The Way We Were

The Way We Family Reunion PTIII

Mal paced, not knowing how to tell his wife that her estranged mother had shown up.

The kids began waking up and saw how agitated their father was. "What's wrong, Daddy?"

The nannies were waking up, too so he asked them to get the kids dressed. They all (minus the triplets) went into the bathroom.

Mal got back in bed and held his wife close. He thought about all she'd told him about her time away from him and he couldn't help but be angry with his mom.

Marcy stirred. She yawned in his face and blinked her pretty lily eyes. "Hi."

"Hi." He couldn't help but to kiss her lips, even though both had bad breath and sleep all over their faces.

She smiled. "Why are you up? You usually only beat me up on my birthday. Is it my birthday?!"

"It's August."

She pouted.

He nuzzled her. "It's your birthday. Everyday's your birthday."

"Yay." She closed her eyes.

"Baby, open those beautiful eyes. I have to tell you something."

W.W.W.

Marcus and Judy were a mess over not only Rose being at the family reunion but Russell as well.

Michael and Jeanette were trying to calm them down but it didn't seem to be working.

"What about the kids?" Marcus fretted.

"Except for Madeline, they're all old." Michael pointed out.

"They're still so little."

"Both Trey and Malcolm are bigger than the both of us. Even Michael is."

Marcus huffed. "I want to protect the kids."

"I get it, brother. But they are adults now. They have to fight their own battles."

Marcus knew he was right. And hated it...

W.W.W.

Marcy knocked on the door before her. She'd gotten the room number from Violet, who'd kept in touch with Rose all these years.

The door opened and Rose was there. Both women stared at each other before Rose tried to hug her daughter.

But Marcy stepped back.

Rose's heart chipped. She swallowed hard. "Would you like to come in?"

"No." Marcy said softly. "I just came to look you in the face and tell you so there's no misunderstanding. I hate you."

Rose's heart shattered.

"I was a child. Your child. But not anymore." Marcy made to leave but Rose burst into tears and glommed onto the Gemini.

"No! Please don't leave like this!"

"Don't touch me." Marcy hardened her heart.

Rose let her go but got in front of her. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"You think you can trot out a sorry and the abuse I went through goes away?!"

"Abuse?"

"What do you think was happening?! We'd read the bible and sing gospel songs?!"

Actually that was exactly what Rose had envisioned. "What happened?"

"You don't get to ask me what happened!"

"You weren't angry the last time I saw you." Rose deflated.

"Because I was a stupid kid that just wanted my mother to love me! I got over it."

Rose was on the verge of a breakdown. "Please! No! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

"To what?! Scar me for life?! Destroy my trust in other people?! I almost lost my husband because I wouldn't trust him and that's because of you!"

Rose sniffled hard. "I-! I-! I-!"

"It's always about you! You didn't like me! You didn't love me! You decided to kill me!"

"No! No!" Rose was coming apart at the seams. "I didn't!"

"Tell that lie to someone else." Marcy pushed past her.

Rose crumpled to the ground and wept.

Marcy kept going.

W.W.W.

Quinn knocked on the door before her.

It opened to reveal Russell. "Hi."

"Why are you here?"

He sulked at her not wanting to beat around the bush. "This is a family reunion and I'm family."

"You didn't act like family when you cheated on Mom."

"That's between your mother and me."

"It's between all of us because you left us, too!"

He swallowed. "I just had to get away."

Quinn sniffled. Of course he did.

"Wait!" He stopped her when she was turning to go. "Not from you. Never from you. I- I'm depressed."

"Daddy,-!"

"I'm serious. I never knew what it was and I ignored it. I thought if I did other things, it'd go away and for a while, it worked. But then I'd be depressed again or sometimes even worse.

I couldn't handle it and tried everything I could think of to get rid of those feelings and I made the terrible decision to cheat on your mother. I was wrong.

I should have talked to her, gone to see someone, admitted it to myself.

But I didn't and I ruined everything and ran. I'm sorry, Quinnie. I was a bad daddy."

Quinn was beyond shocked.

"I've been staying with Rose. We've been thinking of ways to atone for our transgressions. I want my family back. I want my wife back. I'll do whatever it takes. There's no other outcome."

Quinn smiled briefly. "I'll talk to Mom."

He hugged her. "Thank you, Quinn."

W.W.W.

"What do we think?" Marc asked.

"Maybe they just need to talk?" Mal suggested, taking Marcy's hand. "We did."

"We were also pregnant." Marcy reminded him.

"Maybe Mom and Daddy can sleep together and she gets pregnant and they'll have to talk?" Quinn thought up.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Who are we forgiving?"

"PR." Marcy was dead serious.

Mercedes grabbed her hand. "Okay."

Mike nodded. "Just Father then."

Maddie sat close to Marcy and hugged her. "I'm so sorry you went through all that. Those people were bad. We should tell Grandfather and Granddad."

The others were up for that.

"For what?" Marcy didn't want to dwell on it.

"Payback!" Quinn was all for that.

"Won't erase what happened."

"But it'd make you feel better." Maddie pointed out.

"Will it?"

The others frowned before making eye contact with each other. They were telling.