Disclaimer: See prologue chapter

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Chapter 20

It begins

"Mitchie, wake up!" A curly haired figure shook the sleeping form buried beneath the covers. "Mitchie, I said wake up!"

"No!" Mitchie groaned turning away as she did so, "Sleeping, go way."

"Mitchie get up, we're going shopping!" Caitlyn shook her again.

"NO! SLEEPING!" Mitchie said even more insistently and this time buried her head underneath her pillows, leaving her voice muffled. "No shopping."

"Michelle Theresa Constance Elizabeth Richmond-Torres, get out of your bed now!" Caitlyn grabbed hold of the covers and indicated for Deanna (who was in the room with her) to take the pillow before pulling them off the curled up figure of the misfortunately long-named Mitchie.

"Caitlyn!" Mitchie sat up, glaring at her. "What is so important that I have to get up right now?"

"I'll tell you when you're dress and it's warm out, just so you know." Caitlyn threw back at her as she dragged a silently apologising Deanna out of the room with her.

"If this has anything to do with my and I emphasise that, MY wedding, I am going to be furious!" Mitchie growled under her breath as she rolled off her bed. "This is the sort of thing I was trying to avoid!!"

Fifteen minutes later, she sat in front of her mirror, running her brush through her hair as she dried it unaware that she was now being watched. Shane had just come to the door on Caitlyn's insistent orders to see what was keeping her and had arrived just in time to see her start.

There was something about her running her brush threw her air that always seemed to give Mitchie an aura of peace and he was quick to realise that she was most probably doing it deliberately this morning to drive Caitlyn crazy in retaliation for being woken up too early.

"Mitch." He spoke softly, not really wanting to break her quiet contemplative and most probably revengeful mood.

She swung round and seeing him, shot off her chair and into his waiting arms, her own around his neck as she buried her face against it. "She woke me up, Shane!" She complained in a muted voice.

Shane couldn't help himself but laugh slightly, "I know sweetheart." He responded as he pressed a kiss to her hair. "But I'm sure you're going to put her in the right about it, you always do."

Mitchie came out of hiding and looked up at him. "She's going to make me go wedding shopping, they all are, you know that Shane. With all our talk of a simple wedding, they are still going to make me go right now."

"Even a simple wedding requires work, Mitch." He replied but it was clear from the way that he said it, it was just a statement that he was repeating. Something he confirmed when he continued. "At least that's what I've been told at least ten times this morning alone."

Mitchie groaned as he tightened his hold around her waist. "Shane, let's run away to Las Vegas, and make it even simpler."

This time he really broke into laughter. "Mitchie, you don't want to do that as much as I don't."

"I know but..." She looked up at him, bringing her hand round to run her fingers over his cheek. "Can we keep it mind anyway?"

She looked up at him through her eyelashes so adorably he couldn't help but say yes but before either of them could say anything else, a familiar voice echoed through the house.

"SHANE, GET MITCHIE DOWN HERE NOW!"

"That girl is becoming a tyrant and is going to find herself with a pillow in the face if she DOESN'T CUT IT OUT!" Mitchie shot back, her voice growing louder so that Caitlyn could hear her.

Shane just shook his head, wisely deciding to stay out of this particular argument – well kind of because he couldn't help saying. "Come on baby, the sooner you get down there, the quicker you can shut her up."

"Oh I am so going to be doing that, be sure of it!" Mitchie growled as she released herself from his arms and reached down for her converses before catching his hand again. "Let's go, Shane."

RC-CS-EC

"Right, this is to do with wedding things but..." At this Caitlyn glared at Mitchie who stuck her tongue out at her in return. "Not to do with any details."

"So why was it so important to get me up so early?" Mitchie shot back as she laid her head on Shane's shoulder. They were all seated in the main living room, one of the few places the entire family could congregate together.

"Well for one, it was fun." That earned Caitlyn a thump in the arm from the unknowing accomplice in the shape of Deanna. "Sorry!"

Mitchie hid her giggle in Shane's side even as Connie added to Caitlyn's woes. "Caitlyn, there was no need to involve Deanna in your nefarious plans."

"I have said sorry!" Caitlyn whined slightly as she put her head in Connie's lap to look up at her plaintively, much to everyone's amusement.

"Yes mija I am sure you are." Connie stroked her hair and then pushed back into an upward position. "Get on with it, Caitlyn before you lose your audience. Your sister is already trying to go back to sleep even as we speak."

Mitchie indeed had snuggled into Shane's side, her eyes now closed. "I can still hear you."

"Nate brought up something while we were in Chicago." Caitlyn said abruptly, "And I really think we need to consider it."

At this, Mitchie opened her eyes and glared at her. "What has this to do with getting me up to go shopping?"

"Mitchie..." Instead of continuing, Caitlyn turned to her boyfriend and poked him in the back. "Nate, you tell them, you brought it up."

"Coward," Nate growled under his breath as he found himself the centre of every one's attention. "Yeah well, ah morning."

"Now there's a clear case of prevarication if ever I heard one." Jason leaned over to murmur in his wife's ear at which she rolled her eyes. "You and your girlfriend are as bad as each other, Nate, so just spit out whatever it is that is on your minds."

"Yes, because whatever it is must be important for you two to be behaving like this." Shane added as he entwined his fingers with Mitchie's where she had slipped her hand down to join his.

Nate and Caitlyn shared a speaking look then the former took a deep breath. "With Jase and Deanna's marriage and now yours in September, are we really all going to be still living here in the same house with Steve and Connie after that?"

A deep intake of breath seemed to roll around the room as everyone took in what had just been said.

"I... I hadn't even thought of that." Connie looked up at her husband, reaching out for his hand even as she noticed the look that Shane and Mitchie were now sharing. "I take it you two hadn't either."

"It's came up once." Shane said slowly as he released Mitchie's hand and put his arm around her. "We haven't really thought about it ever since."

Mitchie sank into him as much as she could without getting into his lap. "I haven't wanted to."

"You and Caitlyn really are sisters." Nate said with a laugh. "She admitted to playing ostrich in the sand as well."

"We can't say the same." Alexander sighed as he rested his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "It's been on our minds since Shane gave Mitchie her promise ring and we knew it would come to this."

"Pops?" Mitchie and Jason said at the same time.

"Steve, how many houses other than this one are there in this particular gated community?" Their grandfather chose to ignore them instead.

"Three, it's a pretty small one compared to some you get but it makes it easier for security reasons and all four have some pretty expansive grounds." Steve replied as he squeezed Connie's hand. "I'm the only one that owns my own home though, the rest are rented."

"And are going to be vacated at the end of July," Alexander's abrupt announcement shot around the room like wildfire.

"All three of them," Violet said in shock, her voice rising above the others, "At the same time!"

"We've had two years to persuade them, Violet dear." Elizabeth said calmly. "We've also bought the freeholds straight out as well, they're yours children, our gifts to you."

Before she even knew what was happening, Elizabeth suddenly found her arms of three sobbing young women even as Brown spoke over them.

"Well Mitchie will be even happier knowing she won't have to go shopping now!"

RC-CS-EC

So that's just one thing more crossed of the wedding list, homes.

As for the lack of drama, well I never planned for there to be any in this one, simple as that. Sorry!!

So Bank Holiday for me tomorrow, I'll have to see what I can think of for it.

As always looking forward to seeing what you have to say ;op