Prologue
Hi everyone. It's my first Grease fanfic and I do have further ideas to lead off of this. Please review if you want more. Hope you enjoy.
Year 10th July 1998
Betty Murdoch opened the refrigerator and grabbed the burgers and hotdogs out of the fridge. As she took them out, she tried to wipe away the huge smile that was on her face but no matter how hard she tried it wouldn't go away. As she closed the fridge door and walked away with the plates, her excitement was growing and she was almost jumping up and down now. She made her way through the dinning room and out onto the patio in the backyard where the sight that greeted her made her heart skip a beat once again. She leaned against the patio door as she watched her husband Kenickie Murdoch standing on the patio tinkering with their BBQ and preparing for the big task ahead of him.
If someone had told her when she first started dating him in senior year that they would still be together after all this time, she wouldn't have believed it herself. After the pregnancy scare at the end of senior year, she seen that he had a sweet and caring side that was the real him and not the cool greaser exterior. They started dating properly once they had graduated high school and within six months they had moved in together, then eventually marrying one year later. Neither had been interested in studying whilst at school meaning they had little grades to show for school except for writing and math skills whilst Kenickie had his skills in mechanics. She had managed to get a job as a secretary in a small hotel in the city. It wasn't the most glamorous job but it beat being a waitress at frosties or being a cleaner so she gritted her teeth and got on with it. Luckily she didn't have to do it for to long though.
Kenickie landed a job as a mechanic at a garage that was run by an old world war 2 veteran Mr Robert Turner who took a shining to him and was impressed by Kenickie's skills. After a year of working there, Mr Turner had started to show him the business side of running the garage including bills and how to be a boss to employees. Kenickie grasped it quickly and surprisingly found it interesting. After three years of being at the garage since graduating, Mr Turner had retired and left the shop to Kenickie with the condition that Mr Turner could still come and work on a car if he wanted to. Kenickie was blown away by what he had been given. His dream was to have his own garage but he expected it to take years of saving to do it but instead it was only three years without the cost of buying his own. As most of the guys working for Mr Turner were the same age as him, they slowly started to retire as well meaning Kenickie's first big task was to hire new mechanics and he only hired the best ones who enjoyed working on cars as much as he did. Within a few months Murdoch's Auto Repair shop had a reputation for its amazing work with some people facing a month wait to be booked in, money was flowing in fast and Kenickie was in in dated with applications with mechanics wanting to work for him. Six months later another garage 5 miles away came up for sale and Kenickie was keen to buy it and expand but Betty wasn't so sure. They had a good life and if the other place wasn't as successful, they could loose everything they had. Due to how busy the garage was Kenickie was working 13 hours a day, 6 days a week fixing cars to help free up more space for more customers and also doing all the paperwork that came with being the owner. He finally admitted he felt like he was ignoring her and that taking on the new garage meant he wouldn't have to work so much and couldn't spend more time her. Kenickie had also talked to Mr Turner about it and said he would be stupid not to do it. A few days after he suggested it to her, they bought the new shop and Mr Turner came out of retirement to help Kenickie get the place up and running while as also making sure the first shop didn't suffer. Within 3 months the second shop was open and business continued well with the second shop taking pressure of the first one and Kenickie was able to reduce his hours. Things were going well until a year later when both shops were again to busy and they were struggling to get through the demanding workload. That seemed like a life time away as they now had a total of six Murdoch's Auto Repair shops making the workload very manageable and giving them a very comfortable life with a seven-figure bank balance. Once the second shop was running successfully, Rizzo had quit her job in the hotel to run the house and help Kenickie with the paper work for the garages but also to raise their family.
One week after the second garage opened they discovered that Betty was pregnant with their baby. Panic set in slightly due to the timing of buying the second garage but once it started to be as successful as the first one, they both calmed down and got excited to start their family together. Exactly one year after buying the second garage, their son Robert (Rob) William Murdoch was born on 28th March 1964, named after Mr Turner who had given Kenickie a job and supported them both through tuff times. Three years later they welcomed their second son Eric Blair Murdoch on 1st October 1967 and then two years after Eric, they welcomed their third and final son Alexander (Alex) Richard Murdoch on 25th May 1969. Just after Alexander was born, Betty and Kenickie had decided to move to a nicer area and bought a five-bedroom house with a massive backyard where they would raise their boys.
The boys were close as brothers and Betty and Kenickie didn't treat them the way their parents treated them, meaning that the boys were a lot closer to them than they had been with their parents. Just like Kenickie, the boys all had a love of cars and Betty had more pictures of them in their coveralls than in regular clothes. During the school vacations, Kenickie would head downstairs in the morning to get a cup of coffee before taking the boys to one of shops but when he headed downstairs, the boys would already be dressed and ready to go, just waiting for him. Kenickie closed all of the shops at lunchtime on a Saturday so that in the afternoon he and the boys could rebuild a car with just the four of them working on it. The boys loved working on the car and spending time with their dad and Kenickie loved spending the time with them. If the boys ever needed to told off for being bad, all Betty and Kenickie had to do was tell them that if they kept being bad, they wouldn't get to work on cars anymore. It worked like a charm and the boys hardly ever needed disciplined because of that. Even as they got older, their passion for cars grew and if the boys weren't at school or with friends, they were always at one of shops and one day they would inherit the shops between them.
