"Morning honey!' Sharon turns and smiles as Chase walks into the kitchen happy to have her son back home at long last. Chase smiles rubbing his eye sleepily and kisses his mother's cheek.
"Morning Mom." he mumbles walking to the mug rack and pulls one off then walks to the coffee pot and pours some in.
"Are you hungry?" She asks walking to the refrigerator and opening the door. Chase sips his coffee feeling better by the moment.
"Hmm not yet I'll just have some coffee first." He walks to the table and sits then glances at the newspaper cover.
"Okay," She picks up her cup and walks to the table and sits.
"What are your plans for today?" She asks then sips her cup.
"I have to stop by the office then I have a couple of errands to run this morning then I'm going to the hospital and pick up Erin." Chase grins at the thought making his mother giggle.
"What's so funny?" Sharon giggles again.
"That silly little smile you always get whenever you think of Erin." She says grinning into her cup as she sips. Tickled with the pink blush on the tips of Chase's ears. Sharon laughs as she stands placing her cup on the counter then walks to the refrigerator as Hank comes into the kitchen.
"Good morning!" He says sweeping his wife into his arms and kisses her.
"Well good morning!" She smiles blushing slightly making Chase chuckle.
"Coffee is ready and breakfast will be ready in a minute." Hank take a mug from the tree talking to his son as he fills it.
"Morning son!" He says joining him at the table and reaching for the newspaper.
"Morning Dad! What are you up to today?" Hank smiles looking over to Sharon.
"After months of working day and night I'm taking a well deserved few days off and spending it with my best girl. What about you?" He says sliding back in his seat as Sharon sets a plate in front of him.
"I was just telling Mom I have some work in the office and some errands. Oh and I'm going to show Michael around get him used to his new digs" Sharron's eyes brighten with surprise.
"Michael's going to be working a steady job? Hallelujah!"
"Thank you son you have no idea how happy this make my wallet." He chuckles making Sharron giggle.
"Yeah, I told Preston about him, gave him his resume and he said he could definitely use the help. Especially after we get things up and running." Hank nods his head in approval then asks.
"How's your brother feel about that it?"
"He said he was happy and seemed excited." He shrugs then looks up at the clock.
"Hey Dad did you notice if Mike was up?"
"I heard him in the shower as I was coming down the stairs. You guys were out late last night I'm surprised he's up." Chase stands and walks to the coffee pot and refills his cup.
"We actually had a good time last night after we finished cleaning up the mess we made."
"What mess?" Sharon asks placing her plate on the table and then sits down. Chase sighs and shakes his head.
"We ran into Toni and Jake last night. Mike got in to it with Jake then Ms. Stuart made us clean up." He shrugs walking back to the table and sitting down. Hank frowns a moment as he reaches for his cup.
"So now that you gave us the cliff notes can you tell us how the whole story goes?" Chase shrugs.
"How it usually goes. Jakes a hot head just like his father. He came in shooting his mouth off about Clay moving in with Felicia. Then Mike shot his mouth off. Jake sucker punched Mike and then I popped Jake. Ms. Stuart tossed Jake out and made Mike clean up the mess." Sharron turns toward Chase fork stopped in mid air eye wide.
"Your brother wasn't hurt was he?"
"No, his pride maybe, but he's fine." He grins at the same moment his phone rings.
"This is Well I've got to take this. I'll tell you the rest in minute." He says rising up from the table and walks into the living room his father smiling after him.
"I haven't seen him this excited since we bought him that little motorized jeep when he was five remember?" Hank says putting a fork full of egg in his mouth. "And he drove over all your flowers!" He laughs.
"He was so determined even then"
Sharon laughs at the memory that was just a few weeks before the the Mill shut it's doors for good. She looks down at her plate suddenly no longer hungry as an odd sense of foreboding comes over her again. She pushes the plate away from her and reaches for her cup staring down at the contents half listening to Hank prattling on with pride over his son. As proud as she was she was also frightened.
Jay Stockton wasn't the kind to live and let live and he was coming for her son. She saw it in his eyes yesterday when he was coming out of the Mayors office. She and Hank had been sitting in the square and their eyes had locked. His seemed so dead and cold except for the embers of hate stoked by vengeance that burned behind them. Funny it filled her with an odd feeling of disdain for the vicious, vindictive and hateful thing he'd done to her family. All of it out of it driven by anger for the choice he'd made. Mixed with sadness that the sweet loving man she'd first known had turned into the angry, bitter, hard man in front of her. She could tell by the set of his jaw when he'd looked at Hank sitting beside her he was looking for something. Anything he could use to bring Chase down. Especially since he was coming from Ed's office. Then he'd scowled and walked toward the parking lot.
That's when she'd felt it. A darkness she couldn't shake. It crept upon her like a cold damp draft filtering through the cracks in her memory sweeping the past back to the forefront. Filling her mind with images she'd thought she'd hidden away foreshadowing the future and it frightened her they were headed down a collision course and she couldn't waver off the path same as the night Jay had left her and the days following.
