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Past, Present, Future
by Grace Musica
Chapter Thirteen
Moving On...
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Trowa and the kids stayed with the Winners for a full month. In that time, Trowa, Lizzy and Quatre went to the house and cleaned out the closets and dressers, taking out most of Midii's clothes and donating it to charity. There were a few things Trowa absolutely couldn't bear to part with, such as Midii's jewelry box, her hairbrush, and her make-up bag, and both Winners thought it would be good for him to keep it. The changes that had been made were so vast, it wouldn't do for everything of hers to be totally gone.
Trowa and the kids slept together in the over-sized bed in the master bedroom their first night back.
"It's so quiet without her here..." Alex muttered, pulling the covers up under her chin.
Chris nodded. "And I think she's been haunting the hallways," he added.
"She's going to 'haunt' the entire house, guys," Trowa informed them. "All of our memories of her are strongest here. Even if we sell the house, move away, and you come back when you're old and gray and have great-grandchildren, her memory will still haunt you the moment you step though the door. We all have to learn to deal, to cope with the fact that yes, she's gone. But that doesn't mean we have to forget her totally."
"Then why clean out the closets?" Steven asked, his gaze flickering to the half-empty closet. "They look so... So... So void."
"Who taught you that word?"
"Momma."
"Ah." Trowa paused for a second. "Well, baby, they weren't doing anyone any good just hanging in the closet, now were they?"
"But still!"
"Steve, she's gone, baby. Nothing can bring her back." Trowa ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "The only thing we can do now is live out a good life so we can go and see her when we die."
The five of them lay in relative silence, until Trowa heard all four of them started breathing steadily, so he knew they were all asleep. He sighed deeply. Oh, God... Midii, I miss you. They're right, you do haunt the house. He looked down at his sleeping children and smiled sadly. If it wasn't for the kids... I think I'd be dead, too.
* * * * *
Trowa was right, and the pain eventually eased to a dull throbbing. Time started to fly by, the kids grew, and Trowa did the best he could being both mother and father, with occassional help from Lizzy, who had no qualms about helping with her nieces and nephews. First Alex, then Jessica, Chris and Steven went to college, fell in love and started families of their own. His first grandchild was a little girl--Alex and her husband named her Midii. Trowa almost started crying when he first held the tiny baby in his arms, looking into a face that had absolute trust and love for him. No one had ever quite looked at him like that since before Midii had died.
And still the years passed, and finally it came time for his baby to take the plunge. Steve finally proposed to his high-school sweetheart of ten years, and Trowa was quite fond of the girl. Trowa sat between his two daughters, holding their hands as he watched his youngest son seal his love with a kiss, and cheered just as loudly as the rest of the church.
At the reception, Trowa smiled on the outside, but on the inside he was hurting bad. Now he was really, truly, totally alone. He sighed, taking a drink of his champaigne.
A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and then two arms encircled his neck in a hug. Only Lizzy...
"Brother-in-law! Don't look so sad."
Almost thirteen years, and she still calls me 'brother-in-law'... "I'm trying not to," he replied, shrugging as Lizzy and Quatre pulled up seats at the table.
Quatre laughed. "You don't." He touched his forehead. "But we can't help but notice."
Trowa laughed as well. "Okay, okay, you're forgiven." He sighed again. "It's just..."
"Allow me," Lizzy replied. She pulled the hankerchief out of Quatre's front pocket and mimed wiping tears out of her eyes. "My baby's all grown up! He's married and leaving me!"
Quatre leaned across the table to wisper to Trowa, "She's practicing for when Anthony gets married. Have you heard? He's got a girlfriend on his own..."
Lizzy crossed her legs and refolded the hankerchief. "Cheap little hussy, too, if you ask me... Oh, Tony! And Elaina! How are you two!"
Quatre and Trowa exchanged amused looks as Lizzy hugged both seventeen-year-olds.
"Mom, Dad... I need to tell you something."
Trowa wasn't clairvoyant, but he knew exactally where this was headed. Apparently, though the two Winners had no idea.
"What is it, sweetheart?"
Authony looked at Elaina, took her hand and gave it a squeeze, then looked at his parents and took a huge breath. "... We're getting married. I proposed to Elaina, and she said yes."
Trowa tried, and failed, to smother the laugh that rose in his throat at the shocked look on Lizzy and Quatre's faces. No, they had NOT been expecting that one. The two of them stared at each other, twin dumb looks, then looked blankly back at the beaming couple.
"WHAT?!"
