My thoughts on what Nick and Sam may have been saying and thinking before and during their arrival in Middleton. I don't own Good Witch or any of the characters.

Welcome to Middleton

I am sat in the car waiting for Nick outside what was, until just now, our home. His behaviour and lack of respect for everyone has been appalling recently, but the last few weeks have been especially tough with him getting brought home by police the final straw. I can manage a whole ER full of doctors, nurses, patients and relatives but I can't control one teenage boy, my own son. I realised that if I want to save his life from spiralling further out of control something has to give, it turns out, that something is going to be me. Letting go hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be in fact after almost 10 years at the helm it's almost a relief. I feel a sense of freedom though it is not a feeling that will last long, when Nick finds out what I have done he will ensure all I feel is his anger.

"You did what?" I am struggling to believe what I am hearing. My dad the 'great' Doctor Sam Radford who was married to his job has just announced he quit. I realise I am looking at him like a goldfish, mouth agape. "Why?" I say eventually. He looks directly at me "You / we need a fresh start." He is making no sense, "How is you giving up your job supposed to give either of us a fresh start?" He evades he question and says "Get in the car" suspicious I say "Why, where are we going?" He replies "I got a new job." "Great! Well done Dad" I say sarcastically. "Why do I need to come?" He doesn't say anything for a moment, I am just about to turn and head for our apartment when he says, "You need to get in the car because we are moving…right now. My new job is in a small midwestern town called Middleton" He definitely has my attention now, "Moving? …Like hell I am, my life and friends are here!" "You should have thought about that," he counters pausing for breath "before you let your grades slip, started cutting class and finally got yourself arrested!" I am fuming in part because I know he is right the beach house was a disaster thanks to Noah, not that I can tell Dad that, instead I retort "School is sooo boring and the beach house wasn't my idea so I am not leaving! I'll just stay in the apartment until mom gets back from her trip then move in with her"

It is the mention of Linda that makes me lose it, move in with her? As if! That witch couldn't wait to pass responsibility over to me in the divorce. She dropped him faster than a used dishcloth, not that I can tell him that, it would crush him. Instead I yell "It may not have been your idea but you were still happy to go along with it. You broke into somebody's beach house and trashed it. I have never been more embarrassed and ashamed. Furthermore, we have no apartment I turned in the keys today plus I have full custody of you not your mother, so GET IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW!" He blinks a few times then, seemingly shocked into compliance by my anger, gets into the car. I know it won't be the last he has to say on the matter but by then it will be too late. I put on my seat belt, turn on the ignition, click the child locks on just to be sure and pull away. When I turn onto the freeway I am sure to put a couple of hours between us and New York before I stop for gas and some food at a drive through. Nick says absolutely nothing to me the whole time, just sits slouched in his seat scowling. If he thinks he is punishing me he is sadly mistaken, as this is far more peaceful than the shouting I have spent the last week preparing myself for.

I am almost numb with shock, I can't believe my dad is doing this we are New Yorkers through and through, now he expects me to live in the middle of nowhere. We drive for hours and hours, eventually around midnight Dad pulls up in front of a house, we get out and he starts to try and unlock a key box on the front door. I cast my eyes around and catch sight of a figure watching us from the window of the house next door. I say, "somebody's watching us" Dad looks up surprised "what? Where?" I turn and point "next door in the window" but the figure is gone dad shrugs "I don't see anybody." I glance back, there is no one there, but I decide I don't like this place. Dad mumbles "ugh I think the realtor gave me the wrong code" I say " Dad this is a sign" I am hoping that he will give up and take me back to New York but he just says slightly impatiently, "I don't believe in signs." I try again "we should go back to New York" he smiles "it's our new home get used to it." I cannot believe how stubborn he is being, "I don't wanna live here" he turns and looks at me "Once I master this lock, I'm going to explain the difference between a want and a need and it's going to blow your mind!" I stare at him thinking he's definitely lost his mind, he carries on trying to get entry to the key box then says, "I don't care how late it is I'm going to call the realtor… I hope I wake him up."

I am just about to call the realtor Ryan Elliott when a voice right behind me says "Hello" I spin round surprised to see anyone at this time of night and that I didn't hear them coming. Standing behind me is a woman wearing a long dark coat and holding an old fashioned oil lamp. "Welcome to Middleton, I'm your neighbour, I'm Cassie Nightingale." She smiles at me with a genuinely welcoming smile and holds out her hand, I take it, shake it and say "Sam Radford. This is my son Nick." Nick nods at her but he keeps his hands firmly in his pockets eyeing her suspiciously. I understand his reaction in New York we lived in the same building for over 10 years, yet would be hard pressed to identify any of our neighbours in a line up. Not to mention the fact that in the city no one in their right mind would come and introduce themselves to a stranger in the middle of the night, it's just not that safe after dark.

I am just about to head to bed when something makes me look out of the window, a car has pulled up outside the empty house next door. A man and a teenage boy about Grace's age are trying to open the key box on the front door, they look tense. I go back downstairs, put a long warm coat on over my nightwear, pick up my favourite lamp and head outside. "Hello" I greet, they turn clearly surprised to see anyone. I smile and say "Welcome to Middleton, I'm your neighbour, I'm Cassie Nightingale." As I shake hands with the man he says "Sam Radford. This is my son Nick" the boy Nick nods at me but doesn't smile I get a strong feeling that he doesn't want to be here. I look past them to the key box lock they have been struggling helplessly with for at least the last 20 minutes "looks like you could use some help". He bats back "only if you're a locksmith" I can't help but chuckle, he continues "looks like the realtor gave us the wrong combination." I reply "Oh, I doubt Ryan did that. He's very through" "and yet, here I stand." he counters.

I am almost enjoying watching Dad try to keep his patience with the strange neighbour lady, who seems to have him embroiled in a game of verbal tennis, usually he would have politely told her to mind her own business by now and I am surprised that he hasn't. She continues "Oh, why don't you try it one more time?" He replies "I've tried it about a dozen times, it won't open" She is persistent "Maybe 13's the charm, give it a try" He looks very skeptical but turns to do as she suggests "Okey, I will but I don't think it's going to make." All of a sudden the key box pops open, dad looks unusually lost for words, she smiles mysteriously "Oh, 13 gets such a bad reputation but it's actually been a very lucky number for me." Dad shakes his head in disbelief.

I must be far more tired than I thought as somehow, though I am not sure how, the key box has opened with the same combination that most definitely didn't work on the first twelve tries. I say "You have the magic touch!" She nods "Some people say I do." Still a little puzzled I say "I guess, we'll be seeing you around." Smiling she says "I think you already have" I look at her, she is so intriguing a small part of me is looking forward to getting to know her better. I glance at Nick, who is still looking with bewilderment at the key box, then back to where she was standing but she has vanished. I glance around but there is no sign of her, somehow she has definitely gone. I'm confused as to what just happened but seeing Nick yawn I unlock the door and usher him into our new home.

The End