HªppY Høµr!

[Swan_Song]

Maybe =P

Mikey ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Yes, and we're going to have an amazing time in Romania, you know! Adventures in the woods, hunting without worrying about being seen, long nights under that stars-- and then when we get home we get to see our nephew! I'm so excited! It's going to be awesome!" He grinned, then nibbled on her ear. "I'm so glad I get to share all of this with you. You make me so crazy happy-- and just crazy in general, but what couple isn't a little bit crazy?" He then kissed her and yawned. "Today has been a crazy day."

Sadie smiled and said, "Cosette, no matter what, you'll always be our girl. Nothing will ever change that." She leaned over and kissed Cosette's forehead, then said, "Would you like to hold him? Daddy will have to help you though, okay?"

Cosette nodded and said, "Yes please!" She held out her arms, and Sadie made sure that Brandon was ready to help hold her and Henry. Then, she gently placed Henry into Cosette and Sadie's arms.

Cosette smiled at Henry and kissed his nose. "Hi baby brother," she said quietly, looking down at him. "I love you very much!"

Sadie was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of her little family together.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"I think it's safe to say that we're even crazier than most people, even," Angie agreed. "We really just jumped straight in, didn't we? I felt like one minute it was as though I'd never get a chance to tell you how I really felt about you, and then the next we were there and you were taking my garter off in the back of the car.. My mother would have had a heart attack, knowing I'd decided to elope," she laughed at the thought. "But from that night, when it was that choice between letting you die or making you the same as me, I knew that I never, ever wanted to lose you." She thought it was the essence of 'Koi No Yakan', as the Japanese could so eloquently put it; she didn't believe at love at first sight, but the impending knowledge that once she had Mikey, she'd never be able to let him go again had always been there.

Brandon helped Cosette to hold Henry in her arms, watching . He'd had no idea what to expect when Cosette would be introduced to their new baby- it was so often a difficult experience; but, as she always did, Cosette had taken it completely in her stride, and really Brandon thought that by now he should have simply learned to expect that the best would come from her. As brother and sister got to know each other, he smiled at Sadie in a way that said, 'Can you believe it? We did this. We got it so right.'

Blaise and Kyle watched, their own hearts swelling with emotion at the scene. Some time later, Blaise said, "Now how about a picture? Then can I get a hold?" She struggled to hold in a tear-induced, spluttering chuckle. Brandon helped Cosette hand Henry back to Sadie, who he reassured looked astoundingly beautiful despite having just given birth, and Blaise captured a shot of three beautiful grinning faces, plus one that looked decidedly sleepy but still content.

 

[Swan_Song]

"That's true, we really did! But it's been worth it the whole way, all the ups and downs. I wouldn't trade one second of my life with you for anything in the world." He held her close to himself. "And I'm thankful to you, every day, for saving me and giving me the one thing that had always been missing from my life." He kissed her, then yawned quietly. "Well, I'm all tuckered out, I think. We have a big day tomorrow, you know." He smiled and pressed his lips against her forehead. "Good night, Angie. I love you, and I'll see you in the morning, bright and early!" He then let his eyes close and drifted off to sleep, thankful and content with life.

Cosette seemed displeased when Brandon gave Henry back to Sadie. "My baby?" She said, reaching out her arms to try and take him back. Sadie giggled and kissed her forehead. "We have to share the baby, okay?"

"Share." Cosette repeated with a nod, climbing up on the bed next to Sadie, with a little help from daddy, of course. Sadie grinned for the picture, then cuddled the children close to herself, giving them enough hugs and kisses to last a lifetime. She nodded at Blaise and gently put Henry in her arms.

Henry squirmed a little before he got comfortable, then looked up at Blaise, very quietly.

Cosette said, "We keep baby?"

Sadie laughed and nodded. "Yeah, we get to keep him! And you get to be the big sister!"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

So when are you going to Barcelona again?

Angie was also quite happy to finally be getting some rest after a wonderful but also long and tiring day. "Goodnight, I love you, too," she replied sleepily, reaching over to turn off the light on the nightstand, and curling up to Mikey for a good night's sleep.

She was the first one awake, in the early hours of the breaking dawn, having slept so deeply that she felt completely awake by the time her eyes had fully opened. She slipped out of bed to let her husband continue sleeping, putting on her silk robe before starting to pack away anything still left out in their room, so that they could virtually shower, get dressed and go when he was awake. It didn't take long, and when she was done she took a few moments to step out onto the balcony to appreciate Madrid in the gorgeous morning light once last time.

