Disclaimer: I don't own Everwood, the town, or it's characters. I'm just a college student.
This installment uses "Everytime," by Britney Spears. While I'm not a huge fan of her, this song works well for the chapter.
A/N: Hello all. I've been home from school for a month now, and I hope to keep the updates coming along steadily. Your reviews are insanely helpful and encouraging, so I hope to read some soon. Thanks.
EVERYTIME
Amy lay in bed that night, thinking over the life-altering agreement she had made just the day prior. While she knew it was the only decision worth making, the only answer she would've given, she was puzzled as to how this all could be given to her at that moment. At maximum, the doctor had given Tommy a year or a year and a half. When that time rolled around, she would be in New York, working on her dance career at Juilliard, and hopefully still involved with Ephram. Add an eight year old into the mix, and her once glorious and mysterious future seemed as if it were already written and readable. Not that she would have it any other way; she couldn't imagine Micah going to anyone but her – although she didn't understand why he didn't just ask his mother to step in as guardian. "I'd only been back in their lives for a day," she thought, "and he asked me to be Micah's guardian." Thoughts streamed quickly through Amy's head, ebbing and flowing, as she tried to comprehend how complete and utter trust was granted back to her so early on. She'd up and left without explanation four years ago, and Tom pretended as if that never happened. The smile on his face suggested they'd hung out every day since he met her, not a discrepancy lay between his tone and his words – everything emitted perfect honesty and truth – just as she'd remembered him. It was true – in the beginning, when she first met Tom, she believed him to be nothing but a drug abuser and dealer. After spending time with him, however, she'd grown to see him in a completely new and different light. She'd never known a stronger man – and it hurt her to admit that even Ephram couldn't hold a candle to the strength Tom Callahan released.
"Notice me, take my hand
Why are we strangers when
Our love is strong
Why carry on without me
Everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, it's haunting me
I guess I need you, baby"
Reaching over in the dark, she clasped her lip gloss and applied it liberally. This had become a habit, one she figured she picked up from her roommate in college who believed lip gloss was a lifestyle, not just a form of moisturizer. Her eyes fell onto the picture she'd recently put up of she and Ephram. And as her eyes coursed over his face, she couldn't help but smile as she noticed how grown he was compared to when she'd first left. Imagining a life in New York with Ephram was like imagining her future. She hoped that once they'd both finished their schooling, they would stay in New York for awhile, get married, start a family, and once they were content and the kids were grown, they would move back to Everwood, where it all started. Her thoughts went back to Micah. If she married Ephram, would he adopt Micah?
The sun burst through Tom Callahan's drapes that morning, and he bounded up, a spring in his step, thinking of his date with Kate that night. It had been awhile since he had feelings for anyone that matched the way he felt about Kate. He had a lot to do that day, and he wanted to make sure everything would be perfect, but he would find himself becoming tired on and off throughout the day. "So you're going out with her tonight," Micah said, sipping his orange juice and looking at the comics in the newspaper.
"You like Kate," he said smiling, "and this is very important to me,"
"I know . . ." he replied softly and went back to reading his comics, "but instead of going to Grandma's, can I just go to Amy's?" a smile spread across his face. While Tom was excited that Micah enjoyed spending so much time with Amy Abbott because she was his future, he also knew that inconveniencing her now could be detrimental. "and Ephram too," Micah added, "because Amy and Ephram are a package," Tom's heart dropped for a moment . . . then he snapped back to life and nodded,
"Amy and Ephram are very happy together, son, you are right. But as for tonight, you are going to Grandma's. It's been awhile since you've spent time with her, and she misses you," Micah nodded, but his face expressed that he was disappointed.
"I make believe that you are here
It's the only way I see clear
What have I done
You seem to move on easy
And everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you, baby"
Ephram called Amy's cell phone around 3 pm that day, hoping they could take a drive somewhere and have good conversation, like they used to. She answered while chewing, making Ephram smile, "hewoah?" she said, forgetting she was eating toast.
"Hi you," he said, trying not to laugh, "you eating lunch?" She finished chewing and swallowed, responding,
"Yeah, toast," she paused, "what's up?"
"I just miss you," he sighed, "and I was hoping we could go driving somewhere, maybe go camping or something, you know, just the two of us." He was sincere and honest.
