Disclaimers: Refer to Chapter 1 - Michelle
A/N - Wow, the last chapter received mixed reviews. And mind you, I also got my share of fireballs. *Ouch* As for Jaime, well, she's a catalyst for this story, so keep reading, you'll see what I mean. And I apologize for the late posting, I'm going through a horrible week, and I've been writing this in between my schedule. But, anyway, read on.
~*~
The woman sat, smiling at the sound of Nick's voice. Nick's sisters and mother sat around her, knowing that something significant was underway. They held their breaths.
"Hi," Jamie replied.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Nick requested. He then, motioned for Jamie to follow him outside.
"Sure," Jamie replied dryly. Everyone sat in silence.
Both walked out into the yard, with Nick closing the door behind him, Nick glanced back at the group of women leaning against the door.
Jamie and Nick continued to walk a way from the house, across the yard, and just in front of the gazebo. Just two days ago, the site was the setting for a wedding, and today, it was just another setting.
"It's nice to see you. It's utterly been so long," Nick half-smiled.
"Yes. I guess time does that," Jamie replied.
"Time," Nick paused.
"Jamie, when you left to seek your place in the world, time slipped away," he explained, with his eyes fixated on her eyes.
"You went off to conquer the corporate world, and later, I moved to Las Vegas. We went our different ways, we had new experiences, and we met new people," Nick explained, pausing to find the right words.
"But, you can never run away from home," he concluded.
"From this," Jamie indicated to his heart.
"And I can't deny that. You are a part of my life. But my home has changed, after moving to Vegas, I found a different way home," Nick explained.
"Sara?" Jamie asked. Nick nodded.
"I'm sorry. It was unexpected, and I never imagined that you'd return," Nick pleaded.
"Love is unexpected," Jamie reminded.
"I'm sorry," Nick apologized, pulling her into a hug, perhaps for a final time.
"Don't be sorry. I'm happy that you found your home," she reciprocated.
They stood still for a moment, and thought placidly about the past. Nick pulled away, and smiled at her, but disappointed by the hurt in her blue eyes.
'If only it was a different place and a different time,' he thought to himself.
~*~
Sara stood by the window, watching Nick and Jamie walk out into the yard. Her heart sank; she felt her chest tighten, as if being mechanically squeezed.
'Oh God it hurts,' she cursed herself. She hated being in love, she never admitted it to herself, but seeing Nick's reaction to Jaime just crushed her. This trip had been an eye opener for her, but she also knew that this might have made a greater impact on Nick.
She was suffocating, she watched the couple exchange words and a hug, and she couldn't breathe.
'I need to get out of here,' her mind ordered.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the set of keys that sat on the night table and rushed out of the door. She galloped down the stairs and briefly looked for a friendly face, finding nobody; she quickly made her way outside towards the parked Tahoe.
She drove for an hour, never quite knowing where to go, no sense of direction, just the general direction to get away from the Stokes Ranch. She headed north, to where the wind took her, finally, she ended up at the edge of Lake Texoma. She parked the Tahoe closely, and walked towards the lake's edge and sat by it, searching the ripples of water for something. She looked around the seemingly placid lake, and was amazed, she saw the beautiful glistening sun against its surface, taken aback by her surroundings.
"Miss?" a man asked. She turned around, only to see a man in a jeans and raincoat, who looked just about ready to go fishing.
"Joe," Sara greeted.
"Sara? Is that right?" he asked. Sara nodded in agreement.
"What are you doing here?" He continued to probe; he spotted the black Tahoe, and Nevada plates, but was surprised when he only spotted Sara, and not Nick.
"Just needed to clear my head," she replied. "How's the fish biting today?"
"Haven't gotten a chance to go out to the marina," the man paused. He sighted the sadness that plagued Sara's face, and her being alone by the lake, sure made him think there was something wrong.
"Say, do you like to fish? Wanna Keep me company?" He solicited.
"I don't fish, but why not, I have nothing better to do," Sara replied, a fake smiled on her face.
Both of them made it down to the marina, and hoped onto 28' Catalina boat, and soon cast off and sailed up the lake. As they reached a certain part, Joe turned the engine low, to a point where the only sound heard was a soft hum. He then handed Sara a fishing pole, and soon both of them sat by the boat's edge, waiting for a fish to bite.
"Clear your head of what?" Joe asked.
