Magic on Changeling Mountain

Carolyn and Colin left the cottage as Tammy gathered up the things she would need to shower. They ran through the woods, using the well-used shortcut to her parents’ house. They transformed as they jumped up on the porch and Carolyn pulled the screen door open, just as the inner door opened causing her and her brother to jump back.

“Hi! What are you two doing here?” Kevin asked.

“Need to tell mom and dad about our plans for the day after tomorrow. Where are you off to?”

“Nowhere, apparently. Just going out to the barn for some peace.” Kevin said. It was obvious that he was upset and that they were walking in on the tail end of another argument about his moving out. He stomped out of the house, transforming as he ran down the steps and across the yard.

Carolyn and Colin found her parents in the living room, her mother obviously upset but she brightened up when she saw them.

“Hi! What a nice surprise. What are you two doing here?” Angela asked.

“Hi. We just wanted to let you know where we are going the day after tomorrow. We went and talked to the sisters and found that the best place for us to land is a pine grove just outside of the town where Colin’s parents’ friend lives.” Carolyn said.

Colin took the map out of his back pocket and showed it to Daniel and Angela. “It looks like we will be landing here and then we will walk into town and ask for directions to Jacques place.”

“Won’t people ask about how you got there and why you need directions to his house?” Daniel asked.

“Don’t any of you kids have his address?” Angela asked.

“Kenny is the only one I’ve talked to since Christmas and he said he didn’t. I didn’t even think to ask Wendy.” Colin admitted.

“Why don’t you give her a call and ask? Maybe she’s heard from them.” Angela said.

Colin pulled out his cell phone but there was no reception. “Do you mind if I borrow your phone? There’s no reception up here.”

“No, not at all.” Angela said. She hoped that he would call his sister and find out that their parents had contacted her and they would not have to go on this trip after all.

Colin called and talked to Wendy, explaining that he was at Carolyn’s parents and couldn’t talk long because he didn’t want to run up their long distance bill. While she did have Jacques actual address, she had not heard from him or their parents since last year. She was also worried about them and made Colin promise to call her as soon as he had any news. He assured her he would before he hung up.

“I should have thought to call her before we went to see the sisters. She gave me Jacques address. She also said she has not heard anything from them either.”

“Great. This will give Tammy a chance to practice that spell before we go.” Carolyn said with a smile.

“How long are you going to be gone?” Angela asked.

“I’ve got a week off of work, so no longer than that but we will be back as soon as we can. I’m not looking forward to going into that snowy country. From what we saw in the mirror, it looks really cold up there.” Colin said.

“Well, be safe and take good care of our girl.” Daniel said as he shook Colin’s hand and then put his arm around his wife’s shoulders to comfort her. He knew it was extra hard for his wife to let any of her children out of her sight and that this trip was scaring her.

They were going into unfamiliar territory and knew no one and he had to admit that he was worried but tried not to show it. He kissed Carolyn on the top of her head and gave her a hug with his free arm as they turned to leave.

They left the house and before they transformed on the porch, Carolyn told Colin, “Do you mind if I go talk to Kevin before we go? He’s going through a rough patch with my folks.”

“Mind if I tag along?” Colin gave her a lopsided grin.

“No, not at all. Maybe you can give him a man’s point of view.” Carolyn grinned back and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

They walked over to the barn and found Kevin punching a bag of hay he had hung from one of the rafters.

“Wow. That must have been some argument! Glad I came in after it was over.” Carolyn said as she climbed up on a rail to one of the stalls and turned to sit down.

“I came home a little late for dinner and got the riot act read to me. I tried to explain that I had to work overtime tonight but they wouldn’t give me a chance. I’m 24 years old and I shouldn’t have to be explaining to anyone about my comings and goings.”

“But no matter how old you get, you do have to show common courtesy to the person who does your cooking and cleaning. Besides, mom deserves to be treated better.” Carolyn said. That seemed to take the fight out of him somewhat and he quit punching the bag but hung on to it as if his life depended on it.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate what she does for me, it’s just that I feel like I have to punch a clock with them and report every move I make. They get on my case if I’m even 5 minutes late getting home. I can’t stay in town for dinner or go out with my friends after work and forget having a girlfriend. No woman is going to want to be with me if I have to check in with my mommy and daddy before I take her on a date first. I’m just so sick of it.” Kevin vented.

