So I got Trio of Towns for Christmas and immediately fell in love. I'm not exactly sure why, but this idea struck me and just wouldn't let go. I've been sitting on it for a while, but figured it was worth posting to see how it goes.

I've taken a few creative liberties with things such as architecture and the actual farms themselves, but nothing outrageous.

The first chapter is going to be a crash course in backstory, but future chapters will be much smoother, I promise.

I still have not figured out what I want the endgame ship to be. I love all of the marriage candidates and I can't choose! Such a decision many or many not be up to reader feedback in the end.

Either way. I hope you all enjoy this little contribution to this little fandom!

-Becks

.

Chapter One

.

.

"Honey, don't you think you're rushing things a little?" Marlena asked with her arms crossed while she watched her daughters paw through the racks of dresses.

"Yes, but no," Holly said as she held up a rosy pink dress for inspection. She made a wry face at it and put it back on the rack. "Bruce and I know were making the right decision. We're meant for each other, Mom."

"But you've only been dating for six months," Marlena protested.

"But we've known each other for much longer. And how long were you and Daddy dating before you knew you wanted to be together forever?" Holly shot her mother a semi-reproachful look over the clothing rack but with a teasing smirk pulling at her lips.

Marlena sighed in defeat. She bowed her head to hide her smile. "It was our fourth date."

"And you say I'm rushing things."

"But your father and I dated for a year and a half before he proposed."

"Only because Daddy couldn't take a hint. I know this is right for us. Bruce is the man I want to put down roots with. I want to be with him."

"But a courthouse wedding? Holly, wouldn't you want to wait a little longer and plan something more momentous?"

Holly shrugged, passing over more dresses. "Bruce doesn't have family, and I don't really have many friends in the area. Why waste the time and money when the only people we want there is you and Daddy and Lynn?"

Marlena still looked unconvinced as she pulled out a horrifying brown and gold floral-print dress. "And this wedding isn't for... uh... shotgun purposes?"

Holly nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her skull. "We're being more careful than that. Bruce is still in school and we have no intentions of trying for children until after he graduates."

Mollified, Marlena smiled at her eldest daughter. "Alright, honey. If this is what you want. How about this one?" She held up a cobalt blue, satin number.

Holly considered it for a second. "Hmmm... that's a possibility. Add it to the try-on pile."

"Holly, Holly! What about this one?" Lynn came tottering around a rack holding up an emerald green dress as far over her head as she could. The dress was longer than she was tall and it was all she could do to not trip on the hem.

"Oh Lynn, that's beautiful!" Holly gasped, snatching the dress up for a better look. "It's even Bruce's favorite color!" She held it up against her chest to get a better idea of the length. "What do you think, Mom?"

Marlena smiled. It was a beautiful dress, a flattering cut, and the satiny fabric made it look quite formal. "The green really makes your eyes sparkle, and you hair looks even more golden."

Holly beamed, and hurried off to the dressing rooms. "I gotta try it on."

.

Holly's wedding was an intimate, quiet affair. She wore the green dress while Bruce wore a suit with a matching tie. She had a bouquet from the first florist they found near the courthouse. And before a judge and her family, she and Bruce pledged their love to each other. Afterwards, her father treated them all to dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in the city.

It was all Holly could have dreamed for in her wedding. Big white dresses and day-long ordeals had never been her style. Those were more for people with big families and tons of friends.

The next day her parents helped her move her stuff into Bruce's tiny apartment, and the newlyweds settled into wedded bliss.

Their honeymoon consisted of three uninterrupted days of putting the apartment back together. Holly could only get a few days off work from her retail job. Bruce had summer classes starting up the next week.

As they settled into a married lifestyle, Holly found herself pleasantly surprised. She knew there would be an adjustment period of getting used to each other's domestic mannerisms, all couples went through that phase, but she and Bruce seemed to completely skip it. They fit together like matching puzzle pieces and her home with Bruce became her sanctuary.

