In The Arms Of My Angel

Chapter 159 - Young Lovers
"FOR GOD'S SAKE, PA! JUST BECAUSE I'M A LITTLE DOWN, IT DOESN'T MEAN I'M ILL AGAIN!" Urs startled hearing Ciara yelling so loudly at him as he watched her push herself away from the kitchen table and begin to move towards the lounge room door, muttering something about it always being the same as she went.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE YOUNG LADY!" Franky returned and nodded back towards the table, indicating for Ciara to sit back down when she turned to face. "You apologise right now." She continued once their huffing and arms folded daughter had done as she been told. "Your father was only asking because you look as tired as you did the last time you were ill and we're both worried. You promised you would tell us both if you began to feel like that again."
"I'm sorry, Pa. Really I'm fine. A little tired maybe, but nothing like last time." Ciara sighed, reaching around to give Urs a hug which he accepted. "I know how hard it was for you both to watch me go through the treatment, I won't forget my promise..........ever."
"Gutt......Now tell us why you've been so down lately. Are you and Simeon having problems? Is he.....pushing you to do things you feel you're not ready for yet?"
"Oh.....No. No, no, no. He's not like that Pa. I know he's still down about being rejected by the army because of his allergy to latex and he understands that they can't be expected to carry special medical supplies for the likes of him. I just get the feeling he's keeping something else from me. Something much wor.......Something that might tear the two of us apart. I've asked him time and time again what's wrong but he just smiles and shakes his head. I love him so much, but I can't take much more of his sighing and drifting off into his own thoughts much longer." Ciara informed, tears streaming down her face.
"You've obviously asked him. You've no idea what could be wrong?"
"No, Mami."
"Bloody men!" Franky huffed, snorting out a breath through her nose. "No problem between his parents?"
"No, they're still worse than you and Pa. Even they can't get it out of him and his dad is usually pretty good at getting him to open up, at least that's what his mum says. There's only one thing I can think of that might have upset him, though I'm sure it's just a silly rumour."
"And what rumour would that be?" Urs asked, looking at a head-shaking Franky as the gate buzzer went and she moved to answer it.
"That Aly Cross is pregnant."
"Oh!" Urs sighed, knowing that Simeon had dated twice, the first time when Ciara had been ill and the second time up until eight weeks ago when he'd caught her attempting to steal money from his father's wallet. "And I guess it's being implied that the baby is Simeon's?"
"Yeah. I don't believe it though, Pa. He says he never slept with her and I believe him. God knows if me or the rest of us believed half of what we read about you and Mami we'd be........nuts by now. I just wish he'd tell me why he's so........."
"Huffy and miserable?" Simeon's voice interupted, making both Urs and Ciara turned to face him. "I'm sorry Cici. My parents and your Mami are right. We need to talk. Can we go somewhere private?"
Ciara nodded and took hold of Simeon's hand once she'd stood. She gave both Urs and Franky a quick smile then lead him out of the back door and up to the top of the garden. Concerned, Urs moved to watch them through the window and saw Simeon pacing back and forth in front of Ciara once she was seated in the arbour. He couldn't hear anything but it was clear Simeon was talking, his hands were flying everywhere and he could just about see his lips were moving.
"Did she tell you anything while I was dealing with Simeon?" He heard Franky asking and repeated what Ciara had told him. "I guess you had a quick word with him about talking to Cici?"
"Huh! Oh yes. Yes I did."
"Franky!"
"What?"
"You.......of all people.......believing a rumour."
"I never said I believed it." Franky denied with a headshake and huffed out breath.
"You didn't need to. The look on your face was enough." Urs replied, wrapping his arms around Franky's waist and making her look at him rather than at the couple in the back garden. "I do know how you look when you believe something you know."
"Yeah. I know. Sorry. I'm just worried that he'll hurt Cici. She's been through so much already. I don't think she could take Simeon breaking her heart."
"Really? Hmmn. Well, much as I don't want to see her hurt again, I know for a fact Cici can deal with this rumour, if that proves to be what is upsetting Simeon and she'll support him in whatever decisions he makes. She did when the army rejected him..........Didn't she?"
"Yeah, but........."
"No buts." Urs shook his head, placing two fingers on Franky's lips to silence her protests. "I know you worry about Cici more than the others because of what she went through, but she's just as strong as you are angel........You made her that way."
"We."
"Pfft! I don't think so. How many times did you sit with one or other of us, telling us both she could and would get through the treatments and be well again?"
"I don't know. I wasn't completely convinced she could or would myself. Like you, there were times.......I wanted them to......to just leave her alone."
"I know. I heard and saw you crying enough about what she was going through. Wishing it was you instead." Urs replied, closing his eyes and holding Franky much closer to him, the fingers of his right hand finding their way up to the back of her head and gently massaging her scalp. "Cici was though, angel. One hundred per cent convinced she was going to make it through after the first time you spoke to her I mean. Ja, I've been there through some of the times she's had problems and I haven't known what to do. You've been there much more than I have and she knows being in love with someone is not all roses around the door doesn't she?" He paused and holding Franky by the tops of her arms, gently turned her to face the window then turned himself so that they were both in the same position.
A quick smiled flashed across his face when he saw that Ciara was now standing face-to-face with Simeon, her hands on her appears a la Franky. He didn't need to hear what she was saying to him to know that she was telling him off. He'd been there and experienced the same thing from the woman standing by his side enough to know that that was exactly what was happening.
"I told you didn't I? After what Jordi and David did to each other. Cici would be our little asskicker. Just look at her angel, she's so much like you. Concerned about what's upsetting someone she loves and not afraid to push hard until they open up. She's got the same attitude in regard to her work ethic too."
"Oh! How so?"
"Well, beyond the 'a place for everything and everything in its place' attitude you have, she's doesn't let people push her around either. Just look at what happened the other d...........She hasn't told you......Has she?" Urs chuckled when he saw Franky looking at him with her brow furrowed and her head shaking. "Remember the other day she and Paul had that engagement shoot?"
"I remember. Paul wasn't feeling too well when he picked her up. She didn't say much of anything to me when she came home........although she wasn't quite as enthusiastic as she normally is. Just said it went fine."
"She said much the same thing to me, but Paul told me it had gone much better than fine. Apparently the girl's mother was trying to dictate how shots should be taken. Paul already had a headache and she was only making things worse. Ciara picked up on the fact he appeared to be thinking of walking off the job so she went and had a quiet word with the girl's father. The next thing Paul knows the woman is being dragged away by her husband, the couple finally relax and he gets some fantastic pictures."
"Oh I've always known she reads people pretty well. What's that got to with not letting people push her around?"
"Well if you'd let me finish." Urs tutted and rolled his eyes backwards before he continued. "Ciara took the couple into the woods while Paul was preparing his equipment and took a few shots of them. The girl's mother was too busy bossing Paul around to notice they'd gone, but she saw them coming back and tells Ciara an assistant has no right to take photos. Ciara replies that she is not Paul's assistant, she is his apprentice and has always taken a few pictures before Paul starts work. The mother isn't best pleased, but doesn't say anything more about it. What I'm trying to say is that Ciara is as strong as you are and she'll deal with whatever problems come her way.......just like you do, angel. If this Aly is pregnant and Simeon is the father, she'll deal with that just like you did Sylvie."
"I know she will.......I just never thought she was that much like me. Serena definitely, but not Cici. I just don't know how I could have got it so wrong."
"Probably because you're so much alike. If any of our children are their mother's double.......it's Cici."
"Mmmn." Franky nodded, a smile now lighting up her face as she turned away from the window.
Having turned his head to talk to Franky, Urs turned it back to the window but quickly whipped it away when he saw that Ciara and Simeon were engaged in some very passionate kissing. He wasn't uncomfortable with seeing them like that, he knew how far Ciara would let her boyfriend go and she'd stopped him holding her close to him with hands on her bottom, preferring instead to be held with one of his arms around her waist, the other around her shoulders. The house phone rang a few seconds later and Urs soon poking his head out of the back door and telling Ciara that Paul wanted to talk and sounded very happy. Ciara looked at him slightly confused as she took the handset and for a few moments the only words that came from her mouth were yes or no.
"Paul, stop winding me up.........." Ciara sighed, her eye rolling backwards. "How in the blue blazes am I supposed to guess which photograph was Mrs Chapman's favourite? You took so many...........What do you mean it wasn't one of yours?................Mine?!..........Now you are winding me up........No, no there's no need to put Verda on. I erm........believe you..........Holy!........Which one?.........Really?!..........Oh!..........Okay! Erm! Sure. Tomorrow. Bye." She finished, disconnected the call and looked at Franky wide-eyed, having come into the kitchen during the conversation.
"Cici? Are you all right?" Franky asked, looking from Ciara to Simeon and back again several times.
"Don't ask me what's going on." Simeon shrugged. "I didn't pick up anything of what Paul had to say to her." He smiled, watching Ciara head to the sink, fill a large glass with water and drink almost of all of it in a few swallows.
"I'm fine, Mami. Honestly. Just a bit.........Stunned."
"Like I don't know that already. About what exactly?"
"That engagement shoot I did with Paul the other day, the future bride's mother wants to use a photograph I took on the wedding invitations. Paul says it's her favourite from the whole collection. Her daughter and future son-in-law agree."
"Oh! It must be a wonderful picture then." Urs stated, smiling at Ciara and recalling the scowl she had on her face when she'd told him about Mrs Chapman.
"I don't want to sound big headed, but yes it is. I got Derren to lift Charity into his arms and look at her lovingly. The light was just perfect, bright and filtering through the trees. I knew it was good.........just never expected Mrs Chapman to approve of it, considering all the boring posed shots she was telling Paul he should take. She's so impressed, she's recommended me to her sister-in-law to take family portrait. Now if you'll excuse me for a minute........I really need the bathroom." Ciara informed, speaking a little quicker than she normally did before running out of the kitchen to head upstairs, leaving Urs, Franky and Simeon smily broadly.
"Erm.........." Simeon began, nervously scratching the back of his head as Urs and Franky turned to look at him. "I know you both know why I've been a bit down just lately and that I've upset Cici by not talking to her about it. But I swear that if Aly is pregnant, it's not my child. I never actually got around to.......well you know? Completing the deed. I was stupid to go back to her in the first place."
"What made you go back to her?"
"Franky! That's none of your business."
"No, it's okay. It really was a stupid thing to do, considering that I had feelings for Cici before I finished with Aly the first time. I thought Ciara wasn't interested in me 'cos she was always off somewhere with Paul. Got that completely wrong too." Simeon sighed then took a deep breath before speaking again. "Anyway, Aly told me that she really regretted the way she treated me and that she wanted to make a go of our relationship. She seemed so sincere, swore she would change. Got me hook, line and sinker. When I caught her trying to steal the money, I knew it had been a big pack of lies. I'd like to think she will change at some point, but........I know she's not the girl for me."
"Okay. What's with the 'if Aly is pregnant'?" Franky pressed, her eyes widening slightly. "Hasn't she confirmed it yet?"
"The truth is Mrs Buhler, no-one beyond her and her parents know for certain. I haven't seen her around for weeks. Last anyone saw of her, she was getting on to a train to Liverpool with her parents but didn't come back with them. I think they've left her up there with a relative or something. They're the no sex before marriage type."
"Oh! Did they catch you and Aly in.........?"
"No! No, no, no." Simeon blushed, not seeming to mind that Franky was pushing him for answers. "Like I said, I didn't complete the deed. That's how I discovered that I'm allergic to latex as well as penicillin. We only........that one time. She can say what she likes, I'm positive I'm not the father and I'll demand a DNA test if she insists I am. If there was the slightest chance I could be, I still wouldn't be with her. As young as I am, I know I want to spend the rest of my life with Cici."
"I believe you." Franky replied, quickly wiping her right eye. "You know you can talk to her about anything now? Right?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry for making her worry and making both of you worry about her." Simeon nodded, rubbing at the top of his right arm, revealing four red welts in the process. "I don't want to get hit that hard ever again. She can really kick ass when she needs to."
"And don't you forget it........ever!" Ciara's voice interupted as she moved to stand in front of Simeon and flung her arms around his neck. "'Cos I'll kick your ass to the moon if I have to push you like that ever again Simmo. Do I make myself clear?"
"As crystal."
"Good. Now let's get going. Unless you want Paget telling you off as well today."
"Like I need my four year old cousin telling me off too. You do know she'll try and drag you on every ride going?"
"Duhhhh! Jane warned me when we suggested taking her to Thorpe Park for the day." Ciara replied, tutting and rolling her eyes backwards. "Like I care. Can I help it you're a big fraidy cat on the high rides?" She finished and laughed out loud when Simeon playfully blew a long raspberry at her before taking hold of her hand.
Urs and Franky giggled as the couple moved to leave the house and wondered what time Ciara would get home that night. They knew Paget was very fond of their youngest daughter and thought of her as a big sister. The two of them were also goofing around and a couple of weeks ago Ciara had returned home with her right cheek decorated with a white flower. She'd wound both of her parents up by telling them she'd had a tattoo, at least until Franky had been able to get close enough to see she was fibbing and that it was face paint. Franky stopped giggling a few seconds before Urs did and turned towards her office only to pause on the threshold as Urs reached for his crash helmet.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Franky asked, hands placed firmly on her hips.
"For a ride while you do the ac........" Urs replied, stopping short when he saw Franky shaking her head and pointing a finger upstairs.
Knowing what she meant, Urs reluctantly returned the helmet to the cupboard where he kept and headed upstairs to clean the en-suite bathroom as he'd promised he would earlier that morning. It didn't take him long, no more than half an hour and he was soon poking his head around the office door, wearing a teasing grin on his face.
"Can I go for that ride now, Mami?" He asked once Franky had turned to face him.
"Very funny, honey." She replied, chuckling once again. "You'd better make it a long one. Frank's made a right mess of one set and I'm going to need all peace and quiet I can get to sort them out. And I still need to sort a few things for Serena and Hadley's wedding."
"Like what? I thought it was all sorted."
"Well yes it was. Until I got a phone call from the hotel. Seems someone with a little more money than we have is demanding the honeymoon suite we've already paid for and are prepared to pay more to get what they want."
"Oh! Do you want me to deal with that?" Urs offered, crossing the threshold and walking over to Franky.
"No. I doubt they'll even talk to you, considering it was all paid for on my card. We've been there before, so best if I deal with it from the get go."
Urs nodded, kissed Franky quickly on the cheek and left the house, knowing that the manager of the adults only Luxury Mystery Resort on the Riviera Maya, Cancun, Mexico was going to receive one of Franky's rare telephone butt kickings and would more than likely threaten to contact Maurice Matthews if they refused to listen to reason. He rode down the drive, not feeling the least bit sorry for the man or woman, knowing that Franky had booked the suite weeks ago, had paid for it in full and would not give up until she'd changed the manager's mind. With just over a week to go to the day, it would be next to impossible to find anywhere else and Maurice would be furious to have one of his favourite families treated so appaulingly.
Urs spent almost three hours cruising along the roads he knew so well he could have rode them blindfolded and returned to the house just in time to find Franky returning the house phone to its charger. He didn't to ask her how it went, the smile on her face told him that the honeymoon suite was Serena and Hadley's for a fortnight and no-one else's. He smiled as she stepped into his arms, then began to giggle, knowing that this wasn't the first butt kicking she'd given this week. Hadley's grandmother had received one for telling her grandson not to even think of having children until he'd been married for at least five years otherwise she would disinherit him from her will. Franky had heard her and Hadley's response and had told the woman in no uncertain terms that Serena was not marrying Hadley for his money and if Agnes loved Hadley as much as she said she did, then she should accept his decision and not try to bribe him to get what she wanted. Agnes had looked at her for a few seconds then turned to look at her only grandson wide-eyed and mouth gaping after he'd told her much the same thing, adding that if she carried on he would bar her from the entire ceremony, including the reception.
Agnes had immediately backed down on hearing Hadley's words, had apologised for what she'd tried to do, agreeing that it was wrong to try and use her money to influence him in any way, shape or form adding that the only reason she'd done so was that she didn't want to become a great-grandmother whilst still in her early sixties. Hadley replying that he and Serena had no plans to have children for at least three years, but if they came along sooner then so be it and that he really wanted them to know his grandmother, even though she could be stubborn, opinionated, forceful and somewhat controlling. Knowing her faults, Agnes had nodded and allowed a few tears to fall as Hadley pulled her into a long embrace.
Holding Franky against him, Urs turned to look at a photograph of Sylvie, Serena and Ciara and smiled with pride.
"What are you thinking?" He heard Franky questioning and turned back to see her looking at him.
"Just how proud I am of all our children, especially the girls. They were once so shy, especially Cici and now they're quite a force to be reckoned with. Just like their mother made them to be."
"And their father." Franky added, smiling and shaking her head at him, knowing that he wasn't afraid to stand up for himself. "I've told you before, honey. Several times. Don't always credit me with how self-assured the girls are. You know it drives me crazy when you do that. Understand?"
"Yes............Mami." Urs nodded, giggling along with the head-shaking woman who still made him feel like a teenager in love for the very first time.
Turn the page.

JJ I am still reading and the chapters are fantastic...

I hate they worry so much about Cici and her condition coming back...

So Serena is getting Married how wonderful for the Buhlers..

I really miss Urs and Franky having some personal time to enjoy each other like in the stories.. Did they ever have getaways in the future that was just them enjoying the private relationship and marriage without all the problems and worries of the family or friends..



More Soon I promise I am getting caught up now..


Laura

Chapter 160 - A Little History Repeating
Just like she had on Sylvie's wedding day, Franky had prepared everyone a hearty breakfast and made sure the bride ate enough to get them through the ceremony. That was now finished and, according to the schedule, Serena should have been heading upstairs for a shower before getting ready. Instead, she was walking up to the arbour with tears welling in her eyes, Franky watching from the open back door for a minute or two before going to see what was wrong. She left the door open, but still Urs couldn't hear anything of what was passing between mother and daughter. His brow furrowed as he watched the two women hug, trying to think of some reason why Serena would be crying on such a happy day. There was no doubt in his mind that she loved Hadley and wasn't afraid of his grandmother. He thought back a little further then something clicked into place, knowing that one of the women Serena had wanted as a bridesmaid would not be there because she'd died just three short days after Serena and Hadley had announced their engagement.
Swallowing hard, Urs remembered how hard Serena had cried when ? parents had called round to deliver the knews. Ever since they were little Serena had known Tessa wouldn't have a long life but she hadn't expected her to die so quickly either. She'd been absolutely devasted, had cried for hours in Hadley's arms and had watched the DVDs Franky had recorded of the two of them together over and over again. Once she'd stopped crying, she'd sniffed and stuttered her way through telling Tessa's parents that she thought she'd let her down because she'd hardly seen her in the flesh over the past few years. Though distressed over the loss of their special little girl, James and Nicole had told Serena she hadn't let her down at all, Tessa had always been over-joyed to receive a phone call or see her online. She followed what she was up to and was always telling everyone she knew what a wonderful friend she had in Serena.
Seeing Franky walk back towards the house, Urs turned his attention back to what he'd been doing a few moments before and finished stacking the new dishwasher. Even after all these years and Franky's many attempts to teach him, he still hated modern technology and thought it best to leave setting the thing in motion to her. The new one had very complicated looking display on the front and it completely baffled him, despite having read the instruction book twice from cover-to-cover. He didn't need to ask Franky for help when she re-entered the kitchen, she got it going, looking at him with a wry smile on her face as the index finger of her right hand slowly moved over the control panel and the machine whirred to life. The fourth time she'd shown him how set the simplest program going.
"Is Seri upset that Tessa isn't going to be there today?"
"Yes, honey. Just give her a few minutes, she know what time she has to be ready by. She's never taken long in the shower........has she?" Franky replied, knocking a tear from her left eye.
"Nein, she hasn't. Always ready to go anywhere first........with the exception of Jordi." Urs chuckled a little in reply, knowing that they could have sent all the children upstairs for showers at the same time and Serena would re-appear in the lounge a minute or two after Jordi with Kurt bringing up the rear.
Hearing the gate buzzer go, Urs moved through the house and pressed the button to admit those they were expecting at such an early hour. Paul entered first and was soon setting up his equipment while Franky escorted the beautician upstairs to Serena's old bedroom. Sylvie escorted the florist through to the kitchen and back again once the flowers had been placed in the fridge. Once she'd gone she watched Nicholas playing on the lounge room floor with little Urs and Gino then turned on her heel and headed upstairs herself. Serena came back in a few seconds later, her eyes much drier than they'd been when she'd walked out of the kitchen but still somewhat sad looking.
"Hey!" Urs began, gently grabbing hold of her and pulling her into his arms. "You know what Tessa would say if she saw you crying over her today. Don't you?"
"I'll kick your hiney Serena Ursula Karen Buhler." Serena replied, sniffing back further tears and nodding rapidly. "I miss her so much, Papi."
"I know you do, Cherub."
Urs blew out a long breath after holding Serena close like Franky had then watched her head upstairs once he'd released her. He noticed she took several deep breaths as she climbed and assured Ciara she was fine as she reached the top. The two sisters embraced then promptly disappeared into the guest bedroom, the only room other than the master suite big enough for all the females to get ready in the same space. Knowing that Nicholas was more than capable of taking care of his son and nephew, Urs followed Serena upstairs and headed to master suite, pausing on the threshold and smiling when he heard gales of feminine giggling drifting up the hallway.
Within what seemed like seconds rather than half an hour, he'd showered, shaved and dressed in most of the Eton styled suit Serena had selected for him to wear to escort her down the aisle. They'd only had a little argument about that, he had wanted to wear pinstripe trousers but after seeing himself in those and the plain black, he'd quickly changed his mind and gone with the black. Though he hated wearing dark colours on what promised to be a hot day, he knew Serena would be more uncomfortable since she would be wearing Franky's original wedding dress. Despite all the years that had passed, he could still remember how stunned he'd been to feel how much it had weighed after picking it up off the floor the morning after their wedding. How Franky had got through the day without wanting to change into something more comfortable he still didn't know but was sure Serena could do so to. He finished fastening the burgundy cravat, set the diamond stud in the middle then fastened the white waistcoat a slipped his feet into a pair of black shoes. He carefully folded the frockcoat, dropped it over his left arm then went back downstairs where he found Frank shaking his head at Kurt.
"Stop moaning will you? You look..........all right." Frank instructed with a giggle, looking his brother up and down.
"You don't think these waistcoats are a little too fancy?" Kurt huffed, running a hand over the burgundy decorated waistcoat he, Frank and Jordi were wearing.
"No. Besides it's Serena's choice not yours. Mami would kick your butt if she heard you moaning." Jordi reminded with a wagging finger.
"Yes she would. And Maria sure as hell liked what she saw when she stuck her head out of the guest room."
"Yeah I guess she did. She'd better not get any ideas though. I'm not wearing anything like this for our wedding."
"No, you'll probably turn up in a t-shirt, jeans and leather jacket."
"Hardy, ha, ha. Not funny bro." Kurt laughed, giving Jordi a quick clip around the back of the head before pulling both his brother's into a hug. "Guess I can't complain. It could be worse." He finished, nodding towards Urs, who tutted and shook his head in response.
"It's not that bad. I'm quite comfortable actually, not something I'd wear on stage though. Don't forget Serena could have gone the whole hog. Top hats and canes."
"Oh God! I forgot about that." Kurt grimaced, shook his head then fell into a fit of giggles with his brothers.
Urs checked his watch when he heard the gate buzzer go again and quickly realised the vehicles were requesting admission. While Frank opened the gate, he went to the kitchen, retrieved three button holes and soon had the burgundy Carnations set on a Fern leaf fastened to each of his son's jackets. They bid their father goodbye and quickly settled into the silver Mercedes S Class, each hoping to make it to Saint Nicholas's church before any of the guests began to arrive. Once they were out of the drive, Urs fastened his own buttonhole into place and slipped the jacket on. He checked his watch again, quickly calculated they were only a couple of minutes behind schedule and remembered that it was the bride's perogative to be late anyway.
Nicholas came down a few minutes later with little Urs in one arm, Gino fast asleep in his car seat in his right hand. All of them looking very smart in their suits as Nicholas headed out the back of the house to his hire car. He soon had both boys settled and was driving down the drive with a familiar child's tune filling the air outside. Urs rolled his eyes, wondering if his namesake drove his father crazy with the song like Frank had done and thought he probably did, he'd heard it five times the previous evening before little Urs had finally drifted off to sleep.
He heard more noise coming from upstairs, moved to stand at the bottom and watched Sylvie, Ciara, Maria and Serena's friend, Jacey, come downstairs. All of them wearing burgundy dresses with a white panel at the front, decorated with burgundy roses and a tight-fitting bodice and lace-up front. Not having seen them before, Urs smiled and nodded his approval, telling each of them how beautiful they looked and seeing Jacey blush bright-red as she followed Sylvie towards the kitchen to retrieve the bouquets.
"How does she look?" Urs asked, nodding back upstairs when Sylvie returned with Serena's bouquet in her hand.
"I'm not telling Papi. Don't be so impatient. You'll see in a few minutes." She replied with a slight smirk.
"You're just like your mother." Urs replied with head shake that made all the young women giggle and Sylvie nod her head quickly.
Urs checked where he'd put his speech then slipped on the jacket and fastened it when he heard a door open upstairs again. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath then opened his eyes again to watch Franky escort Serena downstairs like she had Sylvie. Never in his life had he expected Serena to look as good as Franky had in the dress but he had to take a step back when he saw her pause at the top of the stairs. She filled the dress as well as her mother ever had and wore the same gentle smile. The only differences were that Serena had decided to wear a veil, though not a long one. The one she'd chosen finished just below the top of the gown. Her waist length hair had all been pinned up and once she was downstairs, Serena turned around slowly, revealing that a large pearl and crystal comb helped secure her hair in place. She wore the earrings and necklace Agnes Palmer had given her and had already slipped her engagement ring on to the ring finger of her right hand.
"Huh?!" Urs asked, having not heard what Serena had said.
"I said. Will I do?" She replied through her giggles and a look to a head-shaking Sylvie.
"Thank God he's only got to do this one more time." Sylvie returned while Urs smiled and nodded in reply to Serena's questioning, adding that she looked beautiful.
"I just hope Hadley can stay upright when he sees you." He added, knowing that his soon to be son-in-law had almost passed out when he'd seen Serena dressed as one of Sylvie's bridesmaids.
Hearing sniffing off to one side, Urs turned his head and saw Franky wiping her eyes, though he knew she wasn't crying because he hadn't paid any attention to what she was wearing. She did look stunning in the cream coloured full length dress with jacket. The top half of the dress and the cuffs of the bolero styled jacket embroidered with silk in fancy design. No, she wasn't crying because he hadn't looked at her until now, she was crying tears of joy, not sadness, her smile and the loving way she looked at Serena told him that. Just like she had with a very nervous Sylvie, Franky took Serena's face into her hands and the two exchanged looks and reassuring smiles. Serena then closed her eyes, nodded and watched her mother walk out of the front door with the bridesmaids. Urs offered her his right arm and gave her hand a gentle squeeze when he felt how much she was shaking.
Though he hadn't seen how nervous Franky had been on their wedding day, Gabriel had told him everything and now it seemed history was repeating itself once again. Sylvie had also shaken but had somehow managed to walk to Nicholas without tripping or stumbling. Urs was sure Serena would do just as well. He was proved right a few seconds later when Serena nodded that she was ready to go and they both looked down the drive before settling into the white and gold tradition Landau coach Serena had hoped would be available to take her the mile and half journey to Saint Nicholas's church.
Serena didn't say much throughout the journey, preferring instead to enjoy the warmth of the sun's rays or to smile and wave at the locals who stopped to watch them pass. It seemed to take no time at all to pull up outside the church and once Paul had taken a few posed pictures father and daughter were standing inside the packed church waiting for wedding march to play. With one more look at each other, Urs and Serena both walked down the aisle and almost giggled when they saw Hadley having to grab hold of his best man in order to stay upright.
The ceremony went off without a hitch and Urs noticed that Agnes Palmer had tears in her eyes as he walked back up the aisle with Ione on his arm. He looked over his shoulder to see if Franky had noticed and returned the smile she gave him. More photographs were taken once everyone was outside, formal and informal and within the hour the entire wedding party had arrived at Hadley's childhood home where a large marquee had been set up in the huge garden. Once everyone was settled in their assigned seats, Urs stood and confidently ran through the speech, pausing to wait until the laughter died down each time he recounted some of the embarrassing things Serena had done in her life. He sat down and noticed that Serena was blushing furiously and shaking her head at him.
"I thought you'd forgotten most of those." She whispered quietly.
"Some, not all. Your mother reminded of the worst ones." Urs replied with a laugh and quick kiss on her cheek.
Six and a half hours later, Serena had changed out of the heavy dress into some much lighter and everyone had gathered outside the front of the mansion to wave her and Hadley off on honeymoon. Amid cheers and tears, Hadley drove his car down the drive once he'd seen the number of tin cans and old boots Carl had tied to the bumper. Once they'd disappeared, Urs turned to Franky and told her that they needed to be leaving soon and perhaps she should change.
"Into what? Why?" She asked, shaking her head at him.
"Because I've told you so many times you need some 'you time'. You've barely had any over the past few weeks so I booked us a break. That's why."
"Where? We're not going to be gone long are we? I still have loads to sor......." She stopped speaking as soon Urs's fingers touched her lips.
"Ten days in cabin, high up on Fire Mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Okay?"
Franky looked at him wide-eyed and gaping for a moment or two then returned inside to do what he'd asked of her, only to pause on the threshold of the doorway when she heard familiar giggling coming from those who surrounded Urs. She whirled back round, wagged a finger and told each member of their family and the Il Divo family that she would think of way to pay them back, knowing that most if not all had known about his surprise or had helped him organise it in some way or other.
Two hours later the two of them were aboard a flight, looking forward to spending the next ten days in quiet seclusion with no disturbances. Both of them returned home looking and feeling refreshed, having got what Urs had hoped for and a wonderful recording of everything they'd done during those days.
Turn the page.
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The wedding sounds wonderful and I bet Serena looked amazing in her mother's wedding dress.. I can imagine Urs being taken aback seeing his daughter in Franky's wedding dress..


I am glad they got away for 10 days they really deserve a break..


