Accusations

Richie, Dan & Libby

by Atonia & Layne

His blood was boiling all the way from the Wade ranch to the Glen. Dan couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd been this angry. Mad as he was, though, he was struggling to keep it under control. Neither Ben or he could afford for Dan to make a spectacle. He shouldn't even be going. But he had to see Roberts.

Dammit! Dan struck the steering wheel hard. He'd walked out on Libby because he knew it was the right thing for her. It was better for her not to have him around. Not only did he still love his ex-wife, but he was a criminal. It could only lead to hurt for Libby.

He'd thought that, if he took himself out of the picture, Libby would end up with March Nova. He knew she'd seen the chef at Andy's. Dan didn't like the man for that reason, but at least he seemed to be a gentleman, seemed to genuinely care for Libby, and to be a kind, caring man. But now-

Richie Roberts! What the hell was Libby doing, seeing him? Dan liked Roberts. He seemed to be a good guy and he was a helluva a solicitor, but with women- Well, Roberts' activities with women were well-known in town. The man's first marriage had ended in divorce because of his fooling around. His marriage to his second wife was ending for the same reason. And now he'd moved on to Libby!

Parking his car in the lot at Millie's, Dan tried to keep a calm, cool look on his face. He'd called ahead to find out the number of Roberts' room. Now, he took the stairs two at a time and knocked on the door.

Richie was propped up in bed reading through some briefs, papers spread the coverlet. He’d bypassed the tavern tonight, knowing he spent too much time in there and he didn’t want to fall into that again. The first couple of weeks after Toni had informed him their marriage was over he'd gone on a drinking spree, not something a man in his position needed to do and he knew it. He was trying to get himself under control and, strangely enough, Libby Tyler had a lot to do with that. There were other things he could find to do besides sitting on a barstool every night.

The knock on his door brought his head up. He glanced at his watch. Who would be coming by this late and then he thought of Libby. He shuffled the papers together, hitched up his sweatpants and opened the door. A very unhappy looking Dan Evans. He was surprised.

“Dan, what brings you out here this time of night, come in.” he backed away giving him space to enter and closed the door turning with a questioning look on his face.

It took more self-control than Dan knew he possessed not to deck Roberts right where he stood. The man had such an innocent look on his face, as though nothing whatsoever was going on. Dan clenched his fist and remained calm.

"Business," he said shortly, in answer to Richie's question. "Personal business."

Keeping his voice low and biting off every word, he asked, "What the hell are you doing to Libby Tyler?"

Now that he had a look at him, Richie could see he was spoiling for a fight…over Libby? What was she to him? “Trying to be her friend, she needs one right about now. What’s it to you?” And then it dawned on him, Libby had been hurt pretty bad by someone, was it Dan? “What did you do to her?”

"Friends?" Dan scoffed at the word. "Right! Richie Roberts friends with a woman. That how you're convincing women to go to bed with you these days, Roberts? Telling 'em you wanna be friends?"

"I'm telling you right now, Roberts. Libby is not one of your one-night stands. She's not somebody you just pick up and then throw away! She's a nice girl, but then you wouldn't know one of those if you saw one, would you?" Dan was breathing hard, and he was still trying to keep this under control. He had to work with this man on Ben's behalf. On top of that, the Glen didn't need any more to talk about where Libby was concerned.

Richie felt the heat coming up in his chest, “I asked you a question, what did you do to her? Are you the one that sent her crying in her beer? Yeah she’s a nice kid and she’s a friend of mine and I don’t throw away friends they’re too damn hard to come by. Did you throw her away Dan, is that what you did?”

"Throw her away?" Dan fought hard to keep from shouting. "What do you mean--throw her away? I did the best thing I could possibly do for her. I've stayed away, so she could be with someone who was better for her! I didn't know she was gonna end up with a guy who sleeps with every woman he meets."

"And just drop this damn 'friends' line! I know better than that! You seduce her, Roberts? Is that what you did? You looked at her and saw how pretty she was and you just had to have her. The other women you were beddin' just weren't enough for you!"

He wasn’t going to be baited into slamming him upside the head. Although Richie thought that’s what he needed, he fought down the desire to do just that.

“You can believe what you want to about me, mostly lies by the way. I haven’t seduced her Evans.” Richie said between his teeth.

“You think dumping a nice kid like that was the thing to do? You didn’t care about her feelings did ya? Used her for your own satisfaction and walked out. You’re damn right you aren’t good enough for her. She deserves better than an asshole like you. But it ain’t me friend,” Richie poked him in the chest with his finger.

"You gotta lotta nerve, Roberts, talking about using somebody for your own satisfaction! Isn't that exactly what you're doing? What you always do with women?" Dan brushed Richie's finger aside.

"And you're damned right she deserves somebody better than you! And me too!" Dan stopped, breathing hard, when it hit him what Roberts had just said. He'd said Libby deserved somebody better. Wait a minute. Were they on the same side here?

Richie saw the look come over Dan’s face and wondered what the hell he came up there for, “What do you want from me, needed somebody to tell you what a fuckin’ asshole you are? Look I’m not having an affair with her if that’s what you’ve heard. What do you care anyway, you dumped her didn’t ya?”

Richie moved away and lit a cigarette watching the emotions across Dan’s face, “What I don’t get is why you did it, you hurt her Evans.”

