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[spladoum]

"… and so, Ms. Love, do you see now that many of your issues with relationships stem from your insecurity towards both of your parents—particularly your mother?"

"Yes, I already know that."

"You know that, but you've done nothing about it, which is essentially not knowing it."

Julienne sighed and stared out of the facility window. This was turning out all wrong, just like everything else. She had wanted the doctors to tell her how to move on with her life. Instead, they seemed quite determined to get her to confront her mother. Due to her vampirism, Ellen Love was very likely to outlive her eldest daughter—this would be the only way that Julienne would get closure, Dr. Newsome insisted.

"I'll talk to her when I get home."

"Actually, Julienne, it'd be better if you called while you were here, on the phone in your room."

"But that line is monitored!"

"Therapy doesn't work if you're not accountable."

More sighs. She didn't want to do this. She didn't know how her mother would react to the accusation. She didn't know how she'd react. But if she didn't follow directions, they'd put her out of the program. And that'd be §2000 down the drain. Not that she couldn't afford it … but it'd be just another example of how messed she was, that she couldn't even complete therapy.

The session went on for some time longer. Then it was off for the mandatory hour of exercise (627) (patients weren't allowed to mope in their rooms all days and were required to go outside and/or mingle with others twice a day), and finally, a long soak in a hot bath. That part she enjoyed.

But then she had to call her mother. And she was nervous. They didn't allow alcohol here, so there was no dulling the fear. She had to call, ready or not.

She picked up the phone and dialed out. The line rang twice before connecting.

"This is Ellen."

"Mom. Hi."

"… Julienne! Sweetie, how are you?" Typing in the background—she was at work. "How is everything?"

"Do you have a little bit to talk?"

"Of course." She was still typing.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about … that guy. The one who works with you."

At this point the typing stopped, and her mother said, "Give me one moment, let me shut the door here … okay. You mean Leif, don't you."

"Yes."

"What do you want to know?"

"I just … why, Mom?"

A sigh, much like her own, echoed through the line. "Oh, Julienne. I guess I'll start from the beginning.

"My father was always very protective of me. Most dads are when their only child is a girl. Your grandfather Nathan and my father already had some bad blood between them because at one point in the past they both liked the same woman. My father was also super-sensitive to any perceived criticism of his heritage as a vampire, and well … your grandfather had made quite a name for himself by refusing to talk to the press about, really, anything. So it was very easy for my father to believe the worst about him.

"When Wally first began coming around in high school, my father didn't think much of him because he was older than I was. Then one day Wally was telling me about his father and my father interrupts us and says, 'You're Nate Steel's kid?' And right after that my father made me break it off with him. I tried to explain the situation to Wally, tried to let him know that it was just until I got out of school and became an adult but he wouldn't hear me out … and I couldn't be the rope in a tug-of-war between him and my father.

"After that I started dating Leif. He was my age, he was a vampire, and that was good enough. I liked him, he liked me, I figured it would work. Then my mother died and my father fell into such deep depression that he didn't come out of his room for days. He took the vampirism antidote, sold our house and moved us out of town in less than a month's time. And Leif didn't call and we lost touch.

"I went to China for a work trip and ran into Wally again. Normally it would have been okay to see him, I think, but all of my plasma fruit had been confiscated and I was starving. And when you're that hungry, you can't be rational. He … he fed me, Julienne. And I couldn't keep my hands off him. By the end of that trip I was pregnant with you. I wasn't brave enough to raise you alone. I knew you needed a father.

"I broke it off with Leif and I told Wally. They were both angry with me and believe me, I don't blame either one of them. And ever since then, neither one of them will let go. It would be so easy for me if I knew that your father had fallen out of love with me, or if I could tell that Leif doesn't really care. But they're both in my life. And I love them both. Leif has already told me that he's going to be here when your father passes away, and your father already knows about Leif, so there are no secrets."

Julienne waited for a moment before murmuring, "And you … in love with two men and going to have them both … couldn't let me be happy."

"Wait a moment, Julienne. Before you accuse me of ruining your life, try to remember what you were like then. Kaitlin was the only person you ever talked to. You were putting all of your time and energy into maintaining a relationship with her and only her. If you think that you're disappointed now when your relationships don't work out, imagine how it would have felt to not have a relationship work out with the only friend you had. All I wanted was for you to give some other people a chance. That's all, I swear to you that's all."

"Well, I did, and it got me nowhere."

