Title: True Friends

Author/pseudonym: Fluffy Rabbit

Fandom: Sentinel, Stephen Ellison/OMF

Rating: Pg some bad language

Status: New

Archive: To WWOMB

Series/Sequel:

Other websites: No

Disclaimers: The Sentinel guys belong to Petfly, the rest are mine.

Warnings: AU,

Notes: Betaed by Bobbie Turnbeaugh

Summary:

He hated funerals, Stephen thought, standing in the pouring rain as the coffin was lowered into the ground. This was yet another example of how life wasn't fair. It had only been a few weeks ago that he had been standing in the same graveyard watching his best friend for the past fifteen years being buried. Now it was his friend's father. Of course, it hadn't come as that much of a surprise to anyone who had known him. He had been ill for some time, and the shock of losing his son in a tragic accident seemed to have been the last straw for the poor man.

Looking across the grave, he saw Mack standing there. Dressed all in black, she looked a lot smaller and more fragile than she normally did. Recent events had really taken their toll on her. He'd offered her his condolences, although he'd known that words weren't going to even make a small dent in the pain she had to be feeling. He had to admit that he wasn't very good at dealing with the emotional side of life. Give him a deadline and problems, and he could handle it with ease, but ask him to cry for his loss, and he just couldn't do it. He felt the emptiness inside when he thought about his friend. In some ways, Rick had been the brother he'd never had in Jim. Not that it was his brother's fault they didn't have a good relationship, they'd both screwed up pretty badly. Things were starting to change though, they had started talking again, and hopefully thing would go on from there.

"You're making a scene," Charles Barton hissed. "He was old and sick. We both knew it was only a matter of time..." He'd invited all these important people to her father's funeral, and she repaid him by causing a scene. As his fiancée, she was supposed to stand there in dignified grief, not sob incessantly. She was embarrassing him in front of the people he had to deal with every day in his business life. Still, what could he expect from someone who wasn't in his class socially? It was at times like these that he really did wonder why he stayed engaged to her. Then he reminded himself that she was going to be very wealthy soon, and who better to help her manage all that money than him? She certainly didn't have any idea how to handle that sort of money properly, because she didn't have the education he did. That amount of money in the wrong hands could soon be frittered away or wasted on something ridiculous, like charity. Mackenzie was always giving money away to less than worthwhile causes. She didn't seem to understand that someone in his social position could only be seen to be supporting the more socially acceptable causes.

They were all total strangers, expect for Charles and Stephen, Mackenzie thought, looking around the living room, strangers who were more interested in the business deal they could do than mournong the passing of her dad. He would have kicked the lot of them out of the house, if he'd still been alive. She hated the way some people trod on others to get what they wanted, and right now she was in a room full of them. She should never have let Charles arranged the funeral, but at the time she hadn't been thinking straight, now she was angry that there was only one other person in the room who cared that her dad was gone. She didn't want these people in her home. It was still hers, even though Charles had been making plans to put it on the market for the past few days. That just went to show how little he really cared about her and the way she felt.

The first time she'd met Charles, she'd been flattered by the amount of attention he had paid her.

But as time had passed, that attention had been replaced by constant criticism. She didn't wear the right clothes or act the right way in front of his friends. Changing hadn't been easy, and all it had done was make her unhappy. Her dad had known that, and they'd talked about it. Then Rick had had his accident, and all thoughts of breaking it off with Charles had been put on hold as she'd struggled to help her dad deal with losing Rick like that. There was nothing stopping her from doing it now, though, even though it meant she would be on her own. Still, being on her own was a lot less frightening prospect than that of spending the rest of her life with a man who constantly looked down on her. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to where Charles was standing.

"Mackenzie, I'm talking," Charles said, when she took hold of one of his arms, "I'm sure that whatever it is can wait." He'd been on the verge of making a business deal that would have brought him a great deal of money, and she'd gone and ruined it.

"It can't," she replied, "I want everyone to leave, now."

"You'll have to excuse Mackenzie, today has been very trying for her," he said dismissively. "Honey, why don't you go lay down for a little while. I'm sure you'll feel much better then." People were only going to accept so much from her, before it started to reflect on him. Besides, it was undignified to cause a scene at such a solemn occasion.

"I don't want to lay down," she said. "I want everyone to leave, including you."

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" he said. He was going to put a stop to this sort of behavior, before it got totally out of hand. She had to learn that you could not act this way in his social circle, without people talking about it. Gossip had ruined more than one person, and he wasn't about to let that happen to him.

"Charles, this is my house," Mackenzie said, "and I want people to leave."

"Mackenzie, I'm not in the mood for any of your hysterics," he snapped, "you've just cost me a very important business deal. One which could have secured our future." Not that he needed the money, because the amount she was going to inherit would be more than enough to keep him in the style to which he had become accustomed.

"We don't have a future if you put business deals ahead of my father's death," she said, letting go of his arm. She then took off the engagement ring she was wearing, handed it to him, and walked off.

"You'll regret this," Charles said. She'd soon come to her senses and realize she had made a terrible mistake, and if she hadn't done so in a few days then he would make sure she regretted it.

