Beautiful Mess
They finally had peace and quiet and privacy. With four six year olds, that was time treasured. The soft rain thumping on their window made a soothing sound. Amelia loved Delbert's arms around her. Though he wasn't a strong, muscular-built man, he was just right for her. She felt him drop a kiss on her neck, and pulled her closer to him.
A brilliant flash of lightning and a booming crash of thunder startled them both. Amelia sat up on her elbow. "I wonder if the children are all right. You know how Benjamin is afraid of thunder."
Delbert tugged on her waist. "If they need us, we'll hear from them soon."
"Mom? Dad?" a small, frightened voice roused them barely a minute later. Delbert switched on the lamp seated on the nightstand. At their door, droopy eyed and frowning, stood their son. "The thunder woke me up. Can I sleep with you?"
"Told you" Delbert whispered in his wife's ear.
"Come right here, Benjamin" Amelia called, pulling away from Delbert. She patted the space in-between them. Benny crawled up the high bed, making his way between his parents. Amelia wrapped an arm around him, cuddling him.
By now, Delbert had sat up in bed. He looked over at his wife and son. Two months before, that portrait would never of happened. But, now, Amelia grabbed every chance she could to show her affection for their son. Delbert felt a twinge of sadness since Benjamin had always come to him for comfort. He shook his head, brushing the feeling away. Benjamin needed his mother as much as his father.
Another crash of thunder shook the mansion. Moments later, another small, frightened voice appeared at the door. "Mummy? Daddy? Our room is shaking. Can we sleep with you?"
Delbert smiled at the delicate voice belonging to their daughter, Lynn. "Come on in, girls."
A stampede of feet pounded the wood floor. Three girls, all an inch or two taller than Benjamin, hopped onto the bed and crawled to meet their parents. Though the girls were from the same litter (Benny included), they all had painfully different personalities. Lynn, the petite blonde, was quiet and dainty - loving fine arts. Katy, the red head, was a handful plus another handful. She assumed from the beginning that she was the boss, making her a very flamboyant control freak. Lynn often followed Katy's lead. Last but not least, was Hattie - the brunette. Though not realizing it, she was most like her mother. She was tough, quick-witted, and always spoke her mind. She had recently discovered her love for space, and was most likely to be captain of her very own ship one day.
Lynn, being 'daddy's little girl', cuddled up to her father as Katy and Hattie lay against the bedpost. "I guess we're holding a sleepover tonight" Delbert remarked.
"I don't think I can get to sleep with all this thunder and lighting and rain beating against the house" Hattie said, moving away from the bedpost. She sat on her bottom in the middle of the bed. "It's too noisy and I'm fully awake!"
"Maybe if you'd lie still for a few minutes, Hattie, you'd fall back asleep" Amelia suggested. She glanced down to use Benjamin as an example, but the boy was still awake - presently wide-eyed.
"I don't think I can sleep either" Katy put in. She moved beside Hattie, and laid on her stomach. "Tell us a story! Tell us how you fell in love!"
Delbert and Amelia exchanged glances. They knew that was a very long drawn out story, but they had also never told their children about it. Lynn perked up. "I enjoy love stories very much." She sighed, dreamily. "I bet it was love at first sight."
Amelia rolled her eyes. The child was only six and already taking a liking to love stories? That made her wonder: was she and Delbert's a love story? "I can say it surely was not love at first sight."
Delbert turned to her sharply. "I can agree with that. First you mocked me then you nearly prodded me."
"Oh darling, who wouldn't mock you. That suit was awful."
The kids watched them rather confused by their little argument. Their parents noticed their dazed and somewhat amused expressions. "Maybe we should start from the beginning" Amelia said.
"That's a good place to start" Hattie quipped, receiving a glare from her mother. "What? We already know you two met on a voyage involving a map to Treasure Planet. But, you've never told us exactly how you got together."
"Do you want to start?" Amelia asked, looking over at Delbert.
He waved a hand. "Ladies first."
Amelia rolled her eyes. He always did that to her when he -really- didn't want to do something. "All right, I'll start." She emphasized the last word. "But, you're picking up after me."
"Fair enough."
The kids waited patiently, their attention focused for once. "You're right, Hattie, we did meet on a voyage to Treasure Planet. Your father booked my ship, which was a very intelligent thing to do, but hired a most awful crew."
"They came with good credentials" Delbert mumbled.
"Altered credentials, I might add." She ignored Delbert's little fits he had every time the subject was brought up. "Your father comes traipsing onto the Legacy wearing a horrid old space suit, very long outdated, and howling to everyone in the galaxy about Mr. Hawkins' treasure map."
"Why do we have to relive that part, Amelia?" Delbert huffed, crossing his arms.
Katy giggled. "I think it's pretty funny myself."
It was Delbert's turn to glare, but Katy just giggled harder. "I think I'll take over the story now."
"Oh, I was just getting to the good part where I could tell the child I was growing fond of you." Amelia touched his shoulder. It was the bumbling and the bout of fits by the doctor that first attracted her to him. "We didn't particularly get along at first, but as the day went on, I started to grow a fondness for you father, though I didn't realize it at the time." She went on to tell about the incident with the orctic galacticus pod, which received a rear of laughter. Even Delbert cracked a smile from it.
As the story progressed, it skipped days and weeks with not much happening until reaching the black hole. A note of sadness fell into Amelia's voice as she went on…
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Since FF.net was acting up, I accidentally deleted this story and it's reviews (though I have received the same reviews for it a hundred times over...lol). To answer the question about "One Eighty" - it is not done and I haven't updated it in a long time. I hopefully will, but I just been having trouble with the rest of it. This story is a sequel to "One Eighty", but it can stand on it's own, that's why I posted it. Thanks for reading!
