SquidgeWorld Archive

The Bela Lugosi Blues All Over Again (Again!)
Rewritten:27.9.05

Mark sat down for five minutes. Most of his house-guests were already here. Amanda with Dion, CJ, and Cosette, were unpacking in the spare-room. Cosette loved this beach house; was still in awe of it, even though she’d been he plenty of times since coming from the adoption agency to live with Amanda…
Steve had brought his family – Little K.C –Katherine-Carol was walking with her Dad along the beach. Ellen was upstairs, feeding baby Daniel Mark.
“Mark, anybody?” Came a voice Mark recognised through the house.
“In here, Jesse… Just sitting down while dinner takes its time!” Mark awoke.
“Hey!!” Jesse was the first to bear-hug Mark.
“Where’s Susan..?” Mark smiled.
“Here!” She walked up behind her husband… “Sorry, I got caught talking to Steve & K.C – They’re just coming home… I had to go and see that view before I came in!”
Mark looked back over his shoulder. “Understandable..!” Why didn’t you just knock on the patio doors and wake me up!?” He hugged Susan hello.
“You were asleep?” Jesse looked to his friend.
“I confess!” Mark grinned.
“Ah, but you haven’t burnt dinner – It smells lovely!” Jesse complimented.
“Why, thank you!” Mark walked to the patio doors to open them up for his son and grand-daughter, whom were returning to the house.
“You’re awake now, Dad!” Steve teased as he came through the open doors.
“Look, Granddad!” K.C held up a shell.
Mark bent down to be at her side. “Beautiful! Do you think that’s the best one yet?!” He asked his grand-daughter.
“Might be!” She giggled, leaning all over him, sitting on his knee as he was still crouched on the floor.
“How was work today, Jess?” Steve asked him, as he walked back from the kitchen with a glass of water for himself and a glass of lemon barley for his daughter, whom Mark promptly picked up and plonked on the sofa, where he had previously been napping.
“Tiring..!” Jess admitted. “How about you?”
“All of a sudden, our next shifts at Barbecue Bob’s sound positively therapeutic!” Steve admitted, sitting down next to his daughter.
“I thought I heard you lot down here!” Ellen greeted them, walking down the stairs with her son in her arms.
Steve got up to help her and Mark took his place next to K.C, whom drained her glass of lemon barley, stretched out on the sofa, rather like her Granddad had done moments ago, plopped a reachable cushion on Mark’s lap, and nestled into it, all without a word.
“We’re nearly all here!” Amanda walked back into the house’s central room with her three children in tow.
“Good, because dinner’s just about done!” Mark still sat with his grand-daughter, but new the meal to be nearly ready.
“Pasta?” The little girl asked him.
“Yep, Spaghetti Bolognaise!” He replied.

Jack pulled in the driveway of Mark’s house. His daughter was asleep in her car-seat, and the dog (Alsatian) was asleep in the trunk. His wife looked out of the window, a million miles away.
Mark, Steve, and Amanda came out to meet them. He got out of the car, and his wife went to their daughter.
Mark was beaming; walking toward Jack. They shook hands and embraced a moment.
“How was the trip?” Mark asked.
“It got us here, and this is just what we need..!” Jack told him.
His wife and daughter now stood beside him.
“Need a hand with luggage?” Steve asked.
“Thanks, friend…” Jack stated, as if they’d never been away from each other.
“Hi, I’m Amanda…” She told Jack’s wife.
“Faith.” His wife replied, not unpleasantly.
“Come in and sit down. I’ve left Jesse and Susan in charge of dishing up dinner! There’s a crib and a basket for the dog in Steve’s old flat beneath the house. I’ve brought the crib up for the time being, so you can keep an eye on this little one…” He mentioned Jack and Faith’s daughter.
“Thank you.” Faith replied.
Jack, Steve, and the dog, followed Mark, Faith, Amanda, and baby Bea indoors.