Her memory lands on the hours following the night Jay had discovered she'd married Hank. She'd opened the door expecting Margie with drapes for their new home.
"So you finally found us!" The smile fading immediately from her face when she'd seen Jay standing on the other side his face filled with rage.
"So it's true?" He seethed pushing past her into the house. Sharron stares at him arms folded across her chest her voice rumbling with suppressed fury.
"What are you doing here Jay"
"YOU married him? Why" Jay looks from one to the other hurt and confused.
"Why not? It wasn't like you were free or even wanted to be with me you chose Alex remember? You told me "I was the most fun in bed you had ever had in your life but I couldn't seriously think it was more than just some fun. I should have known that from the beginning. Sorry for any misunderstandings" I got the message loud and clear." Jay stares at her his face etched in pain.
"So you married my best friend the next day?" Sharron smiles a part of her enjoying him feeling the pain he'd caused her.
"What do you care about the timing or who I marry? You're marrying Alex tomorrow! What? Did you think you'd get one more roll in before the big day?" Jay stares at her his eyes wide with shock
"No! Of course not I came because.." He starts but is cut off by her bitter laugh which stops as soon as it start her eyes narrow her voice tight.
" And did you really think I would still want you after you tried to get me fired from the mill and had me black balled from every place else in town? " She laughs.
"I swear I had nothing to do with that, that was my old man I swear!" Jay pleads. Sharron smiles grimly and shakes her head.
"But you didn't do anything to stop it either! I love Hank and he loves me. You know the best part he didn't hesitate, he didn't run to someone else he knew exactly who and what he wanted!" Jay glares at her a moment
"I came tonight because I wanted..." Sharron shakes her head throws her hand up cutting him off in mid sentence
" I don't care what you want! You made your choice Jay and I've made mine. I'm extremely happy with mine. I wish you and Alex the same. Go home Jay there's nothing here for you." She said holding the door Jay takes a step towards her his mind searching for something to say she shakes her head and takes a step back from him.
"Don't Jay just go and don't come back." Hank comes up from the basement and into the living room walking straight to Sharron and wrapping his arms around her.
"Are you okay?" He whispers to her she nods her head holding tightly to him then turns toward Jay.
"My wife asked you to leave, I'm not asking." Hank growls pushing Sharron behind him and steps up to Jay pulling himself to his full height. Jay steps towards the door stopping in front of Hank.
"You had better sleep with one eye open Van Dorn because if it takes me the rest of my life you are going to pay!" Hank laughed shaking his head.
" Not only are you a pathetic spoiled little boy you're predictable! Don't forget your not the only one with friends in high places and my family has been in this town a lot longer than yours. Now, Get out of my house and don't come back!" He'd said pushing Jay out on the porch slamming the door behind him.
She wondered how different things would have been if she'd waited. But, she knew the night he'd left just as she knew now, deep down Jay was no good and they would have never worked. You can't build your happiness on someone elses misery. Besides good men don't lie and manipulate to get what they want and they don't cheat on their fiancee's weeks before their wedding. Good women don't sneak around with other women's men either she chided herself but, in her defense he had pursued her relentlessly with claims of love and a life together. Then walked away without so much as a backward glance. Hank had stayed beside her from the second she'd told him. Through it all he never hesitated never wavered. When he'd asked her to marry him it she'd felt at peace and knew where she belonged She and Hank fallen in love and had built a wonderful life together. They had three beautiful children and the only thing Jay had done with his machinations was make her love for Hank and her family stronger and in turn making them stronger as a family. The deal she'd made and the price she'd paid had been well worth it and had kept her family safe.
"They were beautiful little kids" Hank says reminiscently" Then rises placing his plate in the sink.
"Yeah they were." She smiles as she rises and places her plate in the sink then wraps her arms around Hank's waist laying her head against his chest.
"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" He smiles down at her holding her tight and smiles.
"Yes, but I'm never tired of hearing it." He says giving her a quick squeeze and a kiss on her forehead then lets go.
"I have to finish getting ready so we can go!" He turns and heads for the hall. Sharron smiles after him then turns and begins to wash the dishes scrapping the scraps into the disposal then in the dishwasher. She finishes and shuts off the water the kitchen phone rings. She wipes her hand on the towel then reaches for the receiver.
"Hello?" She says her smile fading at the sound of the voice on the other end.
"Good morning sunshine! You and I need to talk." Sharron looks around the kitchen then opens the back door and walks outside to the furthest end of her garden pretending to inspect her rose bush as she talks.
"It can't be today." She hisses into the receiver.
"How about the abandoned grist mill tomorrow at three?" Sharron thinks for a moment she should be able to make it Hank was going over to see Chase at his new plant and it was on the way to Felicia's it was perfect.
"Fine I'll meet you there don't be late." She says between her clenched smile.
"You do the same." The line goes dead thankfully just as Hank gets close.
"Ready to go?" He grins. She smiles back shading the sun from her eyes with her hand.
"Let me put this back on the cradle and grab my purse." Hank watches her tramp back to the house sensing something had changed from a few moments ago.
"Harbinger Falls" Copyright 2014
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