A Flash from the Past: A Sunset Coven One-shot

Another simple, pointless, carefree scene that is super cheesy and so sweet (in a way), it'll give you diabetes. And somehow this turned out longer than I wanted.

Merry Christmas.

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Jime loved rainstorms. Occasionally. She loved curling up in her rocking chair by the window watching the rain roll down the window, or sitting in the office on the floor in front of the fireplace with a new manuscript that had to be translated. It brought her family together, kept them close as they sat around and laughed, cooked together, or just did separate things in the same room. It was soothing, cozy. But most importantly, she loved what followed the rain.

The sun. 

Bright and warm. 

The chill of the autumn air redden her cheeks, the breeze playing with her hair. She sat on the stump at the bottom of the hill a half hours walk from her small but comfortable house, kicking at the wet leaves. The rain had stopped sometime overnight, taking the cold gray nights and leaving the new showered days that brightening her mood. After three days of rain, Jime felt depressed, drained. She couldn’t wait until they could all be together again, where she’d be busy looking after everyone, spending the day playing with her children and nights playing with her husband. Family centered her, was her go too. 

Splash

With large new puddles. 

“Come Mama,” Galeno, her smart, charming, but dirty three year old son called out before taking a running start and splashing into another muddy puddle. 

There was no used trying to keep him clean. Her son attracted dirt like cow dung attacked flies, and no amount of bathing or changing his clothing made a difference. Some time ago she figured the best thing to do was keep him that way. He still bathed regularly but she wasn’t going out of her way to keep him that way. He’d grow out of it. Eventually. Hopefully. He did take after his father, so she wasn’t holding out hope. 

It was her husband she sat waiting for. He’d left with their ten year eight year old son Reyes for the market four nights ago to sell the fruits and vegetables they’d harvested this past season. Though not much, if they managed to sell it all, that money would get through comfortably through the upcoming winter

“Mama,” Galeno called out. “Come splash.” He jumped in the nearest puddle, showing her how it was done. 

He was adorable, she’d do anything for him, but she wasn’t going to jump in a puddle, her boots no resistance against the water. 

“Mama will get sick if she gets her feet wet.” That sounded plausible, right? “You jump for me, a really big jump.” 

And that’s exactly what he did, jumping so high and hard over and over that the water sprayed up, splashing her face a bit. She wiped her cheek with her cloak. 

The click-clacking of hooves alerted Jime that someone walked up the path. 

“Papa!” Galeno cheered and raced down the path, launching into the air for his father to catch him. 

A broad smile overtook her face. She coughed, covered her mouth, more so to hide the smile. She missed her husband. Loved her him dearly, not that she’d ever let on just how much. It’ll go straight to his head, the conceited fool. 

He was stubborn and had his unrefined moments at times, like when he laughed with his mouth full of food, or when he tracked mud in the house, returning home covered head to toe in dirt with Galeno following behind like a small shadow while she and Reyes sat in the house with their faces planted in books, only to be covered in dirt when he shook off like a dog. His manners were nonexistent, one of the many reasons her parents never approved of him.

But Jime would be the first to admit that she was shallow, was first attracted to him because he was…well, attractive. Pretty he was not. Handsome too tame. He was rough, masculine, and alluring. Tall, dark, and handsome. And had a strange addiction to running around his farm land, and the village, with is shirt off, smears of dirt for his gardens along his back and chest, bandages wrapped around his wrist, causing the female population to melt like chocolate on a hot summer day.

Back then she’d been a headstrong teenager, defying her parents' orders to stay away from that Catalan boy. 

See how well that worked out.

“Wife! You sit down when your husband returns? Insolent creature,” he said, tucking their youngest under his arm like a sack of potatoes.

Jime rose to her feet and walked forward…right past her husband. She gathered Reyes in her arms. 

“I’ve missed you,” she said, kissing his forehead. “The house feels so empty without you around.” 

Her husband snorted. Reyes kissed her cheek. 

“Hello Mama.”

“Did you enjoy your first journey?” she asked. 

He glanced at his dad then back at her. “It was fun. I’ve learned a lot,” he leaned forward and whispered, “It was long and boring and please don’t tell Papa I said that.”

She smiled and ruffled his hair. Unlike Galeno who was a mini replica of his father, Reyes was of her own ilk, would rather sit with a novel or eat delicious foods then be surrounded by a dozen people. 

“I grow tired of you woman,” his eyes narrowed, but his tone saying anything but. 

“Then sit in your carriage and let the horses carry you if you are tired,” she replied. “What do you want me to do?” 

He snagged her arm, pulling her into him, planting a kiss smack-dab on her lips. 

“Hi.”

“Welcome back. How did you fare?”

“All went well. We made a nice bit of coin, as expected when it comes to anything from our farm.”

Jime brushed her thumb across his jaw. “You need to bathe, as soon as we reach the house.”

“Aw, but I thought I smelled lovely,” he replied.

Reyes chuckled dryly.

“You smell like four days travel,” she said.

He sat Galeno on his feet. “And all this time I thought I smelled like roses.”

Jime rolled her eyes. Stepping out of his embrace, she took his hand and lead them all up the path to their houses. 

He held a single perfect valentia rose before her. “Like this rose.” His smile infectious. 

The corners of her lips curling, Jime took the rose and held it to her nose. 

Jime shook her head, letting the memory of when life had been simple, before her she learned of the creatures in the dark and the terrors of the world, fade, though she swore she could still smell the perfume of that rose. 

Umbrella up to protect herself from the rain, Jime stood at the edge of the road across from her brother’s house. Although night had fallen three hours ago, she could see inside the house clearly. Her sister-in-law had a thing for glass, and being the love-sick puppy that he could be for his wife, her brother fashioned their house entirely out of glass and mirrors. Cool, as it blended in with its surroundings, easy to miss if one didn’t look close enough. But creepy since everyone and their momma could see inside. Just creepy. 

And like a creep, she stood there and watched the only family she had left, her scowling brother, his conniving but sweet wife, and their to smart and conservative ten year old daughter. Tonight she wasn’t going to visit personally, not wanting to intrude on what looked like game night. Besides, she wasn’t at her best, hadn’t been for a while now feeling vulnerable and antsy, impatient and tired…just plain old tired. 

She watched for an hour. Deciding it was time to leave, to go somewhere, anywhere, she spun away from the warmth, the blissfulness and content, a state she hadn’t felt since before her change with her own family during rainy nights. 

She turned away and froze.

“Going somewhere?” Sage asked, posted against the tree behind her, cloaked in shadows. “Did you come all the way here just to stare into my house or did you plan to knock on the door?”

She looked over her shoulder back into the house where he sat at the dinning room time just a second ago. Her sister-in-law waved, a smile on her lips, her niece plastered against the glass, her hands cupping her eyes so she could see. 

She looked at her brother who watched her with intensity, his eyes taking in everything, the sleek clothing, fancy shoes, and tired lines around her eyes. 

He saw too much. Always had. And although she was older by centuries, he had a way of looking down at her like she was the bratty younger sibling. 

“Come, Jimena,” he said. “They like cheating, those two. Dare you show them how to do so…without being conspicuous.” 

She hesitated, then followed Sage across the road. She smiled at his back. “What are you talking about? I’ve never cheated.”