I wrote this piece a MILLION years ago, but never got around to ending it. I've thought about it a lot and had a pretty clear picture of how I wanted to end it,in my brain. It seemed like maybe I ought to share it with you. Hope you appreciate it, and enjoy.
Seven year old, Deanna Hunter laughed as her best friend, Elizabeth finished her story.
"You didn't?" She said still laughing. "Liz! What did you say?"
"No one noticed." Liz shrugged. "Thankfully." She sighed. "It's getting late, I better crack on. I've got field hockey, and Mum gets angry if I don't stop in first."
"Oh, no! I'm late!" Deanna said, glancing at her watch. "Hunter will be throwing a wobbly for sure!"
Liz shook her head. "I've never seen Hunter mad a day."
"That's because you've always been a guest. Trust me. I'm doomed."
"I'd pay to see that. See you tomorrow - if you are still living!"
"Don't joke!" Deanna grabbed her bookbag, and school jacket, and ran to the front of the school where the younger students were being let out.
Hunter was sitting alone on the front steps.
"You are late!"
"I'm sorry! I was talking with Liz and . . ."
"Everyone already got picked up!" Hunter tipped her small chin, and studied Deanna. "Dee, I was worried."
Deanna held out her hand, and the five year old reached out to cling tightly to it. "I wouldn't leave you, Hunty. You know that. Don't be mad. Let's go meet AJ, okay?"
Hunter sighed and said, "Lilly said we aren't really sisters."
Deanna glanced down as they made their way to the sports courts where AJ was playing basketball with his friends. "She doesn't know everything. We are different kind of sisters than most people."
"But you are still moving away, and maybe we won't be anymore."
"I'm not going far and you know that isn't true. I've known your whole entire life! Don't be fussy. Lilly doesn't understand. And you heard what your Mom said, I will still walk home with you every, single day. Nothing is going to change except where I sleep."
They sat together on the lawn near the sports court watching AJ play. Although he wasn't the tallest boy playing, he had a stubborn determination and kept driving to the hoop. After the game ended he came to them, his face smudged, drinking from his water bottle.
"You'd get more points if you passed the ball," Deanna pointed out.
"Maybe." He shrugged. "Hunter, are you going to eat all of those crisps?"
Hunter, who had been working her way through a small bag of crisps, hugged the half-empty bag to her body protectively. "I saved them!" She protested.
"I thought I was your favorite brother." He teased her.
"I don't have any other brothers." She said blinking up at him.
"Not yet, anyway." Deanna said with a wink at AJ. "Come on, we better go. Your Mom hates it when we are late."
"I need to run to the market," Deanna glanced up from her homework to find her Aunt DeeDee standing in the doorway. "You want to come?"
"Sure." She responded, surprised that her Aunt would want to head to the market this late in the afternoon. She usually just called her Uncle Alex to pick something up.
Riding in the car through the familiar neighborhood as her Aunt zipped along, Deanna fiddled with the radio.
"So, how are you feeling about Saturday?" Her Aunt asked her.
Deanna shrugged. "I dunno. Okay, I guess. I'm nervous about having so many people watching me. What if I trip while I'm walking?"
"I'll be there." Her Aunt reassured her. "At least you won't be waddling along." DeeDee rubbed her swollen belly absently. "A lot of changes coming your way."
Deanna nodded.
"I know that you really care for Sophie, and she loves you." Deanna glanced at her, "But sometimes changes can be a little complicated."
"I like Sophie, and I like how much Daddy smiles when she's around."
"It's okay for you to like her, Dee. Your Mama wouldn't mind at all."
Deanna nodded. "I know. That's what Daddy said, too." She sighed.
"And you will still be with Hunter, and AJ every single day. That won't change."
"I wish the garden house were bigger." Deanna said, "Then we could just stay there."
"The new house is just a mile away, and your room is so pretty, and so much bigger than your little room."
"I know," She hesitated. "And I am happy for Daddy, and . . ." She glanced nervously at her aunt who kept her eyes on the road ahead. "Is it really okay if I like Sophie?" Her voice sounded small even to herself.
DeeDee turned to smile at her, "Sweetheart, your Mama only ever wanted you and your Daddy happy. I promise you. I knew her. She wouldn't mind it."
