Chapter Text
"We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when. But I know we'll meet again some sunny day" - Vera Lynn
The sun shone through the windows, brighter it seemed than most days, fitting almost for the start of a new chapter in the lives of Alison, Mike and Mia. Everything was covered in white dust sheets, save labelled cardboard boxes with the few things Alison and Mike owned or bought whilst they lived at the house. The stairs creaked less than usual as Alison walked down them, slowly taking in the familiar rooms for the last time. Did she want to leave? Obviously not, her heart was still firmly attached to the place. Yet she had to, for Mike, for Mia, for the chance at a better life. After all, this house was, as Mike put it, "a money pit" that drained through their shared savings faster than Thomas could say "Byron was a tosspot". She walked out, closing the doors with a soft thud for the last time, locking eyes with Mike who had hauled the last of the boxes out. "This feels weird, like I'm going somewhere I don't want to and not coming back. Or like that time the ghosts pranked me in April." Alison had tears in her eyes. Mike rushed to comfort her, rubbing her back like he always did. Mia was strapped into her car seat, the Captain knelt by it cooing to her, a wide grin plastered all over her face. Mike strapped Mia into the car, making sure she was secure. Alison then got in the car, giving the ghosts a final wave. "Godspeed!" Cap exclaimed. "Safe travels! Don't be strangers!" Pat cried out. Mike got in, shutting the door and revving the engine. Alison just stared out of the front windscreen as Mike pulled out of the driveway and down the long road towards the gate, the ghosts waving them off, and behind them the house became a blur. They pulled out of the gate, finally leaving behind their home of six years. "I think we've made the right choice, Ali. This is for the best, you know, our new house is quite the charmer." Mike was right, Horseshoe Cottage was indeed the charmer, a quaint Victorian property with hidden potential they had yet to discover. Yet, the cottage was a half an hour drive away. A drive Alison and Mike still had to face without pulling over to let Ali cry.