Chapter 9- Strike Two
Two days. Two days were all that was left before the big city wide Halloween bash. The main runway that ran in front of all the hangars were blockaded on each end and right in front of hangar number one, a huge stage had been constructed as multipule bands ranging from rock, alternative, some pop for the kids, though most of the parents were against that idea since it wasn't music of their generation, and for the end of the night, a smooth jazz band was coming in for the adults to end the party on a peaceful yet happy note. Most everyone in the city was absolutely up for it after the events that had happened around their area, and it showed. Costumes were selling like crazy as were decorations, party goods, food, lighting, anything that dealt with the season of Halloween. If it was there, it was pretty much sold out. As for me, well, I had went out shopping with a few of the kids a week or two before hand before everything had left the store shelves. Taken with me were Felicity, the twins, and Adrian. Felicity, well, had chosen a costume from some animated show she had seen on TV. Apparently it was some mystical warrior princess. The only objection I had to it was that it left her midriff exposed, but since everything else with it was fine, I had no other real problems with it. The twins got matching princess outfits, which to me, was to be expected. As for Adrian, she went with a little Miss Dracula costume that made me chuckle when she held it in front of her.
As for my darling wife on this day, she had gone downtown with her mom and dad to take care of the final paperwork concerning my false marriage to Sarah. I had already went down to sign and do everything I had to in order to nullify it. She just went there to confirm and go over a few more legal things with the judge and our attorney. Plus we put the house and business in Gladiolus City up for sale once what had happened to me was clarified. Luckily we got a quick sale on the house since it was one of the most wanted ones in that town. The shop we still had yet to have a looker, but we kept our hopes up on it. But once the marriage was nullified, my marriage to Eureka was going to be the only one on record, and that's the way we planned on keeping it. Plus we had all the adoption papers drawn up for Adrian, Hope, and Faith to take our family name. I was sure we weren't going to be able to get Sarah to agree to them, but in case of anything happening to her to a point that she wasn't going to be able to care for them anymore, I had the full legal right to change it when I seemed fit to. I know it seemed wrong to Eureka, but that was the best we could do since Sarah was still alive and well somewhere in parts unknown to us. And also the fact that we were sure that she wasn't going to give up on her kids as well. Not that I could blame her of course. They were her kids, but this was one time that I wasn't going to let her have them back.
"Mrs. Thurston!"
"Katherine! How are you?"
"I'm doing just fine hon. How is life with Renton now that he's home?"
"Just wonderful Katherine."
"That's great to hear. How are my grandchildren doing?"
"Happy as ever. Why don't you come visit them today? I'm sure they'd be happy to see you again."
"I would hon, but I've got so much to do today it isn't even funny. Being a volunteer for things all over town sure puts me on the run." Katherine then giggled. "So what are you doing her at the courthouse?"
"We just finalized the nullification of Renton and Sarah's marriage, and it couldn't have come any sooner."
"I'll have to agree on that Eureka. I heard you sold the house they had up there as well."
"Yes, but we're still trying to sell off the hardware store. Hopefully somebody from the previous owners family will take it over and keep it going."
"Well I wish you the best hon. OH! I forgot one more thing. I still currently own Sarah's old house and I was wondering if you were interested in it?"
"Well…I don't know Katherine. It would seem rather…disturbing to me to own it."
"That's understandable dear, but I only bought it in order for her to get through school since she wanted to live on her own. It's getting kind of run down now and I'd like to have someone of whom I know can take care of it. And besides, don't you have a daughter getting married soon?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"Listen, I'll even throw in all the repair costs on what it needs, plus sell it to you for about ten percent less than what it's worth. The quicker I get rid of it, the quicker I can forget about this whole mess with my daughter. All I'm worried about now is that my grandchildren are happy, healthy, and growing up with a family I can trust."
"I'll think about it, okay Katherine?"
"Alright, that's fine sweetie. No pressure of course. Oh, look at the time, I must go! Got to pick up the son from school and then get dinner going. Bye now!"
"Have a good night Katherine!" I waved with a smile. Meeting mom and dad at their car, I never thought that she would want to get rid of that home she had bought for her daughter. I had been in it several times and it was a modest home. One bedroom, and office that could be used for either that or a second bedroom, a good sized eat in kitchen with a large center island, a very spacious living room, and a decent back yard to boot. But with it's lack of use, it needed a lot more work than what Katherine probably thought it needed. But of course, looks can be deceiving, which is why I always try to take a second look at things before I buy them. Usually I try to only buy one building a year just to make sure I don't go overboard on things. But since I only own two, I was doing alright. The first one is fully rented and no one wants to move due to the area and how nice Maurice has kept it up. The second one is having some small renovations done, but should hopefully be ready to open up within a couple of weeks. But Sarah's old house? I still wasn't sure about that whole idea. It was wonderful for Katherine to offer it to me, but something about it just wrenched my stomach into a giant knot. I know Sarah didn't officially own it, but just her living there was bad enough. But none the less, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and talk to Renton to see what he says. Maybe he'd have a better idea what to do than I would.
"Evening dear."
"Hi hon." Eureka said with a smile as she walked in the door.
"Is everything done then?"
"Yes it is. It's just me and you now."
"And I couldn't be happier about that if I tried." Taking her into a happy embrace, I twirled us around into the kitchen before setting her down and kissing her gently. "Thank you for being so patient about this."
"If it concerns you sweetie, it's all worth it to me."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome hon. How are our girls doing?"
"All taking naps, and boy did they need it. They were on the run since they got up this morning."
"You mean it's just me and you?"
"For about, oh I'd say…another forty five minutes."
"Well then, what should we do?"
"How about you tell me about your Halloween costume? I know you and Jenny have something up your sleeve."
"We're not telling hon, so nice try. I've built up an immunity to that soft stare you give me, so don't even try to think you're going to break me down."