"I think we should keep him, just like we thought we should keep you, right?" Brandon said to Cosette, laughing softly. Kids really could say the funniest things. He could only imagine what it would be like when Henry was Cosette's age and the two could chatter freely to each other. So much to look forward to, he though.

Kyle looked at Henry from over Blaise's shoulder, letting his little hand grasp his finger, but quite happy to let her hold him for now. Blaise, on the other hand, was totally besotted with him and she grinned as she said, "Another little person in the house to spoil! This is exciting."

"Speaking of being spoiled, just to prove you're still my girl, when your Mom needs some rest, and the doctors need to check that everything's alright with Henry for a while, I'll take you down the road to get some ice cream," Brandon stage whispered to Cosette, who looked delighted with the idea.

 

[Swan_Song]

Next winter! I can't wait!

Mikey woke up eventually, groggily pulling himself out of bed and stumbling into the shower. He had never been a morning person-- even in the army, he had always tried to stay in bed for as long as he could. True, that had gotten him in trouble a couple times, but he couldn't help it-- he loved his sleep! He washed off quickly, then stepped out of the shower, towel around his waist, and went to the kitchenette to fix himself a pot of coffee. "Coffee?" He called as he fixed it, putting the ground coffee in the filter and then setting the brew time. "it should be done in a couple minutes." He then started to get dressed, wearing a pair of darkwash jeans and a tee shirt, with a button down shirt over it.

Sadie smiled at Brandon and Cosette, then looked over at Blaise and Kyle. "He looks so much like his daddy!" She said with a grin. "Just look at those baby blues! All the girl are going to chase after him someday, I can tell!" She laughed, then smiled when Cosette climbed up beside her and nestled into her shoulder. "I get ice cream!" She whispered into Sadie's ear. "You want ice cream too?"

"Oh no sweetie, but thank you very much! Mommy already had her lunch." She kissed the top of Cosette's head.

"Henry want ice cream?"

"Well, Henry's too little to have ice cream right now, so you'll just have to eat a lot of ice cream for all of us, okay?" Cosette nodded excitedly, then went back over to Brandon. "I got secret," she told him. She then whispered in his ear, "I love Henry." She giggled and put a finger to Brandon's lips, making sure he couldn't tell.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

That's so exciting! It's going to be amazing.

"I'd love some, thank you," Angie called in reply from the balcony, spending a few more moments out on it before heading back into the room. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, burying her face into his neck and inhaling his fresh, clean scent. "Mmm, you smell great," she murmured against his skin. While the coffee was brewing, she picked out an outfit that she could slip straight into after her shower, settling on a white sundress, some sliver jewellery and a black blazer so as to not look out of place in the slightly chillier climate in Romania. She gratefully accepted a cup of coffee, taking it completely black as she usually liked it. "Sleep well?" she asked Mikey.

"Guess you'll be fighting off guys and girls from all corners with these two," Blaise agreed with a soft laugh, unable to deny that for such young children, Cosette and Henry were simply stunning- but then, looking at Sadie and Brandon, it was hardly surprising. She gestured to Kyle, asking whether he wanted to take Henry, and he smiled but declined, having had quite enough for one day, and so she handed him back to his mother. "We'll give you all some peace. See you later."

Meanwhile, Brandon was pretending to try and tell Cosette's secret to everybody else, murmuring incoherently from behind her finger across his lips. He sighed dramatically and said, "Okay, I won't tell. I promise!" much to her delight. "I've got one for you though," he added, and whispered, "I love Henry, too. And your mom. And... And I love you, too."

 

[Swan_Song]

I'm so stoked! And there's going to be a big choir concert, so I'm definitely excited!

Mikey smiled and said, "I slept very well, thank you." He then kissed her cheek before fixing his cup of coffee, diluting it with creamer and sugar to the point that it was barely coffee. He took a sip and sighed happily. "That's the stuff," he breathed, before checking his phone. "Okay, we have a few hours before our flight departs, which gives us enough time to head over to the airport, check out some of the stores for any supplies we don't already have, and then wait to board the plane."

