03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
It was nearly 11 and Kate still wasn't home. Late night at the diner, Brodie assumed, so he waited up for her like he always did when he could. Many nights of the week his own job had him rolling in after everyone had settled in bed, but every now and then the deputies took over and Brodie got to tuck his kids in. He'd never say it out loud, but he looked forward to getting to wait for Kate more than putting the kids to bed.
He lit a candle and set it in the window, a fire hazard for sure but he thought it would be a little piece of romance. He'd cleaned the kitchen for her. He tried to do little things here and there to show his appreciation. He'd noticed something hadn't been right between them lately. He was hoping to sweep her off her feet when she came in, take her to his bed, and revisit a pastime they'd been neglecting of late.
Brodie was alert and waiting so he heard when her car pulled into the driveway. He went to the door, thinking about how long it would take her to get out and approach, and aimed to open it just as she approached.
It had been a crazy and exhausting day at the diner. Prom night, so Rosie’s has been packed with teenagers since 4 o’clock until closing with a small lull once prom had started but picking up again just an hour, maybe two, later. It was honestly a miracle that she had made it home before midnight.
As she pulled into the driveway all she could think about was getting out of her clothes that smelled like grease, taking a shower, and getting off her feet, which were killing her by the way.
Her dark hair was pulled up in a pony with several strands that had fallen out over the course of the day, and she pulled her purse over her shoulder as she got out of the car. She noticed the glow of a candle in the window as she approached the house but was too tired to think much of it.
She was reaching for the doorknob when it suddenly opened and her heart leapt into her throat.
“Oh! Brodie! You scared me...” she said with her hand to her chest.
Scared her? Brodie frowned at her response, but his good mood--and intentions--washed the expression from his face and instead a pleased smile turned his lips.
"Welcome home." He said, stepping aside so she could enter without him crowding her. They had found a strange kind of stride in their chemistry, which required no public display of affection, only the little hints and looks they dropped here and there. Once the door was closed, however, he reached for her waist and would pull her back into him, hoping to press her back into his stomach as he hugged her.
"I miss you." She knew what he was talking about, because they saw each other every day.
Her frightened state quickly faded and as he smiled she smiled in return and stepped inside the house. "It's good be here finally." She said with a sigh from her long day. She stepped in, kicked off her shoes by the door, hung her purse up on the coat rack, and then his arms were around her.
The fit so well together, she had always thought so, as she naturally melted into him. There was affection there, real affection, but their relationship was still a secret and it was wearing on Kate in a major way. She loved this man. It had been five years since Trinity had died. Five years was a long time, was it really that terrible to move on? Even with her?
She closed her eyes as he held her. "I miss you too." She said, though there was a tinge of sadness in her tone.
Brodie heard the sadness, but he didn't know what to do with it--maybe she had a bad encounter at work--and he thought that if he helped her past it then she would feel better. He also didn't want to sit down and talk and turn this into something it needed to be. Couldn't they kiss, enjoy one another's company, and move on?
He moved her ponytail out of his way with his chin and then placed his lips to her neck.
"Mmm." He kept kissing. "You smell like fries. I love fries." If she didn't stop him then his hands would start to wander as he started to make his move, his intentions clear.
She loved this, feeling him, being with him. She loved him. She loved him more than she had ever loved another man. But she couldn’t clear her mind tonight. She wished she could just let him away her worries and fears but even though he knew the exact spot on her neck that made her melt instantly, she felt guarded.
She didn’t stop his actions, not yet. But she spoke instead. “You know what I heard today?” She asked.
Brodie groaned against her neck when she tried to talk again. What was going wrong? Was his kissing not passionate enough? Was he not right on the spot? He thought about ignoring her words--he didn't want to talk--but ignoring a woman speaking never bode well for the man. His kissing slowed and he let her go, bringing one of his hands up to the back of his neck to massage, as if she was paining him in that exact spot.
"Uh, no, I didn't." He said, a little sharply. Maybe he'd had a long day, too. Maybe this had been a bad idea. She would clearly be able to see that he was irritated--they'd lived together too long for her not to pick up on it. Brodie was generally an agreeable man but when things didn't go his way he struggled to maintain a straight face and not wear his emotions on his sleeve.
"Gonna tell me?" Maybe if she got out what she wanted to say then she would let him get back to her neck. He was doing it for them. Things were always better when they'd warmed a bed together.
Kate pursed her lips in discomfort from his tone. She hated when he got irritated liked this, maybe she should just forget it and go to bed with him. It's what she wanted after all. But she also wanted more than that and she'd been 'going with the flow' for long enough. So she steeled her nerve and didn't let his attitude deter her.
"[Younger sister's name] announced she was pregnant today." She said with a forced smile. "I'm happy for her, of course, thrilled. But," She sighed. "I don't know, Brodie. She's my younger sister. She's already married and now has a baby on the way. And I'm...here."