"Can you honestly say that you gave those relationships a fair shot? From what I could tell, you bailed out at the first sign of trouble. And I can tell you from experience, relationships can be a lot of trouble. You weren't mature enough to make them last. And if you couldn't do it at age 39, you stood no chance at age 18."

There was an uncomfortable pause before Ellen changed the subject and Julienne let her. They talked about her therapy and whether or not she honestly thought it was helping. And finally Ellen asked, "Are you actually attracted to women, honey?"

"I … I'm not sure."

"Because if you're not, there's someone in town who actually would like to spend some time with you. Your father knows this young man pretty well, and he says the guy's worth talking to. When you come home … we'll discuss it. And if you decide to go forward, take it slow, okay?"

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[spladoum]

Before Julienne made it back home, she got the news that she was an aunt. (628) On the day she came back, there was a party scheduled. Surprise.



"When will she be home?" Wallace asked as he nervously scrubbed the fish tanks.

Ellen watched him for a while before patting the full cushion directly beside her. She took his cold hands in her own and gently rubbed them for some time. They didn't get warmer.

"Patras is going to pick her up at 3. You know that, honey."

"I know, I know … but … well, she's my baby."

"She's mine, too."

He grew still for a bit. "I … I didn't know she was so unhappy. I … could have done more."

"Wally, no. Don't you start feeding into this. We all have to go on to move forward, just like the doctors said. There are no more excuses." She found his chin and drew him in for a kiss. Even his lips were cold. She sighed without meaning to. (629)

They stayed together on the couch, holding each other's hands. When 3 came and went and Patras still hadn't returned, they retired to the master bedroom and made love. Wallace did not get up again afterwards, and Ellen watched him doze with worry in her glowing eyes.




The party brought out the usual high-heeled guests and the high-quality wine. Ellen introduced her older daughter to Francisco Light, a young reporter from the news station. Ellen personally thought well of Francisco and thought that Julienne might enjoy his conversation and company. She left the two to get acquainted and went upstairs to tend to her new grandson, Graelien. He gave her a toothless smile as she bent over his cradle and she smiled right back. "Sweet baby," she cooed against his soft neck. "Time for your birthday so soon?"

She came downstairs again to see Julienne not talking to Francisco. In fact Francisco was nowhere to be seen, and the person Julienne was talking to was quite female and quite flirtatious. Ellen felt her temper threaten to boil over, but her husband's low, "Leave it alone," squashed the feeling, at least momentarily. (630)

The little boy grew up into a red-haired toddler with glowing eyes, to no one's surprise. Patras accepted congratulations and compliments with good grace. Gerard was still nowhere to be seen, but that didn't seem to bother her much. At least, she didn't voice any fears aloud. She was just busy being a happy young mother.

Julienne, on the other hand, was a ball of worry. Tonight had not turned out one bit like she'd imagined. She hadn't expected to be thrown back against her old chimera so soon, and so abruptly. Yes, she'd tried to talk with Francisco, but he was way too used to grilling his subjects to have much patience with an insecure, neurotic wallflower such as herself, and after one topic after another proved abortive, he simply left, and she found herself chatting nervously with Ms. Snodgrass—

"Oh please, what's this 'Ms.' crap? Call me Renee," her new friend snorted, and Julienne did. They continued to talk throughout the evening, and exchanged numbers before the party ended. Julienne took the slip of paper to her room and looked at the ten digits written there, and an hour slipped away unnoticed while she pondered the situation.

But really, there was nothing to think about. No matter what her mother, or her psychiatrist, or her own prior experiences, or her common sense, or … really, anyone said … she was going to fall right back into the same old habits with this one too.

And to her delight, she could already tell that Renee fully intended to catch her when she fell.

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[martoele]

So 'Renee' eh? The worst part of this all is that she never accepted her tendencies towards women as 'normal'. As a matter of fact that's quite strange being the daughter of such a unconventional couple as Wallace and Ellen. She stepped out to be the legacy heiress and during a moment I expected that she would reconsider it but now.... unless she makes a mistake and suddenly gets pregnant from some 'stranger in the night'. As for Patras...., I don't know..., she seems so content just to be alive and love her baby. Will she be the mother of the next heir?
That was quite a lot of text you wrote there, April. I liked this chapter a lot.

