True Friends

by Helena Mira

When Phoebe and the Professor announce their marriage they find out who their true friends are. It will help to read the "Love Makes a Family" and "Journey to Light" stories for better understanding.

Phoebe and Hal return to their daily lives and discover that the response to their elopement is surprising. As Phoebe and Hal reset their relationships with the rest of their friends, they discover how many true friends that they really have.

I do not own these characters and make no profit from them.

True Friends

Prologue

After the children had left for school and Emmeline had returned home to England to inform the Figalillys of Phoebe's decision to be married immediately in a private ceremony, rather than wait for a big family wedding, Phoebe and Hal were left standing alone in the foyer. It had only been a few hours since the children had tried to serve them the most disastrous "breakfast in bed gone wrong" in history.

Waldo, who in his exuberance to do his part by bringing them morning paper had instead sent breakfast flying everywhere, was still in disgrace. He was presently cowering under the house out back. Phoebe knew that she was going to have to have a word with him later to sooth his injured feelings. She knew that he had just been trying too hard. She also knew that despite Hal and Prudence's efforts to clean up, that same mess was still waiting for her upstairs.

She was more concerned about Emmeline's allusion to a Figalilly settling down in the area to watch over her. Courtesy of Aunt Agatha's insinuations, she was sure that the family believed that she had been sharing Hal's bed for some time already. They would certainly not be reassured by Emmeline, even if she told them the truth. She and her cousin had been best friends all of their lives and had shared so many secrets that it stood to reason that this was another.

And Emmeline knew the truth that eight days before the ceremony, Phoebe had spent the night with him doing more than sleeping. It would be very easy for any family member to discern this and use it as proof of a long term affair. Aunt Justine knew the truth of their relationship when she has visited, but at the moment she was not feeling too kindly toward them. She had heartily disapproved of the mixed marriage, but could do nothing in the face of the overwhelming alignment of fates, which had reset the course of Phoebe's life.

All these things considered Phoebe should have been going out of her way to follow Figalilly tradition with regard to weddings and marriages. She and Hal should have returned home to be married by her own pastor in the church where she was baptized. There should have been a grand fete for the whole village. The bridal party should have consisted of at least two-dozen family members, with numerous toasts made throughout the rehearsal and bridal dinners by just about any relative who wanted to stand up and speak.

A sticking point would have been who would have had the honor of giving the bride away. Her father had five brothers. Although the one that she was closest to was Emmeline's father, he was not the eldest. Also, her mother had several brothers who might claim the honor. Not to mention the fact that there were still a few great uncles floating around from her grandparents' generation. Trelawney and her scheming notwithstanding, once the family got their hands on the wedding it would easily have turned into a circus. And she would have been caught in the middle.

Thankfully, when Hal planned the elopement or, as they now called it, the private ceremony, he had chosen to follow the church route to begin with. A civil ceremony would have left open the possibility for another full-scale church wedding. In fact, most of her relatives would not have recognized a civil ceremony anyway. She knew that once married in the church, there could be no remarriage. And since the American Episcopal Church was a member of the Anglican Communion, there was no loophole there. They could renew their vows, but no more. And as dearly as she had come to love Pastor Jason, there was no way that the family would have accepted a marriage in the Presbyterian Church as a true marriage.

And Trelawney? This might be used as further evidence that Phoebe was unable to control the impulsive child. If she couldn't control her own impulses, how could she properly manage her sister?

Mrs. Fowler

With all of these things weighing on her mind, there was nothing more that Phoebe wanted to do at that moment than to escape with her husband upstairs and forget about potential family problems that faced her. She had discovered that in his arms, she was capable of forgetting everything and everyone else around her. He was ready to accept her invitation when from outside the house they heard the familiar,

"Yoo-Hoo! Professor! Mrs. Everett!"

Hal swooped down and gave her a swift kiss for courage. When Phoebe opened the door to Mrs. Fowler, she was the recipient of a very big hug. After all, the only way that Mrs. Fowler knew how to do things was in a very big way. Seeing this, Hal disappeared back into the house saying, "I've got to get ready for class."

"Congratulations MRS. Everett! Francine is just SO excited that she can now call you Mrs. Everett now instead of Nanny! And your sister is just over the moon! I have never seen that child so happy since I have known her! And you, you're glowing yourself," gushed Mrs. Fowler. "My dear, you have taken us all by surprise, but considering how long it took the Professor to find the perfect ring, it makes sense that you would want to get married right away!"

"It does?" said Phoebe weakly, not knowing how to react to this wave of emotion. Mrs. Fowler's natural personality had all the qualities of a tidal wave, rushing in to sweep away everything in its path and then quickly retreating leaving debris in its wake. However, the present force of her assault indicated that this would be a powerful but brief intrusion on her day.

"Well, of course!" she answered. "Now I have been listening to dear Trelawney going on and on about the wedding that she wanted for you, and I have tried to tell her that such a wedding would be completely inappropriate for someone who had just had a significant loss. I knew that you would never flaunt social convention that way. So when she came over on Saturday night to tell Francine, I told her to just let it rest. She had only herself to blame. And now I see you, and you are positively radiant!"

Phoebe was somewhat bowled over by both the onrush of words and the overwhelming approval of their choice.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fowler," she said. "It is most kind of you to understand our need for a private ceremony. I just would not have felt right having a huge wedding. I was aware that Trelawney could not quite understand that."

"Well, I know that she's gotten over it. She does count on the Professor for so much now, in addition to Francine of course. And naturally, she does want you to be happy, and now I know you are," she said. "Now, I have to get running, I have a meeting. Oh! I just had to see you before I left, so I could tell everyone the news!"

She turned to leave but then quickly turned back, "A private ceremony! Of course! How could this possibly be an elopement? It's not as though you left by sneaking out a window in the middle of the night. In fact that was quite a romantic kiss by the Professor as he helped you in the car. You may be married, but you should remind him that there are innocent children around who might see."

She swept out as quickly a she had swept in. When she had shut the door behind her, Phoebe leaned back on it, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

"Not to mention nosy neighbors."

Before she knew it, Hal's strong arms were around her. Leaning against him, she allowed him to hold her close, and rested against him.

"I'm sorry that you had to bear the brunt of that by yourself. I was afraid of what she might say, and then what I might say if I could have gotten a word in edgewise. And it's not as if she and I have been on the best of terms these past few months," he said as he stroked her hair. "It is a relief that she approves though."

"Why is that?" asked Phoebe with a bit of an edge in her voice.

"Like it or not, Mrs. Fowler is one of the biggest gossips in town. If we know that she's going to spread the story, it's better for all concerned if it is accurate. The spin that she puts on it will help how other people receive it."

"How do you think that they will receive it?" asked Phoebe nervously.

"Phoebe, once again, whether we like it or not, whether we call it a private ceremony or not, there will be people who will not be satisfied that everything is on the up and up for a few more months," he said.

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Now, I have to get to the university. What are your plans for today?" he asked.

