Watch the Stars with Me

Chapter 22

Just over five months. He had just over five months of beautiful, coming to life, Spring and Summer time with his mother. She never truly remembered their past, his childhood, or the man she loved enough to go and try to find, however, she believed him and Fey when they told her who he was to her. He looked too much like her, and after a few days of interactions the way he moved, the way he threw his head back when he really laughed, or how his eyebrows crinkled together when he read, it all reminded her of herself.

Every day they walked through the garden at the house. When he noticed the yard was lacking his favorite blooms he added them in a patch along the path one night while the women were sleeping so he didn't miss any of her awake moments. The next morning as they were walking and he was answering one of her questions about his life, she stopped in front of the new flowers. "Aster flowers... these... these are my favorite. I think if I had a daughter I would name her after them." She smiled, her eyes fixed to the bursting purple pedals, completely ignorant of Leon's shocked expression.

There were too many hours to count of them sitting out in the garden while Georgiana painted, Fey embroidering something or altering one of her dresses, and Leon reading. When he wasn't reading the magazines and articles written by other adventurers he could be found reading classics by Charlotte Brontë, William Shakespeare, or  especially Homer. One evening, mid summer, when they were coming inside for dinner, Georgiana stopped Leon and waited for Fey to leave the room. "I painted for you today Leon." She said as she handed the canvas to the son that, although she couldn't remember giving birth to him, had grown to love and cherish again. She walked away after handing him the beautiful painting a collection of flowers in various shades of purples; tall larkspurs, soft violets, proud asters, and little white jasmine flowers clustered together on the canvas.

On her last nights on this planets she asked if they could take a blanket outside and lay under the stars. Once Fey and Leon we're satisfied that she was bundled up enough, which made her laugh so hard it shook her frail body, they went outside and looked up at the dark night sky. Leon sighed a bit frustrated before speaking in a saddened tone. "The lights from the city drown out so many of the stars. I wish you could see more Georgiana. I wish you could see them all."

She smiled as tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you son." He softly gasped, she had t called him that the whole time, it was always Leon and he felt an overwhelming sense of gratefulness that he got to hear her say it at least once.

After some silence Georgiana spoke again, in a kind of dreamy tone that made Fey and Leon turn to her with some concern. "I think I'll be seeing them all very soon." When they went to get her the next morning she had passed from this place to the next, with a peaceful look on her face.

After the small funeral Fey had decided to return to her parents home. She had bought the house in Leiden, and told Leon he could stay in it as long as he needed. As he stood by the car waiting for her to enter the automobile she pulled him into a hug. "I've made a very big decision." She smiles brightly. "I'm going to call off my engagement to Henry." His shock incited a quickly laugh. "It was arranged by our parents in the first place! He doesn't love me! And I've been in love with one my parent's footmen for years." She slides into the care and Leon distractedly closes the door. She leans to the open window of the car. "Wish me luck on the adventure ahead of me Leon?"

He lets out a short chuckle. "Good luck on your adventure Fey Stephanotis."

The last few weeks of summer passed in a blur. He walked the garden every day, and read his novels in the lawn, and at night he gazed up at the few twinkling stars he could see in the city, sometimes imagining that a new star had appeared since his mother passed.

Just before the weather took its turn into Fall, he made up his mind to go on his next adventure; to climb the tallest mountain on this continent, reach the top, see a glimpse of this galaxy, and name the brightest star he can find up there and name it after his mother. She may have forgotten her life, but he was determined to never forget her or the time they did get together in the end.
He wrote his letters and sent out his requests for funding and waited for replies from a few of his fellow adventurers, some he had worked with before but most of them were men and when he had only really read about, and he was looking forward to building his own team with them.

The team was assembling, the funds were secured, the magazines and newspapers were already contacting him with bids for his story and the photos that would come from this trip. Leon just had one last thing to do in Leiden, celebrate his friend's marriage.

It was a cool mid September day. They chose well, the weather wasn't blistering hot like it can be in Summer, but the Fall chill and winds hadn't quite come in yet.
Iberis sat in the little room at the back of the chapel staring at herself in the simple wedding dress her friend had given her. "It looks better on you than it did on me I think." Violet said warmly with a smile as she bottomed the last one in the back. "Especially since you don't have to wear the gloves."

Iberis turned to her friend. "Are you sure that Gilbert can come today. Lyle said he's not been—"

"I tried to convince him to stay home." Violet interrupts before taking a seat next to her friend. "But he says there is no way he will miss Kyle's big day. I'm more concerned your groom will forget that his job today is to become your husband, not to take care of mine." They both chuckle.

When violet and Gilbert got married she stopped working for the CH postal company as an auto memories doll, and Gilbert saw how sad that made her, so he partnered with Hodgins so it is now the HB postal company and although Violet isn't currently taking any jobs, she does on occasion and she helps oversee the other dolls now that there are too many for Cattleya to manage on her own. When the expansion took place dolls from all over the country applied and Iberis was hired almost on the spot. When Violet discovered that Iberis and Kyle were still in contact and very much in a romantic relationship she encouraged Iberis. When the dilemma of employment for Kyle came up in conversation while Iberis was visiting Violet at her home, Gilbert was the one to suggest they hire him. "I need someone other than Violet to catch me when I collapse, especially now... I'm losing my physical capabilities pretty rapidly, so soon enough I'll be needing a wheel chair and I don't want her pushing me around more than she already does." He smiled as he poked some fun at his wife, the shimmer of joy in his one emerald eye.

"I only push you where needed." Violet grumbled before Iberis started to cry and thank Gilbert for the offer.

Kyle is a truly devoted care giver, not only helping Gilbert with his various limitations, remember which medications and when, and also keeping an eye on Violet for him. Gilbert is constantly watching her, constantly asking Kyle to step in and help her when she's doing something around the house or in the gardens. "She's so used to pushing herself well passed her limits, but right now we just need her to relax." His morning coffee with Kyle seemed to almost always start with a statement like that concerning Violet.

Now, on the day of the Zoenig wedding, Iberis was also a bit concerned about her friends who also happen to be their employers. "What if Gilbert, or you, needs help?"

Violet huffed a little laugh as she carefully stood up. "Hodgins will be by our sides the whole time. Please stop worrying about us. You should t be worrying about us today. You shouldn't be worrying at all."

It was a beautiful, simple ceremony that Leon missed at least half of since he arrived so late. He had been reading and responding to some of the correspondences between him and his new team when he lost track of time, and without Fey there he struggled to pick an outfit. He settled on a grey suit with a white shirt and black leather belt and shoes. He kept going back and forth between pulling his now shoulder length hair back or letting is fall the way he usually does until he saw the time and just let his hair fall and drag in the air behind him as he flew down the stairs and hopped into the car.

He sat in the very back, and althoigh he was atrociously late, when Kyle and Iberis came back up the isle as man and wife the joy in the bride's face and the overjoy in the groom's was a clear sign from heaven that Leon's tardiness was forgiven.

He sat in the pew while some of the guests began to exit. Closing his eyes and leaning his head forward he said a silent prayer for the newlywed couple and for his upcoming adventure. While his head was still bowed Violet and Gilbert walked passed him. Her breath caught for just a moment, which her sick yet attentive husband noticed, at first thinking it was her health until he turned just in time to see Leon's profile and it made Gilbert smile.