A/N: The new chapter of "We Three Hearts" is now available!
April 1st 2022
Chapter 91
Our Summer of Music
Between Cara's honeymoon and Maya's trip with Lucas and the girls, both of the bands had needed to figure out how best to carry on without them for a bit. They could have just sat out the one week, sure, enjoy whatever else summer had to offer, like sunshine, and no school... But that was only all the more reason for them to concentrate on their musical endeavors while they had this extra freedom.
In the week while Maya was gone, TXNY actually had two shows booked, so they pulled in Olivia to sub for their missing member. As Maya would learn upon her return, Olivia's bandmates had spent those two nights crowded up backstage, almost taking notes, slowly figuring out what they were all doing up there so they could figure out what they might do. With their first song having found its way out into the world the way so many things seemed to do, with people sharing a link, they were now primed to make something happen, and they couldn't let that opportunity slide.
Maya and the rest of TXNY had been for the most part on the outside, leaving Cara and We Are Sisters figure things out for themselves, as they had done and as the new band wanted to do. If ever their assistance was requested, of course, they would pitch in, but only then. In the week while the Friars had been away, however, they had been made aware, through their calls with Eliza and Emma, of the band's current endeavor. They were always given freedom of the instruments in the Hex - with the understanding that the consoles were off limits until they could be shown how they worked - and this last week they had been visiting the studio daily, for several hours at a time.
Olivia, with the help of Riley, Nadine, Morgan, and Rosa when any of them were available, had been taking Kelsey, Nika, Ava, and herself through the paces of picking up instruments, learning to play. They all felt that they wanted to be able to do that, whether their position in the band took them on stage or not.
Ava had been getting more and more into her song writing, but she'd always been doing lyrics alone. She wanted to do the music, too, and the hope was that familiarizing herself with that side would help her accomplish that. Her uncle had a piano in the living room, having previously belonged to his grandmother. He didn't play it, mostly had it as decoration and a memory, but he was all for Ava using it. They had been working to fix it up, after realizing how long it had been sitting in some disuse, and it had been a good summer project for them as family.
As to the other girls, it was a work in progress as far as instruments went. Cara was very proficient and versatile by now, of course, and since joining as a TXNY sub Olivia had been working hard to emulate her, the better to show herself able to step in for anyone as needed. She'd grown up playing violin, just as her three older sisters had done, but she'd been picking up the piano, guitar, drums, bass... She considered herself as still learning, for each of those, still learning and eager to improve, always. As far as Nika and Kelsey were concerned, they were not looking to pick up so many instruments, no. They would focus on one for the time being and wait to see what they felt like doing - or not doing - afterward. Kelsey had soon gravitated to the keyboard, while Nika had picked up the bass.
After the news of their sessions had reached Maya and they'd realized that she knew, they'd started sending her videos of their practicing. It was a bit silly and chaotic at times, but underneath all that, it was plain to see that they all just wanted to learn, and they were putting in the efforts. To Maya - and Lucas, too, when she showed him the videos - it brought back so many memories of herself and her friends, about that age and recording themselves as they went through very similar paces. They were some of her favorite memories, and it made her ridiculously happy to witness We Are Sisters as they fed into their own evolution as a band.
It was a plan now, as she returned to Austin and Cara would soon be back, too, for them to have a show, before the summer was over, where TXNY would be able to bring We Are Sisters up on stage, for their proper debut to the wider world. They would all work together and they would make it happen. But first things first, they were one person short... and she was coming back today.
They had not expected to see Cara or Mateo so soon. They figured that they would call or text, letting everyone know that they had made it home safely and they would see each other in a day or two. They had definitely not expected the newlyweds showing up at the Friar house the day of their return, literally dropped off there with their baggage by the cab that picked them up from the airport.
Not that they weren't happy to see them, not at all. Marianne had coincidentally spotted them coming out of the car and had bolted to open the door, jumping around on the threshold, and calling out to her aunt and, yes, her new uncle. With the door open, a couple of the dogs dashed out to go and see them. When they came in, they looked almost overwhelmed before anyone else could get to them. Everyone expressed their surprise at seeing them, their pleasure, too, and Cara and Mateo both smiled, and nodded, thanking them. Before they could ask the couple anything - how was the flight back, how was the honeymoon - Maya spotted what felt like Cara trying to – somewhat discreetly – catch her eye and pass a message, a request. Can we talk? Was that why they'd come straight here? Because she wanted... needed to talk to her big sister?
They had to hand it to the others. They caught on, same as she'd done, and they ran with it, focusing on the kids, playing with them, Mateo asking about the Friars' trip, while Maya took her little sister into the kitchen. Once they got there, Cara sat down and let out a breath.
"Are you alright? Bad flight?" Maya asked as she joined her. Cara looked back at her for a moment, fingers briefly drumming against the surface of the table like she would when she'd be turning things over in her head. Maya was worried for a second or two that something might have gone wrong, that her sister had for some reason been left to regret her wedding, that on her honeymoon she might have decided she shouldn't have done it. That felt impossible, Mateo was a great guy, they both loved one another...
"Weird flight... weird trip..." Cara replied, almost to herself more than anyone, and Maya must have had worried face because her little sister soon gave a gesture to reassure her. Whatever she was thinking, that wasn't it.
"Okay..." Maya spoke, encouraging her to go on. Cara nodded, then paused and made a gesture to indicate that she needed her to contain herself. Maya wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but the best way to find out was to agree to do as asked, so she did.