"Well, there is the house to put in order after the weekend," she answered, glad to be off the topic of gossip. "And I plan to go to Montclaire to see Mrs. Kaufman and the others and to drop by and see Pastor Jason. Of course the children start coming home at three. Will you be late?"

"I don't plan to be late, but I'll call if I will," he replied.

Then kissing her gently he said, "I love you and I'll miss you every minute that we're apart."

She looked at him with longing and answered, "I love you."

Knowing what she needed, he swept her into his arms and gave her a long, slow kiss. He wished that he could have just picked her up and carried back to their room to finish what the kids had interrupted earlier. But he suspected that if he did he would never make it to work. Reluctantly, he withdrew from her arms and stepped outside into the morning air. It took a moment for his head to clear so that he could drive to the university safely.

The Math Department

Hal decided that he would not make any big announcement when he came into the math department area. However, as things turned out he didn't need to. On his way to his own office, Fred Fisk called him into his office. Without thinking he set his brief case on his desk and leaned his arms on it. Fred took one look at the gold band on his left hand and let everyone within a half-mile radius know about the news with an enormous whoop.

"Everett, you finally broke down and took the plunge! Good for you old man!" he hollered, as he tried to slap his back and shake his hand at the same time. "She's a beautiful girl, you lucky dog! I don't think that they make them much prettier than that! And you already know that you like her cooking!"

Several of their colleagues came to the door looking amused. Hal had a kind of sheepish grin on his face. Fisk's enthusiasm notwithstanding, no one else seemed too surprised. However they were all looking at each other just like his kids did when they had just been caught in one of their pranks. Finally, Alice Miller broke down and told him.

"Now, Hal don't get too offended by this, but we've actually had a couple of pools going since last year. Pulski won the engagement pool last week, but Fred here is excited because he just won the wedding pool. When you only got engaged last week, he figured it was a lost cause," she admitted.

"I'm not sure of exactly how I'm supposed to respond to that," said Hal who was definitely looking dazed by now.

"Let's face it, Hal," she said. "Even I could tell when I went out on a date with you a week after she arrived, I could see that something was up."

"You could?" he asked weakly.

"I never went out on a date where the guy talked so much about another woman," she replied with a smile. "Of course most of what you had to say were complaints. You made her sound like a wacko or something. Then I meet her and she's this sweet, gorgeous blonde comforting your daughter through her night terrors. And she gave me the clear impression that she did not know that I was a female 'esteemed colleague.'"

Alice was obviously enjoying his discomfort, as were the others. Hal then realized that he was about to get a litany of other stories from his colleagues about how he had been denying his attraction for the woman he had just married until about six months ago.

He was beginning to wish that he had called in sick and just spent the day at home with Phoebe. However knowing that Pulski's son, Martin, was Butch's best friend, the cat would have been out of the bag by tomorrow at the very least. And then he knew that there would have been even more ribbing to face for "cutting class" to stay home with his bride.

Elizabeth Carlson who was also standing at the door took pity on him and said, "Well, I stayed out of the pool."

"Why?" asked Hal.

"I figured that it was useless to speculate. Whenever you did it, and it would no doubt happen, it was bound to be a surprise, to you as much as anyone," she answered.

Hal grumbled about having work to catch up on and dove in his office with an emphatic slam of the door.

"Poor guy," said Alice. "If he thinks this is bad, wait until he hears what Pulski has to say when he finds out."

"Pulski doesn't know?" asked Fisk eagerly.

"No, he's been in . . ." Liz Carlson started, but Fisk was already out the door. "Class."

Liz turned to Alice. "I'm still not quite sure of what to make of it."

"What's there to make of it?" asked Alice. "Boy meets girl. Girl is the only one who can tolerate his three kids and that zoo that he lives with, and they all live happily ever after, the end. You know there was a rooster in his yard crowing at eleven pm that night."

"Actually, it's not him that perplexes me. It's her," she said.

"Her? That's even less of a mystery. You may not have seen them together, but I got the impression that even though she was encouraging his relationship with me, she was definitely attracted. That wide-eyed, innocent look that she gave him, while standing there in her nightclothes, was borderline flirtatious if I ever saw it."

"Well that's not the vibe I got," said Liz. "I got the impression that she seemed to think that Hal and I should get together with our six kids and make up one big happy family."

"You weren't tempted?" asked Alice curiously.

"Only to try and lure her away to take care of my three kids," she answered, laughing. "I offered to double her salary, but all she would say was that once she 'took on a family,' she stayed until they were settled. I'm guessing that Hal was pretty tough to settle. Look at the drastic measures she finally took to do it."

"There was that little chick Suzette from the dean's office, you know," commented Alice.

"Well, that was a disaster in the making. Talk about a midlife crisis. If that had gone any farther, I'm sure that Fisk and Pulski would have kidnapped him and held him hostage until he came to his senses," replied Liz.

"Well," said Alice. "I figured that something was definitely wrong when Maureen Peters dumped him. What a crazy story. She looks in the window and sees him on one knee in front of her. But it was all a big mistake? Hah! Maureen is a doll and no fool. She and Hal made a pretty cute couple."

"And then there were Lynn Carlisle and Prudence's kindergarten teacher. What a sweet young thing she is! And she's even younger than the new Mrs. Everett I'm sure. You know, Hal was acting like a real playboy for a while," said Liz, thinking aloud. "It wasn't until he finally saw what had been right under his nose the whole time that he seemed to be able to settle on one woman."

"Well, there may be a better explanation for that than you realize, Liz," said Alice with a smile.

Liz raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"All the women that Hal was dating up to that point, were career women," explained Alice. "Maybe what he wanted all along was someone like her, to keep the home fires burning so to speak. How long do you think it will take her to get pregnant?"

"You seem pretty sure that that's not the case now," answered Liz.

"No way," said Alice. "That girl was definitely saving it for the wedding night. Judging by the spring in Hal's step, I'd say that he's got the whole package now. I predict ten, eleven months at the most, but in no less than nine will the next little Everett come along."

Liz gave her a grin and tipped her head in a questioning gesture.

Alice laughed. "Definitely, let's start a pool!"

When Pulski was done with class, he and Fisk came running into the math department like little kids on Christmas morning. The two of them eagerly descended on Hal in his office.

"Don't you guys have midterms to worry about?" he asked in annoyance.

"Sure," said Pulski. "I'll give them and have them graded by finals time. Everett, did you really have to 'jump the gun here,' so to speak?"

"Pulski, I hope that you're not implying what I think you're implying," said Hal, his temper rising.

"Hey! I know that we've been down this road before, but come on, she's a beauty," he answered.

Hal looked at him and said seriously, "Yes, she is. She's my beauty and I love her with all my heart. She's younger than me. That's obvious. But she's also very vulnerable, maybe that's less obvious. I have been protecting her and I plan to continue to do so, for the rest of my life in fact. If you can't accept that, then maybe you're not the friend that I thought you were."