More Soon JJ


Laura

Chapter 161 - If And When
At first he and Franky had thought nothing of being invited to dinner at Carlos and Barbara-Jean's home, they'd eaten with them so many times over the years after all, though usually with the other two couples in attendance. The evenings usually spent recounting funny things that had happened or spent teasing each other like any normal family would.
This occasion had been completely different and Franky had picked up on the tension between the couple almost as soon as they'd crossed the threshold. Urs wasn't so sure, especially since they'd both behaved the way they usually did throughout the meal, well almost. He was almost positive Barbara-Jean had kicked Carlos underneath the table when he'd opened his mouth and started asking a question only to stop, hiss out an expletive or two and change the subject once he'd seen the warning scowl Barbara-Jean shot him. Now, as he watched the couple head to the kitchen to make coffee, he was as certain as Franky was that something wasn't right between them, especially since the Spaniard didn't have his arm around Barbara-Jean's waist as he usually did.
"What do you think's going on? Breaking up maybe?" Urs asked, giving Franky a quick nudge, distracting her from the closed kitchen door.
"No, I don't think so." She replied, rising from her seat and turning to follow after the couple only to stop dead in her tracks when Urs grabbed her arm.
"Oh no you don't Francesca Grace Buhler! No 'earwigging' at the door. You sit back down." Urs instructed, shooting her a playful scowl, not releasing his hold until she'd done as he requested.
"Harumph! Don't you find it awfully suspicious the way those two are acting? Especially since they've invited just you and me to dinner and sent the children off somewhere. There's something wrong somewhere, Urs."
"I know. It might have something to do with Frank and Carina. I heard Carlos muttering something about the two of them the other day, didn't catch much of what he said though."
"Oh?!" Franky stated with wide eyes and a shake of her head. "Well if that is the reason, I don't know what he's worried about, they're getting along better than ev........."
Loud feminine shouting from the direction of the kitchen stopped Franky short and the pair of them listened to what Barbara-Jean was yelling at Carlos.
"I don't care! How many women did you sleep with before you married Karen? Just because Frank and Carina have been sleeping together for a while doesn't mean they have to get married for God's sake. They're both perfectly happy. Why can't you just be happy for them instead of spending your days wondering when Frank's going to propose? You're pissing me off and Urs and Franky would never push Frank to pop the question. What if he never does Carlos? What then? Are you still going to think he's using Carina until something better comes along?! 'Cos if you do, then you don't know Frank at all."
"I didn't mean it like that!" Carlos's replied, somehow managing to sound angry and regretful at the same time. "I just........I meant.....Well don't you think it's time he did propose. They've been together long enough."
"In your opinion! Carina's happy that's all that matters, all that should matter. I don't think it bothers her as much as it appears to you. Just be happy for them and don't you dare try to bring up the subject again when we go back to the table. Get me?!"
Neither Urs or Franky heard Carlos's reply, but they did exchange a look before the other couple came back to the table. They both knew how serious Frank was about Carina, Urs most of all and weren't that bothered that they weren't engaged yet. Urs chuckled, knowing how many other women Carlos had been with before marrying Karen and he'd only even thought of proposing to one of those three. He also knew Frank probably wouldn't ask for Carina's hand until he'd found a home for them to move into. Urs knew he was looking, he'd caught him and Carina looking at properties on Frank's laptop a few days ago, but neither of them had really liked what they saw and thought the prices extortionate for what you would get. They weren't after a huge place, three bedrooms at the most, close to the industrial estate or within easy reach of it at least, but everything they'd looked at so far was either too big, too small or well away from where they wanted to be.
Hearing the kitchen door open again, Urs looked at Franky and returned the soft smile she gave him. He knew her well enough to know that she was a little upset by what they'd heard coming from the kitchen and it seemed Barbara-Jean did too as she set a tray down on the table and began handing cups out.
"You heard didn't you?" She asked, shooting Carlos another scowl.
"It was hard not to." Franky snapped. "Is that what tonight's been about?"
"No! No, not at all." Barbara-Jean shook her head. "Otherwise you two wouldn't have got in the door before HE started bugging you about Frank's plans for Carina. No, that's not the reason I asked just the two of you to dinner."
"What was then?"
"Just thought it would be nice for a change. I love you, Lauren and Emma liked sisters Franky, but sometimes it's hard for me to get a word in edgeways. I'm not blaming either of you. It's just not easy for me to get involved in the conversation when you all start talking about how you got together and what you went through."
"I know. Sorry, BJ> I've told Lauren so many times not to bring that subject all the time but does she pay any attention? Hell No!" Franky sighed out a breath and shook her head. "Believe me, I don't want to relive all the bad stuff each and every time we sit down for a meal together."
"Yeah, I know." Barbara-Jean smiled, knowing that Franky always preferred to remember the good things about the four relationships whenever they got to talking about them. "Still hasn't learned to engage her brain before opening her mouth.......has she?"
"No! I don't think she ever will."
"Don't you think it's time they were settling down, Urs? They've been muy serious about each other for a long time."
"Not up to me, is it?" Urs replied to Carlos's question. "I'm sure Frank will propose when he's ready. What disappointed me most about what we heard is that you think Frank is using Carina until something better comes along. Franky and I raised him better than that and, frankly, I'm insulted that you would even think such a thing, never mind that we would tolerate him hurting her like that. You know Franky well enough to know she would kick his butt if she even thought that's what he was doing and, for your information so would I."
"Si. I know. Lo siento. I just thought he would have........"
"What you, I or anyone else thinks doesn't matter Carlos." Franky huffed. "As long as they're happy together and treat each other with mutual respect that's all that matters, all that should matter. And you don't just owe me an apology."
"I apologise, Urs." Carlos half-smiled for a second or two, waiting for Urs to nod his acceptance of the apology which he did, letting out a sigh as he did so and finally relaxing back into his chair.
"Look.......if we had any idea that Frank was planning to propose we wouldn't be able to keep it secret. You know what happens when I fib, so you know I'm not lying. Franky on the other hand..........Well she wouldn't be able to keep the smirk off her face........Just like she couldn't when Kurt and Nick told them of their plans."
"Hey! I wasn't that bad." Franky replied, laughing a little.
"Really? I'm not the only one who wears a Cheshire Cat grin sometimes."
"You stop that right now, Urs Buhler. We are talking about relationships not......what happens behind closed doors."
"Frau Buhler, I do believe you're blushing." Urs continued to tease, smiling broadly as he watched Franky's face redden not even stopping when she kicked him under the table.
"Stop it!" Franky instructed again, this time with a growl. "Unless you want to pay for teasing me when I get you home."
Urs said nothing in reply, he simply continued to smile at Franky and raised his eyebrows each time she gave him so much as a quick glance. He knew exactly how she would punish him and was looking forward to it, the house would be empty for a while at least, so they wouldn't have to worry about being interupted.
"Ahem! We are still here you know?" Carlos's loud cough snapped both Urs and Franky back to the fact he and Barbara-Jean were still in the room. "There is something I said I would ask you both."
"What?"
"When the tour is reaching Madrid, would you mind meeting someone privately? She is the sister of Chelo's friend, Sarita."
"Surely you mean the four of you? Il Divo as whole?"
"No, Franky. No. She has met me several times over the years, when I have been in Madrid. No........The one thing Olinda has always wanted to do is meet Urs and you. It would have to take place at her home, not at the arena."
"Why?"
"Because.......Olinda suffers from Agor.......the fear of open spaces. She hasn't been outside in almost thirty years, can't even bear to stand near an open door. She has tried to attend a concert several times only to pass out at the thought of going beyond the threshold of her home. Her only connection to the outside world is her sister, phone and computer. She spends hours watching Franky's old performances and always ends up crying."
"I'm surprised they're still there and getting so many hits." Franky stated, looking at Urs questioningly and allowing him to answer for her as well as himself.
"Shouldn't be a problem. We're there for four days. Don't have any plans for the days off."
"So is, Si?"
"Si is, Si." Franky nodded, watching the now happily smiling Spaniard head towards the phone where he called his sister and passed on the good news in rapid fire Spanish that Franky translated.
"No, Chelo. No news yet! Stop asking me that every time I am calling.......Si, I know......Aye! I know, but I have already had my butt kicked tonight, I do not wish it done again, thank you very much.........If and when, Chelo you will be the first to know.......I love you too, goodbye."
Shaking his head and blowing out a long breath, Carlos returned the handset to its charger but didn't return to the table immediately. He'd obviously heard the giggling voices approaching and moved to open the front door to let Carina, Marco and Reina back in.
"Yeah Frank, you can play pool pretty good but you're lousy at bowling." Reina teased, ignoring the playfull scowl Frank shot her as they entered the lounge area. "Exactly how many times did your ball end up in the gutter."
"I erm..........lost count after five." Frank replied, looking nervously at Carlos, only releasing the breath he was holding as Marco and Reina dragged their father out of the lounge, intent on telling him and their mother what fun they'd had and waiting until Franky and Urs had joined him and Carina before he spoke. "Do you know what's wrong with him? He's been a right grouch with me just lately. I don't know what the hell I've done to upset him and he won't tell me when I ask."
"I'm not going to lie, there's no point." Urs began, looking at Frank knowing that he would pick up on a fib immediately. "He thinks it's about time you.......you proposed to Carina."
"Oh! Well......." Frank swallowed hard then looked at Carina. "It's not that I don't want to.......I just.........You know........The full-on Spanish.....Uh-uh.......It was bad enough wearing those fancy waistcoats Serena picked out for me, Kurt and Jordi to wear at her wedding."
"Oh Dios, Frank! You thought I was serious about that?" Carina asked through her giggles, herself and Franky seeming to understand what Frank was talking about, leaving Urs at a loss until Franky reminded Urs of the Spanish marriage traditions.
"What else am I..........? You mean you're not?"
"Nooooooooo!" Carina shook her head and continued to laugh. "I saw how uncomfortable you felt wearing that waistcoat, you couldn't get it off fast enough once the official stuff was over and done with. I knew I wouldn't have a prayer of getting you into some fancy shirt I'd spent hours embroidering. Is that why you........haven't?"
"One of them?" Frank shrugged, his head shaking at Carina as he pulled her into his arms. "You are........urgh!"
"So what's another reason?"
"Huh? Oh, Mami and the upcoming tour."
"What about me and the upcoming tour?" Franky asked, folding her arms across her chest and giving Frank her questioning look.
"Well you've got more than enough on your plate already with Kurt and Maria's wedding, then there's Christmas followed by the tour. How the hell are you going to find time to arrange another wedding, with all that going on?"
"Geeze, Frank! I have done it before, but this time it wouldn't involve so much work would it? The burden would be on BJ's shoulders, not mine."
"No, but........."
"But what?!"
"Erm..........Nothing I guess." Frank shrugged, looking at Carina lovingly. "Don't say anything to your father, I want it to be a surprise. Hell I'd marry you tomorrow if I could, but I want you to have the wedding you deserve. I do plan on........you just won't know where or when."
"Oh! So you're going to be keeping me on my toes for while, huh?"
"It's about time. You've always got me on mine, never knowing what you're going to say or do next."
Laughing once again, Carina nodded rapidly in reply to Frank's comment then allowed him to pull her into a long, passionate kiss, neither of them appearing to be bothered that Urs and Franky were in the room. They only stopped when Carlos and Barbara-Jean came in and it was Frank's face that was bright red as they separated. With it approaching midnight, Urs and Franky decided to head for home and hugged everyone in the house, Franky leaving Frank until last and giving him a swift clip around the head as they separated.
"What was that for?" He asked quietly in response.
"If you don't know by now, you never will." Urs informed, chuckling and shaking his head. "Dummyhead."
Seeming to understand, Frank nodded and walked his parents to their car with Carina by his side. They bid each other goodnight and as soon as Urs was in the driving seat, he lowered the window and looked back towards the front door to see Carlos standing on the threshold, rubbing the back of his head before he smiled and pulled a head-shaking Barbara-Jean into his arms.
Traffic proved to be light and less than twenty minutes later, Urs and Franky were back at their home, making love reaching their special place together mere seconds before a loudly singing and completely off-tune Frank came through the front door and slammed it shut as always.
Turn the page.
_________________

Chapter 162 - Somewhere Out There
The past fourteen months had been the best ever and not because Il Divo had performed to more people than before. No, that had little to do with it. Kurt and Maria had married just before Christmas in a traditional Italian ceremony, walking to the church ahead of their guests, Kurt with a piece of iron in his jacket pocket, Maria wearing a white dress inlaid with a red panel at the back and a full-length veil. She'd reacted appropriately to the obstacles the townsfolk had placed in her way during the short journey, picked up the broom and helped a child back to its mother, even though she'd only been a few feet away. They'd even tied a ribbon in front of the church to symbolise their bond and Maria had torn the veil in half as she walked down the aisle on her father's arm. Gourmet food had been served at the reception and Franky had got a little tipsy. By the time the day was over, Maria had collected almost seven thousand pounds in the satin bag she'd carried and the glass she and Kurt had smashed had broken into more than fifty pieces. Like she'd done for Sylvie and Serena, Franky had made sure every moment had been captured, the cameraman doing a wonderful job, not stopping his recording until Kurt and Maria were in a car, heading off to their honeymoon destination, Bora Bora, leaving an unconcerned Gino in the care of Nonno and Nonna Buhler for two weeks.
Frank had proposed to Carina shortly after new year, after winding Carlos up two times by taking Carina somewhere special for the weekend only for her to return home without a ring on her finger. The third time, they'd gotten back home from spending a long weekend at Corsewall Lighthouse in Scotland, this time with Carina wearing a one carat Canadian diamond tension set in an eighteen carat white gold band. Even though it wasn't the sort of ring Carlos would have chosen, he knew Carina's taste well enough to know that she liked it. She never had been very keen on the antique one Carlos had put on Karen's finger and, though disappointed, Carlos had agreed to her request to keep the ring for either Marco or Reina, Carina reminding her father that it was a Marin family heirloom and they had a right to it just as much as she did. They'd set a date for the following year and Franky and Barbara-Jean had set to work with the couple, making plans and careful notes of everything they would like.
He and Franky had met Olinda at her home and she'd treated them both nicely, complimenting Franky on her ice-skating before sayng how much she'd cried when she'd heard that Franky had retired from performing. Then Urs had made her blush by asking her to dance, but she'd done so and had loved every second of being waltzed around her huge kitchen, the only space big enough and uncluttered enough for them to be able to do so. She'd thanked them both for their kindness and had flushed even redder when Urs had given her a kiss on the cheek before they left.
Now, with less than three months to go until Frank and Carina's wedding, Urs stood alone with his arms folded, staring out of the scenic window to nothing but the whiteness that surrounded the ski hut. His eyes closed completely, ignore the man that was pleading with him to have Franky declared dead, citing that no-one had ever survived such an avalanche for this long. His mind racing at the thought of her body being found when the snow eventually thawed.
"I said non. She's out there somewhere. I know she is."
"Pas possible." The man he'd just snapped at replied, sighing heavilly. "Desole Monsieur Buhler, pas possible. You should of all people should know that. There is no trace of her, the dogs cannot even pick up her scent following the fresh snowfall. We were lucky to find Madame Izambard and everyone else."
"I don't care!" Urs retorted whirling round to face the heavily built man. "I know she's still alive..........somewhere. I'd feel it if she was dea...if she wasn't. You just tell me those idiots who decided to mess around with the signs are going to be prosecuted."
"Is debatable. They are only young."
"So is my youngest but he knows better than to do something like that."
"Not all children are raised to be so responsible at the age of nineteen or less. The three boys concerned have always been trouble, doing stupid things to get their parents's attention."
"Give me five minutes with them. I'd teach them some responsibility." Urs muttered, turning back to the window. "Seb, get him the hell out of here before I launch him through this fucking window and down the mountain."
He listened to Sebastien stand, quietly escort the persistant man out of the hut and made sure he'd gone by watching his car slowly disappear into the distance. He attempted a smile and gave each of the four children that had come with them a quick hug when they came to stand with him, each of them looking at him with tears in their eyes, himself barely able to hold back his own.
"Come and have something to eat." He heard Emma's voice pleading behind him and turned to look at her, a smile crossing his face when he saw that the bruising she'd suffered in the accident was almost healed. "Neither of you have eaten properly since that day, especially you Urs."
Urs nodded, looked towards the dining table and pushed the children towards the hot chicken soup and French bread that awaited them. As usual, he took a seat at the head of the table and watched Sebastien fill bowls with soup, looking at Emma each time he lifted the ladle.
He swallowed hard knowing that he'd been pissed off to see Sebastien and Emma turn up at another hut a few hours after he, Franky and some of their children had arrived in Val d'Isere. Franky had called him on his attitude, reminding him that Emma had always wanted ski there, that neither Sebatien or Emma had arranged the holiday, their children had sprung it on them as a surprise and that they themselves hadn't told any of the others where they were going. Now he was glad they were there and he could remember how distressed the Frenchman had become on finding out that an avalanche had hit the road Franky and Emma had been travelling on no more than ten minutes after they'd left the hut to head for the nearest village to do some shopping and have a look around. He'd not seen him go so pale or shake so much since Jamie had mown Emma down all those years ago.
They hadn't been the only ones on the road, three other vehicles had been found, their drivers and passengers rescued quickly and taken to hospital for a check up. All of them except for Franky. The car she and Emma had been travelling in had been located and, once the snow had been cleared away, Emma had been carefully removed from the passenger seat. The rescuers had then gone back in, hoping to find Franky in theback since she hadn't been where she should have been, only to re-emerge a few minutes later to tell Urs she wasn't there and stop him going to check himself. Other than her handbag, the driver's side window being open and signs that snow had been moved out of the way there was nothing to idicate she'd ever been in the vehicle to begin with.
Apparently the story was all over the forum just like it was the news channels on television, but he hadn't checked to see what was being said, just took Sebastien and Emma at their word each time they told him a lot of fans were sure she would be found alive and were praying for her. As bad as those constant reminders that Franky was missing, presumed dead were, they were nothing compared to the few members of the papperazzi knocking on the door, demanding to be told how Urs felt about his wife running off with another man and making it look like it had happened by accident. If Sebastien hadn't been there to stop him, Urs knew he would have beaten that particular reporter to within an inch of his life, particularly since he'd asked the question in front of Ciara and Jordi.
"I know what you're thinking, you know?" Sebastien informed, taking a seat next to Emma. "You want to erm........pummel the crap out of those boys for changing the signs, non?"
Urs nodded slowly, stirring a spoon through the soup. "Guess I'm not the only one."
"Oui, especially the husband of that pregnant woman."
Urs nodded again, knowing that the woman Sebastien had spoken about had only been twenty-four weeks pregnant, the accident had caused her to go into early labour but luckily doctors had been able to stop her contractions once she'd been retrieved and flown to hospital. Without touching what Emma had prepared, he stood sharply, headed for the bedroom he and Franky had been occupying and dropped down on the end of the bed with his elbows on his knees, tear-filled eyes closed and his fingers gripping his hair tight, his entire body shaking, though not with cold. He didn't hear Sebastien enter and didn't raise his head when he took a seat next to him.
"Come on Urs, you've got to hold it together for the children's sake."
"I........I don't know how much longer I can......hold it together Seb. That man's right, no-one could survive out there in that for more than a few hours."
"You're not thinking of doing what he asks are you?" Sebastien gasped, grabbing Urs's left forearm and forcing the arm down.
"I don't want to. Gott knows I don't want to." Urs sniffed, his body and head shaking. "I don't want to give up hope, I want go out there again. I'm almost certain I could find something........some trace of her."
"Don't be so stupid. The professionals couldn't, what makes you think you can?" Sebastien snapped. "You were exhausted the first time you tried, I'll knock you out if you even think of going out there for a third time. There's no trace of her, Urs, not even so much as a dropped piece of clothing. She must have gone to try and get help and got lost or........I don't know what else to say or do Urs, but you are not going out there again."
"What would you do? Wouldn't you...........if it was Emma that had gone missing?"
"No idea mon ami. It was hard enough knowing Emma was buried under all that snow. I don't even want to try and put myself in your shoes. I'm just glad they didn't give up until they'd got her out. Though I would have thought Franky would have gotten her out too."
"After digging her way out she might not have had the strength to pull an unconscious body out as well." Urs suggested with a shoulder shrug and a sniff.
"That's what Emma said."
"I bet you're glad your three decided to pay a visit to Alain aren't you?"
"Oui." Sebastien nodded, his eyes widening when they both heard the hut's creaky door open and close and the sound of some very familiar voices finding their way upstairs. "You know what Maria and Monique are like for going everywhere with Emma and how protective Eden is of her. I don't think I could have dealt with them being involved too, I only just managed watching Emma being brought out." He stated with a repetative nod of his head and a long sniff that indicated he'd smelled something foul. "Mon Dieu Urs, when did you last have a shower? The facial hair is bad enough but the body odour is.........Ergh! You can't see Frank and Sylvie like this."
"What are you talking about?"
"They called me late last night to let me know they'd finally got a flight. Who do you think's just arrived?"
"Oh! I.........can't remember when I......." Urs shrugged after sniffing himself. "I'd better....." His voice trailed off as he nodded towards the en-suite bathroom.
"No need to apologise. I'd probably do the same in your shoes, since the days have seemed to blur together. I'll go and........bring them up to date, shall I?"
Urs nodded, attempted a smile and watched Sebastien stand to leave before heading for the shower. Even though he had the temperture turned all the way up and the shower head adjusted to its most powerful position, neither did anything to ease the tension in his body. There was only one thing that could, but Franky wasn't there to administer it right now. He allowed some of the tears he'd been holding back for the past week and a half to fall as he remembered hearing the loud rumble of an avalanche coming down a few moments after Franky and Emma had left to do some shopping together, the panic that had run through both himself and the Frenchman as they looked out of the picture window to see that it had come close to the lodge, the two of the running out hoping that their wives hadn't been caught up in it, Sebastien accusing him of getting the signals mixed up until another man had confirmed they'd been on the safe setting and apologising quickly.
He thumped the wall rapidly recalling the search. The avalanche had come down just after ten in the morning and rescuers hadn't found much of anything for the first hour or so. Even then, it had been the pregnant woman they'd found first. Franky and Emma's transport hadn't been located until almost eight in the evening, with only Emma inside. Not one sign of Franky had been found, other than where she'd dug herself out. Any footprints that had been made had been covered by a two hour fall of heavy snow.
"Why didn't you stay where you were?" He asked his face raised to meet the showerhead, even though he knew Franky's first thought would have been to get help for Emma.
Tears turned to anger as he remembered being told that several teenaged boys had broken into the control room and changed the signs, one of them being the son of the man who officially changed the settings when it was needed. He still wanted to punch the living daylights out of the young man, didn't give a damn that he was only sixteen years old.
Day after day the search had continued between further snow showers, himself prepared to stay out in one of the worst, hoping to locate Franky only for Sebastien to drag him back inside, hold him at arm's length, looking at him with tear-filled eyes and shaking his head. And to top it all, that man had shown up again this morning trying to get him to declare Franky dead. He knew she had to be somewhere safe, felt it in his heart. No chance in hell was he going to declare her dead, they would have to find her body first and do it themselves.
Knowing that the children needed him, he cleaned himself quickly, wrapped a towel around his hips and had just started shaving when he heard a loud, very excited shout rising above the persistent knocking on the door.
"What is it Frank?"
"Hurry up and get yourself sorted, Pa. There's a helicopter on the way to pick you up."
"What for?" Urs asked after whipping the door open, looking at the young man who'd wanted to come over as soon as he'd heard the news, only to be told he wouldn't have got anywhere near because of the bad weather conditions that had raged for past few days and had only settled down in the early hours of this particular morning.
"They......They think they've found Mami." Frank replied, attempting to smile and dry his eyes.
"What? Where?"
"About fifteen miles away, stumbling down a track that leads to a cabin a little higher up in the mountains. The physical description matches, especially the scar on the right leg. She's being taken to the nearest hospital as I speak."
"Danke Gott! How bad is she hurt?"
"Apart from a few bruises they said she just seems exhausted."
"Okay. What about the rest of you?"
"They're sending a car to pick us up."
Urs nodded once more, quickly finished shaving his face, not caring that he nicked himself a couple of times then dressed in cleaner clothes. Selecting the thick navy jumper Franky had brought for him, teaming it with black jeans and a pair of Timberland Canard Snow Basin boots. With a thickly padded jacket in his hand, he ran back downstairs to find the children bouncing excitedly as they watched the helicopter land a few metres away from the lodge.
"I know it's Mami." Serena nodded, knocking tears from her eyes and holding tight to Hadley's hand. "I just know it is, Papi."
"I get that feeling too." Urs smiled, hugged each of his children then ran from the hut.
He stumbled a couple of times as he ran towards the helicopter and crossed his fingers once he was strapped into a seat. Though he didn't trust that particular mode of transport as much as he did a plane, somehow he managed to keeps his fears in control and gave Sylvie, Frank, Kurt, Serena, Ciara and Jordi two thumbs up and a smile as he rose into the air.
Twenty minutes later, he found himself in a hospital lift, heading down to the Emergency Department, praying that he would find Franky there. He wasn't disappointed when he was shown into a small room and immediately grabbed her cold right hand and kissed her gently on the lips after seeing no major injuries once he'd lifted the silver foil blanket that covered her. He sat down in a nearby chair and finally released all the tears he'd managed to hold back since she'd disappeared.
"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she waking up?" Urs asked, wiping his eyes when he realised Franky hadn't made a movement or sound to let him know she knew he was there.
"It's all right, she's just in a deep sleep. She only just managed to tell the police officer that found her that she thinks she's been given something to make her sleep. Her blood results should confirm that."
"By who?"
"The man that's had her in his cabin for the last ten days."
"What man?"
"Don't read anything into what's happened Monsieur Buhler. He's a former doctor who used to work at this very hospital. Yannick Renoir by name. He left last year after his wife died in a much smaller avalanche. He's not dealing with their loss very well and your wife is........"
"Is what?"
"To tell you the truth, the resemblance is amazing. If I didn't know better I would say they were sisters." The doctor nodded, then guided a reluctant Urs out into the corridor and indicated a photograph on the wall. "See?" He queried, pointing at woman dressed in a nurse's uniform.
"Gott! You're right." Urs nodded on seeing that the woman did look like Franky, amost identical with the exception of the mousy brown hair colour and blue eyes rather than green. "Do you think that he saw Franky, thought he was his wife and rescued her from the avalanche?"
"That's exactly what appears to have happened. He's a few doors down, keeps asking where Claudine is and why she would have punched him? Your wife is certainly stronger than she looks, he has a rather large bruise on the side of his face."
Urs and the doctor returned to Franky a few seconds later to find her resting comfortably. Her blood test results arrived a few minutes after that, confirming that she had been given Lorazepam to make her sleep. Other than some healing bruising on her face, arms and legs, her only other injuries were the grazes on the knuckles of her right hand.
Knowing what she'd done, Urs smiled then snapped his head round towards the door when he heard a loud shout outside. A desperate male voice pleading with medical staff to tell him where his wife was. He closed eyes briefly, his mind wondering if the man who'd kept Franky from him would ever accept that his wife was dead, a few tears making their escape at the thought, trying to imagine the unbearable pain he was in as he listened to the continuous pleadings and sobs.
Twenty minutes later, Franky was taken to a private room on the fourth floor of the hospital, the children, Sebastien and Emma arriving just as she was being settled into the bed. Urs explaining what he knew so far, a very much relieved looking Sebastien and Emma leaving after a few minutes to call David and Carlos with an update. He'd just settled down in a chair and asked Sylvie and Frank how they'd gotten to the area when there was a knock at the door and the doctor from the emergency room told him there was someone waiting outside, wanting to know if she could speak to him. The off duty police officer that had found Franky and had taken care of her until help could get to them.
"Erm..........How is your wife doing?" The officer asked once she'd been shown into the room.
"She's.......fine. Just needs to sleep off what she's been given over the last few days." Urs replied, wondering why Jamee Renoir as she'd been introduced looked so nervous. "Are you related to Yannick Renoir? The doctor."
"Oui. He's my brother." Jamee replied, nodding and swallowing hard. "I'm so sorry about all of this. I thought I'd left him in safe hands with my other older brother, Fontaine, while I was on honeymoon."
"Brother?!"
"Oui, brother. Yannick is the eldest at fifty-five, Fontaine is five years younger than him. I am fifteen years younger than Fontaine." Jamee informed, giving Urs a quick smile. "Yannick gave her his medication, oui?"
"If he's on Lorazepam, I guess so."
"Hmmn. I would more than guess. He's been on it since Claudine died, to help him sleep at night. The hut where your wife was kept is mine and Fontaine promised to take care of him while I was away. My husband is furious because it seems Fontaine has spent the last two weeks in Paris. He's going to be in so much trouble if he ever comes back, with me and my husband. I love my brothers very much Monsieur Buhler and I have tried everything I can to get it through to Yannick that Claudine is gone. He's seen so many therapists already I can't think of another one to take him to. Perhaps I should consider letting the doctors put him in a psyciatric ward now..........for a while."
"Ja, from what I've heard it seems he needs bet......more help than you are able to provide."
"I'm just worried about what your wife will do when she wakes up. He won't get all the help he needs in a prison and I've heard she can be a.......has a really bad temper."
"Ja, she does........but it takes a lot for her to show it. You don't need to worry about him ending up in prison. Trust me, I know she won't be pressing any charges against him once I've told her everything." Urs replied, smiling reassuringly.
"I hope you're right." Jamee nodded, sniffed back tears and left the room.
Franky spent the next twelve hours asleep, Urs holding her hand all that time, the children settling themselves into some very uncomfortable positions on what seating was available to try and catch up with the sleep they'd lost. Sebastien and Emma paid her a visit the next morning then decided to head for Alain's home, secure in the knowledge that their sister was safe now.
"What happened?" Urs asked once Franky had finished eating a hearty breakfast.
"You tell me first. You said it was safe for us to go out."
"Three boys thought it would be funny to change the signs."
"Oh. I suppose they're in a lot of trouble?"
"Will be if I ever catch up with them." Urs shrugged. "So what happened after the avalanche?"
"I came to and looked at Emma, she looked so pale I thought I should go for help. I managed to get a window open and started to dig my way out, didn't get very far, a few inches at the most. I must have passed out again because the next thing I remember is waking up in a warm, comfortable bed. There was a man sitting beside me, calling me Claudine, telling me everything would be all right now." Franky sighed and took a deep breath. "I tried to tell him several times that that wasn't my name. He didn't seem to hear me though. He fed me, made sure I was comfortable but I didn't like the injections he kept giving me. I was asleep again within seconds. I kept trying, it just didn't seem to sink in and I got so angry I ended up knocking him out when he tried to sedate me again but dropped syringe. I took the opportunity and got out of there. If I hadn't almost been run down by an off duty police officer, I think he would have come after me and taken me back."
"Don't be angry with him angel. He's not well." Urs pleaded, running his fingers through her hair and explaining the doctor's actions.
"Oh God! The poor man. Do I really look that much like his wife?"
"Ja. Very much so from what I've seen. Almost her twin actually. Several staff made the same observation. They'd only been married for two years. He's a mess, can't accept she's gone."
"It's okay, I don't intend to bring any charges against him." Franky informed looking to where the children still slept. "Been through a rough time haven't you?"
"Ja, we have. I think we need another holiday to get over this one. We've got a month left before we start work on the new album. I was thinking........Vienna."
Franky nodded her agreement with a smile on her face watching the children wake up and telling them where they were to going next, each of them reacting with varying degrees of excitement, all of them wanting to go too.
She left the hospital a few days later after having to be weaned of the sedative and reassuring Officer Renoir that she would not be pressing charges against her brother and thanking her for her remaining professional in tough situation. Jamee herself bursting into tears, revealing that she felt that she'd let her brother down, but adding that she would do everything within her power to make Yannick well again before leaving to pay him a visit in the Psychiatric ward with her still furious husband.
Before leaving the hospital, Franky asked to see Claudine Renoit's image for herself. Her head shaking and mouth gaping at the very close resemblance and her eyes widening once she'd been told Claudine's maiden name. As she walked out of the main entrance, Franky ignored all questions the press asked about her ordeal and turned down several offers for her story, preferring instead to head over to the small group of Divas who were gathered outside the hospital and thanking them for the flowers, gifts and cards she received with a quick hug for all twenty seven women and two men.
The entire Buhler family spent the next two weeks experiencing all the sites they hadn't been able to explore during any tour, each heading back to their respective homes with their own special memories. Urs and Franky's favourite, the evening they'd spent at the Volksgarten Cafe, Walzting as if they were the only couple doing so under the old trees and the Viennese sky. Once she'd fully recovered, Franky contacted her distant cousin and a few days later Gustave replied with what he had been able to discover about Claudine Renoir nee Du Bec. She and Franky were indeed related, very distantly. Claudine's Great-Grandfather was Carvel Du Bec, the youngest brother of Franky's Great-Grandmother, Josephine.
As for the boys who'd changed the signals, two were sentenced to six months imprisonment while the ring-leader was handed a three year sentence. He didn't seem to mind being sent to jail since it made his parents finally take notice of him. He applied himself to his studies while incarcerated and when he was eventually released, Sylvain Guillory became a mentor to other troubled youths, putting ninety per cent of those he came in contact with back on the straight and narrow, making his parents as proud of him as they had always been of his elder, extremely intelligent brother, Herve.
Turn the page.
____________________

