The Spin Off – FINAL PART!
Later that day...
Archie packed his things in the car; he needed to get to Lexie, to tell her that he loved her more then London, just like Justine had told him. He set off for his journey to Glenbogle.
At Glenbogle...
"Hey Lex" Jess said coming in the kitchen and grabbing an apple. "Hi Jess" Lexie spoke pleased to see someone. "Hey do you want me to make you some breakfast?" Lexie asked getting up. "Oh no thanks, got to dash" Jess smiled and with that she was gone. Lexie said back down again a bit unhappy and in need of company. Suddenly Duncan came running in. "Hey Duncan" Lexie smiled again. "Oh hi Lex...did Jess come through this way?" he asked looking around. "Yeah...she just went out the back," Lexie said in a depressed voice although Duncan, being Duncan didn't seem to get the hint and with that he too ran out the door. "Golly? Golly?" Molly's voice came echoing through the halls. "Ah...Oh...Its you Lexie" Molly said coming into the kitchen. "If you see Golly, tell him the blasted rabbits are in my garden again!" Molly said raising her hands in the air to her head, "Fourth time this month!" she said continuing to call for Golly and walking again outside.
"Er...did Molly call me?" Golly came into the kitchen. "Rabbits.... Garden.... Molly that way" Lexie said pointing in the direction of the door and not even bothering to get up. "Arc no... not again" Golly said running out of the kitchen. Lexie sighed and sat down "Looks like it's just you and me girls" she said talking to the twins as they sat there looking at her, eyes staring. "I wish your daddy was here," she said continuing to talk to them.
"Lexie..." Paul's voice appeared as he entered the room. "Jess, Duncan, Golly and Molly... all gone that way" Lexie said without hesitation. "Actually it's was you I wanted to speak with" Paul said sitting down. "Oh" Lexie said cheering up a bit. "It's about Archie" Paul said waiting for the response, like he was standing on thin ice. "What about him? Is he here? Is he coming? Is he ok?" Lexie fired questions at Paul like bullets. "Whoa whoa hold it" Paul laughed. "Sorry..." Lexie mumbled. "Well I haven't heard from him no sorry, but I just wanted to make sure YOUR ok...I mean I know it must be hard, being away from him and well not knowing what's going on... and of course you have the girls to think about and what's going to happen next...where your going to live etc" Paul said finishing and looking at Lexie's blank face. "You have thought about them things haven't you" Paul said seriously. "Well... I was just kind of hoping that we could come back here and everything would be ok..." Lexie said quietly. "Lexie you know and I know and everyone knows that coming back here isn't going to make everything ok... this place does no way make everything ok" Paul said strongly. "Well it's just... I mean... well its ma home isn't it?" Lexie said worried with the fact she couldn't think up a solution. "Lexie... what did you say to me before new years?" Paul said questioning her. "That... that Archie.... Archie was ma man and more important... more important then any place" Lexie said guilty. Paul sat back and looked at her and sighed. Lexie felt like a young child done something wrong and sitting in front of her father. Paul didn't know the half of it; she thought she hadn't run away just so she could live here she had her reasons behind it. "YOU DON'T KNOW THE HALF OF IT!" she shouted out her thoughts. Paul looked a bit surprised at the sudden outburst.
"Paul you don't know what it was like in London. Day in, day out, Archie working 24/7! He didn't have any time for the girls or me. I felt alone Paul, with no one and to make matters worse, I didn't even have any friends or a job or something to do! I was stuck in a home I didn't even like, miles away from my family, the people I love! Do you really know how that feels?" Lexie said coming close to tears. She was breathing deeply at this point, the twins had started to cry out a bit, she picked them both up and cuddled them close, and as the tears started to run down her face, Paul still said nothing.
"I just want my family back," she whispered quietly. Paul still said nothing, but got up and sat down beside her. He hesitated at first, but then put his arms around the little family cuddled together. "Archie will come back, everything will be ok" he whispered in her ear. "But will he? Will everything be ok?" Lexie questioned. "Look Lex, I don't know, the only one who can tell you that is Archie." Paul said taking the twins off Lexie. "Look why don't you go out, spend some time on yourself, I'll look after the girls" Paul said getting up. Lexie laughed through the tears at the thought that Paul would be ok looking after the twins. "You sure?" she asked him before accepting that maybe he was right, she needed time for herself. Paul laughed with her. "Erm...Sure?" he answered. "Thanks" Lexie said kissing him on the cheek and then kissing the girls.