Quite frankly, Holly hated her job, the work was soulless, but it paid the bills. The long days on her feet and rude customers didn't matter much when she got to come home to help Bruce with his studies. She had managed to coax a nearly-dead fern back to life on their kitchen windowsill. The florist shop next to her own place of work had given up on it and let her take it for free. With a little love and sunshine it grew greener as summer's days turned to fall. Bruce had teased her when she insisted on naming it, but they did eventually settle on Stanley. Bruce absolutely refused to name it Seymour or Audrey II, claiming that that was just asking for trouble. Holly jokingly scolded him for having such little faith in their first child.

.

Holly's 21st birthday feel right in the middle of fall semester midterm week, but Bruce found the time to bring her flowers and wine and take her out for dinner. Really it was all she could have asked for.

.

Their six month anniversary gift to each other was their wedding rings. Nothing too ostentatious – that didn't really fit either of them. Bruce's wedding band was gold with a simple, yet elegant design engraved around it. Holly's ring had a little diamond nestled into a gold band. They were prefect, and they didn't break the bank.

.

December was mild, and New Year's rode in on that warm wave as the couple watched distant firework displays from the roof of their apartment building. The spring semester was only couple weeks old when a blizzard swept into town and snowbound the entire city for several days. The newlyweds didn't mind. They spend the days cozied up under blankets, trying to stay warm while the heat and power in the building alternated failing. Holly fantasized about the house they could get out in the country once Bruce graduated at the end of the semester and got a job. Bruce admitted that he preferred the city, it would be easier for his line of work. They compromised on a house in the suburbs – one with room for a big garden.

.

The beginning of February brought an unexpected thaw a few days before Bruce's birthday. Holly found herself in a positively balmy mood while she picked up groceries. She was going to make lasagna for Bruce for his birthday. It was his favorite, and she was dying to try her hand at her mother's coveted recipe. She had already called Marlena twice to double check the ingredients. She was rather happy her mom would be coming by to help her cook. Holly wasn't a terrible cook, but she wanted this lasagna to be perfect, so supervision by the Master was required.

By the time 6 rolled around, Holly was a bit frazzled, but quite happy. She was kind of pushing the time limit for having the lasagna fresh from the oven just as Bruce got home from class, but her mom assured her everything would be perfect. She enjoyed spending the afternoon cooking and gossiping with her mother. It was something she had missed dearly after moving out.

"Now remember," Marlena said as she wrapped foil around her own pan of uncooked lasagna. "Uncover the pan for the last fifteen minutes."

"Yes, Mom, I've got it now." Holly waved her page of meticulous notes on crafting the perfect lasagna.

Marlena smiled and pulled her daughter into a one armed hug. "Tell, Bruce happy birthday for us." She pecked her daughter on the cheek. "We'll see you on Saturday for dinner."

There was a knock on the apartment door. Both women looked confused for a moment. "I wonder who that is?" Holly asked, starting for the door.

The knock came again, rather insistently.

"Hold your horses," Holly muttered as she unlocked the door. "Yes, can I help you?" She asked as the door swung open.

A sober faced police officer stood in the doorway with his hat in hand. "Mrs. Greene?" He asked in a gruff, but quiet voice.

"Yes."

"My name is Officer Goshawk... I'm afraid I have some bad news."

.

Looking back, Holly didn't remember much of what happened for several weeks after that. Most details got filled in later. Words like "terrible accident" and "tragic loss" got thrown around a lot alongside meaningless condolences.

The funeral was a blur. As was the meeting with the other driver's attorney. The accident had been pretty open and shut as several other drivers were involved and there were plenty of witnesses. Some pickup truck driver got distracted and his truck swerved over the center line. Bruce's ancient little coup never stood a chance. He was declared DOA. They wouldn't let Holly see the body. Her father took care of the identification and arranged the cremation. Bruce was returned to her in a simple urn. His wedding ring was tucked into a small manila envelope. Holly dug up an old necklace and replaced its pendant with the ring.

She didn't cry. Holly remembered that. When she got the news, of course she had cried, but for the funeral and other arrangements, her eyes stayed mysteriously dry. It was strange, considering Holly felt like her life had come to an end with Bruce's. Of all the things that were actually worth crying over, she couldn't.

