A Time After the Fall
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it!
Note: Please tell me what you all think and sorry it's so short.
Oh! You've come back have you? I had not expected any one to find themselves wrapped up in this tale! I am so delighted... Sorry, I seem to get a bit carried away at times. Forgive me. On to my story.
Connor Harrison left his little house and went to work that morning just as he always did. And he drove down Ocean road away from their little suburban home outside of London. His destination that day, as always, was his nice corner office job at 'James and Jones Publishing'. The name had been a source of comfort in the familiar at first but now it just seemed ironic. He'd work there for the past six years. Ever since that day Mia had pulled him from the clearing in the woods.
He'd told her at the time that his name was Connor Harrison and had later told her the truth about himself and his past. All of it. Magic and dark lords. Every last detail of it. To say she was surprised at the fact that magic was as real as her flesh and blood would have been an under statement. But she had been very supportive of his choice to live as a muggle. At first though, she tried to pursued him to go back to where he belonged so his children would not receive the same shock upon receiving their letters. He was firm in his refusal to both go back and even to let his children be a part of any of it.
The two had fallen in love, as such things happen. Perhaps it was not madly in love but love which would eventually grow into something deeper than love. They became a part of each other and that was just one more excuse for Harry... er... Connor to stay away from his past. Every one he'd ever loved back there had died on him in some way or another.
Mia Adams had become Mia Harrison only having known him for three months. Their grade white wedding was rushed but no one raised their eyebrows. A few rumor circulated about children and such but nothing came of it. For the most part, everyone found it very romantic and those who were close to the couple found it more so.
Mia had helped Connor form a past which they both stuck to as firmly as Connor's refusal to go home again. It was a simple story. Connor had gone to a boarding school in Scotland for a few years and had met Mia at a party thrown by a mutual friend. Even though the party never happened, it was still a good past to have. Simple enough not to draw attention and yet still believable.
So for six years the man known as Connor Harrison, who had no true past, no money, and no family other than his wife, had lived in Mia's tiny two bed room house near the woods. They had four young children. Vanessa age 4, Walter age 3, and the twins Juli and Dane aged one. They were a wiry and jumpy bunch of tots and their growing number reminded Harry of Ron's family... with no red hair.
Every day he left the house to go to work at 6:30. Kissing his wife and kids good bye and driving off. Every night he got home at 6:00. Scooping the kids up into huge hugs as the ran to greet him. His visits to the little clearing in the woods had gotten less frequent as time went on.
Mia had finished collage in the spring and began her career as an free lance writer shortly after Vanessa was born. In her spare time (what very little of it there was) she had begun her first novel. The story of a young man who found out all about magic and went off to school to learn and make trouble for the teachers. She also did all the baby-sitting while Connor did the shopping and cooking. Life in the tiny house by the woods fell into a steady rhythm. A study pounding drum by which to live. Rarely changing. But all things do change in time.
On a fateful day in mid-April, as Connor left his house, no one knew he would get news that would change their lives forever. A chance to make things change and move. To go forward in life which Connor had lately found staring him blankly in the face. He got the word from his boss. Paul Jones.
A short fat man to whom no one paid much attention, Mr. Paul had become fast friends with the man known as Connor Harrison who seemed to try and avoid as much attention as possible. Connor knew Mr. Paul as the man with a weakness for wild and fantastic fantasy stories. Things that only Connor truly knew existed just moments away from their everyday lives.
Mr. Paul went over to the Harrison home often for dinner. But it was what happened after dinner that he really came for. For Connor told his children such magnificent tales of magic and wizardry schools. But he loved the kids as much as he loved their father's tales and they'd taken to calling him 'Uncle'.
That night as Connor came home to his family, Mia could tell something was amiss. He acted like everything was normal but he was very bad at hiding his feelings. As he tucked the kids into bed and told them a wild story about a wizard boy named Harry Potter winning the Triwizard Cup, Mia watched him.