It was now 1998 and life was still as good for them. The shops were still going strong, the boys were happy and Betty and Kenickie still loved each other more than they could express. They weren't the perfect couple and had their problems but they had worked through them all together.
Betty pushed herself off the patio door and walked up next to Kenickie at the BBQ and placed the food on the table in the shade ready for grilling later.
"Thanks Rizz." Kenickie replied as he secured a grilling rack in the BBQ.
"No problem chef." Rizzo replied as she smiled at him for still calling her that name even after all these years.
Rizzo was her chosen name in high school, as she hated her first name. Once out of high school, she had to go by Betty for work and for school activities when the boys came along. Kenickie still called her Rizzo and had told her when they were married she would always be Rizzo to him no matter what. The only other people that called her that were the school friend's that they still kept in contact with.
Frenchy and Doody had gotten married a year after high school whilst they both attended community college. After two years Doody had dropped out after realising that college wasn't for him and he found a job with a local electrical company as an apprentice electrician. He soon qualified as an electrician and he had been working for the same company ever since, while Frenchy changed college course every year. She had eventually decided that dermatology was the one for her and had secured a job in a private beauty saloon with exclusive clients but she was never aloud to tell Rizzo who she had worked on due to how exlcusive it was. Once Frenchy was settled into her job they had started their own family welcoming a son, Paul around the same time as Eric and a daughter Wendy a year after Alexander was born.
Jan and Putzie had also stayed together since high school and had got married two years after graduation. Putzie hadn't bothered with college but he got a job as a mechanic at Mr Turner's garage a few months after Kenickie did. Putzie sucked at interviews and hadn't managed to find a job easily so Kenickie had put a good word in with Mr Turner and assured him that Putzie was a good mechanic. Mr Turner was not disappointed and Putzie still worked at the original shop but now worked for Kenickie as a supervisor. Jan had been inspired by how much weight she had lost and wanted to help others do the same so she enrolled in a course at community college for health and nutrition. Once she finished her course, she set up her dietician business, which quickly became a success with plenty of clients needing her services. They had their first baby, a boy named Simon two months after Robert was born and a girl named Lucy 4 months before Eric was born.
Marty and Sonny were together but theirs hadn't been as smooth sailing as everyone's relationships. Sonny worshiped the ground that Marty walked on but Marty didn't have the same feelings he did. She loved Sonny and knew that they had something but she was longing for something more so after graduation she left Sonny and moved away for a while, only keeping in contact with Rizzo. Over a two-year period she had dated a few rich guys and they had showered her with gifts but she still wasn't happy. She had finally realised that gifts and money didn't make her happy but being with Sonny made her happy with how much he made her laugh and how much he cared for her. For the two years that Marty was away Sonny had tried to move on with a few girls but there was one big problem – they weren't Marty. Kenickie, Doody and Putzie had tried to cheer him up while she was away but nothing had worked and he was no longer the Sonny that they knew. After two years since graduation, Rizzo had been sitting in the backyard enjoy the summer sun but she heard someone knocking on the front door. Rizzo opened the door and was shocked to see a teary Marty standing there and asking for her help, which Rizzo gave her. Marty knew that she had wasted time in looking for something that was already there and thought she had lost Sonny forever. Rizzo had calmed her down and told her that Sonny still loved her and with time they would be able to work things through but she wouldn't know how Sonny felt until she seen him again. Not wanting to put if off any longer, Marty drove to Sonny's apartment expecting him to slam the door in her face but instead he pulled her into his arms as a few tears slid down their faces. Once he eventually let her go, he had dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him after promising himself he would so if she ever came back to him and Marty couldn't say yes quick enough. They got married one year later and they had never been happier, with everyone happy that Sonny was happy again and Marty was back with them as well. Sonny had gotten a job as a plumber and after a year had started his own company which now employed over 20 people whilst Marty had a job at a fashion boutique as a stylist. Three years later they had a baby girl called Maria and second girl called Sophie two years later.
Through the years they had all remained close with the girls often arranging play dates with all the kids at the park or someone's house. Sometimes the girls would tease Rizzo that she was the only one without a career but it didn't bother her. She had Kenickie who loved her, a house that she could only have dreamt about in high school and three boys who were happy and healthy. After they bought the third shop, Kenickie made Rizzo a partner in the business and every time they bought a new shop or major changes were done, Kenickie always included her, so people asked what she did, she said that she was a business owner. At least once a month all they would all go out without the kids or gather at someone's house for a BBQ and all the kids were soon a close nit group as well. The only ones missing were Danny and Sandy.
After graduation the whole gang had enjoyed a few weeks together before going out to find a job or get ready for college. Sandy been accepted into the University of Philadelphia to study medicine and become a doctor. Danny had no real plan as to what he wanted to do but he knew that he loved Sandy so he moved with her to Philly hoping he would find a job as well but promised to keep in touch with everyone. He found a job but he was soon bored of it, he missed the t birds and didn't like living in Philly. He moved back home five months later, agreeing to a long distance relationship with Sandy and got a job in a sports centre as a coach in track. Just as it seemed Danny was settled, he missed Sandy greatly and felt left out when the gang would meet up, as he was only one without his girlfriend there. Six months later, Danny had moved back to Philly to be with Sandy once again promising to stay in touch. This routine of moving back and forth between Philly and LA continued for the next four years. Everyone tried to be understating to what Danny was feeling but once they got married, got their dream jobs and had children, their patience was running out. Kenickie felt a mixture of guilt and frustration. Danny was really struggling and needed Kenickie but he was so busy with the first shop's work load, the second shop opening and Rizzo finding out that she was pregnant that he barely had any time to listen to Danny complaining. Then there was the part of him that was frustrated with Danny. All he ever seemed to do was complain but their was so much he could do to help himself however he didn't take the chance, remaining on the same pattern for the next year.