Chapter 163 - Problems, Problems, Problems.
Still slightly stunned by the news David had delivered at Syco headquarters earlier this morning and the ensuing argument the American and Simon had gotten into, Urs pulled his Harley to a stop outside the front door of his and Franky's home, hoping that Lauren hadn't called and let her know the news. He still couldn't quite believe what had reluctantly come from David's mouth shortly after ten o'clock but at least he could understand why he'd made the decision that he was going to leave Il Divo once the latest album was complete and the following tour was over. Not being able to see much of his mother when she'd been ill had almost torn him in two. Somehow, David had managed to push his emotions to one side and watching him on stage it had been hard to believe the Miller family had been going through such turmoil. Though extremely upset at losing Ruth, the one thing that had consoled David was the fact that he, Lauren and their children had been able to spend the final week of her life with her. Tragedy had struck again just over six weeks later when his father had been struck down by a stroke that had left him more physically disabled than mentally. At least Lloyd knew who everyone was and could still speak very well.
Even though David had wanted to leave all those months ago, his sisters had managed to persuade him that they would be able to take care of his father, reminding him that Lloyd would never forgive himself if David quit the group without releasing a final album or doing a farewell tour, especially since Lloyd had always given the tall American a huge hug at the end of every tour and had walked into the after party beaming with pride. All the girls seemed to know their father would be so disappointed if Lloyd didn't get to do at least part of that one last time. And now it seemed he was going to get the opportunity despite Simon's loud and somewhat angry protests that Il Divo could continue, completely forgetting that the guys had agreed after Urs and Franky's 'Paris Thing' all those years ago that if one member decided to leave then Il Divo would end. Even though they'd all been shocked at David's decision, Sebastien, Carlos and Urs had backed him one-hundred per cent and had stood resolute against the man who'd spent almost half an hour trying to persuade them different. Urs sure he'd heard the music mogul mutter that he never thought he would see the day as the four men left his office once they'd made arrangements to discuss announcing the news to the press. Each of them leaving the building with visions of the fansite going into meltdown once the news broke.
Not really looking forward to that day but knowing he had other things to concentrate on right now, Urs finally removed his crash helmet, hooked it over his arm once he'd dismounted the Harley and entered the house. His eyes flying wide when he heard what sounded like Franky and Jordi's raised voices coming from the direction of the kitchen.
"WHY SHOULD I? YOU NEVER WANTED ME ANYWAY." The handsome nineteen year old yelled.
"That's not true. Don't you ever think that. Please Jordi, tell me what's the matter."
"Nothing! Just stop bugging me and leave me alone."
"Oh I give up. You're just like your bloody father, always needing to be pushed to open up whenever there's a problem."
Hearing Franky's final words, Urs ran into the kitchen to find Franky sitting at the table, her face buried in her hands and quickly made his way over to sit beside her.
"I'm sorry about that last part. I let my frustration get the better of me." She sighed, feeling him pull her hands away.
"It's okay. You're right, he is a lot like I was. He shouldn't have said that." Urs replied with a headshake, using the thumb of his right hand to wipe the tears from Franky's eye's. "What's the problem?"
"I don't know. He won't talk to me and I've pushed him much harder than I ever had to you. I don't even know what set him off. He just went off like that when I asked if he was bringing Joanne to Frank and Carina's wedding."
"Now that is weird. He told Frank he was last night." Urs furrowed his brow then stood upright. "I'll go and see if I can find out what's wrong. Where's he gone?"
"Out to the garage I think." Franky sighed and flicked her head in general direction before she stood to head for her office.
Urs watched her push the door open, knowing that she was under a some stress, so much had gone wrong with wedding plans recently and Jordi's words had obviously hurt her. She turned her head to look at him and gave him quick smile before she closed the door.
Taking a deep breath, Urs turned away and headed for the garage where he found Jordi with his head lowered, his hands tinkering with the project he and Joanne had spent months working on.
"What's the problem?" Urs asked, standing beside his youngest child and looking at the electronic gadget in complete confusion.
"Just a few bugs in need of fixing." Jordi huffed, shrugging without looking at his father.
"I didn't mean with the.......whatever and you know it."
"Nothing."
"So you talked to your mother like that for no good reason?"
"You heard?"
"I did and I'm not happy. Don't let me hear you say that she didn't want you ever again Jordi. Your mother has never treated you any different from the others since Flavian's funeral. I've told you time and again how much she regrets how she reacted."
"That still hurts doesn't it?" Jordi asked, hearing his father sniff quickly.
"Ja, of course it does and it always will. I know you've gone through life feeling that part of you is missing. It couldn't be helped Jordi. We often sit and wonder what he would have been like. All of you were wanted, don't ever think different."
"I'm sorry Papi."
"Not me you should be apologising to." Urs shook his head. "You can do that once you've told me why you got so angry at her when she asked about Joanne. You two split up or something?"
"Erm.......How can you split with someone you were never actually with in the first place?" Jordi asked, casting Urs a nervous glance.
"Okay. I'm a little confused, you've been seeing her for almost two years."
"As friends, to work on this." Jordi sighed, pointing to what lay on the workbench. "Nothing more. Mami and you jumped to the conclusion that we were a couple."
"Hmmn. I suppose we did. You can't really blame us though, you do spend a lot of time together, not just when you're both working on the.....you know."
"I guess so. Holographic projector."
"So there's some other girl you're interested in?"
"No. I erm........I don't.........."
"Don't what?" Urs pushed, shrugging and watching Jordi head towards the sink where he washed his hands, swallowing hard, his eyes flicking from side to side while he dried them. "Jordi? Please tell me what's wrong."
Jordi stood looking at Urs for a few moments, still swallowing hard, taking several deep breaths then lowering his eyes before he spoke.
"The errr.......The truth is I........I'm not interested.......not attracted to girls. Not in any way, shape or form. I......I'm......I'm gay Papi."
"Oh for Gott's sake, Jordi. And you thought we would have a problem with that?"
"You not Mami." Jordi shrugged. "I thought she might even have guessed."
"Years ago I might have had a problem but not now." Urs admitted, nodding slowly. "You can't help what you are Jordi, straight or gay I don't give a damn. I love you just as much as the others. So does Mami."
"I know."
"So why didn't you say anything before now?"
"I was........scared that you would be........disappointed in me."
"Never. We're proud of each and every one of you. Your sexuality doesn't matter. Haven't we always told all of you that?"
"Yeah........but......."
"But what?!" As long as you're happy with who you're with and they treat you with respect, that's all we care about. You know how much it hurts Mami to see any of you unhappy."
"I know." Jordi nodded, sniffing back tears. "Joanne's been on at me to tell you for I don't know how long. I've met someone at uni and he's asked me for a date. He's willing to wait for me until I've plucked up the courage to tell you and Mami. Guess I've done that now."
"I guess so. Half of it anyway." Urs huffed a laugh returning the smile Jordi gave him. "What's his name?"
"Magnus Wyman. He's Dutch, studying for a Batchelors Degree in International Economics and Management."
"And you'd like to bring him to the wedding?"
"Well yeah. I talked to Joanne about it 'cos I'd like her to be there too. She's the best friend I've ever had. I'd like them both there, but I just don't know how to ask Frank if it's okay."
"Straight out with it is best with Frank, don't you know that yet?"
"Guess not."
"Come on." Urs shook his head, placing an arm around Jordi's shoulders and guiding him out of the garage. "Let's go and see if we can sort this out. But you apologise to Mami first."
Jordi nodded and took several deep breaths as they walked back into the house and found their way into Franky's office. He huffed a quick laugh, listening to her give someone hell down the phone line.
"I don't give a damn who else is getting married on the same day. We booked and paid for those cars weeks ago. We're not about to go hunting for others with just a week to go. Do I have to remind you that your bike is in my garage and you want it ready for a holiday in two weeks?...........Oh of course you could go elsewhere, but the design is exclusive and copyrighted. I seriously doubt any other garage will touch it..........Really?........Okay fine, if that's the way you want to play it Mr Hallam. You can collect your bike from the garage within the hour....I don't care that you what you think, I'm sure someone else would be glad of the business and I want the money back within a week otherwise I will be consulting my lawyer.......Goodbye, Mr Hallam."
"Problem?" queried once Franky had hung up, his head shaking at Jordi when they both saw tears brimming in her eyes.
"Yes." Franky sniffed, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'll tell you in a minute. Now what the hell is up with you just lately?" She asked, turning her attention to Jordi.
Urs remained in position just inside the doorway and listened to Jordi take a deep breath with his head lowered before he moved to squat in front of his mother, apologising and telling her everything with his head hanging low, too ashamed at his treatment of her to raise it.
"Jordi." Franky sighed, taking his face in her hands and raising it to meet hers. "Dummyhead." She tutted. "What am I going to do with you? I don't care what you are, straight, gay or bi, as long you're happy. That's all I care about. You know I love you all equally don't you?"
"I know. Sorry Mami." Jordi sniffed, pulling out of the tight embrace Franky had yanked him into.
"So I guess you want me to ask your brother about Magnus coming to the wedding?"
"No. I'll do it. You have enough problems to sort out"
"Okay. Just promise me you'll be careful, treat him with respect and don't let him hurt you."
"I promise. I know we'll both have you to deal with if one of us hurts the other." Jordi nodded, his eyes wide.
"Good. We can always make room for one more when Frank and Carina agree."
Smiling but knocking a tear from his eye, Jordi nodded, reached into his jeans pocket and placed a call to Frank only to hear a familiar ringtone cutting through the silence in the office and quickly realising Frank had left his phone in the jacket that lay on the floor. He tried Carina's number only for it to go straight to voicemail and decided to call the garage only for Franky to stop him, saying that he wouldn't be there.
"Before I tried to find out what was the matter with you, Frank came in, all excited about something and asking me to go somewhere with him. He wasn't happy when I told him I had things to do and he stormed out in a huff. Don't ask me what he was so excited about in the first place, 'cos I don't have a bloody clue."
"I'd rather talk to him face-to-face anyway." Jordi shrugged then left the office and made his way back out to the garage.
"So what's the problem with the cars?" Urs asked, watching Franky take a seat at her desk, her fingers flying over the computer keyboard.
"You heard didn't you?! Sorry. Urgh! Bloody Montgomery Hallam has only gone and hired the groom's car I booked for Frank to get to the church to someone who's willing to pay twice as much as usual. That's what the problem is. I tried to get him to change his mind while you were talking to Jordi but he wasn't having any of it, told me the celebrity client would bring him much more business than Frank's marriage and he's changed his mind about what he wants doing to his bike. Bloody asshole! Now I've got to find out if Frank's second choice is still available. Bloody, bloody, bloody hell!"
Knowing that Franky needed something to calm her down, Urs quietly left the office and returned a few moments later with two mugs of Camomile tea in his hands. He remained standing while she talked on the phone and sent an email to Gabriel at the same time and noticed that she was smiling as she hung up the phone. She then replied to Gabriel's query and her right hand flew to cover her mouth once he'd responded back. Wondering what Gabriel had said, Urs moved around to read the short two-worded message and almost choked on his tea because he hadn't known Franky's brother to write such foul language in a very long time.
"So, what happened at HQ this morning?" Franky asked once Gabriel had sent another message, saying that he would cancel the work on Montgomery Hallam's bike and calling the man a 'fucking asshole' again before going offline.
"I'll tell you in a bit." Urs replied, nodding his head towards the open office door having heard Frank's bike coming up to the back of the house, hating the high pitched noise the engine made in comparison to the low rumble of a Harley.
Though he had a passion for motorbikes in all shapes and sizes, Frank had never been particularly keen on the heavy Harley's, preferring instead the lightweight, capable of going off road models and, as a teenager, had loved riding one over a muddy field, in competition as well as just for fun.
Urs kept his eyes focused on the door, waiting for Frank to enter and furrowed his brow when he didn't appear after five minutes. Thinking that Jordi was talking to him, he waited a little longer then made his way back to the kitchen to see the slightly taller version of his younger self coming through the door, shaking his right hand.
"You all right?" Urs asked once Frank was in the kitchen, running his hand under water and checking it once it was clean.
"I erm.......sulked because Mami wouldn't come with me. Carina kicked my butt and I rode out towards 'Devil's Drop', climbed up that Oak tree Mami almost crashed into and slipped while I was climbing down. Grazed my hand pretty bad." He replied with a shrug and inspecting his hand again. "I've got a huge splinter in the palm of my hand."
Urs moved quickly and retrieved the first aid box from the cupboard where Franky kept it. He quickly found a pair of tweezers and held out his left hand, waiting for Frank to place his right there.
"I'm sorry, Pa. I was just so excited." Frank sighed, his eyes focused on his palm and the inch long splinter he had there.
"There's no need to apologise to me. Excited about what anyway?." Urs replied, struggling to pinch the end of the rather thin piece of bark.
Urs raised his face to meet Frank's, returned the smile he gave him and nodded then returned his attention to what he was trying to deal with. He cursed outloud when it slipped from his grip for the seventh time and heard Frank huff a quick laugh then take deep breath.
"About me and Carina."
"Everything all right between you two?"
"Everything's fine Pa. Ouch!" Frank winced as the splinter was finally removed. "We're.......We're not going to be moving in here after the wedding. We've finally found the perfect place."
"Oh! Where?"
"Actually it's the house where Mami lived with Aunt Laruen when you met her. It needs a bit of work, decorating and a new bathroom and kitchen, but otherwise we could move in tomorrow and be comfortable." Frank shrugged.
"Reasonable price?"
"Well within our means." Frank nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay. If that's what you want, go for it. I trust you to know exactly what you're doing. Just don't be afraid to call on us if you need anything."
"I won't." Frank smiled and shook his head as Urs gave him a tight hug. "Is everything all right with you, Pa?" He asked once he was released.
"Actually.........No." Urs shook his head slowly. "I'll tell you once I've told your mother, but you need to go and talk to her first. About the car and the house."
Huffing out a breath, Frank left the kitchen and made for Franky's office. Urs moved to the lounge and could just about hear what was being said between mother and son. He couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Franky let out an exasperated groan once Frank had informed that he had actually liked the Rolls Royce Silver Spirit better anyway and had only chosen the Daimler DS 420 Limousine simply because it was cheaper to hire for the day. He was still chuckling to himself when Franky came to sit beside him and asked him once again what had happened at Syco earlier in the day.
"Oh! So that's what's been bothering Lauren the past few days?"
"I guess so........However, if David feels he needs to move back to the States and help take care of his father, then I'm behind him one hundred per cent. So are Seb and Carlos"
"I know." Franky nodded, knocking a tear from her right eye. "I never thought I would see the day when me and Lauren would be living in two different countries, never mind on two different continents. "
"Ja. It'll be weird not seeing the two of you tease each other or hearing you argue."
Franky sniffed then nodded and offered to set up a video conference for him so that he could tell the children together rather seperately. While she did that Urs went out to the garage and smiled when he saw Jordi and Frank hugging, the eldest child playfully calling the youngest a 'Dummyhead' and ruffling his hair as they seperated. It was all too clear that Frank didn't have a problem with what Jordi had told him and the three of them walked back into the house together. They entered Franky's office, made themselves comfortable around the desk and waited for Ciara to stop yawning and complaining about being woken at such an early hour. Urs had completely forgotten she was in Los Angeles, visiting Saskia, Ryan and the ten month old baby boy they'd just adopted. Swallowing hard, Urs looked at the four expectant faces on screen and the two beside him before revealing that Il Divo would be recording their last album soon and that next year's tour would be a farewell one. Like their mother, all the children looked disappointed but completely understood because they all knew how hard David would have found it to make the decision. With love yous and see you soons exchanged over the internet, Urs watched Frank shut the computer down and quietly left the room.
He looked around the ground floor for Franky but didn't spot her until he saw her heading towards the office, her hair still damp, Urs quickly figuring out that she'd been upstairs to take a shower. He followed after her and found her hugging herself, looking at the picture of her and Lauren, sitting on the wall, giggling to herself.
"What's so funny?" He asked, his arms wrapping around her from behind.
"What have you never asked me about that picture?"
"Erm......." Urs faultered, unable able to think of an answer.
"Where it was taken and why me and Lauren are laughing so hard there are tears on our cheeks?" Franky shrugged.
"Oh ja! You're right. So?"
"It was taken a year before my mum was diagnosed. The wall forms part of the perimeter of Brandy Ramone's estate. We'd been sitting there about half an hour when Daniel Bertram came running past, naked as the day he was born. We found out later he was getting married and he'd celebrated his stag night the night before. He'd woken up at Devil's Drop, his clothes nowhere in sight and no-one around to help him get home, so he took what he thought was the quietest route. You should have seen his face when he saw us. Priceless. But that wasn't the thing that made us crack up."
"What was?"
"Daniel had always bragged that he was pretty well endowed in the wedding tackle department. It wasn't a cold day by any means when we saw him and Lauren made the comment that she didn't know who she felt more sorry for, Daniel or Scarlett." Franky informed through her giggles, holding the thumb and forefinger of her right hand about an inch and half apart. "He hasn't been able to look either of us in the face since that day."
Urs giggled along with Franky for a few moments then turned her around to face him. He noticed the tears in her eyes but knew the laughter hadn't induced them.
"Going to miss not having Lauren around most of all aren't you?" He asked, pressing his forehead against her.
"Yeah." Franky nodded, fighting to stop her tears from falling and failing miserably. "But family comes first and like David has been saying for the last few months, his sisters have taken care of his dad for long enough, it's about time he stepped up to the plate. It's a shame the stroke left such an active man so debilitated."
"Ja, but he's fighter. At least he's still there mentally and Lauren's parents are still in good health." Urs replied, watching Franky close her eyes and nod slowly. "Not going to miss Frank when he leaves home then?"
"Of course I will dummyhead, except the devastation he leaves in his wake. I suppose he's left his crash helmet on the kitchen table yet again?"
"I didn't notice if he did." Urs shook his head then told her why. "Anyway, we've only got a few days left and I, Frau Buhler. have plans for tonight."
"Oh! Like what exactly?" Franky returned with a flirty smile.
"Oh yes, definitely that.......again." Urs matched her grin, knowing exactly what she was referring to.
"Urs Buhler! I swear you're getting randier as you get older."
Urs widened his eyes, wore a straight lipped smile and nodded quickly then gave a giggling Franky a kiss that left them both breathless as they seperated. Still holding her close, he told her that he'd booked a table at the new, much bigger 'Ramone's'.
Knowing that he'd hadn't taken her out to dinner for quite a while, Franky smiled then widened her eyes, trying to think of what she could wear, a smile creeping across her face when she remembered the dress she'd bought for the first concert Il Divo would give on their farewell tour.
"Nein, don't you dare wear that one." Urs tapped her nose. "I don't want to see you in that again until we reach London."
Franky nodded reluctantly, gave Urs a quick peck on the cheek then ran upstairs and began rummaging through her wardrobe, eventually pulling out two strappy dresses, one in a very pale pink, the other in pale green. Not realising that Urs had followed her, she startled slightly when he stopped her returning the pink one to the closet, her eyes flying wide for the briefest of seconds.
"All right, just for you." She nodded, knowing that she hadn't worn that particular one since she'd bought it over three months ago, not since trying it on anyway and how Urs had given her the 'Stunned Goldfish' look when he'd seen her in it.
Urs gave a quick kiss then left the bedroom when he heard Frank leaving his. He checked the bathroom first, saw the usual mess his eldest left behind and ran to the top of the stairs where he shouted his name.
"Yes Pa." Frank queried with a shrug once he'd turned round to face him.
"Towels!"
"Oh yeah. Knew there was something I'd forgotten to do." Frank nodded, reclimbed the stairs looking a little sheepish and headed back into the bathroom where he quickly deposited the damp articles into the dirty laundry hamper. He headed out of the bathroom, smiling and shrugging at the head shake and huffed out sigh his father gave him then promptly left the house.
Urs laughed, still unable to figure out how Frank could be so neat and tidy when working at the garage but such a messy devil home, particularly in regard to his own bedroom. He shuddered, not even wanting to imagine what it currently looked like.
"Don't worry about it. Carina will soon whip him into shape." Franky laughed, placing a quick kiss on his lips before the two of them moved back to the bedroom to get ready for their evening out.
Turn the page.
_______________

Chapter 164 - A Beautiful Day
As he moved towards Frank's bedroom with a glass of Brandy in each hand, Urs turned his head over his shoulder to see Franky standing on the threshold of the master suite, batting her hand at him, indicating for him to hurry up. He huffed out a breath, certain that Frank wasn't nervous at all. Urs thought he knew him well enough to be able to read the signals, but it appeared Franky had picked up on something else. Urs stopped for a second and quickly ran through what had happened this particular morning.
He and Franky had woken at their usual early hour and had gone downstairs to Frank already up and in the middle of making blueberry and strawberry pancakes for everyone. The coffee maker had almost finished and he'd insisted on stacking the dishwasher once everyone had eaten their fill. Hell, he'd even spent the previous evening cleaning his room, something he rarely did and a quick check in the family bathroom had revealed he hadn't left it looking like a bomb site. Urs thought back to a few weeks ago and realised Frank had behaved in much the same way the evening before he'd taken the final test that would qualify him as a motorcycle mechanic, a test he'd passed with flying colours, matching his mother's score from all those years ago.
Pausing at the door, Urs chuckled a little and chatised himself for not picking up on those signals sooner. He was just about to kick lightly against the piece of wood, when it flew open and a semi-naked Frank ran past him, heading for the family bathroom.
"God! Not again Frank? We'll never get you to the church at this rate!" Titus, Frank's best friend since senior school yelled with a hint of laughter in his voice.
"How many times has been sick?" Urs asked, looking at the tall blue-eyed blonde and handing him one of the glasses.
"That's the third." Titus replied then knocked back the Brandy in one huge swallow. "Thanks. I needed that."
"Wasn't my idea."
"Is that one for me?" Frank asked, taking a deep breath as walked back towards his room.
"Of course. I don't need my nerves steadying today do I?" Urs replied, handing over the other glass and watching Frank knock the alcohol back in much the same fashion as Titus had.
"Nah! Not like you did when Sylvie and Serena got married."
"Not funny young man."
"Yes it was. I mean you can go on stage and sing in front of God alone knows how many people without a stiff drink, but it took two shots of Brandy to calm the nerves you had about giving Sylvie and Serena away. I still think it was hysterical seeing you shake so bad."
"Ja, ja, ja. Very funny. I'll be reminding you about today when you're in the same position." Urs retorted to Frank's teasing, shaking his head and hearing Franky's voice.
"Okay boys, enough. It's the bride's perogative to be late.....not the groom's."
"Crap!" Frank yelled in response once he'd grabbed his father's arm and checked the time. "Where's the time gone? Come on Ty.......Holy....."
Urs chuckled as the bedroom door closed and headed back to the master bedroom adjusting his watch back by five minutes. He saw Franky smirking as he crossed the threshold and the two of them fell into a quick fit of giggles, knowing they'd gone around the house the previous evening, setting all the clocks and watches they could find five minutes ahead of the actual time. It was a trick they'd used before and none of the children had picked up on it.
Realising that Franky was still giggling a little as he zipped up the light blue dress she'd bought for the occasion, Urs turned her around and asked her what she found so amusing.
"You are."
"Me? Why? What have I done that so funny?"
"Not what you've done, what you said a few days ago. That you couldn't imagine Carlos being nervous about walking Carina down the aisle."
"Well it's true. I can't. Do you know different?"
"Oh yeah! Cici sent me a text. Apparently he's spent the last hour pacing up and down in front of the fire place and is constantly asking how much longer it would be until they leave."
"Oh! Well........First time for everything I suppose." Urs replied, chuckling along with Franky for a minute or two.
"Right. That's us two ready. Let's go and see if Frank is." Franky sighed, taking a moment to look Urs up and down, slolwy nodding her approval of the navy blue suit, light blue shirt and slightly darker paisley designed tie he was wearing.
After giving Franky a firm but gentle kiss, Urs took hold of her hand and led downstairs where he opened the gates once he'd heard the buzzer go off. He turned back to see what she was doing and shook his head when he saw her knocking a couple of tears from her cheeks. He'd seen her do the same thing three times before and knew she was doing so again because she was stunned by how handsome Frank looked as he walked downstairs with Titus by his side, both of them dressed in navy blue three piece suits, the lapels of Frank's decorated with an orange blossom design in silk and the only one decorated in such a fashion in order to make him stand out from his best man, father, ushers and Carlos.
Still shaking slightly, Frank asked his mother how he looked and blushed a little when she replied that he looked more handsome than she'd ever seen him. He coughed while Franky handed the housekeys over to Titus and asked her once again if she knew what Carina's dress looked like.
"Like I told you the other day, I wouldn't tell you even if I did." Franky shook her head in reply while Urs opened the front door for the chaffeur.
Taking a deep breath and with final kiss from Franky, Frank and Titus settled themselves in the car. Knowing that the vehicle wouldn't be moving until he and Franky had left, Urs locked the front door, set the alarm then followed Franky out to the garage and was soon driving off the property in their new car. Thankfully traffic was light and they made it to St. Mary's church to find that very few guests had already arrived and were mingling around outside, all of them chatting happily. A few moments after they'd arrived Saskia and Ryan turned up and looked so happy and proud as they lifted a peacefully sleeping Max from the back seat of their hire car. Despite having seen Ciara's photographs of the little boy, seeing him in the flesh was completely different and both he and Franky still couldn't believe he was adopted, especially since he currently looked so much like Ryan.
In what seemed like no time at all, Frank and Titus arrived and everyone headed inside the orange blossom decorated church. Like her parents before her, Carina had decided to mix a couple of Spanish wedding traditions in with English ones and everyone made the comment that the old building smelled wonderful once Kurt, Jordi and Marco had guided them to their seats. Knowing that he would have to escort Barbara-Jean back up the aisle, Urs slipped into the second pew ahead of Franky and immediately turned round to see if either David or Sebastien had arrived yet. He spotted them quickly and immediately noticed that both David and Lauren were smiling much broader than they had in weeks. It was all too obvious they'd received some good news, but Urs knew they wouldn't say until the marriage ceremony was over with at the very least.
Hearing excited feminine chatter coming from the back of the church, both Urs and Franky turned the heads in that direction and smiled as they watched Marco walk quickly to his mother so that he could escort her to her seat. Knowing that Carina was standing in the small porchway, Urs turned forward and gave Frank's right shoulder a gentle squeeze. Frank in turn glanced over his shoulder, smiled and took a deep breath before standing with a Titus by his side.
Barbara-Jean moved to her seat a few seconds later and appeared to be giggling a little as Urs and Franky looked at her. She coughed to compose herself then broke into a huge smile as the traditional wedding march began to play. Everyone stood and turned to watch Carina make her way down to Frank on her proud father's arm, her smiling face just visible underneath the veil she wore. The translucent material a copy of the one her natural mother had worn, held in place with an orange blossom headress, complimenting the cap-sleeved dress with silver orange blossom embroidered on tulle perfectly. Urs hearing several comments being whispered once Carina had placed her hand in a stunned but smiling Frank's, all of them saying that Barbara-Jean had done a wonderful job of bringing Carina's dream to fruition, some especially liking the fact they could see the flesh of her back underneath the tulle and that the flower sat in perfect position in the middle of her back.
A look a little further back told him why Carina had objected to Barbara-Jean buying the Cornflower blue dress she'd been looking at buying. Sylvie, Serena, Ciara, Stephanie, Marie, Monique, Reegan, Reina and Carina's favourite work colleague/maid of honour, Fern, were all wearing that colour. Urs could remember Carina saying that she wanted to pay tribute to her step-mother somehow and thought she'd done it perfectly by selecting that particular shade. As the vicar began the traditional welcome, Urs turned his attention to see what little Urs was doing and smiled when he saw that he was behaving impeccably, even if the almost three year old hated the fact he had to stand next to Fern's little girl, Tara and was wearing a suit and tie.
Almost forty minutes later, Urs found himself walking out of the church with a teary eyed Barbara-Jean on his arm, both of them admiring their respective partners from behind, neither of them able to understand much of what Franky and Carlos were saying to each other due to the fact they were speaking in rapid Spanish. Once photographs had been taken, Frank and Carina disappeared for a few moments and when they returned Urs noticed that Carina had tears in her eyes and no longer carried her bouquet of orange blossoms and blue hydrandeas. It was all to obvious where she'd been and what she'd done with the flowers.
The reception was held at Lou and Lena Hartford's former home. The mansion having been purchased by a hotel chain and converted into a small but elegant hotel with a huge function room. Once everyone had arrived and had settled into the alloted seats, Urs asked Barbara-Jean why she'd been giggling before the ceremony began.
"Not telling." Barbara-Jean replied, looking at Carlos in a such familiar way that Urs instantly knew he would be embarrassed if she told him.
Feeling slightly disappointed, but knowing Franky would have something to say if he pressed Barbara-Jean, Urs huffed out a breath and settled down to eat the first course of the meal. Beef Wellington with seasonal vegetables and new potatoes followed a cream of tomato soup and by the time he'd finished his orange sorbet dessert, Urs had to loosen his belt a little.
With appetites sated, the speeches began and Carlos got through his without stumbling. However, Urs did notice that he quickly wiped his eyes once he'd toasted the newly married couple and wished them a long and happy life together. Unusually, the normall very confident Titus stumbled his way through his speech so taken was he with Jordi's friend, Joanne he couldn't barely keep his eyes off her and stood for much longer than he planned to. As nervous as he'd been before the ceremony, Frank stood and gave his speech without hesitating and even managed to tease Titus before sitting down, finishing by saying that he'd always told his best friend there would be one girl that would knock him for a loop and watching Titus's face flush bright red.
Still following English tradition, Carlos escorted Carina to the dancefloor and all the guests gathered round to watch them. Once they'd finished it was Frank's turn to dance with his wife and he surprised her by asking for Salsa rythmn to be played. Although he wasn't perfect, Frank did well enough to receive a huge round of applause from their guests, but the stunned look Carina wore on her face at the end was what pleased him more than anything. She didn't even have to look at Franky to know who'd taught him or how patient she would have been with him.
As the party got into full swing, Urs and Franky sought David and Lauren out and noticed they were still smiling like they had been at the church.
"Well, aside from the fact Stephanie and Damien have finally set a date for their wedding and the fact they're moving to Denver afterwards, my dad finally managed to take a couple of independant steps this morning."
"Oh that's great news." Franky replied, yanking David into a tight hug for once.
"Yeah! I know he's never going to walk a long distance, but you should have seen his face. I've not seen him that happy in months. Has Yannick shown any signs of improvement yet?"
"Sadly no, David." Franky sighed, shaking her head with her eyes lightly closed. "He still thinks he's in prison and keeps asking Jamee when Claudine is going to visit. Fontaine still hasn't put in an appearance, too scared of Didier I should imagine."
"Shame." David sighed and shook his head then looked at Lauren recalling how distressed she'd been when they'd received the news about Franky and Emma.
She'd barely slept for those ten days Franky had been missing presumed dead and argued furiously with him, bound and determined to get on plane somehow, not caring that weather conditions had been the worst ever in Denver as well as Val d'Isere and how hard Franky had kicked Lauren's butt once David had told her what Lauren wanted to do, citing that her best friend would do the same if the roles had been reversed, Franky replying that she would have done no such thing in such foul weather adding that she knew Lauren would have been worried sick and that she should have appreciated the fact Sebastien and Emma had kept everyone up-to-date on her situation, making sure they called Lauren as soon as they'd finished speaking to Frank and Sylvie.
The conversation then turned to the events of the day with everyone watching the crowded dancefloor, David and Lauren paying particular attention to Reegan who was enjoying herself, despite the fact she'd only broken up with her boyfriend a few days ago. A look to the farthest corner of the square dancefloor told everyone that Titus had Joanne in his arms and even from more than twenty-five feet away they could see she was blushing. All in all the 11th of June had been a wonderful day with only a couple of downsides. One being the fact that Ria, Richard and their family couldn't attend due to the fact Richard was still recovering from a slipped disc and that Eden was at another wedding with his girlfriend, though they had both promised to put in an appearance before the newly married couple were sent on their honeymoon to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
"Nonna! Nonna!" Little Urs's voice suddenly rose above the party noise.
Seeing him heading towards them, Franky squatted and immediately lifted him into her arms once he was close enough.
"And what are you so excited about?" She asked, giggling as the little boy wiped the cheek where she'd kissed him.
"Can't you sees? I not got the suit on anysmore. 'Dis is my surprised."
"And very nice you look too." Franky replied, admiring the jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt and biker boots Sylvie and Nick had bought to change him into.
"I must done very good today, Nonna. I's been want......liking deeze boots for a longs time." Little Urs grinned, lifting his right leg and beaming a huge smile as he showed off the latest pair of child sized Harley Davidson biker boots.
"You did very good, sweetheart. Nonna and Nonno are very proud of you."
"Urgh! Nonna!" Little Urs protested at being kissed and wiped his cheek again. "Why Eden not heres yet? Has he felled out wiv Unca Frank?"
"No. He and Misty are at another wedding, one they were invited to and said they would attend before Uncle Frank and Aunt Carina sent out their invitations. They are coming here though, for a little while."
"How long?"
"About four hours."
"Oh Nonno! That's not a littles while. Four hours is ages and ages."
Chuckling, Urs took little Urs from Franky's arms and settled him on his knee once he'd sat down. As young as he was, little Urs had behaved impeccably throughout the marriage ceremony and reception. Not once had he thrown a tantrum or whined about what he'd worn earlier in the day or what he'd been given to eat. Even though there was no blood tying him to Franky, it seemed as though their eldest grandchild had inherited his grandmother's energy levels. He certainly didn't look tired, unlike Gino who was fast asleep in Maria's lap, happily sucking on his thumb. The image reminding him of seeing Kurt do the same on several occasions and the battle he and Franky had had to stop him doing it when his teeth started to come through. Urs grunted a quick laugh, wondering if Kurt still did it when he was nervous. He could only assume he did, particularly since Kurt's right thumb had looked pruny the morning of his and Maria's wedding.
Hearing familiar laughter approaching, Urs set little Urs on his feet and watched him run towards Eden who immediately scooped him into the air and swung him around. Once he'd stopped, Eden set Ursy down, squatted in front of him and gently but firmly told him they would talk once he'd said hello to his own family and the happy couple.
"Come on, Misty. I have to tell another bride how beautiful she looks." Eden smiled, offering his hand to his blonde haired, blue-eyed girlfriend once he was upright again.
"Yeah, but this time you'll actually mean it." Misty replied, grasping the offered hand and allowing herself to be guided into the throng.
Urs checked his watch as he watched the couple and quickly realised they'd arrived almost an hour before they said they would. He knew whose wedding they'd been too and wondered if something had happened at Katy Baker and Dillon Stark's wedding. It still irked him that Katy had been the one to demand Montgomery Hallam drive her to the London ceremony, but at least Franky had got her money back. Puzzled as to why Misty would leave her cousin's wedding earlier than planned, Urs swallowed another mouthful of light beer as he watched the couple make the rounds, paying particular attention to Carina's dress before placing a brotherly kiss on her cheek. Once he'd finished, Eden gathered all those who'd asked him why he and Misty had arrived so soon into the quietest part of the room and took a glass of champagne before he began to speak.
"I really shouldn't laugh, because it's not funny and I do feel very sorry for Dillon. I thought Katy had changed in some ways, but she obviously hasn't." Eden began with a wide-eyed headshake. "She sure as hell had me fooled."
"Me too." Misty interjected, giving Eden's thigh a gentle squeeze.
"The ceremony went fine if you discount the fact Katy walked down the aisle in the tackiest dress I've ever seen, basically a heavily jewelled bra with a thin strip of silk running down to the skirt, the back cut so low, I saw the top of her butt cheeks. It probably wouldn't have looked so bad if she'd gone for delicate jewellery rather than the big, showy stuff she actually wore. Poor Dillon looked so disappointed but somehow managed to smile. The reception venue was nice and tastefully decorated because Dillon's mum had organised that, though Katy didn't seem that impressed. The speeches go fine until Dillon goes to sit down after finishing his. The mic picks Katy and everyone hears her telling him that he's forgotten something, he looks at her quizically and she reminds him that now they're married she's to be referred to as Lady Kate. Dillon shakes his head and replies that his father's title was an honorary one, not an inherited one. As soon as she hears that, Katy snaps and everyone hears her saying that she'd only really married Dillon for the title in the first place. What happened after that I don't know 'cos everyone was asked to leave but it sounded like world war three was kicking off as the doors were closed behind us. I wasn't laughing because of what's happened, more over the fact Misty had told Katy several times that Edward's title wouldn't pass on to Dillon. Didn't you babe?"
"If I told her once, I told her at least fifteen times. Uncle Edward told me so himself when I was younger and reminded me every now and again before he died." Misty nodded in reply as Eden's mobile message tone resounded around the area.
He read quickly, informed everyone that Dillon had calmed down considerably, was still upset and that Katy was on her way to a police station, the police having been called to the reception venue when the argument had become physical. They'd arrested her for assaulting her mother-in-law as well as the police officer who'd been attempting to calm things down. A smile spread across Eden's face once he'd read the final part of the message to Misty and together the couple headed for the dancefloor to carry out Dillon's instructions to enjoy themselves and not worry about his situation, the prenup would soon put an end to whatever plans Katy could come up with to get her hands on his money.
Sighing, tutting or shaking their heads, everyone headed back to the dancefloor and continued to enjoy themselves until Carina decided it was time to pull a surprise. The discjockey had been informed and politely asked everyone bar Lauren, Emma and the females who'd formed the wedding party to leave the parquet. Once they'd left Carina stood between Franky and Barbara-Jean in front of her bridesmaids and waited for 'Crazy In Love' to begin playing. While they waited, Urs spotted Franky shaking her head at Carina and he suspected she thought she was too old to perform that particular dance. He'd heard her say so once or twice but knew Franky wouldn't spoil this bit of fun by walking off. A fact that was proved right a few seconds later and as the group finished, Urs's hands found the tablecloth and lifted it over his groin area where it would remain until his blood had stopped rushing to that particular region. A look around the table where he, David, Carlos and Sebastien had taken a seat informed him the other three men had had to do the very same thing as had the husband's and partners of the other women who'd performed the dance almost flawlessly thanks to Franky's ever patient teaching.
Three hours later, Urs drove Franky, Jordi and Ciara home. Exhausted by the day's events, the two youngest headed upstairs once they'd kissed their mother goodnight, both with huge happy grins on their faces, overjoyed that they'd been able to spend some quality time with their respective partners. Urs and Franky followed them up an hour later and as he watched Franky drop her dress to the floor, Urs felt the familiar rush of blood again. Despite the fact it had been a long day and was approaching 4:30am, they still made love, neither of them settling down to sleep until almost 6:00am, knowing that they wouldn't be woken early because Jordi and Ciara were more than capable of taking care of their own needs and suspecting that all the other couples had done much the same thing, so for once they could and would stay in bed until way past midday the following day.
Turn the page.
________________