"No," Deanna hesitated, "I know that, but . . ." She tried to think about how to explain it. They'd reached the market by then and her Aunt zipped into a parking space. Her Uncle Alex said that Aunt DeeDee drove like a police officer chasing down a bad guy every time she drove. It always made Hunter squeal with delight when they would whip fast around a curve.
"What is it?" Dee Dee turned to face her. "You can tell me."
"I mean," She glanced down at her shoes, and drawing in a deep breath said softly, "I mean, it doesn't bother you if I like Sophie?"
Here her Aunt's eyes grew bright, and a soft "oh" escaped her lips. "Little Dee, you don't need to worry about us. We almost have the same name! I will always be here for you. I love you very much! Why, I missed you so much I flew to America to bring you home to me!"
"Okay." Deanna exhaled slowly.
"You can love us both, alright?" Aunt Dee Dee leaned across the seat and kissed her forehead, and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Deanna threw her arms around her Aunt's neck and snuggled in as tight as she could. "I love you, Auntie Dee." She whispered softly.
"It's not much of a bachelor party," Dee Dee said glancing around the living room where her husband and Rick sat drinking beer.
"You are just mad that you can't drink," Rick pointed out.
"Sure." She shook her head at him, and settled into the couch.
"You want anything?" Alex asked her.
"Nope. I'm good." And then she said suddenly, "Oh wait! I brought home chocolate ice cream the other day!"
"I'll get it." Alex said, pausing to kiss her cheek before disappearing into the kitchen.
Hunter moved and settled onto the couch beside her. "Where did all the kids go?" He glanced around.
Winifried has them out back. She's helping AJ figure out how to put up a tent. He wants to sleep out back.
"He'll freeze." Hunter said.
"He won't follow through. Alex says it is all part of being ten - trying to prove that you aren't a baby anymore."
"He still sleeps with that stuffed puppy." Hunter pointed out.
"It's not a complete transformation." She laughed.
"Oh, Sophie said that she will be ready at 7, but that if it is too much for you, she understands."
"Are you crazy? When was the last time I got to go out with a bunch of women and no kids to look after? I can't wait."
"So, you got your best man's speech all prepared?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, you better believe it." She grinned at him. "I've known you for a thousand years, and you just better be ready."
"Be nice." He pleaded.
"I'll consider it." She smiled at him, and reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm happy for you, Rick. You deserve to be happy. Corrie would be so pleased."
"She would." He sighed. "And I know you are going to miss me hanging around your house every day, but you need to face it - sooner or later your kids grow up and leave you." He winked at her.
"Don't get her started." Alex said returning with a bowl of chocolate ice cream which he handed to Dee Dee. "She got teary-eyed yesterday because Hunter's little yellow sweater doesn't fit her anymore."
"She's turning six!" Dee Dee said mournfully. "It's too fast!"
"Well, don't worry you will be back folding nappies soon." Alex said.
"Are you going to tell me the name for this one?" Hunter asked her.
"It is a family secret." She said taking a big bite of ice cream.
"I'm family." He said wounded.
"Don't be baby, Hunter." She said dismissively. "He's so dramatic." She said meeting Alex's eyes.
"You are being mean, Deirdre," He scolded.
"Oh, you promised NEVER to call me that!" Dee Dee said, pointing a finger at him.
"You two make me long for married bliss." Hunter said, taking a sip of his beer.
"You know I hate that name!" Dee Dee continued.
"Oh, quit fussing." Hunter told her, patting her hand. "Come on, tell me what you are naming this one."
"Hope." Alex said. "We also wanted to ask you something." He glanced at Dee Dee.
"We want to name her Hope Coraline, if that's alright with you." Dee Dee glanced up at him.
"That would be perfect," He said with a laugh. "How did you know that her name was Coraline? Most people guess Corrine."
"Hunter, we talked all the time." Dee Dee told him. "All the time! I know more than you can imagine! Besides, I was at your first wedding, remember?"
"I remember." He paused thoughtfully, and then kissed her cheek. "Well, congratulations on Hope Coraline." He tipped his beer first at her, and then at Alex.
"And here's to the family getting a little bit bigger this weekend." Alex responded.