Once Sandy had graduated, she gave Danny an ultimatum; Move with her to her new job as a doctor in Dallas, Texas or stay in LA but she wouldn't take him back again. It was a no brainer, so once again Danny packed up, moved to Dallas and as promised, he stayed this time with Sandy. They made trips back to LA a couple of times a year but soon it dwindled down to one visit a year then eventually the visits stopped. Danny and Kenickie still kept in touch via phone but as time went on, their phone calls slowly dwindled to one phone call every 3 months. Danny would never have admitted it but he felt resentment to his best friend. Danny had bounced between many jobs while Sandy was the breadwinner while Kenickie had a very successfully business, three strapping young boys and a wife who supported him in every decision he made. Kenickie was upset at first when the contact slowed down but he soon realised that it was Danny's issue and he had do what he had to do no matter how much he missed his best friend.
Kenickie looked up from the BBQ and inspected the food Rizzo had brought out. "Geez you feeding the whole neighbourhood?"
"No but let me see." Rizzo smirked back. "You've got three sons built like brick houses, a wife and a pregnant daughter in law to feed plus five grandkids that never stop eating as well. There may not be enough there."
"Fair point." Kenickie smiled back knowing she was right.
The whole family hadn't been together in almost a month and Rob had been out of town for the past two weeks so Rizzo and Kenickie were having a BBQ for a family catch up. Once the BBQ was done, the boys were taking Rob out for some drinks to let his hair down for a couple of hours and get some father son and brotherly time in. Rob and his kids were staying with Rizzo and Kenickie tonight while Rizzo looked after the kids while the boys were out. Going over two weeks without seeing all five of her grandchildren had driven Rizzo stir crazy and she was excited to finally have her family all together again.
"Did Rob say why he was coming over early?" He asked as he went back to inspecting the BBQ.
"No he just said he was coming over earlier than the time we said with the kids." Rizzo said as she poured herself a glass of lemonade.
"Probably just needs a break after two weeks and needs some adults to talk to." Kenickie replied.
"Yeah maybe." Rizzo replied not convinced by his answer, knowing something else was going on.
Normally mothers worried about the youngest son but Rizzo always worried about Rob the most, more so in the last year as well.
Being the youngest, Alex was always the target for Eric to play jokes on and tease but once he started growing and gaining muscle, he soon reminded him that he was just as strong as Eric was. Like his father and brothers, Alex had a love of cars and left school as soon as he could to start working at one of the garages. Since he had been around cars since he was born, he pretty much knew everything about cars and was a skilled mechanic but Alex's biggest problem in life was women. He was tall, muscled, tanned and had the perfect mix of Rizzo and Kenickie in looks meaning everywhere he went girls followed him. He had had numerous relationships with girls – Rizzo and Kenickie had only met one or two- but he seemed to get bored quickly before waiting a few months then moving onto the next one. Rizzo could see why women followed him but as long as he treated them kindly and was safe, she didn't mind. The last thing they both wanted was Alex coming home and telling them he was going to be a dad to someone he had only dated for a few weeks. At the moment he was single with no plans to get married but was happy to be cool Uncle Alex to his brothers kids.
When it came to Eric, he had given Rizzo and Kenickie nothing to worry about. When they first brought Alex home from the hospital, Eric didn't like Alex one bit and as he got older, he had started to play jokes on him. That quickly stopped once Alex reached the same height and build as him but now they were close with each other. Like Alex, Eric left school and was a skilled mechanic at one of the garages but Eric had taken night classes at a local college to study business as he also had a passion for go cart racing and wanted a business to call his own. Instead of going to a bank, Eric went to his dad with a business plan to ask for a loan to open his own go cart track. Kenickie was impressed with his plan and gave him the start up funds that he needed and he wasn't disappointed with the results. Within six months, the loan was paid back with Kenickie, Rob and Alex coming on board as silent partners in the business as they knew it was Eric's baby and didn't want to interfere too much. After three years Eric had gone down to working part time at the garages to expand the go cart track with everyone's full support. As for Eric's love life, that had been the smoothest out of all the boys. Ever since Rizzo could remember, Eric and Lucy – Jan and Putzie's daughter - had always been close. When they were little they used to play together all the time with Eric making sure she wasn't left out or that no one picked on her. When they got to high school they were best friends although everyone knew that it wouldn't be long before they realised that they would end up together. Eventually in senior year, they bother admitted that they loved each other and were officially together as a couple. They'd been together ever since and got married seven years ago, welcoming their son Adam four years ago and Lucy was currently pregnant with their second child, another boy due in four months time.