They finally had peace and quiet and privacy. With four six year olds, that was time treasured. The soft rain thumping on their window made a soothing sound. Amelia loved Delbert's arms around her. Though he wasn't a strong, muscular-built man, he was just right for her. She felt him drop a kiss on her neck, and pulled her closer to him.
A brilliant flash of lightning and a booming crash of thunder startled them both. Amelia sat up on her elbow. "I wonder if the children are all right. You know how Benjamin is afraid of thunder."
Delbert tugged on her waist. "If they need us, we'll hear from them soon."
"Mom? Dad?" a small, frightened voice roused them barely a minute later. Delbert switched on the lamp seated on the nightstand. At their door, droopy eyed and frowning, stood their son. "The thunder woke me up. Can I sleep with you?"
"Told you" Delbert whispered in his wife's ear.
"Come right here, Benjamin" Amelia called, pulling away from Delbert. She patted the space in-between them. Benny crawled up the high bed, making his way between his parents. Amelia wrapped an arm around him, cuddling him.
By now, Delbert had sat up in bed. He looked over at his wife and son. Two months before, that portrait would never of happened. But, now, Amelia grabbed every chance she could to show her affection for their son. Delbert felt a twinge of sadness since Benjamin had always come to him for comfort. He shook his head, brushing the feeling away. Benjamin needed his mother as much as his father.
Another crash of thunder shook the mansion. Moments later, another small, frightened voice appeared at the door. "Mummy? Daddy? Our room is shaking. Can we sleep with you?"
Delbert smiled at the delicate voice belonging to their daughter, Lynn. "Come on in, girls."
A stampede of feet pounded the wood floor. Three girls, all an inch or two taller than Benjamin, hopped onto the bed and crawled to meet their parents. Though the girls were from the same litter (Benny included), they all had painfully different personalities. Lynn, the petite blonde, was quiet and dainty - loving fine arts. Katy, the red head, was a handful plus another handful. She assumed from the beginning that she was the boss, making her a very flamboyant control freak. Lynn often followed Katy's lead. Last but not least, was Hattie - the brunette. Though not realizing it, she was most like her mother. She was tough, quick-witted, and always spoke her mind. She had recently discovered her love for space, and was most likely to be captain of her very own ship one day.
Lynn, being 'daddy's little girl', cuddled up to her father as Katy and Hattie lay against the bedpost. "I guess we're holding a sleepover tonight" Delbert remarked.
"I don't think I can get to sleep with all this thunder and lighting and rain beating against the house" Hattie said, moving away from the bedpost. She sat on her bottom in the middle of the bed. "It's too noisy and I'm fully awake!"
"Maybe if you'd lie still for a few minutes, Hattie, you'd fall back asleep" Amelia suggested. She glanced down to use Benjamin as an example, but the boy was still awake - presently wide-eyed.
"I don't think I can sleep either" Katy put in. She moved beside Hattie, and laid on her stomach. "Tell us a story! Tell us how you fell in love!"
Delbert and Amelia exchanged glances. They knew that was a very long drawn out story, but they had also never told their children about it. Lynn perked up. "I enjoy love stories very much." She sighed, dreamily. "I bet it was love at first sight."
Amelia rolled her eyes. The child was only six and already taking a liking to love stories? That made her wonder: was she and Delbert's a love story? "I can say it surely was not love at first sight."
Delbert turned to her sharply. "I can agree with that. First you mocked me then you nearly prodded me."
"Oh darling, who wouldn't mock you. That suit was awful."
The kids watched them rather confused by their little argument. Their parents noticed their dazed and somewhat amused expressions. "Maybe we should start from the beginning" Amelia said.
"That's a good place to start" Hattie quipped, receiving a glare from her mother. "What? We already know you two met on a voyage involving a map to Treasure Planet. But, you've never told us exactly how you got together."
"Do you want to start?" Amelia asked, looking over at Delbert.
He waved a hand. "Ladies first."
Amelia rolled her eyes. He always did that to her when he -really- didn't want to do something. "All right, I'll start." She emphasized the last word. "But, you're picking up after me."
"Fair enough."
The kids waited patiently, their attention focused for once. "You're right, Hattie, we did meet on a voyage to Treasure Planet. Your father booked my ship, which was a very intelligent thing to do, but hired a most awful crew."
"They came with good credentials" Delbert mumbled.
"Altered credentials, I might add." She ignored Delbert's little fits he had every time the subject was brought up. "Your father comes traipsing onto the Legacy wearing a horrid old space suit, very long outdated, and howling to everyone in the galaxy about Mr. Hawkins' treasure map."
"Why do we have to relive that part, Amelia?" Delbert huffed, crossing his arms.
Katy giggled. "I think it's pretty funny myself."
It was Delbert's turn to glare, but Katy just giggled harder. "I think I'll take over the story now."
"Oh, I was just getting to the good part where I could tell the child I was growing fond of you." Amelia touched his shoulder. It was the bumbling and the bout of fits by the doctor that first attracted her to him. "We didn't particularly get along at first, but as the day went on, I started to grow a fondness for you father, though I didn't realize it at the time." She went on to tell about the incident with the orctic galacticus pod, which received a rear of laughter. Even Delbert cracked a smile from it.
As the story progressed, it skipped days and weeks with not much happening until reaching the black hole. A note of sadness fell into Amelia's voice as she went on…
*
*
*
Since FF.net was acting up, I accidentally deleted this story and it's reviews (though I have received the same reviews for it a hundred times over...lol). To answer the question about "One Eighty" - it is not done and I haven't updated it in a long time. I hopefully will, but I just been having trouble with the rest of it. This story is a sequel to "One Eighty", but it can stand on it's own, that's why I posted it. Thanks for reading!