Trowa chuckled. Ah... Gotta love the Winners.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Past, Present, Future
by Grace Musica
Chapter Thirteen
Moving On...
* * * * *
Trowa and the kids stayed with the Winners for a full month. In that time, Trowa, Lizzy and Quatre went to the house and cleaned out the closets and dressers, taking out most of Midii's clothes and donating it to charity. There were a few things Trowa absolutely couldn't bear to part with, such as Midii's jewelry box, her hairbrush, and her make-up bag, and both Winners thought it would be good for him to keep it. The changes that had been made were so vast, it wouldn't do for everything of hers to be totally gone.
Trowa and the kids slept together in the over-sized bed in the master bedroom their first night back.
"It's so quiet without her here..." Alex muttered, pulling the covers up under her chin.
Chris nodded. "And I think she's been haunting the hallways," he added.
"She's going to 'haunt' the entire house, guys," Trowa informed them. "All of our memories of her are strongest here. Even if we sell the house, move away, and you come back when you're old and gray and have great-grandchildren, her memory will still haunt you the moment you step though the door. We all have to learn to deal, to cope with the fact that yes, she's gone. But that doesn't mean we have to forget her totally."
"Then why clean out the closets?" Steven asked, his gaze flickering to the half-empty closet. "They look so... So... So void."
"Who taught you that word?"
"Momma."
"Ah." Trowa paused for a second. "Well, baby, they weren't doing anyone any good just hanging in the closet, now were they?"
"But still!"
"Steve, she's gone, baby. Nothing can bring her back." Trowa ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "The only thing we can do now is live out a good life so we can go and see her when we die."
The five of them lay in relative silence, until Trowa heard all four of them started breathing steadily, so he knew they were all asleep. He sighed deeply. Oh, God... Midii, I miss you. They're right, you do haunt the house. He looked down at his sleeping children and smiled sadly. If it wasn't for the kids... I think I'd be dead, too.
* * * * *
Trowa was right, and the pain eventually eased to a dull throbbing. Time started to fly by, the kids grew, and Trowa did the best he could being both mother and father, with occassional help from Lizzy, who had no qualms about helping with her nieces and nephews. First Alex, then Jessica, Chris and Steven went to college, fell in love and started families of their own. His first grandchild was a little girl--Alex and her husband named her Midii. Trowa almost started crying when he first held the tiny baby in his arms, looking into a face that had absolute trust and love for him. No one had ever quite looked at him like that since before Midii had died.
And still the years passed, and finally it came time for his baby to take the plunge. Steve finally proposed to his high-school sweetheart of ten years, and Trowa was quite fond of the girl. Trowa sat between his two daughters, holding their hands as he watched his youngest son seal his love with a kiss, and cheered just as loudly as the rest of the church.
At the reception, Trowa smiled on the outside, but on the inside he was hurting bad. Now he was really, truly, totally alone. He sighed, taking a drink of his champaigne.
A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and then two arms encircled his neck in a hug. Only Lizzy...
"Brother-in-law! Don't look so sad."
Almost thirteen years, and she still calls me 'brother-in-law'... "I'm trying not to," he replied, shrugging as Lizzy and Quatre pulled up seats at the table.
Quatre laughed. "You don't." He touched his forehead. "But we can't help but notice."
Trowa laughed as well. "Okay, okay, you're forgiven." He sighed again. "It's just..."
"Allow me," Lizzy replied. She pulled the hankerchief out of Quatre's front pocket and mimed wiping tears out of her eyes. "My baby's all grown up! He's married and leaving me!"
Quatre leaned across the table to wisper to Trowa, "She's practicing for when Anthony gets married. Have you heard? He's got a girlfriend on his own..."
Lizzy crossed her legs and refolded the hankerchief. "Cheap little hussy, too, if you ask me... Oh, Tony! And Elaina! How are you two!"
Quatre and Trowa exchanged amused looks as Lizzy hugged both seventeen-year-olds.
"Mom, Dad... I need to tell you something."
Trowa wasn't clairvoyant, but he knew exactally where this was headed. Apparently, though the two Winners had no idea.
"What is it, sweetheart?"
Authony looked at Elaina, took her hand and gave it a squeeze, then looked at his parents and took a huge breath. "... We're getting married. I proposed to Elaina, and she said yes."
Trowa tried, and failed, to smother the laugh that rose in his throat at the shocked look on Lizzy and Quatre's faces. No, they had NOT been expecting that one. The two of them stared at each other, twin dumb looks, then looked blankly back at the beaming couple.
"WHAT?!"
Trowa chuckled. Ah... Gotta love the Winners.
* * * * *