Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sally Ann sat in the back of the police cruiser as the officer drove them back into town. She couldn't remember his name, even though she knew his face. Blackburg was small. They'd gone to high school together. He was two years older than her and fresh out of the academy, which was probably why he was given the thrilling job of driving her home while the others confronted the clan. She stared out the window, watching nature's light show in the sky. Rain came down in sheets. Part of her wished she was out there in it. She'd close her eyes and let the water wash away everything she was feeling, let the chill that came in with the storm make her body go numb.

"Sally Ann?" The tone of his voice signaled that it wasn't the first time he'd called her name.

She pulled her eyes away from the window and met a sympathetic pair in the rear-view mirror.

"You gonna be alright? You sure you don't want me to take ya over to the hospital? Or maybe at least over to Dr. Harris? Let him give ya a quick once over?"

"No. I just wanna go home, thanks." Just speaking those few words seemed to drain her of the the dregs of energy she had left. She rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes, but thought better of it when Hasil's face filled the darkness behind her lids. The last few sentences he'd spoken to her were circulating on repeat through her mind. She had to deal with that, but at least she could avoid the accompanying visuals for as long as she could stay awake. She had to. The combination of hearing him and seeing him caused a physical ache in her chest that even overpowered the hunger and thirst she felt from wandering lost on that mountain for so long.

The cruiser's brakes squeaked as it came to a halt outside of her house. The officer got out to open the car door for her, but she declined his offer to walk her to her front door. She murmured her thanks and took her time crossing the street, allowing the rain to drench her. James was home. His car was out front. Sally Ann was in no mood to speak to anyone. Her soaking wet clothes weighed down on her body, exaggerating her exhaustion. She put her key in the lock and waited a moment, sending a silent prayer that her brother would be asleep in his room, even though it was still light out. She turned the key and pushed open the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" James got up from his seat at the kitchen table to fast that he knocked his chair over. "Tell me where you been at Sally Ann. And don't even think about lying because I know the truth."

She wondered why he was asking if he already knew. She said nothing. She couldn't. There was nothing left for her say or do or give. She was completely spent.

"Speak up, little girl." He had his finger in face and he smelled bad, like liquor and stale sweat.

Sally Ann stared toward her bedroom door, willing the moment to pass, but he wasn't about to let it go.

"You know what they sayin' bout you? Huh? Runnin' 'round here with a wild ass Farrell doin' God knows what with that inbred piece of trash. Pastor King said he seen you both headin' up toward that mountain. What business you got up on that mountain, Sally Ann? That illiterate hillbilly mean more to you than your own blood?"

She knew anything she said would have been the wrong answer, so she chose again not to speak.

"Cat got your damn tongue? Answer me!" He grabbed her chin, hard, forcing her eyes to met his.

Sally Ann wasn't accustomed to hands grabbing at her face that way, like she was worthless. Not after Hasil. Every time Hasil's fingertips had made contact with her face, she was reminded of just how precious she truly was and James wasn't about to undo that. Sally Ann gripped her brother's forearm and pulled his grimy hand off of her. "Don't touch me. Don't ever put your hands on me again."

James was taken aback for a moment. He stared at her with his mouth hanging open. She hadn't shouted, in fact, she'd spoken quietly, but the look in her eyes said she was dead serious. "White boy got you a little fresh. Guess they don't know nothin' bout respect or honorin' a family name up there. Guess wild'n out like you ain't no sense is alright up there."

She thought he was so full of shit. As if she and her brother even had a family to honor. As if anything she had done was even the least bit disrespectful to anyone. As if Hasil and the entire Farrell clan weren't the definition of family loyalty. Obviously they were. That's why she was back down the mountain without him. Maybe that's what James needed to hear.

"None of it even matters anymore, James. It's over. Me and Hasil are done." She shrugged her shoulders and pleaded with her eyes for him to let her pass. To her surprise, he stepped aside, but not without mumbling out a, "Don't think we ain't gon' finish this conversation tomorrow." Without any hesitation she walked straight for her bedroom. She could feel his eyes boring into her, but she didn't turn to look at him. She walked straight into her room, closed the door, and slid down the wall to the floor where she sobbed until she fell asleep.

Sally Ann woke up on her bedroom floor, cold in her still damp clothes. It was dark out and her mouth was dry. The room spun when she tried to stand. She crawled over to her bedside table and downed the half bottle of water that sat there. It was almost like she could feel her cells rehydrating. Once her vertigo subsided, she walked over to her bedroom door and pressed her ear to it. The TV was playing quietly and she could hear distant, muffled snores. James was in his bedroom. She crept out of her room and went into the kitchen where she quickly downed another glass of water. In the fridge she found half a sandwich and some sliced pears in a Tupperware. She scarfed down the food, unable to shake the uneasy feeling she had from worrying that James would wake up and start berating her again. She decided there in the kitchen, as she swallowed a too-big bite of sandwich, that she wasn't going to live that way. She didn't want to leave her brother to fend for himself, but she couldn't live in fear either.

Sally Ann stood directly under the shower head and let the hot water scald her skin. She was desperately worried about Hasil and needed something to distract her. She stayed in the shower until the water ran cold, then busied herself with her hair. Once her hair was twisted and pinned back, she stared at herself in the mirror and let her thoughts flow naturally. Sally Ann had asked Hasil to leave the mountain with her. She understood why he couldn't say yes. If she were honest with herself, she even found it admirable, but that didn't stop it from hurting. That didn't stop it from feeling like a rejection, even though the logical part of her mind insisted it was far from one. He begged you to stay, she reminded herself. She choked herself up, hoping he understood why she couldn't before finally deciding that it didn't matter either way. He was up there and she was down here and she couldn't imagine any way for them to be together peacefully. Still, that night, she let herself reminisce on the fleeting moments of bliss they'd shared together at Naomi's house. She thought about the sound of his laugh, the earthy smell of clothes, the feel of his skin against hers, and the sweet taste of his mouth. She let herself drown in every second they'd shared together and she knew she loved him then. Her next big task was to figure out how in hell she was supposed to go on existing when Hasil Farrell had her heart way up on Shay Mountain.

Chapter Text

Hasil scrambled around his cabin. He grabbed a canteen of water, a handful of pecans and a blanket and shoved them all into a bag. He lit his lantern and rushed out onto his front porch where he ran straight into Lil' Foster.

"What're ya doin' Hasil?"

"Outta my way," he said, trying to maneuver around Lil Foster's massive frame.

"Hasil I know you ain't 'bout to go down that mountain after everything that happened tonight."

Hasil's eyes met Foster's. "No. No I ain't, but Sally Ann walked off almost a whole day ago now. Middle of the nigh'. All by 'erself. I got t'know she at least made it off, Foster. I got t'know she ain't somewhere out there lost or hurt or worse."

Foster had never seen his cousin like this before. He could see the worry in his eyes. There was an uneasiness about him that he wasn't used to.

"Cousin, ya ain't goin' t'be able to search this whole mountain in the dark."

"I ain't daft, Foster. I know that, but I can't jus' sit still. No way of trackin' her after the rains, but I know which way she set off and I can probably guess the path she took. Now let me pass."

Foster stood there for moment contemplating his cousin. He could see that he cared for Sally Ann something fierce and he knew first hand what those sort of feelings could do to a man, good and bad. "I'm goin' with ya."

Hasil didn't respond, he just trotted off in the direction Sally Ann had left.

The men walked for over two hours, shouting out Sally Ann's name every time they heard a twig snap. They paused when they came to a distinct fork.

"Which way do ya reckon she went?" Foster asked.

Hasil thought for a few moments, trying to imagine himself in Sally Ann's shoes. "I'm bettin' on right, but I ain't positive."

"Okay. You take the right and I'll go left."

Hasil gave a curt nod and set off. It seemed that Sally Ann had at least made it this far down the mountain and part of him was proud of her, but that emotion was still overpowered by concern. He wasn't even a quarter of the way down the mountain yet.

Hasil walked for another hour and a half before one of their hunting cabins came into view. He picked up his pace. If Sally Ann had seen the cabin, she might have stopped there to rest. He hoped he could find some sign that she'd been there, a piece of hope to hold on to. Evidence that she'd made it this far.

Hasil walked around to the front of the cabin and his heart rate immediately spiked. No doubt, sitting there hanging on a nail on the front porch post, was Sally Ann's bag. He ran then, shouting her name.

"Sally Ann!" he called, snatching her bag from its holding place. He entered the cabin and looked around, but didn't see her. Still, he called out for her again. "Sally Ann!"

He went back outside and rested his hands on hips, peering out into the darkness. Suddenly, he felt a jerk on her bag, which he had tossed over his shoulder. For one fleeting moment, he thought he'd found her, but when he turned around, he was face to face with a scraggly looking older man. He recognized him as the homeless man from town who was often busted taking up residence in one of the many sheds and hunting cabins the clans had hidden across the mountain.

"Tha's mine!" the man shouted, tugging at the bag again.

Hasil slowly moved the bag behind his back and grabbed hold of the man's shoulder. "I know for a fact this bag ain't yours. You got a hot second to tell me how this came to be in your possession or you gon' feel a hurtin' you ain't ever dreamed of."

The man swallowed deeply and slightly raised both of hands, showing Hasil he didn't want any trouble. "I— I found it."

"Found it where?" Hasil was practically growling.

"I mean, well, I mean she left it behind."

"Who?" Hasil released his shoulder, anxious now.

"The girl. Miss Sally Ann, from town. Don't know how she ended up way up here on the mountain."

"You know Sally Ann? Where— Which way did she go? Why didn't you—"

The man took several steps back, afraid that Hasil was about to snap. He spoke quickly. "Yes I know Miss Sally Ann. She was always kind to me. Givin' me leftover hot food from the Rev n Bev. They took her on back to town. The cops did. I seen it myself. I seen them put her in the back of the police car."

Hasil could have fell to his knees in relief. Sally Ann had made it off the mountain. "Did she look alrigh'? Was she hurt?"

"She looked well worn out and scared, but I ain't see no physical harm to her."

Hasil nodded his head, trying to shake away the remaining bits of anxiety that he felt. "Look… what's your name?"

"Freddy."

"Look Freddy, I'll make ya a deal. If you go on down the mountain and return this bag to Sally Ann— make sure she is doing alrigh' too, make sure she's safe— I won' tell nobody bout ya takin' up residence in this here shed. I'll even throw in a coon blanket and enough jerky to keep ya fed the rest of the week. What ya say ta that?"

"Sounds like a mighty good deal to me."

Hasil peered in her bag where the bear he'd carved for for her was tucked away and her clothes were neatly folded. He pulled the thin little T-shirt that sat at the top from her bag and transferred it to his own before handing the rest of the items to Freddy. "Go at dawn and I'll meet ya back here a day after that."

"Yes sir… and what's your name?"

"Hasil. Hasil Farrell. Here, for the walk…" Hasil tossed Freddy the bag of pecans and canteen of water he had before turning to go find Lil Foster and head home.

