*Three years later*
"Mommy, why don't we have a daddy like the kids in this book?" Kat asked her mother, after Lark had read them a story before bed.
"Well, sometimes God picks out certain children to have just a mommy, or just a daddy. You guys were picked to have just a mommy. You two are special," Lark explained.
"Oh," Carson said.
"Now, you two NEED to get to bed," Lark said.
"Oh mommy," Carson said, climbing into his bed, as Kat did.
"Goodnight," Lark said as she turned off their light, made sure that their Barney night light was on, then shut their door so it was open only a crack.
"You're a good mother," James said as Lark came down the stairs.
"Thanks," Lark said.
After Oliver died, James had lived with Lark and the kids in their guest room.
They both sat down and watched the `Fast and the Furious' together, and ended up falling asleep.
The next morning, Lark was awoke by Ewen jumping up on her and licking her face.
"Ew! Get down!" Lark said to him, as she pushed him off.
She got up and started to make breakfast for her children and James.
"Oh my gosh, we have absolutely no food!" Lark said.
"Do you want me to take the kids and go get some groceries?" James offered.
"No, it's okay. I haven't been out with them for a long time. I'll take them," Lark said, coming back into the living room.
"I'll go tell them. They're probably awake, just playing in their room," she added.
Lark knocked softly on the children's door, and slowly opened it. They were both sitting at a desk coloring.
"Hey hons," Lark said, walking over to them. "Nice drawings. Would you guys like to go get groceries with me?"
"Yeah!" Kat yelled, turning around toward her, and stopping her coloring.
"Of course mommy," Carson said, doing the same thing.
Looking at them, Lark was reminded of Oliver. Their strawberry-blonde hair, freckles, and everything else.
"I need hugs first, though," Lark said, and the children hugged her tightly.
"Okay, you two get dressed, I've laid out your clothes for you on your dressers, and then come downstairs, and we'll go."
"Okay," Carson said.
"Yup," Kat said.
Lark walked downstairs, found her purse, her coat, and her keys, and sat down on the couch next to James.
"Oh, I have a really good feeling about this."
"About getting food?" James asked.
"I know it sounds weird, but I...I'm just really excited. I mean, I'm going with the kids, but it's not that kind of excitement. I can't explain it," Lark thought.
"Okay Lark, you're weird."
Lark giggled.
"James, do you want to go with us?" Lark asked.
"I thought you'd never ask," James said getting up, and grabbing his coat, which so conveniently was all ready.
The kids came racing down the stairs, and over to Lark and James.
"Okay, let's go," Lark said, taking their hands, and leading them out the door.
They all drove to the local grocery store, and got out.
"I'm going to walk into the pet store, and see what puppies they have, I'll meet you in the store," James said.
"Okay."
Lark and the kids walked in, and immediately the "I wants" started.
"Okay, hold on. Let's get you guys in a cart, and then you can tell me what you want. Okay?"
The two agreed, and let their mother put them in the shopping cart.
Lark pushed the shopping cart around to the sweets and snacks.
"You each can pick two things, but don't get out. I'll get them for you."
"Mommy, I want those fruit roll up things that we saw on the televy," Kat said.
Lark loved how Kat said televy for television. She looked for the fruit roll ups, and finally found them. She picked up a box, and started examining it, to see if it was worthy of her children eating it.
As she was looking, she swore she heard someone say, "Lark."
She looked up, but saw no one that she knew.
Then she heard it again. "Lark."
She kept her head down that time, almost afraid to look up.
"LARK!"
She looked up that time, and saw a man looking right at her.
"Excuse me? How do you know my name?"
"I knew your husband," the stranger said.
"Oh," Lark said, looking at the floor.
"He loved you very much."
Lark smiled.
"Are these your children? They're so cute! Twins, that's pretty cool."
This all seemed a bit weird. First he knew her name, and now he was asking about her kids. Who was this guy? He sounded like a serial killer. Yes, must be.
"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?"
"Some people just call me O."
"O?"
"Yeah," he said, chuckling.
"O what?"
"O Phelps."
Lark looked serious for the first time in that conversation.
"Oliver Phelps?" Lark whispered.
"Yeah."
"Oh my gosh," Lark said, starting to cry.
"Hey, look what you did! You made our mommy cry!" Carson yelled.
"It's okay, Car. It's okay," Lark said in between sobs.
She and Oliver hugged, and then Lark kissed him for about five minutes.
"Where have you been? We all though you were...gone."
"I was on a little island in the Atlantic. James paid for my flight, so I left my money back in the states when you were having these guys," Oliver paused and looked at the kids, "So, I had to earn enough money to buy a plane ticket over here from there."
"Oh, I've missed you so much!" Lark said.
"Yeah, I've missed you too!" Oliver said, and they hugged again.
"You look so different. Why did you grow a beard?"
"Let's just say that these people, as nice as they were to me, weren't very equipped with Technological things."
"Oh baby, I'm so glad your back," Lark said, crying into his chest.
"Mommy, who is this?" Kat demanded.
"Kat, this is your daddy," Lark said looking at her, and then back up at Oliver.
"But, I thought you said we were special," Carson said.
"You are. You're very special, but you have a mommy and a daddy now."
"Lark?" James asked, walking up to them.
Everyone turned towards him.
"Oliver?" James asked.
"Yeah," He said.
"Oh my gosh," James said, rushing over to him, and hugging him.
"Where have you been?" James asked.
Oliver told him the whole story.
