School once again. Hurrah! As of next Tuesday, my summer vacation's over! Yeah! Warning: Updates may be even slower and more irregular than they already are.

CHAPTER SEVEN

FIRM RESOLUTIONS

Lucas screwed the top on the last jar of apple preserve that he'd made. The kitchen was a mess – squashed apples on the floor, sticky pots and countertops, apple seeds and cores scattered all over the table. Lucas looked no better though. His chef's hat was practically falling off his head and his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. Two grinning children clawed at his apple stained apron, their own faces smeared with some of the preserve.

The cook stumbled across the room, jar in his hands and phone in the crook of his neck.

"Yes, yes. I know, I know. You won't have to remind me. The family's fine."

"…"

"Really. They're all done packing. I just have a few more stuff to squeeze in-"

"…"

"Yes Daniel. I know that we're not moving into the villa permanently. I just wanna be prepared."

"…"

Lucas' face flamed with heat and he nearly choked into the speaker. "O-of course I'm not in the kitchen! And why would I be taking along a whole bag of food?! Idiot!" he sputtered. Three bags of frozen pies, preserves, jam and pancake syrup sat on the table before him.

"I have to go now. You'll make me later than I already am." He shoved the jar into a bag and hung up the call. Turning his attention to the mini-people at his feet, he grabbed hold of their hands and swung them around in huge circles.

Carla and Zachary squealed and begged him to stop. When he put them down, Lucas stooped to their level and told them to go wash up. They both nodded, ecstatic to see all of their friends at the reunion later.

As soon as he heard the showers running upstairs he groaned. The thought of spending so many days with Alice was painful. Really, this whole reunion was at a terrible time for him. He would have much preferred to stay in his home with only the occasional bird as his company, wallow around in his misery and self pity and binge cook with whatever ingredients he found and whenever he got the chance.

Disgusting? Yes.

Pathetic? Most definitely.

But this was how he coped (apart from misusing tobacco and alcohol)

He pulled his hands over his face and sighed. Running was a cowardly thing to do and despite all else, Lucas Grendahay was certainly not a coward. Besides, it wasn't like he could abandon his family. His son. His daughter. He had promised himself that until his dying day he would be a loving father, an occasional prick (whenever necessary of course), a counsellor and anything else that was humanly possible for him to become for the sake of his children. Giving them what he was denied of all his life was his goal.

Even though he'd been failing for the past few years he was determined to fix his mistake and make things right with them.

You've already been pretty much absent in their lives. What kid would be happy with a dad who barely comes home and who also turns out to be a bum, a drunk and an addict? I'll hold back for them. They don't deserve to go through any more of this.

Lucas tightened the apron around his waist. An intense fire burned in his eyes and he felt more alive than he ever had for days. In one swift movement he spun around and tugged a cabinet open, swiping up a half full cigarette box that he had carried with him and trashed it. It was time to clean up his act. He couldn't hold his own pity party forever. He needed to get over himself. Sure his wife, best friend and only love had just cheated on him and played him for the fool, and sure she wanted him to forget all the chemistry that he had at least thought that they had going on between them over the years and forget his family by just signing a sheet of paper, however, he'd simply have to suck it up and endure. For his children's sake. For his friends' sakes. For his sake. For Alice's sake.

He channelled all his energy into cleaning the kitchen and getting dressed. By the time he had closed his vehicle's trunk, the children were hopping into their mother's car, as opted to travel with her over breakfast that morning.

Carla and Zachary paused in fighting over which side of the car the scenery could be better viewed from to wave goodbye to their father. Only after waving back at them until Alice sped out of the yard scattering gravel in her wake did Lucas turn around and lock up the country home securely. He stood marvelling at the beautiful but modest structure.

It had reminded him of his dear late grandmother's home back in France. Hers was smaller and much more worn and homely. Even though old (both she and the house), she rejected any donations his father sent to her. She was a stubborn woman and was determined to leave her home just as it was when her husband passed away. In addition, knowing her son all too well, she expected that he would not only repair, but also refurbish, renovate and redesign. That strong woman retained control over her property until her very last breath. Soon after, Lucas father had the whole place demolished and built a country resort over it and the rest of the unused land on the lot.