"And so Cedric and Harry both grabbed the cup at the same time. As they did so, Harry felt himself being pulled and as soon as he felt this he relized that the cup must be a portkey..." An evil grin broke out on their father's face. "And that's it for tonight, kidos." Connor said finishing that night's story. They let out a single howl.
"Some more! Please Daddy?!", cried Vanessa.
"More!" Juli demanded her twin bobbing his head in agreement.
But Connor was resolute and insisted that it was time to go to sleep and left the room. He brushed past Mia without a word and left the house. Looking out the window, she saw he was headed for the woods.
He hadn't traveled this road in quite some time but still he knew every root and rock. Mia normally left him to his own devices as he went into the woods but tonight she followed at a distance. She hung back in the shadows until he began to cry softly. She'd never heard him cry. Rushing forwards she threw her arms around him and the two slowly sank to the ground.
"Her name was Lisa. I remember now. She was my Lisa and now I'll never be able to come back here to see her" Connor murmured into his hands.
" Why not?" asked Mia.
" Mr. Paul asked me if I would go with the group to San Francisco to start the new publishing house. We're going the California" came the muffled reply.
"That' s wonderful!" exclaimed Mia. " And you never know, we may some day come back... No, I know we'll come back." He made no reply and they sat there late into the night talking about the chances they would have in the states and the opportunities their children would have. And as the sun rose above the trees, they walked slowly home.
A few hectic weeks later they were all set to go. All packed up and all the paper work done. Boxes lined the halls waiting to get shipped out. They even had a nice little house in a little town called Walnut Creek at a price that had made them blink. The town was a nice one (if some what expensive) and the house near the subway that Connor would use to commute.
The day they were to leave dawned bright and clear. Connor thought it was the gods laughing at him. Shouldn't today be raining and ugly?
They loaded all the kids into the Taxi van they'd called for and set off for the airport and as the plane left the ground, Connor watched as his beloved England faded from view like an old painting fading right off the canvas.
TBC......?
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it!
Note: Please tell me what you all think and sorry it's so short.
Oh! You've come back have you? I had not expected any one to find themselves wrapped up in this tale! I am so delighted... Sorry, I seem to get a bit carried away at times. Forgive me. On to my story.
Connor Harrison left his little house and went to work that morning just as he always did. And he drove down Ocean road away from their little suburban home outside of London. His destination that day, as always, was his nice corner office job at 'James and Jones Publishing'. The name had been a source of comfort in the familiar at first but now it just seemed ironic. He'd work there for the past six years. Ever since that day Mia had pulled him from the clearing in the woods.
He'd told her at the time that his name was Connor Harrison and had later told her the truth about himself and his past. All of it. Magic and dark lords. Every last detail of it. To say she was surprised at the fact that magic was as real as her flesh and blood would have been an under statement. But she had been very supportive of his choice to live as a muggle. At first though, she tried to pursued him to go back to where he belonged so his children would not receive the same shock upon receiving their letters. He was firm in his refusal to both go back and even to let his children be a part of any of it.
The two had fallen in love, as such things happen. Perhaps it was not madly in love but love which would eventually grow into something deeper than love. They became a part of each other and that was just one more excuse for Harry... er... Connor to stay away from his past. Every one he'd ever loved back there had died on him in some way or another.
Mia Adams had become Mia Harrison only having known him for three months. Their grade white wedding was rushed but no one raised their eyebrows. A few rumor circulated about children and such but nothing came of it. For the most part, everyone found it very romantic and those who were close to the couple found it more so.
Mia had helped Connor form a past which they both stuck to as firmly as Connor's refusal to go home again. It was a simple story. Connor had gone to a boarding school in Scotland for a few years and had met Mia at a party thrown by a mutual friend. Even though the party never happened, it was still a good past to have. Simple enough not to draw attention and yet still believable.