"Pardon?" Sara asked, looking up.
"When I asked you what you were doing up here, and you said, you were clearing your head," Joe explained.
"Oh nothing, just wanted to come see the lake," Sara explained timidly.
"Where's Nick?" Joe probed. Sara cringed at the mention of his name.
"He's at the ranch, sorting some things through," Sara replied nonchalantly.
"Ah, I know it's not my business, but seems to me like you came here to get away from whatever it is that's happening at the ranch," he replied, with Nick as the prime suspect. Sara didn't move, she just stared ahead.
"It's normal to come up here, just to think. I used to find Nick up here, just sitting by the lake, thinking," Joe explained, still, Sara remained silent.
"Lord knows what that boy was thinking about, but he's been through a lot," Joe continued. Both of them just stared out onto the lake, thinking of things just miles away.
"What do you mean?" Sara asked, finally overwhelmed by curiosity.
"Ever since he was young, he'd been searching, always searching. Never quite happy with what he found," Joe began. Sara still looked ahead, taking in the man's words.
"He never found 'it'" he paused.
"It?" Sara wondered.
"He met a lot of girls, found them, fall for them, but in the end, nothing," he stated. He then proceeded to take out a juice bottle from the cooler and handed Sara a bottle.
"Until Jamie Watson," he finally mumbled.
"Jamie?" Sara asked, somewhat fuming at the sound of her name.
"Uh huh, he fell for her – hard. They were friends since high school, and became closer friends in college. She was the friend that Nick needed, and the love that he never quite found. Heck, after college, people were even talking about a marriage," Joe explained.
"But like all the others, she left too. She wanted to travel the world, make her mark; and Nick, well, he wanted to stay close to home, to his family," Joe continued. Briefly, he looked over at Sara, whose eyes were glazed, he wasn't sure whether they were of pity, anger or pain, or whether it was a combination of all.
"Broke his heart," the man drawled.
"What did he do?" Sara wondered out loud.
"He walked away, never looked back. Never returned – until now," the man stated. He then noticed that there was something tugging on the fishing pole; and with much delight, he jumped at the chance to reel in his catch.
Undeterred from her thoughts, Sara continued to look out onto the lake. Her heart was tender, raw from the realities that flooded to her thoughts.
~*~
"It was nice to see you, I'm glad that you're doing well," Nick acknowledged.
"Take care. Don't forget to visit sometime," Jamie replied sympathetically.
"Only if you remember," Nick half joked. Jamie smiled faintly. "Be happy."
Nick nodded, and watched her walk towards her car. Stared at the car as it disappeared into the distance.
'Ok, Sara. Just tell her how you feel,' his mind encouraged sincerely.
He then made his way up the stairs; palms sweaty, heart beating rapidly, breathing quickening. He briefly stopped in front of the bedroom door, inhaled, and slowly opened the door. He glanced around the room, 'where is she?' his mind wondered. He walked towards the open bathroom, 'please tell me she didn't leave,' his mind ranted.
"Sara?" he called out. No response.
"Sara?" he called out again, walking out into the hallway, frantically searching each room. He ran back to his room and checked for his keys, 'damn', he muttered. With great speed, he raced down the hall towards the kitchen,
"Have you seen Sara," he asked the silent room, garnering appalled and dissatisfied looks from his family.
"Did she tell you where she went," he pleaded. Nobody spoke.
"Please," he pleaded, desperation in his eyes.
"She's upstairs," Kate uttered,
"No, she's not,"
"What?" Cried a concerned and surprised Evelyn.
"Where did she go?" Nick asked, searching everyone's eyes for answers.
Everyone looked at each other, the day's excitement had made them unaware of Sara's departure. They all shook their heads.
"Tim, can I borrow your truck," Nick asked. Tim, then reached into his pocket and gladly tossed Nick a set of keys. Nick smiled, with gratitude. After which, he hopped into the truck, he was off, searching.
Searching.
~*~
To be concluded...sadly, this time for sure.
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
A/N - I hope everyone remembers Joe, the Sheriff, from chapter 4.
THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. I said that this chapter was the last, and I'm sorry, but I had to divide the chapters a little. This chapter's short, but I hope it answers some of the questions you have about Jamie. However, I hope that you stick around for the actual conclusion of the story. I':)
I'd appreciate it if you please review and tell me what you think: love it, loathe it, review it.