Even though Hasil knew that Sally Ann had made it safely off the mountain, he found it hard to sleep that night. He imagined she must have gone home to her brother and that thought put his stomach in knots. He rested on his bed and brought her T-shirt close to his face. Her comforting scent still lingered on it. When the sun came up he was tempted to go back down to the shed and make sure Freddy had left, but he couldn't. The clans were meeting to discuss the events that had taken place yesterday and he had to be there. That evening there would be a formal ceremony to recognize G'Win as the new and rightful Bren'in.

The events of the day kept Hasil distracted enough, but as soon as light broke the next morning, he practically ran down to meet Freddy, ready to hear word about how Sally Ann was doing.

Hasil started calling out for him as soon as the shed came into view, but there was no answer. He sat on a tree stump and waited, figuring he might have been a little over eager. It was still early then, but by the time lunchtime had come and gone and Freddy was no where to be seen, his patience had about run dry.

Hasil walked all the way down the mountain, hoping to run into Freddy on his way back up, but he never did. He stood waiting at the bottom of the mountain, just within the cover of the tree line, until well after dark. Freddy never showed and Hasil had no choice but to return home.

The next day a powerful storm system moved through, making any travel up or down the mountain a death wish. Everyone gave Hasil a wide berth that day. His worry had made him short and easy to anger.

Late the next afternoon, after the rains had passed and earth had had a little time to dry, Hasil headed for the shed once again.

"Freddy!" he called out, already irritated. There was no answer. He pushed open the shed to find him sleeping on the ground, his head resting on Sally Ann's bag.

"Get up!" Hasil nudged him with his boot, startling him awake.

Freddy looked up at him, still trying to gather his bearings. Hasil snatched Sally Ann's bag from the ground.

"Why the hell do ya still have this? Did ya even go into town at all?"

Freddy scrambled to his feet. "Yeah, I did. I did Hasil, sir. I did, I swear it. I just got a little hung up on the way to find Sally Ann." He scratched at his inner arm where Hasil saw fresh track marks. He didn't have any patience for this. Freddy must have realized it, as words poured from his mouth quickly. "I did speak to her though. I found her. Saw her yesterday. She was back working in the hardware store. I tried giving her the bag but I accidentally left it out in the rain and she didn't seem to want what was inside anymore."

Hasil looked in the bag. It was still filled with her clothes, now smelling of mildew, but it was seeing the bear still tucked inside that caused the ache he now felt in his chest. "Did she look alrigh'?" he asked, feeling dejected.

"Uh, well, I mean she appeared to be in good physical health and all, but if I'm honest, she didn't have the joyful air about her that I's used to seeing."

He nodded and waited a few seconds before turning to head back up the mountain.

"Hey Hasil wait a minute now! I thought we had—"

Hasil turned around quickly, an eyebrow raised. "I know ya ain't bout to call up that deal we made 'cause it's been three damn days and ya ruined her stuff."

"I thought you might say that, so I did something a little extra. I'm hopin'…" he trailed off as he dug around his numerous cargo pockets. "I saw how you took one of Sally Ann's shirts so I thought you might like something else of hers. I snuck back to her locker—"

"You stole somethin' from her?" The look on his face was fierce.

"Here it is," he said, holding up what appeared to Hasil to be a folded up piece of paper.

"If that's a letter it ain't gon' do me no good and ya might as well take back what belongs to her."

"It's not a letter and she had two. Here."

Hasil took the firm piece of paper and unfolded it. It was a photograph he and Sally Ann had taken in the kitchen at Naomi's house. He was kissing her cheek with a fat marshmallow poking out of his mouth. Sally Ann was caught mid laugh, playfully pushing him away. He ran a finger over her pretty face. The last time he'd seen the image it was on her cellular phone. He wondered how on earth it came to be on the paper in his hands.

"She had it taped up on the door of her locker. She had a lot of questions 'bout your well-bein' too."

The image and Freddy's words confirmed for Hasil that Sally Ann still cared for him. He wasn't sure in what way, but as he gazed at the picture, it didn't really matter. He had to see her again, in person. He had to see that she was alright for himself and make sure that she knew just how much she meant to him. That night up on the mountain wasn't going to be how their story ended. It couldn't be.

Hasil tossed Freddy the blanket and jerky and headed for home. In his head he was busy making plans to sneak off the mountain and go see his Sally Ann.

Chapter Text

Sally Ann sat on a pile of lumber in the back of the hardware store. It was ten minutes into her lunch break, but she’d only taken a bite or two from her sandwich. Her thoughts were consumed by the encounter she'd had with the man she’d always known as Homeless Freddy. A couple of days ago she’d convinced herself that if she just knew for sure that Hasil was safe, much of the heartache and anxiety she felt would be relieved. She was wrong. Freddy had assured her that Hasil was in perfect health, and she couldn’t have been more relieved to hear it, but it did nothing to mend the gaping hole she felt in her chest. She sat there, staring at the ground, trying to imagine a point when she might be able to go more than a few moments without thinking of Hasil. Her somber thoughts were disrupted when a pair of floral tennis shoes came into view.

“’Afternoon Sally Ann.”

She had to shade her eyes from the sun as she looked up at her boss, Tammie Glenwood. “Hey Ms. Tammie.”

“Mind if I join ya?” she asked, not waiting for a response before taking a seat next to her. “Our new hire is a flaky son of a gun. Only been working here two weeks and just called in for the third time. Hate to ask, but d’ya think you could close tonight?”

“Sure. I don’t mind.” Sally Ann was thankful for any reason to be away from her house.

“Thank you. I don’t wanna scare ya off with a bunch of extra work. I really am glad to have you back on staff.”

“It’s fine. I can use the extra money anyway.”

Tammie sighed. “I know what ya mean. Things have been tough over at the farm ever since daddy died and Mikey went off to college.”

Sally Ann gave a sympathetic nod, but didn’t have it in her to contribute more to the conversation. “Well, I better get back to work.” She still technically had ten minutes left in her break, but she wanted to get away before a depressing conversation about finances sprouted up. She put her sandwich in her lunchbox and started to walk back toward the building.

“Hey Sally Ann?” Tammie called out.

She turned to look back at her

“I heard… I heard what folks been sayin’ ‘round town... Is it true?”

Sally Ann knew exactly what she was referring to, but thought it best to play ignorant. “Is what true?”

“…Is it true that ya fell in love with a Farrell?”

Sally Ann was taken aback, not by the question, but by the lack of malice in her tone when she’d asked. In fact, Sally Ann was almost positive that what she saw in Tammie’s eyes was sympathy. It baffled her at first, but then she remembered the rumors that had gone around about Tammie’s brother Mikey that summer that Mr. Hill’s grandson had come to visit from the city. Tammie knew a thing or two about forbidden love.

Sally Ann couldn’t lie, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer the question either. She shrugged a little, looking back at the store and wishing a needy customer would come save her from the conversation.

"Hey," Tammie said sweetly. “You know it don’t matter none what these people ‘round here think, right? I’m sure James ain’t too thrilled, but he loves you and he’ll come—”

“He won’t.” Sally Ann said a little too forcefully, resenting Tammie for making her verbalize painful things. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Hasil can’t come down the mountain and I can’t go up so…” She shrugged again, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible.

Tammie saw through her. “I’m sorry,” she said, and Sally Ann was surprised by how nice it felt to hear her say that. “It’s kinda rude, the way life brings you love and then gets messy, makes it hard to hold on to.”

Sally Ann nodded. If she hadn’t been at work, if she didn’t have to keep her composure until closing, she might have considered opening up to her.

“Alright,” Tammie said. “I’ll stop holdin’ ya up from keeping my business afloat, but say Sally Ann?”

“Hmm?”

“If ya ever need a break from your brother, or whoever… ya know, if ya just want a place to feel whatever you’re feeling, the farmhouse is big and mighty lonely for just one girl. I also make some damn good fresh ice cream and I don’t mind hookin’ ya up with some.”

Sally Ann wondered why Tammie was being so kind. It wasn’t like she’d been mean before, but they’d never really spoken much. Maybe it was just like she’d said. Maybe she was lonely.

At closing time, Sally walked to the break room to get her stuff while Tammie locked up. She opened her locker, which she had rigged to never lock, and hung up her apron. Something caught her eye as she went to close the skinny metal door. It was the picture of her and Hasil at Naomi’s house. The goofy one that’d gone missing two days ago. She ran her fingers over the now creased image, guessing that Tammie must have found it and put it back. A voice interrupted her thoughts.

“As much as I wanted t’keep it, someone took it from ya without permission so I thought it best to return it…”

Sally Ann froze. It was no doubt Hasil’s voice she had heard, but she couldn’t be sure if it was real or if she’d hallucinated it. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know the truth, but it made itself evident a moment later when she felt the unmistakable graze of calloused fingertips on her upper arm.

“Hasil…” It was barely a whisper. She was afraid if she spoke too loudly the small bit of peace she felt from being so close to him again would disappear. She still hadn’t moved, but he was close enough for her to feel the heat of his body behind her.

“I can’t keep away from ya, Sally Ann.”

She could feel the way he slightly nuzzled into her hair as he spoke. She gripped the door of her locker and forced herself to focus, still refusing to turn around. There was no way she’d keep her wits about her if she looked into his eyes. “Hasil you shouldn’t have come down here. You’re not supposed to be down here.” Her voice was low, but stern.

Hasil tried to move around her so he could see her face, but she wouldn’t let him.

“You ain’t even gonna look at me, Sally Ann? After I came all this way?”

She took a deep breath and turned to face him. It felt like her heart got lodged in her throat as soon as she did. He looked so exhausted and so sad, but he was still so beautiful. He raised his right hand and gently ran his fingers along her cheek. It took everything in her not to press into his touch, not to kiss him, not jump up into his arms. “Hasil you have to go home or we’re both gonna get in trouble. The store is closing. My boss will be back here any minute and James is expecting me at home. We can’t wander the streets. We can’t go up the mountain. There’s no way we can have a normal conversation while constantly looking over our shoulders.”

“Y’all can go to the farm,” Tammie said, appearing in the doorway.

Sally Ann jumped at the sound of her voice, startled. “I’m sorry Tammie. I—”

Tammie held up a hand to silence her. “Hasil, is it?”

He nodded, not yet sure what to think of Sally Ann’s boss.

“Sally Ann, Hasil here must truly be lovesick, because for a man of the mountain, he’s done a piss poor job of sneaking ‘round this shop for the past,” she paused to glance at her watch, “Four hours. I seen him hiding over behind the lawn mowers when I went out to water the flowers. Now I hope ya ain’t mad at me, but that was around the time I called up your brother.”

“What?” Sally Ann asked, suddenly afraid that this was some bizarre set up.

Hasil instinctively stepped slightly in front of her, like he always did when he perceived a potential threat.

