Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

"Let me tell you, even if their great-great-granddaddy showed up, he wouldn't

dare take over my house! Bunch of arrogant idiots!"

"Shh, there are still a few people breathing in there," the old woman said, glancing over at Tarquin.

"Oh yeah? Some stragglers, huh? Let me see who's left."

The two seniors strode over together. The spry old man was just about to kick the door open when the old woman stopped him with a hand.

"Easy, don't go charging in. There are kids inside."

"Kids?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you can hear the lighter breathing. Just a few, and they're really young. Not just one, either."

At once, the old man's thoughts jumped to Elliot, Evan, Emmett.

"Don't tell me that's our Elysia and those three troublemakers back already?" Before the old woman could say anything, the old man shook his head.

"No way, no way. Elysia might be slow, but those three boys aren't! If it was them, they wouldn't have gotten caught by these fools. I'm telling you, my Evan could wipe the floor with them!"

The old woman was the calm one. "Two adults, five kids in there. Doesn't sound like Elysia's crew. She's only got three kids."

The old man grumbled, "If it's not Elysia, what the heck are they doing here? Did these idiots drag them in?"

The old woman shrugged. "Why don't we just open the door and ask?"

The old man asked, "They're all awake?"

"Wide awake. You can hear the way they're breathing, all worked up, listening to us."

He turned toward the door and called out, gentle as could be, "Don't be scared, now! We mean you no harm. I'm coming in, alright?"

With an old but steady hand, he turned the lock. There was a loud 'crack' as the thick chain snapped. The door creaked open.

The next second-

A small figure darted out of the dark, launching straight at the old man!

He squinted, stepped aside, and dodged the little attacker with ease, catching the

kid by the collar like he'd done it a thousand times.

"Flip on the lights, would you? Let's

see which family's wild child this is. Look at that, knows a bit of

self-defense too. Just like my Evan, always-"

He didn't get to finish. The lights flicked on.

He found himself face-to-face with Evan.

He froze.

He and Evan stared at each other for a long, stunned moment. No

a.ne

screams, just shocked silence. Then the old man whipped around to look at the old woman, his eyes huge.

"I'm losing my mind! I swear I just saw Evan! My eyes must be shot!"

Evan's eyes were red, his voice muffled as he called, "Bernard."

The old man got even more flustered.

"Serioeck my ears! I'm

hearing things now-Evan's

me! Am I dreaming? Am I callimet

way

to the pearly gates or something?"

The old woman didn't answer. She'd seen Evan too, and she was just as stunned.

Elysia came running over, her eyes shining with tears as she spotted them.

"Grandma! Bernard!"

The old woman gasped. The old man gasped. For a second, time itself seemed to freeze.

Then, the old man turned to the old woman again, shouting, "Now I'm seeing Elysia too! I must be dying, I'm hallucinating, right?!"

The old woman snapped out of it and gave him a light smack. "Snap out of it! That's our Elysia! And those are the boys!"noveldrama

Tears welled up in the old woman's eyes as she rushed forward. "Elysia!"