Home Again (Mac/Red Canyon Fan Fiction)

Fun in the Playhouse

"What was that?" her head perched as soon as the sound of faint scratching met her ears. It sounded like someone's fingernails being dragged against the wooden wall.

Mac looked at her amusingly, not loosing his grip on her. she started to move around and made a quick scan of the house. "Don't tell me you're hearing these fucking noises again," he said tiredly.

Sally knew in the back of her mind that whatever she was hearing was real only she couldn't fathom where they were coming from. She got back to bed and grabbed her bag then went straight to the door.

"Leaving so soon? You just got here, Sal.." Mac coaxed her to stay by holding her against the wall and kissing her neck but Sally squirmed away.

Reaching the door, she pulled it open and saw the stocky, now grey-haired man smiling at her. His musketeer-like mustache made him look years younger than a man in his late 50's.

"What do you want now Walter?" asked Mac who was right behind her. She knew Mac was never fond of calling the man "father".

"Just want to know what you've been up to son," said Walter who turned to Sally and smiled. "I thought I'd never see you again, Sally Jones.. Mac told me you were back but you never stopped by at the diner."

"I'm sorry, I've just been busy. Excuse me." Sally said. She walked past Walter to get to her car.

"Well I do hope you haven't been busy with Macario," she heard him say. "Charlie won't be happy when he finds out.."

Sally only nodded and went inside the car. She started the engine and looked at the two men, forcing a smile before going on her way home.

If staying with Mac with his father showing up unexpectedly seemed not right, in the Jones household, things were getting worse. Charlie had a bender with William watching and in the early evening, he was throwing the empty liquor bottles to the wall, crashing them to sharp little pieces.

"What the hell is wrong with you Daddy?!" Sally shouted as she carried William. She scurried to their room to lock themselves in when her father grasped her arm. "You're hurting me!"

"I told you stay away from them! But you never listened, did you?" Charlie growled, his nails digging into Sally's upper arm. "How long have you been seeing Mac?!"

Sally kept crying but didn't answer. She pulled William to her chest and held him tighter. She was quite relieved at the same time worried about her little boy being quiet despite his grandpa's outrage.

"Stop whining and answer me!" Charlie's hand landed on Sally's cheek with a loud and heavy smack that her knees gave up and she almost fell on the floor. William would have too if she hadn't held him close. That was when little William started crying.

The child's cries and his mother's pained face brought the befuddled Charlie to his senses. Realizing what he did, he knelt down and reached for Sally who struggled to curl up in the corner. "I...I didn't mean to..Sally..."

"You said they're going to hurt me if I go anywhere near them," Sally said, slowly rocking William in her arms in attempt to hush him down. "They didn't, Daddy. Mac has never laid a hand on me. But you did."

"I never meant to hurt you, my dear. I never meant to scare Will..I just want both of you safe, I don't think I can bear it if anything happens to either of you..." her father explained in tears.