Lucas had been so eager to get this home not only to serve as a memorial, but also as a reminder of his grandmother's strength. She would always treat him like her own son and seemed to be an eternal spring of knowledge and power. Somehow, staring at this lookalike, he felt as though he were indeed drawing from that infinite spring of wealth. Like his grandmother's house, he would endure to the end, no matter how battered and bruised he may be. Like his grandmother he would stay true and firm to his cause.

Smiling as an image of a short, hunchbacked woman with long healthy snow white hair and surprisingly bright grey eyes flashed through his mind, Lucas climbed into his vehicle and drove off.

Lucas parked in a spacious parking lot. The yellow border lines stood out on the black asphalt like dahlias in a snow covered field. Willow and pine trees lined the lot and a few acorns littered it, giving the place a wonderfully natural and serene feel.

He stepped out and surveyed his trunk. There was far too much luggage to carry in one trip, so he took up the suitcase and matching travelling bag and marched towards a low sprawling building. It was built on the edge of a steep slope. When looking from the front which faced level ground and the parking lot, it seemed like a simple single storey; however, if one looked from behind the expansive building, one would realize that another storey was built into the cliff face.

The lobby was spacious enough and had enough paintings, potted plants and furnishings to keep the average person occupied for a good fifteen minutes. It opened up into a living/sitting room with adjoining dining room. A good sized open concept kitchen was nearer to the back and had sliding glass doors which opened out onto an equally roomy deck which gave a breathtaking view of the countryside. One could take a ride in the cable car accessible from the deck to a lake encircled by sakura trees below. Bedrooms, etc, were located on the lower level.

When Lucas stepped onto the foyer, a resounding shout echoed through the area. Birds scattered and chipmunks scampered. Daniel shot out of the lobby and onto the foyer and captured the slightly shorter man in a bone crushing bear hug.

"Idiot!" Lucas managed to squeeze out. Before his exuberant friend even said a word of greeting he shoved the travelling bag into his now empty hands and rolled the suitcase before him. "Here. Make yourself useful," he snorted before retreating to his trunk for the other three bags. As he lugged them through the lobby, Joseph rose from his seat and offered a smile in greeting.

"Hey."

Joseph took two of the bags from him and led the way. He paused at the stairs and asked, "Kitchen or bedroom?"

A light tint of pink which Joe did not miss dusted Lucas' cheeks.

"Kitchen it is then." Joe took the reins once more and placed the bags on the quartz topped island.

"The others are on the deck. Ready to see them?" He raised a questioning eyebrow, deliberately avoiding the topic of his sister.

Grateful for his understanding, Lucas nodded and walked towards the sliding doors. His grey eyes widened when he saw the astounding view and softened when he saw his friends sprawled on the deck. A gas powered grill was busy doing its thing in a corner while Carla, Zachary and friends sat around a small wicker table engaged in an intense game of go fish. Julie, Chan-Lee, Runo and Alice relaxed on wooden chairs, sipping on lemonade (despite how cool it was because of their height) and chatting. Billy leaned on the deck railing texting and sometimes joining in with the women's gossip.

"Aah…Hello?"

All eyes shot up to him and ten out of the eleven pairs brightened upon seeing him.

"Lucas my man!"

"Lukie!"

"Lucas!"

"Uncle Lulu!"

He stepped onto the deck and smiled, waving a greeting to everyone. Something on his wrist that glinted in the sunshine caught Alice's eyes and her breath stopped in her throat.

Zachary sprang up from his seat on the floor and tugged is father over to his friends. He sat with them cross-legged and allowed the eager souls to surround him. Carla folded her arms and turned her head away.

"Look! I'm missing three teeth! See? See?" A little white blonde clung to his arm and proudly displayed the three spaces in the side of his mouth.