“Ah, so I take it your girlfriend broke up with you?” Carolyn guessed.

“Yeah and she’s not the first one either. I can’t have a life so long as I live here. I talked to the landlord of that place I had looked at and he’s already rented it. He said he called up here to check if I was going to take it and dad told him no, that I was going to stay home until they could build a cottage for me here on the mountain. He had no right to make that decision for me.” Kevin admitted.

“You are right, Kevin. They should have just taken the message and let you handle it but you have to try to understand where they are coming from too. They love you and care about what happens to you. You are their only son. With everything that has been happening on the mountain lately, they are just trying to protect you. I know you don’t want to hear this part, but you will understand it all better when you have your own kids.

As for that girl that broke up with you, if she can’t see that you are the kind of person that still respects his parents and shows common courtesy to other people, then she’s not worth wasting time on.” Colin told him. Kevin knew he was right but he still felt like his parents shouldn’t keep such a tight hold on him.

“I’m sure they will be more lenient with you if you just let them know ahead of time that you are going out or will be home later than usual. Give it a try and if it doesn’t work, I’ll talk to them myself. I am going to be your brother in law soon after all.”

“Hey, we had better get going. It’s getting late and we need to get some sleep tonight.” Carolyn said. “Hang in there, Kevin. It will be spring soon and they can get to work on your cottage as soon as the weather warms up.”

“No, they won’t. They are going to be involved with your wedding.” Kevin said, trying to keep the resentment from his voice.

“Tell you something but you have to promise to keep it to yourself for the time being because it’s all going to hinge on what happens with our trip to Canada but if we can find Colin’s parents, we are going to move our wedding date up some. A spring wedding sounds nice until you stop to think about how much it rains in the spring. I don’t want to walk down the aisle in my beautiful wedding gown with it muddy and ruined from the knees down.” Carolyn said with a sly grin at her brother.

Kevin smiled at her and then at Colin, who had a big goofy grin on his face. Kevin suspected that they were getting impatient for their wedding night more than wanting to save some silly dress.

“Don’t you say a word to anyone and hang in there. Spring is not all that far away after all.” Carolyn said.

They left and transformed as they walked across the yard. They finished Carolyn’s normal patrol and then headed back to the cottage. The lights were still on inside so Colin transformed before they entered her yard. Carolyn transformed and asked “Is something wrong?”

“No. I just want a good night kiss before we go back inside.” Colin said as he reached out and pulled her into his arms. His kisses had her wishing that they were already married and didn’t have to say good night outside. Colin leaned back and grinned at her. “Promise me we will have the wedding as soon as possible when we get back? I don’t know how much longer I can wait to have you as my wife and not have to say good night to you and then go home to a very lonely bed.”

“Easy promise to keep. I hope we can find them quickly and that they are safe and sound and just snowed in.” Carolyn said as she grinned back at him. Hand in hand they walked back to the cottage and Colin stole one more kiss before he said “Good night. What time should I be here?”

“It might be safer if we “appeared” after the town is awake and people are moving around. Say about 9?” Carolyn said.

“OK. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, my love.” Colin said and started to leave when the back door opened and Tammy appeared in the doorway.

“I thought I heard someone talking. Hey Colin, you might want to come inside but I’m not sure you are going to want to hear what I have to say.”

They hurried inside and Tammy walked over to Carolyn’s computer. “I’ve been checking out the weather conditions for the area we are supposed to land the day after tomorrow and apparently there is a full blown blizzard going on there right now. It’s going to raise a lot of suspicion if you show up during that for sure. We are going to have to rethink our plan of landing outside of town.”

“We may have that covered. I called my sister, Wendy, while we were up at the Masters house and she had Jacques address. I should have thought to call her before now.” Colin said.