A/N - Wow, the last chapter received mixed reviews. And mind you, I also got my share of fireballs. *Ouch* As for Jaime, well, she's a catalyst for this story, so keep reading, you'll see what I mean. And I apologize for the late posting, I'm going through a horrible week, and I've been writing this in between my schedule. But, anyway, read on.
~*~
The woman sat, smiling at the sound of Nick's voice. Nick's sisters and mother sat around her, knowing that something significant was underway. They held their breaths.
"Hi," Jamie replied.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Nick requested. He then, motioned for Jamie to follow him outside.
"Sure," Jamie replied dryly. Everyone sat in silence.
Both walked out into the yard, with Nick closing the door behind him, Nick glanced back at the group of women leaning against the door.
Jamie and Nick continued to walk a way from the house, across the yard, and just in front of the gazebo. Just two days ago, the site was the setting for a wedding, and today, it was just another setting.
"It's nice to see you. It's utterly been so long," Nick half-smiled.
"Yes. I guess time does that," Jamie replied.
"Time," Nick paused.
"Jamie, when you left to seek your place in the world, time slipped away," he explained, with his eyes fixated on her eyes.
"You went off to conquer the corporate world, and later, I moved to Las Vegas. We went our different ways, we had new experiences, and we met new people," Nick explained, pausing to find the right words.
"But, you can never run away from home," he concluded.
"From this," Jamie indicated to his heart.
"And I can't deny that. You are a part of my life. But my home has changed, after moving to Vegas, I found a different way home," Nick explained.
"Sara?" Jamie asked. Nick nodded.
"I'm sorry. It was unexpected, and I never imagined that you'd return," Nick pleaded.
"Love is unexpected," Jamie reminded.
"I'm sorry," Nick apologized, pulling her into a hug, perhaps for a final time.
"Don't be sorry. I'm happy that you found your home," she reciprocated.
They stood still for a moment, and thought placidly about the past. Nick pulled away, and smiled at her, but disappointed by the hurt in her blue eyes.
'If only it was a different place and a different time,' he thought to himself.
~*~
Sara stood by the window, watching Nick and Jamie walk out into the yard. Her heart sank; she felt her chest tighten, as if being mechanically squeezed.
'Oh God it hurts,' she cursed herself. She hated being in love, she never admitted it to herself, but seeing Nick's reaction to Jaime just crushed her. This trip had been an eye opener for her, but she also knew that this might have made a greater impact on Nick.
She was suffocating, she watched the couple exchange words and a hug, and she couldn't breathe.
'I need to get out of here,' her mind ordered.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the set of keys that sat on the night table and rushed out of the door. She galloped down the stairs and briefly looked for a friendly face, finding nobody; she quickly made her way outside towards the parked Tahoe.
She drove for an hour, never quite knowing where to go, no sense of direction, just the general direction to get away from the Stokes Ranch. She headed north, to where the wind took her, finally, she ended up at the edge of Lake Texoma. She parked the Tahoe closely, and walked towards the lake's edge and sat by it, searching the ripples of water for something. She looked around the seemingly placid lake, and was amazed, she saw the beautiful glistening sun against its surface, taken aback by her surroundings.
"Miss?" a man asked. She turned around, only to see a man in a jeans and raincoat, who looked just about ready to go fishing.
"Joe," Sara greeted.
"Sara? Is that right?" he asked. Sara nodded in agreement.
"What are you doing here?" He continued to probe; he spotted the black Tahoe, and Nevada plates, but was surprised when he only spotted Sara, and not Nick.
"Just needed to clear my head," she replied. "How's the fish biting today?"
"Haven't gotten a chance to go out to the marina," the man paused. He sighted the sadness that plagued Sara's face, and her being alone by the lake, sure made him think there was something wrong.
"Say, do you like to fish? Wanna Keep me company?" He solicited.
"I don't fish, but why not, I have nothing better to do," Sara replied, a fake smiled on her face.
Both of them made it down to the marina, and hoped onto 28' Catalina boat, and soon cast off and sailed up the lake. As they reached a certain part, Joe turned the engine low, to a point where the only sound heard was a soft hum. He then handed Sara a fishing pole, and soon both of them sat by the boat's edge, waiting for a fish to bite.
"Clear your head of what?" Joe asked.
"Pardon?" Sara asked, looking up.