She couldn't stand to be in their apartment alone. So she and Stanley moved back in with her parents. Her shitty retail job told her that she was taking too much time for bereavement, and they let her go. The few mutual friends she and Bruce shared disappeared after the funeral – 'classes didn't stop and Holly needed space' they said.

Holly spent weeks just lying in her bed, staring at Bruce's ring, only getting up to eat and such and even that was infrequently. Her mother tried to get her out of bed to help cook, or up and out of the house for some short errands, but Holly didn't want to go. She didn't want to go into that damned city that had given her every happiness and then stolen it away. Sometimes Lynn had to bodily drag her sister out of bed and to the dinner table.

Stanley withered and died after a few weeks of neglect. Holly just lay in bed and watched the fern waste away.

It took her weeks to realize her period hadn't come. She knew grief could do things to a body, but Holly had to be sure. She dragged herself to the pharmacy while Marlena was running other errands and Lynn was at school.

.

"It's not fair!" Holly wailed into her mother's shoulder.

"I know, honey." Marlena soothed, as she held her daughter tighter on the bathroom floor.

"I don't want to do this without him! I h-h-hate everything!"

Marlena had nothing to say that could be of comfort. So she helped her daughter to bed and held her until she cried herself to sleep.

.

Later that night, Marlena broke the news to her husband after Lynn had been put to bed.

"Oh, poor Holly!" Daryl had said, unable to fully articulate the turmoil of emotions in his heart.

Marlena nodded, understanding her husband's unspoken sentiments. She let silence fall between them for a moment, while she wrung her hands, as if turning over the plan she had come up with. It had been in the back of her mind now for days, but with the pregnancy now as a factor, it felt like the right thing to do. They had to do something to help Holly or this grief would consume their daughter.

"I think Holly would benefit from spending some time away from the city," Marlena proposed hesitantly.

"Where would she go?" Daryl asked incredulously. "We're her family. She needs us now more than ever."

"I know, but... I don't think this city is good for her. Maybe she needs a change of scenery. And we aren't her only family. Frank has been inviting us to visit for years now."

"You want to send her out to Westown?"

Marlena nodded. "I think a month or two away from everything would do her good. It'll be a complete change of pace."

"Change of pace might be a bad thing, considering."

"Daryl, if Holly doesn't change soon we are going to lose our daughter. She's barely eating as is and she's not processing the loss very well." Marlena stopped and bit her lip. "We can't let her continue like this or she's going to have to be hospitalized."

"It sounds to me like you're just trying to send our daughter far away so she can be unwed and pregnant without embarrassing you."

"Daryl! What century do you think we live in?"

Daryl deflated somewhat "I'm sorry, that was an overreaction. I just... I don't want her to be sent away from us when she needs us."

"I would never send Holly away! She'd only be gone for a few weeks, we're not disowning her. But she's lost everything, she has no energy, no spark. This baby only pushed her farther into despair. Something has to be done. She's wasting away. I can't bear to see her like this! I don't want to hospitalize her, but I don't know what else to do to help her." Marlena wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes. She reached for the stack of letters on the table in front of her, and fished the most recent one out. She waved it weakly between the two of them. "Frank is already in the loop. And I think Holly spending some time with him will be a good thing for her. She loved everything about farms when she was young, remember? The change of scenery and location and the schedule of farm life might be exactly what she needs to help her process her grief and continue mourning."

Daryl sighed. "You may be right. And Frank wouldn't mind watching after Holly for a few weeks. He always liked helping people. I'll write to him and see what he thinks about a long term visitor."

.

"Your Uncle Frank is really excited to see you, honey." Marlena said as she held her daughter tight.

The whole family stood huddled on the train station platform, mid-February had brought a bitter chill and the four of them stood shivering together.

"At least Westown is in a milder climate," Daryl offered as he shifted his grip on Holly's suitcase. "Frank says he can grow some crops in the winter. Plus there are his animals and such. I think you'll really enjoy your time there, Holly."

Holly managed to muster a nod and a half-interested smile just as the train pulled into the station. Her mother pulled her into another hug. "I don't want to go," she whispered.