“Now both of you calm down.” She looked at Sally Ann. “I called him and told him that I noticed you’d been down. I asked him what he thought about me giving you a surprise girls’ night over at the farmhouse to cheer you up.”

“I— What’d he say?”

“He said okay, of course. Your brother doesn’t want you to be sad, Sally Ann.”

“I don’t understand. Why are you being so nice?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?”

Sally Ann didn’t have an answer.

“Alright then. It’s up to you missy. Y’all can head over to my place while I drive up to College Town to surprise Mikey, or we can really have that girls’ night, if you want. Or you could just go home. That’s fine too.”

Sally Ann looked between Hasil and Tammie, feeling overwhelmed by the change of direction her evening just took. “…Thank you, Tammie.”

She knew Sally Ann’s choice without having to ask for clarification. “It’s nothin’,” she said, tossing her house keys their way, which Hasil promptly reached out and caught.

Tammie waved a goodbye and disappeared into the front of the store.

Sally Ann felt nervous as she put the key in the ignition and started up her brother’s car. “Put your seatbelt on.” She watched Hasil do as she asked. As he ran his hand along the belt and clicked it into place, she had the sudden discomforting vision of James combing through the car like a CSI detective, finding a strand of Hasil’s hair, and raising hell because of it.

“You okay, Sally Ann?”

She shook her head to clear away the silly thoughts. “I’m fine.” She made a right out of the parking lot and started down the long dark road that ran in the opposite direction of town. She could feel Hasil’s eyes on her, but she didn’t meet them. A solid five minutes passed before the found the courage to speak again. “Hasil, you didn’t have to come all the way down here. That night on the mountain… I understand. I know your family needs you. I get it.”

He didn’t try to hide the irritation in his voice when he replied. “No. I don’t think ya do. If ya did, ya wouldn’t’ve ever left.”

“Hasil that’s not fair. I had to leave. I didn’t know anyone. I was terrified.”

“Yeah, Sally Ann. I know that.” He exhaled deeply. “Look, t’be honest, I ain’t even worried ‘bout that night no more. My comin’ down here ain’t got nothin’ to do with anythin’ but missin’ you.”

Sally Ann could feel her palms going sweaty on the steering wheel. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Hasil.”

“You ain’t really got t’say nothin’ ‘cause I know ya miss me too.”

“Of course I do, Hasil, but it’s more complicated than that.”

“It ain’t gotta be. You’re makin’ it that way, but we can choose different. Ain’t nobody chasin’ us down. Ain’t nobody around but me and you. It don’t gotta be complicated tonight unless ya want it to be.”

Sally Ann felt stuck between wanting to yell at him and wanting to kiss him, so instead she did nothing. The rest of the twenty-minute drive was silent. The tension could have been cut with a knife when she turned down the long gravel road and parked the car outside of the house. They sat there for a few minutes before Hasil spoke up.

“C’mon, Sally Ann. Let’s go inside.” All the edge was gone from his voice.

She didn’t answer, but she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out. Hasil ran ahead and unlocked the front door.

“This is a nice house,” he said. “Biggest one I’ve ever been in.”

Again, Sally Ann was quiet. She stood close to the front door looking uncomfortable, which broke Hasil’s heart just a little bit. “C’mon Sally Ann, don’t be this way. I’m sorry ‘bout fussin’ at ya in the car. C’mere. Come on over here.”

Her heart fluttered a bit at his words. Words she figured she’d never be able to ignore. She took a tentative step forward, knowing the only thing that caused her to hesitate was the fear that being there with him in that moment was some isolated event— a tease of what she wanted more than anything, but could not realistically have. She could see Hasil’s muscles tense with the effort to stay put and let her approach at her own pace.

“I was so worried about ya, Sally Ann. I couldn’t hardly stand it— being away from ya.”

Sally Ann stopped walking. “But what are we supposed to do about it Hasil? What are we supposed to do with things the way they are?” The thought immediately brought tears to her eyes.

Hasil looked as if his heart had plummeted to his stomach. “Nah. No, don’t do that, Sally Ann. Don’t you do that.” He immediately closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her. “We gon’ figure somethin’ out. I promise ya we will, but hey look at me. Look at me for a second.” He put his index finger under her chin and lowered his head so that their eyes met. “Remember what I said? It can wait. The complicated stuff. It can wait jus’ a few hours. We’ll put our heads together in the morning and I promise ya we’ll figure somethin’ out.” He wiped the tears away from her eyes. “I just want t’make you happy. I promise ya we will be responsible in the morning, but can we just enjoy each other’s company tonight? All I been thinkin’ ‘bout is bein’ close to ya.”

The corners of her mouth turned up in the slightest of smiles, but Hasil caught it and smiled full on. “Yeah. What d’ya say, Sally Ann?”

She knew giving in to him would only provide temporary comfort. She knew it’d probably only make her feel worse once he was gone again. But still, after some of the lowest days of her life, she needed something to light up the darkness she felt inside and there was no one better for the job than Hasil Farrell. She took his hand in hers and led him toward the back of the house.

Chapter Text

Hasil followed behind Sally Ann as she walked down the narrow hallway of the farmhouse. She stopped at the end of the hall and turned to face him, a sunroom to her right, a bedroom to her left. He noticed how she avoided his eyes, choosing instead to stare at her shoes. “Sally—” he started, but was cut off when she suddenly raised her head and kissed him. He didn’t hesitate in kissing her back. He’d been dreaming of her lips for days and the feel of them against his was somehow even better than he remembered. Sally Ann showed her own enthusiasm as she deepened the kiss, allowing her tongue to graze his. The next thing Hasil knew, she was stepping out of her shoes and trying to undo his kilt. He chuckled a bit and pulled away. “Hey. Hey…” he said, giving her jaw a gentle tap with his index finger. “There ain’t no need t’ rush. We got all night.”

She nodded. “I know. It just sort of feels like this is a dream.”

“Nah, I’m right here. And even when it’s time for me t’ go back up the mountain, I’ll be back.”

She nodded, but Hasil thought he picked up on some doubt in her eyes. Still, she leaned her head up and kissed him long and slow.

“That’s better,” he said, the words rumbling up from deep in his chest. He planted a kiss on the corner of her jaw and trailed even more down her neck until he felt her inching toward the bedroom. “Nuh uh,” he mumbled against her skin.

“Oh, you wanna do it here?” she asked breathlessly. “Okay.” She reached for his kilt once again, but gave a frustrated pout when he gently wrapped his hands around her wrists to stop her. “Hasil…” she said, annoyed, pressing her forehead against his, trying to get closer any way she could.

He grinned a little, taking a small bit of joy in making her wait, teasing her. “You ever made love under the stars?” he asked, pleased with the effect the question obviously had on her.

She shook her head and gazed up at him in a way that made taking her right there in the hallway difficult to resist, but he did. “It’s nice out. What d’ya say?” he asked, even though the look on her face had him convinced she would have agreed to have sex on top of a moving vehicle if he’d wanted.

She smiled. “I’ll go get some blankets. Maybe you can start a fire in the pit out there?”

“I can do that.”

“Okay,” she said and turned toward the bedroom.

Hasil went outside and got a fire going as promised. He ran inside to help Sally Ann when he saw her struggling with what he figured had to be every single blanket in the house. “Why didn’t ya jus' drag the bed out here?”

Sally Ann laughed and waved a hand at him, brushing off the sarcasm. “I’m gonna go get some pillows.”

Hasil organized the blankets on the ground and stripped off all his clothes while he waited for her to return. She came back into view soon enough, the stack of what he assumed to be pillows blocking her line of sight. They looked more like over grown marshmallows to him. It wasn’t until she dropped them down on top of the blankets that she realized he was standing there before her, completely naked. She shook her head and sighed. “Are you ever gonna let me take your clothes off?”

“Someday,” he said. “But righ’ now I’m more than happy to help ya outta yours.”

Sally Ann smiled, walked over to him, and allowed him to undress her.

Hasil took his time making love to every inch of her body with his mouth before sitting up and pulling her onto his lap. She wrapped her legs around him and they continued to show their love for each other well into the night.

 “Hey Hasil?” Sally Ann lay snuggled up against his chest while he looked up at the sky.

“Hm?”

“Can I ask ya somethin’?

“’Course.”

“I heard people ‘round town talkin’ about what happened up there on the mountain… ‘tween the clans and the police. They say it was y’all who brought on that big storm… like y’all have magic powers or somethin’.”

Hasil laughed. “Only bit of magic I confess to havin’ in me is the ability to keep that pretty little look on your face every time we—,”

Sally Ann cut him off with a loud gasp and a playful shove. “I’m serious, Hasil,” she said, laughing in spite of herself.

“I know, I know,” he said giving her thigh a little rub. “Nah, Sally Ann, that magic they talkin’ ‘bout… that’s just the heart of the mountain.”

“That sounds like magic to me, Hasil. Mountains don’t have hearts.”

“Sure they do,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “How d’ya think all that life could be up there thrivin’ without anythin’ supportin’ it?”

Sally Ann sat up just enough to see his face. “I don’t know. Tell me.”

The innocent, curious expression on her face made him eager to indulge her. “Well, up on the mountain we believe s’long as there is one soul lovin’ another... s’long as we’re carin’ for each other, things’ll work out. We’ll be safe. Might sound funny to folks down here, but we’ve got on fine all these years puttin’ our faith in it.” In Hasil’s mind, everything that had happened with Big Foster was evidence of how the tides turned when someone was driven by something other than love and care for their clan.

Sally Ann absentmindedly played with Hasil’s hair as she processed the information. “But how does love stir up thunder and lightening outta no where? It’s just a feeling.”

He laughed a little. “Sally Ann, look me in the eye and say that.”

“Say what?”

“Look me in the eye and tell me love is jus’ a feelin’.”

“Hasil you know what I mean.”

“I’m serious. C’mon now.” He sat up and pulled her up with him, her body still tangled up in blankets. “Look at me and say it.”

Sally Ann sighed and gave her brown eyes a long roll before finally letting them lock on Hasil’s blues. She started to open her mouth to speak, but stopped. She seemed to forget what she’d been doing as she stared at him.

Hasil knew she understood then. “Solid as the ground beneath us. Simple, but strong. Ain’t no need to over think it. That’s how I know everything is goin’ t’ be okay.” He shrugged and lay back down, pulling her along with him. He knew what they had was real and worth something. He knew it was worth something even bigger than the both them.

Sally Ann woke just as the sun was beginning to rise. She reached for Hasil, but he was no longer next to her. In his place were a couple of wildflowers. She smiled and sat up, scanning the open farmlands to the left and the tree line to the right. “Hasil?” she called out, as she slipped on his tank top and rose to her feet.

“Hey!” she heard Hasil shout, but he wasn’t talking to her. “Hey, get over here!”

She looked over by the chicken coops where she spotted her love. He wore nothing but his long underwear as he chased a hen that had broken free— A sight that made her burst out in laughter. She forced her giggles down and made her way over to help, but he had it handled by the time she got there. She found the sight of her tattooed mountain man finally conquering the little chicken to be pretty sexy.