*

Someone should go after her, Stephen thought, and make sure she was all right. At the moment, he was the only person who seemed to give a damn about Mackenzie. He'd promised Rick a long time ago that he would look after her if anything had happened to him. Well, it looked as if he was going to keep that promise, not that he minded. Under different circumstances Mack was fun to be around. She wasn't like the other women he knew. For a start, she didn't care about how much money he made, which made it all the stranger she would have gotten involved with someone like Charles Barton, let alone agreed to be his wife.

In his opinion, the man was probably the worst sort of person someone like Mack could get involved with. Barton was immoral, unethical, and, if the rumours were true, he was involved in insider trading. Mack deserved better than that, even if she couldn't see it for herself. However, now was not the right time to be pointing that out to her, perhaps in a few days time when she was a little calmer he would. Not that he could blame her for being emotional after recent events.

*

"Charles, I said..." Mackenzie began when she heard foot steps behind her. She should have know that he would follow her, because his pride demanded that he did, especially when there were other people around. Appearance above all else mattered to Charles, as she knew only too well.

"It's me," Stephen said. "Charles is still in there networking."

"You'd think he'd be able to have a little respect for my feelings, wouldn't you?" she asked. Still, the only person whose feelings mattered to Charles were his own. "I told him that I wanted everyone, including him, to leave," she added.

"I'll go soon," he said.

"You can stay if you want to," Mackenzie said, "because you're the only other person here who knew my dad." Something that she was always going to regret. Today she should have been surrounded by her dad's friends, instead of Charles's business contacts.

"Do you want me to ask them to leave?" Stephen asked.

"Would you?" she said. "They might listen to you." Stephen knew how to deal with people like that, whereas she still hadn't learned despite all Charles' efforts, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to. She certainly didn't have anything in common with them. Making money wasn't her biggest priority in life.

"Of course I will," he replied. "Are you going to be okay out here for a while?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him.

*

He was never going to be able to live down the embarrassment of being thrown out of his fiancé's house by that upstart Ellison, Charles thought bitterly as he drove away from Mackenzie's. At least, he'd had enough sense not to cause a scene over it, because that was the sort of thing people remembered. When Mackenzie called to apologize, he would insist that she saw someone about her attitude problem before he gave her the ring back. Once she had the ring back on her finger, he wouldn't give her a chance to take it off for a second time.

As soon as he got home, he would call a realtor and see about having her house put on the market. There was no way he could possibly live in it now. Desides, it didn't scream success at the people who would be visiting him. The money Mackenzie got from it would naturally go towards their new home, which would be in one of the new gated communities that had sprung up on the outskirts of the city. The only problem he could see with that plan was that Mackenzie wouldn't fit in with that sort of community. So he was going to take the added precaution of having her sign a prenuptial agreement. She didn't know anything about legal matters, so it would be very easy for him to persuade her to sign it. In fact, all he had to do was tell her that it was for her own good, and she would. At times he really couldn't believe just how naive she was. Still, that was something he intended to use to his advantage from now on, and he would have absolutely no qualms about doing do.

*

He'd been surprised that Charles and the others had left when he'd asked them to, Stephen thought, collecting glasses from the living room before taking them into the kitchen, where Mackenzie was loading the dishwasher. Obviously, Charles had decided that it wasn't in his best interests to start an argument in front of other people. No doubt he would wait until the two of them were alone, and then have it out with him. As far as he was concerned, Mack had every right to decide who was allowed into her home and when they had to leave.

"Do you want a beer?" Mackenzie asked, entering the living room.

"Sure," he replied. He could use one, and she certainly looked as if she could. After the day she'd had today, he wouldn't blame her for wanting to drink something a lot stronger than beer.

"I gave him the ring back," she said, handing him one of the bottles she was holding.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked. That wasn't to say he wasn't pleased that she'd decided not to marry Charles. Neither Rick nor her dad had liked Charles.

"I'm sure," Mackenzie replied. "I probably should have done it weeks ago, but I was busy taking care of my dad."

"I know," Stephen said, taking a sip of his beer. Mack had barely left her father's side after Rick's death. No doubt Charles hadn't been too happy about that. "So, what are you going to do now?" he added. It was probably too soon for her to have any definite plans about the future, but he felt better knowing that Charles Barton wasn't going to play a part in it.

"Get a dog," she replied, "I've always wanted one."

"I know a couple of breeders..." he began.

"I thought I'd go to a shelter and get one," she said, "save something from dying."

"You know, you're more than welcome to come and stay with me for a while," he said. The house was full of memories, and he wouldn't put it past Charles to try and apply some not too gentle pressure on her to change her mind about breaking the engagement off. When a man like Charles decided that he wanted something, nothing would stop him, not even if it meant people getting hurt.

"I could use a lift to Cascade in the morning," Mackenzie said. "I'm supposed to go and see Dad's lawyers. They probably have a stack of paperwork for me to sign, not that I'm going to understand any of it."

"Mack, would you like me to help you sort it all out?" Stephen asked. She'd been through enough recently and taking some of the load off her now was the least he could do. Besides, he didn't want to see her getting ripped off by some shark of a lawyer.

"Yeah," she replied, "Charles offered, but..."

"It's okay, I'm going to do everything I can to help you," he assured her.

END PART 1