Chapter 165 - Rags And Riches
If there was one thing he'd learned from watching Franky's body language over the years, it was how to tell when she was suffering from a migraine or when one was coming on. She would look completely exhausted, take deep breaths, let them out slowly and sit with her brow furrowed and eyes closed behind heavily tinted glasses. Her chin would almost be touching her chest and she would gently massage her temples in the vain hope of easing the headache. That was exactly what she was doing now, but Urs knew he wouldn't be able to settle her in the jet's bedroom until the new Gulfstream had reached the appropriate height and had levelled off. He heard her emit a small moan and gently squeezed her right hand to let her know that he knew she was in pain.
As soon as the light came, Urs unfastened his seat belt then Franky's, gently pulled her into an upright position and supported her until they reached the bedroom door where she stopped and lowered the sunglasses to the tip of her nose.
"David said he wanted to ask my opinion on something just before we boarded." Franky informed, speaking much slower than she normally did.
"I don't care. That, whatever it is, can wait until your migraine's gone." Urs replied, pushing her into the room and making her sit down on the bed before going off to retrieve the medication she used.
"It's not that bad."
"Huh! Sure it isn't. No arguments. Get some sleep, angel. I'll go and ask the pilot to turn the air conditioning on."
Reluctantly, Franky nodded, replaced the sunglasses with an eye mask and made herself comfortable on the bed while Urs walked down to the cockpit and asked for that particular room to be cooled. As he walked back to his seat he noticed that David was reading through a battered, leather bound book and wondered what he found so intriguing in it, particularly since he seemed to be reading the last four pages again this time with Lauren. Sebastien and Emma were talking with Eden on the phone and Urs thought some good new had been past on when he heard Emma exclaim that it was about time and Dillon must be so pleased. Carlos and Barbara-Jean were cuddled up together, shaking their heads and giggling about whatever it was they were reading in the celebrity magazine Carlos had bought before boarding.
"I don't know why you still read that rubbish." Urs stated with a sigh, his head nodding at the magazine.
"Because some of the articles make me laugh amigo. I know it's not worth the paper it's printed on.......but some of the so called reports do.......here see for yourself." Carlos informed through a couple of chuckles, indicating for Urs to sit down and handing what he'd been reading.
Huffing out a breath because he didn't really care but didn't currently have anything better to do, Urs sat down and began to read.
'In just two days' time, Il Divo head to New York to kick off of their farewell tour. Like their fans, I think these men have so much more to give the world and I still wonder what has really caused them to bring things to an end. Has the gorgeous American never heard of care homes or employing a nurse to look after his father? He must have made enough money to do either by now. I know it wouldn't be the same without him, but the other three could carry on. Let's hope they change their minds or decide to pursue solo careers, especially since Urs hasn't revealed what he intends to do once the tour is over.
I suspect Urs's wife has a lot to do with the break up. I suspect she has finally lost it and has put her foot down, sick of having of those four men in the house, arguing over who should sing which part I imagine. If I were Urs, I would certainly tell her were to go, especially since she doesn't own any part of that building and is only interested in splurging what her 'husband' works so hard to earn. This year alone this so called 'loving wife' has purchased a house for her eldest son and spent Urs's money on doing it up to her liking as well as buying the favourite son a brand new Harley, the latest model no less. She has also recently taken possession of two top of the range 4x4s, one of which she immediately presented to a friend she doesn't see that often. A nice way to keep in someone's good books I suppose but Urs really needs to rein her spending in, otherwise he's going to be bankrupt before the end of the tour, especially since she is going with him yet again.'
There was more, but Urs simply skimmed through it because it had slipped into the same vein as some of the questioning that had followed David making the announcement that this would be their last tour. He'd walked out of Syco HQ with Franky's hand in his, both of them hearing one of the reporters on her mobile, insisting that once the tour came to an end Franky would leave him and ask for half his fortune in the divorce. As usual, Franky had ignored it but she'd caught the foul look he and the rest of the guys had shot the woman concerned. Once settled in the people carrier, she'd shaken her head and reminded them of what she'd said all those years ago. There would always be someone out there in the world that didn't believe she truly loved Urs and wasn't using him for his money.
"Isn't it hysterical?" Barbara-Jean asked as Urs tossed the magazine back to Carlos. "After all these years, certain so called reporters still think Franky uses your money."
"Ja, but that particular one has been writing crap like that since just after I proposed to Franky. I don't know how she still gets it published."
"I guess it helps that her grandpa once owned the magazine and left it to her when he died. Gives her carte blache to write whatever she likes I am supposing." Carlos informed, still giggling. "What amazes me is that some people still believe such rubbish."
"Or pay good money to buy it in the first place." Urs reprimanded the Spaniard with a smile on his face. "There's only one place good enough for that rag, then again I wouldn't even use it to line a birdcage." He continued, turning his head when a large shadow loomed over him and quickly grabbing David's arm. "Leave her alone for a while, David."
"But I......"
"I know you want to ask her opinion about something, she told me before I took her back there. I want her to be her normal self when we land, not in pain and grouchy."
"Oh you mean she?.........Sorry Urs, I didn't realise. Too engrossed in what my dad wrote in this years ago." David replied, understanding what was happening with Franky and holding up the book he'd been avidly reading just lately.
"What is it?"
"A bucket list of sorts." David replied, taking the seat next to Urs, quickly opening the book, showing him the first page and pointing to the bottom right corner while he watched Lauren head towards the bedroom section of the plane. "Let Lauren deal with it." He asked with a quick smile, grabbing Urs's arm as he moved to stand on hearing a small crash come from the direction of where he hoped Franky was sleeping.
Urs nodded, resumed his seat and quickly read through what Lloyd had written, a smile lighting up his face when he saw the word 'DONE' written in red where David had indicated and remembering how amazed they'd all been to see the old lodge restored all those years ago. Page after page of was filled in much the same way, some with smiley faces following the solitary red word, Jeffereson's childhood habit of indicating how happy he was so familiar to all that knew him. Urs continued to turn the pages until he reached one that didn't have 'DONE' written in the bottom corner and quickly read through what Lloyd wanted to accomplish before he died.
"I want to make that dream come true for him. I just want Franky's opinion on those 4x4s before I go buying one."
"It's all right, she didn't wake up." Lauren informed with a smile, holding up the remains of smashed glass before disposing of it and settling herself next near the group.
"Well you're certainly going to need one or something similar to get over that terrain. Why didn't you just ask me?"
"'Cos last I heard Franky hadn't let you drive her new toy." David retorted with a giggle. "Has she finally done so?"
"Ja. And she was right, they're exactly what the stables needed. They're fantastic machines, can handle the steep slope at the bottom end of the turn out field without any problems and that's much steeper than anything on your dad's property if I remember right." Urs informed, watching a still giggling David nod in reply to his last statement
Three men and two women fell into a fit of the giggles and were soon joined by Sebastien and Emma once Lauren had brought them up to speed with why they were laughing. Urs, himself knowing that Franky had punished him for arguing with her about buying the vehicles in the first place by refusing to let him drive hers. At first he had thought it an unnecessary expense, especially since he'd been so sure he could get the ancient Land Rover running and roadworthy again.
He'd searched every scrapyard he knew of, hoping to find the parts he needed only to leave all of them with nothing or one small part from the list he'd made. Even though the vehicle was old, brand new parts were astronomically priced and definitely not worth buying considering what it would have been used for. Had they been going to show it as a classic example the expense wouldn't have bothered him, but since Ruby used it to take feed and hay to the horses it didn't make financial sense, especially since she had to make at least two trips in the summer months. It was even worse when it came to towing a horsebox, not enough power behind it to pull a box loaded with four horses. He could still remember how noisy it had been in the cab as he drove the new residents of 'Pheonix Livery' to their final home, he'd hardly been able to hear Franky talking and they'd had to raise their voices again thoughout the hundred mile journey back. The next day Ruby had been driving when it had broken down, the big end gone and gears no longer functioning
The new one was nothing like that. Hell, if he hadn't secured the box to the towbar himself, he would have sworn there was nothing back there and travelling along potholed or dirt tracks were a breeze, not the uncomfortable bounce along ride the old Land Rover used to give. And damn if he couldn't still remember that 'I told you so' look Franky had given when he'd finally agreed to scrap it. Wide eyes, quick, nonchalant shrug and straight-lipped smile. The look that had always asked him to stop being so bloody stubborn and let whatever the subject matter they were arguing over go.
"So when did she finally let you drive it?" Sebastien queried with a smirk on his face.
"Four days ago. I completely forgot my insurance covers me to drive any vehicle. Sulked from the day she brought it home until we went to pick up 'Really Shouldn't Say'."
"Oh well. As long as you don't forget the lyrics." David teased, knowing that Urs normally read through legal documents in minute detail.
"Me?! Never. That's always been Seb's job."
"Very funny. Once, just once I did that on the last tour." The still giggling Frenchman retorted.
"So you're saying we'll finally get a perfect performance out of you?"
"Mon ami, I always give a perfect performance."
"Seb!" Emma exclaimed, knowing exactly what he was talking about and that it had nothing to do with being on stage.
"That's one thing I'm not going to miss, you twisting the comments I make into..........smutty stuff at every given opportunity."
"But amigo, you have always made it so easy for him.......and me." Carlos added, wiggling his eyebrows at a head-shaking and eyerolling David.
Once he'd recovered, Sebastien past on the news that Dillon had finally got his marriage to Katy Baker annulled, the private detective he'd hired finally catching up to her in Moscow, recognising her immediately despite the fact she'd bleached her hair, wore no make-up and dressed in dowdy clothes. Her mother assisting her in moving from country to country to country. Dillon hadn't actually said how many countries Katy had been hiding in since that day, just that the detective had turned up at where she'd been to find that she and her mother had flown the nest, heading for God alone knew where. A few moments later, Franky emerged from the bedroom, looking much better than she had when she'd arrived at the airport and Emma repeated what Sebastien had said.
"Oh Good. Katy didn't get anything out of it did she?"
"Not a bean and is currently being held in prison on contempt charges." Emma replied, grunting a laugh before continuing. "What do you expect after calling a judge a complete and utter asshole, screetching that she deserved half of Dillon's earnings at the very least"
"I know what she deserves and it doesn't have anything to do with money. A good old trip to the woodshed for a buttwhooping and a long one at that."
"David! You've never approved of corporal punishment." Lauren gasped, looking at her husband with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.
"Still don't really, but........Don't even know why I said it. She wouldn't learn anything from such punishment. I can't even imagine myself calling Katy 'your ladyship', especially since there's nothing ladylike about her. There are four women I could do so, without even having to think about it though. One just a little more than the others." David replied, pulling Lauren into his lap and giving her a very firm kiss.
Not to be outdone, the other three Divos followed suit, Urs reluctantly pulling back when he heard a noise behind him. Four red-faced women fastened their seatbelts and four giggling men did the same. For the first time in years, Franky gripped Urs hand as the jet started to descend though not from the fear she'd once suffered. No, it wasn't that at all. It was her way of silently letting him know that she knew there would more than likely be more articles written like the one he'd read earlier, that she would deal with it as she always had and what they knew to be the truth was all that matter at the end of the day.
Urs nodded, linked his fingers through hers and didn't let go of her hand until the jet was down, they'd walked through the arrivals area and were giving the huge group of teary-eyed fans who greeted them what could probably their final chance for a hug, handshake, autograph or photo-opportunity.
Almost three hours later, he stepped into the hotel room to find the usual post long-haul flight refreshments waiting for him. Everything the way it had always been since the very first time Franky had gone with him on tour, never once having complained that the hotel's they stayed in charged her a hell of a lot for providing the simple fare and knowing she never would.
The one thing he knew as he sat down to eat was that he could have nothing in the bank, he would still be the richest man in the world as long as Franky was by his side.
Turn the page.

Chapter 166 - Prelude To The Swan Song
"Urs! There's no need for that kind of language." He heard Franky stating as he slammed his mobile down on the nightstand.
Taking a deep breath, he stood from his position, turned to face her and in a second forgot the reason he'd cursed so profusely in Swiss-German in the first place. As much as he'd loved seeing her in the gown when she'd tried it on, what he saw now left him completely and utterly stunned. Just a few feet away stood the most beautiful vision he'd ever seen, her hair neatly swept up into a romantic style allowing him to take in every detail of the silver Armani Privé gown. He could remember seeing a famous actress wearing much the same thing in the Spring of 2009, but couldn't currently remember her name or for what event she'd worn the well-fitted, mermaid-style dress. However, like that actress and as she nearly always did, Franky had chosen to wear delicate jewellery that wouldn't detract from the already jewel covered dress. Back then, the dress had been a new design but had become a classic over the years, though he'd never seen it look as good as it did now.
"Now. What was all the shouting about? Did I say something wrong during the radio interview?"
"Huh? Sorry?"
"I asked what all the shouting was about. Have I done something wrong?"
"Oh, nein. Nein, angel. You handled the interview perfectly, just like I knew you would." Urs replied, turning off the radio he'd been listening to while Franky got herself ready for Il Divo's final performance.
"Then why all the foul language?"
"Sorry. Erm..........We don't have a pianist for tonight. Clarice is being rushed to hospital as I speak with suspected food poisoning and Henry let Georgia go a day early so she could be at her sister's wedding without suffering jetlag."
"Oh! Is that all?"
"Is that all?! We can't do a concert without a pianist angel. Neither of us could do it, well we could but.........Argh! We don't have anyone else capable of filling those shoes at such short notice."
"Yes, you do." Franky replied, blowing out an exasperated breath. "It might take a little arm twisting to get her to do it, but she knows all the songs by heart, has done for years."
"You mean Sylvie?"
"Duhhhhh! Who else?"
"But she's never played in front of that many people."
"Maybe not, but you'll be on stage with her. You know she's much more confident if you're close by. Other than sitting beside her, you can't get much closer.........can you? If she says no there's always Marco. Ooooooooor one could do the first half of the show, the other the second. That would take some of the pressure off Sylvie, wouldn't it?"
"Ja, but I haven't got time to........"
"Urs, stop getting yourself in a tizz. I'll go find Henry, he can help me twist their arms. Go and shave."
"Yes, Mami." Urs retorted, beginning to remove his clothes as he headed for the en suite while Franky walked towards the bedroom door. "Angel!" He raised his voice as he paused on the threshold, waiting for Franky to turn round. "Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave."
"Honestly!" Franky replied with a smile and quick headshake before she disappeared.
Chuckling to himself, Urs waited for the hallway door to click shut then turned on his heel and began to work at removing the day's growth. While he did so, he remembered what he'd seen and heard at all the venues Il Divo had played throughout this tour. Large signs being held up letting them all know their fans were sad about the end of the group, many adding that they would never forget and thanking them for the fantastic job over the years. Others holding up solitary pieces of card, stating who they had always liked best and would forever. More still undecided. Tears visible on cheeks from the moment the four of them stepped on stage, neither of them knowing when the tears had stopped flowing because many had still be crying as they went outside to accept more gifts and sign autographs.
His eyes widened slightly when he remembered the four of them trying to think of a way to thank the fans for their support. At first he'd thought Lauren's idea of them all signing a photograph of the group would be too much, but they'd gone with it and they'd all been surprised each and every time they saw fans arriving at their seats to find that envelope lying there and the joy on their faces once they'd read the small message at the top and figured out that the signature was real not a printed facsimilie. He knew he would see all of that again and that every seat in London's Olypic Stadium had been sold and wondered how far many fans had travelled to see them perform one last time.
Giggling to himself, Urs rinsed his face then patted it dry, all the time wondering how on earth he'd managed to keep the plan he and the rest of the guys had for the girls to himself. Franky and Lauren had caught them whispering conspiratorily a few days ago but hadn't questioned why, just assumed it had something to do with where they would be heading after tonight was over. Still laughing, Urs thought back to the interview Franky, Lauren, Emma and Barbara-Jean had given a few hours ago, the host complimenting them on their looks, neither one ashamed to admit how old they were and giggling when each of them was told they didn't look it. Though approaching sixty years of age, Franky still looked ten years younger and many thought she was the youngest of the women.
Once the host had recovered his composure, she'd asked if the women were really glad to see the end of the group. All of them denying it, Lauren stating quite clearly how long David had wrestled with the thought and how many sleeplessness he'd had before saying what he had at Syco HQ all those months ago. Franky adding that there were some wonderful songs she'd heard them toying with and sniffing while she said that it was a shame no-one else would ever get to hear them.
"That's what you think!" He stated with the Cheshire Cat grin on his face, thinking about the secret plan and how Franky had hoped one certain song would make it onto 'Un Bacio d'Addio'.
Sadly it hadn't been one of the fifteen they'd selected, tonight's performance of that song would be the first and last time they sang it live. He had a very good idea of where it would end up once the concert was over, but couldn't even begin to imagine how many hits it would receive or how many copies of the farewell tour DVD would be sold.
His thoughts briefly turned to Jordi and Joanne, wondering if they had found anyone willing to produce their invention yet. He sighed then smiled, knowing that Jordi wouldn't give up in that regard, then returned to thinking about the interview, listening to Lauren confirming the Miller family would be heading to Denver in a couple of weeks, sniffing back tears as she let everyone listening know how proud she was of the work David had already done to bring his father's dream of running a riding school for underprivileged and disabled children to reality. Emma and Barbara-Jean confirming that they would be staying in England because Simon had several projects in mind that Sebastien and Carlos could become involved in. Franky confirming that Urs had been offered the chance to be included with those, but just hadn't decided yet because he had few ideas of his own.
Hearing a familiar knock at the door, Urs pulled the Triumph t-shirt he'd been wearing before shaving back over his head and moved through the suite to let Franky back in. She smiled as she crossed the threshold but he noticed that it didn't reach her eyes the way it normally did, so he reached for her hand and asked her why she looked upset.
"They're not going to do it, are they?" He pressed when she stood there, blinking back tears.
"Oh of course they are honey. Of course they are. I arrived at Carlos's suite to find him hugging Marco tight and thanking him over and over again. Sylvie was pretty easy to persuade too. They're on their way to the stadium as I speak."
"Danke Gott! So why the tears?" Urs asked, pulling Franky into his arms and holding her tight, knowing that the dress wouldn't crease. "Has someone said or done something to upset you?"
"No, honey. No. I have."
"Huh?"
"To you......I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
"For telling you off earlier. I should have realised how you were feeling about tonight and been as supportive of you as you were of me when I retired. I'm sorry I didn't, I'm just wondering what Frank is......"
"Up to? Well I can't blame you, he has been very secretive just lately. I don't think Carina's pregnant 'cos he wouldn't be able to keep the smile off his face if she was. I'm pretty sure it's something good though, nothing to be concerned about..........Dummyhead." Urs smiled, releasing his hold, hooking a finger under Franky's chin to make her look at him before he kissed her gently. "You don't owe me an apology."
"Yes, I do.
"No you don't."
"I do."
"Nein! You don't Things have gone wrong during every tour, I shouldn't have expected tonight to be any different. And I definitely shouldn't have used that kind of language. In fact I'm surprised you didn't cuff me around the head when you heard me. Why didn't you?"
"Because I know you Urs Buhler. Cool, calm and collected on the outside. Butterflies the size of Eagles fluttering around in that stomach of yours. Worse than the first time you stepped on stage with David, Carlos and Seb I should imagine."
"Ja. Ja that's exactly how I'm feeling, but I know you won't tell anyone will you Fire?"
"Never, Ice. Never." Franky replied with a slow shake of her head and her ever loving smile on her face.
Happy that the problem had been solved, Urs pulled Franky back into his arms and kissed her so passionately that he didn't hear the first knock at the door. He did, however, hear the second because David had thumped it rather hard and Carlos had shouted something naughty before yelling that it was time they were leaving. Both of them giggled, knowing that they'd been engaged in a 'horizontal tango' just over an hour ago and had been lying in each other arms, glistening with sweat just fifteen minutes before Urs's mobile had gone off.
Grinning, Urs allowed Franky to wipe the lipstick from his lips, put on his leather jacket then waited for her to take his hand before opening the door. As he stepped out into the hallway, he found his brothers and sisters doing the same and as they had always done the eight of them made their way to the lift and chatted happily as they rode down to the ground floor.
Just like she had throughout the rest of the tour, Franky accompanied him to his dressing room once they arrived at the stadium and helped him into the first suit before heading to her front row seat. Urs watching her leave, knowing that he wouldn't have got the cufflinks he'd inherited from his father fastened on the first attempt due to the fact his fingers had somehow managed to turn to butter as soon as he'd arrived at every arena or stadium on this tour and thankful that she'd given him a small stress busting massage. A few moments later he found himself standing near the stage with the other three men in a brotherly embrace, all of them taking deep breaths while listening to Marco playing the intro to the first song and the deafening roar of the audience as Sebastien started to sing.
He looked down to where he knew Franky would be sitting as that first song came to an end and gave her the smile he reserved only for her when he saw her smiling through the tears that streamed down her face. She knew what song was next and had always started to cry long before 'Every Time I Look At You' began. He couldn't help but wonder if he would see her do so again come the end of the show when Il Divo had put their carefully laid secret plan into action.
'You are in for one hell of a buttkicking when you get to the party Urs Toni Buhler and you'll only make it worse if you don't focus on the fans.' That inner voice he hadn't heard in years informed, though for once with a deep, rumbling chuckle.
Knowing that the show would more than likely overrun tonight, but for once not caring, Urs spent the next two hours on stage with his brothers, giving thanks to those who had kept Il Divo at the top of their game for almost thirty years. All of them seeking out their family members and smiling whenever they weren't singing. David doing so the broadest of all when he spotted his father sitting on the second row back from his side of the stage with a proud smile on his face, tears glistening in his eyes, gripping Summer and Katelyn's hands tight. Lloyd only taking his eyes away from his son to smile at Lauren and his grandchildren each time they turned around to smile at him.
Turn the page.
_________________

This is something I don't want to ever see happen.. I never want to be here when Il Divo finally ends..

Franky and the other ladies have always stood by their men.. They have suffered most for sure Franky at the hands of the ungrateful fans and so have their children..

I am glad Urs still has the woman of his dreams after all these years..


David and his father a great scene..


More JJ and soon please..


