Well, I did it! I wrote 50 chapters by the start of the school year. Between this and my other stories (Heat, Fantasy Interrupted, Monroe and Rosalee Make a Porno, and Kidnapped), I have written almost 92,000 words this summer. All about Monroe and Rosalee. WOW. Obsessed much? I will continue to update M&RMaP and this as much as I can now that I'm getting back to work, and I will try to have Kidnapped finished by October. Thank all of my lovely, faithful readers for your encouragement and suggestions!
Speaking of which, if you ask, I will keep writing! Bug me, make me write more stuff! Remind me it's a stress-reliever! Let me fill the void in your lives until October 25th (in the US, anyway), the season 3 première! Suggestions, comments, stuff you want to see, songs you think I should write a story around...
I own nothing, as usual...
When your summer days come tumbling down
And you find yourself alone,
Then you can come back and be with me.
Just close your eyes, and I'll be there;
Listen to the sound of this old heart beating for you.
Yes, I'd miss you, but I never want to hold you down.
You might say I'm here for you.
Monroe pulled Rosalee's minivan behind Kelly's Prius and looked up at the back of the residence hall. His youngest daughter was moving in for her freshman year of college. He couldn't believe that, out of all the schools that had accepted her, she chose Virginia Tech. Granted, she loved the campus, the town of Blacksburg, and the prestige of going to such a well-known school on a partial scholarship... she wanted to be a history teacher, and had a particular fascination for the Civil War, so proximity to the battlefields may have also factored in… But it still seemed strange to Monroe. Keith decided not to go to college, instead going out to Montana with his horse Pepper to become a riding instructor. Sophia was entering her senior year at Portland State, pursuing a business degree with a minor in chemistry. Sophia made no secret of her desire to eventually take over the Spice Shop, and apprenticed herself to her mother.
Rosalee nudged Monroe, and his thoughts scattered. He opened the door and started unloading the van, finding Kelly had already unloaded her Prius and was pulling it into a parking spot. She was a precision packer, like her father, and there weren't many boxes, but they were all tightly packed, clearly labeled, and heavy. Kelly ran in to get her keys, leaving her parents to stand with her pile of boxes.
"And now our youngest is all grown up, too." Monroe observed. Rosalee rolled her eyes.
"She's only the youngest by 12 minutes. And don't forget, our oldest daughter is still living at home."
"I know, but it'll be strange not having either of the twins at home…" Monroe put his arm around his wife as Kelly came bounding out the door with a brand new lanyard swinging from her neck with her ID and room key hanging from it. She smiled brightly at her parents.
"Room 1206, first floor." She hoisted a box onto her shoulder and damn near skipped in the door. Rosalee laughed, reassuring her husband.
"I think she'll be okay."
When winter comes to your new home,
And the snowflakes are falling down,
Then you can come back and be with me.
Just close your eyes, and I'll be there;
Listen to the sound of this old heart beating for you.
Yes, I'd miss you, but I never want to hold you down.
You might say I'm here for you.
Kelly stared at the pregnancy test with tears in her eyes. Her parents warned her when she was 15. She knew about Entzünden… how could she have been so stupid as not protect herself?
Her phone rang. It was her mother. Kelly took a deep breath in and answered. The little video chat screen popped up.
"Hi, honey!" Rosalee began brightly. "Soph suggested I give you a call… Oh my god, are you okay?"
Damn her sister's weird abilities. But Kelly didn't have time to curse her sister too much, because she did want to talk to her mom. Unfortunately, the sobs beat the words out of her mouth.
"Mom, I think I'm pregnant…" she cried into the phone. There was quiet on the other end, as Rosalee's mouth straightened into a line. Rosalee looked disappointed, which made Kelly feel worse.
"So you had your first Entzünden? Are you at a clinic or doctor's office? Or did you get a stick test?"
"I got the sticks… Mom, it says I'm pregnant, what do I do?"