Then there was Rob. Rizzo didn't think this just because he was her son but he was the kindest, caring and selfless person she knew. When his brothers came along, he always made sure they had anything before himself and acted as a mediator between them when they used to fight. Rizzo and Kenickie often joked that they didn't know where he came from and if he was theirs but you could tell by looking at him that he was theirs. Rob was more muscular and broader than his dad but Rob was like a clone of Kenickie in his looks and height that it often scared Rizzo and she often caught herself doing a double take when she looked at him as it was like going back in time and looking at Kenickie. Rizzo and Kenickie had told the boys that they didn't have to join the family business if they didn't want to but it was all Rob wanted to do and he always wanted to learn the business side. As the oldest it was expected that the business side would go to Rob but Kenickie had told him to spend time working as a regular mechanic first and earn the respect of the other mechanics rather than just waltzing in as the bosses son and expecting to be taken seriously. Rob understood and had earned the respect of all the mechanic's that worked for Kenickie and once he had done it, Kenickie had showed him all the business side of the things and Rob grasped it quickly. Whenever Kenickie decided that he was ready to retire, Rob was ready to takeover but right now he was happy to still work on the cars and helped out with some of business side. Rob got married when he was twenty-two to Laura, who Rizzo and Kenickie had welcomed with open arms. She made Rob happier than they had ever seen him and together they had four children. Things had been rough over the last year for Rob, with his brothers and parents supporting him through his darkest days. The hardest part was over now and he seemed back to almost his old self but the best cure for him was having his four kids with him.
"That sounds like a car pulling up on the drive way." Kenickie said as he heard a car pull up at the front of the house.
"His ears must have been burning." Rizzo replied as her hue smiled reappear and she walked back inside to investigate as Kenickie shook his head at how excited she was to see Rob and the kids again.
Rizzo walked back into the dining room then headed to the living room to see if a car had pulled up. Sure enough Rob's car was parked in the drive away and she seen him get out of the car followed by four excited little people. Rizzo walked back into the kitchen ready to hug her grandkids when they came racing through the hallway. She just made into the kitchen, when she heard the front door open and then came a sound she would never get tired of hearing.
"Grandma!"
Rizzo turned to see her eldest grandson almost sprint towards her as he threw his arms around her.
"Hey sweetheart." Rizzo replied as she wrapped her arms around him as well.
Kenny George Murdoch was going to be eleven next month and was Rob's eldest son named after Grandpa Kenickie. Just like Rob, Kenny was a clone copy of his father in his looks but he had his mother's soft blue eyes. As the oldest Kenny had to set an example to his younger siblings but he did love to play jokes and pranks on them as well. The past six months had forced Kenny to grow up a little bit quicker but he had handled it really well and Kenickie, Rizzo and Rob couldn't have been more proud of him. Like every Murdoch boy, Kenny loved cars and every chance he could get he was with his grandpa, uncle's and dad at one of the shops or in the family garage tinkering away. Recently he had started to show more interested in motor bikes which scared Rizzo slightly as it was more dangerous but hopefully it was just a faze he was going through.
"I missed you." Kenny said as he hugged her tighter.
"Aw I missed you to. I think you grew again while you were away. Did you have fun?" Rizzo asked as she pushed him away to look at him.
"Dad says I did to. Yeah we had so much fun. Wish we didn't have to come back but it's summer vacation now." Kenny replied as he took a step to the side so someone else could hug grandma.
"You still got some school work to do remember." Rizzo said as her head followed Kenny as he turned away from her.
Rizzo turned back to the hallway as another person was waiting to hug her.
"Hi Grandma!" Another voice greeted her and more arms were thrown around her.
"Hi honey." Rizzo replied as she hugged the person back.
The next one to hug Rizzo was her second oldest grandson and Rob's second oldest son, eight-year-old Jackson Connor Murdoch. Ever since he was born, he had kept everyone on their toes as he loved to play little jokes on people but it was never aimed to hurt anyone, just to make them laugh. The little boy seemed to have endless energy and loved to play all different kinds of sports and had won countless medals. With playing so many sports, Jackson didn't spend as much time as Kenny working on cars as his sports took priority but whenever he could, he would be in the workshop working on cars as well. Jackson had his dad's height and build but look wise he was a perfect mix of both his mom and dad, making for stunning combination. When he was older, he would have problem keeping the girls away like his dad and uncle Alex.
"I missed you. Are you grounded again?" Rizzo asked as she pushed him away from her to look at him.
"I missed you to. No I was good and dad even bought me a new toy car I was so good." Jackson replied with a triumphant smile on his face.
"That's great Jax. You think it'll last?" Rizzo asked him as he stood beside Kenny.
"Probably not." Jackson replied as he fist bumped his brother.
Rizzo shock her head knowing that he was only good during the last two weeks so that he wouldn't be grounded for the start of summer but if Jackson stopped being the joker he was, he wouldn't be Jackson.
As Rizzo turned round, she expected to be met by the next oldest one as they usually came in by order of age but not today.
"Grandma! Grandma!" Rob's youngest shouted as he ran and threw himself at Rizzo.
"Whoa! Hey you." Rizzo as she wobbled slightly with the force of being crashed into.
Crashing into Rizzo's legs was Rob's youngest, four year old Ryan Matthew Murdoch. Being the youngest in a family with three older siblings all Ryan ever wanted was to be apart of what the older ones were doing, even if he was to young to be involved. Even at four years old, you could tell he was going to be tall and well built like his dad and brothers. Like Jackson, he had the perfect mix of his mum and dad in him and would be a heart breaker one day to.