So for six years the man known as Connor Harrison, who had no true past, no money, and no family other than his wife, had lived in Mia's tiny two bed room house near the woods. They had four young children. Vanessa age 4, Walter age 3, and the twins Juli and Dane aged one. They were a wiry and jumpy bunch of tots and their growing number reminded Harry of Ron's family... with no red hair.
Every day he left the house to go to work at 6:30. Kissing his wife and kids good bye and driving off. Every night he got home at 6:00. Scooping the kids up into huge hugs as the ran to greet him. His visits to the little clearing in the woods had gotten less frequent as time went on.
Mia had finished collage in the spring and began her career as an free lance writer shortly after Vanessa was born. In her spare time (what very little of it there was) she had begun her first novel. The story of a young man who found out all about magic and went off to school to learn and make trouble for the teachers. She also did all the baby-sitting while Connor did the shopping and cooking. Life in the tiny house by the woods fell into a steady rhythm. A study pounding drum by which to live. Rarely changing. But all things do change in time.
On a fateful day in mid-April, as Connor left his house, no one knew he would get news that would change their lives forever. A chance to make things change and move. To go forward in life which Connor had lately found staring him blankly in the face. He got the word from his boss. Paul Jones.
A short fat man to whom no one paid much attention, Mr. Paul had become fast friends with the man known as Connor Harrison who seemed to try and avoid as much attention as possible. Connor knew Mr. Paul as the man with a weakness for wild and fantastic fantasy stories. Things that only Connor truly knew existed just moments away from their everyday lives.
Mr. Paul went over to the Harrison home often for dinner. But it was what happened after dinner that he really came for. For Connor told his children such magnificent tales of magic and wizardry schools. But he loved the kids as much as he loved their father's tales and they'd taken to calling him 'Uncle'.
That night as Connor came home to his family, Mia could tell something was amiss. He acted like everything was normal but he was very bad at hiding his feelings. As he tucked the kids into bed and told them a wild story about a wizard boy named Harry Potter winning the Triwizard Cup, Mia watched him.
"And so Cedric and Harry both grabbed the cup at the same time. As they did so, Harry felt himself being pulled and as soon as he felt this he relized that the cup must be a portkey..." An evil grin broke out on their father's face. "And that's it for tonight, kidos." Connor said finishing that night's story. They let out a single howl.
"Some more! Please Daddy?!", cried Vanessa.
"More!" Juli demanded her twin bobbing his head in agreement.
But Connor was resolute and insisted that it was time to go to sleep and left the room. He brushed past Mia without a word and left the house. Looking out the window, she saw he was headed for the woods.
He hadn't traveled this road in quite some time but still he knew every root and rock. Mia normally left him to his own devices as he went into the woods but tonight she followed at a distance. She hung back in the shadows until he began to cry softly. She'd never heard him cry. Rushing forwards she threw her arms around him and the two slowly sank to the ground.
"Her name was Lisa. I remember now. She was my Lisa and now I'll never be able to come back here to see her" Connor murmured into his hands.
" Why not?" asked Mia.
" Mr. Paul asked me if I would go with the group to San Francisco to start the new publishing house. We're going the California" came the muffled reply.
"That' s wonderful!" exclaimed Mia. " And you never know, we may some day come back... No, I know we'll come back." He made no reply and they sat there late into the night talking about the chances they would have in the states and the opportunities their children would have. And as the sun rose above the trees, they walked slowly home.
A few hectic weeks later they were all set to go. All packed up and all the paper work done. Boxes lined the halls waiting to get shipped out. They even had a nice little house in a little town called Walnut Creek at a price that had made them blink. The town was a nice one (if some what expensive) and the house near the subway that Connor would use to commute.
The day they were to leave dawned bright and clear. Connor thought it was the gods laughing at him. Shouldn't today be raining and ugly?
They loaded all the kids into the Taxi van they'd called for and set off for the airport and as the plane left the ground, Connor watched as his beloved England faded from view like an old painting fading right off the canvas.
TBC......?