CHAPTER FOURTEEN
(chapter title – Cassidy's Point of View – part 1)
Six months later
Marius and I were playing with the twins when Ella entered the house and slammed the door behind her.
"Want me to talk to her?" I asked, looking down at Cosette. She looked exactly like Marius while Ryan looked exactly like me.
"Better let her be for a while. Who knows what is going on in that head of hers." Marius told me. I wasn't sure if he was joking or not.
"I better go – she might need advice or something," I told him, handing him Cosette before standing up and went to Ella's bedroom door. "Ella? Sweetheart? You okay?"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled.
"I want to talk to you. Can I come in?" I asked, trying the doorknob – locked.
"I WANT TO BE ALONE! I'M HAVING A REALLY BAD DAY!" Ella shouted, her voice muffled by the door. Since turning thirteen, Ella's bad days had gone from bad to worse. I don't understand what's happening to her.
"Ella, honey, please let me in. I'm wanting to know what is going on with you." I told her.
I heard the doorknob unlock and the door swung inward. Ella stared at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. I entered the room and closed the door behind us.
"Tell me what's wrong, honey." I started, sitting next to Ella on the bed. She hugged her stuffed moose and laid on her back, knees close together.
"I was supposed to go riding on Hope today, but uncle Joly told me she had a really bad colic attack last night, Sara's not returning any of my texts or emails and I found out this guy I like at school likes Charlotte. He's even asking her to the dance this weekend!" Ella listed off her fingers.
"I'm so sorry about Hope, but she'll get better soon. I heard your dad talking to either Eponine or Enjolras – Sara's grounded because of her bad grades and there are other fish in the sea. Worse case, if you can't find a date, we'll go to a movie or something." I told Ella. She smiled at me and threw her arms around my waist.
"Thanks, mom. I love it when we talk." Ella told me. I smiled and kissed her cheek before exiting her room. On her birthday, she had stopped calling me Cassidy and started calling me 'mom'. I loved it when she called me mom.
I walked out to the kitchen and saw Marius playing with the twins and Anton. Anton was three-years-old and such a cutie pie. Marius saw me and looked up.
"The twins are supposed to be down for the night," I reminded Marius, picking up Ryan, "why are they still up?"
"I was getting there, dearest." Marius told me as he picked up Cosette. The two of us walked to the nursery, sang the twins You Are My Sunshine, put the twins in their cribs and exited the room, turning off the light behind us.
"Ella, could you set the table for dinner, please?" Marius asked as I went to check on the tilapia – it was taking a while to cook, but it looked like it would be done soon.
"Sure. After I'm done, can I make broccoli?" Ella asked.
"That would be great. Thanks." I spoke up, going to the oven and checked on the fish. I sighed and put it on plates. I then remembered to stir Anton's macaroni and cheese. We were eating early because all of us had things to do that night – I had lessons to teach, Marius was due in court and Ella had a tennis tournament she was participating in. Javert offered to watch Anton and the twins for us.
Dinner was ready and we all sat down just as the house phone rang. I put plates on the table as Marius handed the phone to me, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Who is it?" I asked, taking the phone from him.
"Evanna – she sounds upset." He told me, finishing putting plates on the table.
I went to Marius' study and closed the door. I then sat down on the leather couch and spoke into the receiver.
"Hello?"
"He's dead!" Evanna blurted out. I was confused.
"Who's dead?" I asked.
"Cedric. He was crossin' the street to go to work. A car came out of nowhere and hit him. He died on the way to hospital." Evanna cried. I felt my stomach drop to the floor.
"How long ago did this happen?" I asked, running my thumb and forefinger over the Celtic cross charm that hung around my neck.
"This mornin'."
"Oh God."
"We – Bridget, Thomas and I – would like your help on plannin' somethin."
"Evanna, I don't know – we're extremely busy here." I felt tears well up in my eyes and blinked them back. This was such a shock to our family.
"It would mean the world to us if you came."
"I would have to talk to Marius first. If we did come, we would have to bring the twins – they're still nursing. I suppose Ella and Anton can stay with either Javert or Feuilly and Jehan."
"Call me back soon, okay?"
"I will. Give Kathleen, Robert and Rose hugs for me."
"I will. God bless you, Cassidy."
"God bless you, too."
