A/N: Sequel to 'Like Comets and Card Games' You need to read that before you read this... Everything will make sense if you do... I don't own Ace, the Cobras or anyone else mentions aside from Halley Edmonds. I get no money from this blah, blah, blah. Also, this is a one-shot. There's no point in adding this to your stroy alert. If you want to know what happens next, add me to your Author Watch list...

The year was 1960 in the town of Castle Rock, Maine. John and Halley Merrill were a newlywed couple, still green in the ways of the world and marriage. But they were happy. John hadn't settled down, to the town, he was still known as 'Ace,' but to his wife, he was John.

"Hey Vince! I need some cash." Halley pulled up to a small gas station in a 1957 Chevrolet convertible - a wedding gift from her family. Vince Desjardins was one of John's closest friends and the two worked together at the gas station.

"Sorry, Hal no can do. Ace gave me specific instructions to not give you any more money. Only gas and service." Vince scratched his chin and walked out of the small service station. Halley glared at him and put her hands on her waist.

"You cannot tell me my husband said that. Why would he say that? What have I done to deserve him saying that?" Vince popped the hood and checked the engine as Halley stood at his shoulder.

"Halley, you have a job. Use your own money. It's not that hard. And put out that cigarette. We're next to a gas pump. It's unsafe." Halley dropped her cigarette and stamped it out. Vince smiled at her.

"Don't you look at me like that. Now do your job and fill my tank up." Halley got back into the car, but she smiled back. "Where is my husband anyway? Shouldn't he be here?"

"Yeah, he's supposed to be here. But Pops called in sick so he has to run his uncle's shop. Getting paid for it by the way he talked." Vince explained. Halley nodded as he stepped away.

'Pops called in sick?' that didn't sound right at all. Vince was lying to her. He had to be. There wasn't a day he was alive where Reginald Merrill called in sick. Vince was covering for Ace, and Halley wanted to know why. She pulled up to the small antique shop to see John's car and another car - one Halley had never seen before. She parked behind John, making it impossible for him to leave had Halley discovered something she shouldn't have.

"Hey Po- Oh, hey John. What're you doing here?" Vince was right; John Merrill was working the shop. There was a man in a black suit strolling around, examining the junk.

"What brings you here today, Hal?" he smiled at her, and then Halley remembered why she was there.

"Vince told me something today that was very intriguing, and I just had to ask you about it." the man walked over to the check-out counter with a lamp in it. "Oh, are you shopping for your wife?"

"How did you guess? Yeah, I'm on my way home from an important business trip and I wanted to get her something. From a young lady's standpoint, what do you think?" The man was kind of awkward as he held the lamp.

"Does she smoke?" Halley asked walking down another small aisle.

"Sadly, yes." The man set the lamp on the counter and walked with Halley. She picked up a pressed glass ashtray and handed it to him. "Oh man, she'll love this. Gee thanks."

"It's my job, sir. It's the least I can do for a married man searching for a gift for his wife." She put the lamp back where the man had picked it up from. There was a little more small talk while the man paid for the ashtray. When he left, Halley sighed and hugged John. "A lamp? If you ever got me a lamp, I'd probably beat you with it."

"Great to know." He smirked before kissing her. "So what are you doing here?"

"I don't remember anymore. But, I've been thinking about something." John groaned, and Halley flicked his arm. "Don't you want to know what I think?"

"Am I allowed to say no?" John asked, turning on a small radio.

"No. Anyway, I was thinking about when I realized we would end up being married some day." He gave her a 'go on' look. "It was the day we met, you remember? You almost hit me with your car and you shoved me. Twice."

"How did me hurting you bring about that idea?" Halley smiled at his question.

"I gave Eyeball my number to give to you. He did, and when you came over to my house is when I fell in love with you." they kissed again before dancing along to the radio.

"It's amazing, how one person can come along and change your whole world without even trying." John smiled and pulled away before Billy's younger brother Vern walked into the shop.

"Oh - uh - I-I'm looking for something for my mother's birthday…" Halley rolled her eyes as the boy tried to explain why he was there.

