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“It’s pointless to count the stars.”
“It’s also pointless to count freckles, but I know you have 24 on the edge of your right hand.”
“Harrrrry. We have to go to bed.” Allie whispered into Harry’s arm.
The two of them were stargazing in their backyard. Well, Harry was stargazing and Allie was beginning to sleep. It was Monday, and their work day was long. Years ago, after the Campbell incident, they reworked New Ham’s political system. Instead of having one mayor, all decisions went through committees before finally going through the board. The board, of course, included Gordie, Grizz, Helena, Allie and Bean. Harry headed up the residential committee.
Today was way to stressful though, some of the younger New Ham residents, the next gen if you will, the sons and daughters of the original residents had decided to play their own game of fugitive and ruined a couple businesses down town.
Their own daughter, Cassie, wasn’t immune to the charms of Eden and her older friends. She got ran over by a cop car the same way her mom did years ago. This time, landing on the Pressman-Bingham-Elliot family yard. Allie and Harry had to not only deal with the town but also with reprimanding Cassie.
She was currently stuck in her bedroom, with her little sister Harper guarding the door. Harry had made dinner, afterwards dragging his wife Allie out to watch the stars.
“I think the peanut wants to go inside, Harry.” Allie tried, rubbing her stomach that only recently showed signs of pregnancy.
“No! Inside we’re adults with responsibilities out here I can act like we’re still seventeen sneaking around.” Harry moved down to the peanut. “You want to stay out here don’t you, peanut.” He dressed Allie in chaste kisses all around Allie’s body.
“If we don’t go inside now, we’re never going to get up and then New Ham will turn to disaster. Come on Harry.” She stood up slowly, offering a hand to her husband. Harry took it, his arm laying on Allie, as the pair walked in their house.
Instead of everyone sharing the houses, only one or two families shared homes, especially since many once teenagers had started families of their own. Harry and Allie shared a house with Grizz, Sam, and their dog babies Potato and Onion.
“Hey guys. How’s it going Elliots?” Harry signed to the couple. Grizz, Sam and the dogs reading in the living room.
The two shrugged. “Harper went to bed, but I think Cassie is still awake.” Grizz signed and spoke.
Sam nodded, “Harper signed goodnight, and asked us to say she loved you.” He added.
Allie grasped her heart, “Goodnight, loves.” She dragged Harry behind her up the stairs. “If you check on Harper, I’ll check Cassie.” She whispered on the landing. He gave Allie a nod, creeping into Harper’s room.
Allie knocked on Cassie’s door, opening it to reveal Cassie drawing on her desk. “What do you want?” Cassie asked her mom, not even sparing her a look.
“I just want to talk, possibly explain why I grounded you.” Cassie got up. She moved clothes off her bed and flattened the seats, directing her mom to lay on the bed. “Go on.”
Allie took her piece offering, “Did I ever tell you stories about when we first got here?”
Cassie nodded no, “I mean, Aunt Becca has told us some. You all worked together, neighbour and neighbour to help organize New Ham into New Ham.”
“Your Aunt Becca gives us to much credit. In the beginning we were rowdy teenagers, hiding our fears of our new world under alcohol and parties.” Cassie scoffed. “It’s the truth. One night, when I was mad at your Aunt Cassandra, the real aunt you were named after, for a pretty trivial reason really. Your dad asked me to play fugitive. I was not buying it, he was an asshole to Cassandra and I didn’t want to be anyone’s second choice.”
“Second choice?” Cassie interrupted.
“Before we started going out, your dad and Miss Kelly were an item, another story for another time.” Allie explained away. “But I ended up being to mad at everyone and everything to really care. Plus, your dad had a fast car.”
“Mom!” Cassie had obviously taken it the wrong way.
“That’s not what I meant. Your dad actually drove one fast car. We were the cops for fugitive and I was running to chase some guy, when Clarke comes barreling out in a cop car. Hitting me.”
“You got hit by a car! And you’re mad at me for the same reason?” Cassie stood up, crossing her arms around her defensively.
“I grounded you because I knew what that leads to. Because we were stupid teenagers in a brave new world and that was the first thing that happened that ruined our innocence. I don’t want you lose that piece of your childhood that we fought tooth and nail to give you.”
“I’m sorry I messed up mom.” Cassie laid her head down on Allie’s lap.
“I know you are. And I know how it feels to be the young one when everyone around you seems so cool and mature. But I want you to keep a part of you. Your childhood. Save that for me, for your mom please Cassie.” Cassie nodded and began to nod her head. Allie noticed her daughter dosing off. She brought her head up to her pillow. Allie took Cassie’s shoes of and threw a fluffy blanket over her body. “I love you, Cassie.” She whispered before leaving her.
Allie checked on Harper before reuniting with her husband. “Harper’s alright. Cassie?” Harry asked her. She took her jeans and sweater off, trading it in for one of Harry’s old shirts, before standing in front of him as he sat up on the edge of their bed.
Harry played at the seems of his shirt on Allie. “Cassie is okay. I told her about the story of fugitive.”
His brows raised. “Like how much?”
“Only the parts she needed to hear.” Allie’s arms sat on his shoulders. “Which was everything up to the crash.”
“Do you still remember the rest of that night?” He asked slowly.
“When you took me up to your room and didn’t even get me off.” Her voice became breathier. She sunk her hands in his dark hair and intertwined her legs through his arms, sitting on the bed.
“How will I ever make it up to you?” Harry asked her. His shirt on Allie was the first thing that left.