Chapter 29

"At this rate, sweetpea, you're not going to be hungry with all the dirt you're eating," Griselda chuckles out from the porch.

"These are some stubborn weeds," Marianne mutters, throwing another batch out of the flowerbed. "I forgot how dirty gardening is. I thought it was just my delight in getting filthy when I was younger."

"You can always expect some dirt but I think the rain is causing this mess. Good thing BB is too young yet to get into it or we would have two muddy children to clean up," Griselda laughs at the stuck-out tongue from the muddy woman. "We could plant a flowerbed for you, sweetpea, but we don't really have the room for another one without crowding the yard space."

"We could always start a whole new garden space when Mr Demetri signs over that house. It will sort of be a belated wedding present for me and Bog," Marianne mentions, not noticing the look of uncertainty pass the older woman's face.

"Have you and Bog decided to move in there once the house is signed over," Griselda asks slowly, turning her attention to the playpen next to her?

Marianne stops her work and looks up at Griselda's hesitant tone. The usually bold woman's uncertain demeanor reminds Marianne of her old age and her heart softens as understanding fills her.

"Now, Griselda," Marianne scolds playfully. "I already yelled at your son for thinking that I would leave you. Of course, we aren't moving in there. We already live here with you, so why would we leave? Unless you want to get rid of us?"

"Oh no, sweetpea! I just didn't know if you wanted me around as you started your new life together. Bog doesn't like talking about it but I am old and you will be the new mistress of the house," Griselda murmurs, keeping her eyes on the happy infant. "Do you really want an old meddler around?"

"Meddler you may be and age you may have but that doesn't mean we don't love you or want you," Marianne responds, abandoning her work to sit beside her distraught elder. "What brought this on anyway?"

"Making phone calls to everyone about the wedding preparations," Griselda starts, not noticing Thomas' jeep pull to the curb and Marianne's hushing motions. "I went to go upstairs to fetch BB from his nap and I had a bit of old age pain brought on by the rain. I had the thought of talking to Bog about moving my room downstairs to the den to make it easier for me and I realized that this wasn't my house anymore. Sure, I did everything now that I did before but when you two marry, I won't be needed. Then I thought that maybe I pushed you two too far. I know that I see it, so does a lot of other people, but I pressed on the two of you about a relationship, then marriage, and all the wedding preparations. You two don't have to do all this because of me, you know?"

"We aren't, Mam," Bog frowns, looking down at his startled mother. "We are getting married because we want to, at the date we want to, and we chose the preparations that we like. We wanted yer help and yer opinions or we wouldn't have accepted it or even asked for it. Do ye really think we would have humored ye if we didn't see it ourselves?"

"Bog's right, Griselda," Marianne adds as Bog kneels in front of the other woman. "We both knew there was something special between us before you even knew about me on Saturday morning. You just helped us to trust our hearts and get rid of the shadows that haunted us."

"In yer own pushy way," Bog quips cheekily, getting the desired laughter. "But in all seriousness, Mam, ye haven't done anything wrong or we would tell ye. You know I would. How many times have I expressed my opinion over yer meddling with those blind dates? You really think I would keep quiet now? Though I still can't believe ye set me up with an eighteen-year-old."

"That was an accident," Griselda pipes up, getting her spirit back to defend herself! "I never thought to ask her how old she was since the dating articles forbid minors from signing up and they don't say how old a person is on their information."

"At least tell me that ye took my information off," Bog prods. "I am getting married after all and I have no desire in polygamy."

"Of course I did and I canceled my subscription...last Saturday morning," Griselda smirks at the resulting laughter. "I guess I just got hit by melancholy for a moment and was worried you two feel burdened by me. In all the excitement I forgot about Sergei giving that house to Marianne and got worried about what you are planning to do with it. It is a nice house, if not a little small."

"I actually have an idea about that and I was going to discuss it with you, Bog," Marianne states, going back to pull the last weeds.

"It is yer compensation for Demetri's unfair treatment," Bog points out, sitting beside his mother. "Ye don't have to get my approval for what ye think is best for it."

"But I would like your thoughts about it," Marianne grunts back, pulling the last weed and falling onto her back. "Ah-ha, I win! Anyway, I talked to Dad when I returned to work, which caused the entire company to find out about our engagement when he got too excited, and he had made a passing comment about the house is going to be too big for just him with Dawn planning on heading to college. He has been talking for a while about selling the townhouse because even though he grew up in that house, he always felt it was too restricting but Granddad preferred the easy commute to the business."

"So ye're thinking of letting yer da stay in the house," Bog concludes, getting a nod. "That would be a good idea and ye would be able to keep an eye out for him."

"It would also give him more time to spend with you and BB. Which is something he mentioned on Saturday about not spending as much time as he would like," Griselda mentions. "But isn't Dawn going to go to the community college?"

"She is but our old home, which is the Darkwood's home now, is closer to the college than the townhouse. Sunny converted the basement into a separate apartment and offered Dawn a place to make the commute easier since they're both going this fall," Marianne explains, trying to wipe off the dirt. "Which will leave Dad all alone."

"Let me get some water, sweetpea," Griselda chuckles, moving to get up.

"I'll get it, Mam," Bog interjects, heading inside.

"Oh, fussbuckets! He is going to be hovering for the next few days because I mentioned about hurting," Griselda grouses, a fond smile softening the tone. "It is just a few inconvenient aches and pains, nothing too serious."

"But it could be if you don't take it easy when you're hurting," Marianne comments. "You have been doing a lot of extra work than you're used to, caring for BB and all, plus all of the excitement for the past week. It's no wonder you got down for a while."