"Well, that's what we're here for. To help. Now, did you have anything in mind?" Halley followed him as he wandered around the shop. "Does she like chocolate? Why don't you just get her a box?"

"Oh Jesus, I didn't even think about that. She'd love a box. Sincerely." Before Vern ran out the store, he smiled to Halley and waved.

"He's such a cute little kid. He's really awkward. It must run in the family." Halley kissed John again. He knew what she was hinting at, but he chose to ignore it. "I'm going to go home and get dinner started. I'll see you later, Hun."

"Drive safe, have fun all that stuff." He laughed, walking her to her car. "Why are you parked that way?"

"I'll tell you later." She lied before driving away. A lot had happened since they eloped.

Halley met John's uncle, she learned why he lived alone in such a large house - then moved into that large house - they both got jobs, and she explained why she never speaks of her mother. Reginald was a really nice guy, and before John and Halley were able to get jobs, he had been paying for everything his nephew needed.

John's father used to beat him and his mother. One day, when Mr. Merrill came home late, drunk and smelling of another woman's perfume. Her only son went to his friend's house despite how late it was, and the Merrills fought. Mr. Merrill was sent to Shawshank Prison for the murder of his wife. Even though it was a terrible thing to admit, Halley had only wished her family was that exciting.

(That Night)

Halley was just finishing dinner when John Merrill, Vince Desjardins and Eyeball Chambers came into the house. John stopped at the kitchen where Halley was dancing and singing along to 'Little Bitty Pretty One' like the kitchen was a stage and she was the star of her own show. Vince and Eyeball saw this too and the two young men started clapping in time as John started dancing with her.

It wasn't anything new for him to do it, and Halley was too busy with her husband to notice his two best friends enjoying the show they were putting on. Vince and Eyeball mimicked their friends' movements when the song 'In the Still of the Night'

"You guys could be the next Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers." Eyeball laughed when the two men pulled apart and the married couple was still dancing.

"Get outta here!" Halley laughed and threw a rag at him. Eyeball caught it and would have thrown it back had Halley not picked up the glass of wine she had been drinking.

"Lighten up Hal. Dinner ready yet?" they were laughing too, and John took her glass and set it on the table.

"Almost. Go wash up you three while I get the surprise out of the oven." The three ran upstairs and Halley laughed as she pulled the blueberry muffins out of the oven. Everything was ready when they came back down the stairs.

"Oh man! Muffins!" John went to reach for one, but Halley popped his hand.

"I just pulled them out of the oven you'll burn yourself." She kissed his hand where she had hit him and smiled up at him.

"So what are we having?" Vince asked, turning the radio off. That was a rule in their house. No radio, no television, only dinner.

"Pot roast, boiled potatoes and steamed carrots. Oh, and biscuits. Go sit down, I've got everything under control." She waved a hand before pulling a serving dish out of a cabinet. Since moving in, she rearranged everything in the cabinets so that she could reach them. At 5'3", Halley was pretty short. John didn't even know he had most of the things she found.

"Sounds great Hal. It's hard to believe you were such a terrible cook just a few months ago." the three men laughed, taking their usual places at the table. "Like the birthday cake incident."

"You shut up about that! It was an accident!" Halley whined, sitting next to her husband. "You were the one that distracted me."

"Cake incident? I take it as this was before I moved in?" Vince asked, taking some potatoes.

"A few days. It was his birthday, and it was the first time I ever baked a cake…" Halley defended herself. "It was almost done and he came home and dragged me upstairs…"

"I don't want to know the rest." Vince laughed. "Good roast though."

"You know what amazes me?" Eyeball asked. Halley looked up from her plate and Ace glanced at his best friend. "The fact that you haven't gotten pregnant yet."

"You would point that out. It's something I have no response to." Halley took a sip of wine before looking away.

"I refuse to respond to that as well. So Vince, you talk to Charlie lately?" Charlie Hogan ran off and joined the Navy the day he turned eighteen, and he sent letters to his mother and Vince.