"Impressive Beck."

Beck grinned wickedly at his two sisters, one blonde with blue eyes and one with silver hair and blue eyes. "Laney and Terra are growing into fine young ladies too." Nine year old blonde Laney curtsied gracefully while her younger sister Terra punched Beck on the shoulder.

An eight year old with extremely deep coloured violet hair which had beautiful natural auburn highlights hugged Lucas from behind. "Sataka, you've gotten taller. Maybe even taller than Carla." Sataka smiled sweetly at him then her eyes caught Carla's. Electricity flashed between them and Sataka's victorious aura put Carla on edge.

Zachary, suddenly tired of go fish, climbed onto his father's lap and attached himself to his shirt. Lucas kissed him on the cheek gently then rose (with his son still sticking to him like a slug) to greet others.

After he greeted everyone and succeeded in ignoring Alice, a loud maniacal scream came closer and closer. Daniel rushed out to the deck, steam pouring out of his nose. "Lucaaaaasss!" He bellowed.

Before he could even set foot on the hardwood floor, however, an aggravated Joe grabbed him by the ear. With Dan's momentum and Joseph's force, his ear nearly got ripped clean off. Joseph twisted it and the grown man hollered like a little kid would.

"Look. I'm not used to your noise Kuso. You plan on deafening me and Chan or something?! Now I don't want to hear another peep out of you for the rest of the day. If I have to cringe because of your voice one more time-" He suddenly remembered that they were in front of impressionable children and cut off the rest of his threat.

He released Dan's ear and let him crumple to the ground, tears in his eyes from the pain. Joe didn't even spare him a glance. Scoffing, he went over to the grill and announced that Fabia and Shun would be arriving soon.

An animalistic growl which came up when Joe lifted the cover on the grill made the wisps of hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Pausing from flopping burgers he turned slowly, brandishing hot metal tongs in one hand. A mitt was on that hand and his grasp visibly tightened around the tongs.

Daniel Kuso certainly knew what freaked Joseph Gehabich out. He just happened to have a disturbing knack for making very animal-like sounds and he just happened to be friends with a man who had an unnatural fear of wild animals.

Joseph gulped but stepped towards Dan. The said brunette was facing the opposite direction, so he was taken completely by surprise when the searing metal tong came into contact with his luckily covered side. Despite being covered, though, the heat got to him and he began prancing around like he was mad. Lucas, who supported his son with one arm and leaned against the railing, snickered at their antics.

He then turned his attention to Zachary. Looking down at the lake, he felt overwhelming warmth surround him. "Hey Zach? Has Daddy ever carried you to a lake before?"

Zachary's brown eyes brightened instantly. "No Daddy."

"How about we go tomorrow?"

"Really?! Thsat would be great! We can even go fissthing!-"

A ringtone cut him off. Lucas wasted no time in retrieving the phone and answering it.

"Hello? Professor Brantley?"

"…"

"No. I just wasn't expecting the call."

"…"

"Yes, I'm still off from the hospital. Is everything okay in Switzerland?"

"…"

"Oh really?"

"…"

"All the way to Wales this time?" He glanced hesitantly at Zachary, noticing his suddenly disappointed look.

"I know, but isn't it possible for them to get another doctor to stand in for him? I'm kind of in the middle of something and my hands will be tied for the next few months maybe." Zach raised his eyebrows. Carla and the other adults stayed quiet as they eavesdropped.

"…"

"Family," Lucas said sternly, narrowing his eyes. "I am spending some well deserved time with my family and friends that I have sorely neglected. I'm sure you can relate, Brantley."

".."

"Yes. Just apologize on my behalf. And I'll send pictures."

Lucas hung up and stuffed his cell into one of his pockets. He hugged Zach closer to him and mumbled into his ear, "Still on for a fishing trip with your old Dad?"

"Only on one condition." Zach stuck out his nose.

"I'm up for anything."

"Great! Thsat means you have to cook tomorrow!" He laughed.

"No fair!" Lucas moaned, taking his revenge in tickles.

