"Mummy why don't we have grandparents?" Darius asked one evening during dinner causing Harry and Nikki to share a confused look over the table as they ate.
"Why do you ask?" Nikki enquired of her seven year old son as her other three children looked intently at her for the answer.
"Because we were talking about families today at school and everyone was talking about their grandparents but I couldn't" Darius replied "Don't we have any?"
Nikki sighed and put her glass of wine down on the table after sharing another look with Harry who just gave her a small shrug.
"You do have grandparents Darius" Nikki started "They just..they stopped being around long before you were born"
"Are they dead?" Edward asked bluntly and Graham nudged his brother not so discreetly under the table "What?"
"Yes they are" Nikki nodded "Before you were born" she repeated
She neglected telling them that Harry's mother hadn't died until after the twins had been born but that would just have brought up more questions.
"Were they nice?" Emery asked and both Harry and Nikki were stuck with what to say to answer that.
"When did they die?" Edward asked and received another kick from his twin "I'm curious"
"Well my mum died when I was just older than you" Nikki explained, knowing that they would keep asking questions until they were satisfied and she wanted to be truthful with them.
"Are you going to die?" Darius asked and all four children looked extremely worried
"Of course I'm not" Nikki laughed "I wouldn't leave you alone, who would look after you?"
"Hey I'm here" Harry protested and Nikki grinned at her husband before looking back at her children.
"See what I mean?" she asked and the four youngsters laughed while Harry pouted slightly before reaching over the table and clasping Nikki's hand in his.
"What about your daddy?" Emery asked "What happened to him?"
"He just died" Nikki replied "He was sick"
"He had a cold?" Emery enquired in her childish innocence
"No he was a bit more poorly than that" Nikki said
"What about you daddy?"
Nikki squeezed her husband's hand tightly and nodded, they both knew they had to get this talk over and done with before the children grew up and asked why they hadn't been told what had happened to the grandparents that they never knew.
"My parents were sick as well" he told them "My father died when I was ten" he explained and the children nodded "and my mother also died before you were born"
"Okay daddy" Darius nodded "Thank you for telling us, can we get down now?"
"Don't you want pudding?" Nikki asked as she extracted her hand from Harry's and began to pile the empty plates up.
"No thank you" Edward replied "Can we just go and play"
"Of course" Harry nodded and all four children jumped down off their chairs and ran out of the room, both Harry and Nikki shaking their heads at their enthusiasm. "Do you think we did the right thing?" he asked his wife when they had left them alone. Nikki just shrugged and walked into the kitchen with the empty plates, Harry following with the glasses and cups.
"I think so yes" Nikki replied after a few seconds and Harry wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss onto her lips "They would have found out eventually"
"I know" Harry whispered and gave her another kiss "It's when they find out how they died is what's worrying me"
"We'll keep that for when they are older" Nikki told him and Harry nodded
"I agree" he said before kissing her again.
The children are bound to notice that they don't have grandparents aren't they?
Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. I was at the Imperial War Museum yesterday and was shattered by the time I got home.
xxx