Hal looked him straight in the eye. Pulski could see that if he tried to push that envelope any farther Hal would be his ex-friend. There was clearly going to be no joking where his wife's virtue and honor were concerned. He had to respect him for it. Most other guys would have enjoyed the innuendo and played along. It's not every day that a middle-aged widower gets to marry the girl of his, not mention half the male population of the town's, dreams.

"Congratulations, Hal," he said sincerely. "I'm very happy that you've been able to find true love again. I know you'll be very happy together.

Hal shook his hand and said, "Thanks. Maybe you want to put off your grading, but I want to get mine done. Before I can even start I have to clear that pile of papers off my desk."

Mrs. Kaufman and Friends

Once Hal left, Phoebe went outside to console Waldo, and then upstairs to finish cleaning up the mess he made. She straightened things up and before she left the room noticed that Hal had already cleared half the closet. Opening up the drawers, she noticed that he had made room there for her as well. She smiled softly and discovered a note in the top drawer.

"Dear Phoebe, These empty drawers are waiting to be filled, as you have filled my life with love. Forever yours, Hal"

It was not exactly poetic, but very sweet. When she came home later she would be sure to move her things in. She knew that that it would make him happy to see her own possessions side by side with his. Feeling light-hearted, she finished her chores, and went out to Arabella to make a couple of visits.

Phoebe's first stop was at the Montclaire nursing home. She was hoping to see Mrs. Kaufman by herself. Her former neighbor had stood by her through a love and challenging summer, like a second mother. But as usual, she and her two good friends Aunt Lottie and Mrs. Darmstadt were sitting together in the rec room. Taking a deep breath, she approached the three and sat beside Mrs. Kaufman. Not knowing what to say, she held out her hand to her dear friend who grasped it tightly and pulled her forward into a close hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Nanny, I am so happy for you," she said softly. "Although I suppose that Nanny is no longer the right name for you, Mrs. Everett."

Pulling away, she replied, "Please call me Phoebe."

"That's a lovely name. I will be very happy to call you Phoebe," the older woman answered.

"So will I," added Aunt Lottie. "What did you two do? Elope or something?"

"Lottie!" said Mrs. Kaufman.

"No, that's all right," replied Phoebe. "I wouldn't exactly say that we eloped. We left the house on Saturday morning, after Emmeline took the kids on an outing. When we didn't come home, she told them. Then we came home yesterday. But in order to avoid all the upset of them knowing and then not being allowed to attend, we did it this way."

"Makes sense," said Mrs. Darmstadt, who was happy to disagree with Aunt Lottie whenever she could. "You do know that your sister was planning the social event of the season."

"Yes, I do know that," said Phoebe. "However to escape the fuss we decided on a private ceremony. In order to actually keep it private, we really couldn't have anyone there. First it would have been the kids and Emmeline, then it would have been Hal's parents and brothers, and then who knows where it would have gone from there."

"Weddings are tricky," agreed Aunt Lottie. "You can't invite this one without that one and before you know it, instead of the camel's nose, you have the whole camel inside the tent."

Glad to see that she agreed, she said, "If we had invited even one close friend of Hal's from the university, it would have meant several dozen more."

"Yes," nodded Mrs. Darmstadt, "You did good. I always knew that you were a smart cookie."

"Well," said Phoebe. "Pastor Paul will be saying a very small blessing on Sunday after the service at St. Andrews. It would mean a lot to us if you three, and of course Jim, could be there."

"Of course we would," said Mrs. Kaufman.

"Well, I don't know," said a voice from behind. "I'll have to check my busy social calendar to see if I can squeeze it in."

"Jim!" said Nanny fondly, as she stood up for a hug and a kiss. "You've heard already!"

"Couldn't miss it with all this caterwauling out here," he said with a grin. "So the Professor decided to take the plunge and marry his Cornish love. I told him that he couldn't do better."

"Now old man," said Mrs. Darmstadt. "Don't try and tell us that YOU were the one to convince him to marry our Phoebe."

"In my defense," said Jim. "He did ask me about my Juliet and what it was like being married to a woman from Cornwall."

"And what did you tell him?" asked Aunt Lottie suspiciously. Phoebe was beginning to turn a little pink.

"I told him that my Juliet was that loveliest lady that ever lived, and that he would be lucky because Nanny was almost as pretty. They certainly know how to make them right in Cornwall."

"I think that this teasing has gone on long enough," said Mrs. Kaufman. "Here our Phoebe comes over first thing to tell us her big news and you all have to start bickering among yourselves over nonsense."

Phoebe smiled at her gratefully. "Now enough about me, how are you all doing?"

She and Mrs. Kaufman exchanged a conspiratorial smile. They knew that the only thing their friends liked to do more than talk about other people's business was to talk about their own.

However, Mrs. Darmstadt was not to be easily distracted.

"Did you wear the dress?" she asked bluntly.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Phoebe.

"Did you wear your great-great-grandmother's dress?" asked Aunt Lottie. "Trelawney told us all about it."

"As a matter of fact I did," said Phoebe. "Trelawney really did go into details with these plans she was dreaming up."

"Yes, she did," said Mrs. Darmstadt. "Even though I understand your reasons for not wanting to have a big wedding, I sure did want to see that dress."

"So did I," chimed in Aunt Lottie. "Do you have any pictures?"

"No," said Phoebe slowly. "We didn't think about it at the time. Hal has said that we would have some done at a local studio."

"I guess we can't talk you into wearing the dress for the blessing," said Mrs. Darmstadt.

The four looked at her expectantly, even her dear friend Mrs. Kaufman. It occurred to her that it might make Trelawney and the other children happy as well, if she put it on one more time. Reluctantly she agreed.

"Well, good," said Aunt Lottie. "Now I'm afraid that the news around here has not nearly been so exciting.

As she began her monologue, Phoebe looked at Mrs. Kaufman again who squeezed her hand. If wearing the dress would make this good woman, who had seen her through her troubles this summer, happy, it would be a small enough way to say thank you.

Pastor Jason

Her next stop was at the Trinity Presbyterian Church. As always, Pastor Jason was available to see her when she dropped by his office. Giving her a cheerful grin he commented, "Amazing how my calendar is always clear whenever Phoebe Everett, nee Figalilly, drops by for a visit."

"So you know then?" she asked, giving him a questioning look. She wondered if he wasn't getting his information through his own cosmic connections.

"No actually, Trelawney called me yesterday to tell me. To quote her she was 'bereft' that you had foiled her efforts to design a big wedding," he replied. "For the record, you did the right thing."

"I did?" she asked warily.

"Phoebe, there are many forces at work in all of our lives. You know very well that there are no set scripts. However, sometimes we ride with the tide more easily than others. In this case, this was the best possible course of action for this outcome," he said to encourage her. "As you know, this outcome has been your destiny all along."

She smiled sweetly, and responded, "I know that there may still be difficulties."

