Author's Note: Sorry about taking so long to upload this chapter. I've been grounded from my computer for about a week now, so I haven't been able to record the story. I don't really have a schedule, but I'd like to post one or two chapters per week, depending on writer's block. If you have any ideas you'd like to see in this fanfic, feel free to review or PM me. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 6: Meg's Graduation
By the month of May, the idea that Meg was soon going to graduate from high school and leave for college at the end of the approaching summer was starting to set into to Lois's denying conscience. This would be the first time that Lois would have to see any of her baby birds leave the nest, and she was having a hard time coping with it. Over the past year, the once firm-standing housewife had been broken into a timid and frail person. Maybe it was just her own vanity, but she didn't realize how much she had taken Meg for granted until she had started to see more and more of herself as a hopeful teenager within her own daughter. When Meg's SAT scores came in the mail, Lois was the first to help her apply to colleges. One afternoon, Meg came into the kitchen after school, only to be met by an optimistic looking Lois.
"Uh… hi, Mom. What's with the mood?"
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that your SAT scores came in the mail today!"
"Oh my god, really? I swear, I was starting to believe they would never come."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to open them? I remember how excited I was when my scores came. Of course, Daddy wasn't impressed just because my scores weren't good enough to get me into an Ivy League, what with the cocaine, and the pornos, and-"
"Mom, I realize you were a horribly misbehaved person towards the end of high school. You've told me this, like, a thousand times before. Why don't we just open the damn envelope?"
"Oh, right."
Meg eagerly ripped open the top of the envelope from College Board and pulled out her test results sheet. Her eyes quickly scanned across her scores from the math, English, and writing sections. They all looked pretty decent, and when she added them all up, they resulted in a 2220. A 2220! A perfect score was a 2400, and Meg had scored within two hundred points of that! She looked over at her mother, who now had a tearful expression on her face, and opened her mouth to speak. She realized right away that she was speechless, so instead she and her mother shared a hug that was only broken from high-pitched crying that erupted from upstairs. Lois slowly raised her head and sighed.
"That must be Michael. I'll tell you, Meg, three babies at one time to take care of can be a total pain in the ass sometimes." Meg and Lois both shared a shaky laugh before Lois slowly sauntered her way out of the kitchen and upstairs to console the crying twin. Meg sat down at the table, reviewing her scores sheet.
Meg's POV
I can't believe the scores I got on my SAT! Seriously, I had absolutely no idea I was that intellectually capable. I wonder where I should apply to. With these scores, I could get into almost any college of my choice! But Mom… With Stewie, Ashley, and Michael, she's really been overwhelmed for the past few months, and I would feel awful if I left Mom at home to take care of these kids by herself. Maybe I should go upstairs and help her right now…
After a short thinking session, Meg got up from the kitchen table and walked upstairs into Stewie's room, which he now had to involuntarily share with Michael and Ashley. When she walked in, She saw a distressed Lois holding Michael and trying to change an unwilling Ashley, all with Stewie pulling on the ends of her khakis. Lois only looked over at Meg and silently made eye contact before turning back to Ashley. Meg noticed her mother's features. Sure, she was happy now that Brian was there for her, but some of her less noticeable physical features were really tipping off her sense of feeling overwhelmed. Sure, she had lost the baby weight, but with that, she had lost more, making Lois appear as if she were almost malnourished. On top of that, she was often trying to straighten out her hair that was usually a little matted from her fatigue, and the look in her eye was one of a plea for help. Meg was naturally caring, and deep down, she knew that if she left her mother alone like this, she wouldn't be able to live with herself. She walked over to Stewie and picked him up.
"Stewie, what is it? You know you're only making it harder for Mom when you try to interrupt her." Over the past year, Stewie was learning to actually speak, and now, most adults could understand him, including Lois and Meg.
"I'm sorry. It's just that I was hungry, but Lois was committed to taking care of Michael and Ashley first, and I didn't want to wait."
"Fine. Come on downstairs, and I'll make you something, okay?"
After giving Stewie a snack, Meg headed back upstairs to talk with Lois. When she walked in, Lois was just putting Ashley and Michael back down for their nap that they hadn't finished. Meg stood in the doorway, not wanting to wake the twins, waiting for her mother to turn around and see her. After a few minutes, Lois started to get the spine-chilling feeling that she was being watched, and turned around to be greeted by a concerned Meg.
"Hi, Meg. You had me scared there for a minute. Did you need something?"
"Not really, Mom, I just wanted to talk to you about something."
"Well, what is it?"
"It's just that you've been so overwhelmed around the house recently, and I'm afraid that if I leave for college, you won't have anybody here during the day to help you with everything."
"That's really nice of you, sweetie, but you shouldn't be worried about me. I know how to hold my own. Believe me, these few college years you're about to experience will be the most important of your life."
"If you really say so…"
"Meg, I promise you, I'll be fine."
