May 17th 2023

Chapter 137
We Love A Day Of Love

"Ella, look! Look!" Marianne ran right over to her big sister when she arrived, turning, and turning, to show the new color of her hair, new from the previous afternoon.

"Wow!" Ella was wide-eyed and smiling as she took it all in. Seeing them together, Lucas chuckled, recalling the complete shock of his eldest when she'd first seen her sister with her short hair, no warning whatsoever. Now, somehow, he recalled a much smaller Marianne, getting flowers woven into her hair by her future big sister. He knew that both of his girls remembered that moment, too, even the younger of the two, who'd been no bigger than her littlest sisters at the time. It was one of the pillars of their relationship as sisters. "I love it! I'm guessing that you do, too, yeah?" she asked, as though there was any question, going from the ultra bright smile on her face.

"It's not going to stay like that," Marianne reminded her, and even without seeing her face from where he sat, Lucas could tell exactly what her expression would have looked like. The undertone said it, too. She was mentioning the temporary nature of her 'reddening,' as she had done more than a couple of times already, and to him and Maya both it sounded like she was bringing it up for her own benefit more than theirs, to remind herself that sooner or later she would be blond again, no matter how much she liked her red hair. They'd caught her a few times looking at her reflection, turning her head this way and that… Oh, she loved her hair like this, and she was going to be so disappointed to have it turn back.

"How many pictures have you taken so far?" Ella asked, quiet but just loud enough that Lucas caught it, and the same went for Marianne's response.

"A lot a lot. I'll show you, hold on." And she ran off, up the stairs.

"She is going to break out her biggest performance from all this," Lucas told his eldest as she walked over to join him on the couch. "Not at the theater. Right here, the day she can't be a redhead anymore."

"You'll record it if I'm not here?" Ella smiled.

"We'll record it even if you're here. Maya says it'll be great ammunition once she's a teenager." Now she laughed, and he joined her.

As the laughter died down, he went on smiling, looking at her. It was still early, she wasn't showing, but she was changing for sure, and every time he remembered why, he remembered the day she had told him that she was pregnant, and the entire world felt… correct. So far, everything was just as they would hope for it to be. The baby was due, they had been comically happy to realize, in August. It would be some time still before they knew whether they'd be having one more August girl, like future big sister Tori, or a most special August boy.

"Hey, so, I think I know why you wanted to talk to me today," Ella told her father as she resettled in her seat. He held her gaze, waited for her to go on; he was pretty sure she'd be right. "The Equestrian Ball?" she asked, and he let out a breath. "What do you want to do? Are we still having it? Did you change your mind?"

"No, no, I would never," Lucas promised her.

"Are you sure?" Ella asked. "Last year, the ball, that wasn't long before the accident. I remember you told me how you'd have these nightmares, seeing her at the ball, dancing, and then… at the hospital… And now, it's time for the ball again, and you're usually on top of everything, with the planning, but this year, you let us do it, didn't get involved, so I was worried…"

"You do that a lot," he whispered with a small smile, lightly tapped her knee.

"And that's when I wasn't expecting. I'm going to be all over the place now," she smiled back, and he nodded. He was not going to make fun of her, not for that.

"Do you want to know the truth?" he asked, and she nodded. "It's not what you think, alright? I have been thinking about my mother. I've been thinking about her a lot, ever since the plans started to come together for the ball. But it hasn't been so bad that I couldn't bear to go to the ranch again, or to be involved at all with the planning. I'm actually… looking forward to going to the ball," he admitted to her, in a voice that sounded very much like he was admitting it to himself, too.

"You are?" Ella asked, looking back at him with all the attention she could give him.

"I don't know how much dancing I can be expected to do, but you, your mom, your sisters, and your firstborn are on my list of partners," he told her, which made her laugh, especially with his referring to Tori as her firstborn. He'd started doing that, and it made her happy every time.

"I'll keep that in mind," she nodded, then, after a beat, "So, if you're okay with the ball, then why… why are you staying away now?"

"Well… Aside from the fact that I'm doing all I can to both pace myself and get myself in the right shape for dancing when the day comes," he started, knowing that the image of his 'dance training' would amuse her, "I figured it would be the best thing for you. You've been doing such a great job out there, with everyone, with Michael, and my dad… It felt like this one belonged to you." If she wasn't already happy, relieved, from what he'd told her, this part would get her for certain. "Unless it's too much, and you would like me to…"

"No, no, I'll be alright," she assured him, smiling on. "You keep working on your dancing feet."