Back in Archie's car...
Archie relaxed while he drove through the beautiful scenery on the way up to Glenbogle. He gazed out of the window in front of him at the sun shining down for once, the green trees reflecting the light in the calm breeze. He looked up at the picture, which hung from the back mirror in front of him. The picture Lexie had left him, he was going to make sure this went right; he was going to change his ways, turn a new leaf. With Justine's words in his head, he knew exactly what he was going to say to Lexie. He was now about 4 hours into his journey, he estimated about 7/8 hours left before he reached Glenbogle, he would arrive in the night, but it didn't matter. There would be plenty of time.
Later that night at Glenbogle...
Lexie went upstairs to the twin's bedroom; she laid them both down in the cot and switched on some soft music. She stood there watching them slowly fall asleep, so peaceful, yet Archie wasn't here with her. It wasn't the same; it wasn't her fairy tail ending of all her family living happily together at Glenbogle. "I used to do the same" Molly's quiet voice made Lexie look up. Molly walked over to the cot, and stood next to Lexie. The twin's peaceful breathing and the music was all that could be heard. Molly smiled at her grandchildren, then a sudden feeling of sadness swept over her. Lexie noticed this at once of a change of mood from the usual happy Molly. "It reminds you doesn't it?" Lexie asked, realising that this properly reminded Molly of Jamie and her children, when they were with her, at home. Molly didn't need to ask what Lexie was talking about she knew, so with a simple nod it did the trick. Like a little lost girl Lexie hugged Molly round the waist as if she was her own mother and they comforted each other. "I don't want to spilt this family up" Lexie spoke quietly. "I know dear, I know" Molly whispered. Together they left the twins and walked out the room.
Back in Lexie and Archie's bedroom...
Lexie sat down on the bed; she took the picture from beside her bed. It was on their wedding day. She smiled as she remembered the day. Where she thought she had lost Archie forever to Katrina, yet he had proved her wrong and they had got married then and there in a hill top wedding. It seemed weird this time the fact that she had run away not because of fear of Archie with another woman like the times before. "Archie Macdonald I don't know what your playing at, but you better buck your ideas up if you want to come back to this family" she spoke out loud to the picture. She placed the picture back in its position and turned off the light and got into bed, she didn't go to sleep but lay awake worrying about where the life of this family was going.
Would Archie ever come back? She tossed and turned trying to sleep, but no such luck. She got up twice to check the girls but they were sound asleep. Even with all these people around her she felt alone, like there was no one to talk to, times had changed here, it wasn't the same anymore, she thought back to a couple of years ago, when Hector was still about and you could hear his moaning echoing around the house, when Duncan would be begging for her love 24/7, yet jump in as her best friend in times of need. Even the love triangles of Archie, herself and Katrina, which would make life, complicated yet it was all part of his house, this home. Now everything had changed, Paul was laird and although she would admit he was doing a good job of still it was change. Even the fact that Jess was around now could even make Lexie slightly jealous she had to share Duncan and he wasn't always around for her anymore, through no fault of his own of course. Even her place in the kitchen she missed, being able to hide away from the on goings within the house, her own private place of which people would come and go, asking for advice or being need to be told it. It was her Lexie. Simple Lexie who could solve any situation, see things coming and be able to put things right.
Now who was she now? She was a wife, a mother in fact. Husband gone haywire down in London, children not knowing where they were going next and meeting new people and unsure where the old ones were and herself, not evening knowing if she was herself any more. Unsure of everything and with no plan for life anymore.
Around midnight...