Laura

Chapter 167 - Despedida, Au Revoir, Lebewohl, Goodbye
At least twenty minutes had to have gone by since they'd finished singing the song that normally brought the evening to a close according to Urs's calculations and the audience were still on their feet, clapping loudly, stamping their feet and yelling for more, especially the Cuties seated near the stage. He could just about hear them pleading for Carlos to undo a fourth shirt button as he'd done while singing 'La Vida Sin Amour'. Urs looked at the Spaniard, knowing that he was more than willing to give his admirers what they wanted from the twinkle in his eyes. Very reluctantly Carlos kept his fingers away from the button, understanding that if he did that, the audience would never settle down enough for them to be able to carry out their plan.
Normally they would have thanked the orchestra and the fans by now, wishing them a safe journey home but that wasn't happening tonight. Tearing his eyes away from the throng, Urs couldn't help but chuckle to himself when he saw David pleading for quiet with a finger against his lips only to be ignored for once. Not knowing what else to do, David turned and retrieved the high stool he'd used earlier in the show and gave a little shrug as he sat himself down. Noticing the crowd were beginning to grow quieter, Urs, Carlos and Sebastien followed suit and before they knew it thousands of eager faces were looking at them, waiting to hear something magical again.
"Whew! Wow! After all these years, the way you all react still gives me goosebumps." David informed, now with his camcorder in hand, slowly scanning the audience. "Not bad for four guys who were once told their CDs wouldn't sell. Many, many, many........Yes, Seb." He asked when he felt the French man tapping him on the shoulder.
"Not so many manies! You'll make Carlos feel old and past it."
That comment made all those on stage giggle while a large portion of the audience shouted 'Never' and Carlos stood there, grinning and looking very proud that so many women still found him attractive.
"Okay, sorry. When the four of us were thrown together all those years ago we could see this project lasting ten, maybe fifteen years, but it's gone way beyond that, further than either of us could possibly have dreamed and that..........that is down to each and every one of you." He finished, tucked his mic under his arm and began clapping along with his brothers, all of them letting the fans know how much they appreciated their support.
"And as perfectly as each tour seems to have gone things have gone wrong at some point. Tonight has been no exception." Sebastien continued, wiping a tear from his eyes. "Those of you who weren't completely enamoured with what we have doing may have noticed our normal pianist isn't here tonight. She was rushed to hospital less than an hour before we were due to leave the hotel and her stand-in was somewhere over the Atlantic."
"Si, we all play piano very well, but not to the standard needed for our show. So, as well as thanking Henry Marchant and his orchestra, we'd like to thank the two young people who stepped into Clarice's shoes without hesti.....hetis....."
"Hesitation?" Urs queried with a giggle, knowing that Carlos had always had trouble pronouncing that particular word in English, receiving a sharp nod and a quickly stuck out tongue in response.
"Remember amigo, nobody likes a show off. Now where was I? Ah, si. The two youngsters who performed so fantastically tonight. My son.......Marco." Carlos informed, turning slightly, raising his right hand and smiling when he saw the young man standing at the top of the staircase, bowing just like his father had taught him.
"And my daughter.......Sylvie."
As Urs turned and raised his right hand, a huge cheer went up and appeared to startle Sylvie slightly. She recovered quickly, courtsied like her mother had taught her to then took hold of Marco's left hand and allowed him to escort her back down the stairs to the piano. A quick look to where Nick sat told him that he loved the full length pink ruched bodiced strapless dress Sylvie was wearing and that he was paying particular attention to the four silver beadwork bands that accentuated her curves. A quick glance to Nick's right brought Franky into view and somehow Urs managed to stop a smirk finding its way across his features when he saw her 'What are you up to?' look on her face.
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to stay straight faced for long, Urs turned and joined his brothers in showing his appreciation of the wonderful work Henry and his orchestra had done throughout the entire tour. After that they thanked all those who worked backstage and saw several females wiping their eyes as they stepped onto the platform at the top of the steps.
As the applause began to die down again, Urs took a deep breath and let it out slowly, knowing that David was about to speak again and most of what he was going to say.
"Now we know you're all very disappointed that this is our last performance, believe me it was the..........the hardest decision I've ever had to make to leave. Like all of you, my father didn't believe I would do so. Like any family, the four of us have argued, faught, fell out and made some stupid decisions. My decision is not one of them. My father has supported me throughout my career and I feel it's only right I thank him for everything he's done by making what he started work on before my mother pa.....passed away come true. My sisters are both here with him tonight and I'm so glad my father felt strong enough to fly all that way. Erm.........Ahem! Like you, the four of us have known many happy times but we've also known tragedy and loss. Sometimes such things have happened while we're touring, others when we're on private time. Throughout all of it our respective wives have stood by our sides, supporting us through some very difficult performances even when their own hearts were breaking. One thing these wonderful ladies have never agreed on however is their favourite song on any album. They've also been disappointed that some of the songs they heard us tinkering with never made it onto an album. We recorded over twenty-five for our farewell album and three of the four ladies were ecstatic that their favourites were selected. We're going to perform the one that didn't make it shortly, but firstly we'd like a little company on stage." David paused and teased Lauren by looking around for a few seconds before he locked eyes with her.
He didn't have to say a word, Lauren simply stood and slowly walked to the side of the stage where David met her and guided her to the stool. A slightly comical moment followed because Lauren couldn't make it onto the stool without some assistance. David being David, looked around the stool, trying to find a way to lower the seat when he knew full well it couldn't be done. He grinned while Lauren shook her head in her usual exasperated fashion. Giggling, David then scooped her into his arms and deposited her gently on the padded leather with an accompanying quick kiss on the cheek.
"Not only have these ladies been supportive of our careers, they've continued with their own and put their own dreams on hold. When we get back from our holiday, I hope to see Barbara-Jean fullfil some of those dreams." Carlos informed, looking at his wife, flicking his head to the side of the stage where he met her, gave her a quick but firm kiss on the lips then escorted her to his stool.
"They've also given us beautiful children, encouraging them to do what they want to do in life and kicking our butts when we........."
"We?!" Carlos, David and Urs interupted together, looking at Sebastien with wide eyes, knowing that he was the only one who'd tried to push a child into a performing career.
"All right, when I tried to push one of my children into the entertainment business, even though I knew that wasn't what she wanted to do. Emma taught me a lesson that day and it's one I have not forgotten."
"Unlike which parts he's supposed to sing." David teased as Sebastien walked passed him to collect Emma and lead her to his stool once he'd given her a kiss on the lips.
Once the giggling and awwing had stopped, Urs turned his attention to where Franky sat and giggled when he saw that she was blushing and shaking her head. He could just about see that her eyes were narrowed as well, the little tell that let him know she couldn't believe what was happening. Without him having to say a word, Franky stood and began to move to the side of the stage. He could see she was shaking as she climbed the steps and immediately wrapped an arm around her waist once she was at the top. He then pressed his forehead and nose against hers, watched Franky close her eyes and listened to her take a couple of deep breaths before leading her to what he'd sat on for a few songs.
"Right. I think we're ready. Ladies and gentleman for one time and as a grateful thank you to four amazing women we give you our version of 'There You'll Be'." David informed as Sylvie began to play the introduction and Urs watched Franky's eyes fly wide as he and David began to sing.
'When I think back on these times
And the dreams we left behind
I'll be glad 'cause I was blessed to get to have you in my life'
When I look back on these days
I look and see your face
You were right there for me
All
In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart there'll always be a place for you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
Sebastien
You know you showed me how it feels
To feel the sky within my reach
And I always will remember all the strength you gave to me
Your love made me make it through
Oh, I owe so much to you
You were right there for me
All
In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart there'll always be a place for you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am there you'll be
Carlos
'Cause I always saw in you my light my strength
And I want to thank you now for all the ways
You were right there for me, you were right there for me always
All
In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart there'll always be a place for you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
Sebastien
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
Even though he knew the woman who'd written the article deriding Franky at the beginning of the tour was in the audience and had spent the past two hours trying to catch his eye, Urs decided to ignore her yet again, preferring instead to listen to the thunderous applause and wrap an arm around the waist of the woman whose hand he'd held throughout the entire song. A look to his right told him Carlos, David and Sebastien were doing the same thing and tears had made their escape from four pairs of female eyes. Like his brothers and sisters, he could care less about the woman wrote in her magazine. If they ever got around to reading her article, they would all laugh it off again, just like they had so many times before.
Following kisses on the cheeks and mouthed thank yous, Franky, Lauren, Emma and Barbara-Jean headed off the stage, though not in the direction they'd all come on, instead they were escorted up the steps to the platform and disappeared backstage while the guys said a final goodbye in their native tongues, wishing everyone a safe journey home and thanking their fans one last time for an amazing ride before heading up the steps to 'My Way'. Once at the top, they paused, turned back to the audience and stood for a moment or two listening to the still raucous crowd before bowing one last time and blowing kisses as the curtain finally descended.
Not until they were heading towards their dressing rooms did David allow his tears to fall and he did so while apologising once again for reaching the decision he had. Of course, Urs, Carlos and Sebastien told him to stop and threatened to kick his butt they heard 'I'm sorry guys' one more time. Sniffing but smiling and nodding his head, David took a deep breath then disappeared into his dressing with Lauren. Urs watched Carlos and Sebastien do the same with Barbara-Jean and Emma then lead a still teary-eyed Franky into his and quickly pulled her into his arms.
"Angel, stop crying. Bitte. I know you've never asked for us to do what we did tonight, but you deserve it. Hell, left to me, you would have spent the entire concert on that stool."
"I'm not crying because of......actually that's a fib. It was a wonderful surprise. Thank you, honey. I just wish you could have seen the same look Lloyd had in his eyes in those of your parents. They would have been just as proud of you as I am."
"I know. I know they would." Urs replied, nodding his head slowly and wiping Franky's eyes each time a tear escaped.
Once she'd stopped crying, they stood holding each other tight for a few moments and taking deep breaths. While Urs showered and changed, Franky sat on a couch waiting for him. He emerged ready for the party to find her closing her mobile with a huge smile on her face. He didn't need to ask, it was all to clear she'd heard some good news and immediately assumed it was about Frank.
"Oh no! He says we'll have to wait until the party to find out. No, I called the hospital to see how Clarice is. They put me through to her room. She doesn't have food poisoning at all. She's pregnant and didn't want anyone to know until she's passed the danger period, which she passed last week. Her throwing up had nothing to do with the pregnancy though, turns out she was very nervous about performing in front of such a large audience and Ricky was being a little over-protective. Can't blame her I suppose. The biggest single audience until tonight was what?"
"Almost 75,000. There must have been at least triple that out there tonight, if not quadrupal. Anyway, let's get going or we'll never get to the party, never mind you punishing me for the way I thanked you for all the love and support you've given me over the years."
"I don't plan to punish you, dummyhead. I only plan to love you for the rest of my days, Ice, as I have from the very beginning."
"I know and I'm looking forward to growing old with you and no-one else. I still love you with all my heart, Fire."
They kissed gently for a few moments and reluctantly seperated when they felt the flames of passion beginning to ignite. Making love would have to wait until they were back at the hotel at the very least especially since they were both desperate to know what Frank was keeping from them. They left the dressing-room with arms wrapped around each other's waists and once outside, Urs headed to where fans stood waiting to hand over gift bags and sign autographs.
After almost half an hour he reluctantly headed for the people carrier and assumed his usual place next to Franky. When they arrived at the Langham Hotel, he proudly walked into the room with her on his arm, they quickly located Frank and asked him to spill the beans.
"Oh nothing to worry about." Frank replied with a grin at Carina following the quick shrug he gave Franky. "I've just put some of my inheritance to good use. Bought the shop where 'Angelique's' used to be and twenty electric bikes. I hire them out to tourists and it's proving very popular. In the past six months, I've made up the money I used in purchasing the bikes in the first place. Kurt's kicking himself 'cos he didn't want to get involved and now wishes he'd listened to Maria."
Proud that their first born had achieved one of his dreams without any help from them, Franky and Urs yanked him into the arms and told him so, neither one prepared to let go until he'd yelled 'Enough!' and both of them giggled when they saw how red his face had gone. As he watched Franky head towards the dancefloor with a member of the backstage crew, Urs couldn't help but smile as he recalled the two things that always angered her about the kind of articles Brenna Smeeton wrote and it had nothing to do what she'd read about herself. He'd lost count of how many times he'd heard it over the years but could remember her words.
"What really makes me mad about articles like that Urs is not what they say about me. It's the fact that people like her aren't satisfied with the riches they already have and that they think you would have been with a woman that only wants you for what she can get out of the relationship. That's what gets to me and makes me angry, it always has and probably always will."
Turn the page.

WOW the last show ever, that is something and the song and bringing up the wives was brillant..

I am glad the guys ignored the writer and she should be ashamed of making eyes or what ever trying to get Urs attention..

I am glad Frank done something he had wanted and made himself Carina and his parents proud..


Poor David still feeling guilty for calling it quits with the band.. He needs to think of his family now..


Franky and Urs always the love I read comes thru everytime. These 2 are such romantics and they love each other so much..


Great Job as always JJ


Laura

Chapter 168 - Born Fighters
There were two things he'd learned from being with Franky. One being that life really was a rollercoaster, the other that nature could be cruel sometimes. Their rollercoaster had dipped slightly due to the fact Lauren and David were now in Denver and Franky had found it incredibly hard to wave the Miller family off at the private airport. He'd tried and tried to get her to move away from the window once the door to Simon's private jet had been closed, but she'd flat out refused until the plane had disappeared. As soon as she'd reached home, she'd found out the DVD of the farewell party they'd thrown at their home and seeing everyone wearing American forces fancy dress had cheered her up, especially when it reached the part where she and Lauren were arguing about who looked best. David in US Navy pearl white or Urs in Marine Corps dress blues.
Personally, both he and David had found it absolutely hysterical to see both women standing nose-to-nose, Lauren wearing the female version of the US Army uniform, Franky clad in that of the US Air Force. David vocalising what he was thinking, saying that if the scene had occured anywhere else and he didn't know the two women concerned he would have thought they were really mad at each other. Five minutes the two of them had kept the childish back and forth 'does/doesn't' debate going before falling into fit of hysterics that had left them both desperate for the bathroom. It had been a wonderful party despite the fact it had been held for a somewhat sad occasion.
Two days after the Millers had gone, the entire Buhler family had made for the same airport, their destination Oahu, Hawaii for three whole weeks. A place where Franky had always dreamed of going, especially after Barbara-Jean and Carlos had told her how beautiful the islands were. They'd done all the touristy things, but his favourite memory of their time there was watching as Franky was pulled onto the stage by one of the dancers. She'd spotted Franky swaying from side-to-side in her seat and before Franky knew what was happening, she was standing beside the woman and a couple of others from the crowd, dancing in the traditional Hawaiian manner whilst wearing a grass skirt. All of it captured by Frank and Urs wishing he'd booked a break there long before now.
They'd been on cloud nine for almost a month afterwards only to be brought crashing by to earth by Ciara. Her illness had returned, worse than before and requiring a bone marrow transplant. Jordi had turned out to be the best match for her but hadn't been allowed to donate because he'd still had the rememants of flu in his system. Franky had filled his shoes and everything seemed to have gone fine until the evening before she was due to go home. She hadn't felt well all day and by six o'clock tests had revealed she'd somehow become infected with a superbug.
For the past five days he hadn't left her side for long, especially since the doctor had gently told them there was a chance Franky might not survive. Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour he'd sat, holding her hand, willing her to fight and hoping to God the high dose antibiotics that dripped into her system were doing their job. He knew very little about the bacterium that had invaded her body other than the fact that if she did manage to overcome it, she would be the fifth person in the locality to do so and would need to take it easy once she was discharged.
As hard as all that had been to hear, telling their children had been even harder and he still didn't know how he'd managed to head back up to her room with little Ursy's and Gino's screams ringing in ears, both little boys screaming at the top of their lungs, wanting to know why they couldn't go and see their 'Nonno'. What Nick, Sylvie, Kurt and Maria had said to them to get them to calm down he didn't know but the next time they'd gathered together to update David and Lauren, Gino had flown into his arms, sniffling before speaking.
"Don't worry, Nonna. Nonno might be a lone soldier fighting lots and lots of enmies, but see can do it. I knows she can."
Now, three days after hearing the words that had choked him up, here he was on his way to visit Ciara, having left Gabriel and Christie sitting at Franky's bedside with strict instructions to contact him the moment anything happened. Recalling the doctor's words, he stepped out of the lift, still praying for the best but prepared for the worst to happen, well slightly. The lift pinged its arrival at the appropriate floor and he stepped out alone. He took a deep breath then made his way towards the isolation room where Ciara was currently housed, his eyes widening when he heard a familiar voice yelling as he pushed the door open.
"DON'T BE SO STUPID, CICI! YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T COME OUT OF THERE UNTIL THE TRANSPLANT HAS TAKEN!! KEEP IT UP AND I WILL ASK THE DOCTOR TO SEDATE YOU!" Simeon was informing, the intercom handset in his hand, standing very close to the glass that seperated the couple and returning the glare Ciara gave him.
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Ciara hissed back.
"OH YEAH?! TRY ME! JUST DAMN WELL TRY ME!"
"What the hell is going on?" Urs asked Simeon, placing a hand on his right shoulder and waiting for him to turn to look at him.
"You're stupid daughter wants to go and see Franky."
"Don't call me stupid."
"Under other circumstances you wouldn't be, but you're still ill Cici and your mother is too. Don't you think I know how desperate you are to be with her? Don't you think I'm scared too? If there was anything I could do, don't you think I wouldn't move heaven and earth for you to pay a visit. I wish there was, but there isn't. The way you're carrying on it's like you don't believe a word of what I've told you. That I don't care about your mother. Well guess what Cici? I do. I care about both of you, it's torn me apart to see her lying there, moaning and saying stuff that I don't know the meaning of."
"Simeon, that's enough. Let me talk to her. You go for a walk or something." Urs commanded, taking the handset from his hand but looking sternly at Ciara as he spoke.
Reluctantly, Simeon nodded, gave Urs the handset and took a few deep breaths before leaving, wiping his eyes as he went.
"Now then young lady, what did I tell you the other day?" Urs asked Ciara once the door had clicked shut.
"To concentrate on getting myself better and to trust what Simeon reported back to me. I'm sorry, Papi." Ciara replied with her eyes tightly closed and failing miserably in an attempt to stop her tears from falling. "Has there been any change?"
"Not since last night, no. I know you're just as worried as everyone else is Cici, but you were being stupid, making those demands of Simeon. You know what Mami would be saying if I was in her position, don't you."
"Yeah. She'd be threatening to do the same as Simeon did. I just......Damn it! It's not fair Papi." Ciara huffed, following up with the worst stream of English curse words he'd ever heard fall from her mouth.
Urs couldn't really couldn't blame her for swearing so profusely, he could remember the last time she'd been in a similar room. Having been unable to go outside for weeks had frustrated her back then too. Like her mother, Ciara had always been active and being ill infuriated her. And just like him, she took her frustration out on those close to her. He knew by the time Simeon came back she would have calmed down enough to apologise to him and hoped he would accept it.
Even though Franky had been so sure about Simeon when Ciara had first brought him home she'd quickly altered her opinion, especially the over the way he'd dealt with the whole Aly Cross situation. Convinced he wasn't Devlin's father, firmly telling Aly that he would support the child and be involved in his life only if a DNA test proved he was his. Aly refusing to submit to one until she'd received court papers instructing her to. Little Devlin had been almost a year old by then and even though he did look a lot like Simeon, the odds had proved he wasn't his son. Aly had been furious, because she'd hoped Simeon would ditch Ciara and go back to her even after being told severl times he wouldn't. Like everyone else, Urs and Franky had heard rumours about how many local boys Aly had been with but hadn't really paid them any attention. All they were certain of right now was that all those boys had been tested, not one had proved to be the father and now she'd left the area.
"No, Cici. It's not fair, but whoever said life was fair? If it was, you wouldn't be stuck in there and Mami would be......"
"Having the time of her life with you and us."
"Ja." Urs nodded, swallowing hard. "I know you don't want to think about what could happen, Cici, but you......you have to prepare yourself. Ja, Mami's fighting with everything that's in her, I just couldn't bear to.........to lose you as well."
"I'm sorry, Papi. I'm just..........I'm going to beat this again you know?"
"I know, but you won't if you keep making those demands, will you?"
"No, Papi. I'm being really, really stupid and........selfish, aren't I?"
"Not really, nein Knodel. You know, I wish I could split myself in two so that I could be here with you and be with Mami at the same time. I'm just glad Simeon and the rest of your friends have been here for you since your treatment began."
"Hmmn. Simeon's barely moved out of that seat. I've fallen asleep seeing him sitting there and woken up to find him still there. He really loves me......doesn't he?"
"Of course he does. He loves Mami too. Did he tell you how pale he went the first time he visited Mami?"
"Didn't have to. I could tell she was in a really bad way as soon as he got back. It took him ages to tell me." Ciara informed, her head nodding slowly. "They haven't just left you to it, have they? Everyone else who knows and loves Mami, I mean."
"Nein. They wouldn't do that. Everyone has been to visit her and I mean everyone, except for Lauren and David anyway. You know why that is. Lauren calls every time she has a spare moment and not just to ask about Mami."
"It must be tearing her apart, not being able to be here?"
"It is. I hear it in her voice every time I talk to her despite the fact she tries to hide it. She's absolutely devasted, like we all are."
"I'm sorry, Papi." Ciara sniffed again, this time allowing the tears to stream down her face, leaving Urs wishing he could take her in his arms and comfort her.
It had hurt to be told that anyone who'd had contact with Franky couldn't do that. With Ciara's immune system being non-existant and the superbug being so strong the doctor's had wanted to risk her becoming contaminated and had banned any physical contact with her. The best they could do for now was speak comforting, encouraging words, press a hand against the glass and attempt to smile and that was what Urs was doing now, telling his youngest daughter that it wasn't her fault Mami was so gravely ill and that he was positive she would make it, just like he was that she would walk out of that room, cured.
Even though he'd detected a tinge of doubt in his voice, what he'd said seemed to sooth Ciara and following a few moments of sobbing, she calmed down and apologised once more. The door opened a few seconds later and Simeon re-entered. Urs told Ciara that he was going back to Franky, handed the handset back to Simeon and moved to leave, he reached the door and paused on the threshold to listen to what Simeon had to say in addition to accepting Ciara's apology regarding the demands she'd made almost an hour ago.
"I love you Cici. You and only you. I know I can't, but I so want to come in there and kiss and hold you while I tell you so. I know you're going to beat this, just like last time and I'll be here every day until you're well again and can walk out of there without having to worry about picking up something so minor as a cold. I know how worried you are about Mami, but you know full well she'd have you sedated if your Papi was in her position and you were making those threats to her. Don't think any different of me. I couldn't bear to lose you either. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes........Sim.......Simeon. As clear as crystal." Ciara replied, crying again and nodding slowly, the glass the only thing seperating the two hands that were pressed against it.
Taking a deep breath, Urs allowed the door to click closed behind him, happy that he'd managed to get Ciara to calm down and see sense and thankful that Carlos and Barbara-Jean had let him know what they'd heard her demanding of Simeon when they'd arrived to see her. Even though he felt more exhausted than he could ever recall, he felt a little lighter than he had when he'd arrived at this particular and wasn't breathing as heavily as he had on the ride up. He stepped into the lift, waited for a smiling young couple to enter and pressed two buttons once they'd informed him they were heading to the ground floor. He stepped out once he'd reached the floor where Franky was being treated, happy in the knowledge that the treatment the couple's two year old had been going through had worked and he would be discharged the following morning.
Without having to think about where he was heading, Urs walked the maze of corridors alone until he reached the one that led him Franky's room. He stopped for a second or two, immediately recognising the figure that stood outside, looking anxious as she spoke to Gabriel and Christie.
"Lauren! What are you doing here?" He asked once he'd reached her and they'd exchanged a quick but tight embrace.
"David made me come. He wanted to come to but.......Katelyn's full of flu and.........I'll tell you later. How is she doing Gabe?"
"Huh? Holding her own, at least that's what they said when they asked us to leave so they could change the bedding. She doesn't look like......Sorry. She just spent the last hour moaning, yelling at the nurse to 'get off her and leave her alone' the two times she came in to do her obs."
Urs closed his eyes briefly, knowing where Franky had gone in her delerium and sighed out a breath at hearing those words once again, especially since he hadn't heard them in years. A quick check of the date on his watch told him that that particular anniversary had passed a couple of days ago and he found himself wishing the nurses would hurry up so that he could resume his seat at Franky's bedside. In reality he didn't have to wait long, but it seemed like an eternity had passed while he, Lauren, Gabriel and Christie stood in silence in the corridor. Even before the nurses had left completely, Urs made his way back into the room, dragging Lauren with him and quickly settling her in a seat on the other side of the bed.
He took hold of Franky's had as soon as he'd made himself comfortable and was sure something had changed while he'd been away. Her hand had felt uncomfortably hot recently, but now it felt a little cooler. Lauren picked up on the concerned look that had crossed his features and she reached for her sister's chart as soon as he told her what he thought had changed. A quick check of the temperature graph indicated that she appeared to have turned a corner. Instead of continuing to climb as it had previously, the graph showed a slight drop, two degrees to be exact. Even though her temperature was still a lot higher than it should be, it had gone down and Urs was ecstatic. Lauren was too and finally allowed the tears she'd held back outside to run unimpeded down her face.
A couple of hours later, Lauren reluctantly decided to go and see Ciara, leaving Urs alone with Franky again. He checked his watch, knowing that other visitors would be arriving to see her soon. Wishing the room wasn't kept as warm as it was, Urs kept shaking his head quickly each time he started to nod off. Eventually, he gave in and allowed sleep to posses him only to feel light pressure against the fingers that were linked through Franky's. He thought he was dreaming at first, but when it happened again and the pressure increased slightly, he leapt from his seat, leaned over Franky and asked if she could hear him.
Her eyes opened to small slits and she managed to turn the corners of her mouth up a little. He immediately buzzed for the nurse and continued to feel Franky squeezing his hand whilst new observations were carried out. Once she'd made a note of them, the nurse left only to return a few seconds later with the doctor who'd taken such good care of Franky. He remained stoic as he checked the notes and didn't really smile until he'd inspected his patient for himself. He gave a brief smile, told Urs that Franky had improved a little since he'd last looked her over, but reminded him she wasn't out of the woods yet. Elated, but understanding what the doctor had said, Urs nodded, watched the man leave then used the phone to pass on the good news.
By the following day, Franky was well enough to speak and the first person she asked about was Ciara. Urs told her how she'd behaved towards Simeon and everything he'd said and done to make her see sense.
"You're right. I would have done exactly that." Franky informed, her voice little more than a whisper once he'd told her about the threat to sedate Ciara. "Have you found out who pinched your Toblerone yet?"
Urs laughed at the question, knowing that he'd hidden one in the fridge and had wanted to have some of it a few moments before Ciara had called. He'd asked Franky where it was when he'd been unable to find to it, accused her of taking it, completely forgetting that she couldn't eat it anyway and had sulked because she'd told him to go and take another look. He hadn't thought about that while Ciara was being treated and Franky was being prepared for her operation, not until she'd been wheeled into the operating room anyway.
Almost as soon as he'd stepped into the waiting room to join their children and grandchildren, little Urs had stepped forward, looking very guilty while he told him that he'd taken the chocolate because Sylvie had said he couldn't have any before dinner. He hadn't wanted to tell the rest of the embarrassing story, but a quick look to both his parents let him know he'd had to. They'd found him up in his room after dinner, his face and clothing smothered in chocolate and complaining that he had a bellyache, which wasn't surprising since he'd consumed almost all of the four hundred gram bar a fan had put in one of the gift bags.
Franky chuckled once the story was finished, accepted his apology then turned her attention to her visitors, even beginning to tell Lauren off for travelling so far when she was really needed in Denver.
"Hush your mouth Francesca Grace Buhler. I told you the day I left England that we would be seeing each other again soon. So what if it's ten weeks sooner than you thought it would be? Stephanie and Damien's wedding is in safe hands with Eva and there's much left to do anyway. I'll go......home in a couple of days. Okay?"
"Okay." Franky nodded, allowing a teary-eyed Lauren to wipe the tears from her eyes.
Almost a week later, Franky was discharged and insisted on being taken up to see Ciara before going home. There were smiles all round as her doctor came in and informed that her latest test showed that the transplant was taking and she too would be home soon.
One month later, Franky and Ciara sat on the decking at the back of the house, enjoying the warmth of the summer sun, watching Urs and Simeon work together on finishing the weeding and tidying up Franky had started a few weeks ago. Urs turning to looking at her at one point and noticing that she had that look on her face that told him she loved the view. A look that had nothing to do with the plants that were blooming or the butterflies that were fluttering from flower to flower.
Urs shook his head, laughed and went back to work so that she could continue to enjoy the view for an hour or so longer, hearing the little moan she let out each and every time he bent over.
Turn the page.
__________________

Good to know that Franky could be the donor for CiCi and that they both pulled thru a very bad time in their life..

Urs loves his family so much and glad he made Cici see sense about her mother and her having contact..


Franky still gets the flutters everytime she looks at her gorgeous husband.. So good to know that love never has faded ..


More JJ Soon Please...


Laura

Chapter 169 - Happy Days
Of all the things he'd wanted to do after Il Divo came to an end, Urs had never expected to become a teacher of any kind. True, that's what he'd been planning on becoming before he'd accepted a position in the group, but to be doing so at an age where most teachers were looking forward to retiring, that he hadn't even pondered. Not until David had made his announcement anyway. He mulled the idea over without saying a word to Franky until he'd made his decision. As always, she'd backed him one hundred per cent and had beamed with pride as he stepped on to the stage to receive his diploma. He'd felt slightly ridiculous in the cap and gown and he hadn't really wanted Ciara to take the photograph that Franky had hung in the music/dance room.
He hadn't expected to find work so quickly after qualifying either and had been shocked to see how many young people had turned up at the Sarah Cullen centre, eager to learn a musical instrument or to sing better than they already could. As shocked as he'd been to see almost thirty boys and girls waiting for him to arrive, it appeared they'd been even more shocked to see him standing there. He'd even caught one slightly snide remark that had been made, a young man he'd come to know as Slade asking his friend what anyone who sang soppy love songs really knew about music. He couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered telling the youth that he was there to teach all of them to appreciate music in all it's forms and if he wasn't prepared for that then he could leave. Slade had looked at him wide eyed and mouth gaping for a few seconds, then he'd shamefully lowered his head, had taken a deep breath and had apologised.
Now, after almost six months of volunteering his knowledge most of the group were still turning up every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after school. He'd only lost three students in all that time. One on the first day once Urs had made it clear that if they thought they could go through him to get to Simon then they'd better think again. That wasn't the way it was going to work. Another due to the fact that the girl concerned had no talent whatsoever and had been forced to come by her mother, explaining that they'd both heard a rumour he would be teaching at the centre. The girl taking a deep breath before continuing by saying that her mother was really on the look out for husband number five, had hoped to get close to him so that she could steal him away from Franky. That little plan hadn't worked out at all. Sharee had walked out after wishing everyone else good luck for the future with her mobile pressed against her ear, firmly telling her mother that she'd quit, was going to work hard to fullfil her own dreams and if she carried on pushing her into things she didn't want to do then she would be speaking to her father. Whatever had happened after that, Urs didn't know, but Sharee had ridden down the down the driveway on her bicycle with a huge smile on his face.
The third had left simply because his family had moved well away from the area. The boy proud of the fact that his father had finally got a job that he loved and promising to keep practising the piano before handing the man who'd taught him a small envelope that had contained a heartfelt note of thanks. He'd never expected to have to fight back tears as he watched the family drive away from the centre one last time. He knew he wasn't the only one that was currently missing John. The others were to and the first few lessons after that had been a little quieter than usual.
He sighed out a long breath, knowing that Brenna Smeeton had found out what he was doing now and had written an article questioning how he could be happy teaching 'a bunch of talentless reprobates'. True, a few of them had had run ins with the local constabulary, but not for anything really serious and they hadn't committed another offence since the first day and a couple of those boys now thought the men who'd once placed handcuffs around their wrists were cool. Urs chuckled, thinking the fact PCs Walker and Jameson turning up and showing off their talents on the electric guitar and drums had something to do with that. Slade had been particularly impressed after hearing PC Walker perform the guitar riff from Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water'. He didn't really care what Ms Smeeton wrote about him though, what concerned him more was how she'd classified his pupils, concluding her column by refusing to believe they could change or that any member of Il Divo was happy with what they were doing now.
He laughed a little harder as that final remark popped into his head. He was more than happy with what he was doing, especially since teaching was the only iron he had in the fire. Monday's he spent at the industrial park be taught how to customise a motorbike's petrol tank by Gabriel. Tuesday's he spent at the livery stables with Franky, especially so if one particular horse needed medical treatment.
Franky had always said that maybe a horse would come along that treated her the way 'Ice Dancer' used to him. Of course, he hadn't believed it until a few weeks after Ciara had been allowed to leave the hospital. He hadn't seen the bay mare until the day after Franky and Ruby had collected her. He had, however, heard all about her and he'd giggled while listening to Franky tell him how unruly she was. A fact that had been born out the next day when 'Dazzle Me Baby' had needed her teeth floated. He'd been the one to remove her from her stall and she'd seemed quite placid, until Franky had approached anyway. Even before she'd gotten close to him, the mare had moved her body around, blocking Franky's route and lifting her tail to pass gas. Turning her out into the field hadn't been a struggle either, just like 'Dancer', 'Dazzy' had followed him down to the gate and through onto the grass. All these weeks on she still pulled the same trick and Franky still found it funny.
He didn't need to see the rest of the guys in person to know they were happy either. Carlos was having a great time working on the new musical Simon had persuaded him to become involved in. He was supposed to have been the assistant director, but had been promoted to director when the original man had walked out following a bitter argument with the man who'd hired him in the first place. Sebastien happy as a lark, having written songs for the same musical. The only downside to his new position being that one of the artistes had slapped him hard across the face when he'd politely told her that he was interested in her. She'd stormed out of the theatre, passing Emma on the way, hissing something foul at her and hadn't been seen since. And due to the fact Lauren and Franky spoke twice a week he was sure David was more than happy. He'd taken his father's plans beyond his dreams and the riding school was already booked up to well beyond Christmas and he'd finally found a brilliant teacher to add to the staff he'd already offered jobs to. Beyond the Miller family, no-one had seen the finished buildings yet because it was going to be officially opened by Denver's mayor in a few days time. The last time he'd seen the American, he'd known the grin he'd sported over the internet connection had had very little to do with that achievement. It had taken himself, Carlos and Sebastien to get him to reveal the reason and he'd grinned even broader while telling them that Jefferson had taken a role in one of the major operas and had asked for his help. However, he'd remained remarkably stubborn by refusing to name the opera and suggesting they got on with 'PDMW' business instead.
Urs's thoughts turned to his own children after that. Sylvie and Nick still living in Italy due to the fact Nick had been turned down for job at the new hospital in Paris. Though disappointed, he was keeping an eye out on the vacancies, would apply again when something suitable came up and would keep doing so until he got the job he really wanted. Frank and Carina, happy together in their refurbished home with no plans for children just yet. Kurt and Maria, also still in Italy, their careers going from strength to strength albeit currently in different operas. Ciara and Simeon, planning a photographic world tour before Ciara settled down to open her own studio. He smiled when he remembered the recent radio interview Ciara had done and how she'd helped a nine year old girl deal with her condition. He swallowed the lump that had risen to his throat when he recalled how hard Franky and Sienna's mother, Domaris, had cried while listening to Ciara speak to Sienna via the intercom, her left hand pressed against the glass and a gentle smile on her face. Jordi, currently without a partner due to the fact Magnus had dumped him. A fact he wasn't upset about because Jordi had felt the relationship wasn't working out anyway. Magnus had changed since taking his exams, preferring to go out partying with his friends come the weekend, never once asking Jordi to accompany him. Jordi had a suspicion he'd cheated on him more than once but didn't have any proof and seemed happier now that he wasn't worrying about what his boyfriend was up to.
And lastly, Serena and Hadley, settled into the house Agnes had given them as a wedding present. Serena bound and determined to become an ice skating teacher or coach once she'd recovered from having the twins. He sighed and finally picked up the name plaque he'd been staring at since Hadley had flown out of the room the two of them had selected to be the nursery. All these months later he still wasn't happy that the girl wasn't going to be named after either of her grandmothers. He was just thankful that Serena had forgiven him for upsetting her by voicing his opinion. One look at Franky had let him know the choice didn't bother her at all, not that she'd vocalised it. No. He'd only had to look in her eyes to see that she liked the names. That look had dropped in a split second to be replaced by fury once a crying Serena had left the kitchen and he'd instantly known it was him she was furious with. He couldn't blame her for being mad, especially since his own mother hadn't been that happy to hear the name they'd chosen for their first male twin. Of course his father had stepped in then too and reminded her that they'd had the same argument with her mother with regard to Lars.
He fastened the plaque to the wall directly opposite that of Saskia Rose's brother then ran his fingers over the two words he'd spent hours lovingly carving into the chunk of wood. Satisfied with its position, he pushed back the cot Hadley and Franky had put together and chuckled to himself again when he recalled that Hadley had checked he'd done everything right three times before shoving the remaining two screws and bolts into his pocket with a frustrated headshake. He'd just put his tools away when he heard Franky clattering up the currently uncarpetted stairs and immediately whipped round to see her standing in the doorway.
"Something wrong, angel?" He asked, not noticing the huge smile she was wearing.
"No, honey. Hadley's just called, seems Serena has changed her mind. She wants me there after all. As a matter of fact he told me that she said if he didn't call she would rip a certain part of his anatomy off."
"Typical Serena." Urs chuckled as the two of them raced down the stairs and out to the car. "Told you she would change her mind. And I doubt she 'said' those words, more than likely growled them at him while holding onto his shirt I would imagine."
Smiling, the couple arrived at the hospital where Franky immediately disappeared into Serena's room. She entered the waiting room almost nine hours later, supporting their ashen faced son-in-law and beamed with pride as he stuttered and stammered his way through telling his parents, grandmother, sister and Urs the birth details.
"Saskia Rose arrived first, weighing seven pounds, Hadley Race Jnr followed her twenty minutes later and weighs six pound ten ounces."
Beaming with pride, Urs and Franky watched Hadley return to Serena then sat down for a few minutes. Half an hour later it was their turn to go and see the latest additions to the Buhler family and once he was comfortable in a chair, both babies were placed into his arms and Franky took a couple of photographs. They reversed positions, took a couple of pictures of Franky holding the twins then took a few of Hadley and Serena holding them. They left shortly before midnight both of them entering the house with huge smiles on their faces and Urs thinking that he'd just received the best birthday present he'd ever had, happy that the twins were fit and healthly despite being born three weeks early and wondering how hard their mother would cry once she saw the name plaques. The ones Franky had suggested he make as their gift, so certain he could do it even when he'd slammed a chisel down on the workbench after spotting the spelling mistake he'd made. That piece of wood that still sat in the garage with 'Sak' carved into it, Franky unwilling to let him throw it away because it reminded her of the way Frank used to call for their au pair.
Turn the page.
______________

Well JJ I just spent the last week reading all of FIRE & ICE and The Sequel and All of this part as well.