"Mateo and I are having a baby," Cara quietly revealed, letting the words sit in the air for a moment before her face could melt into a shy little smile.
Maya could say with some confidence that after nearly five years as a parent, especially over the near year they'd had with the triplets so far, both she and Lucas had developed skills for containing sounds, the better not to wake anyone and set them to crying very loudly. They were pros at the quiet game. And for all that… When the words entered her mind, it felt like she'd just been sneaking around and suddenly knocked a vase off a table. Would she catch it in time, or would it crash and wake everyone?
Thinking fast, eyes wide, she got up from her seat, went to grab the keys by the door, turned and took her sister's hand, and pulled for her to follow. Out the back door they went, hand in hand all the way to the Hex, where Maya opened the door and nudged Cara inside, shutting and locking the door behind them. The lock had barely clicked when she spun around to face her little sister, letting out a squeak. Cara's contained laugh was spilling out in small bursts.
"For real?" Maya asked, caring very little that she sounded like she was about to pass out. Cara nodded. "I…" Maya searched for words, found none, so for the time being she just hugged her sister. Cara hugged her back, a sort of giddiness in her to suggest she was the first person she'd told. "How long have you known, how… Was this planned?" Maya finally asked, pulling back.
"Yes… well… no? We knew we wanted to, eventually… Didn't mean for it to happen this soon, definitely didn't plan that…" she shook her head. Planned or not, it was happening now, and as startling a thought as it had been, they were clearly very happy.
"Okay, that's okay, hey… I've got you, you know that, right? Whatever you need," Maya smiled.
"I know," Cara promised. Her eyes were just a bit misty, and though she couldn't see what her own face looked like at the moment, she could guess it was similar. "When we left the airport, it wasn't even my idea, Mateo just said, 'you want to go see your sister?' and I did, so we came. We're not telling anyone else yet, okay? But I needed to tell someone, had to tell you," she explained. Maya took hold of her hands and nodded. She brought her sister and they squeezed in side by side on the small couch. "I mean, you should tell Lucas, obviously, or… I guess I should be the one to tell him…"
"I'd recommend it, yes," Maya agreed. "The look on his face will be worth it." Cara laughed… Yes, it would be. "When did you…" Maya had to know.
"Day three," Cara told her, and her jaw went slack. "Yeah…" Cara slowly nodded.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Maya chuckled, finally understanding what she'd meant by a weird trip.
"No, it's okay, really. Made things… interesting," Cara described.
She'd had no idea, truly. The last week leading up to the wedding, she had been feeling kind of… odd… but she'd just chalked it up to pre-wedding jitters, as anyone who would have been with her would have assumed, to which Maya could attest. She'd noticed it, too, but she hadn't thought too much of it at the time. So, the wedding had gone off without a hitch, and the next morning, Cara and Mateo had set out for their honeymoon.
They hadn't even made it into the air when Cara started to feel queasy, and it only got worse once they did. Before long, she was monopolizing one of the bathrooms, enough that she only vaguely recalled sitting back in her own seat, except that she'd ended up there, with Mateo worrying over her and doing his best to keep her supplied with whatever she'd need to make it through their flight. All she'd been able to think was that she'd never really had any issues like this on planes before, and she was annoyed that it should happen now of all times. She wasn't going to let it get to her though, oh, no. This was their honeymoon, and once they landed, things would get better. They landed, they made their way to their hotel, and she spent much of the afternoon resting.
Except day two was bad, too. She was sick again, and though they still tried and enjoyed a bit of their trip, she was really not doing well, so it was hard to enjoy anything, for either one of them. By that point, Mateo had started debating the possibility of taking her to the ER, to see if something could be wrong. She'd insisted that they didn't have to. This was a bug, it would pass. The next day would be better. Only the next day wasn't, and so Mateo had finally talked her into going. They would get answers, and they would know how best to help her.
Well, they'd gotten their answer alright. She was pregnant! The doctor who'd told them must have gotten quite a laugh off the look on their faces. Complete shock and disbelief – she'd had to tell them a couple of times – followed by acceptance which turned into startled happiness. They would have a child…
After that, armed with advice on how to navigate these next several days, they'd had a choice to make. Would they be better off just flying home? No… This was still their honeymoon; they had still just gotten married. It wasn't going to be exactly the way they had imagined this trip would go, but they had all the certainty in the world that they could find this new way. And what a story it would be to share with their child when they were older… For the next week and a half, Mateo had been the peak of good husbands, tending to his new wife with the most tender care. Anything she wanted or needed, he would acquire for her, no ask was too big or too small. If it was possible to fall further in love with him, Cara did so, many times over all those days they spent out there, enjoying their new marriage, and contemplating their unexpected but wholly anticipated parenthood. As far as they could tell, their baby would be due somewhere in February, and they would spend the next several months getting ready for it.
"You guys are going to be wonderful parents," Maya promised her little sister, pulling her closer again.
"I hope so," Cara replied, showing that frail uncertainty Maya remembered well. It was so easy to make claims before the fact, even as so much remained part of the unknown. She leaned over to press a kiss at her sister's temple. Her kid sister was going to be a mother… It was hard not to go to that place in her head where she was still an eight-year-old girl, but if she could end up there and also find herself thinking of all the ways both she and Mateo had always been so good with her baby girls… They would be just fine. They might not be able to see it as clearly as she could just yet, but they'd get there.
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