"Oh, you're killing me!" I chuckled lightly. "But let me see what I can do in order to change that mind of yours…"
"Ooh…Renton…"
"Matthews, good to see you doing well as always."
"What do you want Johnson? I'm busy here."
"My my, aren't we the touchy one. I heard your captain gave you your own mission. Kind of surprising considering your lack of leadership."
"Listen, are you hear to blab your useless gibberish or do you actually want something?"
"Very well then, I'll get to my point. Are you aware of your life steadily disappearing before you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your house, your marriage, both now gone."
"WHAT?!"
"Tsk, tsk, it's sad but true. I decided to do some investigative delving and found that the house was sold and your marriage nullified due to the illegal acts you committed."
"DAMMIT!! So the life I had they just had to take away from me. Why couldn't they just leave things alone like they should have been?!"
"I can't answer that Matthews, but it looks like you're on your own now."
"Anything about my girls?"
"Unfortunately no. It's like they disappeared into nowhere."
"Well I'm sure someone out there is taking care of them."
"How about your ex husband? I'm sure him and Mrs. Thurston would've been more than happy to take them in."
"NO WAY! There is no way on this god forsaken world that I would let her take care of my kids!!"
"Well considering your current situation, I don't think you have a choice." and so throwing his folder on her desk, Johnson smiled, turned and walked out of her room with a confident smirk knowing that she, even with his current support, was going down a path that was going to lead to a devastating downfall.
"Wha…wha…wha…" Those were the only words that Jennifer could stutter as she walked into her home and saw the line of clothes that went from the kitchen into her parents room. But when she then saw the undergarments kind of hanging on her parents bedroom doorknob, her face got red, flushed, and just a tad bit sweaty at the embarrasment she was feeling. "MOM! DAD!!"
"Jennifer! What's wrong dear?" Eureka asked as she walked out of her bedroom in her robe.
"You tell me." Jennifer then somewhat stuttered as she pointed to the line of clothes. "I don't care what you and dad do, but this…well…"
"Oh my…I guess we got a little carried away."
"A little?! Mom, it's pretty apparent that you got more than carried away! You even left the evidence hanging on your bedroom door!"
"We did?" and that's when Eureka turned to notice her bra hanging on the bedroom doorknob in plain sight for everyone to see. "Oh dear…"
"Yeah…I'll help you pick up though. Next time, try to keep it in the bedroom, okay?"
"Sure dear." She then giggled nervously. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay mom. At least the girls are still napping."
"So they are. How was class today?"
"Hardcore as usual. Someone should teach those instructors how to take a vacation."
"I wish we could do better for you, but that academy is all we have in this city."
"It's alright mom, I'm sure I'll survive them."
"Okay. Wasn't Maeter with you?"
"She went to work right after school. I'll be heading there in a little bit after I'm showered and changed."
"I'll drive you in when you're ready then. Let me go get changed myself."
"That'd be a good idea mom. If you went out like that, people would look at you weird."
"Oh Jennifer." Eureka giggled.
"Mary, can you be any more annoying?"
"Jeez Mark, you still need to learn to seriously loosen up. I act more like a wife than you do a husband."
"Well that's because I was pretty much forced into this darn thing, right down to the marriage."
"Well can't you at lease enjoy it until this mission is done then? You look pretty suspicious otherwise."
"I'm that obvious huh?"
"If you weren't, I wouldn't be saying so. Oh, and by the way, I got our costumes for the big party that's coming up."
"Great. Well, let's see them. Hopefully it'll save me some embarrassment later on."
"Cheer up, will ya? Here, here's yours."
"Frankenstein? This should be interesting."
"Well I got Frankenstein's wife if that makes you feel any better."
"Married, even in the after life. Well if it'll work, then there's no choice. How long are we in this mission for anyways?"
"Until we're called back, that's when. And besides, I've come to love this city already. I wouldn't mind living here."
"Don't get any ideas please…we're in a tough spot as it is."
"The only person in a tough spot is you with the way you're acting. Now lighten up and have some fun!"
"How do I do that when we're stuck here?"
"How about like this?" Walking up to him, Mary planted a passionate kiss on him that struck him as not only surprising, but shocking as well. "If we're going to act like husband and wife, might as well do it the right way." His eyes still wide open, all Mark could do was gently wrap his hand around the back of her head, his heart racing, making him wonder what was suddenly making him feel this way. To him, Mary had been annoying, nosy, noisy, and way overly persistent about things ever since they got assigned to this mission. But as if it was a natural reaction to someone he loved, Mark pulled Mary to him and kissed her again softly, and before the two could even stop themselves, they went to levels that by all means, were never planned on during their time together.
The next day, was well, what can I say? It was pretty much the busiest I had ever seen this town other than Christmas time. Me and Justin were out and about enjoying our day since it was only a half day of school. Caleb and Jenny were out at the soda shop as they always did now enjoying shakes and spending time with each other. Those two were probably the happiest people we had seen in our parts in quite a while. Always smiling, laughing, joking around, and now causing the occasional joke or prank on our little group. But when it came to work and responding at a moments notice to the ship, those two worked flawlessly together. Jenny on the communications relaying whatever information we needed, Bryan on weapons. He had to train hard for that position, and I'm not joking either. What he thought was going to be a simple aim, click, and shoot job turned out to be a lot more than he had bargained for. Trajectory angles, sharp shooting, power levels and controls, weapons selections, targeting, it was all there. But he managed to pull through and is now one of the best gunners we've ever seen. In fact at our first battle, I don't think we even saw him miss a target. Samantha, our always cranky, yet insightful friend on technical support. She monitored everything that ran through the ship from her one console on my right side, and she did it well. Caleb was our radar man, keeping the skies clear for us and warning everyone of any impending danger. Him and Bryan would occasionally trade spots when things got rough, but it depended on who showed up first. And then our LFO pilots. The love of my life, the guy who makes my heart race, Justin in the new 909 prototype. Sumner, detailed to the new devilfish series, the Newhope piloted by Maurice and Avriana, who is also our nurse and caretaker, and finally Shelly in the purple and white 606. Oh yes, I can't forget Ruri, our jack of all trades and LFO mechanic. If it wasn't for her, we'd never be in the air like we are now. We're not the most experienced crew, and some people may call us a bunch of crackpot rookies, but you will never find a better crew than the moonlight one, and that I can guarantee.