For the moment, Dan ignored most of what Richie was saying. Still angry, he ground out, "What do you mean, you're not having an affair with her? You're sleeping with her, aren't you?"

“What if I am, when did that become your business?” Richie replied evenly.

"When I started to care what happens to her," Dan replied quietly. "That's when it became my business."

His voice again took on a more angry note. "And sleeping with a guy like you is the last thing she needs!"

“When did you start to care Dan, before or after you broke her heart? Hey maybe I should thank you, if wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have met her.” He instantly regretted that last bit…

"And just what do you mean by that, Roberts?"

“Just that it left us in the same boat. Toni ran off with McGee and I guess it was you that broke Libby’s heart, we had a few drinks together, found out we had a few things in common. She needed a friend…and so did I. One thing led to another so I ask you again when was it you started to care what happens to her, must not have been before I met her.”

"There are reasons, Roberts." Dan was speaking quietly again. "Reasons that I can't go into--but they're serious ones--reasons why it's better for Libby for me not to be in the picture. But that don't mean it's any better for her to be with you."

"And I started to care for her from the day I met her." Dan remembered their first meeting, months ago, when Libby had walked into the dining room downstairs for breakfast and ended up sharing his table.

Both men were startled by a knock on the door to Richie's room.

Richie glanced at Dan, “you bring back up?” and moved to the door and opened it, oh fuck…

“Hi Libby, guess you might as well come in?”

She hadn't intended to drop in on Richie, especially without calling him first, but she'd been working late and all the things Miss Peeg had said about the talk around town had been bothering her. As Millie's was so close, Libby had found herself walking over without really thinking about it. Now, Richie's hello put her in a teasing mood.

"Well, that's not a very enthusiastic welcome, Roberts," she said, greeting him with a kiss and a smile. "Do you have company or something?"

Stepping into the room, Libby's eyes grew larger when she saw Dan Evans standing there. "Dan-? What-?" She turned toward Richie with a questioning look.

Richie shrugged, “I didn’t invite him up, he showed up mad as hell at me for seeing you. My being friends with you doesn’t set well with Evans here.”

Libby's mind and emotions were whirling at seeing Dan. She hadn't seen him since the night he'd walked out on her. Any time thoughts of him came up, she pushed them away. They brought nothing but hurt and anger. Now, though, she let the anger come through.

Although she was glaring at Dan, she spoke the words to Richie. "Our being friends is none of his business," she said sharply. "His or anyone else's. He's got no reason to care."

"Libby-" Dan's voice was hesitant. He was totally surprised to see her and the fact that she'd come to Roberts' room at this time of night... Not to mention that kiss she'd just given him...

"I don't wanna hear it, Dan." Libby's voice was rising in anger, but she tried to control it. "You're talking about my life here, and you have nothing to do with it. Not any more."

Doing it deliberately to provoke him, Libby walked past him and sat down on Richie's bed. "I don't think you're wanted here, Dan. Not by me anyway. Richie-?" She looked questioningly over at him.

Richie hesitated looking from one to the other and walked over and opened the door, “Evans, I think you’d better leave.”

Dan glanced toward Libby, his eyes trying to speak to her, asking her to understand. "Libby, you're doing the wrong thing here," he pleaded. "Just going out and taking up with someone else because you've been hurt-"

The look in his eyes came close to pulling Libby in, but she fought that feeling. She wasn't going to be in that situation again. "Just go, Dan. Even if I were making the biggest mistake of my life, it wouldn't be up to you to point it out to me."

Finally, Dan turned from her and walked toward the door. Stopping there, he fixed Richie with a long, hard look. "You'd better be good to her, Roberts," he said, with a coldness in his voice that would have rivaled Ben Wade's. "You had better not hurt her, or I swear I'll make you sorry."

“I won’t,” Richie said and closed the door behind him. He ran his hand through his hair and looked over at Libby still perched on the side of his bed. “What the hell was that all about?"

Libby dropped her head to her knees with a sigh of relief. The tension had gone out of the room with Dan's departure. "He's always had some sort of idea about protecting me. I don't know what makes him think he has any right to that, especially now."

“Why does he think he has a right to protect you, what is he to you Libby…be honest with me.” Richie sat down on the bed beside her.

She found it a little difficult, meeting Richie's eyes "We were--involved. Very briefly," she told him. "I thought we had a chance for something good between us, but then he just...stopped seeing me. Told me he was sorry and that I was better off without him. He never did explain why. He didn't try to explain anything. Just...left."

Tears were in Libby's eyes again. "And he's right." She looked up at Richie. "I'm better off. He used me and then left me. I'm better off with someone like you who's honest with me." She smiled at him through the tears.

Richie put his arm around her, “I’m not so sure you’re better off with me kid, but one thing I do know, it ain’t over for him, he didn’t come barreling in here for a social visit making threats and accusations. Maybe you’ve got some unfinished business with him.”

"He's the one who finished things." Libby leaned against his shoulder. "And I'm sorry he came in here like that. Sometimes it seems like this friendship of ours isn't too good for you. All the talk going around town and now something like this."

“He’s a fool then.” Richie began running his hand up her arm, “talk doesn’t bother me but you do,” he lifted her chin and kissed her.

"Not half as much as you bother me, I'll bet," she murmured, sliding her arms around his neck and taking him with her as she lay back on his bed.