A soft purring from the engine was the only sound between the two of us. The stranger's breath was low as she gazed out the window. Every once and a while the yellow edge of passing headlights would sweep over the cab of the truck.

I had haphazardly thrown all the empty water bottles and candy wrappers into the backseat- all while she watched with a certain bit of entitlement in her gaze. Her hair was still falling into that stormy gaze of hers, jaw clenched as she breathed in carefully. Her fingers were wrapped around the dashboard as she steadied herself from the shaking leather seats. I would glance over every now and then, sometimes making an electrifying contact with hers.

I was silent, adjusting my grip on the leather wheel as a few drops of rain rushed against the double paned glass. It was blue near the edge of the seam, dirty from a couple weeks of not washing. It stormed too much here- I didn't ever need to whip out a bucket and some soap. There was enough grime during the summer to warrant one, though.

"So, what brings you to Haven?" I asked, voice a bit tight as my stare averted to hers for a moment before I focused back on the road. "Other than a second-hand bookstore…"

She let out a thick sigh, one that filled the car as I cocked an eyebrow slightly, not bothering to send my attention that way. She ran her hand through her coarse hair. The edge of her blazer was pulling up slightly at her waistline. "Listen, I appreciate the ride and everything, but I'm not much for small talk."

"Then what are you much for?" I asked with a slight scoff. "Picking out sensible outfits is clearly not it."

I turned slightly onto the side street, it leads to town- a large stretch of trees and one-off rivers wound through the bark that was aged and peeling. The scent of wet soil always filled my lungs around this moment. It was nothing to be put off about- there were worse things to smell, and better things to experience.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, offense laced in her voice as she turned slightly in her seat. "And being ratty lumberjack is a better sense of style?"

"Better than an uptight flight attendant," I mumbled under my breath. I knew she could hear me, there were only two of us here, a red glow from a traffic light in the middle of town shaded her face. It stretched her features and contorted them- like we were in a vape shop, or maybe even a one-off club. I had a deep smirk on my lips, knowing that I was riling her up as her mouth gaped open. "Or a realtor."

"I have you know, I am one of the top sellers in my region." She pointed a well-painted finger my way. I lifted my chin, a bit impressed. I didn't realize that I was right on the nose with the second guess there. It didn't' quite explain what she was doing in our little town. She was too interesting to sell the old and rickety house at the end of the block.

"Well congratulations, Red." I blew air from my nose. "That's very impressive."

"Was that sarcasm?" She scrunched her face up "Fish… person."

"Fish person?" I laughed, the smile still fresh on my features. "No, that wasn't sarcasm. That was a genuine compliment."

The rain was falling in sheets now, the wipers rushing back and forth as run-off rushed against the side of the rough glass. Another set of dark headlights rushed past the two of us. She was silent, just listening to the dull soundtrack of the engine mingling with the rainfall.

"Well," She squared her shoulders, sinking into the leather seat, those same jarring eyes softening a bit. "Thank you."

Fabric from a soft pea coat pressed against the nave of my back, it's stitching soaked as my breath stopped pooling in front of me. The weather in Haven was privy to change, it's once humid morning would turn to cold and weary nights. Ones that kept me at bay when all I wanted to do was curl up and watch cheesy love flicks.

The girl that had just stormed out of my car was still on my mind. I didn't know why- there was no reason. She was stuck up, smelling of fancy soap. Her collar was pressed with a hot iron, no wrinkles or flaws other than a bit of blood from the gashes on her hands.

I hated her. The way she seemed to turn her nose up at anyone who was less than her. I just didn't know if it was breed or learned. Either way, it made my blood boil. The realtor was someone who knew Aubrey, apparently, and that was enough cause for curiosity.

"I am so sorry I'm late," I started to pull the fleece scarf away from my throat. It was sopping wet, my hair damp as I swallowed roughly. "How is she?"

The girl that stood in front of me raked a hand through her hair- her white shirt stained with different things that I hoped was baby food. The rest of the daycare was empty, the lobby lit with a deep yellow glow as a blue one fused from a film that was playing in the other room. A musical sequence was bouncing off the walls.

"Bec's you know I love you-"Stacie sounded out carefully, lifting her sore arms behind her head as she pulled the black hairband from her wrist. She seemed to do it with ease, tying the ponytail up as she lifted her chin slightly. "And I really don't mind covering for you with my grandmother, but things got close tonight."

"I know, I'm sorry." I willed "There was some girl at the docks, she needed help- and… you know what, it doesn't matter. Just… thank you. I promise I'll make this up to you."

"You better," She shoved my shoulder playfully, a dumb grin on her lips. "I don't know how many times I can convince Grandma that I love Aladdin enough to rent the sing-along a few times a week."

I scoffed, squeezing the bridge of my nose slightly. Stacie had been a life-saver these past few months. Addison was old enough to take care of herself, I knew she was. But it had been a rough year for everyone around town. I would never leave her alone, not like my mother used to do during long and taxing nights.

The six-year-old clung heavily to the door-frame, her eyes sleepy as she watched the two of us interact. She had a dazed look in her eyes- the very eyes that mimicked my dad's. They were wise and caring, a deep chocolate brown that could melt your resolve.

Stacie handed me her coat as I knelt down, giving her a kind smile. "Hey, Addy,"

She smiled back, it was a cute an innocent gesture, her hands at her sides as I pulled her coat over her shoulders. She watched me in a careful silence as I zipped it up, fishing in her pockets for the gloves that I had to replace every couple of months. These were on their final leg- I was surprised she hadn't lost them already.

The quiet was something I was used to. At first, we thought it was shocking. I didn't want to speak after the fire either. Not for a long and crippling time. But after a couple of months, the stress of planning two funerals died down and the worry for my little sister kicked in. We had called speech therapists, had the long skype calls with specialists. Nothing changed. They said she would talk when she was ready.

I shouldn't push it. I didn't' push it.

"Alright munchkin," pulled on her collar, making sure that it was nice and fastened. It was. The pain of the day hit my muscles as I stood, keeping my hand outreached to her as she wrapped her fingers around mine. She was warm, the gloves scratchy, but bearable. "We gotta get some dinner in you."

Stacie nodded softly as she made eye contact with the mousy-haired girl that clung to my side. "I'll see you tomorrow, Addison."

She nodded, sniffing at the cold that was biting at all of us. I mouthed another thank you before walking towards the car. At one point, my kid sister was dragging me behind her. I laughed slightly, letting her do it as she crawled into the backseat of my truck- crunching over the water bottles and paper bags. She gave me an odd look as I started the car. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm a mess, Add's, we know this."

She giggled, the only sound I ever got a chance to hear from her, aside from crying. It was two opposite ends of the spectrum, but I loved her through every inch of it. The custody battle was a rough and unrelenting one- but at this point, I didn't care. I knew I would die for her.

"So," I looked into my mirror as I started the car. "I was thinking, we could have Amy whip us up some of her famous grilled cheeses."

The little girl in the backseat lit up, lifting her shoulders as she drew in a breath. I narrowed my eyes with a sly smirk. Again, she said nothing, but I knew the different signs, the way to read her like no one else. "Oh, right, so that's a no then? You want fish sticks again?"

She knit her eyebrows together in disdain as I chuckled, putting the car in drive. "Alright then, grilled cheese it is."

[A/N: I would say this is a filler chapter but it's not, I have to bring some backstory!]