“That’s great! I was really worried about how you guys were going to manage to walk even half a mile in the kind of blizzard they are reporting is going on up there right now. Sounds like it’s miserable with temperatures well below 0 and the wind chill factor even lower.” Tammy showed them the weather report she had pulled up on Carolyn’s computer.

“Wow. That does look cold. Well, thankfully, we won’t have to land in the grove after all. “Where’s the mirror? Let’s take a look at where we will be going.” Carolyn said.

Tammy retrieved the mirror and then said the spell. They could see a log house with a steeply sloped roof piled high with snow through the blowing snow but they could also see lights on inside and someone moving around. “Let’s turn around so we can see where you will be coming from and that no one can see our arrival.” Tammy said so they trooped around in a circle and from what they could see, landing in Jacques front yard should be safe enough. “I think it would be best if we did it either very early in the morning or just after dark the day after tomorrow. With all this snow blowing, it’s hard to see anything and that could work in our favor since if we can’t see them, they also can’t see us land.”

“I vote for early in the morning.” Colin said and everyone agreed. “Ok. With that said, I’m going to go home and finish packing and get some sleep. I have to work tomorrow so that Stuart can have the day off but I’ll be back around 6 am the day after tomorrow. OK?”

“We’ll be ready.” Carolyn said and walked with him to the door while Tammy went back to her room to stow the mirror.

After Colin left, Carolyn went to finish packing and Tammy wandered in to watch. “Got your silk long johns?”

“Going to wear one pair and have the other pair packed. I wonder how long we’ll have to stay up there. There’s only so much I’m going to be able to pack in this backpack. So far I can only fit enough for 3 days.”

“Are you rolling stuff or packing it folded?” Tammy asked.

“Folded. Why?” Carolyn asked, perplexed.

“Try rolling a whole set of clothes together and then packing it standing up in the pack. I went camping with a friends’ family in high school. Her dad taught me how to fit the most in a backpack. You would be surprised what you can carry in one of those if you pack it right.”

Carolyn took everything out and it turned out she only had complete outfits for two days. She followed Tammy’s lead and together they managed to fit four days of clothes, all of her toiletries and a towel with room left over. Carolyn picked up the packed backpack to set it on the floor and exclaimed “Wow. Thank goodness I won’t have to carry this for long. It’s heavy!”

“At least you have everything you should need. Now, there’s something I want to give you.” Tammy said as she pulled a crystal with a silver chain out of her pocket and handed it to Carolyn. “Put this on and if you ever need me, just rub it and call my name and I will appear by your side, no matter where you are so be very careful with it. No one but you will be able to activate it and it will work even where cell phones don’t.”

“Really?” Carolyn said with surprise.

“I had Lucinda help me with it. I was going to save it for your birthday but I’ve got a feeling we are going to need it, especially if the phones are down up there. I mean, I could pop in every day to find out how things are going but that risks me being seen apparating in and out.”

“I wish there was a way we would be able to communicate but you are right about being careful. I’m a little worried about just showing up at Jacques place. What if he’s not there when we arrive?”

“Now, let’s not start with the what if’s. It will only start me worrying about not being with you guys and I can’t go. My parents went ballistic when I mentioned it to them the other day. I thought my dad was going to have a heart attack.”

Carolyn was dying to ask when she was going to stand up to them but held her tongue. It had to be up to Tammy. She would do it when she was good and ready and hopefully not in anger.

“Have you and Stuart set your wedding date yet?” Carolyn asked. They hadn’t had much time for girl talk lately.

“No, not yet but you can bet it’s going to happen as soon as things settle down and it won’t be too soon for me. Hopefully my parents will stop treating me like a child once I’m a married woman.”

“Have you decided where you are going to live yet?” Carolyn asked. She couldn’t help but hope that they would stay on the mountain.

“Stuart has been wanting to take me up to see his parents’ old place but we’ve just both been too busy lately. He’s going to be on duty every day while Colin is gone so I won’t get to see him much until you guys get back.” Tammy said, trying not to pout. “He wants us to take a week of his vacation time to take me to meet his family, when things slow down a bit.”