"I haven't been camping in a very long time," she said happily, "and I do have most of the weekend off," she paused, blowing hair out of her eyes, "where would we go?"
"Eh, I don't know, just a state park or something," he suggested, "I just . . . want to be with you," his voice was nearly shaking. The truth was, Ephram worried that something was wrong with Amy and that she wasn't telling him. If he could spend time with just her, maybe he could figure out if she was alright. "Maybe we could leave later tonight or something?"
"Yeah, it won't take long for me to pack," she said, "I won't look glamorous, of course, but this IS camping, so . . ." she stopped and smiled, "this will be fun, Eph."
"I think so too," he was glowing, "I'll let you spend time with your family and pack before we leave. I figure we should head out by like six or seven,"
"You realize it's supposed to storm tonight, right?" she asked, giving him the heads up.
"All the more fun," he said, winking, even though she couldn't see, "I love you," he said sweetly, "and I can't wait,"
"I love you too, honey, I'll see you in a little while," she nearly hung up the phone, but added, "and I'm afraid of storms," she whispered sensually, "just so you know," he smiled as they hung up.
Amy needed nothing more than a summer camping weekend with her boyfriend. She'd decided, while packing, that this was the most appropriate time to bring up what Tom had requested of her. Holding back information such as that would do more than cause Ephram to think she was lying to him, it would hinder the future as well. And so she packed minimally, figuring they'd only be out there for a night or two before she had to come back and work. She packed her bikini, hoping she'd get some sort of a tan when the weekend was done, even though she knew her chances were slim since the meteorologist had predicted rain.
It was a big night for everyone that night –
"I may have made it rain
Please forgive me
My weakness caused you pain
And this song's my sorry
At night I pray
That soon your face will fade away"
As seven o'clock came quickly for Ephram and Amy, it came even more quickly for Tommy. Putting on his last bit of cologne, he stepped out of his room to take Micah to his mother's condo in the same complex. "Now you listen to grandma. I'll be home in a few hours," he patted his son on his back. Micah nodded and sighed. Tom hurried back to his condo to brush his teeth and then began to drive to Kate's house. She'd called him a few hours before to say that her daughter was being watched by another friend, and that she wouldn't need Mrs. Callahan to watch her. He rang the doorbell once, hoping he could remain patient enough to wait for her to answer before ringing it again. A moment later, she was revealed behind the door. In an instant, shivers shot down Tom's spine. She was breathtaking; it was as if angels had already taken him to heaven, and he didn't have to be afraid to die anymore . . . and then she smiled, and he caved into love even more.
"Kate," the word managed to escape his lips, "you look . . . absolutely amazing," she looked down at herself then back up at him and smiled.
"I suppose you are used to me in "mommy-gear,"' she joked, "but I am a woman too,"
"I always saw this side of you," he said, his eyes beaming, "but I never quite pictured it this way," and he knew . . . he knew that if he fell in love with Kate, it would be quite possibly the hardest thing in the world to leave her . . . but he'd have to . . . and she'd have to know . . . "Shall we go, then?" he asked, holding out his hand as she placed her smaller one into it.
"And everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you, baby"
At the campsite, Ephram and Amy had just finished constructing the tent when it began to rain. Wrapping a blanket around himself and Amy, whose back was pressed up against his stomach, the ducked into the tent, and while it was big, it wasn't as if there was a ton of room with the amount of things they ended up bringing. Drenched, Amy began to wring out her hair, and the rest dripped steadily onto the tent floor. Ephram eyed her, smiling. "You know," he slid up next to her, "your hair is awfully cute short, like you have it," she kissed him quickly and felt the drops of water sliding from his brow onto her nose. She laughed gently and pulled back, wiping off her nose.
"How can you see it?" she asked, noting that it was completely dark. "Where's the lantern?"
"I saw it in the lightning," he whispered, and kissed her again, this time with more fire. "And we have no lantern," he kissed her again.
"Ephram," she said worriedly, "we have all this stuff in this tent, and you didn't bring a lantern? That's great," she said sarcastically.