"Hey, Maeter."
"Yes sweetie?"
"How does lunch sound on me?"
"I guess we could. What's on the menu today?"
"How about some traditional Japanese cuisine?"
"You're on! I haven't had that in ages."
"Well what are we waiting for?"
"Certainly not me!" I laughed as I ran ahead of him.
"Hey! That's not fair!"
"All is fair in love and food! Catch me if you can!"
"You just watch me!"
"This is going to be great!"
"Are you sure about this Jennifer?" I then asked nervously. "I mean, I know I want to get my darling husband and parents back, but isn't this taking it a little far?"
"Not at all! Now, here's what were going to do. Since it's still kind of warm for this time of the year, we're going to stage a mock attack scene."
"Mock attack?"
"Mhm. Now here's how it works. I'll be outside hanging laundry out back with the pool for the kids filled nearby. With this uniform, you'll come up behind me and try to 'attack' me. Now dad, Holland, and Talho will have to be here in order for this to work right."
"Why is that?"
"Because when you come up behind me and 'attack' me," she said in a figurative gesture. "dad, Holland, and Talho will come up behind the house to rescue me. But when you turn around to face them, and that's if they're in the right spot, run at them and hopefully they'll go down into the pool."
"How is that supposed to scare them?"
"Easy. With this." Jennifer then giggled. Opening up a box next to her, she then pulled out what Eureka thought was the most gruesome mask she'd ever seen. It was actually more than enough to give her the shivers. "So with this and a hooded cloak overcoat, you'll be unrecognizable."
"But they do know my hands as well dear."
"I know. That's why we have these black gloves on hand."
"Sweetie, this is going to be fun."
"You know it mom."
"Whoa! Look out you guys!"
"Sorry sir!" Maeter looked back with a smile as she and Justin continued their run to lunch.
"It's okay!" Mary said with a smile and wave as the two continued running off. "Oh to be their age again."
"No kidding, but we're not much older than they are Mary. Of course maybe then I wouldn't be the jerk I am now."
"You are not a jerk Mark! Jeez, maybe that's why you're putting yourself down all the time."
"Huh?"
"You're always negative about everything! You need to be more like me. Upbeat, confident, cheery, always working hard for my goals, etc, etc. It's not that hard to do you know."
"Joining a military group was your idea of working hard for your goals?"
"No, that was a forced situation unfortunately."
"Forced Situation?"
"Yes. My father is a boot camp commander. When he and my mom married, I got thrown into it."
"Why?"
"Because he wanted a daughter who was raised on 'principals', or so he says."
"Looks like you came out alright though."
"Yeah, right. I quit and ran out about a week after I started."
"What did he say to that?"
"That was a bad moment in itself Mark…"
"What do you mean you quit?! Do you have any idea what it took me to get you in there?!"
"And why did you?! Huh?! Why?!"
"You ungrateful little brat!! I don't want any daughter of mine to be out there among the normal crowd! You need discipline, honor, principal, and you need to learn respect! I refuse to let you do anything else!"
"It's my life! And for your information, you're not my father! Mine would never treat me like this!"
"You little…now listen here! You are going to go back there tomorrow and apologize to all the instructors and your teammates! You will not disrespect my authority!"
"I'm not going back you jerk!! And you also don't have any authority over me, and you never will! This house, my life, are my own! And neither you nor anyone else are going to change that…!!"
"I left home several weeks later after the tension got too high. I figured that if I wasn't there, things would be a lot better off."
"That's pretty tough Mary. Aren't you still in contact with them?"
"Only mom. I refuse to talk to him."
"Don't you even visit?"
"No. I don't want to be near him. Mom may love him, but I never will."
"I wish my situation was better, but it's not."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I lost my parents after the second war during the conflict over this city."
"Wasn't that the one where Adrock Thurston directed the whole world against us?"
"Yeah. But to this day, no one knows why."
"Wasn't he captured or something like that?"
"No. He only disappeared. He hasn't been seen or heard from since."
"I see. I often wonder though if that war was even worth fighting over."
"Huh? You intrigue me Mary. Do explain."
"Well from what I heard, that whole mess was just over two simple people who were trying to just live their lives in peace after the second summer of love. They saved the world, yet we were the ones who were out there trying to kill them."
"That's because of her, the coralian."
"But there was more than just one Mark."
"Yes, I know."
"At count now, there are five known full coralians and several half coralian, half human ones."
"Yeah, and some of them are only children."
"Exactly. In a way…"
"In a way what?"
"It makes me wonder if what we're doing now…is really worth the fight."
"You do have a point. We're doing this for one obsessed woman who wants just one thing, and we're supposed to be the ones who have to help retrieve it."
"Mark, before we do anything, I actually want to get to know them first."
"Agreed. Maybe then if we get an idea of who they are, we can go over our findings and see if this whole thing is worth the effort."
"Mark…"
"What is it?"
"Thank you for understanding me."
"You're welcome Mary. Jeez, I think you're actually starting to get under my skin now."
"Good. It'll loosen up that tough guy personality you always snubbed me with."
"It figures…" he then sighed with a smile. "That's why I got placed with you. You can see right through me."
"And not only that…" she said as she cuddled close to his side. "In fact…it's a whole lot more than that…."
"Mary…"
"M-m-made it…" Justin then panted out of breath. "How were you…able to…beat…me?"
"Easy. I actually showed up for all of the physical training courses, unlike yourself."
"But I play soccer! I should've outlasted you a long time ago!"
"Well you can out eat me any day of the week if that's any consolation to you."