Archie turned the key quietly in the lock of the door to Glenbogle house. Gently he pushed it open, it creaked in the silence of the big airy rooms. His footsteps were all he could hear in the darkened room. He made his way to the stairs; quietly as he could he walked tiptoeing up the first set of stairs. When he got to the first floor, he peered down the hallway which lead to his mothers room, hearing her peaceful breathing the peace was then shattered by the crying of a baby from upstairs. He looked up and started to make his way up the second lot of stairs. He followed the gentle crying sound to the room where he found his daughters. Quietly he went in, he picked up Kyla and Ellie one in each arm and cuddled them close, scared he was going to lose them again, he stroked there hair and kissed each one of them on there foreheads. Noticing the music player nearby he pressed the play button to hear the beautiful soft music that Lexie played to the twins at night. He held the twins close and gently danced with them slowly, rocking them as he moved.
Lexie hearing the cries got up out of bed. She had just got to sleep yet she hadn't been in a deep sleep. She walked across to the room, where she noticed the door open more then she had left it. Curiously she moved faster, when she then stopped suddenly by the doorframe. "Arch" she said quietly as if still in a dream. She watched him with her daughters, she wanted to join them, yet she was scared, she held back, but no she had to. Taking a deep breath she walked over, Archie was playing the music; it reminded her of back home in London, he had been there sometimes. Then just like after they were born, she joined them in there 'dance'. As she reached Archie, the familiar smell of him made her want to hold him close. She loved him and that is what mattered. Yet no one said anything, but Lexie took Ellie off Archie and put one arm round him. They stood in the middle of the room, cuddled and dancing gently all together as a family
"Lex" Archie spoke first, "Arch" Lexie said at the same time. "You first" she then said. "Lexie I have been stupid, careless and an idiot" Archie began "All the time I was concentrating on getting it right in London, making a new start, yet all the time I was forgetting about the past, our love, our happiness. I should of known all along that a different place, a new house, away from here isn't going to change things. I should of known that you and the girls are more important then any place because I love you Lex, I love you more then my life, and I never want to lose you or the girls" "Archie, I've been stupid too. I guess it was all too quick for me, the move, the new house, the girls...even through I wouldn't change them for the world now" she said kissing them "but I've realised too... it doesn't matter if we are at Glenbogle or in London or even on the other side of the world in Australia... what matters is that we are together, so we can go back to London, but I think we need to concentrate more on us and our family." Lexie finished. "Lex your right, as usual" Archie smiled kissing her. So the four of them stood and danced. Together again at last, and happy.
Later that day...
Archie packed his things in the car; he needed to get to Lexie, to tell her that he loved her more then London, just like Justine had told him. He set off for his journey to Glenbogle.
At Glenbogle...
"Hey Lex" Jess said coming in the kitchen and grabbing an apple. "Hi Jess" Lexie spoke pleased to see someone. "Hey do you want me to make you some breakfast?" Lexie asked getting up. "Oh no thanks, got to dash" Jess smiled and with that she was gone. Lexie said back down again a bit unhappy and in need of company. Suddenly Duncan came running in. "Hey Duncan" Lexie smiled again. "Oh hi Lex...did Jess come through this way?" he asked looking around. "Yeah...she just went out the back," Lexie said in a depressed voice although Duncan, being Duncan didn't seem to get the hint and with that he too ran out the door. "Golly? Golly?" Molly's voice came echoing through the halls. "Ah...Oh...Its you Lexie" Molly said coming into the kitchen. "If you see Golly, tell him the blasted rabbits are in my garden again!" Molly said raising her hands in the air to her head, "Fourth time this month!" she said continuing to call for Golly and walking again outside.
"Er...did Molly call me?" Golly came into the kitchen. "Rabbits.... Garden.... Molly that way" Lexie said pointing in the direction of the door and not even bothering to get up. "Arc no... not again" Golly said running out of the kitchen. Lexie sighed and sat down "Looks like it's just you and me girls" she said talking to the twins as they sat there looking at her, eyes staring. "I wish your daddy was here," she said continuing to talk to them.