"Phoebe, there will always be difficulties," he told her seriously. "Life is full of all kinds of difficulties, many of which cannot be avoided. Suffice it to say that this way is easier than some others you might have taken. When you come through this stretch you will be greatly relieved that the path was not any more difficult."

"I know," she said quietly.

"Never forget that I am here for you as well as your sister," he reminded her. "By the way, Emmeline stopped in on her way out of town. She is worried about you two."

"Both of us?" asked Phoebe, now puzzled. "Why is that?"

"She is afraid that Trelawney's psychic energy is growing faster than her self-control. It's why she is so unbalanced at times. She would be having issues if even she was at home. Phoebe, you do realize that she is a little fey, don't you?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "The last time I was home, my parents told me as much. They were worried about her even then. They asked me to renew my promise to care for her, in the event something happened to them. They knew it would be difficult, but I don't think that they would ever have wanted to see us separated."

"I'm sure that they didn't or they would have made other arrangements," Pastor Jason assured her. "If the worst comes to worst, I have a plan for keeping her here. But I can't tell you."

"I have idea about what that might entail, but I will not think about it," she replied. "It would be very possible that she would get wind of it, if I were too worried. Why is Emmeline worried about me?"

"She is afraid that now that you are married, you will want to take things too quickly," answered Pastor Jason.

"With regard to children?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "She is afraid that you're not ready. She also knows that things could become very challenging where your sister is concerned. She and is worried that you won't be able to manage both at the same time."

"What did you tell her?"

"That only God would know when you were ready, and that whatever was going on with Trelawney at the time, He would see you through. You have a very strong faith and that counts for a lot with the man upstairs," he said. "I'm afraid that she did not like that answer too much."

"She's not a true believer," said Phoebe simply. "She does not know how to let go and let God. I know that if God grants this greatest of life's blessing, that He will bring my child home to me safely."

She then looked at Pastor Jason directly in the eyes. She wanted him to know that she was ready to accept God's blessing in His own time. Her faith, her trust in Him was absolute.

Pastor Jason looked at her and nodded. Contrary to Emmeline's fears, Phoebe had the strength to face life's challenges. Her devotion to God and family were the strongest forces in her life right now. He pitied her cousin who didn't share that faith. She would be a happier woman if she did. He decided to change the subject.

"I've been curious about something. Phoebe, you are a very intelligent woman and, I suspect, highly educated," he commented. "Why did you decide to make a career out of changing nappies and cleaning up after other people's kids?"

"I didn't really decide. It started out as an opportunity to see the world. It was more of a lark than anything else. I worked for an agency that matched up nannies with families all over the world that needed them. I discovered that I was not only good at it, but I enjoyed it. Then I started 'free lancing,' so to speak. That was when things got interesting. I went where the spirit moved me," she replied with a smile. "I could indulge in my wanderlust and help people at the same time. I could make the world a better place one family at a time."

"There's no more wanderlust anymore though," he stated.

"No, it's gone," she said. "It disappeared when I fully discovered the sense of oneness with my husband. I have no more reason to wander. I am home."

"And you can still make the world a better place," he said with a smile.

"Yes," she replied. "But you knew that already."

"Yes, I did and I do," he said. "Now I have another appointment in a few minutes. I like to keep them spaced out, so that people who know each other don't run into each other. I like to respect their privacy."

"Pastor Jason, thank you for your time," said Phoebe, as she stood up extending her hand.

But Pastor Jason would have none of it and kissed her on the cheek.

"Pastor's privilege," he said with a smile, "And Phoebe?"

"Yes, Pastor?"

"Your dreams will come true. Try to be more patient with yourself."

Phoebe smiled as she walked out the door. She was glad that she had Pastor Jason as a friend. And she was glad that he was there for Trelawney. It left her free to focus on her own life.

Lois Lenihan

No sooner had Phoebe arrived home than she got a call from her friend Lois Lenihan, inviting her to lunch. She had met Lois while they were working in the service project together. Lois's two sons had become friendly with her kids, Tim with Butch and Mike with Trelawney.

Mike was an extremely talented young actor and singer whom Trelawney had met in through the summer theatre program she attended. Despite the six-year age gap, they had hit it off right away. In fact, it was this relationship that had brought Lois and the whole St. Peter's community into the service project. It was amazing how strong the connections were that they had made with one another remained, even after the good work was done.

"So, Mrs. Everett," said Lois cheerfully. "How are things going?"

"Well it's been a busy morning so far," Phoebe replied. "And please call me Phoebe. I much prefer it to Nanny, and Mrs. Everett is much too formal for a good friend."

"But I bet you love hearing Mrs. Everett," responded Lois. "I can see how Nanny is no longer fitting. I suspect that Nanny disappeared the minute you said 'I do.'"

"Something like that," she answered. "What can I do for you?"

"Join me for lunch," replied Lois. "My treat."

"I don't know, I've got a pretty busy day," replied Phoebe.

"So do I," said Lois practically. "But we both have to eat."

"In that case, why don't you come here?" Phoebe invited her. "I would really prefer to stay out of the public eye at the moment. I can whip something up in no time."

"You talked me into it," said Lois cheerfully. "And I can understand how you would want to lie low for the moment."

After she hung up, Phoebe went to the refrigerator and discovered that there were leftovers from dinner the night before. By the time that Lois arrived, lunch was ready to serve.

"I knew an invitation to lunch from you was bound to be good," commented Lois as she ate.

"Actually, I can take no credit for it," admitted Phoebe. "It's the leftovers from last night's dinner that my Cousin Emmeline cooked. She stayed with the kids while Hal and I went out of town."

"I think I knew that," said Lois, slowly remembering. "Your next door neighbor was at a meeting that I chaired this morning and gave us all a blow by blow description of the event. She was thrilled to be the only one there who even knew that it had happened, although it did sound like she was peeking out from behind her curtains to find out."

"No," said Phoebe. "Her information came from a 'somewhat' more reliable source than that. Trelawney told her and Francine everything. And then she stopped by this morning for a firsthand reconnaissance mission."

"And the house is still standing? She was wound up pretty tight when she got to the meeting," replied Lois.

Phoebe sighed. "She's always wound up tight, but she has been very kind to Trelawney. She was far more approving than I thought that she would by."

"Except for the kiss in the driveway," said Lois with a smile.

Phoebe turned a delicate shade of pink. "She really did share out the details."

"Don't worry, honey," replied Lois. "The only reaction that she got was 'it's about time.' No one really cared too much after she went into the private ceremony twist. That kind of took the juicy edge off the gossip. An elopement would have been so much more dramatic and has a somewhat naughty ring to it. By the way, I hadn't realized that it was such a short time since your parents passed away. I am sorry."

"Thank you," said Phoebe quietly. "I thought that if I did it this way it wouldn't hurt as much."

"But it did."

"Yes," she replied. "I don't know what I would have done without Hal. There are times that I still don't know what I'd do without him. I keep waiting for it to get easier, but . . ."

"It doesn't," Lois finished.

"It doesn't," affirmed Phoebe. "I guess that there are some things that just take a very long time to heal."

