I'm skipping time though Lenas life.
Four years after Stef's death
Lena
I sat down and smiled at the other girl. My kids and friends have decided I need to be dating, whether I want too or not.
"You look so beautiful by the way" Natassia said and I smiled at her.
"So do you" I said awkwardly.
"What is someone as beautiful as you doin single?" she asked and I forced a laugh.
"Um my wife passed away a few years ago" I explained.
"Oh i'm sorry…" she said.
"It's ok, i'm sure she's in a better place. My kids decided I need a little push back into dating" I said and she laughed.
"Five kids?" she asked. I guess she's found me on facebook or something, gotta love technology.
"I'm sorry I looked you up" she said shamefully and I shook my head dismissing it.
"No it's ok, I did the same." I admitted.
"Well i'm impressed I definitely couldn't handle five kids, one is enough for me" she said. She has a sixteen year old daughter named Ashley is I can remember correctly.
"Yeah It's a handful but most of them are in college. I only have two kids living with me right now. My youngest Jude who graduates at the end of this school year and one of the twins Jesus, who is looking for an apartment now." I explained and she nodded.
"Makes it a little easier" she said.
"I guess, I miss the chaos of a big family." I admitted. I miss my kids so much, they were the only thing keeping me going after losing Stef. Judes reluctant to leave me when he goes to college because he doesn't want me living alone. Which is why I think this dating thing is starting because they want to start getting me out their and possibly someone else I can spend a lot of time with.
"Anyways enough about me what are you doing single?" I asked looking at the menu.
"My wife and I split up a year ago and like you my daughter is giving me the push too" she said and I laughed. The rest of the date went ok but it's not like their was any real chemistry. I think we were both not really wanting to be their which is awkward.
Jude and Jesus came downstairs when I got home excited to hear about it.
"So how did it go?" Jesus asked.
"Fine" I said and they both sighed.
"What I said it was fine." I defended myself.
"Mom you have to give her a chance." Jude said sounding frustrated.
"I did I said it was fine"
"Fine. How many terrible dates did I say 'it was fine' before I finally met Nathan. Give it a chance" Jude said. Him and Nathan have been dating for over two years now and they are so cute together.
"I will. It was one date" I said and they smiled.
"Good because you were pretty hesitant too going tonight" Jesus said and I glared at him.
"Oh i'm sorry getting a text saying I have a date with a girl named Natassia in an hour and a half and she's picking me up and we took twenty dollars to get pizza was a little shocking" I said and they laughed.
"Well we told you a month ago we were finding you someone" Jude defended.
"I mean it's been four years, mom" Jesus said and I sighed.
"I know thank you for that. I said I will but no promises. Why are you guys so eager to get me a girlfriend anyways?" I asked.
"We don't want you living alone" Jude admitted.
"You leave in four months you really think I'm going to move in with a girl by the end of the four months" I asked then thought about it for a second. That's what I did with Stef.
"Well yeah, you're a lesbian" Jude said and I shook my head. They both laughed. This should be interesting. I'm expected to settle down with someone in four months.
Stef
I picked up Connor and he snuggled up against me.
"What are you gonna do with Connor when you find you're cycle?" Eric asked as he made a car go off and the street lights flicker scaring a young couple and he laughed.
"Take him with me" I said without hesitation.
"You can't see him once you're in a cycle" he said and my heart broke. We still haven't found my cycle but it's harder than I would have thought. Which I guess is why we are lost.
"I can't just add him into the cycle?" I asked looking down and the smiling little boy in my arms clueless too what's going on around him. He's too young too even know he's dead let alone be able to handle the after life.
"You know that's not how it works" he said.
"It's a psychological paradise or hell assuming it's a paradise can't I control what's in my cycle?" I asked and he sighed.
"It's not that easy, i'm sure it can be done just don't know how" he said but it sounded like an encouragement. I'm not losing him, no matter what. I lost five of my kids I'm not losing a sixth, especially since he really needs me.
"I will figure it out." I said and he smiled.
"Good babies cycles are really hard to find because well it's a baby" he said pointing too Conner.
"He has been with us for much longer than you and he needs to be with a mother, Janice is not one" he said honestly. Janice isn't as cold hearted as she first seemed but she really doesn't like kids. She gets annoyed if Conner cries for more than a minute and ends up screaming for me to shut him up.
"Oh he's going with me" I said not taking no for an answer.
"I thought so. Also keep in mind even if you manage to find you're cycle and make it so Conner is a part of it that doesn't mean that Lena will be once she passes away" he said patting me on the back. Most of the Shadow Walkers don't want to find their cycle because they know if they do they won't be able to find their loved ones. Every ghost has their own cycle even babies and dogs, but there's are really hard to find, which means loved ones are split up even if they don't know it. Cyclees as Eric calls them says they both thinks the other is really there but it's a part of their imagination. Being dead our imagination and psychological mindset can really come to life since their isn't the limit of having a physical body.
If I can join Conner as part of my cycle, which hopefully I will be able to do, shouldn't I be able to join Lena. We can join our cycles together, right?
Twenty years after Stef died
Lena
I know that I'm not going to make it much longer. I have been told by the doctor that I have probably about a year about a year ago. A year ago my heart got really bad and no matter what they do I don't have much longer. I have been in a hospital for about a week after a mini heart attack. The kids all came out too see me knowing I don't have long.
