The Funtom Company

3: The |Rachel| Company

"Where the hell have you been?!" Rachel Dalles raised her hands in anger and stared at her sorry excuse for a husband. "Didn't I tell you we had plans?" Rachel rolled her eyes. "What good is sending the twins to inform you if that doesn't give you any sense of urgency?"

"I'm sorry," Vincent apologized. "You know how it is. You think you're done and then...you aren't."

"I never should've let you form a company if I knew it was going to take so much of your time away from me," Rachel sighed and hugged Vincent. The two rocked back and forth side to side on their legs like penguins. It was a weird thing they did. The twins never understood it.

"What is this important date that I missed?" Vincent asked. Rachel broke the hug and pointed to folders and folders and more folders. "We have to choose marriage candidates for the twins."

"What?" Vincent, Ciel, and Leic all spoke in unison.

"They can't stay single forever. We have to set them up with partners. Arranged marriages sometimes work out better than ones for love, you know? I've studied this," Rachel clapped her hands together. Leic avoided her gaze and stared at the wall. Here we go again, one of her random schemes. He knew she didn't care about him so much as she cared about profit. Rachel was a woman of material gain. She would do anything and everything to earn an extra dollar. Leic knew it. Ciel knew it. Vincent...well he knew but he tended to avoid looking directly at that fact.

"Damn gold digger," Ciel crossed his arms and mumbled. He wished Aunt Angelina was his real mother. Unfortunately, that woman was too busy running a school to visit them frequently.

"For Leic, I've narrowed it down to three prime candidates," Rachel sat at the table and opened her file of top choices. Vincent sat on the opposing side of the table and looked at them. Elizabeth Midford, familiar and a family friend. Alois Trancy? That's a new one. He didn't think Rachel would accept her son marrying another male. Sieglinde Sullivan. Wasn't she related to Diedrich in some way? Another family friend.

"You aren't seriously considering arranging my marriage, are you?" Leic whispered into his father's ear. Vincent smiled. His expression didn't give anything away. Leic hated it when he did that.

"I think this Alois fellow seems quite charming, actually," Vincent placed that picture on the top. Leic frowned.

"You are not going to pick a person for me to marry. I will bomb the wedding. That's final." Ciel said before retreating to his bedroom.

"It's not that terrible of an idea, is it?" Rachel gazed that sad puppy-dog gaze. Vincent had a weakness for small animals. Maybe that's the reason he found it hard to say no to his wife.

"This isn't exactly the right time period for arranged marriages, dear," Vincent tried to break it to her lightly. "Ciel is in his defying authority stage. Leic, well, he takes after me," Vincent wrapped his arm around Leic's shoulder and held him close. "He doesn't enjoy being forced into anything he hasn't decided for himself."

"Are you telling me I don't know what's best for my own children?!" Rachel stood up. She was angry, that much was clear. "I've spent more time with them than you have! You, with your company and paperwork. Who knows if you actually stay there doing it! Perhaps you have better things to do with your time? Like your secretaries? How many have you gone through in this month alone?"

"Rachel," Vincent sighed and pressed the bridge of his nose. "Do we really need to have this discussion again? Right now?" Leic's heart went out to his father. His mother was definitely a stubborn woman. She wouldn't let anyone change her mindset. It didn't matter how many times it was explained to her or not.

"When would we have another time? Vincent? You're never here to have this discussion! I can't keep doing this! It's not fair to me! I'm practically a single mother! These kids barely have a relationship with you and you're trying to tell me what is best for them? Do you realize how idiotic that is?" Rachel's words were only going to get more and more harsh. She wasn't the type to think about what she said when she was angry.

Vincent didn't say anything. He didn't have the energy to say a thing. They'd had this argument time and time again. He was tired of it. Tired of this. "Look," Rachel sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She breathed in and breathed out. "I can't keep living like this, Vincent. You're going to have to decide what's more important to you. Me and the twins or you and your company."

That was the last straw for Vincent. He stood up and slammed his hand down on the table. "Why do you do this?! Why are you always saying the same thing over and over and over again? Do you not listen to me? Do you not care that I'm the one paying for every damn thing in this place? What do you do? Honestly, Rachel, what in your life is so hard that you have to find fault in everything? You're a stay at home mother. You don't have a job. You don't even have a hobby. You're upset because I'm paying for your shelter, food, our children's education? Because I have the start of a successful company? Because I make the papers?"

"I want you to be here," Rachel sobbed. "I want my husband back damnit!" She held her head in her hands and sobbed. Leic, not wanting to witness this any longer, went back to the room he shared with Ciel.

"I know," Vincent ran a hand through his hair. "I know," he repeated. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not here more often. My new secretary is learning fast so I'll have more time soon. I will."

"You always say that," Rachel continued sobbing. Vincent didn't know what to do. He wanted to hug her, comfort her in some way, but he didn't know if that was okay. They were so close in the past. Now they felt like strangers living under the same roof.

"I know and I'm sorry," Vincent said. He didn't know what else to say. He just went to his room. They didn't even sleep in the same one anymore. He sat on the bed and stared at the wall.

"What has become of me?"

The door opened and Ciel walked in. He sat on the bed next to his father. He gave him a hug. Leic followed shortly after. He sat on the other side. He gave him a hug too. Vincent, sandwiched between his two sons, with Rachel still crying out in the other room.

"I don't suppose you two have anything you want to add? Any complaints you'd like to file? Speak now, it's a great time to."

"We only want," Leic began.

"What you want," Ciel finished.

"We will always love you no matter what," they said in unison.