Sadie cradled Henry close, completely overjoyed that their son was finally there with them. He fell asleep in her arms, and one of the nurses came in to take him to the nursery, just to make sure everything was okay and to get him ready to go home.

"I'm gonna tell mommy!" She said with a giggle, going over to her and whispering what Brandon had said in her ear. Sadie giggled and smiled at Brandon. "Did daddy say that? Well, I have a secret too. I love you, and I love Henry, and I love daddy too." Cosette laughed and said, "I love you too mommy! And I love daddy!" Sadie kissed the girl's forehead and said, "You'd better go get that ice cream before mommy decides to go and eat it all!" Cosette screeched happily, kissing Sadie on the cheek, then rushing over to Brandon and tugging on his shirt sleeve. "Ice cream!" She cheered.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

That's awesome. Do you know whereabouts you'll be singing? I wish I was coming! But then, I am going on tour to Italy so I can't complain. And my Mum's also talking about going to New York in July, too, which is soooo exciting <3

Angie looked jokingly distastefully at Mikey's coffee, but then reminded herself that it was usually her who got the strange looks in a Stateside coffee shop, ordering a double espresso with nothing else for herself. It must be her European half, she concluded. "Sounds perfect to me. I can't wait," she said, sipping happily at her cup of coffee, trying to picture what it would be like in Romania. She finished, gave him a quick kiss, then slipped out of her robe, heading for a quick shower. She returned some minutes later, drying herself off before getting into her prepared outfit, holding the jacket over her forearm, it already being too hot for it in Madrid so early in the day. "I've packed for us already, so we're good to go whenever you like.

"Alright, honey, let's go," Brandon said. He put a hand on Sadie's arm, smiled at her lovingly and asked her, "Can I get you anything at all while we're out? There's a supermarket around the corner if you need anything."

 

[Swan_Song]

I LOOOOOVE NYC! It's so awesome! You HAVE to see a Broadway show! And go to the huge Macy's! And the empire state building! OH MY GOSH!

"All right then! Let me call a cab and then we can head out!" he called the airport to see if they could send a cab to the hotel, and then they waited for the cab to arrive. When it did, Mikey carried the luggage down to the sidewalk and helped the taxi driver load it up. He then opened the door for Angie and let her in first, before climbing in himself. He gave her a kiss and grinned. "I can't wait to get to Romania! It's going to be awesome! And then we get to go home and meet baby Henry! I can't wait!"

"I don't need anything, but thank you, honey," she said, moving so she could give him a kiss. Then she said to Cosette, "You make sure daddy doesn't eat too much ice cream! We don't want him to have a tummy ache, do we?"

Cosette nodded and said, "I'll stop him from hurting his tum-tum! Bye mommy!" She kissed Sadie on the cheek, then took Brandon's hand. "Ice cream time!" She cheered.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

It's really amazing- she works for a bank in the US, and her boss and old friend moved out there, and they're still really close, so she's always telling us to go and stay with her, so that's a huge expense saved for us, plus also getting to hang out with someone who knows it. I really hope it goes ahead because I've always wanted to go. Eeee!!

Angie sat close to him in the cab, tucking herself underneath his arm. "It's going to be amazing to see somewhere so different, I'm really excited," she agreed. "This really has been a great trip. And then something amazing to welcome us back when we get home." The airport was only a short while away, the traffic being light through the centre of the city at that time of day, and soon they were having passports checked, bags weighed and eventually had made it through security. She scoured a few of the stores full of practical travel items, seeing if there was anything in particular she thought they would need for their trip. "Is there anything you remember we needed to get?" she asked him.

"Alright. we'll see you later. Have a good rest, now. I'm sure Cosette will take good care of me," Brandon told her with a smile and a wink. Father and daughter offered her a wave from the doorway before heading out of the hospital and into the fresh air. "So, what flavour are we getting today?" he asked as they walked along the street, hand in hand. "Umm... Chocolate! Or maybe strawberry... What do you think?" Brandon smiled at her and said, "I'm sure both is okay if that's what you'd like. We just won't tell mommy, okay?"

"And what are you having?"

"I think your choice is good. Do you mind if I go for that too?" he asked her as they found somewhere to have some and sit down. "Of course not, daddy," she said.

As they ate, she nattered on about how excited she was about Henry, and taking him home and showing him around the house, and being the best big sister ever.

 

[Swan_Song]

It's a fantastic city! True, a lot of people up north are more brusque and maybe even rude, but in general I loved the people in New York. And the city itself is fantastic!