Alice forced herself to tear her eyes away from her family. She gripped her glass and gulped down a mouthful of the refreshing liquid inside.

Chan noticed and raised an eyebrow. She met her husband's glance and nodded slightly. "Oi! Did you squirts unpack your things?"

Sataka, Carla and Beck shifted uncomfortably and stared down hard into their deck of cards. Terra, however, didn't get the message, so she made a victory sign with her fingers and proudly announced that she hadn't unpacked a single thing. Laney sighed and shook her head (daintily) at her sister's stupidity.

Gym teacher mode kicking in, Chan rose from her seat and clapped loud and short three times. "Alright! Let's get a move on. If we go now we can finish in time to get dinner while it's hot."

All the young ones except for Zachary groaned and shuffled through the sliding doors. Instead of going with his friends, he chose to snake his arms around his father's neck.

Lucas lowered his head and looked into the boy's eyes. "What's wrong? You don't wanna go with them?"

Zach buried his head into Lucas' shirt.

"You prefer to stay with the boring adults than with your friends?" He pried his small hands loose and pushed his head up. Zachary puffed out his cheeks and pouted a bit.

"You won't' go?"

"Huh? Of course not."

Zach looked him in the eye.

"I promised you a fishing trip and dinner, didn't I?"

"Thso you won't leave uths?"

"Positive." Lucas set him on the ground and pinched a cheek. Zach's face brightened and he shot through the doorway after his friends.

Alice's grip on the lemonade glass tightened even more. Joe sprang into action as his wife left behind Zachary.

"Hey Billy. Keep an eye on these while I go get the side dishes, dessert and the table ready, 'kay? Lu? You carried something, so you should help me get it ready for the table."

Understanding what he meant, Billy and Lucas nodded, and Alice nearly sighed in relief when her husband left with her brother.

"What's the deal with you two? You haven't even – like exchanged any words or looks since he came." Julie leaned in, waiting for the younger woman to spill.

"Yeah. Jules is right. Is something wrong?" Billy walked over to the grill.

Alice gulped and placed her glass on the wicker side table near to her.

"Whatever it is, it must be serious. You seem tense. You're not even wearing your necklace," Runo pointed out.

Alice scratched the back of her neck and slapped on a sheepish grin. "Really guys, it's not that serious."

"Really?" Julie rolled her eyes, scepticism tumbling off her in waves. "What did he do? You're obviously mad at him because even though he has his bracelet on, your necklace is nowhere in sight."

Alice inwardly cursed her friends for being so observant all the time. "Nothing! We just made this ridiculous bet after we watched this video on which sex is the weaker. The one who stays out of contact with the other the longest on this trip without breaking down is the winner."

"So basically if you ignore him and act nonchalantly the longest you win a prize." Runo squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"A-am I doing okay? Do I look like I care?" Alice feigned concern.

"You looked so mad that for a moment I thought you'd actually burst into flames." Julie stretched her arms out wide.

"To be honest with you Alice, you're losing this bet sorely. Naturally, Lucas would win of course, but I didn't expect you to be doing so badly." Billy ran a hand through his blonde hair.

Julie brandished two empty lemonade glasses and prepared to take aim.

"What's that supposed to mean, Billy?" A huge red animated tick mark increased in size on Runo's forehead.

The man gulped and turned back to the grill. "N-nothing at all guys! I just think Ally needs that extra support. G-go team Alice!" he sputtered.

"I thought so." Runo sat back in her chair and gave Alice a cheery grin.

Lucas leaned on the island and sighed. Joseph pulled the blinds on the sliding doors shut and walked over to him. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm hanging in there."

"I put your stuff in a separate room. I don't think either of you can really handle sharing a room, much less a bed together. You'll have to think up an excuse for the others." He opened the three bags of food.

"Thanks for doing that. Alice and I have already figured out something. We tell everyone we've made this dumb bet about ignoring each other for the entire trip. That way, nobody will think anything of our behaviour."