"I gotta go on a rope swing, had my first smore and we went swimming nearly everyday." Ryan excitedly told her.
"Sounds like you had a lot of fun." Rizzo said, as she looked down at Ryan as still hugged her legs.
"I missed you and Grandpa to." Ryan said as he smiled up at her.
"We missed you to." Rizzo replied.
"Hey Mom." A voice said making Rizzo look up.
Once she looked up, she seen Rob standing in the kitchen doorway.
"Hey sweetie." Rizzo replied as she opened her arms to him trying not to let her tears fall.
Rob happily went into his mom's arms and held her tightly with Ryan still hugging her legs.
"You have a good time away?" Rizzo asked they parted.
"Yeah was well needed. For all of us." Rob replied as he picked Ryan up.
Even though Rob had a smile on his face and said he had a good time, Rizzo could read him like a book and knew something else was going on but she knew he would tell her soon.
"I'm glad you had a good time but I'm glad to have you all back home." Rizzo said as she hugged Kenny and Jackson again.
"Us to. Get our own beds again." Rob replied as he adjusted Ryan on his hip.
"Although Rob." Rizzo as she let the boys go and turned back to Rob. "You've lost one of your kids between the car and the kitchen." Rizzo said as pointed that there was only three of his kids standing in the kitchen.
Rob chuckled slightly. "No Ma, I didn't. The third one just bypassed you. Look out the window."
Rizzo turned round to look out the window to see what Rob meant. Kenickie was standing by the BBQ but in his arms was Rob's third child and Jackson's twin Dale Jamie Murdoch.
When Laura was pregnant with Jackson, the sonogram showed that he was healthy but all of Laura's blood pressure, vitamins and bump size caused the doctors concern and she had to be monitored closely but they could never find a cause for her levels being all over the place. Once Jackson was born, Laura had shouted that she needed to push again and another baby was coming. Laura had told Rob to pick another name while she was having Jackson's twin. Rob had shouted the name Dale after his favourite Nascar driver Dale Earnhart and a few moments later, Dale was born but surprised everyone by being a girl. It was a surprise that Dale was a girl, as she was the only girl to be born into the Murdoch family in four generations and the best surprise that they had ever gotten with everyone excited to finally have a girl in the family, especially Rizzo. No sonogram had ever shown that Jackson had a twin but the doctor had said that Dale must have hidden behind Jackson the entire time so no one could find her but it proved why Laura's levels were all over the place. Like Jackson, Dale loved to play jokes on people and play sports but just because she was a girl that didn't stop her loving cars. She loved working on cars and loved to play rough with her brothers but recently she had preferred motorbikes like Kenny as well. Being the only girl in a family of all boys, Dale was adored by everyone, with her huge smile and laugh making everyone around her smile to. Rob was wrapped around her finger since the moment she was born and Dale was definitely daddies little girl but when she seen her grandpa, she only had time for him and was grandpa's little girl instead. As she got older she was going to be tall like her siblings and she was getting stronger everyday as well. Look wise, she had her mom's features on her lower face but from the nose upwards she looked like Rizzo. When she got older, heaven help the boy's that tried to get near her with all the men ready to protect her but Rizzo knew Dale would be able to take care of herself.
As Dale was excitedly talking away in Kenickie's arms, he sensed that the others were watching them and walked back inside with Dale still in his arms. As he got in the kitchen, his eyes caught Rob first.
"Hey Son. Does little cutie belong to you?" Kenickie asked Rob as he tickled Dale's cheek.
"No she doesn't belong to me dad." Rob replied making Dale smile more.
"I guess you need a home then." Kenickie said as he turned to face Rizzo. "Hey Riz. I found this cute little thing in the garden. Can we keep her?"
"She looks like to much trouble to me. Just through her in the trash." Rizzo laughed back at him.
"Sorry kiddo. Grandma says no so gotta through you in the trash." Kenickie smiled to Dale as he started walking back outside towards the trashcans.
"No. No." Dale laughed as she wriggled in his arms not wanting to go in a trashcan.
Everyone in the kitchen laughed as Dale continued to laugh.
"Just like we never went away." Rob said as he placed Ryan back down on the ground.
"Now we've got all summer to look forward to as well." Rizzo replied as she went over and hugged him again.
"Grandma!" Dale's voice shouted as she came racing through the patio door back into the kitchen.
"Hey sweetie." Rizzo said as Dale ran into Rizzo's awaiting arms.
"I missed you." Dale said as she hugged Rizzo tightly.
"I missed you more." Rizzo replied hugging her back.
"Hey boys." Kenickie greeted his grandson's as he walked back into the kitchen.
"Grandpa!" The boys shouted at him as they ran towards Kenickie to get a hug from him.
"Did you have fun with your dad and brothers?" Rizzo asked as she finished hugging Dale.
"Yeah. We went swimming a lot, went to the park and played cards. Daddy is getting better at doing my bunches as well.' Dale replied as she pointed to the bunches in her hair.
"Yeah he's made you look more pretty but tomorrow Grandma will French braid it for you." Rizzo said as she inspected Dale's bunches. There was still some work needing done with Rob's hairdressing skills but it was a good attempted.
After the boys had each had a hug from Kenickie, he walked over to Rob and could tell as well that something was on his mind as well.