"No, but I saw his mom and she told me he was graduating boot camp soon." They were almost done with dinner, and out of habit, Halley was getting things ready to take to the kitchen.

"That's exciting. We should go up there and congratulate him. He's the only one making anything of himself." Halley grinned.

"What do you mean by that?" Eyeball asked, handing Halley his empty plate.

"Think about it. He did the one thing everyone in this town talks about. He got out." Halley took the dishes to the kitchen and got herself another glass of wine. Ace followed her as he lit a cigarette. This was their nightly ritual. They would work, she would come home and cook and he would help her with the dishes after dinner.

"Leaving this town is easier than you think. My older brother got out, and he's a Chambers." Eyeball pulled a chair from the dining room into the kitchen and sat there as the married couple did all the work. "Joined the Army."

"Yeah, and looked what happened to him. He got shitfaced drunk and raped some girl." Halley turned from drying dishes to look at her friend. As she reached for her glass, John took it and dumped it in the sink. Halley stared at him in shock before taking his cigarette and throwing it in the sink water as well.

"Like you said, he was shitfaced. Chambers men have a drinking problem. Every one of us except my kid brother. Whom I am convinced will be some form of 'good guy.'" Eyeball even did the air quotes. Halley chuckled and began putting dishes away.

"He's learning from the mistakes his parents and brothers have made. He'll grow up and be a fine young man. Just like James Dean." Halley smiled with a dreamy look in her eyes. That look disappeared the moment her husband put the wet dishrag down the front of her blouse. He took off running out the front door and locked himself in Vince's car so Halley wouldn't be able to get a hold of him.

"Hey Eyeball?" Vince and Eyeball looked at one another as Halley and their best friend Ace wrestled for some form of dominance in the front yard with the dogs barking at the married couple. "Why did we ever move in here?"

(Three Months later)

Halley Merrill smiled at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. Every woman in town recognized what was happening to her. It wasn't that hard to figure out; even some of the men noticed it. Halley Merrill was two and a half months pregnant. It was more in the way she carried herself than anything else, her 'baby bump' as everyone was calling it wasn't even noticeable unless she was naked.

"Hey baby." John wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck.

"Hey you." she leaned into the embrace. Neither of them had to work that day, so it gave them time to do something they hadn't done since the weekend they got married.

"You ready to go?" he nuzzled his face into her neck. Halley whimpered and nodded. They were going to the lake, and Halley knew they weren't going swimming. John and Halley Merrill never went down to the lake to swim, they went there to lie in each others arms and watch the clouds roll by. It was one of the few times they got to just relax and enjoy themselves. "My car is loaded up and ready whenever you are."

"How about we get going before I decide we're just going to stay in bed all day?" Halley pulled away from her husband and his wandering hands and headed for the door. The three dogs and one cat were staying home so the young couple wouldn't be interrupted.

"I don't have a problem with that idea…" John followed her out of the house. Halley stopped before getting into his car and glared.

"Don't you even start. We've had this trip planned for almost a month now. Today is the busiest day of the summer. Fourth of July is tomorrow and everyone else is getting ready. Get in the fucking car. Now." John laughed as he got into the car and the couple sped away.

He laced his fingers with hers and kissed her knuckles. Halley giggled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He didn't smell like engine oil or sweat and it made her almost upset. She loved it when he came home smelling like a garage. It was a comfort of sorts

The drive was short and quiet, and Halley enjoyed not having to say anything to her husband. They were just like every other couple in the world, they had their arguments, but that didn't stop Halley from enjoying the quiet. It was just like his 'grease monkey' smell.

"Here we are." John eased the car to a stop and shut it off. Halley grinned at the sight of the still lake. It was where she and John escaped to when the entire town got wind of their marriage. She had never felt more overwhelmed than when the women in town scolded her about eloping.

"Beautiful." Halley was still grinning and when John wrapped his arms around her again, she giggled and pulled away to unpack the car.