After dinner, the ensemble of family and friends walked along the shore, and came home in the glorious evening sunlight.
Each of them talked of their lives and their plans. Jesse and Susan thanked Amanda for her references given to the adoption agency. They’d just been accepted to adopt four year old twin boys.
“Thank Heaven I found my way back home..!” Susan turned to Amanda. “I was stupid to leave Jesse when I love him… I just knew kids would be the next step for us…”
“Don’t fret… Really. You and Jesse have been back together for quite a while now. The Agency is satisfied you’re genuine. You have the boys, remember!?” Amanda soothed her compassionately, genuinely.
“Just another week; then Jonathan & Nathan will be here…” Jesse pondered.
Amanda patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll both be ok!”
Susan held Jesse’s hand tight, as they walked back into Mark’s home.

The next morning, the house was buzzing Today was the day of Daniel-Mark’s Christening… Steve and Ellen were upstairs; having taken over Mark’s room. They were getting K.C and themselves presentable.
Mark was downstairs on the balcony, baby Daniel in his arms. “You already know the mad-house, don’t you, son?!” Mark laughed. “Well, today, you’re getting inducted into the house of God!”
“Hi, Mark…” Jack walked out onto the balcony area.
“Everything ok?” Mark turned to him.
“Yeah…” Jack answered. He looked at baby Daniel, held the child’s tiny hand briefly. “Wasn’t that long ago we got Bea Christened. She’s named after a friend of Faith’s.”
“That’s lovely.” Mark thought aloud. “I know what a privilege that is myself, don’t I, D.M??” He grinned at his darling grandson.

Mark sat in the front row at church while Father Bosley Christened Daniel… Daniel-Mark had several God-parents. Steve had chosen Jesse and Susan and Jack and Faith, while Ellen asked their friend, Selena Sanchez, whom had helped them to realise marriage was the way to go…
And the boy had brought together so many old friends … Just a few rows behind Mark, there sat Delores, and Norman, whom had brought along his wife, Tatum, and his two children; Leilani, aged eight, and Gaheris, five. They’d driven up, bringing Delores, for a chance to reunite, and the chance to see Steve’s family.
Mark was taking in every moment of the ceremony with perfect clarity, but dually, he could also perfectly see Steve’s Christening… He and Katherine beginning with this new life… And now, in the same church, so years later, he could sense Katherine and Carol in this building… Mingled with memories of himself and Katherine young; Father Bosley just starting out as a Priest, gingerly Christening Steve. A taste of undeniable Heaven in which they all shared at this moment.

Jack walked around at the party afterward; baby Bea Faith Lexa in his arms. Bea: Bringer of Joy, Faith: What they all needed!, Lexa: Defender of Mankind.
Faith, his wife, sat talking with Amanda.
“… Long time no see, Amigo!” Norman greeted him.
“Hey, Norman, Buddy..! How’s life been treating you?? I see from last year’s Christmas card you’ve moved house!”
“It’s a beautiful place, Jack..! Beautiful! This must be the daughter you told me all about in your Christmas card!??” Norman smiled kindly at the infant.
“Indeed!” Jack held her up a little. “Gorgeous girl, she is!”
“Those are my two..!” Norman pointed at Leilani & Gaheris, running around with CJ, Dion, and Cosette. “Leilani’s middle name is Minnie. Mom was ever so proud!”
She has every right to be, Norman, my friend… How is your Mom these days?”
“Just relieved she has achieved grandmother-hood before packing her bags for her home in the sky… But I think there’s life in Minnie Briggs yet!” Norman spoke happily.
“I don’t doubt it, Norman… She’s an incredibly tenacious lady! A bit like that one over there!” Jack motioned toward Delores. “I’ll go and introduce Bea to her!”
Jack walked over to Delores, whom was standing with Steve, Ellen, K.C and Daniel.
“Hello, D..!” Jack said, standing behind her.
Delores turned around. “My goodness! Jack!” Delores exclaimed. “I was talking with your good lady wife earlier… She said she’d left you in charge of the baby for five minutes!”
“Ah, but she’s keeping a definite eye on me!” Jack smiled warmly.
“Every woman has to..!” Delores beamed. She exchanged a kiss on the cheek with Jack. “But you have to keep an eye on your beautiful daughter..!” Delores informed him.
“Already started..!” Jack laughed.
“Good, give this girl another eighteen years and she’ll be just as beautiful as she is now!” Delores announced.
“Undoubtedly.” Jack agreed. “Six months old, and already the most beautiful girl I ever saw, alongside her Mom, of course!”
“Of course!” Delores confirmed. Then, she turned to Steve. “Who’s that young man?!”
“That’s Alex. He’s one of Dad’s students.” Steve informed her.
“Excuse me a moment, would you?” She asked them.

