House Of Love. (Don't own anything other than OCs and plot.)

It had been a week with Piper, Eddie, Patricia, Devin and Xavier. Ben visited, trying to call truce with Eddie.

When he found Piper on the sofa, singing the two little boys to sleep, he forgot everything else. He saw himself, Xavier and Piper together.

"Hey." Piper looked up and whispered to Ben, her eyes shining in adoration.

"Hi." They shared a smile. Patricia just picked up Devin and went to her room with him.

"I'm Ben Reed." He said, offering his hand to Piper.

"I'm Piper Williamson, Patricia's twin." She said, shaking his hand.

"Are you still single?" He asked, looking at the baby boy sleeping in her arms.

"Yes, I was left when Xavier's dad found out I was pregnant." She told him. "Little Xavier doesn't know much more than that."

Ben said "Well, if you're looking for someone, I'm still free." He offered.

That wasn't an offer she was refusing.

"You know, I'm not like my twin in that sense. We have opposite personalities." She said.

"That's a good thing. So would you care to consider it?" He asked her.

"Consider? I'm going to accept." She told him, delighted. They snuggled, there on the sofa, little Xavier cuddling into his mum.


Vera looked at the family, in the close decision as to whether or not Trudy would go with Jasper.

Nina personally hoped that she'd stay with them, she didn't want her hurt again.

Fabian trusted Jasper enough to hope that she went back and would never be hurt. She'd just be treated sweetly every day.

Just as Trudy looked at her children, clinging to their father, pleading with massive eyes, Vera held up a gun. She aimed it at Trudy, who instantly screamed and pushed her family out of the house.

"Go, all of you!" She screamed, shoving Jasper, Amada, Tyler, Nina, Fabian and Bliss out, preventing Vera getting them.

Jasper said "Nina, Fabian, take Amada and Tyler, get back to our home. I've got to help Trudy!" He said, going back for her.

Trudy saw him and flipped out.

"Jazz! Get out of here, she's on a murder rampage!" The woman screamed. Vera came at them and pointed the gun at Jasper. Trudy flicked her heel up and made him double up in pain just as Vera fired the gun. It hit Trudy in the shoulder. She gasped in pain, but managed to get it out, blood streaking her shirt. She flew at Vera.

"NOBODY AIMS AT HIM, UNDERSTAND?!" Trudy screeched, kicking the gun out of Vera's reach, then knocking the blonde woman down.

"Jazz, call the police!" Trudy yelled. She had Vera down. Vera tried to kick Trudy, who had sat on her. Trudy's warm hands held Vera's arms where they were.

"Get your fat bum off me!" Vera growled angrily. Trudy looked into Vera's eyes, stone cold brown on icy ocean blue.

"I won't. Not while you have the potential of hurting any of my loved ones. I can't do that to them." Trudy told her, her tone gentle.

Vera didn't understand. How was Trudy explaining that so gently, her tone regretful?

"How are you doing this? You never fought me before." Vera said, keeping Trudy's eyes in her lock.

"If you're referring to when you panicked and kidnapped me, then I had good reason. Again, to protect the ones I love. But this time, you posed an immediate threat. I did the necessary thing again to protect them. I love Jasper, more than I'm worth. I adore my children as much as I do Jasper. Fabian, Nina and Bliss mean the world to me. I could never risk them for anything."

Vera heard the passion and love in the other woman's voice as she stopped talking to her and musing aloud. That passion touched Vera like it had never touched her before.

"You truly can't let them be hurt, can you? They're all worth more to you than your own life." Vera said, stunned that one woman could hold so much compassion for everyone.

"Yes, they are. I would never have hurt you either, if this hadn't become necessary. If I'd been less cold to you, less jealous. You always were better than I was." Trudy breathed, sadly. "If Jasper had chosen you, I'm sure life would have been different. You would have been his wife, had his children. It would be a better life for us all."

Vera heard a note of pain enter Trudy's voice.

"No. He chose you because you're the right one for him. He loves you, Trudy. I'd never live up to what he deserves. You've exceeded that. You did that when you looked at him. I see how he looks at you."