“Damn bird,” he said, holding it in a way that prevented it from outstretching its wings. He leaned over to kiss her as he put the chicken back in the coop. “Sleep good?”

“Yeah. Did ya get some eggs?” she asked. Tammie had texted her last night and made it perfectly clear that she and Hasil were to help themselves to whatever.

“Yeah,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow and nodding over at a basket with five eggs inside.

“Good, ‘cause I’m starving.”

“Oh I know. Your stomach was growlin’ at me somethin’ fierce in ya sleep. Bit frightenin’ if I’m honest,” he said with a laugh.

Sally Ann rolled her eyes and smiled. “C’mon. I’ll cook.”

“No, no, no,” Hasil said, jogging a bit ahead of her. “I’m gonna cook and I got everythin’ ready, I jus’ need ya t’ show me how to work all those contraptions in the kitchen.”

Hasil and Sally Ann enjoyed a nice breakfast on top of the mess of blankets they’d slept in. She could have snuggled up with him and gone right back to sleep, but she didn’t want to waste whatever time they had left together. No sooner than the thought had crossed her mind, her phone buzzed with a text from James.

            “Hey baby girl. Need the car at 1.”

It was only just after seven in the morning, but a mental countdown started in Sally Ann’s mind nonetheless.

“You all full?” Hasil asked, reaching for her empty plate.

“Yeah. It was good. Thanks for cookin’.”

“Ain’t nothin’,” he said as he collected the other dishes.

Sally Ann gathered up the blankets and headed for the washing machine while Hasil cleaned up the kitchen. She checked on him once the laundry was started, but he was busy wiping down the countertops and whistling to himself. Choosing to let him be, she wandered upstairs to check out the master bathroom. Tammie had gone on and on about how nice it was now that she’d finally finished the renovation project her father had started two years ago. Sally Ann pushed open the door and immediately wondered how she’d ever bring herself to leave. It had a very rustic feel, like the rest of the house, but there was a level of luxury in the room that made it seem misplaced on the old-timey farm. She thought it was perfect anyway. Tammie deserved a little slither of luxury.

Sally Ann wandered over to the antique claw-foot tub and ran a bath. She slipped off Hasil’s tank top, slid into the warm water, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Hasil was sitting on the floor next to the tub looking at her.

“Comfortable?” he asked.

Sally Ann straightened up a little. “Yeah. Can’t believe I fell asleep.”

“Ah, it was just a lil cat nap.” He stood and leaned down to kiss her. “This bathroom is probably the nicest place I ever been,” he said, looking around.

That was something Sally Ann was going to have to change. “We’ll have to go to more places then.”

“I’d like that.”

“Me too.” She looked at her slightly pruney toes and then back at Hasil, thinking it was probably time he had a bath too. “Do you want to wash up?”

He was clearly sizing up the tub. It was too small for the both of them.

“There’s the shower,” Sally Ann said, pointing to the glass enclosure behind him.

“Is that what that is?” he asked, his hands on his hips.

“Yeah. I’ll show you how it works.”

She stood and he took her hand to help her out of the tub. As soon as she was steady on her feet, he wasted no time pulling her wet body close and kissing her.

“Hey,” she said. “I only got out to to help you turn on the shower.”

“Ain’t no way I can focus on anythin’ with you lookin’ the way ya do. Not even washin’.”

Sally Ann opened the shower door and walked inside. “Then I’ll wash you,” she said, turning on the water.

Hasil took off his underwear and got inside. As promised, Sally Ann cleaned his body, which he did in fact need help with, as his mind was most clearly on other other things. She reached up and removed his hair tie so she could shampoo his scalp, taking a moment to admire him with his hair completely down.

After she finished, he pushed his water-darkened curls out of his face and looked at her.

“You’re handsome,” she said after a moment, but Hasil was beyond communicating with words. The two stayed in the shower until the water ran cold.

Chapter Text

Hasil and Sally Ann enjoyed their morning at Glenwood Farm. They'd had breakfast, showered, cat napped, and even played a couple rounds of hide-n-seek around the drafty house. Eventually they'd found themselves on the back porch once again, this time cuddled up on the handmade swing. Sally Ann's upper half was draped across Hasil's lap as he kept the swing swaying, playing with the hairs at the nape of her neck as he did.

"Let's take a walk," he said after a while.

She groaned in protest, knowing exactly why he had made the suggestion.

"C'mon now. I made ya a promise that we'd talk and time is runnin' out."

Sally Ann had to have the car back to her brother by one o'clock and noon was rapidly approaching. It about broke her heart to sit up and be responsible. The past several hours she'd spent with Hasil had been perfect and she didn't want it to come to an end. Of course, that was the very reason they had to talk. They had to figure out how they'd be able to see each other again.

Hasil took her hand in his and naturally drifted toward the woods, where he felt most comfortable.

They walked for a few minutes before Sally Ann officially popped their little bubble of peace. "So what are we gonna do, Hasil? How'd you even get off the mountain? Aren't they wonderin' where you are?"

"Nah. They know exactly where I am."

Sally Ann perked up a little at this. "Really? They let you—"

Hasil stopped walking and turned Sally Ann's body so that she was facing him. "They didn't let me, Sally Ann. I told 'em where I was goin' and I left."

"Are you gonna get in trouble?"

Hasil sighed and ran a hand over his facial hair. "Yeah. Probably, but they got bigger things to concern themselves with than what I'm doin' for a day or two. Thing is, I need to be helpin' them, not takin' advantage of the fact that they're distracted."

Sally Ann could feel the guilt radiating off of him, which made her feel guilty for being an indirect cause of it. "I know, Hasil."

"Hey don't go getting that face. Everything's gonna work out."

Now Sally Ann felt a familiar surge of impatience and irritation. "I appreciate your optimism, Hasil, I really do, but we need something more than that. I'm not supposed to go up there, you aren't supposed to come down here." She shrugged her shoulders, and tried to put on as nonchalant of an air as she could. She cared about Hasil too much to have him literally risking life and limb to come see her. "You want to be down here with me, but you need to be up there with them. I'm glad you came to see me, but—"

"Stop talkin' Sally Ann."

She forced her eyebrows together. "No—"

"No yourself."

She could see the corners of his mouth pulling up into a grin. "Hasil are you laughing at me? Are you seriously laughing at me right now?"

"I can't help it. You worry too much, but you're kinda cute when you do it."

"Hasil, we don't have time for this."

He looked at the ground so he could take a second to adjust the expression on his face. "I got a plan, Sally Ann. I do"

"Well? What is it?"

"I'm gonna tell 'em what you mean to me."

Sally Ann stared at him blankly for a moment, hoping to see some sign that he was joking or that there was more to this plan seeing as how he had done it before and no one seemed to give a crap. When he added nothing else, she turned around and started walking back toward the house, wishing she had trusted her gut and made him go right back home when he showed up in that locker room the night before.

He caught up to her quickly and blocked her path. She tried to cut around him, but he wouldn't let her. Anger and sadness were blending inside of her, threatening to force up a nasty, ugly cry. "Move, Hasil." She tried stepping around him again, but he moved with her.

"Hey," he said as he tapped her jawbone with his index finger. "Look at me." He waited until her chocolatey eyes met his. "I love you."

Tears she'd been trying to keep at bay immediately spilled from the corners of her eyes.

"I love you and I hope you knew it without me havin' to say it."

She nodded. "I did," was all she could muster up at the moment without the breaking the delicate dam holding back her emotions.

"Good. And all I'm asking ya to do is have a little faith in that. When I go back up the mountain, I'm gonna—"

Sally Ann interrupted him with a kiss.

He smiled as she pulled away. "Don't you want to know what I'm gonna say?"

"I have faith," she said as she slid her hand under his shirt and felt his chest. They found a cozy spot under a tree and made out until her phone started vibrating in her pocket. "It's an alarm I set. It means it's time for us to start getting ready to leave."

Hasil continued kissing on her neck and rubbing her thighs, showing her just what he thought about that. They milked every second of every minute they had left together. At twelve-thirty, Hasil walked Sally Ann to the car. "I'll send ya updates through Freddy, okay?" He shut her car door for her. "And if you need anything you do the same." He backed up so she could turn around and watched as she started down the long drive and stopped.

She leaned out the window and looked back at him. "I love you too!"

When Sally Ann turned onto her street, she could see James standing in the driveway.

He opened her door as soon as she put the car in park. "You about to make me late girl." His tone was playful, but he wasn't lying.

"Sorry!"

"That's alright," he said as they traded places. "You have a good time?"

She gave him a closed-mouth smile and nodded. "Yeah.

"Good. I'll see you later."

Sally Ann bummed around the house for a few hours, trying not to worry about Hasil. He wouldn't even be halfway back up the mountain yet, but she was still scared about what kind of trouble he'd be in for leaving. Last time he'd gotten in trouble he got hit in the face with a gun and before that he got two fingers chopped off. Just as her imagination started to cook up some terrifying possibilities about what other punishments they might dish out up on the mountain, there was a knock at the door. The only visitors they ever had were James's friends and they would know that he's working. She peered through the peephole, saw Tammie's face, and pulled open the door. "Hey, Tammie. Is everything okay?" Sally Ann was mentally reviewing her and Hasil's clean up job, praying they didn't leave a mess somewhere.

"Hey, no, everything is fine. I just wanted to check in with you. I hope it's okay that I just dropped by."

"Of course it's okay. You just let me use your house as a…You just— Do you wanna come in?"

She laughed and went inside the house.

Sally Ann poured them each a glass of sweet tea and sat down at the kitchen table. It was quiet for a minute or two before Tammie broke the silence.

"I hope this isn't awkward, I just haven't had anyone to talk to in a while. I wanted to hear how it went with Hasil."

"Is that all?" Sally Ann asked. The way Tammie was peering around the apartment suggested otherwise.

She smiled and tilted her head to the side, conceding. "That… and I wanted to make sure James didn't catch on.

Sally Ann smiled and refilled Tammie's glass. "He didn't."

"You shouldn't have to worry about him like that, you know."

"I worry about everything. I'm mostly worried about Hasil right now. He's gonna get in trouble for leavin' the mountain."

Tammie sighed and drummed her fingers on the table. "What do you say to a little distraction? We could still have that girls' night. Get dressed up nice, go out, dance, drink."

"I didn't know you did any of that stuff," Sally Ann said. It was only a second before she realized how it sounded.

"I didn't know you did any of it either," Tammie shot back, giving Sally Ann a once over as she did.

They both stared at each other, offended, before finally bursting into laughter.

"You're right," Sally Ann said between gasps. "I don't do any of that stuff."

"First time for everything?"

"Yeah. Let's do it."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at seven. We can grab dinner first. You can tell me about Hasil then, because I really do wanna know." Tammie finished off her tea and left to go check on things at the store.