"Hey son." Kenickie said as he pulled Rob into his arms. Even though his son's were grow men, Kenickie still wasn't afraid to hug them and show them he loved them.
"Hey dad." Rob replied as he hugged his dad back.
"Glad to be home?" Kenickie asked Rob as he let him go.
"Yeah." Rob said before lowering his voice. "Needed a break from the four monsters."
"Wait till tonight and you might not be saying that." Kenickie laughed, as he knew how drunk they got last time the four of them went out together.
"True." Rob said as his smile dropped and he turned serious as he looked at his kids. "Guys, go grab your stuff and put it away upstairs please."
"I call the bedroom with the race track in it." Dale called as she ran out of the kitchen to grab her backpack out of the hallway where they had all dumped them.
"No that's mine." Kenny shouted as he ran after her.
"I called that room earlier." Jackson shouted as he was hot on Dale and Kenny's heels.
"Guys wait for me." Ryan called as he tried to keep up with them.
"Well that should keep them occupied for while." Rob said as he moved and sat down at the dining room table.
"I think you just started world war three." Kenickie said as he sat down beside Rob.
"Don't worry I got a plan to keep the peace." Rob replied. He knew he had to tell them what was going on but he also didn't want to spoil today.
Rizzo could see his expression change and knew whatever he needed to tell them didn't need to be dragged out.
"Rob." Rizzo said as she sat down opposite him and Kenickie. "What's going on?"
Rob knew he couldn't hide anything from his mom and that she would figure out something was wrong. He let out a sigh knowing once again he needed them more than ever. "So we got home yesterday afternoon after an amazing two weeks away. It was the first time in a long time I'd seen them all smiling and happy. Anyway an hour after getting home, David came to the house to saying there's been a development while we were away."
Rizzo and Kenickie were hanging on his every word. David was their family lawyer and any visit from him usually brought some unexpected news to their family.
"Laura's parents challenged the will again while we were away. They wanted to fight for custody again but it was thrown out by a judge for having no evidence that anything had changed." Rob took another deep breathe as the angry and hurt rose inside him. "They wanted to try and take my kids away from me again."
Kenickie and Rizzo both let out a sigh of anger and annoyance.
Laura was the only daughter born to wealthy parents and they were very snobby. Laura had been dragged to country clubs and debutant balls all through her teenage years, which she absolutely despised. She would tell her parents that she was at a friend's house but she was out in the hills mountain biking with other friends and getting covered in dirt. One Saturday on her way home, her bike had gotten a flat tire and one of Murdoch's Auto Repair's was the closest place to get it patched up. When she arrived, only Rob was there, tinkering away on his first car that he got for his seventeenth birthday. What should have been a five minute job for Rob to fix her bike last four hours with the two of them talking and exchanging numbers. Laura went to an exclusive private school, which meant they could only meet after school or at weekends but they both really liked each other and enjoyed spending time with each other. Laura loved how Rob wasn't like the rich boys she knew who showed off their looks and wealth at every opportunity (Even though Rob had a huge inheritance coming) but she loved how caring he was. Rob knew she could have any guy of her choice but would never complain that she choose him. Girls threw themselves at him for his looks and the money that he would one day inherit but Laura didn't care about that. All she cared about was him.
Rizzo was wary when she first met Laura knowing where she was from and who her family were but after an hour of meeting her, she could see why Rob liked her and that Laura genuinely liked Rob as well. Rizzo and Laura became really close so when Dale was born her middle name honoured her Grandma for being a better mother to Laura than her own mother had been. They got married five years later and had four beautiful children. The money from the garages meant that they were in a fortunate position that Laura didn't need to work, so she was a full time mum to their kids and looked after the house. Laura's parents didn't feel the same way about Rob and his family, thinking Laura had married beneath her, even though Rob had a lot of money as well. They told her if she married Rob, she wouldn't receive any inheritance money but it backfired as Laura didn't even consider breaking up with Rob and married him. This caused a serious strain with Laura and her parents but as the kids were born things eased. There was eventually an understanding and things between everyone were good although Laura hated how her parents tried to interfere when it came to raising her kids and her parents still bought Dale dresses and debutant flyers – Dale would never wear a dress.
The last year was the start of things going down hill for Rob's family. Laura had gone mountain biking with a friend and they reached the top of their hill in record time. On the way down Laura's back tire got lodged between two rocks, resulting in her being thrown off her bike, tumbling down the majority of the way down the hill hitting multiple rocks and debris on the way down. She was air lifted from the mountain and taken to hospital were luckily she was only suffering from a few bumps and bruises but it was mostly her pride that was hurt. While she recovered Rizzo and Rob looked after the kids whilst Rob was at Laura's beck and call. After a month Laura's bruises had healed but she still wasn't feeling better and was tired all the time. She gave it another couple of weeks however she still couldn't pick Ryan up and could barely hug the kids or Rob without it hurting. They went back to the doctors who ordered scans and blood work done but when the results came back it wasn't good.