"That's true." he laughed. "I can hold more in my gut than you ever could."
"I'd never be able to anyways! Your stomach has to be at least twice the size of mine."
"Want to open me up and find out?" he chuckled.
"EWW!! No! Now let's eat before you make me lose my appetite."
"Lead the way Maeter."
The rest of the day went about as usual for the sleepy little city. Mary and Mark spent the remainder of their day seeing the sights, having lunch and dinner together, did a little shopping, and finally a late evening dessert before heading home for the night. The entire time though, he was becoming more and more impressed with how she was, even in times like they were in now. Her red hair flowing in the wind, the innocent look in not only her eyes, but on her face as well. Her fragile yet strong figure as she would twirl around in happiness from time to time dancing like she was a princess at a grand ball waiting for her prince to show up and whisk her away into a star filled evening filled with romance and love.
Avriana spent her day at work as always trying to keep things in line for Renton and the rest of the team as well. She thouroughly enjoyed what she was doing though. Spending time with her step father helping him run the family business, working side by side with Michelle and Katie as they chatted and joked around through much of the day, keeping Dustin from killing Mack and Joe who would always throw a wise crack or two at him, and otherwise enjoying her pregnancy day by day like it was the best thing in the world. Being at only three months though, she was really surprised at how fast the time had flown by her already.
"Hey Avriana, do you know what you're having yet?"
"Not yet Michelle, but I do hope it's a girl."
"Why's that?" Katie asked with a polite grin.
"Because it's what I've always dreamed of having first when the time came."
"You nervous?"
"Not at all, other than the whole having to give birth thing. But that's what the classes are for."
"It's not that bad at all." Katie said with a then confident smile. "Especially when they give you an epideral. That's what I did and it went by almost painlessly."
"I may do that now that you mentioned it." she giggled. "The only other thing that we're hoping for it is that it's born happy and healthy."
"Avriana," Michelle replied. "With the way you two take care of each other, that's pretty much a no brainer."
"Agreed." Avriana giggled again. "And more than you think."
Jennifer and Eureka were at the base at the same time going over the last minute preperations for the big party that was to happen the day after next. Catering from several local restaurants was to come in and help feed an entire city for the evening, and it was going to be no small task at that. Food was going to be delivered in throughout the night due to the expected turnout of the event and those who were hired were going to keep their doors closed as to not have any time delays in their scheduling of deliveries. From what Eureka had been told, cooks were going to be working around the clock the day before and the entire day of the event in order to keep up on the orders. She only hoped it would help since she was the one coordinating everything concering that area of the party.
Jennifer on the other hand was helping with the last of the decorations since that was all that needed to be done otherwise. Anemone was in charge of the band appearances and times, and finally Dominic and Holland were in charge of security detail for the entire event. So far they had about thirty staff on schedule for the night with more on standby in case things got rowdy. Tresor was even kind enough to repaint six of the Omega KLF units in an orange and black color scheme just for the event for the fun of them being there, though they were to be used for security detail as well. One on each side of the stage, two at the gates, and the other two on the left side of the runway facing in towards the hangars. With the color schemes of the six units, everyone hoped they would be good for the entertainment rather than to show what kind of force they had for the evening.
Maurice was hard at work as well getting ready to open the doors to the new apartment building that his mother had bought and had renovated. Since his knee surgery, he had been almost unstoppable in what he wanted to do. He was still on his cane due to his recovery and physical therapy, but the pain was pretty much gone and he was moving faster than what Avriana could almost keep up with. But to her, it was the best sight in the world not seeing him suffer any further. These days he was always up with the sun, ready to go, and on the move without any hassle. "Finally…" she would always think to herself every morning. "Things are back to the way they should be." and then putting her hand on her stomach, she would wait for the first movement of their child before getting up and starting her day as well.
"Sophie! Hurry up!"
"Don't you think I am Samantha! Give a girl a break will you?!"
"Well it's not my fault you slept past your alarm!"
"And it's not my fault you kept us up all night with your studying!!"
"How do you think I keep my grades up?"
"Ever…heard of…study hall?" Sophie panted as they ran past the front gates of their school. "Looks like we made it!"
"Better hope so or it's your butt I'm coming after!"
"Not if I have something to say about it." Linck chuckled at the front door. "No one can go after that other than me."
"Oh Linck, quit it!" Sophie giggled as the two girls hurriedly got into their school shoes. "You're embarrassing me!"
"Plus making me sick." Samantha sighed. "Honestly, what do girls see in romance?"
"You don't have a boyfriend Sam, so you wouldn't know."
"Ugh, are you trying to make me lose my breakfast Sophie?"
"Why, is it working?"
"Just about."
"Good. That means I'm doing something right then." She then giggled again. "Oh shoot, we had better hurry guys!"
"In the words of Avriana, let's hoof it girls!" Linck said with a smile. And so with a quick kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend, the group of three sprinted off to their first class knowing that the next day the school would be closed for the big party.
"Oh my, I've never seen a town bustle like this before." Mary thought to herself while she went out shopping for the day. "Good thing it's not for things I need." "Oh, excuse me miss!"
"It's alright." Avriana said calmly and happily. "It is quite busy out here, so it's not your fault."
"It's one of them!" Mary quickly thought to herself with her eyes wide open.
"Are you ok ma'am?"
"Oh, yes, sorry about that!" she then quickly giggled. "It's just that I've never seen one of your kind before."
"Well don't worry, we don't bite."
"Call me Mary. Calling me ma'am is way too formal."
"Okay." Avriana laughed. "I'm Avriana. Avriana Thurston."
"You're a Thurston?!"
"By marriage, yes. I'm married to their oldest son."
"Oh, I see. Hey, do you know where I can find some fresh produce in this town? I'm new to the area, so I don't quite know where I'm going yet."
"Sure! Follow me and you'll find some of the freshest stuff around! I'm heading there myself!"
"Really? Thanks a bunch!"