Sally Ann cleaned up the house and made some spaghetti for James before heading to her closet to pick out something to wear that night. As she filtered through a bunch of clothes she'd forgotten she even owned, she thought about Hasil. She pulled a pretty floral sundress from the back corner of the tiny space and moved it to the middle where she would see it. Hasil loved how she looked, but he'd never seen her try. That was mostly because he had a habit of showing up out of nowhere and partly because they spent a good portion of their time together naked. She made a mental note to put a little effort in next time. For her night out with Tammie she chose a dark pair of skinny jeans, some booties, and a silky top. She was shocked to actually be excited about hanging out with someone other than Hasil. It was nice. It made her feel dimensional and alive.

"This is fun," Sally Ann said. "I've never really had any friends. Not the kind you hang out with outside of work or school at least." She gently stirred her margarita with her straw. "Well except for Hasil… and Miss Naomi."

"What? Not even growing up? I know I was a few years ahead of you, but I remember seeing you hang around with… what's his name?" Tammie scrunched up her face in thought. "Mark? Malachi? Michael?"

Sally Ann gave a small grin. "Malcolm." She sucked her teeth. "Malcolm Kelly wasn't my friend. I thought he was… I thought he was more than that, but he wasn't."

Tammie slurped on her drink. "I know that face. I had a Malcolm too. Every girl has had or will have a Malcolm."

"Yeah. It's funny, kinda. Hasil grew up way up on that mountain. He didn't even know what a date was… but he asked. He cared enough to ask. He cares enough to ask me how I'm doin' and it's little and I know that's how it's supposed to be, but that's never how it's been for me. He does so right by me and it feels so nice. I'm spoiled by it. Whenever James is in one of his moods… I can't put up with it the way I used to. Not after I've felt what it's like to be treated like I'm the most valuable thing in the world."

Tammie was resting her cheek on her palm and listening to Sally Ann talk like she was watching some romantic Hallmark movie. "I think I'm gettin' drunk, because I wanna cry." She laughed instead. "Every girl gets a Malcolm. Does every girl get a Hasil?"

Sally Ann burped a little and giggled. "Well… he does have a lot of cousins."

Tammie laughed. "So did he ever take you out on a date? After he figured out what one was…"

"He tried. He had a hard time gettin' money, and we did make plans, but he ended up gettin' tased and arrested outside of Acorns." Sally Ann pressed her eyebrows together and jutted out her bottom lip. "It was kinda awful. He didn't even know I was there."

They both burst out in laughter again.

"Keep it down over there," a woman in a booth across the way called out.

"What's her problem?" Tammie asked, which made Sally Ann laugh harder.

The woman's husband got up and started walking over to their booth. He put both of his meaty hands on the edge of their table. "Y'all ain't hear what my woman said? Keep it down."

"Relax, Ted," Tammie said. "Everybody's havin' a good time."

"No. Everybody was havin' a good time until you two walked up in here."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

Sally Ann looked around. The drinks must have helped her block out some of the dirty looks coming from other tables around the restaurant.

"I think you know what it means, Tammie. I'm not tryin' to be ugly, but maybe y'all should just go on home."

Ted's wife popped up behind his shoulder. "It means you got a man-loving brother and she sleeps around with a feral beast from up that mountain. Ain't none of it good for the appetite."

Sally Ann stood up. She was all for avoiding confrontation, but she couldn't sit by and let someone call Hasil out of his name.

"Sally Ann, don't. Let's go." Tammie slapped some cash on the table and tugged on Sally Ann's arm. "Let's go."

"I hate this town," Sally Ann said as they made their way to the door.

An old woman grabbed her wrist as she said it. "Well we don't hate you, dearie. Not all of us." She patted Sally Ann's hand, let it go, and looked at Tammie. "Hearts are small. Some of us only make room for love."

The two young women felt better, at least until they walked outside and found the windshield on Tammie's truck shattered. She sighed. "Not like either us could drive right now anyway."

The police officer finished up writing the report and looked up at Tammie and Sally Ann. "Looks like you two could use a ride home." It was the same officer that had driven Sally Ann home after she'd gotten lost on the mountain. She could see his name tag now. Officer Ryan Culvert.

"That'd be great. Could you take us both to my place?" Tammie asked.

"Sure thing." He opened the back of his cruiser and shut the door after they got inside. He hopped in the driver's seat and started down the road. "Sally Ann, I know it's been a rough night—"

"It hasn't." She looked at Tammie. "It's been fun. We can drink and dance at your place as easily as we could at the bar, minus the bigots."

"I like how you think," Tammie said.

"Oh, well that sounds like a good time. But you know we aren't all bigots. You know that right?"

Sally Ann met Ryan's eyes in the rear view mirror. "I know."

"Listen. There are some things the chief wants to discuss with you up at the precinct. Think you might be able to make your way up there sometime this week?"

"What does he want?"

"It's not my place—"

"Ryan," Tammie interrupted. "You can't tell someone something like that without giving more details. Are you tryin' to ruin our night? We've turned two blind eyes already. There ain't any left."

"Well I guess— Sally Ann do mind? You might consider it a private—"

"She's the only friend I have down here. It's fine."

"Okay, well he wants to discuss the possibility of you acting as a liaison between the townspeople and mountainfolk. You're the only person in town who knows one of them personally. You've seen how they live and that affords you a better perspective than most."

Sally Ann knew one of them personally and she knew that wasn't worth anything. If she judged the whole town off of one person, she'd think the place was full of bigots, and Ryan and Tammie and that old lady were proof that that method was therefore garbage. "I know one Farrell, Ryan. He's not just like his family. They aren't clones of each other."

"I know that, but we need—"

"I don't know if you remember that day y'all found me, but my experience up there wasn't good. At all. I know Hasil Farrell. I trust Hasil Farrell. All those other people up there… I mean there was Krake and— Never mind. It was scary. I was scared almost the whole time I was up there, Ryan. They are having… problems and I can't…"

"A lot of their problems are thanks to us down here though. We have to work something out. You and Hasil found a way to connect despite your differences, so I thought maybe you could help everybody else on both sides do the same."

"You thought?" Tammie asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I mean it was my idea, but they went for it. If everyone agrees, then Hasil could be the liaison from their end and Sally Ann could be the liaison from ours. It'd mean you'd get to see him. Legally. I mean you'd have to do work, but there'd be time for… work-life balance."

Sally Ann pressed her hand against her forehead as all the ways this could end badly circulated through her head. She needed Hasil's optimism. It was easy to have faith when she could look into his eyes, but it was a struggle without him there. "I have to think about it. I need to know more. I'll stop by the precinct tomorrow."

Sally Ann sat on a stool in Tammie's kitchen while her friend dug around in the cabinets.

"Here they are," Tammie said as she pulled two dusty wine glasses from a high shelf. She rinsed them out and filled them both up to the brim. They both took a few big gulps before Tammie wandered over to an ancient looking stereo and turned the music up loud. "Dance it out with me, Sally Ann. Dance it out."

Chapter Text

Hasil sat in the back right corner of the cage, peeling the bark off a twig. His two-day punishment was over. He could see Li'l Foster approaching in the distance to let him out.

"How goes it, cousin?" Foster asked as he unlocked the door.

"How d'ya think?" Hasil cut back, taking his time to rise to his feet. "You got anythin' to eat?"

Foster passed him a quarter loaf of bread and watched as his cousin devoured it. "Listen Hasil, there's a circle called right now. Bren'in says you need t'be in attendance."

Hasil scoffed. "Ain't it customary t'have the circle before I get punished, or do I just got some screws loose?"

"This ain't about that. Not exactly at least."

Hasil tossed the tough end piece of his bread loaf aside and picked up his pace. "Well I'm gonna make it 'bout that. They don't understand why I can't keep away, Foster. I think you do, but they don't. I gotta make 'em see."

Foster quit walking and watched Hasil head off in the direction of the circle meeting. "Good luck with that cousin," he said long after he was out of earshot.

"'Afternoon Bren'in," Hasil said as he approached G'win and the elders.

"Hasil," she said. "I hope you found your time in the cage clarifyin'."

"What exactly was I meant t'get cleared up?... Bren'in."

G'win stared at him for a few moments. She scolded him with her eyes for asking such a stupid question. "Hasil these are hard times for your people, for your family. Our world is divided from their world for good reason and still you insist on doin' things that threaten every—"

"There ain't nothin' threatenin' about her or what I'm doin'. You don't—"

"Pardon me Hasil Farrell, but you asked a question and you're gonna wait to speak until after you get my answer." She paused, daring him to interrupt her again. When he didn't, she continued. "You goin' down there to see that girl puts us all at risk. We can't trust her, and s'long as you keep sneakin' off to see her, we can't trust you either…and we can't have that Hasil. I won't have it. Not while I'm Bren'in. Under my lead, we are united. We support each other. Under my lead, blood comes first. Always."

Hasil waited a few seconds to make sure she was done speaking. His hand was on his hip and it took effort to keep his tone respectful. "It ain't all so black and white Bren'in. It ain't. I don't know how you can stand up there, after knowin' me all my life, and talk to me like I wouldn't defend any one of y'all to the death."

"How can you do that? How can you do that if you're down there?"

"I tried to fix that. I tried bringing her up and y'all know how that went."

"She's the problem, Hasil. Why do you act like there ain't perfectly good women up here willin' to fight for your affection?"

"Why do you act like you don't know exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout… exactly what I'm feelin'?" He was getting passionate now. Louder. "She ain't a problem, G'win. She's a person. A good one… I ain't got a choice. You know that. I can't change it. I don't want to change it. You're up there talkin' 'bout blood versus them and I know what ya mean, I do… except when it comes to her." He shook his head and spread his arms out wide. "With her my heart can't tell the difference. I don't think the mountain can either and I'll tell ya… what I got inside for her… you want it up here. We need it up here. It's strong and it's fierce, jus' like what I feel for you all."

"He's the one," Shurn said.

G'win looked at her, contemplating.

"What d'ya mean the one?" Hasil asked.

Shurn ignored him and continued to speak to the Bren'in. "You know him, G'win. You know his loyalties. His connections to this girl—"

"Sally Ann," Hasil interjected.

Shurn looked at Hasil and corrected herself. "His connections to Sally Ann give'im a perspective the rest of us don't got. They give'im even more motivation to strive for peace. He's got good reason to cooperate."

G'win studied Hasil for a few moments. "It's risky."

Hasil looked around at everyone, wondering if he'd missed something. "Uh…"

"Hasil, the Law from down the mountain been up here while you were in chains. They say we got rights and that there's gonna be a meeting… kinda like a circle… comin' up in a few months time. It's in our favor to have someone there to represent us and our ways. I can't do it. I'm bound to this here mountain. Now apparently Shurn believes the pull this girl— Sally Ann, has on you makes you a good choice to be the one goin' back and forth between our worlds, but I seen two sides to love. I've seen it pure and upliftin', and I seen it blindin' and poisonous. Can you be trusted, Hasil Farrell, to take this job and prepare for this meetin' with only the best interest of your family in your mind and your heart?"