“Don’t worry, we are going to go up and back as fast as we can. I’m really hoping that it’s just a case of the phones being down as to why he hasn’t heard from them and not that something is wrong.”

“I’ve tried to focus to see if I can see anything about them but since I don’t know them, I can’t seem to focus enough to get a reading. I will tell you that I don’t sense anything bad. It’s harder for me if I don’t know the person.”

They visited for a while, talking mostly about wedding planning and honeymoons and before either of them realized it, it was after 11 pm.

“It sure will be good to have a real bed to sleep in tonight. I’m so sick of sleeping on my sofa.” Tammy said as she yawned and then stretched. Her back was sore from sleeping on the short sofa. “I think I’m going to go get ready for bed. What are you going to do tomorrow?”

“I really need to spend a day at the clinic with Randy tomorrow. He must think that I’m never there. I hope he doesn’t take off and find another job. He’ll never match Cindy’s skills but he’s turning out to be a really good assistant. He’s smart and he catches on fast and he’s willing to learn.”

“Well, I’m hoping to spend most of the day with Stuart, since it will be his last day off until you guys get back.” Tammy said.

They took turns in the bathroom, getting ready for bed and then turned in.

The next day went by slowly for Carolyn. She was anxious to get going on their trip but made herself spend half the day with Randy, who picked up on her anxious attitude.

“Something bothering you, doc?” Randy asked.

“We are going out of town tomorrow and I guess I’m anxious to go. I just want to find Colin’s parents and then get back and start planning my wedding. It seems like every time we start trying to make plans, something comes up and our time together gets cut short.

I just hope this trip turns out that Colin’s parents have just been snowed in and unable to call their kids and there’s nothing wrong. It may sound selfish but I just want to get married with as little fuss as possible.” Carolyn said and then was surprised when Randy started to laugh.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make fun of you but when my sister, Glenda got married it turned our house upside down. To this day, my father says “never again” and he’s still got two more daughters to go through.” Randy chuckled.

Carolyn stared at him and then began to laugh along with him. “I guess the stress is just something that just comes with the territory.”

“All I know is that my father is hoping the rest of us elope!” Randy said.

“Now there’s an idea! Maybe we should consider that option!” Carolyn laughed.

“Well, don’t tell your parents that I was the one that suggested it if you decide to go that route. The last thing I need is for your bear of a father coming after me!” Randy laughed.

“I’m only kidding. It’s too late for that option now anyway. Too many plans have already been set in motion. I want a day that I will remember fondly when I’m old and gray.” Carolyn said. “Are you all finished in the back?”

“Yep.” Randy replied.

“Well, if you can come in and check on the voicemail and make sure no one has broken in while I’m gone, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure. Any chance I can get my paycheck before you go?” Randy asked.

“Sure.” Carolyn replied and walked down the hall to where she had the computer set up. She made out his check and told him he could go ahead and go home. She decided to pay what bills needed to be paid and then backed up the computer.

It had been since before Christmas that she had done it. Once she was done with that, she walked around the clinic and made sure everything was in order and that all the doors were locked, then she closed up and left. She jogged back to the cottage and let herself in.

She went through her pack to make sure she had everything she would need on their trip and puttered around the cottage, trying to keep busy but after about an hour, she was bored. She decided to take off and go up to her parents’ house. Having helped her mother clean the other day, she hoped she was as bored as she was. She found her mom sitting at the kitchen table, reading a booklet.

“Hey mom. What are you reading?” Carolyn asked.

“The instructions for the canning equipment you gave me. It doesn’t work the same as my old one and I don’t want to make a mess. You are too young to remember it but the first time I tried to do anything, I didn’t read the instructions first and burned a whole batch of strawberry jam. Heck, I nearly set the whole kitchen on fire.” Angela admitted.

Carolyn visited with her mother for the rest of the afternoon and she was much more relaxed when she left a couple of hours later.