Jasper smiled, thinking of the way his wife really had done all what Vera said she'd done.

"I was never good enough. You proved that yourself, Vera. You always managed to outshine me in everything. You made Victor happy when I never could. You pleased the unpleaseable. You made Jasper laugh and smile more than I'd ever seen in all the time I'd known him. You made everyone in the school faculty the happiest I'd ever seen them."

"Trudy, they may not have shown it to you, but they simply couldn't praise you highly enough." Vera said, desperate for Trudy to see the reality.

Jasper said "I've tried that. She just doesn't like to hear it, so she doesn't listen." He told her.

Trudy said "My point being, you made everything better. And let's face fact, this is a ridiculously awkward position for two women, so can we just get up?"

Vera said "Good plan." They got up. "Trudy, I'm sorry that I was so awful to you. You're a good woman, pure and gentle. I should have gotten to know you before judging you."

"I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. I made a big mistake of getting jealous and hurting you. You're warmhearted, kind, sweet and talented. I judged you with blind eyes. We should have got to know each other better first." Trudy said, truly guilty.

Vera felt awful for her. The two shared a hug, much to Jasper's delight. He'd been friends with Vera for quite a while, and his wife had never got on with Vera. So he was happy that they'd made friends.


That night, while Vera slept, Jasper tiptoed to Trudy.

She was looking out of the window, up at the stars.

"Hey, Trudy." He said, nervously.

"Hey, lovely." She said, sweetly and guiltily.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, sitting next to her.

"Thinking. Jazz, I'm sorry for being such a whiny brat. I only wanted to help." She said, referring to the old man she'd known as a child.

"I know." Jasper said, holding Trudy's hand.

"He died, you know. Two days ago. He had a heart attack. It was in the news." She said, getting a clipping from a newspaper.

Jasper read it with difficulty. It was smudged by what looked to be tears.

"Gary Whitman, 87, of 62 Oak Lane in Liverpool, was found dead in his home by neighbour Lisa Woodrow, age 56. Woodrow says he had an unfinished note in his hand-" tear blots "-39. Until recently, she had been living in the house opposite him with husband and two children."

He stopped reading. "That letter was for you, Trudy, wasn't it?" He asked his wife, who had tears in her eyes, remembering the letter.

Her barely audible whisper choked her a little "Yes." She whispered, gulping air down.

"You really weren't lying. He was your babysitter." He said sadly.

"He was also like my mother's father. When he heard about her death, he came and found me. He wanted to see if he still had one member of the family he'd loved so much. I once took Maddie and Ty to see him. I showed him your photo as well, Jazzy. He said that you were a nice-looking man and that I'd done well for myself, with two gorgeous children as well." She sobbed.

Jasper hated seeing her hurting like that.

"Trudes, come here, my beautiful wife." He said, pulling her to him.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing, Jazzy." She sobbed. "I hoped he'd be able to know my babies better, like he knew me. I hoped he'd be able to meet you as well."

Jasper felt guiltier than ever now, his wife hurting. He wished he'd been nicer to her about it, met this old man who had made sure Trudy was healthy and safe when her parents weren't around and thanked him for taking care of her. She'd clearly meant as much to him as he had to her.

"There now, my beautiful Trudy. When's the funeral?" He asked.

"In four days." She said.

"Well, we'll go there. We'll pay our respects, of course. I'll do everything possible for you, you are my life." Jasper told her, still hoping she'd come back to him.


Piper and Ben had really hit it off. Patricia could hear their laughter down in her living room as she fed Devin.

"You don't ever grow up, Devin, understand?" She said to her baby boy.

He looked up into his mother's blue-green eyes and blinked twice. She smiled.

"Good." She said, happily.

Then Patricia heard shouting...

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OK, and hello to you all! I am so incredibly happy right now. To my reviewers, you are wonderful people. That is the truth. You are wonderful. Thank you all for making me smile. bs13, you've definitely made me smile today. You're all fantastic inspirations for me. :).

Well, here is another chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have requests, just tell me and I'll try to do as many as I can. Until next update, Random Dizzy. :)