I hung up the phone and rose on shaky legs. I exited the study and went to where my family was. At this point, I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks and felt a knot forming in my throat.
"Cass? Honey? What's wrong?" Marius asked, taking me aside.
"That was Evanna," I started, my voice shaking, "my brother, Cedric, was hit and killed by a car this morning. She wants us to come to Ireland."
I felt him wrap his arms around me and kiss my neck.
"I'm so sorry. I really liked Cedric," Marius told me. "How soon does Evanna want us to come?"
"As soon as possible." I told him, breaking out of the hug. I then went to get my laptop and looked at flights while Marius went to tell Ella and Anton what had happened. I heard Ella cry out and Anton ask all sorts of questions. I saw that there was a flight leaving tomorrow at 9:50 in the morning for Ireland. I got us boarding passes – we were in row CC, seats 5 and 6. Each of us would hold a twin on our laps while we went to Ireland.
"You find anything?" Marius asked, watching me get a large suitcase from the hall closet.
"There's a flight that leaves tomorrow morning at 9:50. I take it that Ella and Anton didn't take the news well." I noted, packing clothes, both warm and not, into the suitcase. He looked for hotels while I packed clothes for myself and the twins. They would be going with us since they were still nursing. Ella was still in school and Anton didn't travel well – he got really bad ear infections.
"Jehan and Feuilly said they would be willing to stay with Ella and Anton while we're gone." Marius told me as he packed a suitcase for himself.
I didn't bother to ask about Eponine, Enjolras, Sara or Jolene – they were out of town – Enjolras' mother had died and Sara was still grounded. Courfrayac and Joly were also out of town – they were at a horse show. Gavroche and his girlfriend, Jeanette, were watching Courfrayac and Joly's farm while they were gone.
"Good. I haven't seen them since the wedding." I said, feeling tears sting the back of my eyes. I broke down and cried, the blow of losing my brother hit me like a strong gust of wind.
Marius dropped some clothes into the suitcase and sat next to me, stroking my hair and telling me everything was going to be okay.
We had finished packing and were watching a new show that Marius was addicted to. It was called The White Queen and was extremely well-written and had some very cute British actors in it, which made it even better.
"Mom, I am so sorry for the loss of Uncle Cedric." Ella said as she came into the room. Marius looked over and lowered the volume. I sat up and smiled at her. She hugged me and I hugged her back.
"Ella, you should get some sleep – you have school tomorrow." Marius told Ella.
"I know, dad. I was just coming in to say goodnight to you guys. I put Anton to bed and changed Cosette. Ryan's sleeping like a rock." Ella informed us.
We said goodnight to her and watched her leave the room. Marius turned the volume back up and turned his attention back to the show.
"I don't know if I could be a king or not – it looks like a hard job." Marius noted. The show was over and the two of us were in bed.
"I wouldn't want to be queen. It's like being First Lady." I said.
"You would make an excellent queen – you're kind, gentle, supportive, sweet, positive and extremely attractive." Marius said as he kissed my neck. I felt him climb on top of me and slide down my pajama bottoms. He kissed my forehead as I placed my glasses on the bedside table. He then removed my pajama top, along with my bra. I removed his sleep shirt, my nails digging into his back.
"You would make an excellent king – you're a wonderful listener, gentle, kind, loyal, positive, sweet and sexy as hell." I told him, feeling him go inside me. I kissed his handsome face and played with his hair.
We fell asleep in each other's arms. I felt Marius watching me as I slept, which I didn't mind. I set my alarm on my phone for 7:00 the following morning.
I had a strange dream that night – I was a queen and Marius was a king. I think it had something to do with watching The White Queen.
I felt something shaking me awake at 7:00 the following morning. I opened my eyes and fumbled for my glasses. I put them on and saw Marius standing before me, fully dressed, his hair damp from taking a shower.
"Come on, Cass. Jehan and Feuilly will be here soon. Jehan is taking us to the airport." Marius told me. I got out of bed and quickly threw some clothes on. I then ate something and dragged my suitcase out into the other room. I then went back for my carry-on. It contained a couple books for Marius and myself, my laptop, some movies and snacks for the kids.
Marius grabbed the diaper bag and we were on our way. I sat in back with the twins, while Marius sat up front with Jehan.
"Cassidy, I am so sorry for your loss." Jehan told me.