"It's only for a few weeks, honey, one, two months tops. A change of scenery will be good for you." Marlena held her daughter out at arm's length. "We love you, Holly, and we'll write to you all the time."

"You're going to have a great time with your Uncle Frank." Daryl said, sweeping his daughter into a quick hug.

"I'll miss you, Hols," Lynn said, completing the hugs.

The boarding call went out. Holly took her suitcase from her father, and reluctantly stepped onto the train. This train would take her to a suburb station where she'd transfer to a train taking her out to a country station. From there she's catch a stagecoach out to Westown where Uncle Frank would meet her. It was going to be a long, long day of travel.

.

Frank had wrapped up his chores hours ago. The house was all prepped for Holly's visit, and he had ingredients for dinner ready and waiting. Now he just had to wait another four hours for Holly's coach to get in. He could while away the time working on a project or practicing his guitar but there was someone he wanted to talk to first.

It was a short trek to Megan's farm, and he could see his neighbors out in their pasture. Hector and Megan were mending a fence. Off near the house, Colin was playing with their dog – an overly-friendly avalanche of white fluff by the name of Buddy.

"Afternoon, Frank!" Megan called out as he wandered over.

"Afternoon Megan, Hector. Y'all got a minute?" Frank took his hat off and fidgeted with the brim. Megan and Hector were his closest neighbors and friends, but there were some wounds he just didn't want to pick at.

"Sure thing," Megan said, still smiling. "What's eatin' you?"

"I need some advice. You remember my niece Holly's comin' to visit, right?"

.

Holly was jerked from her doze as the stagecoach came to a stop. She barely had time to gather her wits before the door was open, letting in a cold gust of air and the coachman was offering his hand to help her out.

"We're at Westown, miss."

"Thank you," Holly said quietly as she stepped out of the coach and right into five inches of snow. Milder climate, my ass! She thought sourly as she retrieved her suitcase from the driver. She paid him, and he tipped his hat to her before climbing back into the driver's seat and ushering his horses forward again. Holly felt a little bad for him. He wasn't protected from the elements; this had to be a terribly frigid job in winter and sweltering in summer. Maybe she should have given him a bigger tip.

She stepped away from the stop, looking around for her Uncle Frank. It had been over ten years since she'd seen him last. On the other side of the road, there stood a familiar man; he'd hardly changed at all from her memory of him.

"Holly!" he called, hurrying across the road as soon as the coach had moved on. "It's good to see you, darlin'." He punctuated his greeting by sweeping Holly up into a hug.

"Hi, Uncle Frank," Holly said quietly, trying to not squirm too much in the hug. It wasn't that hugging bothered her much … she just wasn't really in the mood for a lot of physical contact.

Luckily, the hug didn't last long. Frank mush have keyed into her discomfort. "Sorry, round here, huggin' is the standard greeting. I didn't think that you might not be used to that…" he trailed off a little awkwardly.

"It's alright," Holly said. She tried to sound cheerful or excited, but her words just sounded flat and doleful.

To his credit, Frank didn't look at all put off by her attitude. Her parents must have clued him in on her situation. "You must be tired from all your travelin' today and I bet you're starvin'." He took Holly's suitcase and offered his free arm to her. They started walking up the road, tromping through the drifts. "I've got dinner almost ready, your Ma said you love pizza, and if I can brag, I make a pretty mean fish pizza. We'll get you all warmed up and settled in, and tomorrow, if you're feelin' up to it, we can go meet folks around town."

"Okay."

They walked on for about a quarter mile up an unplowed, but well-traveled road, and over an icy bridge that crossed a sluggishly burbling stream until they came up to a gate and a humble farmstead. Holly could see a house, with its windows shining warm in the quickly encroaching darkness, along with a shed near the house, and a barn. She could see a large area of uneven, lumpy snow which she assumed was a field, but it was difficult to see if there was actually anything growing there.

"Home sweet home." Frank said brightly as he kicked the snow off his boots on the porch. Holly could hear a dog scrambling around and barking excitedly behind the closed front door. "C'mon in and meet Lucky."