"When I asked you what you were doing up here, and you said, you were clearing your head," Joe explained.
"Oh nothing, just wanted to come see the lake," Sara explained timidly.
"Where's Nick?" Joe probed. Sara cringed at the mention of his name.
"He's at the ranch, sorting some things through," Sara replied nonchalantly.
"Ah, I know it's not my business, but seems to me like you came here to get away from whatever it is that's happening at the ranch," he replied, with Nick as the prime suspect. Sara didn't move, she just stared ahead.
"It's normal to come up here, just to think. I used to find Nick up here, just sitting by the lake, thinking," Joe explained, still, Sara remained silent.
"Lord knows what that boy was thinking about, but he's been through a lot," Joe continued. Both of them just stared out onto the lake, thinking of things just miles away.
"What do you mean?" Sara asked, finally overwhelmed by curiosity.
"Ever since he was young, he'd been searching, always searching. Never quite happy with what he found," Joe began. Sara still looked ahead, taking in the man's words.
"He never found 'it'" he paused.
"It?" Sara wondered.
"He met a lot of girls, found them, fall for them, but in the end, nothing," he stated. He then proceeded to take out a juice bottle from the cooler and handed Sara a bottle.
"Until Jamie Watson," he finally mumbled.
"Jamie?" Sara asked, somewhat fuming at the sound of her name.
"Uh huh, he fell for her – hard. They were friends since high school, and became closer friends in college. She was the friend that Nick needed, and the love that he never quite found. Heck, after college, people were even talking about a marriage," Joe explained.
"But like all the others, she left too. She wanted to travel the world, make her mark; and Nick, well, he wanted to stay close to home, to his family," Joe continued. Briefly, he looked over at Sara, whose eyes were glazed, he wasn't sure whether they were of pity, anger or pain, or whether it was a combination of all.
"Broke his heart," the man drawled.
"What did he do?" Sara wondered out loud.
"He walked away, never looked back. Never returned – until now," the man stated. He then noticed that there was something tugging on the fishing pole; and with much delight, he jumped at the chance to reel in his catch.
Undeterred from her thoughts, Sara continued to look out onto the lake. Her heart was tender, raw from the realities that flooded to her thoughts.
~*~
"It was nice to see you, I'm glad that you're doing well," Nick acknowledged.
"Take care. Don't forget to visit sometime," Jamie replied sympathetically.
"Only if you remember," Nick half joked. Jamie smiled faintly. "Be happy."
Nick nodded, and watched her walk towards her car. Stared at the car as it disappeared into the distance.
'Ok, Sara. Just tell her how you feel,' his mind encouraged sincerely.
He then made his way up the stairs; palms sweaty, heart beating rapidly, breathing quickening. He briefly stopped in front of the bedroom door, inhaled, and slowly opened the door. He glanced around the room, 'where is she?' his mind wondered. He walked towards the open bathroom, 'please tell me she didn't leave,' his mind ranted.
"Sara?" he called out. No response.
"Sara?" he called out again, walking out into the hallway, frantically searching each room. He ran back to his room and checked for his keys, 'damn', he muttered. With great speed, he raced down the hall towards the kitchen,
"Have you seen Sara," he asked the silent room, garnering appalled and dissatisfied looks from his family.
"Did she tell you where she went," he pleaded. Nobody spoke.
"Please," he pleaded, desperation in his eyes.
"She's upstairs," Kate uttered,
"No, she's not,"
"What?" Cried a concerned and surprised Evelyn.
"Where did she go?" Nick asked, searching everyone's eyes for answers.
Everyone looked at each other, the day's excitement had made them unaware of Sara's departure. They all shook their heads.
"Tim, can I borrow your truck," Nick asked. Tim, then reached into his pocket and gladly tossed Nick a set of keys. Nick smiled, with gratitude. After which, he hopped into the truck, he was off, searching.
Searching.
~*~
To be concluded...sadly, this time for sure.
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
A/N - I hope everyone remembers Joe, the Sheriff, from chapter 4.
THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. I said that this chapter was the last, and I'm sorry, but I had to divide the chapters a little. This chapter's short, but I hope it answers some of the questions you have about Jamie. However, I hope that you stick around for the actual conclusion of the story. I':)
I'd appreciate it if you please review and tell me what you think: love it, loathe it, review it.