"It's really no problem, now come on!" Avriana then said with a smile as she took Mary's hand. So as the two ran through the crowd filled streets of Bellforest, Mary could notice a warm sensation running through her body as the coralian in front of her held her hand and gently pulled her along. It wasn't one that was full of fear, hatred, or anything of that nature. It was filled more with happiness, warmth, and that of a family who love each other with more respect than was normally shown. "Is this…what we're trying to take away from this town…?"
"Don't fall behind now Mary! I'd hate for you to get lost!"
"Just hang onto me and I won't!"
"It's a deal!" Avriana said with a smile as she looked back at her. "Ooh!"
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing! I just felt my baby kick."
"You're pregnant?!"
"Yep. Three months."
"Congratulations! I was wondering why you looked so happy."
"Well let's just say it was a dream of ours to have a family together."
"You seem kind of young to be having a child though."
"I'm nineteen, so I'm old enough."
"Point well taken." Mary giggled.
"Yep. Well, here we are!" and Avriana wasn't kidding either when she said she knew where she could find the best stuff in town. There, standing before Mary, was the biggest farmers market she had seen in quite a long time. Stands on either side of the street filled with everything a growing family could ever need. Fruits, vegetables, dry goods, bread, it was all there. "Huge, isn't it?"
"I'd have to say so. I'm actually surprised at the size of it."
"You hungry?"
"A little. Why do you ask?"
"One of the stands here has the best yakisoba bread around! So if we don't hurry, we'll miss it! Come on, it's on me!"
"Well lead the way then!"
So late into the afternoon, Mary and Avriana spent almost countless minutes laughing, giggling, and just having a good time while they got their shopping done for the day. Thanks to her newly found friend, Mary was shown where to go, what the best places were to get things, and what the best sites in town were and how to get to them as well. By the time the two were done, they were pretty sure they had gone over their budgets for the day. "Oh dear, I think Maurice is going to go nuts when he sees what I'm bringing home."
"Same here with my husband. I do believe I spent more than you did."
"I think you're right considering you've got more bags than me."
"I'd hate to be a prude, but do you think…?"
"If you're trying to ask me if I can help you carry them home, sure. It's not a problem Mary."
"Thanks Avriana. You're a sweetheart."
"I get that from a lot of people. Come on, let's get you home."
"Sure."
"Thanks for inviting us over for dinner Jennifer."
"It's really no problem Talho. I just hope you don't mind all the kids running around."
"Not at all. I've got four of them running around my home, though I should include my husband in that bunch."
"Very funny." Holland said with a smirk. "So what's for dinner?"
"That's to be a surprise."
"Oh, well this should be good then."
"You'll find out later. I have to go check on the laundry. I'll be right back."
"Okay kiddo. We'll just sit here with Renton and the kids."
"Isn't that what you always do, sit around?" Jennifer then said with a laugh as she went out the front door.
"I HEARD THAT!!"
"Okay mom, we're all set!"
"Sounds good." Eureka then replied with a mischievous smile. "You ready?"
"Ready. Let's do this!"
"Alright then. Let me get the costume on."
"Okay. You filled the pool, right?"
"Yeah, it's full."
"Okay."
"So Renton, how is it being in a house full of women?"
"I'm slowly getting used to it Talho." He chuckled lightly. "But so far, I'd have to say I'm loving every minute of it."
"Have Adrian and Faith adapted to everything alright?"
"Yeah, so far so good. They're loving their new playmates. It's almost a constant challenge now to get them settled down and into bed at night."
"Sounds like everything is going well then."
"I would say so, yes."
"EEEEAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!"
"Hey, that was Jennifer!"
"Well what are we waiting for?! Let's go!"
"Okay mom, here they come." Jennifer whispered as Eureka stood over her. "Make it look as real as possible. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!! Get away from me you freak!!"
"Hey you!" Holland yelled. "I suggest you back off while you have the chance!!"
"Or what?" a scratchy yet scraggily voice replied as the hooded figure continued to stand over Jennifer. "I already took care of the first person, so why not this one?"
"You what?!" Renton yelled. "Where's my wife?!"
"And why should I tell you?"
"Because if you don't, there's no way I'll guarantee you leaving here alive!"
"In that case…I'll come after you first!" Turning around, Holland, Renton, and Talho's eyes shot wide open as the figure came racing at them, forcing them to scream in fear and back up until they had all fallen into the ice water filled pool. That's when Jennifer, who was unable to control herself any further, got up laughing hysterically. "Got you!"
"W-w-what?!" Talho yelled. "What do you mean?!"
"Think of it as revenge from when you first got me." the hooded monster in front of them laughed. That's when Eureka pulled down her hood and removed the mask from her face. "And don't ever think about trying to get back at me."
"E-Eureka…that was you?!" Holland chattered as he and the other two got out of the pool.
"You got it dad. How does it feel to be the one scared out of his wits now?"
"Well I'd have to say she did good." Renton stuttered. "I-I-I won't underestimate my wife again, that's for sure."
"No you won't love. Now how about we get you all inside before you end up catching a cold?"
"You…don't have to…tell me that twice."
"Thank you for helping me carry this stuff home Avriana. It really was a big help."
"Don't worry about it Mary. Ask me anytime and I'd be glad to help."
"I'll do that. So…what's it like being related to such a famous family?"
"Not too bad really. It can be a challenge though when were in other cities though."
"Why's that?"
"Everyone wants our autographs, wants to know what it'll take to be a part of GekkoState, etcetera, etcetera."
"Doesn't sound too bad to me."
"It is when you're crowded around for hours on end. But we're pretty much used to it."
"Oh, did I hear that you're a part of GekkoState?"
"Yes you did. I became a member after I got rescued from a rebel military installation that was out in the middle of nowhere. That's also how I met Maurice."
"So she's the one who got stolen from us…" Mary thought to herself. She had remembered about the incident when she was taken from them. It was in all of the local news headlines that had been distributed throughout the rebel resistance. They had not only taken her, but also destroyed that base on the same night. "What was it like being stuck on that base then?"