When Laura tumbled down the hill, all the rocks she hit on the way down had been on her lower back and the impact had done some major damage to her kidneys. Her left kidney was only working at 20% compared to a normal working kidney which was putting pressure on her right kidney as it had to do double the work. She was put on dialyses straight away while the doctors put her on the transplant list for a new kidney. The problem was that Laura had a very rare blood type and finding a donor was going to take some time but everyone offered to help. Rizzo, Kenickie, Rob, Eric, Alex, all of the T birds ,pink ladies, their children and partners all got tested to be a donor but none of them were a match. Laura's parents were not a match either meaning it was a waiting game to find a suitable donor. As they waited for a donor, life went on as usual however Rizzo spent more time at Rob's to help Laura clean the house and help with kids as Laura got tired easily and couldn't do a lot of heavy lifting.
Six months after the accident the family were in a comfortable routine but once again life had a another curveball to throw at them. Rob was out with the twins at a sporting activity while Laura, Kenny and Ryan were in the house when without warning Laura had collapsed on the floor unconscious. Kenny managed to call 9-1-1, Rizzo and Kenickie, his dad and also keep Ryan calm until help arrived although it had shaken him a little bit. Rob made it to the house as the ambulance was loading Laura into it but he couldn't go with her as he couldn't leave the kids alone. Luckily Rizzo and Kenickie appeared within ten minutes telling him to get his ass to hospital and that they would take the kids to dinner then back to their house. The kids loved going out for dinner and staying with their grandparents so they were happy although Kenny was still shaken about what he had seen but Kenickie told him how proud he was of what he did and that he done a great job and Kenny slowly perked up. Rob got to their house once the kids were asleep. He said that they were running tests and he was going back to spend the night with her but needed them to watch the kids until they knew what was happening. Rizzo and Kenickie were there for whatever Rob needed and told him not to worry about the kids, just to focus on Laura. In the morning he called to tell them the update on Laura.
The dialyses was no longer working on her left kidney which was now only working at 5% and her right kidney was down to working to working at 40%. Without a transplant in the next year, Laura wouldn't make it. The doctor's were looking everywhere for a transplant but due to Laura's rare blood type it was looking very unlikely that they would find one in time. As Rizzo listened to Rob, she could tell that he was heartbroken knowing that he was going to lose the love of his life and his children would grow up without a mother. Laura knew herself that they weren't going to find a match in time but instead of being sad about it, she made every moment count. She and Rob visited the few places that that they always wanted to go to but made sure it was safe and near a hospital for Laura and spend as much time together a family that they could as well. She spent one on one time with each of her children to give them memories of her as well as having memories of being together as a family. Rob and her already had a will in place if anything were to happen to either of them but when Laura knew her time was limited, she wrote each child a letter for on their 18th birthday, first car, wedding, for when they had their children and left them each something to remember her by. Rizzo had promised her that Kenickie and her would help Rob with their children but Laura had made Rizzo promise to be the main women in their life's and be there for Dale when it came to lady issues. Rizzo promised and it was a promise she would never break.
As the months passed Laura slowly deteriorated and within four and months since she collapsed, she was taken into hospital as she had gone down hill rapidly. When she was settled, the doctors told her , she only had a couple of days left and there was no donor yet. That night Rob brought their children in to say goodbye to her as Laura wanted them to remember her the way she was before she got worse over the next few days. Kenny, Dale and Jackson knew this was the last time that they would see Mommy and their tears broke everyone's hearts. Ryan was to young to fully understand what was going on but all four hugged her, told her that they loved her and promised that they would be good for Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa. They each gave her one final goodbye before going back to their house with Rizzo and Kenickie while Rob stayed with Laura. In the morning Kenickie headed off to one of the garages taking Kenny, Dale and Jackson with him to take their minds occupied instead of being in the house all day. Their school was aware of the family situation and had given them work to do at home encase they needed to take time off. All their work was done and Kenickie knew working on cars would put a smile on their faces. While he took the three eldest away, Rizzo dropped Ryan at day care. After she dropped him off, she had stopped at her and Kenickie's house to get more clothes as she didn't now how long they'd be staying at Rob's for but they only had a small amount of clothes there. Once she got back to Rob's, she walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see Rob sitting at the kitchen table. He looked up at her and walked towards her as she opened her arms and held him as he finally broke down her arms. She didn't need to know why he was home. Laura was gone.
The week after passed in a flash with getting everything ready for the funeral and trying to keep the kids minds off things. Laura's parents kept trying to change the funeral details but Rob wasn't budging as he was going to make sure that Laura got the funeral that she wanted, not what they wanted. The funeral was perfect and all the kids handled it perfectly with only the oldest three shedding a few tears but cuddles from family members soon calmed them. A week after the funeral, Rob, Rizzo and Kenickie had a good routine with Rob's working hours, taking the kids to school, and getting them to and from their sport activities. The three oldest still seemed down at times and would sometimes wake up crying in the night but either Rob or Rizzo would get up and calm them back to sleep. After a few weeks everyone was moving on and had accepted the new normal until Laura's parents showed up at the house one afternoon. They didn't think Rob was suitable to be raising four kids on his own and they were better suited to raise his children that he was so they were going to contest the will and seek full custody. Laura and Rob's will stated that if one of them died, the other one would get full custody but in the event that they both died, custody went to Rizzo and Kenickie first then Eric and Lucy. Laura's parents hadn't been mentioned in their will and Rob knew they were doing this out of spite for Laura not doing what they wanted her to do when she was younger but would try and force their lifestyle on their grandchildren. In his mother-in-law's words, she didn't want four grease monkey's for grandchildren.