Stuart dropped Tammy off about 9 pm and she was on cloud nine, having been able to spend the whole day with him. “We had a great day! We spent the whole day just window shopping and had lunch together and my mom didn’t call me even once all day.” Tammy said as she practically danced around the living room. Carolyn smiled at her and hoped that she and Colin would get to have time like that to themselves soon.

The next morning, Carolyn wanted to throw the alarm clock out the window until she realized that she would be seeing Colin in less than an hour, then she bounced out of bed, grabbed her robe and headed for the shower only to discover that Tammy was already in the bathroom so she detoured to the kitchen to find that the coffee pot had already been turned on and was almost ready to be served.

She heard the shower cut off and grabbed two mugs out of the cabinet. She poured them coffee and walked back down the hall. Tammy came out with a towel wrapped around her head and big bags under her eyes.

“Wow, you don’t look so good. Didn’t you sleep well?” Carolyn said, sympathetically.

“Any sleep, well or not, would have been great but I was up and down all night. I couldn’t get my mind to settle once I got to thinking about Stuart and my parents and where everyone is going to live and how in the world am I going to get them to get along.”

“Why should you worry about whether or not they get along? Either they accept your husband or they are not welcome to come to the mountain and Stuart can just stay home when you go to visit them.” Carolyn said practically. “But I think you are selling them all short. They all love you and I’m sure that once your parents get to know Stuart and see how much he loves you, they will not only come to accept him but love him as well.”

“Oh Carolyn, I wish we had stayed up and talked last night. Maybe I would have gotten some sleep. You always know what to say and do.” Tammy smiled at her.

“It’s always easier to solve someone else’s problems than it is your own. Well, with that problem solved, I’m going to go get my shower before Colin gets here.” Carolyn gave Tammy an encouraging pat on the shoulder as she passed her friend on the way to the bathroom.

She quickly washed her hair and shaved her legs. She didn’t know how long it would be before she would be able to do so again and didn’t want to leave it for when they got back. She was wrapping the cord around her blow dryer when she heard the bells jingle and a few seconds later, Colin’s knock on the door. Tammy let him in as she opened the bathroom door. “I’ll be out in a minute.” She called down the hall and waved at Colin as he came inside.

“I’m a little early so no rush.” Colin called back.

“Want some coffee Colin?” Tammy asked.

“If you’ve got it ready.” Colin replied. “Stuart told me to ask you to call him when you get back from dropping us off.”

“Did he say what for?” Tammy asked.

“No. Just asked me to relay the message to call.” Colin said as he accepted the mug of hot coffee from her. “Thanks.”

“What time does he start work today?” Tammy asked.

“He started at 4 am and will get off at 4 pm. All of the guys are going to be pulling 12 hour shifts until I get back with a day off in between each shift. When I get back, I’m going to look into hiring some new deputies. We all should be able to take our vacations, be out sick or whatever else comes up without it being such a scheduling nightmare and leaving us shorthanded.

I’ve already turned in the paperwork and I’m going to have to get permission from the counsel but they have got to understand that we need at least 3 more men.” Colin said with a look of determination on his face. “But I think my biggest problem is where am I going to find 3 changeling males willing to become cops? I may not have any choice but to hire towners and then we will just have to keep it extra quiet about the rest of us being changelings.”

Tammy smiled at him “Well, they are just going to have to understand that this is a growing community and if they want 24 hour coverage, they are going to have to get you some help. Hopefully before you are due to go on your honeymoon!”

“Yes! Definitely! I want to be able to go and not have to worry about what is going on here! Has Carolyn mentioned where she wants to go for our honeymoon to you?”

“No but then that should be between the two of you. As for me and Stuart, I’m hoping we can go to Hawaii!” Tammy said.

“Carolyn did mention that she was considering Hawaii, if you would apparate us there.” Colin said and then gulped when he remembered them apparating yesterday. His stomach still hadn’t completely settled down and seemed to be full of butterflies every time he thought about having to do it again this morning.

“Sure. Tammy’s free flight services are ready, willing and able!” Tammy laughed at his look that was somewhere between hopeful and dreading. In fact, he looked a little green around the gills at the mere thought of it.