She looked down at her feet again before looking back up at him. "I love you." She told him, with meaning and sincerity in her tone. "All I want is to be with you. But I have to know Brodie, is this...going anywhere?" Her gaze was pleading. All she wanted was for him to want her as much as she wanted him. To sweet her off her feet, declare his undying love, and tell her that one day they could have it all. Marriage, a family, a relationship they weren't hiding from everyone.
Brodie listened, admiring Kate's beauty as she confronted him. His admiration melted away with her words. She didn't sound happy for her sister. In fact, she sounded jealous. Envious. He didn't see what was wrong with 'here'. She was loved and had a family 'here'. What more did she want?
"I love you too, Kate." He said, with meaning but impatience instead of sincerity. "But what I'm hearing you say is that it isn't enough for you. What is wrong with this? With us? You have a home, you have a man, you basically have children," he lifted his hand towards the stairs when he said that, gesturing to where his son and daughter slept.
"Why is this not enough for you? It was enough for Trinity. What more do you need? Fancy clothes? New purses?" The sheriff was no liar, but right now he was playing dumb. He knew what she wanted. He knew she wanted to be married. She probably wanted kids of her own. The issue: it wasn't what he wanted. Not right now. How would the town look at him if he married his dead wife's sister? What would they say? And more kids? No thank you.
His statement pained her as she motioned towards the stairs. She loved those kids fiercely. She didn't want to lose what she had here, but she could be content to live this way forever?
"Don't do that." She said as he mentioned Trinity, a tone of sadness in her voice but also a bit of indignation that he was assuming she wanted more physical items. "Trinity was your wife. She was yours, completely. I love being here. I love my life, I do. But I want a husband. I want to share my life with you, all the way, no secrets. I want to be a family, a real family."
She did want kids of her own too, but that could be brought up later.
Brodie was as frustrated as she was becoming. If he were in a different state he'd possibly see her side of things, but his own indignation clouded his judgement, and he set his foot down in such a way that would prevent him from budging on this topic. They had never argued much at all. It felt wrong.
"Yes, she was my wife, and your sister, and now she's gone--gone but not forgotten, Kate." He started to raise his voice but remembered himself, and the kids. Best not to wake them. "I can't just pretend she was never here. The town won't pretend. This--you, me, it's a secret for a reason. It's not wrong, I know that, but it isn't entirely right, either. We come out to the town and suddenly questions come up. How long have they been together? Were they together before Trinity died?" Clearly his fear of losing points on his reputation was keeping him from moving forward with Kate. It was sad but true.
"Life isn't easy. We can't just do whatever the hell we want because we want it. We have to be reasonable. You may not be my wife on paper or with a ring, but can't you see that you're everything to me?" He would have been more vulnerable when saying it, but he was guarded.
Kate listened with eyes starting to moisten. She may have started to retort in the beginning but then he kept going and she certainly didn't want to interrupt him while their conversation was getting heated. "Of course they'll ask questions, it's a small town. But the people love you here. They want you to be happy. And Brodie, it's been five years. Five. Years. That's no small amount of time."
She sighed, pulling her hair out of it's tie and running her fingers through her hair to loosen the tresses. The release of pressure was a relief. His last words had her eyes brimming with emotion. "You and those kids are my whole world." She told him. "If I wasn't her sister...would you be with me then?" She had a feeling she knew the answer but maybe she would be wrong.
"They want me to be happy with the right woman. Right defined by them." She could probably tell he was a little sick of it. Sick of caring about what they thought about his life. He wanted to throw his hands up in the air and forget about them...but he couldn't. This town was too small and he didn't plan on going anywhere anytime soon.
Kate changed the tune, a little, leaving Brodie staggering mentally.
"That isn't a fair question." He said sternly, quietly. "You are her sister. Don't throw hypotheticals at me."
It was frustrating. Living in a small town like this, so much of your life was dictated by other people. Maybe they could just run away, start over. But that was impossible. Brodie was the sheriff. He couldn't just uproot his kids, not after what they had already been through. That wouldn't be fair to them. It was selfish. Besides, Kate didn't want to leave. She loved this tiny town.
She sighed as he refused to answer. "Okay, fine. Just tell me this then..." She took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "Will that ever change? Would there ever be a day when you would marry me?"
Brodie reached up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose when Kate said 'okay, fine'. It wasn't okay. It wasn't fine. He knew it. She was getting herself upset about all this and it really wasn't fair. What did she expect Brodie to do? She was only thinking about herself. Not the kids. Not Brodie. This was about her and what she wanted. That was what he thought, anyway. She was pushing them apart as if it was what she had wanted all along.
"I don't know, Kate." He snapped, still quiet, throwing his arms out to either side of him. "I don't know. I know you won't be happy. No answer I can give right now will make you happy." He stepped to the side, as if to pace, and shook his head, making a sound as if he was laughing but mirthlessly.