Marriage Of Growth

~16~ I Forgot

The walk back to the house is a sweet one as Matthew takes my hand in his and pulls me against his side. When I look up at him, he's grinning.

"Why do you look like a fox in a hen house?"

He chuckles as he bends and kisses my temple. "I thought I lost this with you."

"Me too," I nod as I wrap my arm around his waist.

"I'm also glad, cause now I could be a pa again at some point."

"You really want more youngins?" I ask.

"I want a bushel of 'em with you."

I smile at the idea, and tuck myself further into his side as we walk the rest of the way home.

~*~

As soon as we walk into the yard, I know something is wrong.

"Matthew....." I choke out.

He looks at me and follows my gaze, and then takes off running faster than I thought humanely possible.

Smoke is pouring out of the house

I pick up my skirts and run at a speed even I didn't know I possessed, and when I get to the house, the flames are big and have engulfed the front wall.

"PLEASE GOD!" I scream as smoke fills my lungs and I search for my children.

Jamie is holding Louise and crying off to the side of the house, and when I get to him, his face is black with soot.

"Where?" I choke out, and then see Brennan lying in the grass next to him.

"Where's Remi and Junior?" I cry as I see Matthew trying to fight the fire with a blanket. Then I see that Junior is dousing the wall with buckets of water, but Remi is no where to be found.

I go inside the house, and I can tell the fire is already under control.

"GET OUT!" Matthew screams at me as Junior throws another bucket of water on.

"I can't find Remi!" I cry as I start to cough from the smoke.

"She was next to Jamie," he grunts as he gets another section out.

I look behind me and shake my head. "She's not."

Matthew hands the blanket to Junior and looks through the house quickly. "She's not here," he says as he grabs another blanket and continues to beat out the fire.

I run around the outside of the house but I can't find her. I start to full-on panic at the thought of her being trapped somewhere...The cellar!

I no more start to run back to the house, when I see Remi coming from the barn.

I can't even think about how strange that just was, because the relief of her being safe makes me sob.

I run into her and hug her tightly, her hair smelling horribly of smoke.

"You ok?" I get out, and she nods into my chest and hugs me tighter.

"Where were you?"

"I got everyone out," she cries.

I hold her even tighter and kiss her hair. When we walk back to the house, the fire is out and the Matthews are breathing heavily.

"You ok?" I ask Junior as I hug him, getting soot all over my dress.

"Yes'um."

"What in tarnation happened?!?" Matthew booms from where he's leaning against the porch railing.