📎A/N. [July 01] Hello dear friends. For those of you on your summer break I hope that you are having a great and safe time. For those of you who are on the other side of the globe (like me) in the cold and wet winter... cheer up, spring will be here... eventually ;-)
Without further ado, we continue Murphy and Kaitlyn's journey. Enjoy and don't forget to vote... even you silent readers... it's Watty's season - so support your favorite authors... every vote counts.
Take care...
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The tightness in his chest had been building all day. The closer they got to Tennessee, the greater the pressure became. The intensity developing in direct proportion to the proximity to Tudor Falls.
He had successfully managed to avoid the place for the past twenty years. He was not looking forward to this. Murphy had spent the majority of the plane ride planning the optimal way in which to get Kaitlyn presented, and then just as quickly, return to Boston. He did not need to see any of them.
He could forgive many things. Betrayal was not one of them.
The one hour drive from Knoxville Tudor Falls, nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park seemed to take forever. The vehicle closing the gap between them, and their destination, far too quickly.
The darkness consumed them as Joshua efficiently navigated this part of the state, having traversed it an endless number of times across the decades.
Joshua, wisely had kept his own council for the majority of the drive. Knowing the conflicting emotions that his passenger would be at war with.
A question had been playing on his mind since their journey had begun. As they were almost near their final destination, he could no longer remain silent.
"Did you let them know you were coming?" Joshua asked quietly, glancing across at Murphy.
A slight tightening of his jaw was the only reply the driver received.
Joshua sighed at what this response signified. "I suppose that means you will be staying with me?"
A slight movement from the back seat distracted Murphy from answering.
Kaitlyn had fallen asleep not long after they began the last leg of their journey. Fatigue from the physically and mentally harrowing week had won out, and she had blissfully nodded off not long after leaving the Knoxville airport.
Her even and deep breathing told him she was still asleep. Murphy turned and focused back on the road ahead.
"So how do you think she is going to get through this weekend?" questioned Joshua, as he indicated towards their slumbering passenger.
"Provided we duct tape her mouth, it should be fine."
Joshua let out a sharp laugh upon hearing this. His granddaughter was certainly not backwards in coming forward.
A trait she shared with her father. The time spent with her had been both enjoyable and heartbreaking at the same time. She was his blood and there was nothing he would not do for her. However, as each day passed, he began to understand her that much more.
Joshua knew without a doubt she was hell bent on tracking Elijah down. And nothing was going to stop her.
In this both she and Murphy were alike.
His greatest fear was loosing her the same way he had lost his son. Anger suddenly overcame him. He was incensed that life had a way of screwing with him. He could not bury another child. He was not sure he could go through it again.
Murphy broke into Joshua's dark thoughts. "When do we need to present ourselves?"
The older Werewolf shrugged. "Not sure. Sometime tomorrow." He paused before continuing. "It will give you a chance to catch up with your family," he said attempting not to sound eager.
The sudden drop in temperature and visible tension that hung in the air indicated that this was not well received by the other passenger. "If you have dragged me back here using your granddaughter as a ploy, hoping for a reconciliation - you are more deluded than I thought." Murphy snapped, bitterness evident in each icy syllable.
"They are sorry for what happened. No one meant for it to escalate out of control the way in which it did," explained Joshua, imploring Murphy to see reason.
Joshua took Murphy's silence as a positive sign and continued to push his luck. "You have been away for too long. This rift has got to end. None of us are young anymore. Do you really want to have this on your conscience for the rest of your life? Knowing you could have ended this stupidity!"
Murphy erupted. "Don't you tell me to-"
Murphy stopped mid-sentence. He turned his head slightly towards the back seat. "And you can keep your opinion to yourself."
"What?" came the surprised reply at being caught eavesdropping. "I did't say a thing."
"How did you know I was awake?" Kaitlyn asked as she sat up and got her bearings.
"Your grandfather may have taught you some tricks to dull your reactions and emotional state. But it is not foolproof."
"And I don't know why you have been teaching her to tone her reactions down so we can't read her," Murphy snapped at Joshua.
"She needs to reassure them she is trustworthy and will maintain the secrecy. I don't want them thinking she would crack under pressure."
"Hello, I am here you know," piped in Kaitlyn from the back seat, irked that they were discussing her as though she wasn't in the vehicle with them.
Both men ignored her and continued with their conversation.
"Besides, you can't talk," Joshua threw back at Murphy, "you've been training her as well."