"Y-Yes… Bren'in. Couldn't be no other way."

"All in favor of electin' Hasil Farrell as representative of this mountain, our people, and our ways, say aye."

The elders seemed to have more faith in Hasil than G'win as they unanimously agreed. "It is done then," she said. "Tomorrow you will take an ATV down the mountain to officially accept your position. Make plans to arrive in town just after dawn. Understand, this is no endorsement of your relationship with Sally Ann. I cannot do that."

"Are you askin' me not t'see her?"

G'win looked him in the eyes. He could see the conflict there between G'win the woman who has loved a man with everything in her heart and G'win the Bren'in who must objectively lead. "I am saying that I do not endorse the relationship. Meetin' adjourned."

Hasil walked back to his cabin and sat on his bed. He was proud that the elders trusted him with this new responsibility, but he was also nervous about what exactly it would entail. A knock on his door freed him from his worrisome thoughts. "C'mon in Foster."

"So I'm guessin' you accepted?"

Hasil simply nodded.

"Well I'm sure the Bren'in was kickin' herself for scarin' Asa off. He woulda been perfect for the job."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, cousin."

"I don't mean it like that… but you probably oughta bathe before you go down there," he said, staring at Hasil's grungy tank top. "And wear somethin' nice."

"I ain't gotta be told to bathe cousin." Hasil laughed. "I got a girl down there always smell like a bouquet of damn wildflowers." His laughter faded away into a small smile. "It's nice."

"Yeah, well… I'll leave ya t'think 'bout that."

Hasil parked the ATV in an alley around the corner from the police station. He wasn't sure if that was even where he was supposed to go, but he figured someone there would be able to point him in the right direction. It was still early. Most of the town was still asleep. Hasil decided to take a walk and found himself drifting in the direction of Sally Ann's house. He didn't see the car in the driveway, which was a good sign, but a little more investigation was called for before he knocked on the front door. He crept around the perimeter of the house, making sure not to be seen or heard. He didn't know which window belonged to Sally Ann and all of them were too high up to see into anyway. He stood quietly underneath one, closed his eyes, and listened, as if he were hunting. It was silent as could be. He walked around to the next one and saw that it was open a bit. He found a small pebble, threw it at the glass, and quickly hid behind a tree. He peered around it and was relieved to see Sally Ann's face appear inside the house. She just as quickly disappeared. Feeling braver, Hasil trotted back over to the window and called her named quietly. "Sally Ann?"

Her face reappeared. "Hasil? Hey—What are you doing here so early? What—"

"Is your brother home?"

She glanced behind herself. "No. He had an early shift. Left for work 'bout an hour ago."

He grinned up at her. "Then let me inside woman."

She laughed. "Okay. I'll go unlock the door, but make sure no one sees you coming up! I swear James has spies around here."

Hasil was pushing the front door open the moment Sally Ann got it unlocked, which almost made her jump out of her skin. "How'd you'd get up here so fast?"

"Shh," Hasil said, closing and locking the door behind him. He slipped an arm around her waist and pressed his lips against hers. "Did I wake ya?" he asked in between kisses.

"No," she said breathlessly as Hasil trailed his kisses down her neck. "I got up and made James breakfast… there's… leftovers… if you want…"

Hasil suddenly grabbed her under the butt and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist in response. "I got everythin' I need to feed my appetite right here." He kissed the hollow of her throat.

"Back there, to the right," she said, directing him to her bedroom.

He carried her in and pushed her back up against the door to close it. She wrapped her tongue around his and let her hands roam his back as he gripped her ass and slipped out of his boots. Sally Ann managed to get his kilt undone, which unceremoniously dropped to the floor. He stumbled over it and his shoes as he carried her over to the bed, making both of them laugh. He tossed her onto the bed and looked down at her, smiling, thinking about all the things he wanted to do to her.

"Stop!" Sally Ann shouted as Hasil started to lift up the hem of his shirt. He froze, confused. "Sorry," she said with a laugh. "I got your kilt off myself for once. Let me do the rest."

He smirked and let go of his shirt.

Sally Ann clambered off the bed. She pulled her pajama top over her head, revealing her full, bare breasts. This made Hasil take a step toward her. "Nuh uh. Wait," she said.

"You're killin' me. You know that?"

"I know," she said, grinning. She slipped out of her sleep shorts and underwear too and stood there in front of him. The look on his face as he gazed at her made her feel like the most beautiful, sexy woman on the planet. Finally she walked over and slipped her hands under his cream colored short-sleeve shirt. "This is a nice shirt. I don't think I've seen you in anything but tank tops."

Hasil gave some kind of sexy masculine grumble in response, telling her he had no interest in talking about his outfit. She smiled, freed him from the fabric, and kissed his chest. He ran his hands down her back and let them come to rest on her ass. She carefully lifted his hands away and returned them to his sides. "I don't have you undressed yet. Patience pays off. I promise." She kissed his lips and then moved to his throat and back to his chest. She slipped her fingers into the waist of his long underwear and dropped to her knees as she pulled them down. She looked up at him. "I promise."

Sally Ann rested completely on top of Hasil on her bedroom floor. They never made it to the bed. "Tammie's at a leadership conference. I've gotta go feed her goats." she said. "Wanna come?"

"Yeah, but there's somethin' I'm meant to do down here today first."

She rested her forearm against his chest to prop herself up and look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the Bren'in talked to me 'bout servin' as a representative of sorts… for the mountainfolk." He gently moved Sally Ann from atop him and sat up. "There's supposed to be some big meetin' we're getting' ready for."

"You mean the trial? They want you to be a liaison?"

Hasil shrugged his shoulders. "I guess."

"Are you gonna do it?"

"Yeah, I s'pose so." He slipped back into his underwear. "Seems like a win-win to me. It's what my family needs from me, and it also means I got good reason to come down the mountain. That means I get t'see you more."

"They asked me to do the same thing… to be the representative from this side."

"Is that good or bad?"

"I think it's good, Hasil. It means they trust that we can make choices that are good for both sides, but it's also a lot of pressure. I went up there a couple of days ago to see what it was all about, but I haven't given my answer yet." She pulled on the short robe hanging from her closet door knob and walked over to her desk. "They gave me this. They'll probably have one for you too." She handed him a folder filled with legal documents. He flipped through a couple of pages before tossing it back on the desk. He turned away from her in search of his shirt. "Why would they give that to me? Them papers don't mean nothin' to me and I'm sure they are well aware of it."

"They'll give it to you because they have to… but if you think this could be good for us... and for everyone, I'll say yes. I'll do it and we can help each other."

Hasil sighed. "You're the smart one. You mean you can help me." He hated the shameful feeling that was creeping over him.

"No. No I don't. That's not what I said. I can read those papers. I can help with that, but you actually know what it takes to keep your people thriving. You know how your society is structured and all the rules and what works and what doesn't. We could learn a lot from you all. I can learn a lot from you, Hasil. I can read, but that ain't the only thing that makes somebody smart. I can learn from you, and you can learn from me. Okay?"

"Alrigh'."

"I'm gonna go over to the station with you and give my answer." She gave Hasil a once over, admiring his clothes. She tossed him a comb. "You look good, but you've got sex hair. Go fix it while I get dressed."

Hasil left for the bathroom while Sally Ann pulled the pretty floral dress from her closet. Half an hour later she found him in the kitchen scavenging over the breakfast leftovers. "You about ready?" she asked.

He turned around, a piece of bacon hanging from his mouth. He chewed it up and swallowed it in a big gulp. "Sally Ann. Prettiest thing I've ever seen." He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her.

"You taste like bacon," she said.

"I know. It's good, ain't it…" he said, kissing her some more.

She laughed and pushed him away.

"Nah, don't you do that. You can't come out here lookin' that good in that dress and push me away."

She backed away from him and grabbed her purse, grinning. "If I don't push you away, it'll be another two hours before we get over to the precinct. Let's get this over with. Let's make it perfectly legal for us to be down here together."

Hasil kissed her once more. "'Kay. And just so you know, I'm gonna be workin' on makin' the same okay up the mountain. If they could get to know you, they'd understand why I am the way I am about ya." He could pick up on a little discomfort in her expression. "You know what my family means to me. You know how important it is to me that they accept you."

Sally Ann nodded. "I know…"

"It ain't the same Bren'in it was last time you was up the mountain. He is dead and gone and took a bunch of our problems with 'im to the grave. I ain't gonna lie and say they ready to welcome you with open arms, but I'm tellin' ya I'm workin' on it. I'll keep you safe when it's time to go back up. You know that, righ'?"

"I know." She smiled to reassure him and opened the front door.

"You walking with me? What about the spies?"

"I don't care. Like I said… we're about to make this okay by the law." The thought that they could just as easily be a couple headed to the courthouse to elope made her smile. "It doesn't really matter what anybody else thinks."

Hasil raised his eyebrows. "What about your brother?"

Sally Ann failed to answer that question. She stepped out onto the porch. "C'mon let's go do this. The goats are hungry."

Chapter Text

Sally Ann had her arms wrapped tightly around Hasil's waist and her face pressed into his shirt. "I don't want you to go."

She could feel his laugh rumble up from his chest before it made any noise. "Hey. C'mon. I'm gonna be comin' down more often now. And if you really need somethin' alls ya gotta do is ring me on this thing." He wiggled his new cell phone in his hand.

"Don't forget that it won't work if you take it all the way up the mountain."

"I know, I know. I ain't forget the plan that quick— Leave the phone somewhere where it still has bars and drive down on the ATV to check it everyday at four o'clock." He pointed at the four on his new watch.

Sally Ann had spent the day teaching Hasil how to work the cell phone and how to read numbers. Lucky for them both, he was a fast learner. He knew how to count, so teaching him how to use the watch wasn't hard, even if he forgot what one of the numbers looked like. Still, just in case he needed or wanted a reminder, she recorded a video of herself holding up the numbers and saying them out loud. The only contacts in his phone were the police station, Tammie, and Sally Ann… and she'd made sure to add pictures so he could see who was who until he could read names.

"Are you sure you're okay? You have the extra battery? Don't forget to put it in the baggie in case it rains. You remember how to record a message? Make sure—"

Hasil hugged her head as she continued to rattle off concerns. "Shh." He laughed. "I got it. I promise. You're a great teacher."

She broke free from his goofy embrace. "Thanks."

"Is that what school is like?" he asked. "Like me and you today?"

"Sorta." She laughed a little at the excited expression on his face. It was crazy, how eager he was to learn, how different he was from the group of apathetic classmates she remembered having. "Happy first day of school, Hasil."

"Thank ya kindly, Ms. Sally Ann."

"Oh don't be a suck up. Nobody likes a teacher's pet."

"I don't know what that means." He leaned in for a kiss. "You'll have to teach me that next time."