The next month brought multiple meetings with lawyers, child services to inspect Rob and his parent's houses, meetings with schoolteachers and even a child psychologist to evaluate each child. After all that work, a judge came to the conclusion that everyone already knew – Rob was an excellent father and his children were safe, happy, well looked after and loved by all of his family so the will would not be changing and Rob would keep full custody of his children. It was a great result but the affects of their other grandparents contesting the will had seriously affected the three oldest again.
Kenny and Jackson had gone quiet again and didn't seem interested in doing any of the things that they loved whilst Dale refused to leave her dad or grandpa's side encase someone tried to take her away from them. With Laura's passing, the funeral, change in routine and the custody case, Rob decided that the five of them needed a break and to get away for a bit. He spoke to the school who were very understanding and gave him the remaining two weeks of Kenny, Dale and Jackson's schoolwork before summer broke with the condition it was handed in by 12th July. Rob had offered his parents to come away with them but they both said Rob needed a break with just him and his children. He packed up their suitcases and took them to a holiday resort upstate, which had everything they loved – a massive swimming pool, a racetrack, climbing wall and loads of outdoor activities. At night when it was just the five of them, they would play cards, watch videos, complete their schoolwork and play board games. It was just what they all needed and the three oldest were almost back to themselves, with Rob less stressed as well knowing that his kids were happier.
The past two weeks had been perfect but now they were having to go through everything again.
"I'll do whatever I need to do but I'm just worried it's going to set them back again" Rob said as he looked towards the kitchen door hearing the heated debate between his kids.
'The judge throw it out." Rizzo said as she also heard the noise hoping nothing was being broken. "There's no evidence that something has changed since the last time so it's going any further."
"Your mom's right." Kenickie said as he put an arm around his son. "They're not taking those kids anywhere. It's all smoke to get you upset and scared but it's not gonna work.'
Rizzo reached over and took Rob's hand. "Exactly. They're just doing this to spite you and Laura but it's not gonna work. Whatever you need as well, we're always here for you and those kids."
Rob gave them both a weak smile. He knew that Laura's parents weren't going to get his kids and just wished they would leave him alone. He had lost the love of his life, was a single dad to four kids and was preparing to take over a major business in the next few years. This was the last thing he needed and was worried how his kids would handle it if they had to go through this for a second time. Even though he was a grown man, Rob still relied on his parents to help him but he loved them and would never be able to thank them enough for everything that they had done for him.
"David said the same thing. Maybe I'm just over thinking this but please don't mention this to anyone else before we know for sure that it won't go back to the judge." Rob said as he relaxed slightly.
"We won't." Rizzo said as she pulled her hand back.
"DAD!" A little voice shouted.
All three turned and seen Ryan coming running into the kitchen from the hall.
"What's wrong kiddo?" Rob asked as Ryan came to a halt beside him.
"Jackson put the Lego bucket on Dale's head and it's stuck. Kenny couldn't get it off either." Ryan said as he tried to catch his breath.
Rob let out a sigh as Rizzo and Kenickie smiled at the situation. After two peaceful weeks, chaos had returned to their house and they couldn't have been happier.
"Where's the Lego that was in the bucket?" Rizzo asked.
"Jackson tipped it out on the bedroom floor before he put the bucket on her head." Ryan replied as he looked scared for his sister.
Rob was about to stand up and get the bucket of Dale's head but just as he was about to stand up, Dale walked into the kitchen with the yellow bucket on her head.
"Daddy! Get this off me!" Dale shouted as she waved her arms about trying to get her barring's.
Rob couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of him. He leaned forward and gently took Dale's hand and guided her back to the table. "Hold still and this shouldn't hurt princess."
Rob gripped the bucket with both holds and as gently as he could, he tried to pull it off her head. It didn't come off straight away but once Rob applied more pressure it popped off Dale's head easily.
"Ow!" Dale said as she rubbed her forehead where the bucket had left a mark.
"Come here." Rizzo said to Dale so that she could fix her bunches. "How did you get down the stairs with that on your head?"
"I slid down the steps on my bum." Dale said proudly as Rizzo straightened her bunches.
"Next wait until we come up encase you tumble down the stairs and hurt yourself little lady." Kenickie replied with a no nonsense look to Dale.
Dale always listened to her Grandpa and didn't want him mad her. "Ok." She said as her head dropped slightly.
Kenickie seen her face dropped but he winked at her and her smile quickly returned, happy that she wasn't in trouble.
Just as Rizzo finished fixing her hair, Kenny and Jackson came back into the room and Dale's eyes met Jackson's.
"Uh oh." Jackson said as he turned on his heels and ran away.
"I'm gonna get you!" Dale shouted as she ran after him.
"Still glad to have us home?" Rob asked as he stood up to stop Dale and Jackson killing each other or broke something.
"Absolutely." Rizzo replied as Rob headed into the hallway. "Kenny." Rizzo said as she passed him the bucket that was on Dale's head. "Can you put the Lego back in the box upstairs please."
"Ok Grandma." Kenny said as he took the bucket from her and headed back upstairs.
"I'll help Kenny." Ryan said as he excitedly followed his brother up the stairs.
"Just like that, order is restored." Kenickie said as he got up off the kitchen table.
Rizzo smiled back at him as she got up as well. The chaos in this family would drive some people crazy but she loved it. It was her family and she wouldn't have it any other way.