[Milii454]

Oh Ellen, two men, tut tut and you cannot even accept that your daughter likes women. You should stop meddling and sort out your own issues first before forcing your unwanted opinions upon your poor daughter . At least your happy and she's not, concentrate on that. Grr . Rant over now . Loved these updates never the less April, very happy that you could salvage the family

[spladoum]

"… I love you."

That was the end of all speculation, all rumors, all "he said, she said." I love you. It had been said. And Renee didn't look sorry in the least for saying it. (631)

"I … I love you, too."

So there was no need to wait any longer. Julienne took her girlfriend home and went to the jewelry store the next day to buy a ring. It was probably the wrong size, but at this point she didn't care at all. She intended to have a ring ready the next time Renee came around. Even though he hadn't said anything to that effect, Julienne knew that her father was near the end of his days. And he wanted to see her married. Very much.

She owed him that much.



Patras was sorting fruit with Graelien by the time Julienne woke up. At least that's what seemed to be going on, judging by the cooing and giggling. "Ooh no, cranelet nualas don't pair well with pomelos! Let's put those back, shall we? … what about these limes? Perhaps they'd go well with the renoit grapes? Yes, I think so too!" Perfect little Patras who made perfect wine. Two of her creations—an intense mixture called "Shinedown" and a complex yet light libation called "Sleep of the Blessed"—had done so well in international competition that she was being heralded as the enfant terrible of the winemaking world, a true savant. And she wasn't even thirty! Why, at this rate she would surpass her famous father!

Julienne grunted to herself and shoved herself out of bed. She realized belatedly that she had slept in her clothes from the night before. That meant sandy sheets. Ugh …

"So … limes … and renoits … what about a life fruit or two?"

"Uh-huh!"

That was Graelien. He was such a cheerful boy. Even the mood that Julienne currently found herself in was no match for his sweet laughter. She passed through the small bathroom and went into the attic nursery, where she had to tread carefully to avoid squashing the precious fruit. "Could you …"

"… keep it down?" Patras finished. "Sure. Sorry. … you got in mighty late, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Awww, your date must have been really good."

"We just went to the park." (632)

"Like hell you did."

Caught. Julienne stammered, "Don't you have some wine to make or something?"

"Oh whatever, you weasel. By the way, there's an order on the books for some of your wine, so I need to teach me how to make it … what's it called, 'End of the Day?' You'll have to show me how when you have time."

Oh. A part of her was positive that Patras was more than capable of reverse-engineering any wine she'd ever made. Still, though, it was a really sweet compliment. "… sure, I could do that."



That night over dinner, Julienne announced her intention to marry Renee on Friday. As expected, her father nodded and accepted it, and as expected, her mother was not pleased in the least. She said in clipped tones that she would be out of town and needed to start packing, and abruptly left the table. Graelien tossed his peas while the three remaining adults all stared at each other, dismayed.

All the same, the marriage went forward. Renee was more than happy to accept her ring (633) and Julienne thought over the whole thing as she sorted through the overgrown garden. They were going to have challenges to overcome—Renee was fond of children and while she naturally loved her new nephew, she had hoped to have more than one of her own, which meant finding a surrogate … somewhere—but right now they were newlyweds and deeply in love. And that was all that counted.

Hopefully.

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[Milii454]

Further Milii RAGE! Ellen, your oldest daughter's getting married and your not even GOING?!?!?! The mind boggles with this woman.... ! Yay for a wedding though, I'm happy for you Julienne!

[martoele]

My congratulations for the newly weds! May they be happy and eat turkey for the rest of their lives... :cool: As for Helen... well, woman... you are different as well! Nobody complained about that! It was very short, April.. but I understand that other things are claiming your time as well. (same happens to me).

[fredbrenny]

It's about time I catch up again... Have some massive reading to do, but will so happily

[spladoum]

"Gerald, I really need to know." (634)

"Know what?"

Patras rolled her eyes. "How you feel about me, silly. Graelien's getting older, he knows that you're not here. He needs you. Are you going to be in his life or what?"

"Of course I'm going to be in his life. But …"

"But what?"

"… Patras, truthfully … I can't be married to you like you are now. I can't marry a vampire. I just can't."

Patras looked at Gerald, carefully searching for any sign that he was mocking her. There was none. She sighed and jammed her hand in her pocket. "So … if I were to change back, you'd marry me?"

"Absolutely."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

And with that, the heirship of the Steel family changed hands yet again.