They went home and talked forever, and then some
"Mommy, why don't we have a daddy like the kids in this book?" Kat asked her mother, after Lark had read them a story before bed.
"Well, sometimes God picks out certain children to have just a mommy, or just a daddy. You guys were picked to have just a mommy. You two are special," Lark explained.
"Oh," Carson said.
"Now, you two NEED to get to bed," Lark said.
"Oh mommy," Carson said, climbing into his bed, as Kat did.
"Goodnight," Lark said as she turned off their light, made sure that their Barney night light was on, then shut their door so it was open only a crack.
"You're a good mother," James said as Lark came down the stairs.
"Thanks," Lark said.
After Oliver died, James had lived with Lark and the kids in their guest room.
They both sat down and watched the `Fast and the Furious' together, and ended up falling asleep.
The next morning, Lark was awoke by Ewen jumping up on her and licking her face.
"Ew! Get down!" Lark said to him, as she pushed him off.
She got up and started to make breakfast for her children and James.
"Oh my gosh, we have absolutely no food!" Lark said.
"Do you want me to take the kids and go get some groceries?" James offered.
"No, it's okay. I haven't been out with them for a long time. I'll take them," Lark said, coming back into the living room.
"I'll go tell them. They're probably awake, just playing in their room," she added.
Lark knocked softly on the children's door, and slowly opened it. They were both sitting at a desk coloring.
"Hey hons," Lark said, walking over to them. "Nice drawings. Would you guys like to go get groceries with me?"
"Yeah!" Kat yelled, turning around toward her, and stopping her coloring.
"Of course mommy," Carson said, doing the same thing.
Looking at them, Lark was reminded of Oliver. Their strawberry-blonde hair, freckles, and everything else.
"I need hugs first, though," Lark said, and the children hugged her tightly.
"Okay, you two get dressed, I've laid out your clothes for you on your dressers, and then come downstairs, and we'll go."
"Okay," Carson said.
"Yup," Kat said.
Lark walked downstairs, found her purse, her coat, and her keys, and sat down on the couch next to James.
"Oh, I have a really good feeling about this."
"About getting food?" James asked.
"I know it sounds weird, but I...I'm just really excited. I mean, I'm going with the kids, but it's not that kind of excitement. I can't explain it," Lark thought.
"Okay Lark, you're weird."
Lark giggled.
"James, do you want to go with us?" Lark asked.
"I thought you'd never ask," James said getting up, and grabbing his coat, which so conveniently was all ready.
The kids came racing down the stairs, and over to Lark and James.
"Okay, let's go," Lark said, taking their hands, and leading them out the door.
They all drove to the local grocery store, and got out.
"I'm going to walk into the pet store, and see what puppies they have, I'll meet you in the store," James said.
"Okay."
Lark and the kids walked in, and immediately the "I wants" started.
"Okay, hold on. Let's get you guys in a cart, and then you can tell me what you want. Okay?"
The two agreed, and let their mother put them in the shopping cart.
Lark pushed the shopping cart around to the sweets and snacks.
"You each can pick two things, but don't get out. I'll get them for you."
"Mommy, I want those fruit roll up things that we saw on the televy," Kat said.
Lark loved how Kat said televy for television. She looked for the fruit roll ups, and finally found them. She picked up a box, and started examining it, to see if it was worthy of her children eating it.
As she was looking, she swore she heard someone say, "Lark."
She looked up, but saw no one that she knew.
Then she heard it again. "Lark."
She kept her head down that time, almost afraid to look up.
"LARK!"
She looked up that time, and saw a man looking right at her.
"Excuse me? How do you know my name?"
"I knew your husband," the stranger said.
"Oh," Lark said, looking at the floor.
"He loved you very much."
Lark smiled.
"Are these your children? They're so cute! Twins, that's pretty cool."
This all seemed a bit weird. First he knew her name, and now he was asking about her kids. Who was this guy? He sounded like a serial killer. Yes, must be.
"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?"
"Some people just call me O."
"O?"
"Yeah," he said, chuckling.
"O what?"
"O Phelps."
Lark looked serious for the first time in that conversation.
"Oliver Phelps?" Lark whispered.
"Yeah."
"Oh my gosh," Lark said, starting to cry.
"Hey, look what you did! You made our mommy cry!" Carson yelled.
"It's okay, Car. It's okay," Lark said in between sobs.
She and Oliver hugged, and then Lark kissed him for about five minutes.
"Where have you been? We all though you were...gone."
"I was on a little island in the Atlantic. James paid for my flight, so I left my money back in the states when you were having these guys," Oliver paused and looked at the kids, "So, I had to earn enough money to buy a plane ticket over here from there."
"Oh, I've missed you so much!" Lark said.
"Yeah, I've missed you too!" Oliver said, and they hugged again.
"You look so different. Why did you grow a beard?"
"Let's just say that these people, as nice as they were to me, weren't very equipped with Technological things."
"Oh baby, I'm so glad your back," Lark said, crying into his chest.
"Mommy, who is this?" Kat demanded.
"Kat, this is your daddy," Lark said looking at her, and then back up at Oliver.
"But, I thought you said we were special," Carson said.
"You are. You're very special, but you have a mommy and a daddy now."
"Lark?" James asked, walking up to them.
Everyone turned towards him.
"Oliver?" James asked.
"Yeah," He said.
"Oh my gosh," James said, rushing over to him, and hugging him.
"Where have you been?" James asked.
Oliver told him the whole story.
They went home and talked forever, and then some