Holly stepped into the warm house and was immediately set upon by a very eager brown and white dog. She assumed this was Lucky. He yapped happily, trying to get as much sniffing done as possible. Holly offered her hand for inspection while she slipped out of her boots and jacket.

"Let me give you the grand tour," Frank said once Lucky was satisfied with his examination. "This here's the main room." He gestured around to the cozy space. There was a kitchen in the corner with a dining area and a cluttered workbench near the door. An old couch and comfortable looking arm chair stood near a brick fireplace and a couple jam packed bookshelves. Next to the armchair sat a guitar on its stand. There was a small hallway off the side of the main room, which Frank led her to. "Bathroom's this first door on your left, my room is the last door on the left, and your room is this one her on the right." Frank pushed open the door and let Holly step in. He followed and hoisted her suitcase on the bed. "Sorry about the clutter," he said, nodding to the boxes stacked in the corner. I mainly use this room for storage. But I've been meaning to tidy this room up for some time, so this is the perfect opportunity. Does it look alright?"

"Yeah," Holly said, nodding automatically. The room itself was pretty bare. A double bed on an old fashioned brass bedstead took up most of one wall, there was a dresser and old mirror standing across from it, a bedside table and lamp sat beside the bed, and one window looked out to the front of the house, framed by plain blue curtains. There weren't any decorations on the walls or anything and the wallpaper was a neutral, but pleasant floral print that was probably all the rage in farmhouse decor fifty years ago. However, aside from the dusty boxes stacked almost to the ceiling, the room looked and smelled like it had been freshly cleaned.

"Alright, I'll leave you to get settled in and go get dinner started."

Holly didn't have much to settle into. She put her clothes in the dresser and set her toiletries up in the bathroom. When that was done, she stowed her suitcase beside the dresser and sat on the bed. The sheets smelled like fresh laundry, and the mattress was nice and soft. She spent several minutes contemplating whether she should even bother going back to eat dinner with Uncle Frank. Exhaustion seeped into her very bones. But she could hear Frank bustling around the kitchen, humming a tune while he worked, and delicious scents were wafting into her room. Holly's stomach growled. She pulled herself out of the bed. It would be rude to not eat dinner after all Uncle Frank had done to prepare it for her.

The main room was practically glowing with warmth. Frank had lit a fire and the logs crackled cheerily in the hearth. Lucky was basking in the warmth, with his belly facing the flames.

"Good timin', Holly," Frank called out. "The pizza's almost ready. Go ahead and take a seat." He gestured with the knife he was using to chop up vegetables to the table. Two places were set with plain matching china.

Holly slid into her seat and stared listlessly at the fire until Uncle Frank set down a big bowl of salad, and a steaming hot pizza in the middle of the table.

"Dig in," Frank offered enthusiastically, sliding a couple slices of pizza onto Holly's plate. "All the veggies in the salad were grown locally, and I caught the fish for the pizza myself this morning. It's all about as fresh as you can get."

Holly was, admittedly, skeptical of the pizza. She'd never heard of anyone putting fish on pizza – aside from oily, salty anchovies – but she liked pizza and she liked fish so… it was worth a shot. She took a tentative bite of the slice and chewed it over. It was incredible! Holly honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd had something so flavorful. The pizza was better than she had expected, and the salad was something else! Even the tomatoes were amazing, and she didn't really like tomatoes all that much. She found herself wanting to eat seconds and thirds of everything, but her stomach wasn't used to so much food. By the time she finished her two slices and salad, she was overstuffed and sleepy.

"That was delicious, Uncle Frank."

"I'm glad you liked it," Frank said with a smile as he cleared away dishes. "Don't worry about the clean-up. You go onto bed. You've had a long day, and traveling can really take it out of you. Oh, and of you don't want Lucky nosing into your room, make sure you close your door."

Holly thanked her Uncle and bade him goodnight. It was still early, far earlier than she'd normally go to bed, but she was exhausted. Holly changed, and got ready for bed, noting that the rooms in the house were a bit cooler than she was used after the warmth of the fireplace. She eagerly climbed into bed, curled up under the warm, flannel sheets, and fell asleep before she even had time to really think about anything else.