Julienne tried to stay in her room as long as she could. For one, the atmosphere was pleasant in there, and besides, she had nowhere to go. Renee procured an entry-level job at the science lab and would start tomorrow, so they still had a half-day of delirious marital bliss.

Eventually, though, the conversation came round to their troubles. How was Renee going to go about satisfying that need to have babies? And actually … how was Julienne going to have a baby? Her father had immediately pointed out that Patras's exit left her as the sole family heir, and that meant she had to have a child. Not an adopted child, and not Renee's child. Her own. Renee happily suggested that they pursue artificial insemination, but Julienne wasn't too keen on the idea of having a complete stranger's baby.

Different problems crept through their minds as they slept. Ellen Love would be home in the morning, and probably none too glad to see them. (635)



"How was your trip?" Wallace asked innocently.

Ellen hid behind the paper. (636) His question was completely harmless, but she didn't want to face his eyes. One of two things would happen: either he would break her, or she would break him. And she didn't want to deal with either possibility.

"It was fine. Where's Patras? What's this I hear about her moving out?"

"… she's moving out."

"But—"

"She decided this weekend, while you were gone."

Another hesitation on Ellen's part. The silence stretched out until she finally murmured, "Is she with Gerald?"

"Yes, she and he finally decided to get married for Graelien's sake."

Not because they necessarily loved each other, but out of duty. Ellen bit her lip, flinching as the fangs broke skin. She excused herself and changed clothes before going outside to the garden. It seemed to be in quite a neglected state. She was sure she knew why.

Wallace, too, set down his book and made his way to the basement. It was still and quiet in there, the air heavy with the smell of fruit. The wine racks looked a bit empty as of late. He had collected the majority of his efforts and sold them off. But his recipe book—his greatest writing of all—remained behind. He had always intended to give it to Julienne, and now he finally could.

He heard footsteps on the main staircase, then directly above him in the music room, then slowly padding down the spiral stairs. It was Julienne, of course. Renee had departed two hours ago for work and Ellen never went barefoot in the house. He didn't even turn around. "How are you, sweetie?" (637)

"Okay."

"Just okay? Shouldn't you be fantastic?"

"I am, but … well, Daddy, I'm nervous."

"Oh?"

"I mean, I'm literally right back where I was at eighteen! I'm the heir, I'm supposed to make good wine, I'm supposed to have a baby, and I really don't know how to do any of this stuff!"

"Juli, Juli," Wallace said gently. "Be calm, honey. You have someone to help you through now, remember? Don't panic. Could you do me a favor? Could you run up to the garden and get some more grapes for me? Some of the Chermolas, and a few Gralladinas would be nice."

She trotted off to get him what he needed, but as soon as she set foot into the garden she realized that he'd tricked her. Her mother stood with a watering can, splashing the base of a sturdy cherry tree. She looked up at her oldest daughter, and neither one said a word for a few terrible moments.

"I just need some grapes," Julienne finally said, weakly.

"Help yourself, it's your garden." She went on watering.

Julienne slunk past her, feeling judged, and quite guilty at that. She picked the half-burst grapes from the vines and uprooted the tough stalks from the ground to be thrown away. (638) Her mother continued to tend the garden in silence.

"I … I'm going to have a baby, Mom."

The water continued to splash to the ground.

"… with whom, Julienne?"

"I-I-I'm going to," Julienne stammered. "I haven't done it yet."

"With whom? Aren't you married?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"… then how are you planning to have a baby?"

"We're … we're both going to pursue … o-o-options …"

"Options?" Ellen curved an elegant brow, and Julienne quailed.

"Renee is looking into artificial insemination, and I … I guess I'm going to …"

Silence. Horrible silence.

"… do it the old-fashioned way, I presume," Ellen said quietly, and turned back to the plants.



By the end of the week Renee said that she had found a good potential donor. All of his test results were favorable; all of his genetics were moderate at best. A very normal man, on paper at least. Renee was pleased by this. And Julienne … well, she had found her future child's father. In person. On a Thursday morning, at the park.

Augustine Guerrero looked up at her as she approached. He listened without interruptions as she explained herself. He let her drive him back to her house, and they went upstairs to the nursery, where Patras had put in a double bed that she slept alone in since the day Graelien was born. He didn't speak and she didn't look into his eyes. They didn't kiss. It went quickly, very business-like. She drove him back to his house without saying a word.