"Not really. Although I'm going to buy some extra batteries so that we can keep our flashlights and cameras charged," he said, picking up a package of batteries and going over to the counter. "But other than that, I think we're good. We've got the water bottles with the filters, so getting clean water will be no problem, enough matches to last a lifetime... I think we're good. And if we need anything, we could always head over to the tourist hubs. We'll blend in very well there, I think."

Sadie stayed at the hospital, getting some much needed rest, until her doctor came in and told her that she could leave as soon as they were done checking Henry. Sadie got dressed, and then was surprised when the nurse told her she had another visitor. Her dad came in with a grin on his face, and she gave him a hug. "Hey dad! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well. I moved out of the house and I've relocated to a bigger city. I left work as soon as I got your message! I've got presents for you tow and the kids. Where is the little guy?"

"They're going to bring him in in a minute. They're just getting him clean and dressed." She thanked the nurse as she brought in the baby, all dressed and ready to go. "We named him Henry Scott, after Brandon's dad and you. He's the spitting image of Brandon."

Scott smiled and sat down to hold Henry while Sadie called Brandon. "Hey Honey, the doctors said we're free to go home. And tell Cosette that Pop-pop is here to visit! And he's got a surprise for her."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

That's okay. I'll play the "I'm British!" card at all times xD

Angie had a quick browse around to see if there was anything they hadn't thought of that might be triggered by sight, but she couldn't see anything. Most of it was a load of gimmicks clearly trying to entice the novice traveller, convincing them they needed to have it. He was right, anyway- they could get anything else they needed when they got there. "Alright, well then we'll get batteries and I guess we're good to go!" she said excitedly.

Brandon and Cosette had finished their ice cream and, given that the place wasn't busy, had been spending a little time just enjoying each other's company, which consisted of his hearing her chat about this and that, and a few games of 'I Spy', as well. He sincerely hoped that their relationship would be one where she wanted to spend time with him, he thought to himself while she looked around for something else to spy. His phone buzzed and he took Sadie's calls. "Hiya. Oh, that's fantastic. He is? We'll be right there. See you in a little while. I love you, bye." He turned to Cosette and told her, "That was mummy. There's somebody at the hospital to see you, she says, so shall we get going? On the way you can guess who it is."

"Okay!" she exclaimed excitedly, reaching out to him in such a way that told him she wanted to be carried. He picked her up easily and said, "Aw, are you dad's little baby girl again?" and she nodded whilst giggling quietly. On their way to the hospital, she guessed that Pop-pop was on his way after guessing at Angie and Mikey and Prudence and Evander, and she was incredibly excited to see what her surprise would be.

He set her down in the hallway before they reached the room and Cosette rushed to meet her grandfather, arms wide open for a cuddle. Brandon followed closely behind, shaking his hand, his 'proud new dad' face returning. "Hi, Mr. Watson. Great to see you!" He realised afterwards how formal that sounded, but it was at least better than 'Sir', which he'd almost said. Sometimes you really could tell that he was a man from a very different time. "How have you been?"

 

[Swan_Song]

They'll definitely love it! =D

Mikey grinned at her, then bought the batteries, as well as something else, but he wouldn't tell her what it was. "You'll just have to wait and see about the surprise I got you!" He said with a chuckle, getting ready to board the plane. "The flight will take a while, so I also went ahead and bought a couple books about Romania, just so we can familiarize ourselves a little bit before we get there. I hope that's okay with you. And no, that's not the surprise. I'll give it to you when I'm good and ready!" He laughed, then sat down in his assigned seat on the plane, a big grin on his face.

Scott grinned when Cosette rushed over to him, picking her up and sitting her on his lap with his free arm, hen giving her a kiss on the cheek. "There's my favorite girl!" He said with a chuckle, moving his arm to shake hands with Brandon. "I'm great, thanks! You're going to be in for some crazy times! One is fun, but two-- shoo-wee, you're going to have your hands full. At least, we sure did when Sadie was born! The two terrors, as we called them."

Sadie rolled her eyes and laughed, getting Henry's diaper bag ready for the trip home.

Scott then turned his attention back to Cosette. "All right, little lady, i got something for you. Pop-pop knows that you love animals, so it's kind of two things. I went to Africa for business, and I went on a big safari! So I found an animal for you and brought it back! Check my bag!"