"Well," said Lois. "Mrs. Fowler aside, there are a lot of people out there who are sorry that it was too hard for you to go through with a full scale wedding. It's not even people who wanted to attend. A girl's wedding is the biggest day in her life. She doesn't give it up easily. I won't even try to say that I know how you feel because I don't. However, it does make me more inclined to go easier on my own mother when she starts to drive me crazy."

"Oh dear!" said Phoebe. "I didn't realize that you had difficulties with her."

"Well, the difficulties are recent," answered Lois. "Mike finally filed for divorce last week. My mother is treating me like an adulterous woman or something, even though he is the one who moved out to live with his girlfriend. One day she thinks that I didn't do enough to try and save it, the next she thinks that I drove him away. It's an adventure every time the phone rings."

"I'm sorry," Phoebe said quietly. "I don't know what to say."

"It's okay," said Lois. "There's not much to say. I did everything that I could, but you can't force someone into marriage counseling who doesn't want to be there, to love you if he doesn't, or to love his children if he doesn't care. Mike is making all of his own mistakes. But I would take him back tomorrow if he showed up at my door."

She was quiet for a moment. Phoebe reached over and touched her arm. Lois looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"I love him," she said simply.

Just as Lois had said that she couldn't understand how she felt at the loss of her parents, she couldn't understand how Lois felt at the loss of her marriage. Nevertheless, they shared the bond of experiencing these life-changing losses at the same time. Their blossoming friendship meant that they could support each other. This was a new experience for the previously independent Phoebe. She knew that in the coming months that she would need all the support that she could get. She enjoyed the feeling that it was a mutual exchange of help between friends.

"You're probably wondering why I wanted to see you," said Lois. "It's because I wanted the affirmation that there was still the hope of love in the world. Phoebe, one look in your eyes and all you can see is the love that you have for your new husband."

For a moment she hesitated and then added, "I want to tell you something that I am guessing that no one has told you. Helen Everett was a good friend of mine."

Phoebe was surprised, but then realized that there must be a lot of people around town who had known Hal's first wife. And it was only natural that some of them would have been friends. Since she had not socialized with most of the other families in town, she had never reached a point in any friendship where someone would tell her about Helen. Hal still found it too painful to discuss. Now Lois had decided to help her, so to speak, fill in the blanks.

"Hal was a broken man after she died," explained Lois. "I don't think that he knew how to pull himself, much less the family, back together. She was sick for about a year. Prudence was barely a toddler. Before the live-in housekeepers, there were nurses and cleaning ladies in and out of the house. Once she was gone, he became a workaholic. I think that the kids kept driving the housekeepers away just to get him to notice them."

Lois paused. Phoebe wasn't sure of how she should respond, so she decided to speak from her own experience.

"When I arrived, I knew that there had been many housekeepers and that it was a motherless home. The kids didn't get very far in their attempts to get rid of me. I refused to be anything but kind, and was always able to stay one step ahead of their tricks. Hal was very wrapped up in his work. One of my first struggles with him was to create family time to be with the children," she said. "I could see that he was a young man and that the children needed a mother. I thought that if the home was settled, then perhaps he would find someone to love and care for him and the children. I never had the intention, nor even thought that it would be me."

Lois nodded. She knew that Phoebe's motives had always been pure. Falling in love had never been a part of her plan. In fact, word on the street was that she had done her darnedest to marry him off to someone else. It had only become obvious later why this was a hopeless effort. Hal had fallen hopelessly in love with her.

"Helen had been worried about what would happen after she was gone," Lois continued. "She was afraid that what did happen would happen. One thing that deeply troubled her toward the end was the way that her parents were making things difficult for Hal, and for his parents to be more involved. Bernice was a difficult parent. She was very possessive and controlling. The sicker that Helen became, the worse Bernice got. She gave up fighting and Hal was helpless on many levels."

Phoebe was silent. She realized that these were things that she had known intuitively, especially when she met Bernice herself. Even when she had arrived, she had seen the vestiges of regret and sadness clinging to his aura. She stared ahead, lost in her own thoughts. Lois reached out and took her hand.

"Phoebe, I'm not telling you this to upset you. Sooner or later, someone was bound to tell you. I thought it would be easier to hear it from someone who knew her well and knows you. And I hope that you do see me as a friend. You are everything that Helen wanted for her family, and more. When I see how blessed Hal is by your presence in his life, it helps me to realize that even if I lose Mike, there is still hope for me to find someone who will truly love me," she said.

"Thank you for telling me all this. I suppose that I wish that Hal could have told me himself, but I guess that it is still too hard," she said.

"I'm sure it is. And he's a man. You have to remember that women are much better at unburdening themselves than men. However, you two are only at the very beginning of a lifelong relationship. Give him time, he'll open up," Lois assured her. "If it makes you feel any better, he was never very open about his feelings with Helen. And they were married for over ten years. I hope it doesn't bother you if I mention her."

"No, not at all," she replied. "I don't feel threatened by her memory in any way. Quite frankly, I don't know much about her at all. No one in the family ever talks about her. Most of what I know, I found out when her parents came to visit a few weeks ago. It was not a happy reunion.

"Butch and Prudence don't remember her. Young Hal does, but doesn't say much. And my husband has said very little. I met her parents. It's quite sad really. Her mother is still in mourning. So far no one outside the family has said anything, except for you right now."

"Phoebe, I feel as if I have come to know you very well this summer. I want you to realize something else. You are a sweet and caring person. But you are also young and very pretty. There is a pretty big age gap between you and Hal, and you have to expect people to comment on it. Try not to let it get to you. Those of us who know you and Hal well, know how much you love each other and how much you love those kids," she said.

"Hal thinks that people are expecting that, well, I'm expecting," added Phoebe.

"And that surprises you? After the little incident with Prudence last winter? Even I heard about it. Phoebe, you two have been living under the same roof for almost two years. Hal is a normal, healthy man. It will all prove out in a few months anyway," replied Lois.

"You have no doubts?"

Lois smiled at her wisely. "None at all."

Phoebe sighed. "That seems to be consensus."

"Don't be ashamed of it," said Lois sharply. "More people respect you for it than are willing to admit it. It takes the edge off any potential scandal. It's not just you either. No one would ever take Hal Everett for a man who would take advantage of a vulnerable young woman. And you are that. Hal is also very protective of both you and your sister. Do you mind if we talk about her for a minute?"

Glad to be off the subject of herself, Phoebe replied, "I am worried about her. If you can give me any insights, I would appreciate it."

"Well they're not my insights, they're my son's but he is a sensitive kid. He has taken quite a liking to her," she continued. "He is worried about her. He said that in many of the acting exercises that they do, she can speak very oddly. She often sounds older than eleven. He said that she is obviously very creative and imaginative, but can get very lost in the scenes that she creates."

"That is how she has always been," replied Phoebe. "There is such a large age gap between us that she grew up almost as an only child. I think that sometimes because we have had to advance her academically and she is so smart that people forget that she is a little girl.