"Thank goodness." Joe took out a jar of apple jam. "I had a feeling you'd do this. Are you still on drugs?" he asked softly, remembering the state he'd found him in at the bar.

Lucas smiled at the countertop. "Actually, no. I trashed all the cigarettes and alcohol in my house and I'm refraining from even touching them."

"That's great." Joseph replaced the jam and took out three pies instead and headed to the oven with them.

"I've stopped taking my antidepressants too, cuz' I'm afraid I might overdose."

"Did you almost?"

"Yeah. A couple hours before Alice came the other day, Zach saw me shaking out four tablets from the bottle. He asked me if I wasn't supposed to take just one of my vitamins every day."

Joseph shut the oven door and whirled around to face Lucas. "So you didn't realize that you were about to have three extra?"

Lucas shook his head. "I didn't notice. I would have taken all four if he didn't stop me."

Joseph sighed and dragged a hand over his face. "You know I worry about you sometimes?"

Lucas snorted and replied, "Yeah. I know that I'm a handful."

A smile spread across Joe's face and his gaze dropped down to his friend's hands – his wrist particularly. Lucas followed his eyes and his face paled instantly. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "I completely forgot to take this off." He ignored the sick feeling that surged around within him and unclasped his bracelet from his hand. Memories and hope were the last things that he needed right then.

"Are you going to trash it?" Joe asked absently, turning around to attend to potatoes that were just about done boiling.

Lucas eyed the bracelet contemplatively. If he trashed it, then it would save him a lot of trouble, but his conscience would kill him, and he wouldn't stop regretting his actions until the day he died. "No. I don't think I will."

Thirty minutes later, all except Fabia and Shun who were yet to arrive took their seat around the dining table. The table was laden with neatly assembled burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, fruit juice, wine and water. Dessert was waiting in the kitchen. Everyone helped themselves and ate heartily. Zachary sipped his fruit juice and noticed that his father spread this nasty looking caviar over his burger and dropped a dollop onto his potato salad, and that he also was the only adult not drinking wine.

When everyone fell silent for a moment he asked, "Hey Daddy, why do you put cavissthar on your food?"

"It's caviar, Zach and I eat it because it tastes good," he lied. All the adults knew that he hated caviar and the only reason he ate it was because it helped him keep his meals in his stomach, where they were supposed to be.

"Oh. And Daddy, why don'th you drink alcohol like everyone elthse?"

All the adults froze except for him. Without missing a beat, he launched into another fib. "Because Daddy can't keep his alcohol. He gets drunk easily." Dan nearly choked on a piece of potato. They all knew that Lucas could easily drink all of their glasses of wine and be nowhere near tipsy.

Jumping in to save the day before Zachary asked a question that would be really hard for Lucas to lie his way out of, Julie changed the topic. That kid is way too observant for my liking. "Hey! While we were on a vacation in Ireland, Billy and I went to this pub. The locals were having a drinking contest and placing bets, so I placed a bet on Billy. Lots of guys placed bets that he couldn't drink more than two mugs of beer."

Billy coughed and quickly stuffed some coleslaw into his mouth.

"I was so lucky that he managed to hold out till three! I could have lost a lot of money that day. Even though we had to drag him outta that pub and carry him home and I had to treat his hangover the next morning, it was worth it. Who knew that those guys spent so much on bets?" Julie cackled and the adults burst into laughter.

"Three?!" Chan whimpered, in an attempt to control her laughter.

"I'll never hear the end of this," Billy groaned.

Alice sat in front of the vanity in her spacious room, brushing her hair. She paused for a moment to look at her reflection in the mirror. She looked incomplete without her necklace. Not wanting to give Lucas any wrong ideas, she had decided to remove it from before she even went to their country house.

As she brushed her hair slowly, a memory resurfaced. The feeling of the bristles parting her hair and scraping her scalp reminded her of a man's hands doing the same. Not large calloused hands that only tugged commandingly and sought dominion, but small, soft, hands which gently caressed and made one want to give in. Lucas' hands.