Cosette climbed down from Scott's lap and looked in the bag, then gave a cry of delight, pulling out a big illustrated book of safari animals, and then a plush giraffe. "A giraffe! Yay! I love it!"

"Cosette, what do we tell pop-pop?" Sadie reminded her with a big grin. "Can you tell him the magic words?"

"Thanks pop-pop!" Cosette giggled, going over to him and hugging him. Then she showed her presents to Brandon. "Can you read it to me before bed time please?"

Scott handed Henry to Sadie and kissed her cheek. "I'll head over to the house to give you your presents. I'm sure you're ready to get out of here!"

Sadie nodded and said, "Cosette, we're going to go home! Pop-pop is coming too! You can show him the flowers you and daddy planted!"

Cosette beamed and took Scott by the hand. "C'mon Pop-pop!"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Haha, I hope so. And luckily my accent is one of the better British accents. At least, that is to say Americans can actually understand it xD

Angie eyes him suspiciously as she put her bag in the overhead compartment, having taken out her phone for music purposes and the Spanish edition of Vogue. She'd been wondering what had been going on in the fashion world while they'd been away, and being able just to pick up and read a Spanish copy was great for the journey. She set them on her lap as she sat down and pouted at him, "That's mean! I'm going to be sat here this whole time wondering what on earth you have in mind." She hadn't the faintest clue, if she was to be perfectly honest; not one thing sprung to mind and it annoyed her a little, although not to any point where she lost good humour. She took one of the books from him and had a skim through, mentally noting a few pages sporting things that looked good to return to.

"Don't I know it," Brandon laughed, nodding in agreement. "Still, the house is quiet for now at least so that'll give us a good while to let him settle in. And remind this one that she's still my girl." It was nice to see Sadie's father again, and he was certainly a totally different person since the first time he'd met, when her mother had also made an appearance at the same moment in spite of the fact that they were no longer married. They casually chatted a little while Cosette searched for her surprise.

When she tugged on his sleeve and asked if he would read to her, he looked at her book and said, "Wow, honey! Isn't that great? Of course I'll read it to you later. You can put on your animal pyjamas and let your giraffe have a listen, too. How does that sound?"

"Great!" she exclaimed excitedly, hugging her giraffe close to her chest.

Brandon took the bags from Sadie so that she could carry Henry, and they all made their way to the cars to make the short journey back to the house. They hadn't been long in the grand scheme of things, but everyone was looking forward to going home, and, in Brandon's case at least, a nice cup of tea.

 

[Swan_Song]

That's definitely a plus! People over here love British accents!

Mikey said, "This is a good surprise. That's all you need to know!" He kissed her cheek and put an arm around her shoulders, looking at one of the books himself. He was thoroughly interested in Transylvania and the old castles that were there. He hoped that they would have time to visit. He was also interested in the traditional foods and festivals of Romania, and hoped that they would get to see at least one or two festivals before they headed back. If not, though, he didn't mind too much.

Sadie got Cosette and Henry situated in their child seats, then sat next to Henry to make sure he was okay during the short ride home. Scott followed them in his car, and when they got home, he helped Sadie unload the car and then took Cosette by the hand, to try and distract her a bit so Brandon and Sadie could get Henry settled in.

Cosette chatted away, telling pop-pop about her dolls, the garden, everything she could think of. She also told Scott that her giraffe's name was Marvin, and that they were going to go on lots of safaris. Scott nodded and talked with her in the same manner, keeping Cosette thoroughly entertained.

Sadie went inside, cradling Henry against her chest. She gently placed the baby in Brandon's arms so he could have a chance to hold him.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I'm really not sure why! Have you heard accents like the Newcastle and Mancunian accents..? They're also British, but nothing like how I sound (thank goodness!).

"I'd have preferred it if you'd not told me at all, in that case! How do you expect me just to sit here and wait for you to tell me what it is?" Angie replied with a dramatic sigh. In spite of this, she happily leaned into his side, tucked under his arm, one headphone in so as to be able to hear him if he said anything, and continued to look through the books. They talked about seeing some castles, which she also thought looked pretty amazing, and seeing some traditions they had there such as events and festivals. It was obviously not a typical holiday destination, but from how it looked it seemed an intriguing place to visit. She liked that a lot about certain places, and in fact being away from area flocked with more tourists than locals would be great. The flight was several hours long, and on the whole pretty smooth, including the take off and landing, not that it bothered her in the slightest anyways when there was a small bout of turbulence; she'd always loved flying since the first time she'd taken a plane to attend New York Fashion Week many years ago when it was a much less commercial thing.