"Boring, useless, and just plain scary. I didn't know what I was there for, what my purpose was, or why they even wanted me."
"Didn't you ever talk to anyone?"
"No, I didn't. But that all changed on that one fateful night."
"I see."
"Listen Mary, I don't want you to get a bad idea about us. They did what they did for the right reasons, and I'm glad they were able to. Without them, I wouldn't have the parents I do now, a wonderful and rambunctious little brother, a great husband, a nice home, and the best family a girl could ever ask for. Call it fate if you'd like, but I wouldn't change a thing about what they did."
"I can tell. You seem to have a strong belief in family. It's been apparent since we've been talking all day."
"I really do Mary. Even my mom does now for that matter."
"Your mom?"
"Yes. You see, when I got taken into GekkoState, they all looked over me as they tried to figure out what to do next. My mom was only nineteen at the time and my dad was in his mid to late twenties I think. But anyways, I had no one that could really call mom and dad, who could care and love me like the others were with their parents. It wasn't until we landed in a place called Dawson City that I finally got that wish."
"Dawson City?"
"Mhm. That's where my mom promised me should would watch over and take care of me. It was also the day when she first kissed my dad."
"Your dad?"
"Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that. She and my dad had only starting dating before I was found."
"I see. Well, here we are."
"This is a nice building Mary."
"Thanks. We like it a lot too. Want to come in for some tea or something?"
"No, I should get home myself. Are you going to be at the party tomorrow?"
"Yep. I have our passes and tickets ready."
"Cool! We'll see you there then!"
"Okay! Bye now!"
"Goodnight Mary!" Avriana said with a smile as she ran off down the road. "See you tomorrow!"
"We'll be there!" Mary yelled back while she waved. "Now I know I'm right. We're doing this for all the wrong reasons. In fact, why am I even involved in the military at all anymore? I have to tell Mark about this."
Halloween night. Time of the big city wide party, trick and treating, and having a good old time with family and friends. Maeter, Avriana, and Jennifer went out with the girls and Timothy to do the usual festivities before the night got too wild. Diane had already volunteered to stay at with the kids for the night while everyone else went out. Though everyone protested and said she should get out sometime, she still said no and that it was alright. It was pretty obvious that she was definitely the quiet one in the family. Always calm, relaxed, reserved, and full of knowledge, she was pretty much Avriana's only competition when it came down to a match of wits. By the time the festivities for the kids ended, the ones for the rest of the town began, and with a bigger turnout than what was expected. The adults had began to show up around mid to late afternoon, which helped ease the congestion when the actual starting time came up. As planned though, the painted LFO's were a huge hit with everyone. It had almost congested the whole entrance area since everyone kept stopping and staring at them. On stage for the first portion of the evening, The Robateks were rocking the area with their mix of rock and roll, monster ballads, and the occasional heavy metal tune that would get the whole area on their feet and dancing away on the pavement. The food lines were ridiculously long and insane, but they moved fast thanks to the hard work of all the cooks and servers who had planned well ahead of time for the occasion, as well as all the others who helped coordinate the event. At the end of the current song, Steve came up onto the stage to welcome everyone. "Welcome the city of Bellforest!" he yelled as everyone cheered him on. "It seems like we have a lot of ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and monsters out there tonight! Anyways, I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight and I hope it turns out to be a heck of a time. I do wish that everyone stays safe tonight, doesn't drink too much, and I know some of you that do." he then chuckled as he pointed out at the crowd. "and also has a safe return home at the end of the night. So without any further ado, I bring back THE ROBATEKS!!" and on cue, the band began to crank out another one of their major tunes as the crowd began to dance away.
"This rocks!" Caleb yelled. "They should do this every year!"
"No kidding!" Sophie replied happily as she bounced around. "This is the best thing to ever hit this town!"
"Amen to that! Where's your boyfriend at?"
"He's around here somewhere as I'm sure your girlfriend is as well."
"Speak of the devil! Yo Jenny, over here!"
"I was wondering where you were!" Jenny smiled as she tried to fight her way through the crowd of dancers. "Best not be hitting on my friend there!"
"If he did, he'd be hurting in more ways than one!" Sophie giggled.
"That he would! Where's everyone else?"
"Still waiting on them! But while we do, let's rock this joint!" Caleb said with a smile as he twirled him and his girlfriend around.
"You're on sweetie! I'll dance your shoes off!"
"Bring it on!" he laughed.
"Avriana!!"
"Mary!!"
"It's good to see you again!"
"You too! I'm glad you were able to make it."
"Same here. Looks like it's going to be one heck of a night. Where's your husband?"
"Working one of the food tables. Due to his recovery after his knee surgery, he isn't able to do that much yet."
"Knee surgery? What for?"
"Long story Mary. I'll tell you about it later. So, is this your husband?"
"Oh! Yes, sorry about that! Avriana, this is Mark Stephonson. Mark, this is Avriana Thurston."
"Nice to meet you." Mark said with a friendly smile and a handshake. "I've heard quite a bit about you already."
"I'm sure you have after the kind of day me and your wife spent together yesterday. You've got quite the wonderful wife there."
"Thanks. She's a handful, but I definitely love her."
"He…he loves me…?" Mary thought to herself in shock as she continued to listen to the two talk. "I never thought he could love someone…"
"Looks that way. So, shall we go enjoy the festivities?"
"Sure, let's go for it."
"Alright. Follow me guys!"
"Two yakisobas!!"
"Five rice balls!"
"Three pizza slices!"
"Seven sweet rolls!"
"Seven?! Is that guy hungry or something?!"
"No, I'm feeding four!"
"Got it!" Maurice laughed. "Enjoy!"
"Thanks!"
"Maurice!"
"Hey love!" he smiled as she hugged him from behind. "What are you up to?"
"Just thought I'd stop and say hi to the most handsome man in the world."
