EpilogueGathering at Ghillie's Rest

A couple nights later, hours after the election of the head of the new 'glens' counsel, the family gathered around Ghillie's Rest. Archie and Paul kept the pub closed to the public as they finished cleaning up the place but invited the family and supporters of Compton for a 'celebration' shin-dig.

"Well, now that you're head of the counsel, what are you planning to do?" Susan asked promptly but Compton laughed a loud, "Susan, you might be one of my favorite reporters, but don't you take a night off?"

"She takes lots of nights off!" Paul butt right in with a chuckle and Susan laughed, "I just wanted to know..."

Paul then added to Compton while handing him a pint, "Eat drink be merry and I'll entertain the reporter..." Paul latched his hand onto Susan's arm and swung her into a dance as they joined Molly and Golly who were dancing away nearby.

"You want to entertain me?" Susan's eyes leveled to Paul's.

"Compton just won the spot tonight, can't you interview him another day? Enjoy yourself Susan, the paper's underway, the pub looks brilliant now that we're set to open tomorrow and our house is coming right along...life is good." Paul spoke long-winded but reassuring as Susan and Paul danced, wrapped their bodies around each other and laughed again.

Molly and Golly two-stepped, four stepped and glided across the small dance floor as they were engrossed in quite chatter, "You know, not too much longer and we'll be showing our moves at the wedding..."

"Molly, you're lucky I'm agreeing to this right now, since everyone's looking at us. I'm old man now, don't ya know?" Golly said modestly, lowering his eyes to Molly, as he noticed Lexie watching them with Lizzie.

"When did you let age stop you from dancing Golly? Besides you love to dance..." Molly teased him sweetly and also noted all of the other times Golly had danced with other women in her head...all during the times that she's known him, "Like with Marsha, oh that red-head, Mae and also..."

"I'd watch it if I were you..."

"Why's that?"

"Because lass, dancing is only for the strong of heart and you go weak in the knees when I do this!" Golly laughed and dipped Molly whose eyes widened with her laugh.

"They seem to be getting on..." Lexie nudged Lizzie over at the bar to take a look at Molly and Golly and how their bodies twisted together while they danced.

"Of course, going to be married, they must be getting on." Lizzie replied as Lexie could tell something was a matter with Lizzie.

"You look like someone shot your poodle? Spill it."

"I'm not certain I understand why Compton needs me here." Lizzie confessed as Lexie gave her an astonished look, "How do you mean? I thought you two got on well?"

"We do, we do, for the most part. Just he won the election..."

"You don't seem thrilled about it. You should be celebrating and kicking yer heels on that dance floor...c'mon, you go with me!" Lexie tried to drag Lizzie to the dance floor, but Lizzie stopped Lexie from doing it by saying, "It's not that, ever since the election, Lexie, I've been noticing things about Compton and me."

"What kind of things?"

"Like what I'm wearing tonight..." Lizzie looked down herself and Lexie replied, "What's wrong with what you have on?"

"Compton picked it out...every time we go out, it's like if I don't wear what he wants me to wear, he'll get insulted or something. Like I have some 'image' of his to uphold, and if I wear what he suggests, then he's happy as pie."

"So he's a little choosy of your outfits, nothing wrong with it is there? At least he cares about what you look like...I mean not that Archie doesn't care about what I wear...but..."

"Lexie, he orders what he wants me to eat at any kind of restaurant."

"It's been said it's a gentlemanly thing to do when a man orders dinner for you..." Lexie assumed and added, "Archie's ordered for me before and I normally love what he chosen for me to eat...especially if I don't know what to have! I have a hard time making up my mind sometimes when we would go out...of course, I'd keep the wait staff waiting for a good hour or so and finally Arch would help out and order my food too."

"Look, if I say I hate cow, which I so do and you know it! Compton gets upset, says I'm being unreasonable especially if I don't eat it at some special dinner party of one of his clients. Lexie, I just don't think..." Lizzie spoke truthfully, but Lexie couldn't answer because Graeme wandered over to Lizzie's side.

"Lizzie, you look lovely tonight." Graeme said nicely as Lizzie gave Lexie a glossy-eyed look and flashed a smile at Graeme.