Brandon put their bags upstairs to be unpacked and sorted out later, then returned to the living room, where he took Henry into his arms. He was eagerly taking in his new surroundings with wide eyes. It was great, Brandon thought, to have another soul filling the large house which felt empty at the moment without some of its regular inhabitants. He was definitely looking forward to seeing Mikey and Angie again and as for Evander and Prudence... He missed them, and just hoped that they were doing okay, wherever they were. He snapped out of it and smiled at Sadie, giving her a quick kiss. "I love you so much," he told her.

Cosette entered, Marvin and Scott in tag, having showed him the new additions to the decoration of her room and the flowers she had planted in the garden with Brandon just last week.

 

[Swan_Song]

Nope! Are they harder to understand?

Mikey said, "Very patiently!" He stuck his tongue out at her, then went back to reading, fascinated by the culture and customs of Romania. He wondered if any of the natives would suspect vampirism from him and Angie, or if they would just assume that they were two well to do people on their honeymoon. He really hoped the latter. he didn't think being burned at the stake was an idea of fun and frolic. Unlike Angie, he had never really enjoyed flying, so the fact that there was no turbulence was a great relief to him. When the plane landed, he grabbed their stuff from the overhead compartment and got off of the plane as quickly as he could. He wanted off of that thing.

Sadie murmured, "I love you too," and kissed him in return. She smiled when Cosette returned and said, "Did you get to show Pop-pop everything?"

Cosette nodded and said, "Marvin came too! He likes going on adventures with me!" She then sat down on the floor, placing Marving next to her, and said to Scott, "Pop-pop, let's make secrets!" Scott sat down and placed the child on his lap, and started playing the secret game with her. The secrets weren't really secrets at all, mostly things like, "I like chocolate" or "Marvin is scared of the dark".

When there was a knock on the door, Sadie went to answer it.

Prudence stood on the doorstep, a suitcase in her hand and a grin on her face. "Where's the new kiddo?" They embraced, and Sadie exclaimed, "What are you doing here!?"

"Let's just say that China didn't quite agree with me as much as I had hoped. Besides, we figured enough time had passed that we could come home without suspicion!"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

They are. I'm pretty good with accents but most people say they find them hard to understand when they're really strong. They're also not that attractive, haha xD

//www.tamatalk.com/IB/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png <-- this is from a comedy show on TV here and everyone except the blonde girl comes from Newcastle. See how you go with it, haha.
Angie was having similar thoughts about whether the Romanians would have any suspicions about them. Trying to be optimistic, she thought of a few things that might keep any at bay, for example the fact that their eyes were perfectly normal colours, they were perfectly comfortable around human beings, they would dress appropriatelyfor the weather, and given that her complexion before changing had been olive, her skin had only paled to a still very healthy tan colour. They would have to be careful, nevertheless.

She watched with amusement as Mikey clearly relaxed when the plane landed, and seemed to be in a bit of a rush to get off it as soon as he could. As they walked along side each other, she decided to make the most of it and said, "You know, I really should have told you that story before, when we were actually on there, about when I went on my first flight. Back then they had to hand start the propellers and everything. Took about five attempts for it to actually take off from the runway, and then while we were up there they thought we'd run out of fuel before we got to New York. Oh well, at least you can think about it on the flight back." She patted his arm in mock sympathy, with a wry smile to match.

Brandon hadn't really paid much attention to who was at the door, but the familiar sound of Prudence's voice soon found its way to his ears and for a moment he thought he'd imagined it because he'd been thinking about them only a few moments ago. But he smiled, with a look of excited exasperation when he realised the exchange between Sadie and Prudence wasn't some figment of his imagination, particularly when a few moment's later, Evander's deep voice also travelled through the house.

Evander had been retrieving a few more bags, and so appeared behind Prudence a few moments later. There wasn't a lot of evidence that China had been too hard on him; in fact, he looked well- his grey/black hair stylishly dishevelled, a pair of aviator sunglasses over his eyes, which showed no hint of tiredness when he took them off to greet Sadie. Clearly, nothing had ever been as hard on him as his divorce, and Prudence had saved him. "Sadie!" he said, "You look great!" and set down the suitcases, pulling her into a tight hug. "You have no idea how fantastic it is to see you."