"Well I don't know about the world…three rice balls! Enjoy your night sir!"
"Funny dear. Hey, meet my new friends! Mark, Mary, this is my wonderful husband Maurice."
"Nice meeting you guys! Two sodas! Enjoy the festivities! So, Mark, Mary, what do you think of this place so far?"
"Not bad at all." Mark replied with a smile. "Hey, can I get two yakisoba's for me and the wife here?"
"Sure! Yo, Charlie! Two yakisobas!"
"Coming up!"
"Thanks! So, how'd you two meet?"
"We've been working together for ages now." Mary said with a slight blush to her face. "I guess it just took this long to finally get him this far."
"Sounds like me and my mischievous wife here." Maurice then chuckled.
"I'm not mischievous!" Avriana giggled. "Just spontaneous."
"Yeah, in other words, mischievous."
"Seems like you two get along well." Mark chuckled.
"Sure do. Oh, and here are your yakisobas."
"Thanks. Well my love, shall we go enjoy the festivities?"
"Sure! Hey, see you two later!"
"Have fun!" Avriana then said with a wave. "Now dear, we're going to have a little talk later on when we get home about calling me mischievous."
"I'll show you what I'm talking about when we do." he then replied with a sly grin.
"I can't wait…"
"Mark!"
"What?"
"Look. Over there."
"At what? Oh, I see. Our targets."
"Don't say that! You'll give us away!"
"Sorry. Jeez, I feel like a jerk for doing this."
"I know. I feel terrible as well. I've only known Avriana two days and already I like her. She's such a nice and wonderful person to be with."
"I could tell. It's genuine too. It was easy to tell just by looking at her."
"And her husband as well."
"Correct. Those two seem to be doing well together."
"They should. She is pregnant you know."
"I thought I noticed something motherly about her. Now I know why."
"Mhm. What should we do?"
"Move over to them slowly. Maybe we can get to know them by let's say 'accidentally' bumping into them."
"Alright."
"Having a good time dear?"
"Best time ever!" I said with a smile as me and Eureka danced and bounced around. "It's the most fun I could have ever asked for!"
"Good. You needed it!"
"Funny!" I laughed. "Oops! Sorry about that!"
"It's quite alright. It is packed out here."
"That it is." I replied with a smile. "I've never seen you around town before. You new here?"
"Yes we are." Mary then replied. "My name is Mary and this is the love of my life Mark."
"Nice meeting you two." Eureka said with a warm smile. "How do you like the city so far?"
"It's nice. We're only here for our honeymoon though."
"Kind of a weird place to pick if you ask me." I chuckled. "What brought you here anyways?"
"Well," Mark then said confidently. "we heard how famous this place was and figured why not? Might as well check it out and hopefully meet the most famous people in the world."
"Renton, dear, I sense another autograph session."
"So do I love." I then sighed.
"Oh no, we wouldn't do that to you." Mary giggled. "Just meeting you two is more than enough for us."
"Well I'm glad it is." I laughed. Looking at the couple who was dancing beside us, I could sense a certain innocence about them, but yet, something dark was bugging their past. Catching Mary's eyes on and off as we continued to dance, as well as Marks, I could also tell that they were wanting to let it go. But the one that showed it the most was her. From her innocent green eyes, her soft red hair that flowed nicely and looked like it didn't have a wrinkle in any of it's strands. What showed the most though, and I don't think Mark quite picked up on it as of that time, was that Mary was more in love with him than he could have ever imagined.
"They seem like a wonderful couple."
"Yeah, that they do."
"Hey, Mark, are you feeling what I am over this whole thing?"
"Yeah, but I don't know why though. That's what I can't figure out."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go for it."
"When you told Avriana…at the entrance…that you loved me, was that true?"
"What?! Well, ahh…you see…it…was just a cover up! Yeah, that's it! I was just trying to keep our cover!"
"OH YOU!! That's it! I'm going home!"
"What?! What'd I do?!"
"You don't get it, do you?!"
"Get what?! Why don't you tell me before walking off?!"
"Mark."
"WHAT?! Oh, Renton. Sorry about that. Just a little scuffle between us two here. Don't mind it."
"I think you better start following what your heart says before you end up losing her."
"Huh? I don't understand."
"It's easy Mark. It's easy to tell when a woman is in love with the man of her dreams and he's already being stubborn about it."
"Love…?"
"Ma'am! Your stamp!" Those were the only words Mary heard as she ran out of the base and back towards home. Away from the crowds, away from the fun and food, her new friend, and away from the man she had spent the last three years working side by side with. When they had been first assigned to each other as a team, the two could barely stand working with each other. He was a loner, and preferred to be that way. To her, he was off Standish, rough, mysterious, and always quiet. Whenever she had something to say, he'd glare at her as to say 'don't say another word'. As they had gotten used to each other, they would have the occasional light conversation just to break the tension between them. It was then that she would notice the twinkle in his eyes get brighter with each moment they were together. She wasn't a fighter. She was more of an information officer with an everyday boring desk job doing nothing. But when an assignment came up, he was her protecter, her body guard, and before she had come to know it, the man she had come to love, even as cold hearted as he was. But the other night when they had made love to each other, even as unexpected as it was, it all felt right to her. Every touch, every kiss, each and every movement they made was all that she could have dreamed of and more. But this night…she was almost sure it was the end. She would go home, pack her stuff, send in her resignation, and go out on her own alone and away from everything that dealt with military life and him. But a certain voice kept telling her to go back to him, give him a second chance. But she felt otherwise as she continued to walk off closer to home, that is until a certain voice caught her attention. "Mary! Mary! Wait up!"
"Why should I?! I mean nothing to you!"
"What are you talking about?! We've been working together for three years! You're my partner! You mean a lot to me!"
"Not in the way I want to though! Can't you see that?!"
"What do you want me to tell you?!"
"That you love me like I love you! Or didn't you feel that when we made love the other day?"
