- Hey guys! I hope all of you are having a relaxing summer. It's been a while since I've updated...reason for that being that I've had to make another difficult choice amongst the many. I can't say why or what but the fact of the matter is that it's gotten me scared and anxious as hell. I'm not really certain I'll be able to survive such a new life for the next four years.
- With that said, I swear I will do my best to continue writing and while it won't be frequent as I would prefer, I will still remember to do so in the midst of adjusting to my new surroundings. As for the harem story I promised in my last chapter, it's still in the works. I fear it will be a long time before I release the first chapter so I humbly ask for your much appreciated patience.
- All that aside, I managed to write out this chapter despite the immense stress in my current life. I hope it's still decent...please enjoy!
...
"Will she be alright?" Peter asked, his hand soothingly rubbing the back of Valeria as she slept.
Sable sighed as she closed the door behind her. "...Hopefully soon but it's best to give Mrs. Richards some time for now."
Her beloved boyfriend sighed before his hazel eyes quickly looked back to the sleeping form of Susan's young daughter. He had long put the emotionally drained Franklin to bed but Valeria insisted on staying awake. Whether it was fortunate or not though, even she could not resist the need to rest after witnessing such a terrible scene just a couple of hours ago.
Peter and Sable suspected it was coming but they wished it hadn't taken place in front of their children...Sue finally confronted her husband about their failing marriage and before they could arrive to help, the confrontation turned into a full blown intense argument.
It was only thanks to the Human Torch calling him about what was happening that they got there before the insults came and she quickly moved the children out of earshot while Johnny and her beloved Peter did their best to calm things down between their parents.
Fortunately, the verbal fighting soon ceased before it got too far and it ended with Reed storming out of the building in fury with Ben and Johnny following to make sure he didn't do anything stupid while Peter hugged Sue as she silently cried her tears of anger and grief into his shoulder.
All of this happened just two hours ago and now the only thing she and Peter could do was make sure Sue and her kids were going to be alright.
Sable sat down beside the sleeping Valeria and gently ran a hand through her blond hair. The redness underneath her eyes where her tears fell did not escape the Queen's notice.
"I can't believe it turned out like this."
"I know..." Peter said, wrapping his arm around Sable's shoulders. "Something tells me she'd been wanting to say such things to Reed for a long time now."
The Queen of Symkaria only nodded in agreement as she rested her head against Peter's shoulder. The day had been tiring for everyone but Sable knew the true victims out of all this were Mrs. Richard's children and more than once now did she curse the fact that Sue's confrontation took place in front of them.
It did put things in perspective however, regarding her own loving relationship with Peter. She truly loved Peter with all her heart but even they had their rare moments of bickering with each other. It didn't happen very often though and fortunately the arguments didn't last long either because Sable found it very difficult to stay mad at Peter for long and vice versa.
After they had yelled what needed to be said, there was always a brief moment of silence before they quickly forgave each other with her lips kissing Peter's firmly and lovingly.
But the intense argument that Mrs. Richards had with her husband today was something they'd never experienced and Sable strongly hoped she would never get to that point with Peter.
"...Something on your mind?" Spider-Man softly whispered.
Sable looked into his hazel eyes. "I was wondering what we would've done if we had been in their shoes today."
Peter didn't say anything at first as he thought about that. They've had their own share of bickering but those tense moments were pretty rare. That didn't mean he enjoyed it though...he utterly hated it whenever they argued because he knew it hurted Sable just as much it did him.
And the one thing he swore to never do was harm her in any way.
"Let's hope we never have to find out." Peter said with a gentle kiss to her temple, "I can't even imagine exchanging those kinds of harsh words with you."
Sable's lips smiled at her lover's words. "I'm glad you said that...because I feel the same way. I want to spend my time loving you, Peter, not fight against you."
"No arguments from me...you'd probably win anyways. Aunt May told me before that a lady is always right."
"And it's true." She said with a chuckle, "Your Aunt is a very wise woman."
Before he could say anything to that, the sound of a door opening caught their ears and they swiftly turned around at the source. An emotionally exhausted Susan Richards stepped out from the other side and slowly headed towards them.
He walked up and placed a hand on Sue's shoulder. "...Feeling better?"
"Yeah..." She quietly whispered, wrapping her arms around Peter's waist. "Thank you both so much for being here."
"Anytime." Peter said as he gently patted her back.
Sable stepped forward and pulled Susan into a comforting embrace. "We're glad that we could help, Mrs. Richards."
"I can't thank you both enough...how are my children?"
Sable moved aside so she could see her daughter sleeping peacefully on the couch. "They're finally asleep...but I worry about how they'll feel when they wake up the next day."
"I know, I know." Sue tiredly sighed. "I didn't want to have this discussion with Reed in front of the children but one thing led to another and before we knew it..."
Peter gripped her shoulders gently from behind. "We're not blaming you, Sue and...I doubt Franklin and Valeria do either. I think they just want to understand why you and Reed argued today."
"What do I tell them? I don't want them to know that our marriage is slowly falling apart."
"I don't think lying to them is the best choice either." Sable wisely pointed out.
Peter didn't really have an answer but he could tell Sue and Sable were tired from the immense stress of what transpired today. He wasn't much better off and it was quickly understood in his mind that it'd be best now for all of them to get some rest.
"Let's think about this another day. It's late and we'll feel better after a good night's sleep."
Susan couldn't help but agree. "You're right...but I might need some help tomorrow in explaining this to Valeria and Franklin. May I ask that the both of you stay the night here with me?"
"Of course...we don't feel like going out at this hour anyways." Sable replied with Peter nodding to show that he would stay as well.
That brought a grateful smile to Sue's face as she quickly pulled her close royal friend in for a tight hug.
"I'm very happy to have friends like you here...thank you both so much."
Sable pulled back with a warm smile of her own before she moved aside and let Peter step forward.
"It's what we're here for, Sue...to help those important to us and you're certainly no exception." He whispered with a grin.
Susan giggled as she appreciatively kissed Peter's cheek. "You and Sable are both very close to my heart too."
He chuckled with a bright blush, the sight of which made her giggle again before she reluctantly stepped back and carried the sleeping Valeria away to her room. Sable firmly held Peter's hand as they watched both mother and daughter retire to their bed for the night.
"Let's hope they'll be able to sleep peacefully tonight."
"If anyone can pull through this, it's her...Sue's one of the strongest individuals I've ever met."
Sable jokingly smirked. "Am I in that list of the strongest people you've ever met?"
Peter's lips affectionately kissed Sable's as they both lazily slipped out of their shoes and fell onto the bed in of the guest rooms.
"You're the strongest of them all, Sable." Peter whispered, his hand gently caressing her silver hair. "...That will never change."
...
- As unfortunate as it sounds, every relationship faces a struggle at some point and romantic ones are no exception. I knew at some point I had to fit that aspect in somehow but I'm still uncertain as to whether or not I did it alright...I'll let you guys be the judge of that.
- I really hope all of you enjoyed read this and keep the reviews coming whenever possible. It's not my intention to seek out praise...but it'd be nice to hear some good and honest words right now. My thanks, friends!