"We're just going to sleep right now anyway," he reminded her, "and in the morning, we'll be able to see just fine,"
"I don't want to go to sleep yet," she said, trying to figure out the perfect way to tell him about Micah. As the wheels in her head turned, she realized before she was even able to figure out what she was doing, she was pressed up against Ephram, and there was no effort to stop her actions. Grasping his back, she began to lose control and it wasn't until Ephram pulled away that she quit.
"Amy," he said touching her cheek with his hand, "slow down,"
"Why?" she asked, but she was obviously upset by something other than his request.
"Because something is wrong, I can tell,"
"Nothing is wrong,"
"Don't lie to me, baby," he said kissing her softly, "whatever it is, I won't be upset. I promise. You never lose control like this unless your mind is elsewhere. Now where is it?"
"Maybe I just want you," she said, defensively. Her whole plan to tell him tonight was going down the drain. Ephram's voice squeaked as he swallowed and tried speaking,
"Our promise . . . Amy . . ." he said softly as she fell gently back onto his chest.
"It isn't breaking a promise if we both agree to change it," she whispered, tempting him.
"I . . ." he said. He knew that he'd thought many times of how it would feel if they did break their promise, and while he knew he would be happy at that moment, he'd feel sorry in the long run. He lightly lifted her off of him, "not tonight,"
"You don't want me then," she said, getting flustered.
"No, Amy," he said, trying to clear things up, "I want you . . . just not like this, not when you're upset. We can talk about our promise later, and see what we think, but I'm not ready tonight, and I know you will respect that," The words processed in Amy's head as he spoke, and she broke into tears.
"I'm not ready to be a mom," she cried, blowing her plan to tell him about Micah completely out of the water. Ephram paused, then he said, with much confusion,
"You won't be, honey. We stopped . . ."
"I still will be," she said, sniffling as she lay in his arms, "in a year or two," more tears flowed.
"I don't understand," he said, with even more confusion.
"I'll be Micah's mom . . ." she finally said.
"Tom's asked you to . . ." and in the lightning, he could see her nod. He said nothing, but held her closer to him and let her cry until she fell asleep. She woke, a moment later, "Ephram?" she asked gently.
"Yes, Amy," he said, not being able to sleep.
"I love you," she said. He felt a tear drop land on his chest where she lay. He kissed her forehead,
"I love you too, baby,"
This installment uses "Everytime," by Britney Spears. While I'm not a huge fan of her, this song works well for the chapter.
A/N: Hello all. I've been home from school for a month now, and I hope to keep the updates coming along steadily. Your reviews are insanely helpful and encouraging, so I hope to read some soon. Thanks.
EVERYTIME
Amy lay in bed that night, thinking over the life-altering agreement she had made just the day prior. While she knew it was the only decision worth making, the only answer she would've given, she was puzzled as to how this all could be given to her at that moment. At maximum, the doctor had given Tommy a year or a year and a half. When that time rolled around, she would be in New York, working on her dance career at Juilliard, and hopefully still involved with Ephram. Add an eight year old into the mix, and her once glorious and mysterious future seemed as if it were already written and readable. Not that she would have it any other way; she couldn't imagine Micah going to anyone but her – although she didn't understand why he didn't just ask his mother to step in as guardian. "I'd only been back in their lives for a day," she thought, "and he asked me to be Micah's guardian." Thoughts streamed quickly through Amy's head, ebbing and flowing, as she tried to comprehend how complete and utter trust was granted back to her so early on. She'd up and left without explanation four years ago, and Tom pretended as if that never happened. The smile on his face suggested they'd hung out every day since he met her, not a discrepancy lay between his tone and his words – everything emitted perfect honesty and truth – just as she'd remembered him. It was true – in the beginning, when she first met Tom, she believed him to be nothing but a drug abuser and dealer. After spending time with him, however, she'd grown to see him in a completely new and different light. She'd never known a stronger man – and it hurt her to admit that even Ephram couldn't hold a candle to the strength Tom Callahan released.
"Notice me, take my hand
Why are we strangers when
Our love is strong
Why carry on without me
Everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, it's haunting me
I guess I need you, baby"
Reaching over in the dark, she clasped her lip gloss and applied it liberally. This had become a habit, one she figured she picked up from her roommate in college who believed lip gloss was a lifestyle, not just a form of moisturizer. Her eyes fell onto the picture she'd recently put up of she and Ephram. And as her eyes coursed over his face, she couldn't help but smile as she noticed how grown he was compared to when she'd first left. Imagining a life in New York with Ephram was like imagining her future. She hoped that once they'd both finished their schooling, they would stay in New York for awhile, get married, start a family, and once they were content and the kids were grown, they would move back to Everwood, where it all started. Her thoughts went back to Micah. If she married Ephram, would he adopt Micah?
