AN: Well, had a rough start to February. I was tboned while taking my mom to her congestive heart failure appointment. Now I have no car and no way to get to work and I am very sore. I'm not surprised though. My birthday is cursed so that every year from the 1st of February until February 19th (my birthday) I am plagued by the worst luck imaginable.

Part 73

When she opened her eyes, she had no idea what time it was. She looked around the room. The television was off. It had been on when she fell asleep and Tyler was gone. Which was odd. He had practically moved in to help her with the twins until she was ready to do it on her own.

She suddenly realized she could hear something. A guitar? She spun around until she saw a figure in the shadows. A small gray figure with big, fluffy gray ears standing in her kitchen. "Buster?"

The koala smiled at her. "Hey, Ash." He laughed when she rushed him with a hug. He felt the tears hitting his fur and he reached up to wipe them away. "You're probably wondering why I called this little meeting," he joked, prompting her to laugh despite herself. "Are you alright?"

Ash tilted her head. "Am I alright? Shouldn't I be asking you?"

"I'm sorry… about Lance… I wish I could've done something…" he hugged her.

She sighed. "Thank you… he said he saw you… just before…"

Buster nodded. "They thought I was the most logical person to guide him. I'm still sorry that I had to take him with me. I'm sorry."

Ash shook her head. "Buster, it's not your fault. He was sick. Would it have been nice to have a miracle for once, yeah but… it would be nice to have you back too, so…" She looked down the hall. "My biggest concern is those kids. I don't know what I'm doing."

"Sure ya do. Ash, you have one of the biggest hearts that I know. Imagine where they'd be now if you and Lance hadn't reconciled. Either in a home or with a mother who doesn't care about them," he dabbed her eyes with his handkerchief. "You two were brought back together for the sake of those kids. So, I know you have it in you. And if you need help, you know several wonderful mothers who can guide you. Rosita, Mrs. Patel, Suki…"

She nodded. "You have a point there but… I just wish he could be doing this with me. I didn't know… when we started dating again… that he'd be gone in just six short months. And I only heard from him because…" She trembled. He had only reached out because of Buster's passing. She curled in on herself, crying.

He hugged her and rubbed her back. "Things happened the way they had to happen. Unfortunately, we don't always understand why things happen."

Ash rolled her eyes. "Sounds like something Alphonso would say. The Lord moves in mysterious ways and all that jazz."

Buster chuckled almost conspiratorially. "I've heard."

She tried to think of what else to say. The sound of the guitar reached her ears again. "Where's that guitar coming from?" The twins didn't listen to the radio at night. Not like she did.

"Why don't you go find out," he suggested with a wry smile.

Ash followed the sound back to the second bedroom. In the rocking chair that they had moved from Lance's apartment, she saw him, playing a shimmering blue guitar with a pearl pick guard. "Lance?"

The male porcupine smiled up at her. "They always liked it when I played while they fell asleep. I don't know if they can hear me now but I thought at least I could try…" He chuckled while he put the guitar to the side. "I'm sorry, Ash. If I had known when I called you last May, I wouldn't have called. At least you wouldn't have been hurt again. I betrayed you again. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "You didn't betray me. You were sick. And… if you hadn't… they would have gone into the system or to Becky and she only saw them as a meal ticket. She dropped the custody matter once I told her…"

He nodded. "That figures. I am grateful. I know you're scared but you have it in you to be a great mother." He walked over to her and put his arms around her.

"I'm going to try. I just wish we could be doing it together," she hugged him back. "I'm alone again."

"That's not true," he contradicted her. "You have all of your friends, and you have a lot of friends. You have Clay and Sitara, a big sister in Meena, a little sister in Porsha and Nooshy. A couple of big brothers in Johnny and Ryan. I know Mr. Moon is never far and I'll always be close by. And Tyler, I asked him to be there for you. To take care of you for me."

She should have known. She sighed. "That was sweet of you."

He gazed at her, as if memorizing her face. "Do you like the guitar?" He asked. "I'm sorry I didn't get to give it to you directly."

She rolled her eyes. "It's great. But you didn't have to sell off your guitar for me. Tyler bought it back. I'm going to save it for either of the twins if they decide they want it."

Lance shook his head. "You're worth more to me than that piece of wood with strings. I would do it again. And I knew you'd appreciate an engagement guitar more than a ring." He ran his fingers through her hair. "I love you but… now, I have to ask one more thing of you… before I have to or rather before you have to leave…"

"What is it? Whatever it is, I'll do it," Ash promised.

"You've already spent five years alone because of me. You've already wasted enough of your time and tears on me," he sighed. "So don't waste anymore. I want you to find happiness and love again. Someone who will be there for you in ways I couldn't be."

She realized what he was saying. "Lance, I'll try but I'm going to need some time. I still feel like I'm on a roller coaster stuck at the top of the loop." She sighed. "I gave Clay a hard time but now I get it… I understand. I wish I could hide out in a lake house for fifteen years and pretend the world didn't exist. But I can't."

He chuckled. "Speaking of, there is one more person who wants to talk to you." He led her back out to the living room where Buster was drinking tea with a lovely lioness wearing a long green sequin dress.

"Ms. Cohen. Or excuse me, Mrs. Beaumont?" She asked politely. "Forgive me, I'm Ruby Calloway."

She nodded. "You can just call me Ash. It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Calloway." She was really starting to wonder about this dream. She was half expecting a unicorn to come floating by.

She smiled at the young woman. "I felt like I should thank you while I had the opportunity. My husband knew that I didn't want him to live like he did. I begged him to keep playing and to find someone else to love him because I didn't want him to be alone. We discussed it at length before my passing. You saved him, my dear. You gave him a daughter to care for and helped him to meet his new wife. It's all because of you, my dear." She stood and hugged her gently.

Ash blushed a little. "I just thought it was so sad for him to just let himself pine away. He's my hero. I became a rockstar because I wanted to be like him."

Ruby nodded. "I still owe you much for what you've done." She smiled down at her. "All I'm able to give is a promise. Happiness is not that far off if you'll allow yourself to have it." She carded Ash's quills comfortingly. "It's about time to wake up, dear."

She looked up at Lance. He grinned. "It's okay. I'm never far away. Just remember what I said. Don't waste any more of your time and tears on me."

Ash sighed and nodded, hugging him before she heard something in the distance. And smelled something too. She looked around. The room was much brighter as the sun smacked her in the face. "Ahhh!" She rubbed her eyes. The sound became clearer, the crackle and sizzle of bacon and eggs.

"Thank you for breakfast, Uncle Tyler," she heard Lancy say as she sat up.

She went into the kitchen breakfast nook. He was serving up bacon, eggs, and pancakes. "Good morning, Ty."

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" The orangutan asked.

She nodded. "I did. Thanks for asking." She sat down. "So, what do you kids want to do today?" She didn't want to sit at home on this beautiful Saturday. They had been through so much.

"Can we go see Mr. Eddie?" Raquelle asked. "Is he okay?"

Ash nodded. "He sure is. The doctors patched him up and he's fine. I bet he'd love a visit from us." She didn't know quite how to talk to them about their father but they seemed to be dealing with it in their own way. "Then after… what if we went to Pizza Planet? We could even ask everyone else. We need a day of fun, I think."

Tyler smiled. "That's a great idea! I have no doubt that Alphonso will be up to it. I'll ask him and Meena."

Lancy bounced. "Yea! Pizza Planet!" Raquelle echoed his exuberance.

AN: Okay, I really need opinions. I'm thinking of giving Clay and Sitara a child of their own. What do you think?