"I will. I'll see you the day after tomorrow, okay? We got our first meeting with the lawyers."

He smiled at her, amused at the way she double and triple checked everything, her subconscious tactic to delay their goodbye. He wrapped her up in a tight hug and she melted into him.

"I'll see ya soon." He kissed the top of her head and went to start up the ATV. "Go on home. I'll call when I find a good spot to leave the phone."

Sally Ann took her time walking home. It was the perfect temperature out and the sky was just starting to change colors as the sun began its descent. She knew she must have looked crazy, walking down the street with a stupid grin plastered on her face, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't known it was possible to feel so insanely happy and as good about herself as she did. She hadn't known it was possible to be as connected to another human being as she was to Hasil. That mountain magic became more real to her every second. The love between her and Hasil was as alive and strong as the heart beating in her chest. She wondered if this was what love felt like for everyone. If it was, movies and books did a shit job describing it.

Sally Ann came up on her street sooner than she wanted. She contemplated extending her walk, but thought better of it. It'd be dark soon and she had to work early in the morning. Plus, the thought of relaxing in her room while listening to some music and painting her nails was suddenly very appealing. As she approached her driveway, she saw that the car was parked crooked. It wasn't a good sign, but it was one she'd gotten used to picking up on. James was usually meticulous about how the car was parked. Sally Ann had gotten chewed out on more than one occasion for allowing half a centimeter of tire to touch the grass. She was almost certain that he'd been drinking. "James?" she called out when she got in the house.

He was sitting in his chair, beer in hand, eyelids drooping.

The sight of him immediately put a damper on her good mood. "James you can't keep doing this. You can't keep drinking like this period, let alone getting in the car and—"

"It look like I care what you think about it?" His speech was slurred.

"James—"

He slammed his beer bottle on the table, causing some of the amber liquid to splash out. "I'll be dammed if I'm gonna let my loose ass little sister tell me what I can and can't do."

Sally Ann took a few angry steps toward her brother. "I'll be dammed if I'm gonna let you keep disrespecting me in my own house." She wasn't having it. She wasn't going to let him tear her down. Not today, not ever again.

"Disrespect? You wanna talk about disrespect?" He stood. "How come I got Pastor King callin' me again talkin' bout you walkin' around town with that hillbilly ass piece of trash?"

She felt her blood pressure spike at the mention of Pastor King. "I don't know, James… probably because he is still mad that I turned him down for that date and now he can't mind his own damn business."

"Oh you sayin' it's true then?"

Sally Ann shrugged her shoulders. "Why does it matter? Why do you care so much?"

"'Cause you're my sister! 'Cause ain't nobody else lookin' out for you but me—"

"And Pastor King, apparently." She rolled her eyes and instantly James's entire demeanor changed. He seemed bigger, taller and more aggressive. She felt herself grow smaller in the shadow of it and hated it, but forced herself to stay mentally strong.

"You think you grown?" he asked, getting in her face.

"Yes, I do. I am. What I do, or who I do it with is none of your—"

James shoved her shoulder, hard, causing her to stumble back a few steps. "I'm your brother. Everything you do is my business."

He shoved her again and that was the last straw. She pushed him back, creating space between them. "I can't do this anymore. I'm not gonna let you keep bullyin' me, James. I'm done. I'm going to stay at Tammie's."

He grabbed for her as she tried to go to her room, but she pushed him again, this time causing him to fall over in a drunken stupor. She ran to her bedroom. Rage forced tears from her eyes as she shoved random clothes into a duffle bag. James was screaming from the hall and banging on her door. She fished her cell phone from her purse and called Tammie.

"Hey girlie! What's up?"

"Tammie?" She was unable to control the trembling in her voice.

"Sally Ann? Are you okay? Why are you whispering?"

"Tammie I need you to come and get me. I need to stay with you for a while."

"Where are you? What's goin' on?"

Sally Ann could already hear Tammie's car keys jangling as she rushed out to her car.

"I'm at home. I—"

James's banging grew louder and more insistent. "Sally Ann open the goddamn door!"

"Just hurry up, okay?"

"Is that James?" Tammie asked. "Is he— I'm callin' the police, Sally Ann. And I'm on my way."

The line went dead and Sally Ann continued packing her bag. She was almost finished when James's persistent beating on the door caused one of the panels to crack. She heard him shout in pain and listened. His voice grew faint as he moved into the living room. She used the opportunity to dart from her bedroom to the bathroom to gather more of her things. By the time she was done packing, it was silent in the rest of the house. She peeked into the living room to see if he had passed out. He hadn't. He was sitting on the couch with a kitchen towel wrapped around a bleeding fist.

"Sally Ann, don't go."

"I can't stay here, James. You need help. You need help for your drinking and anger and—"

"I don't need anything 'cept for you to go put that bag away and talk to me."

"I've tried talking to you. You don't listen." Sally Ann turned to go wait for Tammie on the front porch. She didn't even take five steps before she felt her brother's meaty hand wrap around her wrist.

"James. Let me go."

His grip didn't loosen, even as she yanked and pulled in attempt to free herself.

"Let me go," she said again. "You're hurting me."

His grip tightened to the point that her hand began to go numb. Two loud honks from outside startled him into letting go, but she had been struggling so hard against him that it caused her to fall backwards into the mini bar. She hit her head and glass shattered all around her. Liquor and blood dampened her clothes in various places.

James opened his mouth, but didn't speak a word. The look on his face explained just how horrible he felt. He reached toward her to help her up.

"Don't." Sally Ann rose to her feet. "You need help. I'm not comin' back here, and I'm not speakin' to you until you get it." She picked up her duffle bag and walked out the door. Tears and blood from a wound near her hairline were clouding her vision, but she could hear the distinctive rumble of Tammie's truck coming up the road. Sally Ann walked to the end of the driveway where the truck screeched to a stop.

"What the hell happened?" Tammie jumped out and slammed the door. "What the hell did he do?"

"I fell. It's not as bad as it looks. I—"

Tammie placed her thumb on Sally Ann's forehead and gently pulled at the edges of the wound there. "It's not that bad my ass. That thing needs stitches 'less you want an ugly scar. We need to get you to the urgent care. Come on." She took Sally Ann's bag and tossed it into the bed of the truck. "Need somethin' to stop that bleedin'." She opened the passenger door and dug around in the glove box where she pulled out a giant handful of napkins from various fast food places. "Press that to your head. You'll be alright. Head wounds just bleed a lot."

"I know. I'm fine. It hardly even hurts." She was feeling some odd sense of euphoria, but she couldn't be certain if it was because she finally freed herself from her brother's oppressive watch, or because she'd hit her head a little too hard.

Tammie helped Sally Ann into the truck just as two police cruisers pulled up. The first officer out of his car took one look at Sally Ann and immediately placed his hand on his weapon, ready. "Ms. Sally Ann are you okay? What happened?"

Sally Ann glanced at Tammie, getting the tiny bit of reassurement she needed. "James is an alcoholic. He needs help before he hurts himself or somebody else."

"Did he do that? Did he cut you?" the officer asked.

"No. He was trying to stop me from leavin' and I fell, but I can't stay there with him."

"She's gonna stay with me," Tammie said. "I need to drive her over to Doc's so she can get these cuts closed up. If you need another statement from her, you can find us there."

Tammie hopped in the driver's seat and put the truck in drive. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not much to say really. He found out I was seein' Hasil again. I'm relieved if I'm honest. I'm sick of sneakin' around. Do you think James will get in trouble?"

"Nothin' serious, unless you press charges, but Officer Norman is good with addicts. I should know."

Sally Ann peered at her friend through one eye.

Tammie glanced over at her and smiled. "Not me. Daddy. Norman'll keep him locked up for a day or two, teach him a lesson and if he really wants help, he'll get him hooked up with the right people."

"What if he doesn't want help?"

"Well, that's always a possibility, but you know, there ain't no doubt your brother loves you. Loves ya too hard. I dunno if you know, but your brother and I were kinda close back in the day."

Sally Ann raised an eyebrow. "Close like how? Do I even want to know?"

"Not like that. Well actually I… never mind. We were good friends is all. Good enough that I'm confident that whatever happened in that house today will set him right."

The sun had fully set by the time they arrived at the urgent care facility. Tammie went to pick up the paperwork while Sally Ann found a place to sit. Her adrenaline had subsided and revealed quite the throbbing headache. She checked her phone. James had called her three times and sent eleven text messages. She didn't care to read any of them. She put her phone on silent and dropped it into her bag.

Tammie brought over the paperwork and Sally Ann quietly filled it out until she was called back to see the doctor. She returned to the waiting room an hour later with nine stitches on her forehead and four on her shoulder. The rest of her cuts were tiny enough to heal on their own.

"Well look at you, bride of Frankenstein," Tammie said.

Sally Ann sighed. "Really, Tammie? Really?"

She laughed. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. Let's get you home. Your new home."

They got to the house and Tammie heated them up some leftover chicken stew. "I sleep in the room down here, so you can have your pick from any of the three upstairs. And make yourself at home, okay?"

"Okay. I will… but shouldn't we talk about rent or—"

"This house is long ago paid off. You can split the utilities with me and help out with the animals and upkeep. Time is worth more than gold. What do you say?"

"I can do that."

"It's settled then. Now watch some House Hunters with me and then go rest."

The girls settled on the couch and turned on the TV. Sally Ann watched several couples find their dream home before falling asleep. It was one in the morning the next time she opened her eyes. At some point Tammie had thrown a comforter over her and abandoned her. She sat up, stretched, and made the transition upstairs. She already knew which room she wanted. The one next to the bathroom had big windows and a relaxing beach theme. Sally Ann unpacked all of her stuff before plugging in her dead phone and snuggling into bed. She turned the phone on and this time dozens of messages from James were mixed with a couple from Hasil. She was far more interested in what Hasil had to say. She held the phone up to her ear and immediately pulled it away. She'd have to remind him that he didn't need to shout.

"Hello, Sally Ann? It's me, Hasil. But I s'pose maybe you know that. Right. Well I was expectin' ya to answer so I didn't really plan a message to leave. Just wanted t'hear your voice… Anyway, I'm almost back home now. I'm gonna hang around here for a little bit and try ya again before I go all the way back up. Bye." There was some rustling and the sound of Hasil humming.

"Hang up the phone, babe." Sally Ann giggled until the message timed itself out. She opened up the next one, which was sent about forty-five minutes later.

"Sally Ann? I'm not sure if I'm doin' this right…I think maybe you need to change your battery. I'm gonna go on back to my place now, but I'll try callin' ya again tomorrow and I'll see ya the day after that."

Sally Ann woke to Tammie gently shaking her. "Hey Sally Ann. I'm goin' on to work now."

She yawned and glanced at the clock. "Thanks for wakin' me. I forgot to set an alarm."

"You don't need to come in today. I got Ashley to cover for you."

"You didn't need to do that, Tammie. I'm fine."