"One minute she and Francine are whispering about hair and makeup, and the next she and Prudence are playing together with their dolls. And of course there is a huge cultural gap between our little village in Cornwall and suburban California. She has led a very sheltered life up to this point. I think that she may be having difficulty figuring out how she fits in."

"I'm glad to know that," said Lois. "I will tell Mike. He is helping the director at the community theatre with the pre-teen program and that is how he has gotten to know her. Knowing this may help him to work with her."

Phoebe smiled, "She will then have another knight in shining armor to protect her."

"She already has this one," replied Lois. "Mike adores her. She's like you. She has a sweet fragility about her that I suspect comes from the recent tragedy in your lives. She brings out the protective instinct in Mike the way that you bring out the protective instinct in Hal. The big difference is that Trelawney is the little sister he never had."

Phoebe and Lois smiled at each other. Phoebe knew that she had made a true friend in the woman. At first she had been afraid that Lois was going to try to rope her into helping out with her PTA activities. Now she realized that her interest had always been more personal. She was glad that she hadn't known that in the beginning. She wondered what Hal would think of it, but she decided that it would be best to wait and see.

Heather Mack

Lunchtime conversation in the faculty room at Franklin Elementary School was entirely centered on the Everett marriage. Bonnie Oliver had the best information, since she had seen the children at church the day before, but Prudence's first grade teacher, Heather Mack, also had a lot of information, most of which was more recent. However, after the incident during the last school year, when an innocent story during show and tell escalated into full-blown fodder for the rumor mill, everyone was careful about repeating what the girl said.

"Yesterday, the children attended church with Nanny's, but I guess that it's now Mrs. Everett's, cousin. She babysat for them this weekend while the newlyweds went off to elope. The kids were very excited. Prudence couldn't wait to tell everyone at coffee hour that she finally had a real Mommy," said Bonnie.

"Well, we got the real Mommy spiel in class this morning as well," said Heather. But she very emphatically told us that her Mommy and Daddy did not elope. They had a private ceremony because Trelawney, Mrs. Everett's sister, was planning a quote unquote three ring circus wedding."

"I'm sure that she was," said Tessie Griegan, who had taught Trelawney the year before. "She is a very creative child, quite the romantic. And she loves her sister dearly. I am sure that she wanted the biggest and best for her."

"Well, Prudence told us that it would have been too hard for her Mommy to plan a wedding without her own Mommy. So her Daddy took her away to get married so that she wouldn't be sad," added Heather.

"Sounds like Prudence got the story right this time," commented Laurel Fielding, who had taught her last year. "Knowing Professor and Mrs. Everett, that makes perfect sense."

"Did Butch have anything to say, Bonnie?" asked Heather, realizing that she was growing impatient with the present discussion.

"He didn't have much to say about it," answered Bonnie. "Although he did say that his Dad told him that he would be in big trouble if he mentioned any details."

Knowing Butch's blunt, and generally tactless, honesty, this too made perfect sense. Seeing that this could lead to some speculation, Tessie put a stop to it right away.

"Well, I do believe that Mrs. Harper was most unhappy last year when the details of a certain story were shared in this room and then misinterpreted. Children do have an unfortunate inability to keep important details straight," she commented.

Bonnie looked unhappy at the insinuation, but knew better than to start anything with Tessie. Of course it bothered her to no end that no one was even considering the very real possibility that the elopement was taking place to make sure that a potential child was born in wedlock. After all, the Professor was a very handsome man and his new wife was stunning. There was no way that they had been living together for nearly two years and had not been enjoying one another's company after the kids went to bed. No doubt that they were going to bed as well, secretly with each other.

Heather Mack recognized the speculative look in her eye as one that meant the she was bound to cause trouble if she could. She decided to watch her carefully. After everything the Everett family had been through last year, they deserved the opportunity to celebrate what was a very happy occurrence for them all.

Mr. Oliver

The rumor mill at the middle school was surprisingly quiet. Hal had approached the lunchroom unenthusiastically that first morning back after the private ceremony. Originally, he had been afraid that Trelawney broadcast news of the marriage all over the school, but he was happy to discover that she had limited her conversations about it to her two best friends, Francine Fowler and Sarah Tucker. Despite the fact that both were normal seventh grade girls, they were very loyal to Trelawney, not to mention protective of her.

He knew that there was something going on with them because they seemed tighter than usual, whispering in an almost frantic way. His friend Ernie Jackson was in some of her classes and came running up to him at lunch.

"Hey Everett!" he called. "What's up with Trelawney?"

"I don't know," answered Hal. "She's really happy right now. My Dad married her sister on Saturday."

"If she is happy, it's hard to tell," replied Ernie. "She got caught passing a note to Sarah in English class by Fountain. The old battle ax read the note to the whole class and then she got all weird."

"What do you mean by that, Jackson?" asked Hal defensively. He might say that Trelawney was crazy and fight with her all he wanted, but he wasn't going to let anyone else say anything about her. Especially now that Dad was married to Nanny. Trelawney might be a pain in the neck, but so was his sister Prudence. Family had to stick together.

"The note said something about a gallant knight eloping with the lovely lady most romantically. The fair maiden was quite jubilant," recited Ernie in an imitation of Trelawney's voice.

Hal knew that the note sounded just like something she would say, but he didn't like the way that Ernie was making fun of her. Before he punched him in the nose, he decided to hear him out.

"So what did she do that was all weird?" he said trying not to let Ernie know how mad he was.

"She stood up and told Fountain that it was improper for the Gorgon betray the confidences of the fair maiden. Gorgons were once fair maidens who betrayed the confidences of the gods. That was why they were Gorgons. Then she sat down and said 'I'm sorry, Mrs. Fountain I do believe that I have lost my place. Could you please tell me what page we were on?'" Ernie was very happy because he realized that by the time he finished that he had an audience. Everyone knew how weird Trelawney could be and couldn't wait to hear her latest craziness.

Hal was furious. Nobody was going to make fun of Trelawney like that.

"Don't you dare make fun of her!" he yelled. He lifted his arm to hit him when he felt someone grab it from behind. It was Mr. Oliver.

"Come with me, Everett," he said. "Before you do something stupid and have to go to the assistant principal's office."

Still steaming, Hal allowed himself to be led away. Mr. Oliver took him to an empty classroom and said, "Okay Hal, take a deep breath, and tell me what that was all about."

"It was about Trelawney," he answered. "Old Fountain hates her because reading 'Little Women' made her cry. She doesn't like the fact that Trelawney knows more stuff than she does. Now she goes and reads a note that she passed in class out loud and Ernie, and probably everyone but Sarah Tucker, is making fun of her."

"Passing notes is wrong," commented Mr. Oliver.

Hal looked right back at him and said, "You know Trelawney. She's different. She's special. Nobody understands her except us and Francine and Sarah and some of the high school kids from last summer. It's not the note. It's what she wrote. She likes to pretend that everything is a medieval play or something. But if kids start making fun of her it will only make it worse."