"Lexie..." Paul's voice appeared as he entered the room. "Jess, Duncan, Golly and Molly... all gone that way" Lexie said without hesitation. "Actually it's was you I wanted to speak with" Paul said sitting down. "Oh" Lexie said cheering up a bit. "It's about Archie" Paul said waiting for the response, like he was standing on thin ice. "What about him? Is he here? Is he coming? Is he ok?" Lexie fired questions at Paul like bullets. "Whoa whoa hold it" Paul laughed. "Sorry..." Lexie mumbled. "Well I haven't heard from him no sorry, but I just wanted to make sure YOUR ok...I mean I know it must be hard, being away from him and well not knowing what's going on... and of course you have the girls to think about and what's going to happen next...where your going to live etc" Paul said finishing and looking at Lexie's blank face. "You have thought about them things haven't you" Paul said seriously. "Well... I was just kind of hoping that we could come back here and everything would be ok..." Lexie said quietly. "Lexie you know and I know and everyone knows that coming back here isn't going to make everything ok... this place does no way make everything ok" Paul said strongly. "Well it's just... I mean... well its ma home isn't it?" Lexie said worried with the fact she couldn't think up a solution. "Lexie... what did you say to me before new years?" Paul said questioning her. "That... that Archie.... Archie was ma man and more important... more important then any place" Lexie said guilty. Paul sat back and looked at her and sighed. Lexie felt like a young child done something wrong and sitting in front of her father. Paul didn't know the half of it; she thought she hadn't run away just so she could live here she had her reasons behind it. "YOU DON'T KNOW THE HALF OF IT!" she shouted out her thoughts. Paul looked a bit surprised at the sudden outburst.
"Paul you don't know what it was like in London. Day in, day out, Archie working 24/7! He didn't have any time for the girls or me. I felt alone Paul, with no one and to make matters worse, I didn't even have any friends or a job or something to do! I was stuck in a home I didn't even like, miles away from my family, the people I love! Do you really know how that feels?" Lexie said coming close to tears. She was breathing deeply at this point, the twins had started to cry out a bit, she picked them both up and cuddled them close, and as the tears started to run down her face, Paul still said nothing.
"I just want my family back," she whispered quietly. Paul still said nothing, but got up and sat down beside her. He hesitated at first, but then put his arms around the little family cuddled together. "Archie will come back, everything will be ok" he whispered in her ear. "But will he? Will everything be ok?" Lexie questioned. "Look Lex, I don't know, the only one who can tell you that is Archie." Paul said taking the twins off Lexie. "Look why don't you go out, spend some time on yourself, I'll look after the girls" Paul said getting up. Lexie laughed through the tears at the thought that Paul would be ok looking after the twins. "You sure?" she asked him before accepting that maybe he was right, she needed time for herself. Paul laughed with her. "Erm...Sure?" he answered. "Thanks" Lexie said kissing him on the cheek and then kissing the girls.
Back in Archie's car...
Archie relaxed while he drove through the beautiful scenery on the way up to Glenbogle. He gazed out of the window in front of him at the sun shining down for once, the green trees reflecting the light in the calm breeze. He looked up at the picture, which hung from the back mirror in front of him. The picture Lexie had left him, he was going to make sure this went right; he was going to change his ways, turn a new leaf. With Justine's words in his head, he knew exactly what he was going to say to Lexie. He was now about 4 hours into his journey, he estimated about 7/8 hours left before he reached Glenbogle, he would arrive in the night, but it didn't matter. There would be plenty of time.
Later that night at Glenbogle...
Lexie went upstairs to the twin's bedroom; she laid them both down in the cot and switched on some soft music. She stood there watching them slowly fall asleep, so peaceful, yet Archie wasn't here with her. It wasn't the same; it wasn't her fairy tail ending of all her family living happily together at Glenbogle. "I used to do the same" Molly's quiet voice made Lexie look up. Molly walked over to the cot, and stood next to Lexie. The twin's peaceful breathing and the music was all that could be heard. Molly smiled at her grandchildren, then a sudden feeling of sadness swept over her. Lexie noticed this at once of a change of mood from the usual happy Molly. "It reminds you doesn't it?" Lexie asked, realising that this properly reminded Molly of Jamie and her children, when they were with her, at home. Molly didn't need to ask what Lexie was talking about she knew, so with a simple nod it did the trick. Like a little lost girl Lexie hugged Molly round the waist as if she was her own mother and they comforted each other. "I don't want to spilt this family up" Lexie spoke quietly. "I know dear, I know" Molly whispered. Together they left the twins and walked out the room.
Back in Lexie and Archie's bedroom...
