A/N: Chapter 5 up! This one's slightly based off of Emily's little conversation with Shira at the end of 6:5 – We've Got Magic to Do. I'm just assuming she knew what she was talking about…
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Chapter Five – Shira Huntzberger
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"If it ends, it ends."
-August Nicholson, The Village
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For the first few weeks the September, Shira just stayed around the house. The summer after her senior year at high school had just ended, and all her friends were off to college.
She wished she was there with them, but her family just couldn't afford it.
Shira was bored. There was nothing to do in this small town of hers. Boy, would she love go to work – and God knew the family needed the money – but she'd been fired just before summer's end for sleeping with a fellow employee in the back room. She didn't regret it.
At least she'd gotten some extra cash.
As September began wrapping up, Shira thought long and hard about what she wanted to do with her life; where she wanted to go. On the final day of the month, she left in the early morning to catch a bus, leaving only a short note in her wake.
Eighteen years in that house had been enough. Forget peer pressure, the pressure in her own home stifled her.
And it was already taking its toll.
She didn't think her drug-addict mother and alcoholic father would miss her too much.
Less money for the kid, more money for the habit, they'd figure.
The bus ride was long and boring. With nothing to do, Shira spent the lengthy hours examining the landscape, dreaming of the wealthy life she hoped to live out in the west.
Shira stepped off the bus in Santa Fe. It was as far as her money would get her. She'd been headed for Vegas; she knew she could make a living there. Quickly formulating a plan, she headed towards the nearest bar.
She was depending on some guy to notice her so she could score a roll in the hay in exchange for enough money to get her back on her way.
It wasn't the grandest way to make a few bucks, but it worked.
As she sat at the bar, sipping at a drink bought for her by a shy, flirtatious man sitting a few stools down, a young man not much older than her came through the door. All the women in the establishment turned to look at him but her. She swirled her drink around in her glass, knowing just by a quick glance that he was way out of her league.
And her lack of attention made him all that more attracted to her.
He took a seat next to her.
Noticing this, she looked up and met his gaze.
He thought she was beautiful. The rumors were true, and he had been with many women in the past. But her, well, there was something about this blonde that struck him as… different.
There was a different air about her, one of independence and confidence. Most of the women he'd known hadn't seemed to have a cell in their brains. However, he hadn't even met the woman sitting before him and he could tell she was brighter than any female he'd ever known.
The man was gorgeous. His blonde hair, blue eyes, and flawless skin immediately put him off the charts. And when he smiled…
Well, she was pretty sure her legs turned to jell-o.
Maybe she did have a shot.
Shira had never been a big believer in the so-called 'love at first sight'. But this was probably as close as it got.
As she shook his hand, she was sure she could actually feel the electricity running through them.
"Mitchum Huntzberger." He'd said.
And she was sold.
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Shira looked back on that day with longing. Back then, she hadn't known his reputation. She hadn't known his darker side.
She hadn't known any of the bad things.
Back then; she'd just basked in the glory of being in love.
Now she had to deal with the affairs and the cheating.
He thought she didn't know. He thought he was getting away with it. But in a society such as theirs, gossip spread like wildfire. Everyone knew everyone's business.
That's just the way it was.
And when he came in late at night, smelling of some other woman's perfume, she pushed it aside and pretended to be asleep.
Because if she left him, she'd have nowhere to go.
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To Be Continued
(Side note: To be truthful, I have no idea what color Mitchum Huntzberger/Gregg Henry's eyes are. I tried to figure it out, honestly! So if you know and I was wrong, I apologize.)