The sun burst through Tom Callahan's drapes that morning, and he bounded up, a spring in his step, thinking of his date with Kate that night. It had been awhile since he had feelings for anyone that matched the way he felt about Kate. He had a lot to do that day, and he wanted to make sure everything would be perfect, but he would find himself becoming tired on and off throughout the day. "So you're going out with her tonight," Micah said, sipping his orange juice and looking at the comics in the newspaper.
"You like Kate," he said smiling, "and this is very important to me,"
"I know . . ." he replied softly and went back to reading his comics, "but instead of going to Grandma's, can I just go to Amy's?" a smile spread across his face. While Tom was excited that Micah enjoyed spending so much time with Amy Abbott because she was his future, he also knew that inconveniencing her now could be detrimental. "and Ephram too," Micah added, "because Amy and Ephram are a package," Tom's heart dropped for a moment . . . then he snapped back to life and nodded,
"Amy and Ephram are very happy together, son, you are right. But as for tonight, you are going to Grandma's. It's been awhile since you've spent time with her, and she misses you," Micah nodded, but his face expressed that he was disappointed.
"I make believe that you are here
It's the only way I see clear
What have I done
You seem to move on easy
And everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you, baby"
Ephram called Amy's cell phone around 3 pm that day, hoping they could take a drive somewhere and have good conversation, like they used to. She answered while chewing, making Ephram smile, "hewoah?" she said, forgetting she was eating toast.
"Hi you," he said, trying not to laugh, "you eating lunch?" She finished chewing and swallowed, responding,
"Yeah, toast," she paused, "what's up?"
"I just miss you," he sighed, "and I was hoping we could go driving somewhere, maybe go camping or something, you know, just the two of us." He was sincere and honest.
"I haven't been camping in a very long time," she said happily, "and I do have most of the weekend off," she paused, blowing hair out of her eyes, "where would we go?"
"Eh, I don't know, just a state park or something," he suggested, "I just . . . want to be with you," his voice was nearly shaking. The truth was, Ephram worried that something was wrong with Amy and that she wasn't telling him. If he could spend time with just her, maybe he could figure out if she was alright. "Maybe we could leave later tonight or something?"
"Yeah, it won't take long for me to pack," she said, "I won't look glamorous, of course, but this IS camping, so . . ." she stopped and smiled, "this will be fun, Eph."
"I think so too," he was glowing, "I'll let you spend time with your family and pack before we leave. I figure we should head out by like six or seven,"
"You realize it's supposed to storm tonight, right?" she asked, giving him the heads up.
"All the more fun," he said, winking, even though she couldn't see, "I love you," he said sweetly, "and I can't wait,"
"I love you too, honey, I'll see you in a little while," she nearly hung up the phone, but added, "and I'm afraid of storms," she whispered sensually, "just so you know," he smiled as they hung up.
Amy needed nothing more than a summer camping weekend with her boyfriend. She'd decided, while packing, that this was the most appropriate time to bring up what Tom had requested of her. Holding back information such as that would do more than cause Ephram to think she was lying to him, it would hinder the future as well. And so she packed minimally, figuring they'd only be out there for a night or two before she had to come back and work. She packed her bikini, hoping she'd get some sort of a tan when the weekend was done, even though she knew her chances were slim since the meteorologist had predicted rain.
It was a big night for everyone that night –
"I may have made it rain
Please forgive me
My weakness caused you pain
And this song's my sorry
At night I pray
That soon your face will fade away"
As seven o'clock came quickly for Ephram and Amy, it came even more quickly for Tommy. Putting on his last bit of cologne, he stepped out of his room to take Micah to his mother's condo in the same complex. "Now you listen to grandma. I'll be home in a few hours," he patted his son on his back. Micah nodded and sighed. Tom hurried back to his condo to brush his teeth and then began to drive to Kate's house. She'd called him a few hours before to say that her daughter was being watched by another friend, and that she wouldn't need Mrs. Callahan to watch her. He rang the doorbell once, hoping he could remain patient enough to wait for her to answer before ringing it again. A moment later, she was revealed behind the door. In an instant, shivers shot down Tom's spine. She was breathtaking; it was as if angels had already taken him to heaven, and he didn't have to be afraid to die anymore . . . and then she smiled, and he caved into love even more.