BREAK HERE

Halley Merrill looked up at the Chambers house. 'House' was an inappropriate term - 'shack' fit better. There were three little ones all playing in the front yard. Halley glanced up at the broken out windows in an attempt to see in, but sheets of plastic covered them. All ideas of a large family vanished when the eldest of the three in the yard ran up to her car. He was a cute kid, and Halley smiled down at him.

"Are you Ritchie's new girlfriend? You're really pretty." She blushed as the little boy grinned. He was missing a lot of his teeth.

"No, I'm just a close friend. I'm Halley Merrill." At the mention of her last name, the little boy and his two siblings ran into the house, away from Halley. "What, what did I say?"

Eyeball walked out with a box in his arms. The rest of his belongings. It made Halley a little sad to know that he could fit his life into one box. "You mentioned Ace, didn't you?"

"I told the eldest my name, and they all ran into the house… What did Ace do to them that makes them afraid to hear our last name?" Halley drove away as Eyeball got comfortable.

"A few years ago, before Debbie was born, we used to tease Sheldon to the point where he'd wet himself, and we'd just laugh about it." Halley slammed on the brakes and slugged him in the arm as hard as she could.

"You're a complete asshole!" she shouted before hitting him again. All he could do was let her. Pregnancy hormones were kicking into overdrive at five and a half months in. "You're lucky I like you."

The rest of the drive home was silent and awkward. When they got to the house, Halley sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She had to be to work in a few minutes. John, Vince and Eyeball were annoyed that she had refused to quit work. The tips she got from customers had grown substantially. That was the only reason she hadn't quit yet…

The diner was slow that day, and all three groups of people were sitting in her section. One group in particular made her smile. It was Chris Chambers, Gordon Lachance, Teddy Duchamp and Vern Tessio. They'd come in once a month just to catch up over lunch. Apparently, Chris and Gordie were in the college courses while Vern and Teddy were stuck in the shop courses.

"Here are your Cokes, are you ready to order?" Halley set four glasses down on the table and pulled her notepad out.

"Just four hamburgers will work…" Chris smiled. Halley grinned as she took their order. "So Halley, you seem like a really nice girl. What attracted you to Ace Merrill?"

"You know, I don't really know… He certainly isn't a Chambers. So there's none of that natural Chambers Charm within him. Why? You jealous?" She winked and walked to another table.

They barely talked after that, it was mostly her flirting with Chris and him blushing madly. She did it on purpose. He wasn't attractive to her at all, but when he got older, he would be such a looker. He'd have girls of all sorts pining after him. The thought made her smile.

(That night)

After the mess from dinner had been cleaned up, showers had been had and 'goodnights' said, Halley found herself with her husband in the bed they shared. She was preparing a baby book while he sat at the foot of the bed, staring at her.

"What?" She looked up, and his intense stare hadn't wavered. His blue eyes had darkened with the night-sky and Halley resisted the urge to shutter. "What is it man? Come on."

"Do you even remember the last time we had sex?" His question caught her off-guard and she blushed.

"Yeah, what about it?" She tried to look back at the book, but couldn't.

"You said you wouldn't hold out on me while you're fat." Halley gasped and tried to shove him off the bed with her foot.

"Why would you call me fat? Let me go!" Ace pulled her toward him and smirked.

"Angry sex is the best." He growled before pushing her into a lying position and hovering over her.

"But I - " Halley was interrupted when the cat she had found almost a year ago pounced and attacked her foot. Halley shrieked and pulled her legs up as far as she could. "Jesus Christ! Why would you bite my foot?"

Vince and Eyeball stared at one another in shock. Whenever Ace was in one of his moods, he would tell them to go riding or something. But tonight, they got no warning as their best friend apparently bit his wife's foot. Vince gagged a little and grabbed his car keys. Without saying a word, both young men slipped out the front door.

"Halley, are you alright?" John grabbed her foot to inspect the damage. She giggled before nodding. He could be so overprotective sometimes.

"I'm ok. I was just startled is all." John grinned before massaging her foot. "Hey now, you know how I feel about my feet being rubbed." Halley tried to complain, but after working, a foot massage was what she needed. Her head lolled back and she let out a small whimper of satisfaction.

Fin for now.