Beautiful Remains

Geoff

Shaun and I were sitting in our seats, waiting for the plane to take off, when I noticed Shaun shaking. "Love, what's wrong?" I said, grabbing his hand and looking at his face. He looked up at me, tears streaming madly down his face.

"I'm scared. I've never flown, and I haven't been away from Dean and the gang for more than a few hours," he whispered, causing me to chuckle. Shaun glared at me.

"Don't worry about it, Shaun. The ride will be smooth and over before you know it," I said, squeezing his hand gently. "Plus, we'll only be gone for two weeks, just to have some time for ourselves." Shaun smiled weakly, wiping away his tears. "I love you, Shaun."

He chuckled and sighed, looking down briefly for a moment before staring back into my eyes. "I love you, too, Geoff," he whispered before leaning into me and kissing me gently.

Dean

The ride home was silent. The girls were with Fred and Jackson, and the triplets were passed out in the back of our car. Chase was peering out his window, a look of anger on his face. I sighed, then said, "You want to talk about it?"

"Why did she have to be there? Why was she so stupid giving up the girls?" Chase said, his hands becoming fists. I rolled my eyes discreetly.

"I don't know, Chase," I replied honestly. "When I was with her all those years ago, she was a bright young thing. Knew what she wanted and never let anything get in her way. I suppose she thought that the girls were too much of a hassle and problematic with her wants and dreams."

I could feel Chase staring up at me. I glanced over at him for a moment, then stuck my eyes back on the road. "So, it doesn't bother you that Anna and Aurianna's own mother gave them up for her greediness?" Chase said.

"No. Why? Because now they're in our care and are part of a close knit family who loves them dearly," I said, turning onto the exit ramp. "I believe you should be happy that they're with at least one of their biological parents who loves them deeply, and not with a horrid family."

Chase never said a word after that, and I didn't push him any farther. We arrived him last, watching the others getting out of the cars. Shutting off my car, I got out and immediately went to the back and grabbed the nearest child, which happened to be Jasper. Chase grabbed Krystal. Fred came over and grabbed Kassie.

We all headed in, no one saying a word. It was weird, not having Geoff and Shaun around to crack jokes and ease the tension. I looked at a photo that had every single one of us -- including the kids -- in the game room. I smiled, wishing that all of us were still together, wreaking havoc and having a good time.

Time Elapse

The gang was in the living room, drinking and talking about the good old times. Chase was the only one not talking, he still had a raging anger toward Ginger. I couldn't blame him. I sat there, watching Chase drinking his wine, staring into the flames of the fireplace.

I stood up and took my glass to the counter, then headed toward the closet in which the guitar was at. Grabbing it, I sat back down at the couch and everyone became silent. Chase looked up at me, some of his anger seeming to subside a bit.

I started strumming, my eyes closing a bit. Then the words escaped my mouth.

"When the moon hung soft and low,
Catchin' stardust in the light
You held me closer and closer
There was magic in the night

A sweet love song, a melody
that I still can recall
Two young hearts filled with dreams
To walk away with it all

Whoa, whoa tender years
Won't you wash away my tears
How I wish you were here
Please don't go, tender years."