"Thank you." I thanked him and stared out the window.
"Baby, you okay?" Marius asked.
"Yeah, just upset." I answered, feeling tears in my eyes.
We reached the airport five minutes later. Marius and I got the twins in their carseats while Jehan helped us with our bags. He then helped us get our luggage inside, hugged us and went on our way.
I transferred Cosette to her Baby Bjorn as Marius put Ryan in his. We checked their carseats, along with our suitcases at check-in and went on our way.
We each grabbed a diaper bag and went through security. I soothed Cosette as much as I could as we went through the X-Ray machine. I looked over my shoulder and saw my boys walk through the machine. Marius smiled and pointed to Ryan. He was fast asleep. I smiled and took Marius' hand.
Marius and I took the babies to the bathroom so we could change them before boarding.
I was telling Cosette what a pretty and good girl she was when I felt someone watching me. I turned around and saw a little girl watching me.
I smiled at her and turned my attention to Cosette. She had a little bit of diaper rash, so I put some special cream on her. I then put her cute little flowered pants back on, along with her diaper and picked her up.
"What's your baby's name?" the little girl asked.
"Cosette." I told her, putting Cosette back in her Baby Bjorn. I adjusted the straps and made sure Cosette was comfortable.
We exited the bathroom and went to find Marius. I found him standing outside the ladies' room, holding Ryan.
Marius smiled and kissed me gently on the lips before taking my hand. We took the moving sidewalk to our gate.
"We're running low on time, sweetie, so if you want something, you should get it before we board." Marius told me.
"I had some breakfast before we left and I think they're serving lunch on the plane." I told him as we found our gate.
We boarded the plane and found our seats. Marius sat next to the window and I sat in the middle. Marius and I put our bags under the seats and prayed that no one sat next to us.
My prayers were answered when it was time to depart. I looked around and saw that the plane wasn't very crowded.
Marius and I enjoyed lunch on the plane while the kids had a snack. After the twins had their snack, they took a rest while Marius and I watched the in-flight movie. I fell asleep in the middle of the movie, hugging Cosette close to me.
It was a two-day flight to Ireland, which was one more day than I would've liked. I would be happier when we touched down at the Dublin Airport. Thank goodness we didn't experience any turbulence – I don't really like airplanes or flying, but my family needed me, so I put it behind me.
I looked over at Marius and saw he was fast asleep, his head against the window. I leaned over and looked at Ryan – he was fast asleep. I placed the flap of the Baby Bjorn over him and looked at Cosette. She was also asleep, her head on my chest. She must've fallen asleep to the sound of my heartbeat. I put the flap over her and carefully got out my book I was reading.
Eventually, I fell asleep and felt a bright light on my face. I blinked sleepily and looked out the window. I felt my eyes widen and my jaw drop a little as I witnessed the sun rise. I found my camera and took picture after picture of the beautiful sunrise.
A stewardess came around and served breakfast. I received orange juice, pancakes, two sausage links and part of a grapefruit. I ate all my breakfast and settled back in my seat.
I looked down at Cosette's sleeping face and removed the flap away from her face. I then kissed the top of her head and saw her open her eyes.
"Hi, sweetheart. Are you hungry?" I asked, finding my nursing blanket. I removed the Baby Bjorn and placed it on the seat next to me. I then took my arm out of my sleeve of my shirt and unsnapped my bra. I then brought Cosette to my breast and felt her latch on.
I peeked under the nursing blanket and saw her nursing loudly. I planned to nurse the twins until they turned a year and wean them off breastfeeding.
"Hi," Marius greeted me, his voice just above a whisper. He looked at the blanket and kissed my temple. I felt him wrap an arm around my waist and rub the small of my back, "she nursing?"
I nodded and peeked under the blanket again – she was nursing still. I had a feeling she had fallen asleep. I gently pulled her away and burped Cosette. She let out a little squeak and opened her eyes.
"Hi beautiful one," I greeted Cosette, handing her to Marius as I took Ryan from him. "Hi handsome. You hungry?"
I brought him to my breast and watched him latch on. I gently rocked him as he nursed, humming one of my favorite songs.
"I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
Take this sinking boat
And point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice
You have a choice
You've made it now." Marius and I sang. Falling Slowly was one of my favorite songs and Once was my favorite movie. I loved the relationship between the man and the woman – or as I called them in my head, Marius and myself.