Rick Hunter stood alone in the moonlight of the garden beside the small cottage where he'd spent the last five years. Mostly everything had been packed up and moved to the new house, but he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for the small house. He and Little Dee had managed to build a new life for themselves and he'd miss sitting by the fireplace reading with her. He glanced up and could see the lights of the bigger house, from where he stood; it glowed comfortingly in the dark night. He turned his head at the sound of shoes on gravel.
"Don't shoot, Big Guy!" Dee Dee threw her hands up.
"What are you doing out here?" He glanced at his watch. "It's late."
"What are you, my Dad?" She shook her head at him. "What are you doing up? You've got a big day tomorrow."
"Oh, living with you has ruined me completely, McCall, I'm out here thinking about how I feel."
"How horrible for you." She laughed.
"I know. It's terribly uncomfortable." He wrapped an arm around her.
"You sound like a Brit." She said leaning in toward him. "And how are you feeling?"
He considered thoughtfully for a long minute, his mind drifting over the last five years. He had surprised everyone, including himself, when he decided to stay in England - first working as the head of security for the firm that Alex had told him about, but later, in a move that shocked everyone, he'd gone to school to become a secondary teacher. He was stunned to discover that he actually loved teaching. He blamed this on Corrie, and hoped that she was laughing at the sight of him standing at the front of the room of the boys academy where he taught history. He'd met Sophie while going to school to earn his teaching credential. She was a professor in his program and he had to wait until the end of the semester to ask her out on a date. She was headstrong, confident, and had a deep, rich laugh.
After they had been dating for nearly a month, he'd brought her home to meet Dee Dee who had grinned at him, and looping her arm through Sophie's said, "It's so lovely to meet you. Let's you and I talk all about the troubling history of Rick Hunter." She'd winked at him leading Sophie away.
Little Dee liked her immediately, and watching Sophie with his daughter, had filled his heart with an aching joy. "She's just lovely." She'd told him. "Honestly, I think I adore her more than I adore you."
"That's probably mostly Dee Dee's doing." He confessed. "We have a complicated family."
"You've a lovely family." She said with a warm smile. "It's so good to see a family that loves each other so well." And he'd known, at the moment that he would marry Sophie seeing how quick she was to understand all the complexities of his life.
"Rick," Dee Dee nudged his shoulder. "Did you fall asleep?"
"No, I was just thinking . . ." He glanced down at her. "Try not to be shocked by it."
She laughed. "You have become full of surprises in your old age."
"I was just thinking how lucky I am." He met her eyes. "You saved my life that day, you know?" He shrugged his shoulders. "And I'm not being dramatic. You know it's true."
"You'd have found your way." She responded.
"Not without you." He kissed her forehead. "I guess," He continued, responding to the question she'd asked, "I guess what I'm feeling is happiness. I'm marrying a fabulous woman tomorrow, who loves my daughter, and somehow has enough space in heart for the rest of my family." He smiled at her.
"I'm happy for you, Big Guy." Dee Dee smiled. "I really am."
"I'm happy for me, too." He sighed. "You know, McCall, you are, without a doubt, the best friend I've ever had."
"Alright, that's enough," She warned. "I'm glad you've gotten in touch with your emotions and everything, but I am, once again five and 1/2 months pregnant. I don't want puffy eyes at the wedding tomorrow because you said too many sweet things."
"For a tough guy," He told her with a wink, "You are pretty vain."
"I know." She said with a grin. "It's probably why I quit being a cop - too soft."
"You are the toughest cop I've ever known, and were damn good at it, too." He was quiet a moment before continuing, "But look at us now - who would've guessed I'd end up a highschool teacher and you chasing after a pack of kids in England?"
She laughed again, "Not me."
"Me, either." He sighed. "I guess I better turn in. Like you said, big day tomorrow."
"The biggest." She agreed. "'Night, Hunter. I'll see you in the morning."
"'Night, McCall. Thanks for being my best man again." He said laughing.
"Save your thank you for after my toast," Her bright eyes sparkled in the starlight.
"Be nice!" He called after her, as she turned to head back to the big house.
"Never!" She called back to him as the darkness swallowed her up. "Love you, Big Guy."
"Love you, too, McCall." Rick Hunter tilted his head up taking in the bright starlight, and sighing contentedly, he returned to the small cottage where his sweet daughter slept, ready for the new adventures that lay ahead with all of his family at his side.