Lucas leaned back on the headboard. His arms snaked around Alice's waist and she straddled his hips. He abruptly stopped kissing her and told her to look him in the eye.

"What's wrong?" she asked, tightening her arms around his neck.

"Alice, we're married now."

"Yes."

"Do you know what that means?"

She gave him a questioning look. "A lot of things. You'll have to be more specific."

"It means that you are mine." He pulled her closer to him. Her cheeks flushed.

"I am the only one that has the right to see you like this."

Instinctively, Alice looked down at her naked body and blushed harder.

"I am the only one with the right to hold you like this. To kiss you anywhere I please." He placed a gentle kiss on one of her breasts and smirked when she felt her shiver against him. He took her lips into his and she let him take control, but he stopped again soon after.

"I'm the only one who you should offer yourself to like this. The only one you're allowed to beg for - to plead for."

Alice whimpered when she heard his voice lower and get huskier. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and whispered "Y-yes."

"The only one you should submit to like this."

"The only one who has the right to hear you like this." He deliberately avoided his most obvious right as he loved seeing his wife like this. Mean, yes, but it wouldn't last forever.

His eyes widened slightly when he heard Alice's soft voice again. She raised her head and looked into his eyes.

"L-Lucas, you're the only one who has the right to take me. You can do whatever you want with me but for now, I just ask you one thing. Please..."

Lucas smiled. "You don't have to finish that."

Alice opened her eyes. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She felt absolutely horrid. Gasping for air, she held the brush close to her as the tears kept coming. There were three sharp raps on the door and Joseph stepped in mere seconds after. His slate eyes immediately filled with concern and he locked the door behind him and crossed the room to the vanity. She threw the brush onto the vanity and hugged him tightly as soon as he sat beside her.

"Hey, calm down. Calm down. I'm here now, okay, so calm down," he cooed.

Alice buried her head into his shirt and willed herself to get a grip. When she could finally talk without tears getting into her mouth she lifted her head and held on to her brother's hand as if it might disappear in a few seconds.

"I feel guilty. Joseph, I feel terrible." She squeezed his hand. "I remember my time with Martin. H-he was so rough a-and commanding. E-even though I paid him I-I almost got hurt. Lucas was nothing like that. He loved me. He trusted me."

Joe remained silent.

"It hurts. I-I think I regret doing that."

"Hey. I won't sugar-coat anything for you. You're a grown woman and you make your own decision. Of course it's going to hurt and you should feel guilty. Something would be wrong if you weren't. I mean, the man trusted you with everything and never once doubted your integrity and you just broke that apart in one day."

"But I won't go back." Alice grabbed a box of tissues from the top of the vanity and began cleaning her face.

"So you're still going to try to get him to sign the divorce papers."

"Yes. And I don't need your help."

"Please no!" he scoffed. "Just because I'm your confidant doesn't mean I'm supporting you or that I'm taking sides. I'm done trying to talk you out of this." He folded his arms and eyed his sister.

"So if he finds out that we've been talking he won't feel betrayed?"

"Sheesh Alice. I know that he's been away for a while and that you've gone and cheated on him and all, but that's still a silly question for you to ask. You know Lucas doesn't really care about side taking or anything like that, and I'm sure that he understands and expects that we'd be talking this over. He did have a sibling once, after all."

Alice nodded.

Joe looked at his watch and cursed softly. "Hey, I need to leave now. I'm on bedtime story duty for the kids tonight. If you need anything, just give Chan a call. G'night sweetheart." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

She watched him turn around and leave. She desperately wanted to reach after him, to call him back, to beg him to stay with her but she couldn't. She wouldn't. She needed to be strong. She was the one who had gotten herself into that mess, and she intended to follow through with her divorce.

Yes. Yes. I know. This chapter was really choppy. Maybe even all over the place, but don't be in despair if you don't understand the last dialogue. It will all be cleared up in due time.

Thought:

"He that can have patience can have what he will."
― Benjamin Franklin