"Where are the kids?" I asked Diane. Who I married ten years ago. Don't get me wrong I love her but not as much as I did Stef and part of me thinks she knows that.
"They are on their way, sweetie" she said holding my hand. I closed my eyes and she kissed my cheek.
"Wake me when they get here" I said and she told me she would.
Stef
We still haven't found my cycle and I'm getting frustrated. I need to find a safe home for Conner so that I can get him off the street. I was sitting with him playing on my lap when suddenly I poofed to a hospital room with him still in my lap. Ok what just happened? I still have yet to get control over this random transportation. I don't understand Conner doesn't do it and he's one. Conner looked around the room taking in everything around him not really fazed by the change in location. I picked him up and I stood up too see what I'm here for. What I saw shocked me.
"Lena" I said putting Conner down and rushing to her side. She looked weak and probably twenty or so years older than when I last saw her that night I left the house. It's been twenty years? My kids are grown up and probably have kids of their own.
Lena opened her eyes and looked at me shocked.
"Stef?" she asked. What is wrong with her? She's too young too die, she's only like sixty.
"I'm here" I said taking her hand. Tears came to my eyes as I watched her close her eyes. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead as I felt her take her last breath. The beeping went to a steady line and I pulled back tears streaming down my face.
"Mommy?" Conner asked pulling on my leg. I leaned down and picked him up hugging him. I turned around and Lena looked confused.
"Do you know what just happened?" I asked tears in my eyes.
"Yeah, I wasn't suppose too make it much longer" she said sadly.
"I missed you" she said and I grabbed her hand.
"I missed you too" I said and Conner hid his face in my chest at the sight of the stranger.
"Connor honey it's ok" I said to him sweetly and Lena watched confused.
"This is mommy's wife" I said and she looked even more confused. He rubbed the tears from his eyes.
"Is she nice?" He asked in whisper and I laughed.
"Very nice. Can you say hi" I said and he whipped his tears off on my shirt.
"Hi" he said barely looking at her.
Still confused she smiled at the boy.
"Hey sweetie. What's you're name?" she asked in her baby voice.
"Conner" he said and she smiled.
"That's a very nice name for a really cute boy." Lena said and he smiled.
"Is she with us?" he asked and I nodded.
"Yeah baby she's with us" I told him and he nodded. I took Lenas hand and took us back too were the Shadow Walkers base is.
I put him down and let him play knowing me and Lena really need to talk.
"Ok what is going on?" she asked.
"Well it's kind of a long story. To sum it up these guys are Shadow Walkers as they like to call themselves. They don't have what we call a cycle which is a psychological heaven or hell for each individual ghost and since I can't find mine I'm stuck with these guys…" I said and Jacob yelled at me.
"Hey you should be lucky I brought you in kid" he said.
"That's Jacob he is the kind stranger who took me in, I'm not sure if he sees me as a kid or not. Over their is Eric he is a bit of a pervert but he stops after a while, his sister is Janice she's something else, and this is Ralph" I said and whistled for him and he ran to me his tail going a mile a minute.
"Ralph and Conner are my favorite. I took in Conner since none of these guys wanted the responsibility and have love him ever since. So yeah you're turn" I said and she gave me a weird look.
"Uh what?" she said still trying to grasp it all.
"Yeah you get used to it. It's really weird at first. Anyways how are the kids, I didn't know it's been twenty years." I said and she looked shocked.
"There's no sense of time once you die." I explained.
"Ok well the kids are fine. Brandon got back into music and is doing background music for TV shows, plays, and movies. He got married a year ago too a girl named Megan and they have a seven year old daughter named Sierra. She looks like you did as a kid, cutest thing." she said and I was so glad too hear that.
"Callie is a special occasion photographer and married too Wyatt and they have a four year old daughter named Lilliana and a two year old son named Chase. Mariana is a socially worker who works with foster children and recently married too a guy named Deryl and they are expecting a little boy in a month…" she said sadly at the idea that she didn't get too see him be born.
"Wow." was all I could say and she laughed.
"Yeah that's only half of them. Jesus who again didn't listen to us got a girl named Caitlyn pregnant in their sophomore year of college. He married her and managed fine until their son Trevor turned four when they got a divorce and he is now engaged to another girl named Rachel and Trevor goes back and forth between them and his mom. Jude who came out as being bi even though he pretty much just dates boys married a man named Nathan who was his high school sweetheart and they adopted two little girls Molly who is now five and Sara who is now three. You're pretty much caught up" she said. Yeah pretty much what expected it would be like once we grew old, you know minus the me and Lena being ghosts part.
"Wow ok what about you?" I asked not sure what to expect. She smiled awkwardly.
"It's ok I wanted you to move on" I said and she smiled at me.
"Uh well I got remarried to a girl named Diane ten years ago…" she said and I forced a smile. Yeah I knew she would move on eventually, which pretty much means she will fall out of love for me eventually.
Ok this chapter was generously longer than my chapters normally are. Hope you liked it and Please review. A few things don't get use too me writing this often their is a snow 'storm' where I live and the school thought it would be really bad so I have had a few snow days this week which is why I have written a lot. Also for the person asking me to continue Parallel Universe I'm having writers block with that story and have two stories going currently I will get to it when I can. Anyways hope you liked it.