Disclaimers: see part 1
Rating: PG
A/N: I'm going to try and get to the honeymoon chapter tonight. Look for more tomorrow!
After the wedding reception, Charles and Margaret left for their honeymoon weekend. With two kids in school and hectic schedules, it was all the time they could find. The newlyweds had arranged for Ben and Honoria to care for the children. The girls had swim team and they could walk to the pool from home instead of having someone drive them from Beacon Hill at 4.30 in the morning since practice began at 5 am.
The reception had finished around 7 so they were home by 7:30. The children were still wide awake so they dug out some favourite books and cuddled in on the couch to read together. They invited the aunt and honorary uncle to join them.
By 8:30 everyone was tired and by 9:00, all three children were sound asleep. Ben made Honoria some hot chocolate and the pair sat down in the kitchen to talk.
"I told Charles about our predicament."
"W-what did he say?" she asked.
"That he expected us to marry; that your parents would force the issue. I love you Honoria; I don't want you to be hurt. Are you sure this is how you want to do things?"
"Y-yes, I am," she said confidently. She leaned over and kissed Ben soundly. "I'm t-tired. It's b-bee a long day. Let's g-go to bed," she said as she squeezed his hand.
Ben followed her upstairs to the guest room. He was supposed to bunk in with Charlie but this new development was a much better offer.
"Is it a-alright if we d-don't…you know?" she asked, not quite understanding the social etiquette involved.
"I just want to hold you," was Ben's reply.
That night, for the first time, Ben and Honoria shared a bed. He spooned in behind her and held her in his arms. Both were asleep within minutes and for the first time in a while, neither one had a nightmare.
Ben was woken the next morning by a small solid weight crawling on him. He opened one eye and smiled,
"Hey Charlie."
"Morning Uncle Hawkeye. Why are you in bed with Auntie Ria?" he asked.
"She had a nightmare and wanted me to sleep with her," he lied having no idea what to say to the little boy.
"Ok," he said in a whisper. Charlie often had bad dreams and when they happened, he always ended up in between his father and Margaret. "Will you make me breakfast?" he asked.
Ben decided to let Honoria sleep a bit more and picked up Charlie and went down to the kitchen. It was 6:45 and the girls were due home by 7 am.
"Do you guys like French toast?" he asked. Charlie was by far the fussiest eater of the three children.
"I dunno," he said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Will you try it?" Ben asked.
"Ok!" he smiled.
By the time the girls got home, the batter was mixed. He told them they had about 15 minutes before breakfast was ready and they disappeared to shower. Ben sent Charlie to go wake his aunt and she came downstairs just as he was putting the bread into the batter. Ben immediately noticed that she looked pale and tired.
"Not feeling to well this morning?" he asked as he took in her appearance.
"T-tired and queasy" she said as she sat down.
"Would you like some tea and toast?" he asked trying to think of what he might be able to do to help.
"That w-would be l-lovely," she smiled.
Everyone liked the French toast. After breakfast, the girls offered to do the dishes and Honoria went back to bed for a while. Ben and the children spent the rest of the morning playing with Charlie who loved being the center of attention. Honoria came back down, dressed for the day around 10 am.
"S-so what are we d-doing today?" she asked, looking and feeling much better.
"Uncle Hawk said we could go to the movies!" Charlie exclaimed. Ben loved to spoil the children and took every opportunity to do so. Part of her wished she was pregnant; Ben would make a wonderful father.
After the movie, the makeshift family came home and took advantage of a mild afternoon and played with the new basketball hoop. They played girls against boys and Honoria watched and laughed at them as they played. Charlie got particularly dirty when he ran for the ball and tripped in the mud.
That night, Ben and the girls made dinner; Honoria was out in charge of getting Charlie bathed and into his favourite cowboy pyjamas. He was restless during dinner and continued to be well passed his be time. Honoria made sure both girls were both situated in bed and reading before she went back downstairs to check on Ben. The sight in the living room melted her heart. She sat on the stairs to watch the scene in front of her.
Ben's tall frame was stretched out on the couch, his feet sticking up in the air. Charlie was curled up on his chest, nearly asleep as Ben finished "Good Night Moon". He finished the book and gently set it on the floor next to the couch. He gently rubbed Charlie's back and he started to sing a lullaby in Italian. His own mother had been born in Naples and moved to the United States as a young girl. She had sung the same lullaby to Ben when he was small.
After a few minutes, the little boy's eyes closed and not long after, Ben joined him in dream land. Honoria crept down the stairs and covered the pair with a blanket. She gently kissed Charlie's head and turned out the lights. Before she went upstairs, she bent down and kissed Ben gently on the lips.
She crawled into her own bed and closed her eyes. After the day she had, she came to a realization; she desperately wanted a family and she wanted it with Ben. She never wanted to spend another day without him. Her last thought before falling asleep was that she had to remember to tell him that she changed her mind.