Legends Never Die

Chapter Eight

Ted

I woke up in the middle of the night to a gentle, feminine voice singing.
Hold me close and hold me fast,
This magic spell you cast...
"Tracy?" I mumbled sleepily. No response. It took me a moment to realize that the space beside me in the bed was cold (as it had been for years), and that the voice was much too distant to be within my bedroom. I slipped on a robe and treaded lightly along the creaky floors, trying not to wake Luke (whom I heard snoring from behind his locked door.)
And when you speak angels sing from above,
Everyday words seem to turn into love...
I found Penny sitting near the window, shivering in the cold, singing softly to the sky.
I took another step forward, and the floors creaked loudly under my un-slippered feet (how did I not think to wear my British morning socks?).
Penny jumped. "Oh, Dad," she laughed breathlessly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's okay, Pen," I replied. "You want some company?"
"I don't know... maybe..." she admitted. I smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Go put on a jacket, I'll make some tea," I suggested.
"Tea?" She laughed. "Dad, we're not British."

Penny and I sat next to each other on the very couch I'd told her the story of her mother, sipping chamomile tea in silence.
"It's okay to say you still miss her, you know," I blurted. "So do I, and I'll bet Luke does, too."
She shook her head. "It's not that."
"Yeah, it is. I know what that song means."
She sighed heavily. "You've moved on, so can I."
I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean, I've moved on?"
She gestured. "You know, Aunt Robin."
I glared. "You know I've put my feelings for your Aunt Robin on hold since..."
Since Barney.
"Mom wouldn't mind," Penny told me. "Neither would Barney."
"This isn't about me," I scolded her. "This is about Robin. She's going through a lot right now-"
"Yeah, and that's what makes it even worse," Penny whispered, her lip trembling. "Because you feel selfish for having feelings for her, and I feel selfish because..."
I frowned. "Because what?" I questioned, confused as to why Penny could possibly feel selfish. "You haven't done anything wrong."
"But I'm jealous," she murmured. "I'm jealous of Ellie, who just lost both of her parents... because... b-because..." she stifled a sob into my shoulder. "Because she gets a mother, at least."
My heart sank.
"It's not your fault, Dad," Penny continued in alarm. "I didn't mean it like that-"
"It's okay, Pen," I whispered, stroking her hair. "We've all got something to feel quilts about.