Sorry if I made the 'surprise' too obvious! My favorite part of the story is coming up now! (Hope the name of the chapter isn't TOO cheesy!)
Chapter 3: The Greatest Things in the Smallest Packages
London, 4 weeks before the explosion.
"Finally!" Claire sighed, falling backwards onto her new bed, in her new room, in her new house. "I was beginning to think we would never get everything unpacked!"
"Well, someone once told me that being organised is always worth it." Hershel grinned as he said this.
"Oh Hershel, just because you turned out to be more organised than me, it doesn't mean you get to boast about it! How very ungentlemanly of you!" Claire tried to speak firmly but ended up having a giggling fit.
"Please accept my deepest apologies and regrets." Hershel used his most gentlemanly tone, which only made the giggling worse.
"So," Claire's laughing calmed down and was able to speak again. "Now we have a whole week to ourselves! What shall we do?"
Silence.
"Any suggestions?" Claire tired. Hershel bit his lip, it had been such a long time since they could do whatever they wanted that they didn't know what they wanted to do.
"Is there anywhere you want to go?" He asked. Claire thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Any one you want to visit?" At this Claire's eyes lit up.
"Oh! We could go and see Clark and Brenda," she suggested. "He did invite us a while back."
"Is this because you want to see your friends?" Hershel asked. "... Or because of this 'surprise'?"
"Oh Hershel! What do you take me for?" Claire tried to act shocked, but this only started the giggling again.
Misthallery, 3 weeks before the explosion.
The door to the Triton household was opened by an elderly looking man.
"Ah! You must be Hershel and Claire," he exclaimed. "Please, come in."
"Thank you sir." Hershel thanked him as he and Claire entered, they were shown to the parlor where Clark and Brenda were waiting for them.
"Ah! Claire, Hershel," Clark greeted them. "It's been too long, far too long." The four exchanged hellos and sat down to catch up with each other. The man who had met them at the door brought them some tea. Claire was awestruck by it all.
"This place is so posh!" She exclaimed. "And you have a butler?"
"Oh, yes, that's Doland," Clark said for answer. "He's been here a little while now." Just then Doland entered and gave a polite cough.
"Oh! Umm, please excuse a moment." Brenda said nervously, then she got up and left. Clark gave her a knowing smile.
"You will recall that in my letter I told you there was a surprise here," Claire's and Hershel's attention was immediately gripped. "I'm sorry I had to be so vague, you see, Brenda's parents were travelling when we found out and we felt we shouldn't spread the news until they knew. Besides," Clark smiled at Hershel, "I know how much you enjoy a puzzle." It was only now that something occurred to Claire, she turned to Hershel.
"You'd already guessed, hadn't you?" She said a bit crossly. "You'd guessed and you didn't tell me!"
"I… Had a theory, yes," Hershel answered. "I didn't want to tell you it because I wasn't sure it was right, but," he looked over in Clark's direction. "What you just said all but confirms it."
"Well? What's this theory then?" Claire asked eagerly. Hershel heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"I think," he said in reply. "We are about to see for ourselves..." Doland held the door open for Brenda as she entered. Claire jumped from her seat, her hands were clasped over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. Clark and Hershel also stood with warm smiles. Two eyes flickered open and a small head lifted from Brenda's shoulder, it gave the party a tired and bewildered look.
"Hershel, Claire," said a very proud Clark. "May I introduce you to Luke Triton, latested addition to the family."
Claire approached the child slowly, "Hello," she said in the way people always do to small children. She stroked his cheek with her finger. Luke smiled shyly and cowered into his mother, make muffled 'ma ma' sounds. "Oh, he's just so adorable!" Claire could hardly contain her excitement.
Brenda smiled at her."Perhaps you would like to hold him?" Before she could agree, Claire had Luke in her arms. He seemed quite puzzled by this at first, but when he saw Claire's kind and reassuring expression, he started to laugh, or, at least tried to laugh, he hadn't quite got the hang of it yet. Hershel came over to see the infant.
"He is very charming." He said, beaming at the young boy.
"And clever," Clark added, laughing as Luke made a swipe for Claire's glasses. "... Upsettingly clever; he keeps escaping from his cot in the middle of the night and I can't work out for the life of me how he's doing it."
Hershel and Claire stayed for lunch and a bit more tea at the Triton's. Luke had obviously taken a shine to the pair, notably Claire, and was very upset when they had to leave. As a result of his tantrums Luke and his parents walked them to Hershel's very old and rustic car -which was going to need replacing soon- and waved them off. Luke made one more desperate attempt to hug Claire, nearly falling out of Brenda's arms.
"Well, he really does like you!" Brenda fastened her grip on her child before continuing, "I think he'll remember you for a long time."
Claire watched the Tritons grow smaller until they were out of sight, she wondered if she and Hershel would look like that one day, a happy family. Claire turned her attention to the road in front of her, surrounded with fields and trees, For now she would just have to wait and see what the future had in store for her.
And that is how Luke recognised Claire! I know no one can remember anything from that age but hey, this is a fictional world! Next up is the last, but not least (but definitely the saddest) chapter! See ya next time!