Kaitlyn grinned form her position in the back seat at Murphy's reaction to this. After his usual grunt he had closed himself off and turned to stare out the window. His face devoid of any emotion. She was learning that this particular grunt and subsequent silence was his reaction when he was wrong about something but refused to admit it.
It was not long after that Joshua pulled up outside of a small cabin a short distance past a small town.
They exited, grabbed their bags and followed Joshua into the house.
"Home sweet home," Joshua declared as he turned the lights on.
Kaitlyn looked around. The house was small but cosy. What also was obvious was that this was a very masculine house. Everything was brown. From the large brown leather sofa, to the furniture. The place definitely had never had a woman's touch or a hint of anything feminine. Even the rug on the floor was a coffee shade of brown.
"Katy your room is the first on the left." Joshua turned to Murphy. "The couch is all yours."
Murphy looked distastefully at the leather couch that looked anything other than comfortable.
Joshua had a sly smile on his face as he watched Murphy's reaction. "You do know, you could always find accommodation with them."
"The couch is fine!" snapped Murphy as he dumped his bag on the floor.
Kaitlyn, knowing she had missed something in the conversation said goodnight and retreated to her room. Murphy was clearly not happy with something and, for once, it had nothing to do with her or Elijah.
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Murphy woke to the smell of coffee the following morning. Wandering to the kitchen he poured himself a cup and headed outside to join Joshua, who was sitting on the top step staring out towards the mountains.
"Sleep well?" Joshua asked as Murphy took a seat beside him.
"I've had better."
Murphy inhaled. He had forgotten how sweet the air was this close to the forest. Fond memories washed over him as he recalled images from his younger days, roaming through the untamed wilderness, blissfully unaware of how life would pan out.
Coming back to the present Murphy began scanning the area.
"Unlike you, she must have slept well. She hasn't risen yet," Joshua said guessing he was looking for Kaitlyn.
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The brisk morning air washed through Kaitlyn's lungs as she slowed her pace and came to a stop just outside the town to warm down.
Having risen with the sun, Kaitlyn had decided to go for a run to calm her nerves. Her grandfather had not exactly been forthcoming when discussing their visit to the 'Immigrants Lair'.
Gazing upwards towards the mountains, she idly wondered how much further they would need to travel to meet the rest of Joshua's pack.
A rumbling from her stomach declaring itself empty and hungry spurred Kaitlyn into action. On her way through the small picturesque town earlier, she had noticed a number of small shops, including a coffee shop doubling as the local bakery. The delicious smells wafting from the store was making her even hungrier.
Making her way towards the coffee shop she stopped at the local tourist information centre which was just opening up for the day.
As she leafed through some of the pamphlets on the local attractions, a large tour bus pulled up and a number of people disembarked. Stepping out of their way she grabbed a couple of brochures and stood off to one side.
Listening to the tour guide she suddenly realised that the town must be a strategic starting point for both Hiking and Rafting tours of the Smoky Mountains.
Glancing across at the coffee shop, Kaitlyn quickly headed across the road before it was mobbed by a bus load of tourists, and took a seat at one of the outside tables.
She didn't need to wait long before a young teenage girl came to take her order.
The girl smiled brightly. "Welcome to Molly's. What can I get for you today?"
"Just a latte and a slice of toast please," Kaitlyn returned the smile as she handed the small menu to the waitress.
"Certainly m'am. Did you need that to go?"
"No, here is fine."
Once she left Kaitlyn started to read through the brochures she had grabbed. Some of the trails sounded fascinating and had she had more time she might have liked to book one.
It did not take long for the young waitress to return with her drink.
Kaitlyn's order was placed on the table in front of her. "So are you here for the hiking or rafting? It looks like there's going to be quite a few groups going out today," she said as she looked across the road.
"Neither," Kaitlyn replied as she reached for the Latte.
"Oh, so your just driving through? Make sure to check out some of our craft shops before you leave. It's market day and you are sure to get some great deals today."
"Actually, I am here for the weekend."
"So whereabouts in Happy Valley are you staying?" the waitress asked as she began to clean the nearby table.
"No, I'm staying here in Tudor Falls," Kaitlyn replied as she reached for a stirrer.
The girls previous smile was replaced with a very confused look. "I'm sorry," she stuttered as she stood up straight, "you must be mistaken. There are no motels in town."
"No there's no mistake. I'm staying just up the road - with family."
