Chapter One
"What's wrong Mommy?" Emily asks when Amy pulls along side the road in front of a sign welcoming them to a town just 12 short hours later.
"Nothing, I just didn't mean to be here." Amy responds staring at the WELCOME TO EVERWOOD, she didn't even understand how she had gotten here. Sure she had just been driving but she would assume that she would recognize when she was getting close to the town she had grown up in.
"Are we gonna go in into this town?" Emily asks. "'cause I'm hungry."
"Do you know where we are Emily?" Amy asks.
Emily shakes her head, "uh-huh, where?'
"We are in the town that I grew up in."
"Where my never met grandparents live?" Emily questions.
Amy nods, "that's right, you've never met my parents before. But you will today, right now."
"Really?" Emily smiles, "it's like an adventure!"
Amy offers her daughter a weak smile, she didn't understand what Amy hadn't spoken to her parents in over six years not since she had married Marcus against their wishes. Rose and Harold Abbot and Marcus Gibbs had made her choose between them and Amy had obviously made the wrong choice. "Yes," Amy whispers, "like an adventure.'
She travels down the familiar roads noticing that in six years nothing had changed, all of the same shops were there with the same people running them. Instinct took over once she pulled into her parents neighborhood and she would have been sitting in front of their hours for hours if Emily hadn't unbuckled her seatbelt the instant Amy had stopped the car. "Whoa, slow down there." Amy urges catching up with daughter on the passenger side of the car. "Okay, let me get look at you." Amy kneels down in front of Emily, gently touching her shoulder length dark brown hair and straightening her red gingham dress. "You ready to go in?"
"Yup!" Emily announces.
"All right," Amy straightens and Emily slips her hand into her mother's, "let's go."
Upon reaching the front door Amy knocks briefly and waits nervously for the door to be answered. Within seconds the door is pulled open by a young woman that Amy doesn't recognize, blushing Amy responds, "I'm sorry...I uh have the wrong house."
"Are you Amy?" The girl inquires looking at her closely.
"Um, yeah how'd you know?" Amy asks tightening her grip on Emily's hand.
"I'm Noelle, Bright's wife, there are pictures of you all over the house. Are you looking for your parents?"
Amy nods, "yeah are they around?"
"Yeah, they are just sitting around and drinking coffee. Come in." Noelle gives Amy a tentative smile and moves aside to let Amy and Emily pass through. "They're in the living room."
"Noelle, who is it?" Bright's voice rings through into the entrance way and slowly Amy follows Noelle into the living room.
"Oh my God, Amy." Rose and Harold are on their feet the instant the words come out of Rose's mouth.
"Amy?" Bright's face has pure shock written across it as he looks between Amy's face and Emily, and for the first tie Amy realize that she didn't apply her usual amount of coverup.
Rose quickly crosses the space between herself and Amy and without another word she hugs Amy tightly to her and then urging, "come in. Come in."
Rose leads Amy over to the couch and Emily follows slowly and sits next to Amy. Amy clears her throat and states, "this is my daughter Emily Rose, Emily this is your Grandma Rose, your Grandpa Harold, Uncle Bright and Aunt Noelle."
Emily smiles, "nice to meet you!"
"Well it's nice to meet you." Rose smiles at her granddaughter, but Amy can see the concern in her mother's eyes.
"So Amy you're going to be staying here tonight, correct?" Harold's tone hasn't changed in six years.
"I hadn't really thought about it," Amy responds her eyes glued to her hands.
"Well of course you will, we'll have your old room fixed up for you." Harold states, "right Rose?"
"Of course!" Rose responds, "I'll do it right now."
"No, let me take care of it Rose." Noelle stands up, "Emily do you want to come with me to see where your mom's room used to be?"
"Sure!" Emily jumps to her feet and takes the hand that Noelle offers her.
"Noelle's a kindergarten teacher, she's really good with kids." Bright assures Amy.
"So, uh, it's all right that I stay here tonight?" Amy asks, "we're only passing through."
"Of course it is Amy," Rose responds, "we didn't cut you out of our lives completely."
Amy bites her lip, "actually you did."
"We didn't mean permanently." Harold responds, "we all say somethings that we didn't mean to says. It all should have been put behind us a long time ago..."
"But I disappeared." Amy sighs.
"And had a baby." Rose comments.
"Emily is four, and she's Marcus' baby, I know that's what you are wondering."
"No," Bright speaks up, "I was wondering where the asshole is so I could kick his ass."
"Bright!" Rose exclaims.
"What? We were all thinking it, I just said it." Bright states.
"Amy you can stay here as long as you like," Rose states glaring at her son. "And we won't ask questions until you are ready to talk about them."
Amy smiles appreciatively at her mother, "thanks."
"We're going to breakfast with the Browns in the morning, do you want to come?" Rose asks.
Amy's eyes go wide, "the Browns?"
"Ephram won't be there." Bright states, "he's living in New York still."
Amy shrugs, "then I guess it should be fine."
"Good." Harold states, "we're supposed to meet them at 9:30."
Amy nods, "okay. I uh, think Emily and I are going get to bed early neither one of us have slept well in awhile."
"Okay, good night Amy." Rose, Harold and Bright chorus as she slips upstairs without saying anything else.