"You actually love someone like me?"
"I have for the past year Mark, but I kept my silence due to our working together. I…didn't want to complicate things."
"But don't you complicate things anyways?"
"You know what I mean Mark! Listen, I'm just going to go home and pack. I'll be gone by morning."
"Where are you going?"
"Back home where I don't want to be most likely. I'm going to resign from the military and live my life like I should have in the first place. Away from everything and full of freedom."
"Listen Mary, I know this may be a long shot with a jerk like me, and yes, I admit I am one, but are you sure you can see a future with me in your life?"
"If I didn't Mark, do you really think I'd be telling you this?"
"I guess not." he then sighed. "Maybe you're right about this whole mess."
"I have been Mark. I told you before I'm only in the military to make my stupid step father happy. Well it's high time I did something for myself." she said as she looked up towards the stars above. "It's time to live my life the way I want to."
"Well…"
"Well what?" sighing deeply knowing that Renton and Eureka were hiding around the corner just in case he needed emotional back up, Mark finally opened up his rough and tumble heart and said "Will you let me join you in that plan of yours?"
"What? You can't say the words I've been waiting for you to say all night?"
"Okay, fine! I love you! Is that what you want to hear?!"
"Mark, I want you to say it like you mean it. Not like I'm trying to force it out of you."
"Well since you put it that way, Mary, I love you."
"And I do you, Mark."
"But just one thing Mary."
"What Mark?"
"We'll have to tell everyone the truth about whats going on eventually."
"We can do that. But let's wait another month, hand in a few more reports, and then quit while we have the chance."
"Good idea. It'll make us less suspicious that way."
"That's the plan. Now, should we go back and join the party?"
"Sure." he replied softly. "Anything for you."
"Looks like he finally saw the light." I said with a smile as we watched Mark and Mary walk back to the party. "Sure was too close for comfort though."
"Yes it was dear. Good thing you caught onto it."
"What are you two doing?"
"D-DAD!" Eureka yelled startled. "We, ah, well…"
"Don't tell me you two are playing match maker again…I thought we were done with that after Hap and Nadia."
"Well, these two are already married, but I don't think they were quite prepared for that step until we intervened a bit."
"Is everything alright now?"
"Yes it is dad."
"Good. Then get back to the party. Everyone is looking for you."
"Right!"
It was two weeks later and the quick and upcoming Christmas season was coming upon us. But of course, we had to get past Thanksgiving first, which was held every year at Holland and Talho's since they had the most room considering how large their house was. Anemone and Dominic's twins, Sara Jo and Lisa Marie, were happy as always to see our twins, but got even more excited when Adrian and Faith came into the family. I now believe there are more girls in the family than I care to count. I just hope someone has another boy soon to help even things out. But that wasn't the thing that surprised me and Eureka the most…
"Mark! Mary! What brings you to our home?"
"Hey Eureka." Mary said somewhat solemnly. "Can we talk?"
"Sure. Come on in you two."
"So what's on your mind?" I asked as I handed Mark and Mary their cups of coffee.
"Thanks Renton." Mark said with a gentle smile.
"You're welcome."
"Anyways, let's get straight to the point. We've been, well, deceiving you two for the last three weeks or so now, and we feel terrible about it."
"Well why don't you tell us what it is and we'll see what we can work out between us?"
"Before we do," Mary said softly. "We want to tell you guys that since we've come to know you, we've really fell in love with who you all are, what you're about. I mean, we've spent a lot of time with you guys since you've been helping us around town when it came to finding things, getting jobs, and just basically helping us get used to things. We truly believe that we've made not only two wonderful friends in you two, but in everyone else as well. But what we're about to tell you, well, we're afraid it might drive us apart, and we don't want that."
"Well what is it?"
"We're…investigative spies with the NFA."
"What?!" I yelled. "But…why? Why are you here?!"
"Hold on Renton," Mark said with a hint of seriousness in his voice. "before you go flying off the handle, we got assigned this job before we even got to know you."
"What job?"
"Our assignment was to find you and any family, get to know you, and then try to infiltrate GekkoState."
"What was your purpose?"
"To find out what your weak points were, send the info over to our headquarters, and then they would use that information to create a plan to take you down and recover Renton, returning him and the girls to Sarah."
"Was Sarah in on this plan?"
"It was her and our commanders idea, yes." Mary said sadly. "But like we said, as we got to know you, we began to wonder if what we were doing was wrong. We could tell right away that you're a loving family with a good sturdy lifestyle that's providing way more than enough to keep everyone happy and healthy, and it shows through everything that we've seen come out of you guys."
"Have you sent anything about us?"
"Only false reports to keep us from getting suspected of treason, or defecting for that matter."
"Defecting where?" I asked out of sudden curiosity.
"On our last reports that we just handed in, we sent over our resignation notices as well."
"Resignations?"
"We quit the NRA Renton." Mark replied. "We're officially done with them."
"Where are you going to go then?"
"Not sure yet. They're aware of our current location, so we'll probably have to move pretty quick to stay clear of any resistance."
"I know of just the place then." My lovely wife said with a smile. "But only if you're up to the offer."
"Where?" Mary asked with an almost worried tone to her voice. But in a way, I couldn't have blamed her for being that way. The slight shaking of her green eyes definitely showed it.
"Well I do own two apartment buildings, one that just got done getting renovated and is ready to be opened. Care to take a look?"
"Sure! Can we Mark?"
"Sure hon. When can we look at it?"
"We'll take you to them ourselves. Maybe afterwards we can all go to dinner."
"Sounds like a real treat Eureka. Thanks."
"No problem. Anything to help our friends in need. Now, shall we get going?"
"Yeah."
A/N: Ok, ok, this may or may not be a filler chapter, but it was kind of hard to write due to work and a couple of other things that were going on. But anywho, as always, read, enjoy, and comment. See that little button on the bottom left corner? You know you want to push it. Don't resist the urge...it's calling for you.