Lexie sat down on the bed; she took the picture from beside her bed. It was on their wedding day. She smiled as she remembered the day. Where she thought she had lost Archie forever to Katrina, yet he had proved her wrong and they had got married then and there in a hill top wedding. It seemed weird this time the fact that she had run away not because of fear of Archie with another woman like the times before. "Archie Macdonald I don't know what your playing at, but you better buck your ideas up if you want to come back to this family" she spoke out loud to the picture. She placed the picture back in its position and turned off the light and got into bed, she didn't go to sleep but lay awake worrying about where the life of this family was going.
Would Archie ever come back? She tossed and turned trying to sleep, but no such luck. She got up twice to check the girls but they were sound asleep. Even with all these people around her she felt alone, like there was no one to talk to, times had changed here, it wasn't the same anymore, she thought back to a couple of years ago, when Hector was still about and you could hear his moaning echoing around the house, when Duncan would be begging for her love 24/7, yet jump in as her best friend in times of need. Even the love triangles of Archie, herself and Katrina, which would make life, complicated yet it was all part of his house, this home. Now everything had changed, Paul was laird and although she would admit he was doing a good job of still it was change. Even the fact that Jess was around now could even make Lexie slightly jealous she had to share Duncan and he wasn't always around for her anymore, through no fault of his own of course. Even her place in the kitchen she missed, being able to hide away from the on goings within the house, her own private place of which people would come and go, asking for advice or being need to be told it. It was her Lexie. Simple Lexie who could solve any situation, see things coming and be able to put things right.
Now who was she now? She was a wife, a mother in fact. Husband gone haywire down in London, children not knowing where they were going next and meeting new people and unsure where the old ones were and herself, not evening knowing if she was herself any more. Unsure of everything and with no plan for life anymore.
Around midnight...
Archie turned the key quietly in the lock of the door to Glenbogle house. Gently he pushed it open, it creaked in the silence of the big airy rooms. His footsteps were all he could hear in the darkened room. He made his way to the stairs; quietly as he could he walked tiptoeing up the first set of stairs. When he got to the first floor, he peered down the hallway which lead to his mothers room, hearing her peaceful breathing the peace was then shattered by the crying of a baby from upstairs. He looked up and started to make his way up the second lot of stairs. He followed the gentle crying sound to the room where he found his daughters. Quietly he went in, he picked up Kyla and Ellie one in each arm and cuddled them close, scared he was going to lose them again, he stroked there hair and kissed each one of them on there foreheads. Noticing the music player nearby he pressed the play button to hear the beautiful soft music that Lexie played to the twins at night. He held the twins close and gently danced with them slowly, rocking them as he moved.
Lexie hearing the cries got up out of bed. She had just got to sleep yet she hadn't been in a deep sleep. She walked across to the room, where she noticed the door open more then she had left it. Curiously she moved faster, when she then stopped suddenly by the doorframe. "Arch" she said quietly as if still in a dream. She watched him with her daughters, she wanted to join them, yet she was scared, she held back, but no she had to. Taking a deep breath she walked over, Archie was playing the music; it reminded her of back home in London, he had been there sometimes. Then just like after they were born, she joined them in there 'dance'. As she reached Archie, the familiar smell of him made her want to hold him close. She loved him and that is what mattered. Yet no one said anything, but Lexie took Ellie off Archie and put one arm round him. They stood in the middle of the room, cuddled and dancing gently all together as a family
"Lex" Archie spoke first, "Arch" Lexie said at the same time. "You first" she then said. "Lexie I have been stupid, careless and an idiot" Archie began "All the time I was concentrating on getting it right in London, making a new start, yet all the time I was forgetting about the past, our love, our happiness. I should of known all along that a different place, a new house, away from here isn't going to change things. I should of known that you and the girls are more important then any place because I love you Lex, I love you more then my life, and I never want to lose you or the girls" "Archie, I've been stupid too. I guess it was all too quick for me, the move, the new house, the girls...even through I wouldn't change them for the world now" she said kissing them "but I've realised too... it doesn't matter if we are at Glenbogle or in London or even on the other side of the world in Australia... what matters is that we are together, so we can go back to London, but I think we need to concentrate more on us and our family." Lexie finished. "Lex your right, as usual" Archie smiled kissing her. So the four of them stood and danced. Together again at last, and happy.