"Thank-you, Graeme. Good of you to say. Um, where's Compton?" Lizzie asked politely.

"He said he had to step out for a breath of fresh night air. Hello Lexie, you look marvelous too." Graeme replied as his attention went to Lexie's.

"Thanks, now how's abouts ya to whisk this lass off to cut the rug?" Lexie hinted to Graeme that he should ask Lizzie to dance. Lizzie gave Lexie a surprised look at how eager Lexie was for Lizzie to have fun tonight.

Graeme smiled and elbow nudged Lizzie, "I'll go if you go..."

Lizzie, who didn't object to dancing, linked her arm under Graeme's as she kept looking back at Lexie, who waved her on, "Go on. Show us yer stuff."

"You don't have to dance with me, you know?" Lizzie placed her right hand on Graeme's and then Graeme wrapped his left arm around her back as they started to sway to the music.

"Why do you not like dancing?"

"I love dancing but normally Compton..."

"Is too busy to dance or show you some fun?"

"Graeme, if he sent you to baby-sit me again..."

"What If I told you he did, would you get upset?"

"No, I wouldn't. Just I was in the middle of talking to Lexie..."

"Lizzie, you look really blue, so I thought there's a girl who needs a chat to warm her up...and so I?"

"Look, you don't have to entertain me because Compton can't. I'm starting to wonder purely why I bother with him and his excuses."

"Because you fathom he'd make a great husband one day..."

"Um, no, what gave you that kind of idea?"

Graeme shrugged, "Just a hunch, I suppose."

"Well, I'm not looking to marry anyone. Compton barely knows Martha. How can I think about marrying someone who doesn't know my daughter?" Lizzie made a solid point, but Graeme knew Compton was up to something with Lizzie. Just before the election, he hinted to Graeme about how he wasn't going to 'let this one get away'.

Lizzie and Graeme still in the middle of dancing were suddenly interrupted by...

"Nice night, great breath of fresh air and now Elizabeth, darling, dance with me. Graeme, thanks, I'm cutting in."

Compton then reclaimed Lizzie leaving Graeme, as he wandered away, to voice in a whisper, "Well, Lizzie, I wouldn't mind getting to know either of you."

The night wore on as Archie had Duncan, who was at the bar gather all of the wine glasses for a huge toast. Archie and Paul went around passing out glasses as the group listened to Archie speak.

"Thanks for coming everyone. This is a special day, the beginning of many prosperous ventures, Ghillie's and our very own gazette!"

Everyone stood there tipping glasses to first Compton and his success, while Paul added further comments, "May you have a wondrous time running a group of different minds, Compton. May Molly and Golly have all the best for years to come, long live the family and their prosperous ventures! Here here!"

"Here here!" chanted out the whole room as Lexie and Archie hugged Molly and Golly, while they shouted out, "Speech! Speech!"

Molly blushed red, but then while bowing her head, she replied, "Funny how life's always making plans for you when you least expect them. I know it's good to see my family live dearly on. I also add with a grand delight Golly, you are my savior and I don't know where I'd be with out you!"

"I don't know where I'd be with you either Molly." Golly sensitively smiled at her. The group toasted to them again and someone in the back shouted out, "Kiss her! Kiss her!" Golly and Molly longingly glanced at each other as their heads leaned in and their lips brushed lightly. A sweet voice yelled out from the doorway, "You can kiss better than that, Da!" Golly and Molly stopped osculating within seconds of hearing the voice...

Jess with her backpack strapped to her back and her blonde locks swept back in a ponytail stood tall, dressed in outdoor gear with boots on her feet. She was grinning at her father, who looked at her and then Molly awestruck, "Did you set this up?"

Golly remembered months ago around Christmas time, Jess's surprise visit and how Molly and Archie had planned it for him. Molly shook her head no, as Golly then traveled over to Jessica for a touching, lively and well needed embrace. Many questions of why she was there then flooded into Golly's poor mind, "What ye doin' 'ere?"

"Da, can we chat about it later?" Jess asked smartly as she eyed the 'karaoke' microphone in Duncan's hands and stage, before Ewan toted her away towards it. Golly nodded his head, "Sure, lass, we will."

The END