Mr. Oliver looked concerned. "She was very happy at church yesterday. What happened?"

"Nothing. That was what the note was about. She was telling Sarah that Dad and

Nanny got married. Only it was in her own way. She's really afraid of Fountain, but she doesn't show it. She talks in riddles because she is scared and doesn't want her to know that she's really frightened. I don't think that she means to make her mad. She's just, well, she's being Trelawney," said Hal.

"I'm guessing that your Mom and Dad are home now. Maybe we should call one of them," said Mr. Oliver.

"I don't think that that would be a good idea," said Hal uncomfortably. "I don't want to see Nanny all upset again. She's really happy now. So is Dad. He's already been into see Fountain about Trelawney and that made things worse. Preston is her guidance counselor, but he's useless. If Dad gets mad again and yells at her or something, it would only make things really bad."

"Then they know about this behavior of Trelawney's?" asked Mr. Oliver.

"You can't miss it," replied Hal.

"Is there anyone else we can call? I'm really concerned that she's going to need an ally to help her negotiate this," he asked. "If you start fighting with everyone who teases her, it will only make things worse for all concerned, especially your mother."

Hal thought for a minute. "Nanny doesn't like it when we fight. You could call Pastor Jason at Trinity Church. She calls him her angel."

"She seems to have names for everyone, who are you?" asked Mr. Oliver.

"I'm Hal," he said with a smile. "Unless she has a name for me that I don't know about."

"Hal, I know that this is none of my business, but why are you still calling your new stepmother, Nanny?" said Mr. Oliver. "As long as we're on the subject of names."

Hal shifted uncomfortably. "She said it was okay."

"That's not what I asked you, why are you still calling her Nanny?" he asked again.

"Because she's not my Mom. She is married to my Dad. Prudence and Butch call her Mom, but I can't. There isn't anyone who can be my Mom, except, well, my Mom," he tried to explain.

"And you said that she understands this?" asked Mr. Oliver curiously. Hal seemed to have no idea of how churlish his comments just sounded.

"Yes, in fact when my Dad yelled at me because I wouldn't call her Mom, she told him that it was alright. She didn't mind if I still wanted to call her, Nanny," he said.

Mr. Oliver looked at him strangely. "Hal, I just hope that you realize how much this woman, whom you refuse to call Mom, loves you. When I first saw your family, I really thought that she was your Mom. Not because you all have blonde hair and blue eyes, but because of how much she loves you. You can see it in her eyes every time she looks at you, your brother, and your sister."

"I know that," said Hal defensively again. "But her Cousin Emmeline said that it would hurt her feelings more if I tried to call her Mom and it hurt me."

Mr. Oliver looked at him kindly. "I'm not judging you, Hal. I just want to make you aware the kind of love she is giving you is a mother's love. She loves you unconditionally and puts your feelings first. You may not call her Mom, but she is already your mother. Now I'm going to get in touch with Pastor Jason. Hopefully he can help her."

He watched Hal as he went off. Poor kid, he thought. He's so wrapped up in himself that he can't see how much that sweet and caring woman loves him. I doubt very much that his own mother would have wanted him to act this way.

But turning off his concern for the boy, he went to the office to get the number of Trinity Church. Technically speaking, he should have been going to Preston, but he had already decided that Hal was right. The guy was an idiot. He thought that he would have much better luck with Pastor Jason in getting Trelawney the help she needed. She was quickly becoming the business end of some very cruel scuttlebutt in the faculty room. If her sister got wind of it, it might break her heart. The only child she loved more than her stepchildren was her little sister.

The Angel

Pastor Jason was not at all surprised by the phone call from Dennis Oliver. He had heard enough from Sarah Tucker to know that Trelawney and Mrs. Fountain were headed for some kind of a showdown. Trelawney was too whimsical and it sounded like Mrs. Fountain was too burned out to cope with her. Sooner or later this was going to happen. He was just sorry that it had to happen when Phoebe was so happy.

He arrived at the middle school, hopeful that he could sort it out before word got back to Phoebe or worse yet, the Professor, who shared his son's impulses for punching other people to protect his family. His temper was legendary and he had witnessed it himself when he was protecting the girl last summer. Trelawney was waiting for him in the guidance office. She looked completely unperturbed. As soon as she saw him, her face lit up.

"Pastor Jason!" she cried. "I knew that my angel would come to help me."

He looked at her sternly and she immediately calmed down. She knew that she was not supposed to call him anything other than Pastor Jason, unless they were alone. The guidance secretary looked at him oddly, but didn't say anything. In a moment a man in a suit came out and introduced himself as Mr. Preston, the head of guidance. They went into his office.

"Well," said Mr. Preston. "It would appear that our little Trelawney here has been caught by one of our strictest teachers passing notes in class. Now this isn't such a great infraction, Pastor. I don't know why we have to be here."

Mr. Preston did not like confrontation and did everything he could to avoid it. But Pastor Jason has stood firm and refused to take no for an answer when he had called earlier. Since the girl herself seemed unbothered by the incident, he thought that the fuss the pastor was raising was unnecessary and an infringement on his own time.

"Well, then it seems that I know a little more about this situation that you do," commented Pastor Jason. "Mrs. Fountain decided to read Trelawney's note to the whole class. This provoked a reaction from the young lady and that reaction has provoked some teasing on the part of the other kids. Hal Everett who is, well, what would we say he is, Trelawney?"

"I believe that officially he is my nephew now, but Prudence would probably tell you that he is my brother. Mostly he is a thorn in my side," she replied.

Mr. Preston coughed and Pastor Jason was immediately annoyed. The man was clearly covering a laugh. This situation was not a joke. He could see why Dennis Oliver had referred to him as an idiot. However, this was the person that he had to deal with.

"Anyway, Hal Everett is upset by the fact that the other kids are picking on her. This led to big problems back at Franklin last year," said Pastor Jason seriously.

"Yes, I've read the file. That's why I decided to personally handle her case. I guess that we're still having some adjustment problems," he said.

Trelawney looked at him curiously and said, "I may be having adjustment problems, Mr. Preston. I didn't know that you were too."

This time it was Pastor Jason's turn to stifle a laugh. It was unfortunate that Trelawney already had his number. As a guidance counselor, he was now rendered ineffective.

"Mr. Preston, I realize that the school has its own discipline policies, but humiliation should not be one of them. I think that Trelawney certainly needed to be disciplined for writing the note. However reading it aloud to the class, especially considering the content and Trelawney's background seems unduly harsh."

Mr. Preston didn't seem to know what to say, but Trelawney did.

"It was easier than filling out the paperwork for a detention slip," she said matter of factly.

They both looked at her. Mr. Preston clearly thought that she was being a smart mouth. Pastor Jason knew that she had read her teacher's mind at the time of the incident. This was another example of her devastating honesty. He could also see that Mr. Preston agreed with her but couldn't say so.