Ryan finished nursing. I gently burped him and put him back in his Baby Bjorn. He was lighter than Cosette, so I would take him for awhile while Marius took Cosette.
Finally, our plane landed and I called Evanna. She and her boyfriend, Dean, would be meeting us at the airport.
We stepped out onto the terminal and blinked in the sunlight streaming through the large windows. I turned around and saw Marius and Cosette following us. He was carrying our carry-on while I carried the diaper bag.
"CASSIDY! MARIUS! OVER HERE!" I heard Evanna call as we continued walking. I saw her and ran as fast as I could. She flew to me and hugged me. She then pulled away and looked down at Ryan. "Is this – Ryan?"
"Yeah. Marius has Cosette." I told my sister. I saw a tall, skinny, dark-skinned man in his early twenties standing behind Evanna. I knew at once it was Dean.
"Cassidy, it's so good to meet you. Evanna will not shut up about you," Dean told me, pulling me into a hug. He then looked at the baby boy asleep in his Baby Bjorn, "what a handsome man!"
I smiled at him. I then looked over and saw Marius hugging Evanna.
"Let us take the babies so you two can get your luggage." Dean offered. I looked to Marius and he smiled at me. The twins loved people and the transition to Dean and Evanna went perfectly. Evanna took Ryan while Dean took Cosette.
We went to the baggage carousel, the two of them asking us how our flight was. We answered each question as I looked for our baggage. I looked over and saw Marius talking to Evanna and Dean in low voices. I rolled my eyes and instantly grabbed my green suitcase, followed by Marius' rainbow one. He was borrowing Ella's suitcase, since he lost his.
We then followed Evanna and Dean to their car, making sure to grab the twins' carseats.
Marius and I installed the carseats while Evanna and Dean got the twins out of their Baby Bjorn's and handed them to me.
"Cosette goes in the bigger carseat." I told Evanna. She nodded and placed Cosette in her car seat while Dean placed Ryan in his. Marius and I climbed into the back seats as Evanna and Dean climbed in the front.
I got carsick sitting in the back, so I rested my head on Marius' shoulder and closed my eyes.
"Where you two stayin'?" Dean inquired.
"At the Radisson in Dublin Square." Marius answered. I felt him stroke my hair and kiss my temple.
"Nonsense – you'll be stayin' with us." Evanna spoke up.
"Eva, are you sure? I mean your house isn't that big to begin with-" I started, my voice hoarse. I felt like I was going to hurl, but swallowed back the bile.
"Did you forget about mum and da's cottage in Killarney?" Evanna asked.
"I thought they sold it?" I asked, sitting up.
"No – they left it to us in their will." Evanna said.
The rest of the ride was silent, which I was happy about. I put my head on Marius' chest and felt him wrap his arms around me.
"Cass, we're here." Marius told me twenty minutes later. I opened my eyes and leaned over him so I could see the house properly.
It was a large four-story gray stone house with red shutters. Leading up to the house was a gravel driveway with pink flowers on either side of the road. In the backyard was a large lake, along with a barbeque pit, volleyball court, dodge ball field and a horse riding stable.
In the front yard, there was a flag pole with the Irish flag, surrounded by flowers at the base of the flag pole. There were several trees and I saw at least four hammocks in the trees.
As we pulled even further into the driveway, I saw a Quidditch pitch to my left. My family was big into Quidditch ever since the Harry Potter books came out. My siblings and I would play for hours, running instead of riding brooms.
There were also different trails that led to the back of the property and to the lake, which was perfect for catching fish or swimming in.
"This place is beautiful!" Marius marveled as Dean stopped the car.
"Who else is here?" I asked, sitting up and stretched.
"Bridget and Thomas. Uncle Seamus is arriving tomorrow." Evanna answered, helping us get the twins and our luggage into the house.
"Are you two okay on the third floor?" Evanna asked as we entered the house.
Everywhere I looked on the main level of the house was white. White floors, white ceilings, white walls. I felt like I was in a mental institution or a hospital where everything is white.
"Is every floor in your house white?" I heard Marius ask. I hit him in the stomach. "Ow!"
Evanna chuckled.
