A/N – Well, I'm really glad that people are reading this and enjoying this! Thanks so much to the people who reviewed, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter just as much as the last one! Please review to let me know what you think!!

Disclaimer – Don't own 'em.

            "Mum, are we there yet?" a little voice asked from the backseat.

            Ephram looked back and smiled at his little sister, then grinned at his mother. She rolled her eyes before calmly responding to her daughter's question.

            "Delia, darling," Mrs. Brown started, "what did I tell you five minutes ago?"

            Delia paused and tried to think back to five minutes beforehand.

            "You mean when I asked you last?" she asked, happy with herself that she had remembered.

            Mrs. Brown nodded as Ephram chuckled lightly.

            "Well, you said that you didn't know – "

            "And so you're asking again?" Ephram asked impatiently.

            His mother gave him a look and he looked down, mumbling an apology.

            "Delia, we'll be there soon, I promise. I haven't been to Everwood in a long time, since before both of you were born, so I can't quite remember how much longer it's going to be…" she trailed off, smiling as if remembering happier times.

            Ephram decided not to bother her; he knew that his mother had tried her hardest to be in a good mood for the ride down, when she actually was devastated. He smiled at Delia to convey the message to ride the rest of the journey in silence. The little girl nodded slightly, fully understanding what her older brother meant but still very confused.             Delia had asked questions all the way down from New York, about why they were leaving, for how long, and when their father would join them. Mrs. Brown carefully answered each question while Ephram looked on, desperately wanting to tell Delia everything. She'd always been a very smart girl, and he was positive that she would figure it out eventually. His mother had told him nothing though, and therefore he had to make it seem like he knew nothing.

            "Oh look," his mother's all too cheery voice summoned him out of his private thoughts, "I think we're almost there!"

            "Yay!" Delia exclaimed happily.

            Ephram sat up in his seat, trying to get a better view out the front window. Sure enough, he saw a sign coming up on the right.

            Welcome to Everwood, Colorado, Ephram read as the vehicle passed it.

            "Mommy, where are all the buildings?" Delia asked, looking around.

            "Sweetheart, we're not in New York anymore. There are no big skyscrapers here…just mountains. Aren't they gorgeous?" as his mother drove into town, Ephram pointed out the mountains to Delia, as she grinned at the scenery.

            "Mom," Ephram began, "Where are we going to stay? I mean, does a village as tiny as this have a hotel, a motel, any place for us to stay?"

            "There must be something, Ephram." Mrs. Brown responded as she pulled into a parking spot, "But let's not worry about that quite yet. I'm sure you two must be hungry, let's go into this diner and get something to eat."

            As soon as they stepped foot in the door, the place went quiet. It seemed that all eyes were on the family, as Mrs. Brown told Delia to go find table and made her way to the counter, Ephram not far behind.

            A blonde woman in her late twenties, early thirties, came to the front of the bar, smiling.

            "How can I help you folks?" she asked, curiously looking them over.

            "Well, I'd like a strawberry milkshake, a chocolate sundae and…Ephram? What do you want?" Mrs. Brown asked, turning towards him.

            Ephram slightly jumped at his name, "Oh, uh…chocolate milkshake, I guess."

            Mrs. Brown nodded, and then turned towards the woman.

            The blonde woman grinned, "Chocolate milkshake it is."

            She started towards the back again, then abruptly turned around.

            "If you don't mind me asking, can I ask what you're doing in Everwood? It's not tourist season, that's for sure." the woman smiled, waiting cautiously and hoped she hadn't offended the newcomers.

            Mrs. Brown glanced at Ephram and Delia, and then smiled at the woman.

            "Julia Brown," she replied, sticking her hand out for the woman to shake it, "and these are my two children, Ephram and Delia."

            Ephram nodded and Delia grinned and shouted a 'hi' across the diner.

            The woman laughed, shaking Mrs. Brown's hand and waving to Delia.

            "I'm Nina Feeney, welcome to Everwood. Are you staying long?" she asked, hoping to get an answer. When Mrs. Brown hesitated to respond, she continued. "The only reason I ask is, our town is small and we always embrace newcomers…especially new families moving here. And the house next to mine is for sale, if you need somewhere to stay."

            Mrs. Brown shook her head quickly, "I'm not sure that we can afford that, though we'll need somewhere like that to live."

            "Oh, it's not that expensive…the elderly lady who lived there passed away and left it to me, and I don't need that much money. I'm sure we could work something out." Nina pressed.

            The whole diner looked on anxiously, as Mrs. Brown pondered the idea.

            "Well, you know, it is a very nice offer…and I think it would be almost rude to refuse such an offer, so alright! We'll take it." Ephram's mother responded, as his heart fell.

            As much as he wanted a good place to stay, buying a house meant that staying in Everwood was not temporary, but in fact, very long-term. He glanced across the room at his sister, who had missed that point entirely and was smiling, taking the cue from her mother. Ephram sighed with relief, as long as his mother could keep up the act, Delia would not suspect that anything was seriously wrong.

            "Well that's great," Nina grinned, "I'll just go get your food, and I'm almost done my shift so you can follow me home. You can stay at my house tonight, and then tomorrow I'll help move you in."

            Mrs. Brown smiled, "Thank you so much, Nina. My son and I are just going to sit down with Delia –  "

            "I'll bring your food out to you once it's ready." Nina nodded, "Oh, and it's on the house, neighbour."

            She made her way to the back as Ephram and his mother made their way to the table Delia had picked out.

            "Well," Mrs. Brown mused as they sat down, "Isn't that just something. This town is certainly just as hospitable as I remembered it to be. I think we're going to be very happy here, kids."

            Delia smiled, nodding along with her mother. Ephram searched his mother's face, finding emotions that contradicted her words. Her eyes were so sad, and yet she was trying so hard to be happy. She couldn't fool him though, and as he searched her face, she smiled at him, like she knew she couldn't pretend with him.

            He reached across the table and squeezed her hand, trying to be strong.

            "We will be happy, Mom." Ephram said confidently.

            He only wished that he could fully believe his words.