"Honey, just concentrate on the sound of my voice." This was a little trick both Monroe and Rosalee would use on their children to calm them down when they were scared or wound up to get them to breathe. "Just listen to my voice, honey, take a deep breath in… hold it… deep breath out…
"Feel better, honey?" Kelly nodded. "Did you treat the sticks or just use them straight out of the box?"
"Treat them?"
"The Kehrseite sticks don't take Wesen hormones into account, so unless you treat them, you're always going to get a false positive. You're going to have to find a Wesen-friendly clinic and get a test there, because I don't know if you'll have access to everything you need to treat the sticks… what makes you think you're pregnant?"
"I've been nauseous all week, and I just hurt all over…" Rosalee shook her head.
"I don't think you're pregnant, at least not with an Entzünden baby. I didn't even know I was pregnant with you and Keith until I went for my yearly exam…"
"But you had really bad sickness with Soph…"
"Because it was outside of Entzünden. Because of the mixing of blood, Fuchsbau, Blutbad, and Kehrseite, you can get pregnant outside of Entzünden. Go to a clinic, get confirmation, but I think you're coming down with a late-season flu. And please, please get yourself a prescription for a contraceptive. Your father and I are entirely too young to be grandparents just yet, okay?" Kelly sniffled, but nodded.
"Okay, Mom. I love you. And tell Soph I said hi."
In the spring, protective arms surrounding you;
In the fall, we let you go your way.
Happiness, I know, will always find you,
And when it does, I hope that it will stay.
Yes, I miss you, but I never want to hold you down.
You might say I'm here for you.
The summer was again over, and the Monroe and Rosalee were driving to Virginia to help Kelly move in again. Her pregnancy scare had been just that, a scare, and Rosalee and Sophia had shown her how to mix simple yet effective contraceptives from ingredients that would be readily available.
Kelly's tightly packed Prius and Rosalee's minivan pulled up to a small house off the main street. Kelly and her parents decided that it would be a good idea to live in Virginia year-round now that she had the option of living off campus to start her sophomore year; it would allow her to pay in-state tuition to cover what her scholarship didn't. While Kelly felt a little strange leaving her parents and siblings, she loved Virginia and wanted to start a life here.
"So you're gonna be okay, kiddo?" Monroe asked his youngest child after they had loaded her boxes onto the porch. "When are your friends moving in?"
"I think Lydia is coming later tonight, and then Izzy and Taylor are coming tomorrow…" Monroe nodded, and gave her a big hug, looking his girl over. Her blonde pixie cut was matted with sweat, and she was wearing those awful brown contacts to cover up the fact that one of her eyes was green and the other was brown. He silently hoped that one day she would embrace her unique eyes; how could she not see the beauty in her being different?
Kelly likewise looked at her father. His dark hair was starting to streak gray, and his maroon and orange Virginia Tech Dad tee shirt was soaked with sweat. She always felt like the odd kid out, as Sophia looked just like their mother and Keith greatly resembled their father; meanwhile she was the random milkman's kid with blonde hair and mismatched eyes. If she didn't have a twin (and didn't know her mother at all) she would suspect she had a different father all together.
"So we'll see you at Christmas, then?" Monroe asked, and Kelly nodded.
"Yeah. Where are you stopping tonight?"
"Your mother wants to see Louisville, Kentucky. It's about a six hour drive, so we should get going…"
Kelly hugged her father once more with all her strength. She was going to miss him so much…
"Hey, this may be your home now, but you'll always have a place back in Portland. And you know how to get ahold of us or Soph if anything happens." Kelly nodded, burrowing further into her father's shoulder.
Rosalee stepped out of the door, and watched her youngest child hugging her husband as he patted her back. Kelly released her father and turned to her mother. Rosalee kissed her cheek.
"Be safe, do well, and we'll see you at Christmas, okay?" Kelly nodded. "You'll be fine, honey."
Kelly stood on the porch and waved her parents goodbye. When they were out of sight, she walked into her new home. It was good to be back in Virginia, but first, she needed a shower.
Yes, I miss you, but I never want to hold you down.
You might say I'm here for you.
I'll always be here for you.
Song: Here for You by Neil Young. From the album Prairie Wind, copyright 2005, Reprise Records.
