Happily Never After

Summary: This story takes place ten years into the future. The characters in this story are as following; Will Vandom, Susan Vandom, Irma Lair, Anna Lair, Tony Vandom, Tom Lair, Taranee Cook, Theresa Cook, Lionel Cook, Peter Cook, Elizabeth Hale, Harold Hale, Lillian Hale, Chen Lin, Joan Lin, Hay Lin, Cornelia Hale, Cassidy, Emily, Yan Lin, Mira Lin, Kadma, Halinor, Chris Lair.

The girls have grown up and married, hoping to live happily ever after. But sadly, as reality tells us, there is never a happily ever after. Now the girls must live without a husband and an unborn child. Can they deal with this and still find true happiness? Or is their world forever lost in darkness?

PS: For my good buddies Cassidy the Water Sage and Cassidy Herrera, I added Cassidy to this story. She is a main character, so she goes under the whole summary. Unborn child? (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

Chapter 3: Taranee's Loss

Peter couldn't believe his ears when he put down the phone.

Taranee was home. After all these years, she finally returned home.

Peter hurried home as quickly as his boss would allow him.

When he arrived home, he found his parents in the living room with . . . Taranee.

She had grown so much from the little timid girl she had once been.

She had gone through so many changes, some physical, others mental.

"Hi Peter," Taranee murmured when she noticed her older brother in the room.

Peter couldn't contain himself anymore.

He rushed over and hugged Taranee hard, tears of joy crawling down his cheeks.

"Peter," Taranee warned, tears also running down her cheeks, "not so hard, please. You'll squish the baby."

"The baby?" Peter released his baby sister and stared in surprise at her.

Then he gaped. Her belly was budging big time, and Peter could only guess she was in her eighth month of pregnancy.

"You're . . . you're pregnant? You're going to have a baby?" Peter asked, shaking his head in shock.

Taranee chuckled and put a hand on her enlarged stomach.

"Can you believe it, Peter?" his mother, Theresa, asked with oblvious joy. "Taranee's going to have a baby. Lionel and I are going to be grandparents!"

"And you're going to be an uncle!" Lionel, Peter's father, laughed.

Peter was too shock even to manage a smile.

"So," Theresa asked, changing subjects, "where's the father? Nigel should have been with you."

"Yeah, where is Romeo? I want to congratuled him for this!" Lionel said, beaming.

The smile that had once been on Taranee's face disappeared as soon as her mother mentioned Nigel.

She hung her head in sorrow and her expression was dark

Peter arched an eyebrow in concren and took a deep breath before asking, "Hey, Taranee, what's up? You're looking pretty down."

Taranee's shoulders began to shutter, as if she was crying. Finally, she choked, "Nigel's dead. He died last week because of a stroke."

"A stroke?" Lionel pondered. "But that boy is, err, was a healthy lad, How could he die of a stro-"

"His heart was weakened because of surgrey done as a baby. The stroke he had was strong, too strong for his heart to take. It just . . . failed him suddenly. The doctors tried everything, but it was too late." Taranee looked up, her eyes watery and red, "He was already gone."

"Oh, Taranee," Theresa cooed, sitting down next to her daughter and holding her close, "I'm so sorry. I wish there was something we could do."

Taranee sniffed and hugged her mother back, whispering, "Thanks Mom. That means a lot."

Peter suddenly felt reality storm in.

This was life. Young people die, leaving so many loved ones behind left to grieve.

Mothers-to-be become widows in two seconds flat.

He and Lionel walked over to Taranee and made a group hug.

They would do whatever they could to fill the hole left inside Taranee.

This, they vowed.