Meg was still worried about Lois, but she believed in her mom, and so for the next few months, Meg interviewed and applied to multiple colleges around the New England states. Meg finally decided on Providence's Brown University, so she would be thirty minutes away from Quahog. Also, Meg would be attending the same college as Luke, and she was able to stay at home so she could help her mother with her daily work. By the end of May, the idea that she would soon be graduating from high school and starting to attend college was starting to seem realistic to Meg. The weekend before their graduation, Luke came home with Meg after their rehearsal. When the couple came through the door, Lois was holding one twin in both of her arms while trying to watch the Patriots game. Noticing Meg and Luke, Lois looked up and greeted them.
"Hey, you two. How did your graduation rehearsal go?"
"It was pretty good, Mom. But more importantly, Luke has a very serious question to ask you."
"Well, what is it, Luke? You don't have to be afraid to ask me."
Luke timidly tried a few times to start speaking before he finally got his statement out. "Mrs. Griffin, I know this may seem really crazy, but my brother finished his degree and moved to California to work as a programmer. I can't go back to my parents, I just can't. So, I tried to look for a small apartment in Quahog, but after weeks of searching, I couldn't find any. I understand if you want to say no, but do you think that maybe I could live here?"
Lois was extremely surprised. "Well, under normal circumstances, I would say no, but just the fact that you had the courage to actually come out and ask me has led me in a different direction. I suppose you can have the guest room, and hell, I'll even help you move your stuff over."
"Really? You have no idea how considerate that is! Thank you so much!"
"Don't worry about it. It's our pleasure, Luke."
Later that evening, Lois was waiting at the kitchen table when Brian came home from work. When he walked in, Lois told him about how she rashly agreed to let Luke stay with them. While she was bracing herself for Brian to completely lose it and start screaming at her, Lois was surprised to have Brian reach in and kiss her. She opened her mouth to ask Brian exactly why he was okay with it, but before she could say anything he hushed her. "Lois, you're probably wondering why I'm not freaking out like you think I would right now. Well, let me just tell you something. Your hospitable personality is what makes you so appear so beautiful to me."
"Um…Brian? Why exactly are you trying to act so affectionate?"
"No reason. I just wanted to show you how much I love you."
"Uh huh. Why don't you go take care of the twins. They should be waking up soon."
Lois's POV
Okay, I have no idea what Brian's smoking, but that was just really weird. I mean seriously, why was he being so affectionate to me? It's like he was trying to cover up something he didn't want me to know. Well anyway, I was just trying to get that awkward conversation out of my head, so I turned and looked at the calendar to occupy my head. The first thing I noticed was that today was May 20th. Why did that seem so familiar…
Chris walked into the kitchen only to be met by a crying Lois curled up in a fetal position on the floor. "Oh my god, what the fuck happened to you?" Lois looked up at him with a melancholy look in her eye before quickly turning away. Chris ran upstairs to get Brian, who ran downstairs and helped Lois get up off the floor and sit her on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
"Lois, I'm so sorry for trying to hide it from you. I just didn't want you to feel bad again."
"Th-that's not it, Brian. Today was the anniversary of the day I married Peter, and me, being the horrible spouse I am, completely forgot about it. I knew he was too good for trash like me."
"Don't say that about yourself, Lois. To me, you're gold, and nothing can replace you."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Oh Brian… That's so sweet of you. You know, I was thinking about how we've never been formally married, and I was thinking, maybe you want to have a wedding ceremony?"
"I would love that."
"Thank you so much, Brian. Words can't express how my gratitude for everything you've done for me over the past few months."
"They don't need to. I love you."
"I love you, too."
The next Saturday, Lois, Brian, and all of the Griffin children headed over to James Woods High School to watch Meg and Luke receive their high school diplomas. Being the caring mother that she was, Lois was leaning on Brian's shoulder, tears running down her face, for the entire duration of the two hour long ceremony. Afterwards, Lois ran over to congratulate Meg and Luke on completing high school. It seemed surprising to Lois that one of her babies was already out of high school, and in two years, she would again be in the same position, having to let Chris leave the nest. Lois was so proud of how well Meg had matured into a beautiful young lady and done a better job of letting go of Peter than her own mother had.
That summer, Lois and Brian were married on June 13th. For her wedding ceremony, Lois wore the same dress, that twenty one years ago, she had said "I do." To Peter Griffin in. Brian was wearing the tuxedo he had used when performing with Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Stewie a few years ago. During the reception, Lois had thrown her flower bouquet over her shoulder, only to have it be caught by Meg.
One morning in September, Lois was giving a piano lesson when Meg ran in.
"Meg, sweetie, what is it?"
"Mom, you're never going to believe this, but Luke just proposed to me! I'm going to get married!"
That's all for today, guys! Just one extra note, for those of you readers who live outside the United States, the SAT is a standardized test that all seniors in high school take to get scores on their comprehension of the fundamental subjects so that the colleges they apply to can get a good idea on if they want to accept them or not. And a special thanks to Ander Arias and angel of bunnies for following this fanfic. See y'all later!
Mgmoose99