"Now don't you start fussing, sweetpea," Griselda warns, shaking her finger playfully. "I'm old but I'm as fit as a fiddle. I've been making sure I don't overdo it, so don't worry. I just had a bit of melancholy for some reason but it doesn't have anything to do with doing too much."

"It's because of the day," Bog remarks, bringing out a bucket of soapy water and a towel. "We've been so caught up with the recent events that we all forgot. I remembered what day it is after lunch but I didn't want to say anything."

"What is so special about today, dear," Griselda questions, looking up at him puzzled?

"Da," Bog answers solemnly. "It's a year ago tonight."

Marianne pauses in her reach for the bucket as she catches his meaning. Turning her attention to Griselda, she watches as the older woman understands as well and her expression turns somber.

"I was thinking while I was listening to all the excitement after lunch about that this had to be why Da passed on happy, that he somehow knew what was going to happen," Bog continues, watching as a sad but fond smile crosses his mother's face. "Then I realized what today was."

"Knowing Bron, he was probably worried about leaving us behind, so it does make sense that God would ease his fears first. But if that is the case, I'm going to give your grandfather such a lecture for not telling me about you first before he left," Griselda coos to BB, picking him up. "Today may mark a sad occasion but we got some great happiness to chase the sorrows away. This isn't a day for sadness and Bron would be so mad if we make it such. I guess we'll have to wait to visit his resting place until those hooligans are caught."

"Everyone in the precinct had forgotten about the day as well and I wasn't about to remind anyone but Chief Jack remembered during a passing comment," Bog mentions. "This day also marks a good day because we finally solved the case that bothered Da."

"The Love Potion theft," Griselda asks excitedly?

"Aye," Bog grins. "With Chipperton's arrest, the information Donald sent to the station a few days ago, and a key witness, we got the evidence needed to prove that Chipperton was involved in the theft. Roland Grange and Zachery Warren were the ones who committed the crime but Chipperton was the one who made it possible. Believe it or not, the whole crime was just to get rid of Aunt Plum but it backfired when instead of supporting her without evidence, Da actually investigated her as any other case."

"This whole mess started because Chipperton didn't like your Aunt," Marianne states incredulously, washing the dirt off her arms and legs. "What is he, in high school? BB, if you ever act like that you are in so much trouble. How did you find all this out anyway?"

"What I can tell you is that Alex Warren paid a visit to his ex-wife this afternoon in the jail and they had a long talk, which was recorded to both of their knowledge," Bog explains. "Rodela was able to take her confession of what she knew to Chipperton, who decided he preferred to take a lesser charge on the exchange of everything he knew while under a polygraph test. Mr Sorrel was a little harder to convince for a confession but the bank files that we retrieved yesterday had him singing like a bird. Too bad it won't save him from the IRS or the FBI but it will clear him from the aiding and abetting charges of Dawn's kidnapping and subsequent drugging. Both Chipperton and Sorrel had nothing to do with the most recent crimes other than helping the boys without knowing why they were in trouble."

"So they didn't know what the boys did," Griselda asks, heading inside with BB?

"Nope but they helped because Grange threatened that if they were caught, they wouldn't go alone," Bog replies, grabbing the playpen.

"The blackmailers became blackmailed, that's ironic," Marianne chuckles, patting herself dry before following.

"There is no honor among thieves and once we told them that we had the rest of Love Potion, they gave us the exact address to our suspect's hideaway," Bog cringes at the hopeful looks. "Unfortunately, they must have cleared out sometime last night or early this morning but we do have the location under surveillance."

"Was Tabitha willing to give any information," Marianne questions?

"Not likely and what we did get was not helpful," Bog comments before shaking his head. "All we're getting from her is a lifetime of bitterness and hate which resulted in every action she took, including her ongoing affair with Chipperton. At the moment, the aiding and abetting charge is the only thing against her. Rodela is going to try to pull a theft charge since the account she wrote that check for did not have her name on it and she didn't have her husband's consent for it to be made. There is also the possible charges of coercion and a rather lengthy one if they can make it stick."

"Always a sad thing to see people who hold onto things that are better left in the past," Griselda murmurs. "They seem to cause the most damage to themselves and everyone around them."

"Chief Jack got so fed-up with her haughty attitude that he handed her a copy of Mr Grange's special edition and regretted it quickly with all her screeching, especially when she got to the part where he announced he was filing for divorce," Bog winces at the remembrance. "She honestly thought her husband was going to get her out of this mess even after admitting she's been cheating on him. Chief Jack had to threaten to put her in solitary to get her to stop causing such a ruckus and the other prisoners were rooting for him to do it too."

"Tabitha is known for her dramatics," Marianne sighs out before holding her hand up at the approaching Bog. "Hold it, I'm still filthy and you're still in your uniform. You can kiss me after I take a shower."

"Eh, a little dirt never hurt anybody," Bog chuckles before hugging her to him and kissing her.

Bog growls at the interruption as Marianne breaks the kiss to head to her ringing cell phone on the coffee table. Griselda chuckles at her son's unhappy demeanor as he crosses his arms and leans against the wall.

"Hello," Marianne answers, not recognizing the number. "Ah yes, this is her. You did? That's wonderful! And? Oh wow! Thank you so much! Yes, it's very good news indeed! Thank You! Bye."

"I take it that was good news," Bog chuckles out as Marianne happy dances after hanging up.

"Of course it is good news, Daddy," Marianne purrs, looking up to him as she wraps her arms around him.

"Daddy? Why would ye...Was that Mrs Hewit? Am I BB's da," Bog asks rapidly?

Bog whoops loudly as Marianne nods to both questions before he picks her up and twirls around. Their joyful laughter mixes with Griselda's joyful cries as she hugs the giggling BB to her.