"Kate," the word managed to escape his lips, "you look . . . absolutely amazing," she looked down at herself then back up at him and smiled.
"I suppose you are used to me in "mommy-gear,"' she joked, "but I am a woman too,"
"I always saw this side of you," he said, his eyes beaming, "but I never quite pictured it this way," and he knew . . . he knew that if he fell in love with Kate, it would be quite possibly the hardest thing in the world to leave her . . . but he'd have to . . . and she'd have to know . . . "Shall we go, then?" he asked, holding out his hand as she placed her smaller one into it.
"And everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you, baby"
At the campsite, Ephram and Amy had just finished constructing the tent when it began to rain. Wrapping a blanket around himself and Amy, whose back was pressed up against his stomach, the ducked into the tent, and while it was big, it wasn't as if there was a ton of room with the amount of things they ended up bringing. Drenched, Amy began to wring out her hair, and the rest dripped steadily onto the tent floor. Ephram eyed her, smiling. "You know," he slid up next to her, "your hair is awfully cute short, like you have it," she kissed him quickly and felt the drops of water sliding from his brow onto her nose. She laughed gently and pulled back, wiping off her nose.
"How can you see it?" she asked, noting that it was completely dark. "Where's the lantern?"
"I saw it in the lightning," he whispered, and kissed her again, this time with more fire. "And we have no lantern," he kissed her again.
"Ephram," she said worriedly, "we have all this stuff in this tent, and you didn't bring a lantern? That's great," she said sarcastically.
"We're just going to sleep right now anyway," he reminded her, "and in the morning, we'll be able to see just fine,"
"I don't want to go to sleep yet," she said, trying to figure out the perfect way to tell him about Micah. As the wheels in her head turned, she realized before she was even able to figure out what she was doing, she was pressed up against Ephram, and there was no effort to stop her actions. Grasping his back, she began to lose control and it wasn't until Ephram pulled away that she quit.
"Amy," he said touching her cheek with his hand, "slow down,"
"Why?" she asked, but she was obviously upset by something other than his request.
"Because something is wrong, I can tell,"
"Nothing is wrong,"
"Don't lie to me, baby," he said kissing her softly, "whatever it is, I won't be upset. I promise. You never lose control like this unless your mind is elsewhere. Now where is it?"
"Maybe I just want you," she said, defensively. Her whole plan to tell him tonight was going down the drain. Ephram's voice squeaked as he swallowed and tried speaking,
"Our promise . . . Amy . . ." he said softly as she fell gently back onto his chest.
"It isn't breaking a promise if we both agree to change it," she whispered, tempting him.
"I . . ." he said. He knew that he'd thought many times of how it would feel if they did break their promise, and while he knew he would be happy at that moment, he'd feel sorry in the long run. He lightly lifted her off of him, "not tonight,"
"You don't want me then," she said, getting flustered.
"No, Amy," he said, trying to clear things up, "I want you . . . just not like this, not when you're upset. We can talk about our promise later, and see what we think, but I'm not ready tonight, and I know you will respect that," The words processed in Amy's head as he spoke, and she broke into tears.
"I'm not ready to be a mom," she cried, blowing her plan to tell him about Micah completely out of the water. Ephram paused, then he said, with much confusion,
"You won't be, honey. We stopped . . ."
"I still will be," she said, sniffling as she lay in his arms, "in a year or two," more tears flowed.
"I don't understand," he said, with even more confusion.
"I'll be Micah's mom . . ." she finally said.
"Tom's asked you to . . ." and in the lightning, he could see her nod. He said nothing, but held her closer to him and let her cry until she fell asleep. She woke, a moment later, "Ephram?" she asked gently.
"Yes, Amy," he said, not being able to sleep.
"I love you," she said. He felt a tear drop land on his chest where she lay. He kissed her forehead,
"I love you too, baby,"