Here's a new chapter of Runaway!
Thanks for the reviews etc! Much appreciated.
I own Marianne, Jack and Joseph.
Enjoy the chapter...
Marianne barely slept that night, going over and over what had happened, trying to decide whether or not she had actually seen Heath, or whether her subconscious was playing tricks on her. After finally succumbing to sleep, the New York native awoke a few hours later to find that it was still raining outside, with dark clouds covering the horizon. It was the worst weather Marianne had seen since she had arrived in West Virginia. There was definitely another storm brewing.
"Marianne, are you awake?" Jack yelled up the stairs.
"Yes, I'll be down shortly." She replied.
Once she had finished getting dressed, the New York native headed downstairs to find Jack in the kitchen making some eggs for breakfast. Rex was lying on a blanket in the far corner of the room, making growling noises in his sleep.
"Is he ok?" Marianne asked.
"Dreaming about chasing something I suspect." Jack replied with a chuckle.
The young woman nodded and took a seat at the table, taking in the smell of cooking.
"You were fast asleep before, so I went into town by myself." He told her.
"Ok, was there any mail from my father?" she asked him.
"Sorry, there's still nothing." He shook his head.
"Something's wrong. He wouldn't just stop writing…" she sighed.
"Try not to think like that. If there's still nothing tomorrow, then I'll ask Michelle if there's any delays with the mail." The older man reasoned.
"Ok." She nodded in reply.
"Mind you, I might not get into town if this weather gets any worse." Jack sighed as he looked out of the window, where the rain was pouring down outside.
"Do you think we'll get a storm?" Marianne asked him.
"There's a good chance of that." He nodded, placing her breakfast in front of her.
"Thank you." She smiled.
The New York native deliberated over whether or not to tell Jack about her sighting of Heath, but in the end she decided that it would be best to keep quiet for now. She was hoping that Heath's sudden appearance last night might mean that he was staying nearby, which meant that she could easily seek him out when Jack went into town the following day, weather permitting.
"Wake up man! We've arrived." Phillip announced as the train pulled into the station.
The train wheels squealed as they came to a stop on the wet tracks, jolting Joseph from his slumber. Gallows stood up as he prepared to escort his boss and the older man out of the train carriage and onto the platform of the station. Joseph blinked and rubbed his eyes, scanning the station for a sign that would inform him of their location, and whether or not Marianne was in danger.
"You seem anxious, Joseph." Phillip remarked, straightening out his suit jacket as he stood.
"Just curious as to where we're going." The older man replied.
"Patience." The younger man said.
"Come on." Gallows added, taking Joseph firmly by the arm and walking him towards the carriage doors…
After the morning's jobs had been done, Marianne and Jack had a well-earned break. She made some tea and he served some cake that he had bought at the bakery that morning. Jack informed Marianne that Layla's pregnancy was going well so far, and that she was positively glowing. The New York native was pleased to hear this. Unlike the indifferent attitude of Michelle, she had really warmed to the personalities of Layla and Stu in the bakery. It was nice to see them so happy.
"Can I ask you a question?" Marianne looked across at the older man.
"Depends what it is!" he chuckled warmly.
"How come you're living on your own, apart from me, and sometimes Heath?" she asked him.
"That's a big question." Jack remarked.
"Sorry…" Marianne bit down on her bottom lip.
"No, I'll answer it. My wife, Lucille died almost twenty-three years ago. She was giving birth to our baby son. Poor Lucille lost too much blood and the doctor couldn't save her…" Jack's voice sounded the saddest Marianne had ever known.
"I'm so sorry." She frowned.
"Don't be sorry." He shook his head.
"What about your baby, did he survive?" Marianne asked hesitantly.
"He did, but I couldn't raise him." Jack replied.
"He was adopted?" the New York native raised a brow.
"I let him be raised by another family." Jack nodded.
"Don't you ever want to see him?" Marianne shrugged, trying not to pry too much.
"I do see him. But he doesn't know that I'm his father." The older man sighed.
"Oh, that's sad." She sighed, watching the rain hit the windows of the farmhouse.
"Marianne…that baby boy…is Heath." Jack said, looking her right in the eye.
"What?" she asked him, eyes widening.
Suddenly the sound of tyres skidding to a halt could be heard outside.
Looking out of the window, Marianne saw Mickie jump out of her truck and rush towards the house. "It's Mickie." She told Jack.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he opened the door for the Virginia native, who entered the house and right over to Marianne.
"You need to hide, now!" she warned her.
"What, why?" Marianne asked as fear took over.
"Your fiancé just arrived in town. He has your father and another guy with him. I remembered the name Phillip Brooks when they booked into the Inn. If they're already here, it can't be too long before they get led to the farm." Mickie replied.
"Marianne, you need to go hide in the barn! Do not come out until I tell you to!" Jack nodded, " Mickie, go and hide her belongings in her room." He added.
"My father…" the New York native fretted.
"Just go! We'll help you." Mickie nodded.
And with that, Marianne made her way carefully to the barn…
What do you think?
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So Phillip really is in town, but who told him that Marianne was there?
And I bet you weren't expecting that little surprise about Heath...
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