"Yeah, well the doc said you might have some pain or headaches. I'll pick up your prescription and bring it to you at lunch. Take it easy."

Sally Ann did just that for a couple of hours. She sat in bed and browsed the internet on her phone, pausing every now and then to replay Hasil's voicemails. She continued to ignore the messages from her brother.

By the time Tammie came home, Sally Ann had cleaned the house and made them lunch.

"You really didn't need to do all of this," Tammie said. She took a big bite of her fresh pesto penne and licked her lips. "Well, this I don't mind, but you didn't need to clean the whole house."

"It's nothin'. I didn't have anything else to do."

Tammie nodded. "How are you feelin'?"

"Fine." She gently touched the stitches on her forehead. "Just started throbbin' a bit."

"Well the pharmacist said to take the painkiller after lunch. That should help. Might make you sleepy though." Tammie studied Sally Ann's appearance for a moment. "Don't you and Hasil have your meetin' with the lawyers tomorrow?"

She nodded, mouth full of food.

"What do you think Hasil will say when he sees you?"

Sally Ann swallowed her food and took a big sip of water. "I've tried not to think about that. The last time he saw James…"

"I remember that story. James should be thankful that he'll be locked up for a couple of days."

"Yeah. He should." Sally Ann really didn't like imagining what would happen if Hasil were able to get his hands on her brother, but now she couldn't get it out of her head. She reached for her prescription bag. "Sleep sounds good."

It seemed like no time had passed before Sally Ann found herself being awoken once again. This time it was by the sound of her cell phone buzzing on the end table. It was dark outside. She was shocked to see that it was six o'clock in the morning. Her phone went to voicemail before she was able to answer it. It was Hasil. Before she could hit the button to call him back, her phone was ringing again.

"Hello?"

"Sally Ann?"

"Hey. It's early. Are—"

"Are you okay?"

"Ye—"

"I been callin' you like we planned, but you haven't been pickin' up."

Sally Ann felt bad. She wanted to return Hasil's call from the night of her fight with James, but she didn't know what to say. She knew she couldn't explain what happened over the phone and it seemed wrong to call and act like nothing had happened. She hadn't meant to sleep through his four o'clock check in, but the pills really knocked her out. She put him on speaker and walked to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

"Hello?"

"I'm still here and I'm sorry." She squinted in the bright light of the bathroom and turned on the faucet. "I fell asleep really early yesterday."

"Well what's wrong, are you sick?"

Sally Ann looked at her reflection in the mirror. She really didn't want him to see her like this. He'd find out eventually, but if she could hold him off for a couple more days, at least that give enough time for the swelling around her stitches to go down. "Uh— Yeah— I'm not feelin' so great, Hasil. I think I might just sleep in. I'm sure we can reschedule our meeting."

"Yeah, okay. I'll come take care of ya."

"No, Hasil. You don't need to do that. Just stay home."

"Well that'd be kinda hard seein as how I'm already in town."

Her heartrate quickened just slightly. "What? Why? The meetin' isn't for another seven hours."

"Uh, well I thought you might've wanted to spend some time together before it."

Now she felt bad and adjusted her tone. "Yeah of course. It's just really early."

"Yeah, Sally Ann, it is. But I ain't heard from ya at all and you told me to be expectin' messages every day. I wanted t'make sure you was okay. I still do. So if ya don't mind, I'm gonna head your way."

The line was quiet.

"What is it? Your brother's home?"

"No… no, I'm at Tammie's actually."

"Oh. Okay… well do you think she'll mind if I come 'round?"

"Uh no, no she won't mind. Do you remember how to get here?"

"I remember. I'll see you soon."

Hasil got back on his ATV. Sally Ann was acting really strange. He wished he knew exactly what she was sick with so he could get something to help her feel better. He'd picked up enough from G'win over the years to know how to treat the symptoms of most common ailments with things from nature. He spotted a field full of wildflowers a little way up and figured some flowers would at least make her smile.

Hasil knocked on the front door to Tammie's house half an hour later.

She opened the door with a big smile on her face. "Hey, Hasil."

Hasil nodded his head. "Mornin' Ms. Tammie. I got ya these." He handed her a bunch of flowers. He had a separate bunch for Sally Ann.

"Oh, thank you! That's sweet of ya. I'll put them in some water. Sally Ann is upstairs. I've gotta go on to the shop so y'all take care."

"Alrigh'. Have a good day."

Hasil went up the stairs and found the room where Sally Ann was sleeping. Her back was to him and she was balled up under the covers. He knocked on the doorframe gently. She barely budged so he went and sat on the end of the bed. He grasped her feet through the covers and spoke gently. "Sally Ann?"

She peeked her head out from beneath the blankets. She'd strategically placed a bandana on so that it covered the stitches on her forehead. "Hi."

"Hey," he said with a warm smile. "I got ya somethin'." He briefly held up the flowers and then placed them on the nightstand.

"Thank you. They're pretty."

"You're pretty." He tapped her nose. "What's wrong? Girls night get a little too crazy?"

Sally Ann sat up and forced a smile, not really sure what to say. She wasn't feeling bad at all. She'd only said that in an effort to keep Hasil away. "No." She didn't meet his eyes.

"Well c'mon then. Tell me what's the matter. I do somethin' wrong?"

That made her look up at him. "No. No, of course not. I— Well, you have to promise not to get all worked up."

He raised an eyebrow. "Now you're makin' me nervous."

Sally Ann huffed out a laugh, feeling exactly the same as Hasil. She reached for the glass of water on her nightstand and the sleeve of her shirt rose up as she did. She saw him see it, the bruising on her wrist, but she tried to hide it anyway by quickly tucking her hands back under the covers. She wanted to explain before he saw anything. It looked so much worse than it was.

Hasil gave a small laugh. "Now hold on a minute. What was that?"

"What was what?"

Hasil grimaced. "I ain't daft, Sally Ann. What'd you do to your wrist?"

She couldn't get the words out so she just sat there instead. Eventually Hasil reached for her arm. He gently pulled her hand from the covers and looked at her wrist. He studied it for a few seconds before carefully turning her hand palm side up. There, on the inside of her wrist were undeniable finger shaped bruises. Hasil gently traced the marks with his fingertips before pushing her shirt sleeve farther up her arm and revealing tiny cuts here and there. He let her arm rest on the bed and continued to look at it as he spoke. "What happened?"

Sally Ann didn't like the tone of his voice. It was too calm— obvious that he was carefully trying to control his emotions.

"Hasil..."

He continued to stare down at the bed.

"Hasil, James and I–"

"I swear," he said through gritted teeth. He looked up at her, searching for any other signs of injury. His eyes focused on the paisley fabric covering her forehead.

"James and I had a fight and it all just got a little out of control. I left though," she said, trying to reassure him. "I moved out. I live here with Tammie now."

He didn't seem to be listening. He was hyper focused on her head.

"Hasil?"

He raised his hand up and carefully pulled the bandana from her head, revealing the long set of stitches. He dropped the bandana on the floor and slowly stood from his position on the bed.

"He at home right now?"

Sally Ann scrambled from underneath the covers. "No. No, Hasil. He's not."

"I told him. I warned him last time. Where is he?"

Sally Ann noticed how tense his muscles were as he paced back and forth. "Hasil calm down. What are you even thinking right now? You can't—"

Hasil linked his fingers behind his head. He tried taking a deep breath to relax, but it did nothing. "Where is he?"

"Hasil—"

"Dammit, Sally Ann, tell me where he is!" He pushed the dresser hard, causing some bottles to fall to the floor with a crash. Sally Ann reached for his arm, but he turned around so suddenly and out of control that she flinched. Hasil's rage dissipated at the sight of it. He reached for her, but she took a step back, which all but broke his heart. "Don't— You ain't got no reason to be afraid of me, Sally Ann. I wouldn't— I would never hurt you. Do you know that?"

She didn't answer for a few seconds. The moment had sent her right back to the other day with James. She knew in her heart that this was different in the ways that mattered, but at the core of it, she was tired of the men in her life using their love for her to fuel their anger. She appreciated that Hasil wanted to defend her. It made her feel safe, but more than that, she needed to feel heard. She was angry and she wanted him to feel it. She used a few moments of silence and avoiding eye contact to do the job.

After a while he reached a hand toward her. When she didn't back away, he took her fingertips in his, gentle as ever and sat on the edge of the bed, purposely putting himself in a less intimidating position. "Tell me ya know I wouldn't hurt you," he said.

She knew it with everything in her heart, but that didn't mean he didn't have his own anger issues too. She'd seen how badly he beat up James, and that was when they barely knew each other. She couldn't have been sure that Hasil wouldn't have killed him this time. She'd seen the way he beat up that police officer too, that time at Naomi's house. She knew Hasil would always protect her, but she wasn't sure he understood how far was too far. She wasn't sure he understood that by protecting her, he could get taken away from her forever.

"Sally Ann?"

"I know, Hasil. You just startled me. You gotta calm down and you gotta listen to me. There's nothin' you need to do about James. There's nothin' you can do. We called the police. He's gonna get help for his drinkin' and anger." She could tell that he wasn't satisfied by this answer, even though he tried to hide it. "Hasil, I don't know how y'all do it up the mountain, but down here, you can't just go around beatin' people up. You can get in serious trouble."

"Then is James in serious trouble, for what he done to you? Because all I heard you say is he is gettin' help and that don't add up in my brain." He tapped his temple. "Is that justice down here? You do wrong and you get help, you do good and you get hurt? Explain it to me Sally Ann, 'cause I don't get it."

"James isn't in serious trouble because he didn't do anything serious, not intentionally." At that she saw his eye twitch and jaw tense. "Listen to me. The cuts, it was an accident, but I'm not stupid. He didn't do anything serious this time, but I could see things escalatin' in the future. I could see that he has it in him and that's why I want him to get help now. I want him to get help because he is my brother and I care about him. Don't tell me you don't know how it feels to care about someone who's done wrong by you."

Hasil sighed and looked up at Sally Ann. "I ain't ever gonna see eye to eye with ya when it comes to him, Sally Ann. I ain't. You're the most important thing to me and I've seen him hurt you and that won't ever be okay with me. I won't ever forgive him. I won't ever trust him. I'm madder than I've ever been, but I'm gonna show you that makin' you happy means more to me than gettin' revenge." He kissed her stomach through her night shirt and looked back up at her. "You mean more."

She ran her hand over the top of his head.

"I'm sorry I startled you and I'm sorry I didn't listen," he added.

She took a seat on his lap and kissed him. "I know."

"Do you forgive me?"

Sally Ann gave a small grin. "Not yet."

Hasil kept his face neutral, hesitant to play along too easily and risk seeming like he wasn't honestly sorry. "What do I needa do to earn your forgiveness?"

Sally Ann shrugged and crawled off his lap, finding her own space on the bed. "I have a few ideas."

He let himself smile. "Oh you do?"

She nodded and broke into a few giggles. "Yeah."