"What's wrong Mommy?" Emily asks when Amy pulls along side the road in front of a sign welcoming them to a town just 12 short hours later.
"Nothing, I just didn't mean to be here." Amy responds staring at the WELCOME TO EVERWOOD, she didn't even understand how she had gotten here. Sure she had just been driving but she would assume that she would recognize when she was getting close to the town she had grown up in.
"Are we gonna go in into this town?" Emily asks. "'cause I'm hungry."
"Do you know where we are Emily?" Amy asks.
Emily shakes her head, "uh-huh, where?'
"We are in the town that I grew up in."
"Where my never met grandparents live?" Emily questions.
Amy nods, "that's right, you've never met my parents before. But you will today, right now."
"Really?" Emily smiles, "it's like an adventure!"
Amy offers her daughter a weak smile, she didn't understand what Amy hadn't spoken to her parents in over six years not since she had married Marcus against their wishes. Rose and Harold Abbot and Marcus Gibbs had made her choose between them and Amy had obviously made the wrong choice. "Yes," Amy whispers, "like an adventure.'
She travels down the familiar roads noticing that in six years nothing had changed, all of the same shops were there with the same people running them. Instinct took over once she pulled into her parents neighborhood and she would have been sitting in front of their hours for hours if Emily hadn't unbuckled her seatbelt the instant Amy had stopped the car. "Whoa, slow down there." Amy urges catching up with daughter on the passenger side of the car. "Okay, let me get look at you." Amy kneels down in front of Emily, gently touching her shoulder length dark brown hair and straightening her red gingham dress. "You ready to go in?"
"Yup!" Emily announces.
"All right," Amy straightens and Emily slips her hand into her mother's, "let's go."
Upon reaching the front door Amy knocks briefly and waits nervously for the door to be answered. Within seconds the door is pulled open by a young woman that Amy doesn't recognize, blushing Amy responds, "I'm sorry...I uh have the wrong house."
"Are you Amy?" The girl inquires looking at her closely.
"Um, yeah how'd you know?" Amy asks tightening her grip on Emily's hand.
"I'm Noelle, Bright's wife, there are pictures of you all over the house. Are you looking for your parents?"
Amy nods, "yeah are they around?"
"Yeah, they are just sitting around and drinking coffee. Come in." Noelle gives Amy a tentative smile and moves aside to let Amy and Emily pass through. "They're in the living room."
"Noelle, who is it?" Bright's voice rings through into the entrance way and slowly Amy follows Noelle into the living room.
"Oh my God, Amy." Rose and Harold are on their feet the instant the words come out of Rose's mouth.
"Amy?" Bright's face has pure shock written across it as he looks between Amy's face and Emily, and for the first tie Amy realize that she didn't apply her usual amount of coverup.
Rose quickly crosses the space between herself and Amy and without another word she hugs Amy tightly to her and then urging, "come in. Come in."
Rose leads Amy over to the couch and Emily follows slowly and sits next to Amy. Amy clears her throat and states, "this is my daughter Emily Rose, Emily this is your Grandma Rose, your Grandpa Harold, Uncle Bright and Aunt Noelle."
Emily smiles, "nice to meet you!"
"Well it's nice to meet you." Rose smiles at her granddaughter, but Amy can see the concern in her mother's eyes.
"So Amy you're going to be staying here tonight, correct?" Harold's tone hasn't changed in six years.
"I hadn't really thought about it," Amy responds her eyes glued to her hands.
"Well of course you will, we'll have your old room fixed up for you." Harold states, "right Rose?"
"Of course!" Rose responds, "I'll do it right now."
"No, let me take care of it Rose." Noelle stands up, "Emily do you want to come with me to see where your mom's room used to be?"
"Sure!" Emily jumps to her feet and takes the hand that Noelle offers her.
"Noelle's a kindergarten teacher, she's really good with kids." Bright assures Amy.
"So, uh, it's all right that I stay here tonight?" Amy asks, "we're only passing through."
"Of course it is Amy," Rose responds, "we didn't cut you out of our lives completely."
Amy bites her lip, "actually you did."
"We didn't mean permanently." Harold responds, "we all say somethings that we didn't mean to says. It all should have been put behind us a long time ago..."
"But I disappeared." Amy sighs.
"And had a baby." Rose comments.
"Emily is four, and she's Marcus' baby, I know that's what you are wondering."
"No," Bright speaks up, "I was wondering where the asshole is so I could kick his ass."
"Bright!" Rose exclaims.
"What? We were all thinking it, I just said it." Bright states.
"Amy you can stay here as long as you like," Rose states glaring at her son. "And we won't ask questions until you are ready to talk about them."
Amy smiles appreciatively at her mother, "thanks."
"We're going to breakfast with the Browns in the morning, do you want to come?" Rose asks.
Amy's eyes go wide, "the Browns?"
"Ephram won't be there." Bright states, "he's living in New York still."
Amy shrugs, "then I guess it should be fine."
"Good." Harold states, "we're supposed to meet them at 9:30."
Amy nods, "okay. I uh, think Emily and I are going get to bed early neither one of us have slept well in awhile."
"Okay, good night Amy." Rose, Harold and Bright chorus as she slips upstairs without saying anything else.