A panicked look overcame the teenager and Kaitlyn could see the waitress was visibly shaken. "Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure," replied Kaitlyn, not sure what was wrong with the young lady. "I'm staying at Joshua Quinn's place."
The waitress seemed to balk at this revelation and became visibly flustered. Making an excuse, the girl quickly fled to the back of the shop.
"What an odd girl," Kaitlyn mumbled as she watched the waitress retreat through the shop, knocking a couple of chairs in the process.
Kaitlyn reached across to pull her toast closer when the sudden and distinct sound of breaking crockery and glass erupted from somewhere out the back of the shop. This was quickly followed by raised voices. Kaitlyn straining to hear what was going on could not make out the words and quickly dismissed it.
Perhaps the whole town is odd.
She picked up her phone and began to check her emails as she ate her breakfast.
Someone clearing their throat brought Kaitlin out of her concentration a short time later. She was startled to discover an older woman hovering over her table.
"Can I help you?" asked Kaitlyn.
She noticed from the corner of her eye the waitress and some of the other staff were huddled behind the counter whispering and casting furtive glances across at her.
The woman looked undecided as she wrung her hands nervously. "Our Jenny mentioned you were staying in town," her voice was warm with a distinct Irish brogue.
Kaitlyn paused before answering. Not sure the direction the conversation was headed. "Yes, that's correct. With Joshua Quinn."
"And you would be?"
Kaitlyn sat back in her chair, distinctly irritated as this intrusion into her personal life. "Not that's it's any of your business, but I am Kaitlyn Quinn."
The woman's eyes opened wide, reflecting a slight shocked reaction. This was replaced by a a completely different look that Kaitlyn couldn't quite make out, as tears welled in her eyes and she brought up a hand to quickly cover her mouth.
Sinking down in the chair across the table, the woman appeared to be in a slight state of shock. Kaitlyn not sure what was going on was growing tired and irked at the strange residents of this small town.
"Take a seat why don't you," she remarked sarcastically.
"You're Ryan's youn'un."
Kaitlyn's head snapped up at this. "I beg your pardon?"
"Of course your are," she replied leaning forward and looking more closer at the new arrival, "you have his eyes. We weren't expecting you all for another week."
"I don't mean to be rude," Kaitlyn said as she picked up her cup, "but who the hell are you?"
"Oh forgive me my manners my dear," rushed the woman apologetically, "It's just that I wasn't prepared for this. My name is Molly. Molly O'Neill."
Kaitlyn sprayed the entire mouthful of coffee across the table and coated the older woman in brown liquid.
"Shit!" she exclaimed in shock as she quickly rose to clean up her mess. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that."
Wiping the damp areas on the woman's dress with a napkin Kaitlyn's mind was buzzing.
O'Neill? Joshua had not mentioned that Murphy's relations lived in Tudor Falls. Thinking about it, Joshua didn't tell her much about Tudor Falls.
She had assumed that the pack lived hidden away. Not out in the open for all to see.
Kaitlyn attempted to put things into perspective. It's probably a coincidence.
"So is O'Neill a common name in this area?" she asked the older woman.
Molly shook her head. "No, just the one family."
Sitting back down on her chair before she did or said anything else that might embarrass her, she looked closely at Molly. Some of the features were starting to look familiar the more she looked.
Not possible! They would have said something, Kaitlyn's mind screamed at her.
Molly leaned forward and lowered her voice. "So is he with you?"
Confused at the question, Kaitlyn nodded her head. "I arrived with Joshua late last night."
"No, I mean my son," Molly whispered as she stole a couple of glances around the room nervously, "Did Murphy come with you?"
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Murphy had finished his coffee. Deciding he needed another one, he headed back into the kitchen.
As he poured the hot drink he noticed a piece of paper on the small table in front of the couch. Frowning, he strode across the room to take a look.
"Fuck!" his voice boomed throughout the house.
Joshua ran back into the house to see what had Murphy riled up.
"What is it?"
"I thought you said she was sleeping?"
"She is, why?"
Murphy handed Joshua the note from Kaitlyn, letting them know she had gotten up early and gone for a run.
"Fuck!" echoed Joshua as they both ran out the door.
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📎A/N..... so what did you think?
... what a way to meet Murphy's mother... by spitting coffee all over her :-)
... and I wonder what the bad blood is between Murphy and his family?
Don't forget to vote and see you in a few days where we shall meet up again... I will try to have another chapter out by Friday... key word... try. If not - it will be out late Saturday US PST.
Till then take care.
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