“Hi! I’m Delores!” She told Alex.
“Alex Smith…” He shook her hand genuinely.
“I used to be Mark’s Secretary…” Delores detailed.
“And I used to be his student!” Alex smiled.
“Steve told me.” Delores stated. “What do you do now?”
“I’ve just started up a clinic for soldiers returning from war; injuries physical, emotional, mental, all of the above or just one…” Alex told her.
“Need a strong woman to keep them in hand, do you?!?” Delores asked. “I used to be a nurse as well as a Secretary…”
“Where do you live?” Alex asked.
“Not far.” Delores replied, a smile on her face. “I wanted to be near my grandchildren.”

K.C was with her Granddad Mark, so Steve and Ellen went upstairs for a moment, to change baby Daniel out of his Christening gown.
“We’ll have to put the Christening photos next to K.C’s now…” Ellen pondered.
Uncle Stacey was ecstatic when we made him God-Father for K.C!” Steve smiled at the memory. Have you seen the gifts he brought with him for the kids this time??”
“A tub full of jelly beans!??” Ellen laughed affectionately.
“An ice-cream maker!” Steve announced.
“I’d better get to grips with that then!!” Ellen laughed again. “And I should order an extra extra set of Christening photos for your Aunt Dora…”
“Uhu.” Steve affirmed.
“I hope we’ve done the right thing by choosing different God-parents this time… There are so many people we wanted to honour!” Ellen wondered.
“You couldn’t get a more different pair of God-mothers’ than Amanda and Aunt Dora… And they’re very amicable over K.C!” Steve assured Ellen.
“What would happen if anything happened though??” Ellen asked.
“Hey,” Steve held her and his son. “Where’s this worry come from??”
“We each lost a parent really early on, didn’t we?” Ellen looked up at him. “And the only Grandparent they now have is your Dad… He could look after them now, but not forever…”
“Sshhh…” Steve comforted her. “Nothing will happen to us – But if it did, no one we’ve chosen would argue over K.C and Daniel. We’ve made Dad, then Amanda their legal guardian, remember?”
“I know… I always get emotional after I’ve had a baby, remember?” Ellen looked at their son.
“Dad would tell you, it’s entirely natural…” Steve looked into her eyes, loving her.

That night, Jack couldn’t sleep… He went up to sit in Mark’s living room and look out at the sea.
Mark evidently couldn’t sleep either, because he, too, was sitting in the living room… “Are you ok, Jack?”
“You?” Jack asked.
“Yeah… just felt like looking out at the sea for a while…” Mark said.
“Me, too…” Jack sat down in the armchair across from Mark’s sofa.
“Is Faith alright, Jack?” Mark queried.
“She looks worn out, huh?” Jack replied.
“Kinda…” Mark answered.
“She saved my life, Mark…” Jack told him.
“Oh?” Mark asked.
“She’d been bringing people into my practice… It’s a rough place, and she always brought them in, looked after them, y’know… I patched her up, too… She had defensive wounds all over the place as well… Then, I noticed an old scar on her neck… It got me to thinking...” Jack began.
Mark knew what he was talking about. He leant forward.
“… So, I followed her… And…” He paused. “I nearly got bitten in an alleyway… “But Faith comes in, and I mean, she’s amazing! Awesome, without exaggeration. She saves me… And, over the months, we stuck together, y’know, in every which way…”
“Faith’s a vigilante?” Mark enquired neutrally.
“She’s a Slayer Mark; A Defender of Mankind. So’s the friend we named Bea after…” Jack poured out. “I’ve met her and some of the others.”
Mark shivered again. “Does this mean Bea will grow up to be a ‘Slayer’?”
“We don’t know… We don’t think so… But we want her to have the strength of a Defender of Mankind, if not the responsibility…” Jack confided.
Mark worried for his children, too. “Mariah wasn’t the only one of her kind? She still isn’t??”
“Thankfully, there are very, very few left now… There was some kind of warfare…” Jack recalled Faith’s explanations. “It’s all real, Mark, I swear..!”
“Somehow, I believe you…” Mark would never, ever forget Mariah…

The End
Completed: 29th.9.05