Brandon appeared at the door, beaming first at Prudence and giving her a kiss on each cheek, given that his hands were full, then smiling at his old friend behind her. "We're so glad to have you back," he told them, leading them through to the sitting room. "Well, here he is. Henry Scott," he announced, handing him over to Prudence. He took the opportunity to give Evander a hug and a quick catch up, before Cosette rushed over, jumping in to his arms. "'Vander!" she exclaimed.

"You can't be Cosette! I remember her, she was much smaller than you are."

 

[Swan_Song]

It's definitely a little harder to understand them!

Mikey cast a glare at her and said, "You'd better be glad that you didn't tell that story, because that would have put me in a very panicky place. I would have started thinking 'What if we run out of fuel? What if the propellers stop? What if we crash and fall to our doom?' You know I don't like flying! Oh man, now I can't stop thinking about it." He shuddered, then went over to grab their luggage. Changing the subject from flying, he said, "I figured for the sake of camping we could rent a small jeep or something, something that could take us down the backroads without getting stuck." Plus, he figured it would be awesome to drive one. He couldn't help it--he loved cars. It was the man in him coming through.

Sadie gave Evander a hug, then went to get glasses of water and some snacks for everyone. When she returned, she set the tray down on the table and sat down next to Prudence, who was happily holding the baby.

Henry was fairly calm about the whole thing, being passed around from one person to another. he stared up at Prudence with mild interest, before yawning and closing his eyes. Prudence looked at Sadie and grinned. "He's a beautiful baby! You must be so proud!"

"Of course I am! And I'm also very proud of big sis over there. She's absolutely great with Henry. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty hard to keep them separate when they get older!"

Cosette ran and grabbed Marvin, bringing him over to show him to Evander. "This is Marvin! Pop-pop got him in Africa!"

Scott walked over to give his greetings, then told them he was heading out. Sadie gave him a hug and a kiss, while Cosette whined, "No, stay and play, Pop-pop!"

Scott knelt down to give his favorite girl another hug and kiss, shook hands with Brandon, then headed out, promising to visit again soon.

Prudence got up and gently put Henry in Evander's arms. "He looks like a dead ringer for Brandon, huh?"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Theirs are pretty weak, I think, so that the rest of the country can watch it, but it's still so different to how I sound. We have so many different accents in the UK.

Angie rolled her eyes and said cryptically, "Oh, honey, you still have to so much to learn about being part of our family," attempting to make her point without uttering any word whatsoever that could get them into trouble. She thought the jeep was a good idea, though, as much as she knew he was half trying to fulfil his testosterone-fuelled need to drive a cool car around in the great outdoors. "There'll be a rental place around the corner from the airport for one, I'm sure," she said, taking a bag from off the conveyor belt, as well. She was excited about camping. She probably didn't look at all like she was the type, but she had fond memories of camping with her parents, even if it was just a little canvas sheet put up in the back garden on a hot summers' day, and she wasn't afraid to get stuck into a wilder side of life. Sure enough, just across the road from the drop-off and pick up point outside arrivals, there was somewhere for picking up a car. It felt strange to come from speaking one country's language with ease to not speak a single word of another's, and she felt bad for not even being able to say hello to the man behind the desk in anything except English. They were, of course, used to it, and in no time they were packing their things into the boot of the jeep she'd let Mikey pick out.

Brandon shook Scott's hand and saw him out, letting him know once again that he was welcome any time he wanted- Cosette was forever asking where her pop-pop was when he hadn't been around for a little while. He then returned to the sitting room and helped himself to a glass of water. Evander had taken Henry from Prudence and was pretty stunned by the resemblance to Brandon. "He sure is. I could never see it before but just think, you must have looked just like this once upon a time, Brandon," he chuckled.

"I know," Brandon replied, sipping his water. "It's a nice thought, actually. You and I both know how much we wish cameras had been around back then. So anyway, how was China?"

"A culture shock," Evander admitted. "Thank goodness I had Prudence with me, I don't think I could go there on my own. It's actually beautiful in so many ways, but living there was really something else. I suppose we were always on edge, anyway, that it was difficult to make the most of it."