knows what could happen.

"You know you didn't have to follow me," Scarlett let out.

"I know," Phil exhaled

"Then why did you?" Scarlett asked.

Phil sighed. "I got worried," he squeezed her hand, "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I don't know what I'd do if I lost anyone else today," he looked out into the lake, the reflection of the moon bouncing off of it.

"What do you mean? Who else did you lose?" Scarlett wiped her tears away, regaining her composure.

Phil sighed again as he still stared out at the lake. "Barb," he paused, not wanting to explain what happened. "She--she broke up with me," he looked down in shame.

"What?! Why?" Scarlett was in utter shock. Barb and Phil seemed like the perfect couple to her.

"She thought I didn't appreciate her enough and treated her like a second choice," Phil spoke softly, visibly distraught. This wasn't an easy thing for him to talk about. "She said we should go back to being just friends," he admitted.

"Oh," Scarlett was at a loss for words. "Look, that's her loss. I know you loved her, and if she couldn't see that, then that's her fault, not yours. So don't be too hard on yourself, alright?"

"I guess," Phil mumbled.

Scarlett could feel the hurt in his voice. "Listen to me," she grabbed his cheeks and turned his head to face her. "I know it's hard," Scarlett's voice cracked, (All NCIS fans should know that line hehe), "And I know you're going to think that you could have done more, and maybe this wouldn't have happened, but Phil, she was the one who was too blind to see how much you cared. Maybe you didn't express it in the way she wanted, but if you know deep down that you loved her, there's not much more you could have done. It was her Phil, it wasn't you. She just didn't see what she had right in front of her, so don't blame yourself, please."

Phil froze in silence as he stared into Scarlett's eyes. His eyes began to tear up a little, but he fought hard to keep them back. Phil was never the one to be vulnerable. He never wanted to seem weak to anyone, even his closest friends. "I loved her," he whispered in a hoarse voice.

Scarlett could see him trying so hard to fight back the tears. It broke her heart to see her best friend so hurt and sad. She knew what it was like to not want to cry in front of others; it was a sign of weakness to her.

"You need to stay strong," Scarlett explained to him. "You'll get over this, I promise you, you'll overcome this. You know why?" She smiled. "Because you're Phil Brooks. You never let anyone get to you, you're strong, tough," she encouraged him.

That made Phil smile slightly. "Thanks," he responded. Scarlett was right. He could get over this; he could overcome anything. But it still hurt. But Phil knew he was in good hands with Scarlett. "Now let me ask you something" He remembered.

"Sure," Scarlett raised eyebrow.

"Why did you quit your job as general manager, you were doing so great," Phil asked. "And don't give me that bull crap answer you told Vince," he joked.

Scarlett sighed. "Truthfully, I felt like I had no choice," she shrugged. "I don't know, it just felt like the right thing to do."

"But you didn't have to give a dream of a lifetime Scarlett, it doesn't make sense," Phil pointed out.

Scarlett sighed again. "No one will ever understand my decision. It needed to be done, and as much as I hated doing it, I had to. It's the least I could do..." she trailed off.

"For Randy?" Phil blurted.

It was that obvious, huh?

"Yeah," she nodded. "I just had to, it's the only way to fix this," Scarlett looked up at the moon as if it was staring back at her. It was like it was staring into her soul, listening to her every thought. Truthfully, Scarlett wanted to run away and never come back so she wouldn't have to face the guilt ever again. Maybe if she wasn't around, everyone would forget about her. But she knew in her heart she owed Randy an explanation. So she had to stay, no matter how much she wanted to go home.

"You know you're not alone," Phil reassured her. "I'm still here for you."

"Thank you," Scarlett smiled slightly. Phil really was the best person ever. No one had ever cared that much or made her feel wanted as much as he did. He put his arm around her again and made her feel protected. They both looked out at the stars glaring off the quiet lake. It was so peaceful, perfect.

As Scarlett was about to speak again, her phone rang. It was her mom, so of course she picked up.

"Mom?" Scarlett answered.

"I thought you'd be too busy partying to talk to your mother," Mrs. Sinclair laughed. "But anyways, happy birthday honey."

Scarlett smiled. It was nice to hear her mother's voice. "Thanks. I miss you," she admitted.

Her mother sighed. "I miss you too."

"How have things been back home?" Scarlett asked. She had no idea what her mom was up to.

"Things have been good, but it's not the same without you honestly," her mother answered. "Now tell me, how are things with John? He told me how much fun he's had with you."

Scarlett sighed. "It's been really fun," she forced a smile. "John's been great."

"Good, good," her mother smiled. "You know you can call me anytime you feel like talking, right?"

"Yes mother, I know that," Scarlett chuckled.

"Okay, good. Because I really miss you darling," Mrs. Sinclair confessed. "I can't wait until you come home either."

Home. Scarlett forgot what home felt like. "I wish I was there right now," Scarlett frowned.

"Me too. But I'm glad you finally met your father, it's great to hear you're getting along with him," her mother replied.

"Yeah..." Scarlett whispered into the phone.

Her mother cleared her throat to break the silence. "Well you should probably get back to your party."

"Actually I----" Scarlett stopped herself. "Yeah, I probably should."

"Have fun Scar, love you," her mother said.

"Love you too mom," Scarlett smiled with a hint of sadness. She didn't want to end the call, she needed her mother more than ever right now. Scarlett reluctantly hung up. She felt reassured to know her mom was still there for her. At least she had two people to turn to now. She didn't feel alone anymore.

She sighed and then looked up at Phil who was smirking. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he chuckled.

Scarlett punched him in the arm. "Tell me," she demanded.

"Okay!" Phil rubbed his arm where she hit it. "Man you hit hard," he grimaced.

"Don't try to change the subject, now tell me!" Scarlett giggled.

"Fine," Phil paused. "You're cute when you talk on the phone,' he blushed.

Scarlett slapped the back side of his head.

"What was that for?!" Phil yelped.

"For being a dork," Scarlett giggled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you enjoyed!