Good to see Urs and the others have found their way past the IL DIVO world.. Urs will be a wonderful teacher and Seb writing again has to be heaven and Carlos Directing wonderful and David has surpassed what his father had hope to do.

Sounds like that horse likes Urs like Dancer did Franky..

Glad to see Serena and Hadley had healthy babies and Urs got pass his disappointment of the names..


More please

Laura

Chapter 170 - A Normal, Everyday Family
Of all the things he loved about Franky, one of the best things she did was wake him up in the morning with a kiss. Just like she'd promised to do all those years ago. She'd kept that promise, waking him with a soft kiss before heading to the bathroom to attend to her needs. Of course he'd had to use the facilities once she'd finished, but returning to the bedroom to find her wanting to make love with him again had always amazed him. It didn't happen every morning, particularly when the children were much younger, and when it didn't Urs usually found himself going out for a nice long run or down in the basement gym, taking out his 'frustration' on the equipment.
That's exactly how she'd woken him this particular morning, a firm but gently kiss on the lips, a gentle sigh as she reluctantly pulled back and left the bed. As usual he'd followed after her and had laid back down beside her once he'd finished. They kissed tenderly for a while, holding each other close, hands moving over still very toned bodies. Although he hadn't vocalised it, he thought Franky could and should wear a skimpy bikini whenever they spent time at a beach. After all she had body that women half her age envied. She just flat out refused to wear one, preferring a tankini instead, especially if their grandchildren were around. He knew it had nothing to do with how she felt about her body either, it was just one of her quirks and she still looked damn sexy in tankini anyway.
For their ages, they were both in remarkably good shape, muscles well defined and he still had the six pack that so many fans had assumed he kept hidden under his clothing. Franky's legs were still powerful, well defined and he still loved watching her muscles flex and contract as she climbed 'Devil's Drop'.
However, none of that was what had grabbed his attention at 6:17am. No. Feeling Franky's mouth gently sucking and nipping at his earlobe had been enough to let him know that she wanted to make love again and he thanked Gott she wasn't ashamed to initiate it. His blood had rushed to the lower half of his body long before her hand had trailed its way down to his abdomen. Slowly, she'd ran the tips of her fingers lower and lower until they reached what she really wanted. Their kissing becoming more passionate, goosebumps rising over both their bodies, breathing becoming more and more ragged. Now as their tongues became in the battle that neither of them would win, she'd gently pushed him onto his back, straddled him and slowly lowered herself onto his rigid manhood.
As they had always done, they quickly found the same rythmn, his hands holding her hips for a few thrust before he moved them up to her breasts. He felt her clench around once then again while he sucked and nipped on the hard pink buds. He felt her pick up the pace and immediately thrusted his hips to match, driving her closer and closer to the edge, both of them falling over with long, slow growls of each others names.
Breathless, she collapsed on top of him and stayed there. Him running his fingers up and down her spine while they calmed, knowing that she had never faked an orgasm by doing nothing more than looking at her face once she'd settled back down beside him. Her eyes and the smile she wore told him that he'd sated her passion and those little aftershocks he'd felt ripple through her body while that passion waned had confirmed it.
Urs sighed out a long, contented breath then kissed Franky once more before he checked the time. 7:00am the clock on his nightstand showed and he gave Franky a quick Cheshire Cat grin when he recalled the arrangements they'd made for today and what time they'd agreed to be up by.
"URS!" Franky laughed, knowing that he was thinking of reprising what they'd just done once he'd recovered. "You are soo......Ahem! No! We have to go shower before breakfast."
"Now there's an idea I like.......a lot."
"I meant separately. I have breakfast to make for everyone."
"Spoilsport." Urs teased, watching a blushing and head shaking Franky head for the en-suite.
Knowing better than to head in the same direction, Urs remained on the now very rumpled bed fingers linked and hands placed behind his head, trying to think of something else to do while Franky showered. It didn't take him long and within a minute he was wearing pyjama bottoms and heading towards the door. He'd just flicked the lock off when he heard a light knock at the door. He opened it and smiled when he saw Gino standing there, rubbing his eyes with his chunky little fists, just like his father used to do.
"Is I too early, Nonno?" Gino asked once Urs had lifted him into his arms.
"Just a little, but it doesn't matter. Better to be early than late."
"Honestly, Nonno. I knows that already. I knows I can't tell the time yet, but Mamma is always sayings that to Papa, especially when dey has to go to work and dey has got up late from their afternoons nap."
"Oh!" Urs nodded trying not to laugh, knowing exactly what Kurt and Maria would have been up to and that it had nothing to do with sleeping. He and Franky had used the same expression whenever they'd taken the opportunity to make love when their children had been put down for an afternoon sleep. "Let's go and put the coffee maker on while Nonna finishes her shower shall we?"
"'Kay. Can I do da scoops again?"
Chuckling, Urs nodded, carried Gino on his shoulders down to the kitchen and set him down on a chair near the coffee maker. He filled the water tank, retrieved the container and removed the lid then helped Gino count out twelve scoops of coffee into the filter element before allowing him to switch it on.
"Where we goings today, Nonno?" Gino asked without moving his eyes away from the spluttering and gurgling piece of kitchen equipment. "Are's we going to the zoo again?"
"I don't think so. We only went there the other day. Not much will have changed in two days. Will it?"
Gino shook his head after turning it to give Urs a quick glance then returned to watching the coffee maker. Urs smiled as he watched him, knowing that he would yell again once the liquid lever had reached the twelve cups marker, amazed that an almost four year old could be so patient as to watch the jug fill drip by drip.
He heard a noise behind him and turned to see that Franky had come down to make a start on breakfast. At least she would once she'd given Gino a good morning kiss on the cheek and watch him wipe the same place with a giggle. That's exactly what happened and once he'd seen it, Urs turned to head upstairs for his shower only to stop dead in his tracks when he heard Franky shout his name.
"Give it a minute. Kurt's in there at the moment. I found him outside the family bathroom, desperate as everyone else to go. All the other bathrooms are occupied."
Knowing what she meant, Urs nodded and listened to Gino ask his questions again.
"No, Gino. We are not going to the zoo again today. We're going to 'Devil's Drop' and 'Brocks Cove'."
"NO!" Gino yelled, jumping down from the chair and defiantly fisting his hands on his hips. "I not want to go to stupid Devil's Drop. I want go to the zoo. I is not going so there!"
"Excuse me?" Franky replied, looking sternly at the stropping little boy, her arms folded across her chest. "We only went to the zoo the other day. Everyone else agreed on what we would do today and you have to learn you can't do everything you want to do."
"I is not going!" Gino screamed, stamping his foot hard on the floor before continuing. "'Devil's Drop' is stupid and smelly and there's nothing to see or do there. I IS NOT GOING!"
"Gino Buhler you can stand there and scream and strop as much as you like. You have never been, so how do you know what it's like?"
"I IS NOT GOING!" Gino yelled one more time, this time with swift kick at Franky's legs.
Just like she had with their own children, Franky reacted quickly by taking hold of Gino and placing him on a small round carpet. She then crouched down, looked him directly in the eyes and told him not to move for four minutes. Having never been put on the naughty spot by his grandmother before, Gino ignored her instructions only to be returned before he'd taken no more than two steps. He began bawling and screaming the third time he'd been returned but remained where he was. As much as Urs didn't like hearing him crying, he disliked what Gino yelling between sobs even more.
"You're mean, Nonna! I 'ate you!"
It wasn't the first time he'd heard a child yell that at Franky, each of their children had done exactly the same thing at some point in their lives. He just couldn't figure out why Gino was behaving as he was. It was highly unusual for the normally co-operative and well behaved little boy and he could see his words had stung Franky. He knew she was swallowing hard and biting on her bottom lip to stop herself from crying. He'd seen that often enough to know Gino had hurt her feelings.
Hearing the door to the lounge open, Urs whipped his head round and gave Kurt a stern look as he crossed the threshold.
"What's he done wrong?" Kurt asked quietly, holding Maria around the waist, both of them ignoring their screaming child.
Urs took a deep breath then told them everything that had happened, that Gino had two minutes left and would have to apologise to Franky before she would allow him to sit at the table and eat the American style pancakes she was in the middle of making. Both Kurt and Maria nodded, ignored Gino once again despite the fact he was screaming at the top of his lungs for his mother and made their way over to Franky. Urs smiled as he watched the couple place a kiss on each of her cheeks and bid her a good morning.
"I'm sorry, Mami. I just don't know what's gotten into him this past week or so." Kurt informed, pouring four mugs of coffee, handing one to Maria and Franky before delivering one to Urs.
"It's all right Kurt. It's not like I haven't been through it before." Franky replied, swallowing a mouthful of coffee and immediately switching her mug for Maria's when she saw the grimace the young Italian woman had on her face.
Urs grunted a quick laugh, knowing why Maria had done that. Franky didn't sweeten any hot drink whereas Maria took three sugars in hers and Kurt had mixed those two particular morning beverages up.
"I think I might." Maria informed with a sigh, a more appreciative look now on her face. "I think it has something to do with Fabio and Martino."
"How can it have anything to do with them? They're just as well behaved as Gi......."
"I know that." Maria hissed at Kurt's statement, stopping him continuing.
"Well you can tell me all about that once I've dealt with Gino." Franky informed, asking Maria to keep an eye on the pancakes with a quick flick of her head.
Knowing that breakfast was in good hands, Urs watched Franky walk over to where a now sniffling and snuffling Gino sat, his tantrum now apparently at an end. Franky crouched, looked at the shame faced little boy and waited patiently for him to apologise. It didn't take him long and once he'd said he was sorry, Franky quickly pulled him into a tight hug and thanked him. Once he'd been released, Gino moved to sit at the kitchen table and apologised to Urs as well.
"Nonno?"
"Ja, Gino."
"I really don'ts want to go."
"Well that's just tough isn't it? Everyone has to do things they really don't want to do. You know how it works Gino. You and little Urs decided you wanted to go to the zoo the other day, so that's what we did. Today it's our turn and we've decided to go to 'Devil's Drop' to watch your Nonna, Papa and your aunts and uncles climb. Like Nonna said, you've never been and there are things to do up there. The picnic should be fun if the squirrels are as naughty as they usually are."
"Why? What do dey do?"
"You'll just have to see for yourself won't you?"
"Hmmn." Gino sighed, his little head nodding as a plate was placed down in front of him.
Urs waited to be served his breakfast and for everyone else to sit down then listened to what Maria had to say about her neighbours's twin boys.
"You've both met them and normally they're very well behaved, especially so if Carrado is home. The problems start when his parents turn up to take them out or babysit. Sal is always telling Lucette not to give in when they throw a tantrum, but she always does. They were all in the plaza a couple of days ago, the boys screaming for ice cream despite the fact they were looking for somewhere to have lunch. Lucette gives in and buys them both the biggest ice-cream she can find. They're so full after that, they can't eat lunch and go home feeling sick, their planned trip cancelled. Gino saw all of it and tried the same trick with me the following day."
"So that would be why Ines was having words with Lucette before I left for the opera house?"
"Si. She's told her time and again they don't get treats unless they've eaten a proper meal first. Ines is threatening not to let Lucette and Sal take them out without her again and Lucette is upset because Carrado has agreed with Ines."
Throughout Maria's little speech, Urs and Franky had both kept an eye on Gino while he ate his breakfast. He still didn't look happy as he swallowed the final mouthful and reached for the freshly squeezed orange. Urs looked at Franky and knew by the look in her eye that she had already formulated a plan to get him to change his mind. There were still several pancakes left on the plate sitting in the middle of table but they quickly disappeared as Sylvie, little Urs, Ciara and Jordi came into the room.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" Jordi asked, noticing the pout Gino had on his face.
"He doesn't want to go." Kurt replied, sighing out a long breath and shaking his head at his sulking son.
"Why not?!" Little Urs asked, his mouth gaping and eyes as he looked at his cousin.
"'Cos it's boring up there. Dat's why!"
"No it's not. I've got loads I want to do today."
The smile little Urs wore as he looked at his grandparents and mother made everyone smile and take a look at what he'd planned to occupy himself with. He'd entered the kitchen with a plastic wallet filled with sheets of paper on which he'd printed animal tracks, flower and tree species that he could tick off and collect samples of and had even placed a camera on the table as he sat down to eat.
"Well you won't seed those! There are no Cougars in England, stupid."
"Gino! That's enough!" Maria snapped, glaring hard at the huffing little boy. "You're going and that's final. I don't want to hear another word about it. Do you understand me?"
"Si, Mamma!"
"Or we could leave him here. That way he wouldn't spoil our fun." Franky suggested with a wink that let everyone bar Gino know she was only joking.
"Good idea, Mami." Kurt and Maria replied together, their faces serious and heads nodding in agreement.
"You can'ts do dat! You always tell me I'm too small to be left on my own." Gino protested not catching the fact that Sylvie, Ciara and Jordi were smirking. "I knows. Aunt Seri and Uncle Hadley can look after me."
"No they can't! They're coming too. Who do you think's bringing the picnic?" Kurt pressed, his voice serious.
"But Aunt Seri can't climb. She's just had babies."
"True, but she can sit and watch Hadley, can't she?"
"I guess." Gino sighed after several moments thought. "Don'ts got no choice have I?"
"No!"
Breakfast finished, everyone left the table and returned upstairs to change for their day out, Gino doing so very reluctantly. Having decided the previous evening who would be travelling up to 'Devil's Drop' in what vehicle, Kurt strapped Gino into the back seat of Franky's 4x4 then assisted Maria into the front passenger seat. Ciara settled herself behind her, smiling at her still huffing nephew. Jordi did the same with Ursy, as the family had taken to calling little Urs, telling him not to even think about undoing the seatbelt until he'd parked his new small 4x4 safely. With their family ready to leave, Urs and Franky mounted their Harleys and led the way down the drive.
They arrived at their destination to find Serena and Hadley already there, the twins sound asleep in their buggy. Frank and Carina arrived a few minutes later and everyone soon ready for the climb. Franky paired with Kurt, Jordi with Hadley, Frank with Carina. Sylvie, Maria and Serena sat down on the bench with Urs and, even though he hadn't wanted to come, Gino behaved while watching the group climb.
As always, Urs kept his eyes mainly focused on the way Franky moved over the rockface. She'd just reached the most difficult part when a memory came flooding back to him. So sure had she been that he was ready to tackle that particular part. He, however, had had his doubts and had stood at the bottom shaking his head and looking at her like she was crazy. 'Try'. That's all she'd said to him and twenty minutes later he'd found himself virtually horizontal to the ground, his knuckles white, legs shaking slightly as he moved himself round the precipise to an almost horizontal position, Franky right there behind him. Once they reached the top, he'd stood, still shaking and taking out several deep breaths while Franky grinned. At fifty-seven years old, he accomplished one of the things he'd wanted to do during in his lifetime and felt quite proud of himself. He still climbed with Franky once in a while, but loved to watch her more than do so himself and was perfectly content to do so, no matter who her climbing buddy was.
He'd just watched her make that difficult turn when he felt someone tapping his shoulder and turned to see a woman standing there, smiling broadly as she said hello.
"Franky not around?" She asked without giving any indication she wanted to flirt with him.
"Ja, she's around. She's up there." Urs replied, proudly indicating Franky's position with a quick point of his finger.
"Oh my God! Are you sure she should be doing that at her age? That place isn't safe for a novice climber you know?"
"I know." Urs replied with a chuckle. "Franky's no novice. She's climbed that particular part many times. She's been climbing for years, started long before I met her."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Oh!" The woman sighed turning her attention back to watch Franky climb the last few metres, her eyes seeming to analyse every move she made. "Well if she can do it at her age, so can I. Too old to climb 'Devil's Drop' at forty-three. Pfft! I'll show that husband of mine when he gets back from Florida next week."
Urs laughed a little as he watched the woman walking of towards the car park, muttering to herself as she went and telling the two teenagers lagging behind her to hurry up. When he'd first seen her, he'd expected her to ask him to autograph the copy of 'Un Bacio d'Addio' he'd seen poking out of the top her handbag. Why she'd have a DVD with her in the first place he didn't know, but he'd still been surprised that she hadn't asked. Almost ten months after it's release, the DVD of Il Divo's final performance was still selling well and he was still being asked to autograph a copy once in while and now thought he shouldn't have said 'no' to David's idea of a signing session on the day of its release.
"Dummyhead!" Urs muttered to himself with a headshake then turned back to see what Ursy and Gino were up to.
He wasn't that concerned with regard to Ursy, since he was sitting on his mother's lap, watching the end of the climb. Gino, however, kept looking back up the track towards the car park, fidgetting and making his mother uncomfortable. Despite that Maria remained calm and continued to watch Kurt climb, a huge smile breaking over her face as she watched him leap over the barrier at the top before assisting Franky over.
Once the other climbers had done much the same, Urs led his little group down to the end of the track and back to the car park. There he retrieved the picnic while climbing equipment was packed away. Once that was done, the entire group walked the familiar route to 'Brock's Cove'. While the grown ups got the midday meal organised, Ursy occupied himself with looking for tracks and came back a few moments later, bouncing with excitement and grabbing Franky's hand.
"I think I found some Nonna." He informed, pointing to a sheet of paper. "Come see."
Franky smiled, nodded and allowed Ursy to lead her a few feet away where they both quickly disappeared behind some bushes. They reappeared a few moments later, Ursy beaming happily as he plonked down on the blanket and reached for a sandwich. Urs waited until he'd swallowed the first bite then asked what he'd found.
"Badger tracks. Adult and baby ones."
"Course you did!" Gino huffed before biting on a hard-boiled egg.
"I did! Nonna said I was right! So there!"
"That's enough you two, especially you Gino." Franky informed sternly since she was sitting between the two boys. "What is up with you today Gino? You're not normally like this."
"Nothing." Gino replied with a quick shrug, looking towards the bridge that gave access to where they picnicking.
"Oh!"
Noticing that something had registered in Franky's brain, Urs watched her lean in to whisper in Gino's ear and saw him nod as she pulled back.
"Silly boy." Franky laughed and shook her head as she lifted him into her lap, holding him close. "Believe me sweetheart you won't be worrying about that in few years." She finished, giving Gino a kiss on the cheek.
"Ewwwww! Kissing girls! I don't finks I'll ever be doing that Nonna."
Urs and everyone put things together after that and remembered what had happened during their visit to the zoo. A little girl had dropped her purse but hadn't realised she'd done so until Gino approached with it in his hands. She'd thanked him and had given him a kiss on the cheek too. The family had walked behind her and her parents and had heard them saying they were looking forward to spending some time where they were now before the new school term started. Remembering that, it was all to clear that Gino had misbehaved because he didn't want anything like that to happen again.
Amid a little giggling the family settled down to finishing their picnic then decided to go for a walk through the woods, not caring that it had rained heavily the previous evening and there were lots of puddles around. They'd all brought wellies with them anyway and once they were on, Franky led the way with Ursy on her left and Gino on her right, both of them keeping a careful eye out for the things Ursy wanted to tick off on his sheets. By the time they decided to head back, Ursy had found most of what he'd hoped with the exception of Fox and Deer tracks and couple of England's rarest wildflowers. Still he didn't sulk about not finding them and said he could always look another time.
Once they'd reached the other side of the bridge, Urs noticed that Franky had a mischevious glint in her eyes and quickly spotted the huge puddle. Within in seconds, she'd jumped right into the middle of it with Ursy and Gino and persuaded everyone else to join in the fun they were having, splashing and kicking water around. Only Serena didn't participate, but stood watching the fun from a distance, laughing hysterically. By the time everyone decided they'd had enough, they were all breathless and slightly wet, but extremely happy.
As the giggling group started to walk again, they saw a couple heading in the opposite direction and Urs noticed the man whisper in the woman's ear.
"Don't be silly, William. We're much to old to do that." The woman protested even though she was allowing the man to pull her towards the puddle.
Urs strained to listen to the man's reply and chuckled to himself when he heard what he said. It reminded him of the time he'd walked out of the Sarah Cullen centre to find Franky playing Hopscotch with a group of young girls while waiting for him.
"Christine, I am fifty, not ninety-nine. Are you going to say such things when we bring our grandchild here? Besides 'Growing old is inevitable, growing up is an option'."
His words were more or less what Franky had said to him back then and Urs paused to turn and see if William had persuaded Christine to join in. He smiled then laughed when he saw that he had and watched the couple for a minute or two.
He straddled his bike while looking at Franky and smiled a little broader, knowing that she had been a wonderful mother and was still fun to be with, even though she was a Grandmother four times over. In other words, she was what she wanted to be, no more no less and was content with her lot in life.
They started their engines almost at the same time, but this time Urs rode behind Franky to admire a beautiful view that had nothing whatsoever to do with the countryside they had to ride home through.
Turn the page.

Chapter 171 - A Place For Everyone
After years of trying, they had finally made it to the top of the Eiffel Tower and he had spent the last two hours holding Franky from behind while they took in their surroundings. He huffed out a breath, trying to remember how many times he'd planned this trip only for something to happen and having to cancel it, a couple of times at the very last moment. It had been a rough flight from Denver too, but he was glad he'd managed to keep these arrangements secret until Stephanie and Damien's wedding was over with. He chuckled quietly, recalling the beaming smile David had worn as he took Stephanie down the aisle and how stunned Damien had been to see her wearing Lauren's first wedding dress. Everyone but Franky had thought Lauren had gotten rid of that particular one and those who had seen it before had gasped when Stephanie appeared in the church. Lauren had had her doubts and concerns about how David would react, especially since the evoked a bad memory but there had been no need to worry. Stephanie had looked as stunning as her mother had and David had been happy to see her in it. Now it carried nothing but good memories and had been carefully packed away for possible future use, just like Serena had done with Franky's original wedding dress.
"What are you thinking?" He heard Franky asking, sighing softly.
"Oh nothing much. Just wondering if Simeon is ever going to propose to Ciara and glad we finally made it up here."
"Well you can stop that wondering for a start. You know what you said when Carlos kicked off regarding Frank proposing to Carina. So Ciara caught Stephanie's bouquet. It doesn't mean he has to propose within a few days. I'm just glad they're still together and we've made it up here on our wedding anniversary too."
Urs nodded, watching the sun's rays bounce off the diamonds in the heart of the silver bangle he'd given her as his gift this morning and remembering the inscription on it. Her eyes brimming with tears as she slipped it on after reading the words.
'You were my heart yesterday, you're my heart today, you'll be my heart forever'
"And?"
"Remembering the stunned look you had on your face when we met up after your visit to your Uncle's lawyer's office. Despite the many times you've been surprised or shocked I have never seen your eyes go that wide." Urs replied, checking the time on the new Harley Davidson watch Franky had given him as her gift.
"Well what did you expect after what he'd left me. No wonder Aunt Lena refused to say anything when she told me I had to be there for the reading. I never expected that."
"I know." Urs chuckled glancing to the eleventh arrondisement where the property was located.
So many of their friends had stayed over the years and when Franky had first put that idea to him, he hadn't been happy. He really should have known she to those they knew well without her having to say so. His eyes widened knowing exactly how many families had stayed there over the years and that it had been used twice by newly married couples. All of them insisting on paying for their stay and leaving it as clean and tidy as they'd found it.
"I'll never forget the look on your face when we first saw it in that condition." Franky laughed, watching Urs roll his eyes backwards and give a little shudder. "It was worth all those argu.....debates, wasn't it?"
"Oui."
"Mind you, that was nothing compared to when you brought me here after we'd renewed our vows. It's a good job only I appeared to understand how badly you were cursing."
Urs laughed and nodded, his mind flying back to being in hospital following the coach crash. They'd renewed their vows without a hitch, Franky looking stunning as she walked towards him. Once again having to wear a bridal coat due to the fact it had been a fair bit colder than usual and there had even been a thin layer of snow on the ground.
Their guests had been a little disappointed that they hadn't wanted gifts to begin with, but had been more that happy to donate money to the charity he and Franky had chosen, one that provided help to teenage mothers who'd been rejected by their families. It had amazed them how many parents still kicked their daughters out if she became pregnant before the age of sixteen and had nowhere else to turn. He smiled, recalling the stunned look Donald and Doe had worn once the money had been transferred into the account.
He released a long, nasal breath as he remembered the disappointment he'd shown once they'd arrived in France's capital to find the tower closed due to a worker's strike. He'd used some extreme Swiss-German cursewords when they'd been told that the strike would probably last for the whole three days they were due to be there and to this day he was glad Franky appeared to be the only one who'd understood how foul his language had been.
Now here they stood, able to come to what was still one of the world's most romantic cities whenever they liked, all thanks to the three bedroomed property Uncle Lou had left his beloved niece in his will. Had it not been for the fact that Franky still preferred Venice, their children were all in happy relationships or at university in England, he would have talked to her about moving to the house permanently. However, the more he'd thought about it, the more he'd realised how much he would miss their English home too. They still loved nothing better than hopping on one of their bikes and riding up to 'Devil's Drop' to watch the sun go down whilst holding each other they were now. Still undeveloped by builders, it was and hopefully would always be a stunning place. One of England's hidden gems. That and the fact he couldn't bear the thought of another family moving in and having to remove Flavian's memorial. No, they would live out the rest of their days in that house and probably pass it on to whoever ended up with the largest family. They'd discussed that and agreed it was a fair way to deal with the property.
"I think it's about time we head back." Franky's voice brought him back from his reverie, making Urs smile and kiss her cheek.
"Just a few more minutes." He replied, laughing when he heard his stomach rumble loudly for the second time since they reached the top.
Franky nodded in agreement and following a passionate kiss they eventually made their way towards the lifts. They stepped in with several other couples but weren't harrassed by any of them as they rode to the bottom. Each and every one of them too wrapped up in their partners, just like Urs and Franky. Once they'd reached the bottom and had stepped out, they turned and looked back at the landmark and vowed to come back. Arms wrapped around each other, they decided to walk back to the house, the route now so familiar they didn't even have to look at the street signs to know where they were, making it through the front door of the Saint-Marguerite property just as the phone started to ring.
Urs answered and smiled when he heard Sylvie's voice telling her son to stop picking his nose while he set the handset to loud speaker.
"Happy anniversary, Papi and Mami."
"Thank you sweetheart. Is there something wrong?" Franky asked, both of them knowing everyone important to them had already called this morning with the same wishes for them.
"No, Mami. Nothing's wrong. I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait to tell you both."
"You're pregnant again?"
"No Mami. I'm not the only one who can even things up you know?" Sylvie giggled along with Franky. "Next year, hopefully. No, that's not why I'm calling. You remember I told you Nick applied again for a job at that hospital in Paris a few months ago?"
"Of course we do liebling." Urs shook his head then rolled his eyes backwards when Franky looked at him.
"Well..........He's just heard that he finally got a job there. He starts in a month's time."
"That's fantastic news."
"I know. I can hardly wait." Sylvie sighed happily. "Thing is, he wants us to come over this weekend in the hope that we can find somewhere to live. I know it's short notice and you're there for a really special reason, but could we stay with you for the weekend?"
"You don't need to ask, Sylvie. Of course you can." Urs replied after looking at Franky and seeing her nod. "We can't wait to see little Urs again. Gott that still sounds weird."
"And he can't wait to see his nonna and nonno either."
"How's Nick doing?" Franky asked, her voice dropping to the concerned tone rather than the happy, excited one she had been using.
"Getting over the shock of what Jasmine insisted on telling us before she died." Sylvie sniffed down the line. "I've never seen him that angry with her, but once he'd heard and he'd done some research on Anthony Straw......well he couldn't blame her for keeping it from him, neither could I, can't even begin to imagine what she went through, I'm just glad she found Matthew and he took Nick on as his own. God knows what Nick could have turned out............No, I'm not going to think like that. He's finally seeing a therapist to help him deal with all that he's learned, just like you and I said he should. I think he's beginning to understand why his natural father turned out the way he did now."
"Good, you know what would have happened if he had upset you any more by refusing to tell you what was bothering him?"
"Of course, Mami. We would have kicked his ass to the moon and back wouldn't we? I don't know who he would have been more scared of."
"Probably you." Franky giggled, looking at Urs who shook his head and pointed towards her.
"Thanks both of you, I've got to go. Enjoy the rest of your day. I'll call and let you know when we're arriving. Love you Mami. Love you Papi."
"Love you too, Pumpkin." Urs and Franky replied together, using Sylvie's petname and picturing her blushing as they disconnected the call.
"Right. We'll have a drink and a snack, then we need to get ready to go out." Urs informed Franky, walking hand-in-hand with her into the kitchen and quickly setting to work. "The table is booked for 7:30, but we need to arrive at 7:00."
"Have you booked a room?" Franky asked making Urs laugh as he turned to face her.
"No, I thought we could have a drink before our meal. They should have a bottle of Moet in the chiller as we arrive."
Franky nodded, quickly drank the tea Urs had made her, the two of them making a list of what items they would need to stock the cupboards with for Sylvie and Nick's arrival as they drank. The tea finished, they headed for the bathroom, showered together, somehow resisting the urge to make love again. Dried off and wanting to be surprised by what Franky was going to wear this evening, Urs took his clothes and headed for one of the spare rooms to dress.
He made into the lounge first, though not only by a few minutes. Franky entered just as he was doing up his tie. He saw her in the mirror first and quickly turned on his heel. She stood no more than three feet away from him, looking stunning as usual in the silver charmeus gown with its sequined neckline, drop waist and open back. Even though she'd turned sixty this day, she didn't look her age, so many people told her so, looking at her shocked when she told them, most had thought she was ten years younger than she actually was.
Rendered speechless, Urs stepped forward, pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He then offered Franky his arm, escorted her outside and watched her mouth drop open when she saw the chaffeur driven silver limo he'd hired to take them to the 'Brasserie Mollard'. He knew she would have been happy to eat at 'Ramone's', but that was currently closed due to the fact it had been flooded and wouldn't be back in business until just before Christmas.
They settled into the car and held each other close once they had a small glass of champagne in their hands and linked arms to drink. They arrived at the restaurant smiling because Urs had said he could hardly wait to see his namesake in the leather Harley Davidson motorbike jacket they'd brought him for Christmas. Once inside they sat at a small table, undisturbed as they enjoyed another glass of Moet.
It didn't seem like they'd been there more than five minutes when they found themselves being led to their table and menus being placed in their hands. They chose quickly, both having the same first and main course of French onion soup and grilled fresh Salmon. Franky chose the baked Alaska for her dessert while Urs chose Profiteroles and finished their anniversary meal with coffee.
The evening over, they got back into the limo, Urs reminding the driver that she was to take the long, scenic route home and watching the woman nod in understanding. Again they cuddled up and spent almost an hour and a half enjoying the sights Paris had to offer between passionate kisses. It didn't seem that much time had passed as Urs unlocked the front door, allowing Franky to enter first as he always had and always would.
Hand-in-hand, they headed upstairs where Urs would give her the only thing she'd said she wanted once her fiftieth birthday had been and gone. Himself and nothing more.
Almost two hours later, they settled down to sleep as they always had, thankful that they couldn't hear the young couple who lived next door arguing anymore thanks to the sound-proofing Urs had insisted on being installed when they'd refurbished what was now their property. Franky having signed a legal document that gave him half, handing it to him for his birthday. Insisting he deserved that and more when he'd tried to refuse. Himself finally relenting and accepting the generous gift after a two day back and forth 'yes/no' giggling debate.
Turn the page.
________________

