A/N: A prequel of sorts to Harper's Island, so it doesn't really have anything to with the series other than setting the backdrop.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Ari Schlossberg. I borrowed them for the entertainment and amusement of my audience.

SUMMARY: The building of a nightmare.

GENRE: Drama

RATING: PG-13

DATE COMPLETED: June 9, 2014

::~*~::

John sat in the middle of his small boat, pulling at the oars. Guiding it cautiously thru the choppy waters, he kept glancing over his shoulder at the rapidly enlarging strip of land behind him. It grew steadily closer and when the little boat nosed up onto the soft mud of the beach, John heaved a sigh of relief. Yesterday, the day had dawned bright and clear, albeit a little cold, and he had had his first glimpse of the island off the coast. He had sailed the boat around the island the previous day and had put off landing on it until today when he would have enough time to actively explore it. Only today he had awoken to the same dreary conditions that had plagued the entire week prior to yesterday.

Taking a moment to drink in the pure, unadulterated sight before him, he breathed deeply of the crisp, fresh air. Leaping out of the boat, he noted, with unabashed satisfaction, that his were the only footprints seen upon the beach, as far as he could see in all directions.

Once he had finished stretching his sore and cramped muscles, he grabbed the bow of the boat and dragged it further up the beach, out of reach of the slowly rising tide. Without further hesitation, he disappeared into the tree line that ran along the shore.

::~*~::

The year was 1849. Scores of settlers slowly expanded the American territory westward and John Harper and his family were just one in hundreds, even thousands. John had a dream, much like many other men had in those days. Except John's dream did not include bounteous piles of gold and silver and gems. John's dream was filled with strong, sturdy trees, and pure, rich soil. It was filled with bird calls, abundant game and crystal, clear waters. And the house… He would build a simple cabin to keep his family protected from the elements at first, but after…after he would produce such a grand house that their dreams could never have imagined. Of course, surrounding this grand house would be miles and miles of land. All owned by him. He didn't care about the greed that raged in the hearts of most of the other settlers. He thought only of Rachel, and Vincent, and Alison and his future posterity. And, of course, Daniel, but Daniel was his younger brother and had dreams of his own to strive for.

Their small group of five had set out with a wagon loaded with their belongings from Pennsylvania. Many months and many discarded prospects later, the Harper family finally came to the end of their travels. Not by choice, but by necessity. It was a cloudy, rainy day when they arrived at yet another body of water. The combination of the clouds, rain and chilly weather produced a fog so dense that they could not see past fifty yards out over the water. John had set up the campsite and decided to allow for a week to see if the fog would dissipate. He would have liked to stay only a couple of days, but little Alison was sick with the fever. Any kind of illness in those days was treated as life-threatening because, very often, it was. When Alison had first developed the fever, Daniel had offered to ride down to a small settlement that had been located three days' ride south of where they had been two days prior to see if they had any kind of medicine for the two-year-old.

As they huddled in the tiny shelter on a particularly rainy day during their sojourn, John studied the map that he had bought from a couple of cartographers a few months back. They had mapped all the way to the Pacific Ocean through the southern part of the California territory but not as far north as the Harper family had traveled. John had done his best to keep track of their progress off the map, and he had a relatively good idea where they were—on the shore of that great ocean. He knew they were somewhere north of California and his estimation of it being the ocean in front of them was most assuredly accurate. Of course, he wouldn't know for sure until the fog lifted.

::~*~::

They had been camped for almost a week when the fog finally lifted. Alison hadn't gotten any better, but she hadn't gotten any worse either. On this particular morning, Alison had slept the whole night through for the first time in a week. Daniel was not expected for at least another day or two, so John, though he worried about his daughter's health, wasn't overly worried about his brother's return just yet. When John awoke, he crawled outside to stand on the beach and watch the rising sun. He was pleasantly surprised to see the fog had vanished and he could see all the way to a small island that was barely visible on the horizon.

An island could be just what I'm looking for, he thought. The weather may be poor for this region, but the privacy afforded by owning an island would more than make up for it.

Quickly returning to the makeshift tent, he quietly woke his sleeping wife and told her of what he had seen. Helping her out of the tent, he pointed across the water to the piece of land he had spied.

"I'm going to go check it out. I think, after all of these months, we may have finally found our home. Let us pray that it is uninhabited," John excitedly said, his eyes never leaving the line on the horizon that potentially held all of his hopes and dreams for his family.

Rachel, just as excited, kissed him happily on his cheek. Turning to their wagon, Rachel helped John unhook the boat. They had found it, abandoned on the banks of a river, very early in their journey. Rachel had wanted to leave it, not wanting to transport any more stuff across the country, but John had persisted. Rachel had later seen the wisdom in it, most especially when they had come across rivers that afforded no bridges. John had even rigged a small carrier for it to hook up to the back of the wagon and roll it along. It was even used to tow the children as they continued on. Alison, particularly, loved sitting in it and looking at all the scenery going past, squealing in delight as she spied animals in the wilderness beyond the trail.

With a splash, they dropped the boat into the water. After tethering it around a nearby tree with a piece of rope, John crawled back into the tent to gather a few items and to kiss the children goodbye. Both were still asleep as he kissed them on their foreheads, Alison's head still feeling feverish to the touch. Leaving the tent, he went outside to see Rachel tucking down a knapsack into the boat with food for the day and a pouch filled with fresh water. John hung back and just watched her for a minute. For the millionth time since he had first laid eyes on her, he thanked his lucky stars that she had chosen him. She was a beauty and could have had her pick of any of the local boys, but she had wanted him. She could have been well provided for by any number of well-off gentlemen back east, never having to work in her life, but she chose a life with him.

Sneaking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. She shrieked in surprise and then laughed as she tried to slip away from him. Realizing the futility of it, she spun around in his arms and planted a quick kiss on his lips. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her again, though more deeply than she had.

When they parted, John climbed into the boat and started out. He waved back to Rachel and watched her shrink as the distance widened between them. Once she was no more than a speck behind him, he turned his gaze towards the island and watched as it drew ever closer. Today, he would just circle the island and see what there was to be seen.

::~*~::

John traipsed through the trees. His water pouch slapped against his thigh with every step he took. He had explored much of the island and with every sight he took in, visions overtook his mind. He already knew exactly where he would build the cabin and even where his plan for the grand house would unravel. It had only taken him twenty minutes of exploration to determine that this was the place where he would raise his family.

He had been on the island for most of the day so far and was getting ready to return to the mainland. He had plans to put together a large log raft to transport everything over and was hoping that Daniel had caught up with them. He had had reservations about leaving his wife and children unprotected while he sailed off, but Rachel had quelled his fears by showing him a shallow cave that she had found in the nearby hills when she had gone out looking for fruit and herbs to supplement the meat he kept bringing in. She figured it would be large enough for her and the children to hide in should anything happen.

Bursting forth from the tree line, John saw his boat sitting on the beach about two hundred meters away from him. He paused a moment to take in the view behind him before setting off towards his boat.

He was here. He had found it. Now all of his dreams were going to come true.