She hid upstairs for the rest of the night. She hoped like hell that she was pregnant now. Because there was no way she could do that again.

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[martoele]

'I haven't done it yet....'. Hilarious! But I like the idea of having Augustine Guerrero's baby and I like the twist in this legacy. Another cool chapter, April!

Good for Patras!!!!

[spladoum]

They got the test results on the same day. Julienne was pregnant. Renee wasn't.

Nonetheless, both women were overjoyed … if for completely different reasons. Renee immediately began to plan out the nursery. Should it remain in the attic, or should they move it into the kids' room—that room was perfectly set up for that, anyway—or should they move the crib into their bedroom? Julienne immediately vetoed the last idea. She might not have a regular 9 to 5, but she valued her sleep just like anyone else.

Next came the question: who was the father?

"Ah," Julienne stuttered, "he's just some guy …"



A little white lie, but it came back around hard and fast. Renee and Wallace were chuckling over breakfast one morning when he quite suddenly dropped dead. Panicked, she called the paramedics, but they sadly shook their heads as soon as they arrived and saw old Mr. Love. His heart was stopped. There was nothing they could do.

All three women in the house took his passing hard. Renee had to go to work anyway, but Julienne and Ellen both stayed home and avoided each other. Julienne immersed herself in the garden and cautiously attempted to make wine in the wine cellar, and Ellen, oddly enough, planned an immediate wake. "A celebration of his life," Julienne overheard more than once. Which meant she would be expected to attend.

The guests arrived in good order and the drinking started early. The stories were accompanied with laughter and soon enough everyone moved on to gossip. One particular rumor began to annoy Renee. Once she'd heard it enough times, she excused herself from the main body of guests and threw herself down at the bar with a bowl of ice cream, which she ate with vicious scoops of the spoon.

"Is everything okay?" Julienne asked. Renee bristled.

"… no, Juli, everything is not okay. In fact nothing's okay. Did you really think that you were going to sleep with your ex-boyfriend and I wasn't going to find out?"

"Ex?" Julienne choked. Renee's eyes narrowed significantly. "Yes. Ex. As in 'prior relationship that by all accounts you broke off so he might possibly be holding a torch for you!' And you slept with this guy?"

"Well, yes! … I mean, he's the only guy in town I even really knew besides my dad, so I …" (639) She trailed off. From the look on Renee's face, this explanation was not going to suffice. At all.

"And that's exactly why I said we should go with anonymous donors! But noooooo, that was too much trouble and made you feel weird. So what do you do? You hook up with a guy who by all accounts still likes you! Never mind the fact that it's weird to have a random one-night-stand with your ex-boyfriend!"

"I … I …"

Nothing else would come out, and Renee walked away, leaving the bowl behind. Out of habit, Julienne took it over to the sink and washed it while tears rolled down her burning face.



The rumors kept swirling. Julienne and Renee weren't actually married, Julienne was planning to break up with Renee any day now, Julienne was just having a random fling and this one would fall apart like all of the others, on and on and on. By the end of the week Renee had had more than enough. She made a cup of hot chocolate for herself and brought it over to the dining room table to drink it in peace and quiet. After she finished it, she'd be on her way. But by the time she made her way over to the table, she found that she wasn't alone. (640)

"Good evening," Ellen Love said, and swallowed the dregs of her wine. Renee nodded without actually meeting her eyes. "I hear that you and Julienne are having a bit of a rough patch?"

Hear … chances were that Ellen herself encouraged the bad-mouthing. But Renee nodded again, scrupulously polite.

"Well, I can only advise you the same way that I've advised my daughter … not that she actually listens to me … talk it out. She's not exactly great at expressing herself, but I do know that no matter what you're hearing out there, she wants this relationship with you to work. But the only way it'll happen is if the two of you talk with each other and work through … whatever's going on."

Renee turned her gaze on Ellen and fought the temptation to roll her eyes. This … woman … this woman who was practically in another man's arms the evening of her husband's death (641) … of course, she then remembered that Wallace had known all about that man. Because Ellen herself had told him.

Aww, to hell with it.

"I … uh, I … have some lab reports to read," she said abruptly, and rushed upstairs. To the other bedroom, of course.



As the days and weeks went, Renee had to decide for herself what she wanted to do about the situation. Julienne wasn't going to come to her, of course. So if this marriage was going to work out, she was going to have to initiate the reconciliation. It was a humbling place to be in. Part of her insisted that she was too hurt and too mad to do any such thing. But if she was honest with herself, she was also hurt to see Julienne hiding from her day after day.