Chapter 172 - Still Flying
Despite the fact he'd been a little more than grumpy when he'd arrived at the theatre with Franky on his arm, he'd really enjoyed the performance of 'The Prize' and had followed the plot easily. He'd looked around the audience as he and Franky stood to applaud and had seen several other women crying over the fact that a character who'd been labelled as a 'loser' by his so called friends at the beginning had walked off the stage with the girl of his dreams, leaving the two men who'd tried to buy her love and had even faught over her at one stage questioning how she could love such a man. He'd left the auditorium wondering what the hell Carlos and Sebastien had been so nervous about, the whole show appeared to have gone off perfectly and had been well received if the almost complete standing ovation was anything to go by.
Now, there he was, twenty minutes after the final curtain had dropped, waiting for Franky to come out of the ladies bathroom and hoping that Breena Smeeton hadn't spotted him. What he'd had to deal with a couple of days ago had made him angry, so right now her snide comments were the last things he needed to hear. However, luck didn't appear to be with him and as he turned his attention back from the bathroom doorway he saw Breena approaching.
"Urs. I had a funny feeling you would be here tonight. You didn't enjoy the show?" Breena asked, smiling sweetly and giving him a good look up and down.
"Yes, I enjoyed the show. Carlos and Sebastien have done a wonderful job."
"Hmmn! You know, maybe you would be happier if you left her and reformed Il Divo. I mean it's not like you're really married. There's no reason to keep yourself tied to her now the children are grown. You could do so much better than that golddi......"
"Stop right there Breena." Urs snapped a little louder than he'd intended to. "I am completely happy in my relationship and with what I'm doing. I don't give a damn what you or anyone else thinks. The only thing that pisses me off is the way you deride my wife's character without knowing her, though she doesn't give a damn what you think of her. What really gets her angry about the kind of articles you write is what you say about our children and the fact you obviously think I'm too blind to see what certain women are after. So what if Kurt doesn't look like me, it doesn't mean Franky cheated. He doesn't have to look like me to be mine. I've had enough of hearing crap like that, never mind reading it. As for you calling him ugly in your most recent piece, well..........Take a look in a mirror, then maybe you'll see what ugly really is."
"How dare you?" Breena hissed back, her right hand raised ready to strike him across the face.
"How dare I? That's rich coming from you." Urs replied, grabbing both her wrists. "Why can't you be satisfied with what you have? And just in case I'm not making myself crystal clear, let me reiterate. I am perfectly happy with the life I have now. I love my wife and children as much as they love me and nothing you could write in that rag you laughingly call a celebrity magazine would make me want to be with you. Do you understand me Miss Smeeton?"
"Whatever?!" Breena huffed then tutted as Urs released his grip. "She really has got you twisted round her little finger hasn't she? Oh well, your loss. Shame. You'll never know what you're missing out on."
Sighing out a long breath and shaking his head, Urs watched Breena storm away from him, knowing that this was the fourth time he'd physically seen her but the first time she'd dared approach him. Had Franky been by his side, he knew she wouldn't have come anywhere near him never mind said what she had. It still amazed him that such things happened now and again, especially since Il Divo were no more. He turned to look at the bathroom door again and returned the smile Franky gave, secure in the knowledge that she was proud of the way he'd handled the situation though her eyes let him know she was still angry about what had been written about their son and that Breena assumed he was so easily manipulated. He smiled briefly as he stepped towards her, wrapped his arm around her waist and planted a firm kiss on her lips before taking hold of her hand and guiding her backstage to meet up with Carlos, Barbara-Jean, Sebastien and Emma.
They stepped through the doors together and found their friends talking excitedly about the performance, the cast still not quite able to believe so many people had stood to show their appreciation at the end.
"Pah! I knew it would go without the hitch." Carlos informed them all, chest puffed out, arms folded across it and head nodding.
"Bloody liar." Urs whispered playfully in the Spaniard's right ear, knowing that his leg had been bouncing as the overture began to play.
Carlos immediately whipped round, pulled him into a tight hug and quietly instructed him to be quiet as they seperated. Sebastien hugged him to and once everyone had been hugged the Frenchman began to speak.
"Well? Don't keep me.....us on tenterhooks, what did you think?"
"It was all right." Urs teased in reply and watched Sebastien's smile drop briefly.
"Not funny, Swissy. Come meet the cast."
Chuckling, Urs nodded and took hold of Franky's hand as they walked over to where the small company stood chatting. They were introduced to Micha who'd played the lead female role of 'Sahra' and she blushed bright red when Urs complimented her on her performance. Benedict was introduced next and he laughed heartily when Urs remembered what Carlos had said about him.
"I couldn't help it up until a few days ago. I start singing and completely forget where I am and what part I'm supposed to be singing. Frankly, I'm surprised Mr M didn't lose his temper with me."
"I guess he told you how many times Seb did much the same thing. We still have a good laugh when remember the time he pinched Carlos's lines and the look on his face when he realised the rest of us weren't singing along and had moved to the back of the stage. Priceless."
"I've heard all about it." Benedict nodded politely before making his excuses and moving away to find Micha.
Tobias and Grant followed them and Urs instantly recognised Grant as the young man who'd played the 'loser'. Once again he complimented them on their performance and smiled as Tobias asked Franky if she'd enjoyed any song in particular.
"Oh don't put me on the spot like that. It was hard enough for me to decide which was my favourite song when the guys were going through new material. I think I would have to see the show at least once more before I could make that decision."
"Told you so. Pay up." Sebastien instructed, holding his hand out and waiting for Tobias to place a twenty pound note there.
"Hey! Mr M, we're all going to 'Viva' to celebrate. Are you going to join us?" Grant yelled from his position near the door that led to the dressing rooms.
"Erm.......No. Gracias." Carlos replied with a quick headshake once he'd looked at Barbara-Jean and noticed the stern look she was giving him.
Urs and Franky chuckled, having seen that look before and knowing that it meant 'You dare, and you will be sleeping alone again tonight Carlos Marin'. Once the cast left, Urs turned to the Spaniard and asked him why Barbara-Jean had looked at him that way, knowing that she would never tell.
"Oy! I went out with them all the other evening, got back really late, a little worse for wear. I fell asleep on the couch, but Barbara-Jean says I still managed to keep her awake. I made so much noise when I got home, she thought someone had broken in."
"He should think himself lucky I realised it was him once I was wide awake." Barbara-Jean replied, smiling as Carlos pulled her into his arms and she gave his face a gentle pat.
The two couples looked around for Sebastien and Emma and quickly spotted them standing a few feet away, both of them beaming huge smiles while Sebastien talked on his mobile phone. He wasn't on it for much longer and hung up while he walked towards them holding Lauren's hand.
"Simon's finally been able to get home. Wants us all to meet at his home."
Urs looked at Franky knowing that Simon still made her a little nervous, especially if he was in a bad mood. They both knew he'd tried to get back for in time for tonight's performance but a massive thunderstorm over Austria had forced his pilot to request an emergency landing in Vienna. They also knew that if he was in a foul mood it wouldn't all be down to that, Breena Smeeton had recently started writing about Eva too and they wondered if she was going to do anything about it. Franky, herself, had been furious to read that Breena had written that Eva was only a very sucessful wedding planner because she got her twin brothers to 'twist a few arms' or 'scare other wedding planners off'. It was far from the truth, they all know she'd worked very hard to become what she was and even Colt and Floyd had seen the error of their ways. Those two men were now married with five children between them, working hard as security experts as well as mentoring inmates at Alford Prison.
"Okay." Franky nodded in agreement to going to Simon's home.
Urs gave her a quick kiss then took hold of her hand again as the three couples walked out of the theatre. They chatted as they walked and it was they stepped outside that both Sebastien and Carlos stopped Urs, both of them looking at him questioningly.
"What?"
"What was wrong with you when you arrived? You didn't look very happy." Sebastien asked with a quick shrug.
"Nothing much." Urs replied with a headshake and quick smile.
"Urs Buhler! Don't you be doing the lying. We know you well enough to know when 'Mr Grumpyguts' is in the house. What was wrong?"
"Well........Well if you must know.......Did you hear about that gang of youths that went on a destructive rampage in Essex the other day?"
"Si."
"Oui. What about it?"
"Franky and I were there, where it happened. Having lunch in a pub. We came out to find that they'd wrecked my car."
"Which one?"
"The MG. They slashed the roof to ribbons, scratched the paintwork and poured battery acid over it."
"Dios! Is it fixable?"
"Ja. But that's what's really pissed me off. I was due to drive it to Birmingham next week for a classic car show. Now I've had to withdraw and the police haven't been much help." Urs replied, knowing that the car he'd taken such good care of since Franky had given it to him wasn't the only piece of property to be damaged by the eighteen strong gang who'd run riot in Saffron Waldon just because they were bored and couldn't think of anything better to do.
So far only three members had been rounded up by the local constabulary and were refusing to name the rest of those involved, CCTV hadn't proved any good because they'd all covered their faces and had worn gloves while committing the offences. The three that the police had arrested had only been so because they'd bragged to other friends about their involvement and those friends had informed the police.
"Ja, I wasn't happy when we arrived and the last thing I needed was Breena Smeeton adding to it with her snipes about Franky."
"I wouldn't worry about her too much, she'll get what's coming to her......very soon." Emma informed with a giggle. "You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?" Franky and Urs asked almost together, looking at each other questioningly before doing the same to Emma.
"Eva. Eva's in the process of suing her for defamation of character after what she wrote the other week. Better than slapping the stupid bitch, don't you think?"
"Emma!"
"What? Don't look so shocked, Seb. I think we've all had our fill of Breena Bloody Smeeton and believe me, if she writes one more article about you or Eden cheating, I will hunt her down and give her what for and I don't mean with my mouth. I've had it with that foul woman."
"Woah! Talk about venting." Franky remarked, placing a hand on Emma's shoulder and rubbing gently. "You done."
"Hell no! But.........she'll keep for now. I shouldn't be thinking about her right now, we do have more joyful things to think about than what she thinks about us and our families.......Right?"
"Right. So, other than celebrating a successful first night, what else is there to celebrate."
"I'll tell you once we get to Simon's. Everyone at once, remember?"
Franky laughed and nodded as the couples seperated and headed for their respective vehicles. Being the closest to the exit, Urs pulled out onto the main road first and drove the new BMW expertly through busy London traffic. One look at Franky's face told him she was desperate to be brought up to speed with what was going on in the other couples's lives. He also knew she was beginning to worry about not having heard from Lauren and David for a while. She knew the new venture was proving a remarkable success and Lauren had made several new friends since the place had opened. He sighed as he paused at traffic lights, knowing that Franky had recently sent the couple a small parcel but didn't have a clue to what it was and he was beginning to wonder if David would ever send the promised finished home movie of Stephanie and Damien's wedding.
"Hey, stop frowning. They'll be in touch soon. You'll see. I bet they've just been busy with so much stuff just lately. I can just picture Lauren up to her eyes in cake batter and organising those coffee mornings. Knowing her, she probably falls asleep once everyone has gone."
"Hmmn! She never has had your energy levels has she?"
"No, honey."
Feeling a happier than he had earlier in the evening, Urs continued to drive until he reached the gates that gave access to Simon's home. They were already open due to the fact Eva had just driven her Mercedes through them and Urs checked the rearview mirror, surprised to see both Sebastien and Carlos right behind him. Everyone parked near the front doors and were soon being greeted by the man who'd brought them together.
Despite the fact they weren't married yet, Simon greeted Eva with a tight embrace and a kiss before speaking to her, wanting to know what her lawyer had to say.
"I've got a good case. He's going to work on the lawsuit over the next couple of days. That woman is in for one hell of a shock come next weekend."
"Good. Better than going round to her office and smacking her around anyway."
"Hmmn! Yeah it is. You know what my temper's like though, especially when someone starts on my brothers. God knows you've known that from the very beginning and you're still with me." Eva replied, touching Simon's face gently.
"Yes I have. And I don't plan on going anywhere Mrs Cowell."
"Mrs Cowell?!" Everyone exclaimed together, looking at the couple with shocked expressions.
"Yes! She finally agreed to marry me ten days ago. It was everything we wanted, a quiet little ceremony in the back garden with just our families in attendance. Sorry."
"No need to be sorry." Sebastien informed with a headshake as he moved forward to congratulate the newlyweds with a hug for Simon and kiss on the cheek for Eva.
Everyone else followed suit and a few moments later they were being led through the house into Simon's office where his computer was already switched on, waiting for David to come online. He'd called Simon just after he'd landed in England, desperate to know how the performance had gone, to bring everyone up to speed with how he and his family were doing and to catch up with his brothers. That was the reason Simon had called Sebastien in the first place.
They'd been expecting to be asked to take seats at the huge table, but that wasn't what happened. Instead they placed themselves on comfy couches located near a huge screen. Eva moved to prepare refreshments though not before she'd shown Franky, Emma and Barbara-Jean the twelve carat pear-cut diamond platinum engagement ring Simon had presented to her and the platinum wedding ring above it, her face lighting up the room as she left, Breena Smeeton's comment that the two of them wouldn't be together for very much longer seemingly completely forgotten.
"I know what you're thinking you know?" Simon stated to Franky as he took a seat beside her. "And for once you're wrong. I didn't propose just to shut that bitch up. I'd already asked her twice before."
"Oh Simon, I knew that and why she turned you down."
"Ha! Worried that I would want a big, lavish ceremony. Silly girl."
Eva returned a few moments later with coffee, soft drinks and a selection of sandwiches. Once everyone had been served, she turned her attention to the screen, gave Simon an exasperated look and reached for one of the remotes that lay close by on the coffee table. She pressed one button as she sat down beside him and within seconds David's face appeared on the screen.
"About time. I've been sat here waiting for over five minutes." David informed with a huge grin, a head shaking Lauren sitting beside him, holding up one finger. "How did it go guys?!"
"Fantastico!" Carlos replied, puffing out his chest again. "Just like I knew it would."
"Ja, right." Urs informed, shaking his head.
"Don't tell me. The bouncing leg thing?"
"Ja."
A few minutes of giggling followed, then Urs noticed that David had facial hair and looked slightly unkempt. Spotting the concerned look, the American giggled for a little while longer then told him why he wasn't as immaculately groomed as he used to be.
"Nothing to worry about, I've just got back from spending a week out in the woods with one of the groups. We had a great time and Dad even managed to ride out to join us for the last day. He's not as good a rider as he used to be but loves the company of the youngsters. Now, it's not my turn to go first. It's Seb and Emma's if I remember right."
"Oui it is." Sebastien nodded, still with a huge smile on his face. "Marie is now in New York, working as the head chef at Ramone's and she's in a new relationship. A young man by the name of Noah Teesdale."
"I've heard that name somewhere."
"Oui, he's quite famous. The son of a technology magnate though he has no interest in that. Prefers working in the kitchen with Marie, creating new dishes. Erm.......Eden proposed to Misty on New Year's Eve and she's accepted. They don't plan on marrying until the World Cup is over though. She wants Eden to be able to concentrate on his captaincy."
"No way? They've made him captain of the England team?"
"Oui, they have. About time too in my opinion. And Monique has finally had enough of Brayden cheating on her, she dumped him three days ago and is currently in Bali with some of her friends. She was fantastic, helping me with the lyrics for the songs I was struggling with."
"Good to hear. Carlos?"
"Carina is as happy as ever, working hard on displaying a new collection. She had minor hiccups a few weeks ago, a client refused to believe he'd bought a fake and told her she didn't know what she talking about. He still hasn't apologised, even though someone with more expertise has told him exactly the same thing. She doesn't seem too bothered about it though, her mind is on something else, though she won't tell me what. Marco is due to be leaving on tour in a couple of weeks and has his eye on one of the violinists, though she's somehow managing to resist his advances at the moment. As for Reina, well she's over the moon to be working for Armani, even though she thought they wouldn't like her designs. There's only one person who's not very happy about how hard she's working at the minute and that is Hakan. He's been given a few things to think about by his parents as well as myself and Barbara-Jean."
"I can imagine." David nodded with a wry smile on his face then turned his attention to Urs.
Urs took a deep breath then repeated what he'd told Carlos and Sebastien earlier in the evening. He watched the American shake his head then continued by telling him about his and Franky's children.
"Frank finally got the garage accounts right the other day, though I think he'll always ask Franky to double check them. Sylvie and Nick found a place in Paris, though Nick hates the fact he has to drive all the way across the city to get to work. They're looking for somewhere closer to the hospital but everything they've looked at so far is way too small. Serena is doing fantastic with the twins and she takes over at the rink next month. Kurt and Maria are thinking about leaving Italy as well, that will depend if Kurt can get work in England. He's tried three times so far without any offers being made. Ciara's currently in Jamaica with Simeon, both having a great time. And Jordi's concentrating on getting his degree for now. Says he'll pick up on his invention once he's got that and he can find a company that's interested in improving his design."
"No luck in that department then?"
"Nein, not yet. He thinks it has something to do with the fact the current one can only project still images."
"Well it would be good to be able to see home movies in from every dimension. I'm sure he'll figure that out. Now.......Where's Franky?"
"Right here, David. As always." Franky replied after moving a little closer to Urs so that she could been seen. "What's up?"
"First, how is 'Midnight Blue' doing?"
"Fine. Getting really big now."
Urs looked at Franky and saw her wipe a tear from her eyes. He knew why they'd risen so easily and wrapped an arm around her waist. Though only five years old, the white horse had looked much older when she'd first arrived at 'Pheonix Livery'. Despite being a thoroughbred of amazing ancestry, she'd been severely neglected, was no longer rideable and never would be. Franky, Ruby and himself had worked hard with the gentle animal to get her back to full health and she was unrecognisable as the horse they'd provided a lifetime home for just under a year ago. He smiled and gave Franky a reassuring squeeze, knowing that 'Middy' was due to foal in a few weeks and was being carefully monitored by Ruby.
"Oh! I forgot to ask. How's the teaching going Urs?"
"Great. Everyone's coming along nicely, slowly but nicely. A few have formed a group and are working hard on their repetoire. Even got five newbies wanting the benefit of my expertise."
"Yeah! But he won't let me near any of them yet. Despite the fact he says the group is pretty good already."
"I told you, you can see for yourself when I think they're ready to and not before." Urs retorted to Simon's statement, ignoring the scowl he shot him in reply while David and Lauren giggled.
"Good. Right, our news. Erm...........Well firstly, it's kinda my fault Lauren hasn't been online a lot lately. I finally persuaded her to take up those requests the ladies who attend the coffee mornings were making. I've lost count of how many celebration cakes she's made just lately. You should have seen the one she made for a particular client the other day. No wonder her mother cried and didn't want to cut into it. I'll send you pictures when I.......Hmmn. Better not say that ever again, especially 'cos I've got one now."
"What the hell are you talking about, David?" Carlos asked, a look of complete bemusement on his face.
"You remember what I said at Stephanie and Damien's wedding. 'I'll send you all the home movie when I got around to it.' Well, it sort of slipped my mind with me being so busy. That was until I received Franky's little reminder this morning. Wait there. I'll show you."
Confused as to what David was talking about, everyone stayed in their seats while David went to retrieve whatever it was Franky had sent him. He wasn't gone long and shook his head as he held a small plaque up in front of the camera so that everyone could read what it said. The writing was out of focus for a second or two, but everyone giggled after reading what was written on the round piece of white china.
'This is a round tuit.
Guard it with your life.
Tuits are hard to find - especially the round ones.
It will help you become a much more efficient worker.
For years you've heard people say, "I'll do this when I get around to it."
So now that you have one, you can accomplish those things you put aside until you got
A ROUND TUIT!'
"I don't know, we're thousands of miles away and she's still able to kick my butt. Bravo Mrs Buhler." David laughed once he'd set the plaque to one side and everyone had stopped laughing. "The DVDs are on their way as I speak. Now the kids. Jefferson is going great now he's over the stagefright and no, I didn't even bother trying to clean up the shoes he threw up over the first time he performed in 'Rigoletto'. He's getting along much better with Paige now she understands that he's hers and hers alone and he has no interest in Teresa. They're friends and that's all they will ever be. Stephanie's settled in well at the hospital and everyone loves her. Think they're going to miss her when she takes a break in a few months." David informed then turned to look at a beaming Lauren.
"She announced this morning that she's pregnant and has been for almost four months." Lauren continued, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "She's carrying a boy, his names are already decided though she won't say what they are yet."
"Congratulations! You'll make wonderful grandparents."
"Thanks, but we haven't finished yet. Reegan's already taking a break from her career, helping me with Dad and the centre while she waits for her baby girl to arrive."
"Oh my God! When she due?" Franky, Emma and Barbara-Jean asked in unison.
"Five months time. Bradley's denying it's his because of the sex, but Reegan will show him. She wouldn't inflict that kind of pain on someone else. Stupid asshole!"
Everyone nodded knowing how distraught Reegan had been to return home from an assignment to find her boyfriend at the time in the middle of making love to another girl. Going to parents's house in floods of tears and struggling to tell them how they'd both laughed at her as she flew out of the London apartment she'd only just moved into. Eric had refused to move out so that she could return, for a week anyway. He hadn't expected David and Dale to turn up and physically eject him, tossing his belongings out of the third storey window, down onto the sodden pavement below. Nor had he expected his parents to arrive as that was being done and he'd looked very shamed faced while they berated him for treating such a wonderful girl the way he had. Of course he'd begged and pleaded on his knees for Reegan to give him a second chance, but she'd thought things out carefully, decided she couldn't forgive him and had moved on to Bradley almost a year later. Now it looked like that relationship had hit a rocky patch, but everyone knew Reegan well enough to know she would handle the situation, whether that meant Bradley accepted his daughter or not. At the end of the day, she knew she had the support of her parents, siblings and extended family.
A few moments later, Simon told David and Lauren that he and Eva were now married and once they'd gotten over the shock, they too congratulated the couple. David then checked the time and left Lauren sitting in front of the screen alone. Tears immediately began to escape from her eyes and she apologised several times for not having the time to speak to Franky lately.
"Lolly, stop it or you'll set me off. Are you busy next Saturday?"
"N-n-no. Why?"
"I was just thinking we could have an online 'Girly Night'. You could invite your new friends to join in."
"God! Tut! Why didn't I think of that? Great idea. I'll call you before then for times and such. Okay?"
"Okay." Franky nodded, tears welling in her eyes again.
"Okay. Talk to you soon. I-I love you so much girls and miss you more than I could ever say. Bye." Lauren replied, tears now streaming down her face as she waved to a sniffing Franky, Emma and Barbara-Jean.
Knowing that the girls hadn't spent a night together without the men around in a very long time, Urs made arrangements to go somewhere with Sebastien and Carlos, knowing the group would expand over the next few days just like Franky's little get together. Eva was nodding her head ethusiastically as he turned back to Franky. With tentative arrangements in place, everyone decided to head for home. Urs leaving secure in the knowledge that Sebastien would come up with a way to include David in their night together.
As he drove out of the gates another magazine article popped into Urs mind and he reminded Franky of what Ciara had read to them a few days ago.
"Now Il Divo have had their wings clipped by the women who profess to love them, I can't help but think how bored they are with what they're doing. These men were meant to fly, not encourage others to do so. That goes for their own children as well as those......blah, blah, blah."
"Clipped your wings indeed. Pah! You're all still flying, paying it forward like you all said you wanted to do when Il Divo came to an end. What in the world could the four of us ever do to stop you?" Franky replied, shaking her head and tutting. "I wish Ciara would stop reading those particular magazines."
"Good luck with that. You know what she's like, finds it hard to turn the other cheek when someone says or writes anything that puts down her family. Particularly you. It's a good job she wasn't with us tonight. I think she would have had more than a few words to say to Miss Smeeton."
"Yeah, she would." Franky nodded, her eyes wide, trying to remember how many times she'd told Ciara not to let such articles anger her but knowing that their youngest daughter did so most of the time, the only time she didn't being when derisary articles appeared in the same magazine week after week.
Urs checked the time as he turned into the road that led to their home, his eyes widening when he saw that it was almost four in the morning. Once they were inside, he looked at the answering machine, saw their was one message and smiled slightly when he heard Ciara's voice on the other end.
"Mami, I'm sorry for not listening to you all these years. I've decided I'm not going to read those types of articles any more. I just wish Breena Smeeton and the like could be happy with the lives they have instead of insulting you both at every given opportunity. I love you so very much, both of you and I'm sorry if the way I've reacted in the past has only caused you more heartache. Bye for now, see you in a month's time."
Smiling and holding hands, the couple headed upstairs to bed where slipped under the duvet naked. Though still a little bothered about what had happened in Essex, Urs pushed that to one side as Franky snuggled up close to him and let out the longest, loudest sigh of relief he'd ever heard her release. He looked down at her and immediately understood why she'd done it. After years of battling with Ciara, the messages finally appeared to have gotten through.
'That which does not destroy us makes us stronger' and 'What we know to be the truth is more important than what people think.'
Thankful that Ciara now understood what her mother had been saying for years, Urs yawned, gently pulled Franky a little closer and quickly joined her in peaceful slumber.
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Wow lots happen in the last 2 chapters, sorry but my PC is in the shop and just got fixed but won't be picked up till friday.. Sara hasn't been able to get her story written yet either.. I had to rent a pc to just get on here and post the new stuff we have coming in..

I don't like that reporter from the magazine at all and she is nothing but trouble and glad Urs finally put her in her place..


