To Be at Peace with Yourself

Chapter 22: Looking to the Future

And so it ends...

The featured music is 'Forever' by Tracey Chattaway

***

"Mommy!"

Reaper paused in carving up the meat that would eventually go into tonight's stew to watch his grandson barrel down the stairs and out the door of the two-story cabin, a paper clutched in his four-year-old hands.

How things have changed.

Days after Reaper had discreetly eradicated the lab and its workers inside the mountain, which had inadvertently started rumors in the town of the mountain actually being a dormant volcano, the trio had come to an agreement that Reaper's home was well beyond feasible repairs and living capacity... not to mention many painful memories.

Palette had offered his home and within a day, the few items that could be salvaged were teleported over to Palette's house.

Of course, the house was far too small for three people... which had resulted in a huge home makeover the following week. With Reaper sharing Goth's ability to take to the air, getting the framework built and installed for the second story was a simple task.

It had been during this time that Reaper pulled Palette aside while re-shingling their new roof, asking him when he and Goth planned to tie the knot. The flustered skeleton initially denied his affections, but he couldn't fool the god of death... he'd been in love once too, and could see that his son was smitten with the artist as well.

Once Reaper got him to open up, he divulged his fear of Goth living longer than him... of being lonely when he eventually died.

Reaper's response was to push him off the roof.

After a panic attack and lots of yelling and scolding from Goth, the immortal was able to point out that Palette was fine. Patting himself down, he realized his broken arm and ribs had managed to heal themselves.

Confused questions ensued, leading to Reaper asking a few questions of his own.

It was eventually discovered that when Goth healed the artist's bullet wound two weeks prior, he'd implanted a portion of his own healing magic into Palette, explaining Goth's missing eye light and lowered magic capacity.

Goth had also increased his longevity in the process... meaning the life expectancy barrier had shattered for Palette.

It didn't take long after that for Palette to confess his feelings, which the other had accepted eagerly once the concept was explained. A year later, the pair got married. It was a small affair with only the three of them and a priest, considering Goth was still wary of new people.

No one really minded. Everyone that mattered was there.

The two had initially skirted around the idea of children the first year, but with some proper research and advice from daddy death, they were finally ready to try. Goth was a ball of worry the whole pregnancy, so much so that he passed out from stress at one point.

'I have no idea how to be a parent! What if something happens? I feel weird, something's wrong! What if I can't do it?' were the common concerns.

Once little Pastel was born, though, it was as if a switch flipped. His care for the infant nearly rivaled Geno's when Goth was born.

Palette definitely became a doting parent, singing his little rainbow's every accomplishment from the rooftops; with Reaper occasionally joining in. Goth frequently reigned them both in so Pastel wouldn't grow to have an overinflated ego. It honestly wasn't a surprise to Reaper that his son was the more down-to-earth parent... it's a trait he inherited from Geno, after all.