"Not every floor. This one's white, the basement is blue, the first floor is green and the second floor is red. Bridget is in the bedroom in the basement and Thomas is on the first floor, along with Dean and I." Evanna said as she, Dean, Marius and I climbed the carpeted stairs to the third floor.
The third floor had six wooden doors, three on either side of a long hallway. Evanna and Dean led us to the last door on the right hand side and gestured for us to go in.
"We set up cribs for the babies in the spare room." Dean whispered. We walked into the room and looked around.
The floors were mahogany and shone beautifully. There was a large sitting area that overlooked the lake. Two picture windows looked onto the lake. When we walked closer, I realized they weren't windows, but glass sliding doors that led to a wood balcony. On the balcony were lawn chairs and a bicycle. I later found out that the bicycle belonged to Dean.
We continued though the room. It had its own kitchen, two bathrooms, a laundry room, a study where the twins would be and a medium-sized bedroom.
Evanna and Dean put the twins down for a nap while Marius and I stared at the room.
Light red carpeting covered the floors. A large four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room, covered by a quilt. Towards the front of the room was a large stone fireplace.
I noticed on either side of the bed were book cases. I looked at the titles of the books and smiled at some of the titles. I realized this used to be my room when I would spend my summers off from college. I attended Trinity College and majored in business and equine studies.
"Um, Cassidy, what or who is this?" Marius asked. I put down a horse figurine back on the shelf I found it and walked over to Marius.
He was holding a very old ragged bear in his arms. The bear was missing an ear, one of its button eyes and some of its fur had disappeared. I smiled and hugged the bear to my chest.
"Darlin!" I whispered. Marius raised an eyebrow. "I was two and Darlin' was my first word. That's what I named this bear."
"Do you still sleep with it?" Marius asked.
"No – I'm too old for stuffed animals. I actually have my own teddy bear now." I told him, placing Darlin' on a chair next to the bed.
"So, was this your room?" Marius asked as he led me to the bed.
"Yeah. When I would come home from college for the summer, I would stay here." I told him, smiling against his lips. He brought his head down to mine and kissed me passionately.
We kicked off our shoes and made our way to the middle of the bed. Before we did anything, I found the monitor and turned it on. The room filled with static and after a moment, the sound of sleeping babies filled the air.
I then went to join Marius in bed. I got under the covers and snuggled closer to him. He kissed me again as his hands roamed my body. I kept my breathing even as he climbed on top of me and spread my legs apart a little. He removed my skirt and underwear before entering me.
I removed both of our tops as he removed his jeans. I moaned with pleasure as he found his rhythm.
He rolled onto his side, bringing me with him. His hands went to my hair and took it out of the ponytail I had it in. He put my hair tie and glasses on the bed as I wrapped my arms around him.
I wrapped my legs around his torso as I felt him extend deeper. I let out a moan, being careful to keep my voice down.
"Marius, this feels amazing!" I breathed as he made his way down my body.
He had me sit up in bed and I felt him get behind me. He gently moved his hands up and down my ribcage as his legs wrapped around me. I felt him kiss my neck as his hands roamed my body. I turned around and looked into his handsome face.
I screamed and sat up in bed as lightening flashed and thunder boomed. Rain danced on the roof and I heard two babies cry. I looked down and saw I was in my pajamas.
I got out of bed and went to tend to the babies. Cosette was screaming her head off, as was Ryan. I picked up Cosette and held her close, letting her know everything was all right.
"I heard you scream. You all right?" Marius asked. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
I calmed down as Marius and I sang Falling Slowly to the babies. They eventually calmed down and the two of us exited the room.
"Are we in Ireland?" I asked as we got back under the covers.
"Yeah. Why?" Marius questioned, making his way to the middle of the bed. I saw he was shirtless and wore an old pair of faded green sweatpants.
"No reason." I answered, feeling him climb on top of me.
"What was the scream for?" He asked as he looked into my eyes.
"I had a nightmare, that's all." I answered, feeling him put a hand under my night shirt and rub it up and down my stomach. I made myself comfortable as he went a little further down each time. I was exhausted, but found my energy when I felt him remove my sleep shorts and underwear. He took some pubic hair in his fingers and gently pull on it. "Careful."
"I will be." He assured me, covering my neck in kisses. He rolled onto his side again and brought me with him.
Things only got better from there.