Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, except for Jason.
The twenty-four-year-old stared up at her broken and cracked ceiling. It was late – much later than the hours that she normally kept, but she couldn't sleep. Thoughts of her husband kept invading her mind, and as she turned over on her bed, she sighed softly. They had had the perfect marriage, but now it was all gone. Gone, and she was sure it could never return.
It had all started when she heard the rumors. The rumors that said her husband had been fooling around with some of his employees. She, like a fool, hadn't wanted to believe them. She turned her head and ignored them for months. But one day last month had changed her views. After seeing him cuddled on a park bench with a lovely brunette – someone she had thought was her friend – she ran. She ran home as fast as she possibly could, packed everything she fit into her suitcase, and ran. She ran far, far away to a place that was thousands of miles from home, unable to face him with her hurt.
It hadn't helped ease the hurt. She had trusted him. She had given herself to him. Yet he abused her; maybe not physically, but emotionally. And it hurt just as bad as if he had slapped her, kicked her, or punched her.
What had happened to them? It had been perfectly perfect. They had loved each other. They had promised never to cheat on one another. They had been married for only a year. And now it was gone, gone, gone.
She climbed out of bed, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep now. She put her hand to her face and discovered that it was damp. Tears had fallen without her even realizing it. She shook her head gently and padded into her old kitchen. The apartment building that she was living in wasn't in the best condition, but it was cheap and it provided safety.
She opened her refrigerator and smiled sadly at its meager contents. She pulled out the half gallon of milk that was almost gone and poured a cup. She then placed the jug back in the fridge and heated the milk in the microwave she had gotten at a rummage sale. When the microwave let out a faint beep, she retrieved her cup and padded to her living room where she sat down in the lone easy chair. As she sat quietly and sipped, she let herself be reminded of the old friends that she had pushed away years ago.
The Bob-Whites had been the best friends anyone could hope for. They always stood by you, they were loyal, and they wanted what was best for you. They loved you unconditionally, even if you made mistakes. And she had pushed that all away.
One Bob-White in particular made her heart ache. She had always admired him, but it wasn't until she was in college that she realized that she loved him. But she had forced herself to put that realization out of her mind – she doubted that he felt the same way – and instead she made many new friends, including her husband. Some said their marriage had been hasty – looking back, she supposed it was. Their engagement had only been for two weeks before they eloped in Vegas. But at the time she believed that Jason was her soul mate, and that she would always love him.
Now she realized that he wasn't her soul mate. And that she may have loved him at the time, but she wasn't in love with him. She realized that the Bob-White that she had always admired was her soul mate, and that she was in love with him. Not Jason – him. And now it was too late for her to do anything about it.
Or so she thought. The next day when she was at the local supermarket working, a face appeared in front of her that she hadn't seen for months.
"Mart!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"
Mart Belden smiled sadly at her. "I'm here to bring you home. We've all missed you. You need to come back."
She shook her head dazedly. "But – but – how did you find me?"
"There's more than one detective in this family. I have my ways."
She looked at him mournfully. "I can't go back. I can't go back to Jason."
"You don't have to. Divorce him. Before you say Beldens don't get divorced, there are exceptions to everything. He was unfaithful. No one would blame you for filing for divorce under those circumstances."
"But…" she dropped her eyes to the goods that she was restocking on the shelves.
Mart chucked her under the chin. "Sis, you have to come home. Sleepyside isn't the same without you." He paused. "Jim isn't the same without you."
She let out a strangled gasp. "What?"
"Sis, Jim has been in love with you since you were teenagers. You have no idea how much he suffered when you married Jason. And now he's suffering even more, since he has no clue where you are and if you're all right."
"I never knew," she murmured.
"You know now. Please, Trix? Please come home."
Trixie studied her hands as tears came to her eyes. "You have no idea how long it's been since someone's called me that." She sniffed. "Yes, I'll come back to Sleepyside."
Mart let out a relieved sigh. "Wonderful…and you'll get a divorce from Jason?"
"Yes, I'll do that, too."
After she finished her shift at the supermarket, brother and sister went to her small apartment. Mart's eyes opened wide with horror when he saw the place that his sister had been living in for the past month.
"Don't say a word. I know it's bad, but it's cheap. I barely have any money, and this was the only place I could find."
"Trixie…" Mart shook his head. His sister amazed him, but he followed her instructions and didn't say another word.
Later, as the siblings left California and flew east, Trixie looked out the window. She saw the sun coming out, and she smiled happily for the first time in ages. She may have been walking in the rain for a while, but now she was living in the sun.
A/N: This wasn't at all how I planned this story to go. It was supposed to be full of angst, yes, but not exactly like this. Oh well. These things happen when you're a writer.
This is a submission for CWE #3 on Jix, and it's based on picture number 43. The final word count came in at 1048 according to my document in Word.
Thanks to all my editors – I have a total of five now! Lilly, my BFF who loves to edit these stories; Pam (fanfrom76); Jenny; Jo (JJsGirl); and Joycey (bundysbaby)! You are all much appreciated! And I'm one who goes back and fiddles with the story after it's edited, so any mistakes are mine and all mine!
And of course, thanks to everyone who reads this!