Finally she gave in—the day that she was promoted at the lab.

She waited until she heard Julienne moving around upstairs and cornered her. She stayed relatively calm—with an effort, of course—as she explained that while she was certainly hurt and sad by the way that this pregnancy had come about, she still loved her wife and still wanted to be married. (642) And Julienne, just as predicted, stuttered back that she was sorry too and she wished it hadn't turned out this way and she wasn't about to get a divorce no matter what anyone said and …

… and Renee shushed her. Enough was enough for one night. Time to sleep.

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[martoele]

Renee was jealous! I can understand it but am very pleased that Ellen gave them a good advise and that they decide to continue together! I only hope that Renee will love the little one 'to come' as much as if it was hers! Good chapter April! And I said already that I feel very sorry about Wallace. I will miss him...

[spladoum]

In the seventh month of Julienne's pregnancy, Britt moved back home.

Of course everyone fretted about his condition, but he insisted that he was fine, just fine. Things hadn't worked out between him and Elvira, and he'd decided to call it quits—after all, they'd been dating for years and years, and she was still ambivalent about getting more serious, so what else was there left for him to do?—and he just needed a place to crash for a while, while he decided what to pursue next. His mother promised to find him "a nice girl, much better than that little sow," Julienne spoke to him shyly (apparently she and Britt weren't terribly close) and Renee observed it all from a distance as she continued to mix her foul potions in the garage lab. Life in this house was strange, to say the least.

"Sweetheart," Ellen cooed at her son, "I'd also really like it if you would consider a different job. Your father was good at taking care of the family's investments, but really, you were quite excellent at it. You should be in financials, and you can be, by tomorrow, if you like."

That was typical Ellen. Wherever she could "help," she did. It was more like "meddling," but who was going to gainsay the governor of the state?

Renee continued to think things over from a safe spot, as she listened to the footsteps above her head. Julienne was wandering around like a sad ghost, trying to make sure that every … little … thing was just perfect for the baby's arrival, even though there was nothing left to change or order. It was nerves, and Renee decided not to blame her for it. After all, poor Juli was having her first baby at a time when most women would be on number three, possibly four.

Poor Juli.

Despite their kind words to each other, things had gotten worse between them, truly exacerbated when her mother came in one evening and announced that she and Leif had decided to take the plunge and get married. (643) Of course everyone knew it was going to happen eventually, and Julienne still bawled anyway. Ellen was quiet while she comforted her oldest daughter, but finally she said, "I'm getting on with my life, baby. You need to get on yours." She packed up and drove away for the last time in the Renault, and the house was left with a tangible sadness afterwards. Britt went out for the evening to visit his new girlfriend, LaTarsha, and Renee and Julienne had the place to themselves. This would have been a good thing if they were speaking to each other, but they weren't.

It was embarrassing how spot-on Ellen had been about her daughter. Julienne nominally said that she wanted to work this out, but she had become distant and shy all over again. Talking to her now was like trying to coax a turtle from its shell—it just wasn't happening. And if they didn't talk …

Renee shook the thought away, grimly, and went to work.



She received the call, one of those gray, bleak days when she was at work.

"Please come to the hospital," Julienne had asked in a breathless tone before hanging up.

So Renee came, not knowing quite what she might find when she got there. But the staff escorted her up to the neo-natal floor, where she waited … and waited … and waited. And finally there was a feeble wail from a room down the hall, and five minutes later Renee found herself holding little Giselle, who squirmed and writhed against the blanket for a few moments before giving up the fight. At the sight of the baby, all of Renee's fears and resentment fled. This little one deserved better than to be treated badly, no matter how she was conceived.

It was another two days before the hospital would allow Julienne to leave, but when she departed, Renee was by her side. (644) She took Julienne's hand in her own as they waited for the taxi. Julienne looked up, surprised, and misty-eyed.

"I'm not leaving," Renee said. Her voice was shaking. "I'm not going anywhere. We are staying together, for better or worse, and we are getting through this. Do you hear me?"

And slowly, Julienne nodded.

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[martoele]

You just don't know how sad it feels that this legacy has ended. It has been so rich in interesting characters... Some of them feel like being family. I suppose that it had to end this way... sadness but hope for steadiness in Julienne's future... Well done April! I loved the legacy from the beginning to the end...