More soon JJ


Laura

Chapter 173 - One Massive Curve Ball
There were two things Urs was absolutely sure of. One being that Franky loved him with all her heart. The other being that tragedy could strike at any second and turn your world upside down and usually did so when you were least expecting it or when you were having a good time. That's exactly what had happened four hours ago and he could still Franky gripping his hand tight while they flew out to Denver.
Just a few short hours ago, the two of them had been happy watching 'Middy' keep a watchful eye on her four week old son after encouring him to step out of the stable where she'd given birth. Tentative and unsure to begin with, 'Midnight Star' had taken a good look around before crossing the threshold but once outside he'd galloped around the paddock on long legs that appeared to be incapable of carrying his weight, never mind enduring such vigorous exercise. He hadn't really stopped until he'd approached the fence that seperated the small paddock from the larger turn out paddock and had only done so when 'Star Dreamer' had approached. The large black stallion appearing to give what he'd sired a good look over before leaning his head over the wood to sniff him. 'Middy' had arrived a few seconds later to move the colt away from his father so that she could feed him in peace.
Even though Ruby had done her best to keep the stallion and mare seperated while 'Middy' was in season, those two animals had been more determined and had 'gotten it on' after barging past her and racing down down the bottom of the turn out pasture. At almost seventeen hands, 'Dreamer' was a fine looking animal and Franky had had a good giggle when the two horses had met. Despite the way she'd looked, it appeared 'Dreamer' had taken an instant liking to 'Middy' and had become very protective of her, especially so if any of the other mares came near, always ready to give them a quick nip if he thought they were being too intrusive. No-one had expected 'Middy' to become pregnant a few weeks after her arrival, especially since tests had proved that 'Dreamer' was virtually sterile. However, once 'Star' had arrived the doubts had quickly disappeared, both horses were jet black with a small white patch on their foreheads and if 'Star's' legs were anything to go by, he would probably end up as tall and rangy as his father. As he'd grown stronger, more and more horses appeared to like having him around, several always poked their heads over the half-open door every morning and every night, just to make sure everything was all right with mother and son.
Mere seconds after watching the colt kick his hind legs out, the sound of screeching tyres on tarmac had alerted them to the fact someone had driven into the yard at high speed. At first he'd been expecting Franky to tell Dale off for driving so recklessly and almost crash into the newly restored MG, but one look in his eyes had stopped her even opening her mouth to berate him. Instead, she'd noticed the tears and had asked what was wrong.
With tears streaming down his face, Dale had told them that Reegan had been involved in a bad car accident, that she was now in a coma after having a ceasarian section to save the baby. After taking a deep breath he'd continued by saying that Lloyd had also been involved in the accident, though he'd escaped with minor bumps and grazes due to the fact he'd been asleep in the back seat of Reegan's car. He knew Lauren and David would need a lot of support and wished he could get on the next available flight himself. However, he couldn't do that because his father was in hospital with pneumonia and his mother was still full of flu. Knowing what he was asking of her without him having to say it, Franky had turned to look at Urs with tears running down her face. He didn't need to be told what she wanted to do and once they'd told Ruby what was happening, they'd gone home and he'd packed for both of them while Franky got them on a flight.
Once aboard the plane, it seemed that only he noticed that another passenger had offered the seat she was occupying. It was all to clear to him that she'd seen how distressed Franky was and had realised they had seperate seats well away from each other. He'd thanked her verbally and with a quick smile and she'd replied it wasn't a problem. Once she was seated, Franky had fumbled with the seatbelt and for the first time in years he'd had to fasten it for her. She hadn't removed it once they were in the air and it was safe to do so. It was still securely fastened and tears still slid down her face. Not knowing what to say to her, but wanting to give her comfort, Urs slowly removed his hand from her vice like grip, wrapped his left arm around shoulders and held her close until it was time to land.
Once down, out of the airport and on their way to the hospital in a taxi, Urs took hold of Franky again and made her take a few deep breaths, reminding her that she wouldn't be much help to Lauren in her current state which was almost as bad as when they'd lost Flavian. Her rapid breathing eased after a few minutes and somehow she managed to stop crying. Tears still welled in her eyes but she refused to let any more fall, knowing that her 'sister' would need her strength to get them through this terrible time. She could and would cry more when they were alone.
"Thanks for that, honey." Franky sighed, reaching up to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek as the taxi turned into the hospital grounds.
Urs nodded, paid the fair and retrieved their bags once and carried both as they walked into the hospital. They walked to the reception desk and asked for directions to the ward where Reegan was being cared for. With those inside his head, Urs began to lead Franky towards the lifts only to be stopped by a loud yell of his name. He whipped round to see Summer and Katelyn standing nearby with Lloyd in a wheelchair, the only bruise visible being one at the top of his nose.
"Thank God you're here. Both of you. They're a mess." Summer informed, sniffing back tears while giving her father's shoulder a squeeze. "Dad's blaming himself for asking Reegan to drive him into the city. It's no more his fault than it is Reegan's. All the witnesses are saying she was driving perfectly. They're blaming the id.........asshole who blasted through a red light and didn't stop."
"Have they caught up to him?" Urs asked, holding Franky close again and spotting that she'd taken hold of Lloyd's hand and was shaking her head at him.
"Her. It was a woman driver and yes they've got her. Thanks to the CCTV operator being on the ball and following her. She wasn't drunk, just in a hurry to get to a party and couldn't be bothered to wait for the lights. Needless to say, she didn't get to that party. She's more worried about the damage she's done to her husband's Porche than Reegan and Dad. Bitch!"
"Summer!"
"Don't 'Summer' me, Katelyn. I'll kill her if I get anywhere near her. I swear I will."
"I know." Katelyn sighed then gently pulled her sister into a tight embrace. "But I need you to calm down. I can't look after Dad and the centre by myself can I? Only just managed Dad by myself before Davey decided to step up to the plate. Didn't I?"
"Yeah. Sorry sis."
Urs and Franky stepped into the lift once the siblings started to push their beloved, teary eyed father away and rode up to the fifth floor. It didn't take them long to locate ICU and they spotted Lauren as soon as they were through the doors. She was seated opposite a door, staring intently at a glass window, unable to see anything due to the fact the blind had been closed. She didn't hear them approach and didn't realise Franky was there until she was squatting in front of her, gently touching her arm.
"Franky! Urs! What are you doing here?" Lauren asked, attempting to dry her eyes before falling into Franky's arms.
"You didn't think we'd leave you to deal all this by yourselves did you? You've been there for us so many times, it's only right that we're here for you now, isn't it."
"Not really. I don't need you to pay me back for all those times. I did it because........Oh! Damn it. You're not really here to pay me back. You're here because that's how families......You may not be my sister by blood, Franky, but you are in every way that counts."
"I know that, Lauren. Always have and I always will. I will always be there for you, no matter what. Okay?"
Unable to answer audibly, Lauren nodded then buried her face into Franky's neck and began to sob. She spent a few moments like that then managed to compose herself enough to tell them what was happening with Reegan and how the baby was doing.
"They're testing her brain for signs of activity at the minute. They've already had to remove part of her skull cap to relieve the pressure. She improved a little after they'd done that but they won't even think reducing her sedation until the swelling has gone down a lot more. She's on life support at the minute and has a badly broken right ankle. Other than those injuries, she's just a mess of bruises."
"And the baby?"
"Laurel Ruth Jade is doing just fine. She's smaller than Frank was when he was born. We went to see her about an hour ago, David put his hand in the incubator. She looked even smaller, he could have scooped her up and held her entire being in that one hand. I'm just praying both of them make it and that woman gets what she deserves. Stephanie and Damien are with Laurel right now and Steph's keeping an eye on the nurses, making sure they do everything possible for Laurel."
"Where's David?"
"In a waiting room just down the hall, trying to find someone capable of keeping the centre going while we deal with this and probably calling Bradley again. Could you go and make sure he's........coping Urs?"
Urs nodded, turned on his heel and quickly made his way down the corridor. He quickly figured out which room David was in due to the fact he could hear him shouting at someone. He knocked then entered a split second later to find the normally jovial American in the foulest mood he'd ever seen and still yelling, a mobile pressed against his left ear.
"SCREW YOU, BRADLEY! THINK YOURSELF LUCKY YOU'RE IN PASADENA 'COS IF YOU WERE IN DENVER RIGHT NOW, I'D HUNT YOU DOWN AND KICK SEVEN SHADES OUT OF CRAP OUT OF YOU. THEN I'D RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND SHOVE IT SOMEWHERE WHERE THE SUN DOESN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT SHINING! YOU GOD DAMNED A**HOLE, @&%$ING SONOFABITCH!"
"David!" Urs raised his voice as he stepped towards him and took hold of the handset. "Not coping very well at all are you?"
"No. No Urs. I'm not. My baby girl is lying in a drug induced coma, not knowing that she's a mother. And her baby is........isn't even supposed to be here yet. Did Lauren tell you how much she weighed?"
"Nein."
"Just over a pound. Twenty five ounces to be precise and that jackass who fathered her could care less......about Laurel or Reegan. I need to get back to Laur...........Bloody Hell! Bloody Hell and Fuck It! Why do such things have to happen to good people, Urs? Why? Can you tell me?"
"Nein, I can't David." Urs replied with headshake as he took hold of the rapidly pacing American and made him sit down. "What I can tell you is that I know that you feel like you're trying to row through a lake of treacle right now and you're only just beginning to feel like you won't ever get to the other side. I know different. You can and you will make it if you and Lauren work together, especially when Reegan is allowed to wake up. Don't worry about that asshole, you raised Reegan to be the woman she is. Smart, caring and independent. It won't matter to her that Bradley isn't here for her and Laurel, as long as she has the two of you standing by her side, she'll deal with everything that's happened."
"Yeah. Yeah she will. Thanks for that."
Urs nodded while he watched David drag both his hands down his face, knowing that it was the second time he'd said those words, his mind flying back to when Frank had been born. Wanting to wait until his brother was a bit more composed before asking how he and Franky could help, he let out a long sigh, knowing that David, Lauren, Reegan and Laurel faced a much tougher and longer journey. He already knew Franky was keeping her fingers crossed for the same outcome Ruby and Joshua Parker had had with Samuel.
"Okay. I'm ready. Let's go and find out if they've finished the test on Reegan yet?"
Once again Urs nodded and left the room just behind a quick striding David. They were soon back outside the doorway and quickly noticed that Stephanie was there, refusing to take a seat until Franky spoke to her.
"Stephanie! Sit. They obviously asked you to leave for a reason. You look exhausted already. You need to rest otherwise......"
"I know." Stephanie sighed, finally sat down next to her mother and placed her hands on her stomach as she gave a head shaking Damien an apologetic look. "I swear he knows I'm upset and all over the place at the minute, he hasn't stopped kicking all morning. I'm sorry, Mum. I just wanted to......"
"It's all right, I know exactly how you're feeling." Lauren replied, wrapping her arms around Stephanie's shoulders to gently pull her into an embrace and place a kiss on top of her head.
"I appreciate you coming all this way, both of you." David stated after a quick look to the window and not seeing any sign that medical staff were coming out any time soon. "But.........I don't want to sound ungrateful, but you both have........"
"David, don't worry about what's happening back in England, everything has been left in very capable hands. You should know that by now. We didn't come to interfere in any way, shape or form. We came to support you, Lauren and the rest of your family and to help out in any way we can." Franky interupted with headshake. "Have you found anyone capable of keeping the centre going while you're here for Reegan and Laurel? Summer and Katelyn can't do it and take care your father as well, can they?"
"No, to both questions. I don't want to see either of them that exhausted again, never mind arguing that viciously. And I certainly don't want to see my Dad crying because he thinks he's a burden to all of us. You think you and Franky could manage the centre for while?"
"If that's what you want us to do, fine." Urs replied with an exasperated headshake while Franky rolled her eyes backwards. "There's no need for us to get involved with the financial side of that, is there?"
"No. We have an accountant for that. It's just a question of keeping the lodge tidy and keeping an eye on the staff. Especially Martin, he likes to sing little ditties while he's working. Some of them aren't appropriate for children below the age of eighteen, if you catch my drift."
"I think we do." Urs replied as the door to Reegan's room finally opened and a young, black haired, dark complected and nervous looking doctor stepped out.
He introduced himself as Doctor Iballa, glanced over his shoulder to an older looking man and coughed several times before he began to speak. Urs looked at Franky and realised she was watching his body language very carefully and that she'd already picked up on why he appeared to be so scared.
"Mr and Mrs Miller, your daughter is very lucky that the accident happened so close to the hospital. Had it happened a few miles......" Doctor Ibarra began, his voice accented enough to let everyone know he'd been raised to speak Spanish.
"Mi scusi, dottore Ibarra." Franky interupted, switching easily to the language she rarely spoke now and touching the doctor's arm to grab his attention. "E 'chiaro che questa è la prima volta che si doveva fare qualcosa di simile, ma credo che i miei amici gradirebbe sapere come Reegan sta facendo piuttosto che come fortunata è che l'incidente è accaduto così vicino all'ospedale. Sono preoccupati a sufficienza senza che voi possiate dire cosa sarebbe potuto succedere se fosse accaduto dall'altra parte della città. Non è vero?"
"Si. Mil gracias." Doctor Ibarra nodded in agreement with what she'd said before taking another deep breath and turning his attention back to his patient's frightened looking parents. "I'm sorry, your friend is right. It is the first time I have had to do anything like this. Reegan's brain injury isn't as bad as we first feared. She is doing very well and there are no signs of any permanent injury. She should make a full recovery, but until the swelling goes down we can't be certain and we certainly can't risk reducing her sedation. Do you understand?"
"We understand perfectly doc." David replied, holding a now standing Lauren close and gripping Stephanie's hand tight as well. "We've been in a similar situation before." He finished with a quick nod to Urs.
"Oh yes, I remember my mother telling me about that." Doctor Ibarra sighed then swallowed. "You can go back in now, Nurse St Martine is already making arrangements to make you more comfortable. Just remember you'll both need to rest as well. No trying to stay awake twenty-four hours a day like someone else did all those years ago."
Knowing that the young man was referring to how Franky had behaved following his on stage accident, Urs allowed a small laugh to escape, saw her face turn a little red then turned to watch Lauren, David, Stephanie and Damien enter the room. He and Franky stayed at the window for a few minutes, neither of them bothered by the fact they hadn't been asked if they wanted to sit with Reegan for a while. It was more important that her immediate family were with her at the moment and there would be plenty of time in the coming days to pay a visit.
Knowing that they wouldn't be allowed to see Laurel either, they decided to head for David's childhood home. Holding hands, they waved their friends goodbye after Urs had managed to grab David's attention and began to walk away. They'd just reached the elevator doors when Stephanie and Damien caught up to them. Having driven to the hospital, Damien offered to drive them out there once he'd taken Stephanie home for some much needed rest. They tried to refuse, but Damien insisted and told them it would be too much of a problem since he would be headed in that direction anyway.
"Jefferson called me while Steph was in the ladies. He finally managed to get a flight and didn't want to risk driving in such an emotional state. I've got plenty of time and can prepare him for what he's going to see when he arrives."
Though jet-lagged when they arrived at the Miller home, Urs and Franky spent almost an hour listening to Summer explain how the centre was run after introducing them to all the staff. Understanding everything that needed to be done to keep the place running smoothly until someone could be found to help out for as long as needed, the two of them headed upstairs and quickly fell asleep.
The two of them kept the centre going between them for almost three weeks before David introduced them to Angela Lynch, a woman who'd run a similar business in Los Angeles before allowing her daughter to take over. The woman explaining that she'd been friends with David's mother years ago and regretting that they'd lost touch once they were both married. David continuing by saying that his mother had always wanted to get back in contact with her, had thought about hiring someone to track her down but hadn't ever gotten around to it. Having heard about Angela all his life and knowing what she did, it had been relatively easy for the private detective he'd hired to find out where she lived. The only reason she hadn't arrived sooner being that she'd been on a cruise at the time.
Reegan was brought round a couple of days before Angela's arrival and once she'd gotten over the shock of what had happened to Laurel and herself she demanded to see Franky. They arrived to find her being settled back into bed, having been down to the NICU to see the little girl who'd already had several close brushes with death and would face several more. Once she'd dried her eyes, Reegan took a deep breath then explained why she'd chosen to add the name 'Jade' to the other two.
"Grandma Taylor told me not to even think about using any of her names for any girls I might have. I know how you feel about your name but still don't understand why you don't like it. I didn't want anyone shortening it either, my little girl is not going to be a tomboy, no matter what Steph may think. I want to pay tribute to the woman who has always been like a second mother to me and always will be. I couldn't think of anything to begin with, then mum reminded me how I used to stare at your eyes each time you held me when I was little. That's the only reason Laurel has three first names, Jade is to remind me to tell her all about one of the most caring women I've ever had the privilege of knowing."
"Thank you, Reegan. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl." Franky replied, finally raising her tear filled eyes from the photograph of Laurel.
They stayed for a few more minutes, Franky encouraging Reegan to try and focus on the positive things that happened rather than the bad. Though he hated to interupt, Urs gently touched Franky on the shoulder and reluctantly reminded her they had a flight to catch. He knew she really didn't want to leave until Lauren's parents and Dale arrived, but they didn't have any choice. They'd promised their own children and friends they would be back this particular night, especially Jordi who would be receiving his degree in a couple of days. They both gave Reegan a final hug and kiss goodbye then made their way out of the hospital. As their taxi pulled away from the main entrance another pulled up behind and Franky smiled a little broader when she saw who it carried. Knowing that Lauren would cope better now her immediate family had arrived, Franky settled back into her seat and dozed until they reached the airport.
The flight back was uneventful and once they arrived home the two of them were inundated with people wanting to know how Reegan and Laurel were doing and what was happening with regard to the woman who'd hit her. It didn't bother them at all that they had to repeat the same story over and over again. They were too pleased to hear sighs of relief through the computer's speakers or down the telephone line, especially when once they'd told them that the woman who'd caused so much damage was going to be prosecuted for dangerous driving and endangering life and should consider herself very lucky that her husband hadn't left her.
The following morning, they were woken by the sound of the gate buzzer going off and Urs stepped into the lounge carrying the largest display of Cala Lillies and Roses he'd ever seen. So big was it that he couldn't set the vase down on any surface other than the large piece of marble that was set in front of the fire and he thanked God he wouldn't need to move it again since there would be no need to light the fire for months yet.
As much as she loved the thank you gift from Lauren, David and Reegan and the words on the card that accompanied the flowers, neither would mean half as much as what she received via email a day or so later. A photograph of Laurel wearing nothing but a small woollen hat, eyes closed, the tiny middle finger of Lauren's left hand looking huge in comparison to the ones wrapped around it. Ciara's photograph ended up framed a couple of days later and was placed beside the one they had of Franky in much the same pose with Frank. The photograph itself leaving both Urs and Franky in no doubt as to what direction Ciara should take the career she loved and quietly hoping she would do so.
Like Frank, Laurel proved to be a little fighter and was discharged from hospital almost three months later. Bradley would prove to be her father but would never have the privilege of knowing her since he signed all his rights over to Reegan once the DNA test had confirmed her parentage. She would, however, be lucky enough to be raised by the man Reegan married when Laurel was almost seven. Howie Paisley having been in love with Reegan for years, but too shy to admit it and Reegan having never picked up on it until she'd woken to find the lighting technician she knew from several photoshoots sitting by her bed, talking in his sleep and blushing bright red while he admitted to every word Reegan had heard.
Reegan recovered very well too but didn't go back to modelling. Instead she purchased a home near that of her parents and became involved in helping with the running of the centre. It took her a long time to get back behind the wheel, but once she'd done so, the first thing she did was drive past the scene of the accident after spending months avoiding doing so, asking to be driven into the hospital grounds via a longer route each time she paid a visit to the little girl who should have been the last of four Divo grandchildren due to be born in the same year, not the first.
Turn the page.
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Chapter 174 - My Two Peas In A Pod
Of all their children it was Jordi who'd turned out to be the most difficult to read, emotions wise. Even as a toddler he'd been reserved and both he and Franky had had their concerns about him finding it difficult to make friends when he'd started full time school. Other children thought him arrogant and haughty because they couldn't understand he liked to take time to really get to know them before calling them a friend. The number of times Jordi had come home angry or upset because he'd been picked on Urs could count on one hand. Back then, it could take the two of them hours and sometimes days to find out what was wrong with him, particularly since he used to withdraw into himself when he was trying to deal with things like that.
As he'd grown, Jordi had learned to talk to both of them, especially after he'd revealed his sexuality to his close friends. He'd come home crying that day and had told Franky two of those friends couldn't accept that he was gay and had told him not to even think about saying hello to them ever again. Once he'd seen that it was those two boys who weren't worthy of his friendship and what really mattered were those who could accept him, he'd begun to change.
Despite the fact he had a higher IQ than the rest of his siblings, Jordi had never really shown off about how intelligent he was, particularly where Mathematics was concerned. Urs chuckled recalling the one time Jordi had showed off his skills. He'd been in Franky's office, helping Frank with the garage accounts, mentally working out what needed to be calculated before Frank had even typed the first number into the calculator. Franky had caught him standing behind the chair, pulling a face and rolling his eyes backwards and he'd immediately apologised to Frank once he'd seen the anger in his mother's eyes. Frank had accepted the apology but had asked to be left alone after Jordi had explained that he'd implied his brother was dumb, knowing that to be far from the truth. Jordi had left reluctantly and had nodded his hanging head at his mother's reminder that no-one likes a show off and he'd better stop pulling that face now because it wasn't acceptable behaviour towards a sibling and most certainly wouldn't be to a student.
Now, just a fortnight after watching the twenty-two year old accept his First class honours degree, they couldn't be more proud of him. He didn't have job yet, but wasn't sitting around doing nothing. In fact he'd done a lot since taking his final exams and before going to university for that matter. He'd passed his driving test after only ten lessons, had bought his own car and had a good insurance policy. He didn't mind getting his hands dirty either and had volunteered to help a local couple clean up and restore their back garden when a brick wall had collapsed on top of the ornamental pond. They'd tried to pay him, only for him to refuse the cash and tell them to put it towards the garden instead.
He wasn't perfect, none of their children were. They'd all done things to anger or upset their siblings or mother as they grew. At least they'd never gotten into the kind of trouble that would get the police involved. The worst thing Jordi had done to date was to refuse to have the twenty-first birthday party Franky had secretly begun planning months in advance. It had hurt Urs to see her so upset after arguing with their youngest child but somehow she'd pushed her pain to one side and accepted his reasons for not wanting to celebrate. Urs still found it somewhat amusing that the young man who liked to make a fuss of everyone else didn't like a fuss being made of him. Then again, Franky was just the same in that regard.
What a shock everyone had gotten when his birthday had arrived. He'd loved all of his gifts, particularly the silver tankard he and Franky had given him. But to watch him walk out of the house after breakfast had stunned them all. Not one of them had been able to figure out why he'd asked them all to drive out to a small airfield a few miles away. By the time he and Franky had arrived, there had been a lot of his friends already waiting and wanting to know what was happening. For almost an hour they'd stood there, watching a small plane flying overhead before landing. Jordi had jumped out of the cockpit of the latest twin-engined, long-range Cessna, with the biggest smile they'd ever seen on his face and had immediately informed that he'd just earned his pilot certificate. A fact that had shocked everyone because not a single one of them had known he'd even been taking flying lessons. There had been two reasons to celebrate that day and they had done so. Jordi eventually agreeing to having a meal with everyone at 'Tickers', him and Franky falling into giggles after the brief, back and forth 'yes/no' argument. The young man ending up a little tipsy by three in the afternoon and promising not to come home too drunk later in the evening when he'd gone out with his friends to continue celebrating. He'd kept that promise too, had arrived back at the house still able to walk in a reasonable fashion and had even made sure he had a glass of water handy before going to bed.
Yes, Jordi's twenty-first had been completely different to that of either Frank or Kurt. Those two had ended up legless and had had to be carried up to bed and had given both of their parents big wet soppy kisses before going to sleep. And they'd paid for it the following day, both had suffered massive hangovers and had wondered how they'd gotten in such a state in the first place.
Though he didn't have a problem with Jordi's sexual preference, Urs couldn't help but think what beautiful children he and the woman he currently held in his arms would make. That would never happen, especially since Geena preferred women and hadn't liked Jordi at all when they'd first met. Then again, the feeling had been mutual, especially since she'd thrown one hell of a strop while being escorted into court, screeching, yelling and inspecting her nails while the case against her was outlined. She hadn't been happy after the judge had told her what she was going to do in order to pay Urs back for the damage she'd done to his MG following a conference between the judge, Urs and Geena's legal representative. How both women had persuaded him that she wouldn't learn anything in prison he still didn't know but he was glad they'd done so now. Because he'd agreed to give her a chance, Geena attitude and demeanour had done a complete turn around.
True, the first day she'd turned up, Geena had barely lifted a finger to help empty one of the three cottages he and Franky had bought just east of Saffron Walden. There had been a lot of work do in that one since the previous owner had left it full of furniture and rubbish. He'd soon changed his mind about her once he'd heard her story and now understood why she'd been so angry with how her life was going. Her parents had tried to marry her off to a man at the age of seventeen and when she'd refused and told them she wasn't interested in boys, they'd thrown her out of the house wearing nothing but the clothes on her back and hadn't spoken to her since. She'd turned to alcohol for comfort and had been well over the drink drive limit when she'd ruined his car. She'd cried her eyes out in Franky's arms, questioning how they could accept that her brother was gay but not her and for once in her life Franky hadn't been able to come up with an answer. His eyes widened slightly, wondering why people like Geena's parents ended up having children they could care less about while others wanted them so bad, but couldn't have them. Nature certainly could be cruel and even sadistic at times.
Now that young man and woman got on like a house on fire and constantly teased each other. Geena giggling as she told a playfully scowling Jordi how many girls she knew who fancied him and would love to wake up of a morning, wrapped in his muscular arms. Jordi pushing his short, fire red hair back out of his eyes before reminding Geena why they were where they were in the first place and if they didn't get on with the lesson, then she would never learn to swim.
"You can't blame them." Geena replied with a quick smile. "I might be gay, Jordi. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beauty of the male form and your form is......Oooh! Smokin' hot!"
"Pack it in, Geena." Jordi instructed firmly, his face bright red again. "Otherwise I'll tell you about what some of the straight guys I know.......appreciate about you. See who blushes worse then. Get me?"
"Ewww! Yes, sir." Geena grimaced then gave Jordi a quick salute.
Urs laughed again as he watched the twosome and thought what an idiot Magnus was for cheating on Jordi, eight times in total and telling him that gay men did not have female friends, straight or gay. Concluding his little tirade by saying that straight woman only hung out with gay men they fancied in the hope of changing them. The Dutchman refusing to believe that Joanne had never been more than Jordi's best friend and applying the same stupid logic to Franky and Michael before he stormed away and out of the cafe where Jordi had agreed to meet him in the first place. It really was no wonder Jordi had vowed never to speak to Magnus again, he knew different after seeing the way Michael and his mother behaved around each other since he was little. No way in hell would he ditch Joanne just because his boyfriend told him he had to. Future ones would have to accept their friendship and trust her, otherwise those relationships would come to an end too.
Hearing the familiar sound of Franky's Fire Harley making its was around to the garage, Urs left the poolroom and headed for the kitchen where he would wait for her to enter. He didn't have to wait long, but gasped when he saw how red her eyes were. He'd never known her to cry over the fact he'd become a little huffy about his plans going awry and wondered if she'd finally had enough of him behaving the way he had earlier in the day. If anyone knew you couldn't plan every day in the minutest detail it was him and he suddenly felt very guitly about asking her why she felt the need to finally go and see Jeffery Marsden after so many years.
"I'm sorry, angel. I just don't understand why you......." He began as she took a seat opposite him.
"I know and under any other circumstances I wouldn't have gone." Franky replied, her hands covering his before she moved the right one to the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a single sheet of paper that she presented to him. "That's what changed my mind."
Knowing that she wanted him to read what had arrived in the mail that morning, Urs unfolded the paper and read what had been written in an unfamiliar but fluid hand.
'Franky,
Many, many years have passed since we last spoke to each other, but I have never forgotten what a kind and caring person you were when you dated my brother, Jeffery.
For a long time, I couldn't forgive him for what the way he betrayed me and I did so only recently. He got in touch with me a few months ago, begging and pleading for me to come and see him. It came as a huge shock to discover he's been in a London hospice for almost three months without revealing to the staff that I existed.
The reason I write this note is to ask you to meet me at the hospice, preferably on your own. I swear I don't know why, but Jeff wants to see us both together. He will only say that he has something important to tell us.
If you can find it within yourself to agree to Jeffery's dying request, please meet me at...........'
Urs didn't need to read any further and quickly skipped to Benjamin Marsden's signature at the end. He still couldn't understand why Jeffery had asked her to go without him but thought whatever he'd had to say must have troubled him deeply for all those years for Franky to cry like she so obviously had.
"Erm........So, what did he have to say to you both?" He asked, handing the piece of paper back.
"That he has always loved me and Ben."
"What? After what he did?"
"Will you let me tell the whole thing before you go butting in?" Franky asked, her voice unusually terse and snappy. "I didn't believe him when he first said it. Scoffed, like you did just now and tried to leave. He grabbed my hand, I looked at him and it was clear he was telling the truth. I decided to stay and listen to the rest. Even though I'd never met his father, it seemed he thought I wasn't good enough for Jeffery, he thought he would be much better of with Benjamin's fiancee. We know how that ended, so I won't go there again. Unlike Ben, Jeff had always been close to his father and always gave in to his demands without much of an argument. Colm threatened to disown him if Jeff didn't do something that would make me end our relationship. Something that I would find so unforgiveable that I wouldn't talk to him ever again. Colm persuade him that to be caught in bed with Ben would kill two birds with one stone and we know that's exactly what happened, don't we?"
"Ja, we do. Was the bet thing a lie too?"
"Sort off. A cover story Jeff came up with to tell his father. Sharon wasn't even supposed to be at his house that day."
"Why would he.......Colm do such a thing?"
"Because he blamed Ben for the fact his wife died while giving birth to him. It wasn't his fault, apparently she'd always had a weak heart, shouldn't have had Jeff, never mind Ben. Colm couldn't see that it was partially his fault she'd died by persuading her to have another child, hated him from the day he was born and thought Sharon was way out of Benjamin's league. By the time Colm died, Jeff knew he wouldn't have a prayer of getting me back. You and I had been married for seven years by then and he knows that we still love each other as much as we did back then. He's been alone for all these years, Urs. Loving me that much but knowing he could never have me again and somehow managing to keep his jealousy of you hidden from all his friends."
"I wouldn't have done anything to hurt him, you know that Franky. I've never laid a finger on any man who's tried to take you away from me."
"I know that. He just didn't want to see us together before he died, honey. Seeing pictures of us together has been hard enough for him to bear. Seeing us in the flesh would have..........Well, I don't know how he would have reacted really. If he hadn't been so desperately ill, you know I wouldn't have gone to see him."
"I know. He died, ha......forgiven then?"
"Yeah. With Benjamin by his side, holding his hand, just three minutes after I'd left the room. The tears I cried are for what could have been, Urs, though not between Jeff and I. For what could and should have been between Ben and Jeff. The same loving bond we've brought our children up to have, not the constant war between the two of them. Now I understand why Jeff used to get upset after arguing with Ben. It was something he never wanted to do but he just didn't have it within him to defy his father. I know what I have to say next will come as a shock to you, but...........I will never forgive Colm Marsden for what he did to his sons. Never, Urs. Never."
Momentarily stunned by what he'd heard, Urs sat staring at Franky without saying a word while he reran everything she'd said before that final statement through his mind. As many mistakes as he'd made during their relationship and as many times he'd thought himself a complete and utter asshole, he now understood that title didn't even come close to belonging to him. It rightfully belonged to Colm Marsden and those like him.
"Everything all right, Pa?" He heard Jordi's concerned tone from close by and turned to face him.
"Everything is fine, Jordi. Why do ask?"
"Well you know.........you weren't very happy with Mami this morning.....I was just.......hoping you'd stopped sulking and sorted it all out."

"We have." Franky replied, smiling once again as she looked from Urs to Jordi and back again.
"Good. Are we going out to the cottages now?"
"Nein, by the time we get there it will be time to come back. Why?"
"You know, Geena needs some help because she's semi-literate. Thought I could help her out a bit since I don't have a job yet or anything better to do right now."
"Nein, we'll leave the cottages for a day or two. Your mother's been through enough today. The last thing she needs is to deal with you and me debating how best to lay out new kitchens." Urs replied, knowing that Geena couldn't read or write any better than the average eleven year old due to the fact she'd started skipping school at that age and her parents hadn't done anything to make her see what a huge mistake she was making.
"Okay. Trust me though, mathematically speaking, the way I've planned them will work best."
"We'll see. Just get. Nobody likes a show off." Urs laughed, picking up a handy towel, throwing it towards Jordi and hearing Franky giggle as the young man cursed the fact he'd managed to get him for the third time in as many days.
Knowing that Franky had had a lot to deal with this particular week other than Benjamin's request and dealing with the minor bickering between himself and Kurt, Urs asked her to go into the lounge while he made her favourite tea. Although she didn't normally have a nap in the afternoon, he entered the lounge to find her fast asleep and gave Jordi the universal singal to be quiet as he and Geena came back down from his room. He nodded when Kurt informed that Geena's lawyer had called to tell her that someone wanted to talk to her and that he was going to drop her off.
While the house was quiet and knowing that there were a couple of minor repairs that needed attending to, Urs went to fix those and had just put his tools back in the garage when Jordi returned. Despite the huge smile on his face, it was all to clear that he'd cried at some point during the last two hours. He refused to say anything until they were inside and talking to a now wide awake Franky.
"It was Geena's dad that called asking to see her. She didn't wanted to talk to him at first, but I persuaded her to at least listen to what he had to say. He apologised for allowing her mother to do what she did, said that he'd always been a weak, feeble man and had always agreed with his wife 'cos he didn't like arguing with her. Somehow, his brother found out what had happened, flew all the way from New Zealand to give him a good talking to. Must have worked too since he's left her and is filing for divorce. She doesn't seem the least bit bothered about that and neither is he from the looks of things, just wants to do all he can to make it up to Geena and hopefully get her into the career she wants. He says was never bothered by her sexuality either, especially since his sister is gay. Geena still has her doubts and she's told him so. He knows it's not going to be easy to make up for so many years of not seeming to care about her, but.......well I think he'll stick by her in future. Anyway, I'm going back upstairs, to apply to more colleges."
Smiling and nodding, Urs and Franky watched Jordi head upstairs, knowing that tweny colleges had refused to even give him so much as an interview up until now, proud of the fact that he hadn't let that get him down and that he'd persuaded to Geena to at least give her father a chance. Although they'd taught all of their children to care about those less fortunate that themselves, there was something just a little more special about Jordi.
"What are you thinking?" Urs heard Franky ask and turned to pull her into his arms.
"As heartbroken as Jordi was about the way his relationship with Magnus ended, I'm positive that he'll find his true love one day, just like I did. I'm also positive that whoever that turns out to be, they'll have a wonderful life together. And that, angel is all down to you." He replied then leaned a little closer, intent on kissing Franky, only to feel her cuffing him round the back of the head. "Okay, okay I get it. Us." He sulked playfully, rubbing at the spot where she'd hit him lightly while she shook her head.
"Hmmn. You will one day Urs Buhler." Franky retorted with a smile before allowing him to kiss tenderly.
Turn the page.
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