"I can give you a preview. Want to see?" he asked. He was already moving to stand as he asked her, and she followed him, offering her hand like she thought he might need it so not to topple over. He made it on his own, though he did take her hand, the better to bring her into a dance hold. The last time the two of them had danced like this had been at her wedding, which they both recalled without either of them saying it out loud.

He was so much steadier on his feet than he used to be. A lot of his troubles came from exhaustion, from a weakness that would come, not yet so mended as he would have liked to be. He knew that, at this point, saying he could go up and dance with his wife or one of their daughters wouldn't be out of the question, but it would still be debatable whether or not he'd be able to get through nine whole dances, most of them with small partners who had more energy than they often knew what to do with.

Just now, it was him and his big girl, him and her and this unborn grandchild in her belly, and they were doing very well for themselves and this dance. There was no urgency, and she followed his lead all the way, letting him figure out what they could or couldn't do.

"Are you spying on us there, Pumpkin Head?" Lucas called up after spotting their observer, just barely visible where she sat on the stairs. She gave herself away when she giggled; she was very pleased with the realization that her new – temporary – hair color lent her even more association with the nickname. Ella looked back and discovered her little sister where she sat.

"Not spying, observing," Marianne let them both know. "And I'm taking pictures for Mom, so get back to it, okay?"

"Is that how it is?" Lucas gave her a suspicious look, and he did not miss the way she stuck her tongue out at him over her camera before laughing to herself. "I guess it is," he turned back to Ella, who snorted.

After they'd had their turn, Marianne came down the stairs and asked her father if he wanted to dance with her, too. She looked like her mother, asking without asking if he was up to it. He wouldn't have forced himself if he wasn't – he knew better – but he was, so he held out his hand to her, and his tall girl accepted it. Now Ella was the one playing photographer, which she merrily did, standing away from them to get the perfect shots. Lucas might have teased Marianne and pointed out that these would be extras for her load of mementos from her Pumpkin Head days, but the 'policy' where he and Maya were concerned was for them not to rub it in. So, he didn't bring it up, though he could have mentioned how it did suit her very well, and he was curious to see once they did some curls on her. Even when her hair had been long, it never was completely straight, so now that it was short it still tended to get wavy, bordering on curly already.

"Is Pappy Tom going to the ball this year?" Marianne asked as they danced. Lucas looked down at her, found concerned blues staring up at him. Ella may have been previously concerned for him not wanting to go to the Equestrian Ball, but really, if anyone was going to be struggling to make that choice, then it would be his father. His memories of that night and what had happened not too long afterward would be far worse than a retired nightmare.

"I'm not sure," Lucas admitted. "I haven't had the heart to ask him yet." Marianne considered this and nodded. She could understand that. "If he doesn't want to come, we can't force him. Even if we think it could be good for him, it has to be his decision, yeah?"

"I get it, Dad," Marianne told him.

"Figured you would," Lucas kissed the top of her head.

"I was just thinking… well… I would like to sing a song that night. For Granny Mel. For it being a year since she… since we lost her… almost a year," she shyly explained. "I don't want to upset Pappy Tom though, if he decided to go…" Lucas was not surprised by this, not at all. It would be just like her, all of it, and it made him want to help her make it happen, as best he could.

"Whether or not he decides to come in the end, I think you should tell him what you want to do. You guys could pick out the song together." The idea made her happy, he could see; it gave her renewed hope, for her plan as much as for her grandfather. Not unlike Ella, she was a worrier, always, when the people she loved were involved. And she'd want to do whatever she could to make things better if the power was in her.

"You can pick one with us," Marianne suggested at once. "It can be more than one, too."

"You think so?" Lucas asked, amused like always at her enthusiasm when a plan was taking shape in her head.

"I do, yeah," she nodded.

"Alright, we can do that. But I think someone else needs to get to pick a song."

"Uncle Michael?" Marianne guessed, and Lucas had to pause and nod.

"Him, too, but that wasn't who I meant." She opened her mouth to speak, likely to ask who he meant, but then she stopped, understood, and smiled all over again. If they were all going to be picking songs, his father, his uncle, and himself, then she had to pick one for herself, too. It made her smile, and Lucas would bet that she already had ideas for her own choice.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners