Morningstar Manor

Ang had been feeling fine all day, and now, settled happily in the bath was soaking away another of those annoyingly niggly back aches she’d been having for over a week. It really did work, the warm to almost hot water soothed, the lavender oil calmed, and the soft strains of Vivaldi’s four seasons kept the baby from kicking too much. Perfectly relaxing and she sighed happily as she sank a little deeper into the water. The only downside was needing help to get out of the bath, in case she slipped of course, but even then, nothing compared to a sleepy Ang waddling to bed with a sleepy baby not kicking her crazy and actually getting some sleep!!! Now there was a thing.

She was just starting to sit up again when her back twinged a little, and she stopped to ease it again, closing her eyes and slowly sliding back downwards. Holding on to the sides of the bath she was definitely feeling sleepy when something else happened. Her womb clenched, almost like, no, just like a contraction. But Ang didn’t worry, she’d been having Braxton Hicks for over a week, and the midwife had told her just this morning that the baby wasn’t ready to come out yet and to stop worrying... she still had several weeks to go and to go home and rest. A few minutes later she had another contraction, stronger, and longer lasting, but she put that down to Braxtons too.... she even added more hot water to the bath, because the water looked funny and was getting cooler. It never even dawned on her that her waters had broken, and that this was it. She was too relaxed, and too comfortable to move just yet.

Leaving Gavin sleepy-eyed and moments away from sleep after reading through the story book for the third time, Alec knocked gently on the bathroom door and poked his head in. “Pruney yet?” he teased.

( Then something good happened. )

She'd opened up at 9am, with Leena as usual, and spent the majority of the morning selling prints and postcards, and of course completing a couple of small assignments for the non-art classes she was taking, while Leena helped customers with larger things and did her usual stuff. By lunchtime though Emma was well ready for Sadie to come in and take over, only Sadie was never on time, and as per usual running late. Emma had her bag ready to go and her back to the door when it opened, and she turned with a "Thank god you're here," only to find it wasn't Sadie coming in.

"Oops, but then again, yay! How are you boss? In a good mood or a bad one?" A good one and she might gripe about Sadie, a bad one and she'd just leave it. Not worth the hassle and besides, Charlie was a damn good boss and she didn't like upsetting him.

There was a fat chick in the queue before him, and Andras rolled his eyes. She was chatting to the barista -- not Joy --  and ordering her coffee piecemeal -- 'Oh yes, I can just as well have some sprinkles! But who was that old man this morning?'

Andras groaned, and she turned around, grinning all the way up at at him. She had a very impressive pair of boobs, but Andras didn't care.

"You going to keel over next?" she asked, sweetly.

"No, but you are!" Andras said, caffeine crave making him grumpy. "You really shouldn't have sprinkles, you know. Or whipped cream. Or brownies, at that." She already had an ass like a dray horse, for fuck's sake! Why was she making it worse?

"And who are you, the food and body police?" she asked, shaking her head. "Mind your own damn business."

"Who he is," said a somewhat Scottish voice behind Andras, very drily, "is some fluffy hipster between me and my coffee, and that's not a naturally tenable position for anyone."

She giggled, and Andras turned around, and almost felt like keeling over after all.

The man behind him was about fifty, but an inch taller even than Andras, and at least twice as broad. He smiled down at him, his amber eyes, oddly enough for such a warm colour, icy-cold as he did so.

"Cream, sprinkles, brownie, and caramel cookies," the fat girl declared, and when she got it, she turned, flounced past Andras, offered the big Scotsman a cookie (which he accepted, taking a bite right away with very strong and white teeth that looked positively threatening), and took herself off to some table in the corner.

"What are you waiting for, Mr. Hipster?" the Scotsman asked, sweetly.

All Saints Day, sunset.

That's when they had agreed to leave. They weren't going to be dragged kicking and screaming into the next world, Manny and Marek had agreed.

So they lingered near the maze near dusk, to say goodbye to a last few good friends before going to whatever awaited them.

Ang was settled in the pool, drifting and lapping alternately, an exercise that Alec had agreed to, and which she was making the most of having left Gavin with his father for a bath and bedtime routine they mostly had down pat. Her mind was racing though, through the essay due next week that she had almost finished, but was indefinably unhappy with. She'd missed something, something, "Conditioning!" She suddenly sat up in the water, unaware that someone else was in the pool house, "I forgot about the damn conditioning!"

----

Emma was in the Gym, the phys ed component of her year was not going well, and she was doing her best to improve that with a few miles on the treadmill, and some light weights, but, really, could she have known less about what she was doing? Just then, she was sat on a mat, supposedly stretching, but in reality, mostly in a dream about opening an exhibition in a gallery, her exhibition, a brilliant success...... strangely enough she was smiling, despite the hunched posture and oddly extended leg that she was bent over.

----

Icene had finished emptying her apartment. The last of her belongings had gone, either to Adams, or the local good will. She'd advised her parents of the apartment number change, but only her father knew what was going on. He'd confessed her mother was slipping still further, and Icene was now worrying over a black coffee, that thankfully remained such, whilst shredding a muffin into crumbs.... should she go home? Could she do anything? Would she just make it worse? And if her mother was as far gone as her father said, would she even realise who Icene was? She sat, without realising she was crying, as a single solitary tear drifted down her face, slowly freezing until a small bead of ice fell from her chin into the mess of crumbs on the plate.

----

Gregori was cheerfully stuffing mailroom boxes with small samples of chocolates, he'd left a box that first time for Ashlynn, and that had given him the idea, now he dropped half a dozen chocs, in bags, into each box in the apartment, complete with a business card, and a small copy of the 'menu'. He was humming a Christmas Carol, because there were no good halloween songs.

----

Cleo browsed the library shelves, wondering, not for the first time, why she'd picked the courses she had. All this studying was not helping her find a date, and with halloween coming up, surely a costume for the rumoured ball was far more important than an essay. She found the book she was looking for, and turned, only to drop the book as someone else was right there, "Oh madre de dios! You made me jump!"

----

Spencer had been in meetings, and was feeling tired and drained. But there were chores to be done, so tonight he was staring blankly at the washing machine as it revolved rhythmically before him, the towels tumbling in and out of the soapy water, his mind seeking only rest and respite from worry and stress. Christmas was coming, the store was gearing up, and yet, he just couldn't find any enthusiasm for any of it. It worried him.

----

Jane was quietly clearing up the daycare centre, slowly cleaning up the spilled paint, the ground in clays, and setting things to rights. Alongside her were a couple of the last remaining children, who's parents hadn't yet arrived to collect them, even though officially the daycare part of their work was over. She was happy though, because the children were helping, and it was all good, however imperfectly they did it, they really were helping! "That's it, one more brush into the pan, and yes! You've got it! Well done," she smiled at the young boy, "Now, can you get it to the bin without spilling it?"

She looked up to see another parent arriving, "Evening! We've had a lovely day, everything all right?"

Emma thought she was doing really well, not only did the constantly being watched feeling not freak her out, but she was actually feeling remarkably comfortable with it. Unlike Ang, who'd been down earlier while Alec was out with Faith and Gavin, she hadn't wanted to be alone was her reasoning for visiting, but then she'd confessed to the pregnancy and Emma understood more. After their visit, Ang had headed home for dinner, and Emma had walked Lily then left her back in the apartment to come down to the Mocha and web browse on her netbook in company. She wasn't looking for much, just ideas, and the odd fact about various painting movements and fashion trends, and if she could find it, something nice for Halloween.... She'd just given up on one site, nothing but nothing would have her going anywhere dressed as a pumpkin when something made her look over her shoulder...

Allan breezed into the gallery with ash in his hair and dirt on his face and a totally smashed cell phone in his hand. It was a casualty of him trying to move a load of stone from one part of his workshop to another without checking where he was going to put it down and he had remembered he needed to call Cartwright about another visit to look over his 'model'. Surely the gallery could tell him the number?

But first he had to observe the formalities.

"Whoa Emma," he whooped. "Are all dose legs yours? All the way up? Jaysus, just the sight of you makes an old man happy!"

Emma woke up in an unfamiliar position, and with an unfamiliar arm thrown over her waist. For a brief second she panicked, then she remembered and relaxed again with a smile. Last night had gone rather better than she'd hoped....

A CD of meditation music had given her the idea, the soft susurrus of the wind playing through leaves had her thinking romantic comedies, lowered lighting, and of course then she'd rearranged the lounge and her bedroom, before really cleaning up the apartment and then herself. By about nine she was ready, with pizza ordered, and the pets fed and settled. Not that she expected either Lily or Mr Cat to respect her wishes in that respect, oh no, but at least they might be more accepting.

It had been great though, the movies, the pizza, the beer, the cuddling on the sofa, and then the offer to stay, at which point he could have said no and gone home, but, dear lord, if she hadn't been imagining it, his eyes had lit up and that was that, they'd locked up the apartment and gone to bed.

She did wonder if she should get up, make coffee, but then, no, she was comfy right where she was thanks, and besides, she had the wicked idea of getting him to get up and make her a cup of tea! That would only be fair since she'd sorted out dinner and everything last night right? Yeah... now, if he'd just wake up....

Emma was idly stirring the cup of tea, half asleep, with Lily laying on her feet and a half eaten muffin on the plate by her elbow. Upstairs she knew Ang would be doing something seriously like dinner, while unpacking and doing the laundry and cleaning the apartment she shared with Alec and Gavin, but Emma was not Ang. She'd dumped her case on the floor near her bed, and collected Lily and Faith from Charlie, then taken Faith to Alec and headed straight for the Mocha. Laundry could wait, so could dusting, and to be honest, she was knackered. Ang and Alec might have dozed on the plane, but Gavin had been one wide awake toddler and Emma had been keeping him amused with games and toys and walking up and down the plane with him when he wouldn't sit still. Thank god they'd flown club class, the extra room had been very welcome.

Every now and then she added something to the short but growing list of things she had to do, laundry, shopping, unpack, walk Lily, sleep for a week, eat muffin.... she put the pen down and broke a piece off, looking round a bit with tired eyes, it was still good to be home. She swallowed the piece and then yawned, hiding her mouth behind her hand, maybe she should have gotten coffee....

An earlier phone call while out for a walk now had Emma in a bit of a tizzy, and she was scribbling notes and making lists on several pieces of paper on the table in front of her. Strangely she wasn't sketching, but she was muttering and alternately sipping at her hot chocolate, or nibbling on a cookie whilst looking both worried and excited. Beneath the table Faith and Lily were curled up together, both exhausted after the long walk around the Riverwalk Park, followed by Emma almost running back to the Manor.

Neither of them had a clue what was going on, and of course, after a cookie and some water, neither really cared, but other people might.

Emma had put the phone down after a long chat with Ang, and yes, Alec too, even Gavin had gurgled at her, and finished her cup of tea, then fetched up both dogs, and headed for the gardens. They needed a longer walk tomorrow and she was thinking of taking them out for a long hike, but for now the gardens and a dozen or so laps, along with assorted fetch and tug of war games would have to do. So for a while she was settled on the lawns, throwing tennis balls in various directions and laughing as Faith and Lily raced each other to bring them back.

Spencer was hiding out in the Gazebo, he was fairly sure his mother was likely to call, so had left his cell upstairs, and instead bought some paperwork with him to read while he sipped on his coffee. A whole batch of papers had just slipped from his grasp though, and were now drifting about in the breeze as he tried to catch them without spilling his drink - if only he'd thought to put it down.

Icene was basking in a secluded corner that had sunshine, not working on her tan as much as trying not to burn, but then, she had plenty of sun cream, at least on the bits she could reach. An ice cold, and staying that way, bottle of white wine sat next to her, along with the one glass she'd poured and was currently sipping. She had a veritable picnic in the bag by her feet, but, so far, no-one to share it with.

Jane was not too far from her apartment windows, in a more shaded spot, wearing a large floppy brimmed hat, and a long-sleeved but very cool loose cotton kaftan type thing. She'd bought it on a whim because the pale blue fabric was covered in little white daisies with yellow centres, but she really wasn't sure even now that it was a good choice. Bare feet peeked out from under it as she struggled to keep her attention on the book she was trying to read. Any distraction from a childcare textbook would probably be more than welcome!

Gregori was just outside the Mocha doors, on the phone to his builder, and slugging down a bottle of water fresh from the Mocha's fridge. He was not in the best of moods, but the sunshine was helping, along with abject apologies and promises of cost reductions... after a few more exchanges he hung up and sighed, then rolled his head on his shoulders before leaning back against the sun warmed wall and almost, but not quite, wishing he smoked or something.

Cleo was in the tenant gardens, admiring the plants, and occasionally pulling a random weed out of a plot here or there... and if she pocketed a few leaves of bay, or a sprig of rosemary, well, nobody would notice right? She did draw the line at pinching strawberries though, leaving those well alone in the plots where they were, just, oooh, garlic chives! Those would be good. She wondered how difficult it would be to get a plot, then she could maybe grow her own herbs outside, they usually tasted better than indoor grown...

Thomas was at work, and Lucas found he couldn't concentrate on anything when he was home alone after the day he had had. It was going to be in the news in the morning if it already wasn't, so it couldn't hurt to call Emma and talk with her? He really felt like he needed to talk, and more importantly, with Emma.

With that thought he sat down on the black leather couch in the lounge, took out his iPhone, searched for Emma's number, and dialled.

Emma was in the conservatory, strangely enough it was the only place she felt comfortable today, and the large sketchpad on her lap was rapidly filling up with sketches of her parents, and couple of other faces she hadn't seen for a while. Beside her on the bench was a box of tissues, which she occasionally pulled at to wipe her eyes, or blow her nose, and a large hot chocolate that was already cold. Sometimes, she wondered if the things that happened here were worth it, because however much you relished the chance to see some people again, it hurt to lose them over and over when whatever happened had stopped happening.

She flipped a page back, looking almost critically at a sketch of her mother, and then with a sniffle added a few more lines before turning the page again. Right now she could have done with Ang and Alec being home, but she wasn't going to ring them, they had enough to deal with in the UK right now. Trouble was, she knew everyone she could call was probably dealing with the same sort of stuff, and she didn't want to add to anyone else's problems, so here she was, crying as she drew, and missing her parents all over again. If it wasn't for how much she loved having them around for these wierd weeks, she'd wish it never happened again.

Eli was still on leave, and on the phone with his boss. Out in the garden he paced as he squared away some appointments for paperwork, explained vaguely what he had in his plans and begged for an extension on his leave. Sure, he had the time, but he needed the approval.

~*~
Travis was down in the laundry room, trying to find a cool place to wait. The floor was hard, but it was cool, and he sprawled out on it as he waited.

~*~
Erin had finished he shit at work and was settled in to the Mocha with some iced coffee thing. This was her weekend off and she was planning for her and Callan to go visit her parents. She smiled, considering that they would be taking his car and a Porsche in her father's driveway would be a first. They couldn't say he wasn't good enough for her this time.

~*~
Roxy was in the mail room, getting the mail for her and Spencer. She looked over the envelopes, a little worried that something would come up at a different store and Spencer would have to sort it out again.

A morning at work, followed by chores, had left Emma feeling rather more than just peckish. Leaving Lily asleep with Faith (a long walk had rather done the pair of them in chasing each other round Riverwalk Park) she headed down to the Mocha with just her phone, a small sketch book and a couple of pencils (not including the three stuck in her hair). Ordering a sandwich, some cookies, and a large pot of tea, she settled at a table where she could easily keep half an eye on the comings and goings, but still appear to be engrossed in what she was drawing in the sketchpad. Truth was she was sketching the faces of the people around her, a pair of eyes here, a nose or a profile there, a raised eyebrow, the way one woman's hair just curled around her ear... Little bits of people, little details that were so important in getting a person right. Emma knew she needed practice at those.

Of course it didn't help that she was kind of at a loose end, with college out she had so much more free time to do things.... she just wasn't doing anything!

Emma was smirking a little as she filed her nails in the Mocha, a plate of cookies and a large hot chocolate on the table in front of her. She'd had a call from Ang yesterday afternoon, confirming they'd landed safely and were all checked in to their hotel. It hadn't quite sunk in until just now, as she'd arrived back at the Manor after work, but, then, well.... Freedom beckoned. Apart from some summer classes and work of course, but, wow... FREEDOM!!! No oversight, no All-Knowing-Alec to worry about... no slightly disappointed Ang leaning in.. summer was suddenly looking right up. So much sunnier already, even if the skies were overcast today.

She sipped at her chocolate, and nibbled on a cookie, and looked up as someone walked by, oh the things she could get up to, but she was going to need some help with the having fun parts. Some things were just so much more fun when you shared the experience.

Emma was researching for a paper, one of the last she would have to write this year, and hopefully one of her better ones. Her phone was on silent, but kept buzzing as texts and facebook notifications came through on it. She kept trying not to laugh as college friends chattered about what to do and where to go and who was doing what with whom.... Emma was working hard, her GPA was still right up there, a static 4.0, if she could get an A on this last paper.

She was kind of hoping Lucas wasn't working, or that Cleo would come down and keep her company, but to be frank anyone would help at this stage just as a distraction from 20th century modern abstracts and their meanings. Emma was not entirely certain what Jackson Pollock had meant with some of his madder looking spatterings, but, she sincerely hoped her essay wouldn't show that. Dear lord she was so looking forward to the summer break. Just a few more weeks and she would be free for the summer! Well, when she wasn't working that was. She leaned back in her chair, sighing and yawning slightly, if only this darned essay would write itself, or someone would come along and distract her from it entirely - oooh that would be nice, a rescuer with hot chocolate, or tea, or something edible even!

Easter Sunday, and for Emma another favourite day. This was of course mostly due to Ang remembering to get hold of a proper and decent Cadbury (Damn Kraft anyway) Easter Egg or three for her, and putting together a proper feast of a dinner - Roast Lamb, Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Puddings, assorted vegetables, gravy, and of course, PUDDING!

The only downside? Having stuffed herself silly Emma needed a walk and some fresh air, so did Lily, if for different reasons, so here they were in the gardens, Lily bounding around after her ball and being happy, and Emma feeling more like a lumbering whale. Lily brought her ball back and Emma threw it out across the lawns again, watching it bounce on the grass and wondering where the freaky snow of last week had all gone to. Maybe she shouldn't, but she glanced up at the scaffolding surrounding what was left of the pool house, and of course, that was when Lily came bounding back and of course, for some reason, went completely nuts and tripped Emma up.

Obviously, with new schedules and working practices, one would have days where people got confused.

Today was just such a day where Charlie and Andy had arrived almost simultaneously and Allan had ambled downstairs, looking like an unmade bed, to see if he could score some coffee and craic.

So there they were, going about thir business in their own ways - and just as well too since none of the desk staff had turned up.

However uncertain or uncomfortable things could be between them, one thing Alec and Ang could agree on was the importance of family. This would be Gavin's first Christmas, and Emma was expecting the big family meal, they couldn't disappoint.

And, honestly, he had to admit, by the time they were all seated around the big table and the food was being dished out he could almost imagine that it wasn't all for show. It felt, truthfully, the way it should have, the way it had before.

Ang had worked hard to keep everything under control, while feeling fairly stressed and miserable at the same time. Now of course with the meat and Yorkshire Puddings plated up, and a very small plate done for Gavin, all cut up of course, she was quietly hopeful that today would go off without a hitch. Well, at least until she pulled out the Apple Pie anyway. She'd kind of decided to tell Alec and Emma the er, news over dessert. It seemed kinder that way, to not spoil the meal?

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