"I will speak with Mrs. Fountain about how she deals with these issues in the future. However, I would like you to make sure that the girl does nothing else to provoke her, Pastor," replied Mr. Preston.

"Trelawney and I will discuss it," said Pastor Jason. "I would appreciate it if this incident didn't have to go home. The family is celebrating some very happy news and it would be a shame to spoil the occasion."

Trelawney looked like she was going to open her mouth, but one look by Pastor Jason silenced her. Grateful that the interview was over, Mr. Preston said, "Well that's great. You can use my office if you want to talk now."

He took off before he could answer, but seeing his opportunity, Pastor Jason took it.

"Why Trelawney?"

"It was a miscalculation of timing," explained Trelawney. "Only three seconds before or after and she would have missed it."

"That was not what I meant," he said.

"Yes, I know. I was just so excited about Phoebe's news that I couldn't contain myself," she explained. "But I know that it was impulsive and it could give the family more ammunition to use to take me away. But don't worry, I have my gallant knight."

"Trelawney, this is not just about passing a note. You also called your teacher a Gorgon. You were not in control," he looked at her sternly, his eyes penetrating. He knew that he must convey to her the seriousness of what she had done. She could not reveal so much about herself without risking more than her custody.

She looked back at him calmly, but then when she realized what she actually had done she looked fearful. He knew that she was finally recognizing her need to exert more self-control, but she was afraid that she wasn't capable.

"You are," he said quietly. "You need to be strong. You know that very soon Phoebe will need for you to be strong. She will be otherwise concerned. If you cause her serious concern, the consequences could be tragic"

"Yes, I know that," said Trelawney, now becoming really frightened. The thought that she could cause Phoebe to . . . She couldn't bear to think it. "That is why you are here. I must listen to you. I do not want to break my sister's heart. Pastor Jason, I promise that I will try harder. Will you please help me? I am afraid of what I might do."

"Always, little one," he said. "Always."

He thought for a moment and then decided that she needed more help. He looked deeply into her eyes.

"Be on the lookout for the good queen. The good queen will save you both."

"Who is the good queen?"

"I cannot tell you. It is not allowed. Even the good queen does not know who she is," he said solemnly.

"Pastor Jason?" The little girl had recovered her spirit.

"Yes, Trelawney?"

"If you saw Mrs. Fountain, you would quite agree that she is a Gorgon. She is very good at turning seventh grade boys into stone," she said seriously.

On his way out, Pastor Jason shook his head. Between her clever mind and devastating honesty, he would no doubt be making more trips here this year. But better him than Phoebe. He could only hope that the good queen would arrive soon. But even he did not know who she was.

Fred Fisk

The math department had been abuzz all day with the news of Hal Everett's inevitable marriage to his lovely housekeeper, formerly known to all as Nanny. Not quite sure of how else to address her, she was pretty much known as Mrs. Everett. However, the excitement of the marriage had now given way to another form of entertainment at Hal's expense: the arrival date of the inevitable child. Everyone knew that the new Mrs. Everett was a young woman in her twenties. Considering that Hal was in his early forties, the consensus was that they would want to get started as quickly as possible. Hal heard about the new pool later in the day. He was surprisingly sanguine. In fact he offered to ante up himself. Fisk was annoyed.

"No better way to spoil a perfectly good joke on a colleague than for him to ante up on a date himself," he groused to Pulski.

"He predicted the date, August 13," answered Pulski. "Think he knows something? I'm putting in for August 15."

"That's ridiculous, it's over ten months out," replied Fisk.

"Let's just say that first kids are usually late. Two days past is a safer bet than two days before," he answered.

Fisk shook his head, but thinking about the dates that everyone was throwing into the pool, he found it interesting that no one looking at anything under nine months. There weren't even a large cluster of bets on dates exactly nine months from now. It had to be Nanny, he meant Phoebe.

Hal sure had no problems remembering to use her first name now. He supposed that calling her Nanny in bed would have been pretty weird. However, even on Friday he had been calling her Nanny. That was probably the best evidence of all that he was holding back before the wedding. It occurred to him that his friend must have the self-control of a monk.

He caught Hal on the way out to the parking lot and apologized for his earlier remarks.

"Everett," he called out. Hal stopped so that he could catch up.

"Listen buddy," he started. "I meant no harm teasing you about your marriage. I really am very happy for you. She's a beautiful girl and she loves you a lot. And all kidding aside, everyone knows that even after you two were clearly promised to one another we all knew that you respected her in every way. Considering the amount of money at stake in that baby pool, it's amazing that no one's going for a date less than nine months."

"Thanks, Fred," said Hal sincerely. "Coming from you it means a great deal."

"Well, congratulations, friend," he replied. "You get to go home to your Phoebe, and I get to go home to Alice."

Hal smiled as his old friend walked off. His wife Alice was a master at the art of deadpan humor and he knew that Fred loved her a lot. As he pulled out of the parking lot he could feel himself relax. He was going home to the arms of his lovely wife. He might have to leave her during his days, but his nights were reserved for her. He had had a very good day, but he was ready to go home. The rush hour traffic made him impatient. He had a lot of paperwork to catch up on and he wanted some time alone with his bride. There was still some unfinished business to take care of from this morning.

Epilogue

When Hal finally made it home, he found Phoebe alone in the kitchen. He caught her up from behind and began to kiss her neck. She turned around and before he knew it, they were locked in a deeply satisfying kiss.

"I've been waiting for that all day long," she breathed, as they let go for a moment.

"Me too," he responded. "I've missed you. Promise me a date later?"

"I presume you're looking for more than that?" she asked as she pulled him closer and once again began to kiss him. She enjoyed feeling his reaction.

"Always," he whispered in her ear. "How was your day, aside from missing me?"

Phoebe gave him one of her soft smiles. "I went for a visit to Montclaire and then to see Pastor Jason. Lois came over for lunch, and I have been putting the house in order since she left, including a little moving. The kids are all home and upstairs working on their homework. How was your day?"

"Well," he said. "Fisk saw the wedding ring first thing and went nuts. It turns out my colleagues in the math department had a betting pool as to when we would get married. He won."

"Well that must have made him happy," she said, uncertain of exactly what to make of it.

"Phoebe, it's just a lot of nonsense. However, they have gotten up another pool. I've decided to ante in myself."

"Really?" said she, raising her eyebrows. "And what is that pool for?"

Hal grinned impishly, "It's the date when the next little Everett will arrive on the scene."

Before she could say anything, he snatched another kiss. Realizing that he enjoying himself, she let it go. He was happy and that's all that mattered to her.

Prudence and Butch then came running in to tell him their news of their days. Because she was now his wife, Hal felt perfectly comfortable holding her against him as she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Occasionally, he smoothed her hair and fondly kissed her head. The kids didn't even look twice. This was the way that Moms and Dads were supposed to act. After all, as Prudence had said yesterday, when Mommies and Daddies kissed all the time, it meant that they loved each other. And he intended to do lots more kissing.

The End

To be continued . . .