#((it probably baffled them to see this buttoned-up; fairly respectable young teacher courting her))

[theheadlessgroom]

The mention of gifts helped to perk the children up a little bit, but Randall could tell that both of them were still dreading the day their extended family would pack up and head back home, a day that was fast approaching, now that October was coming to a close, and November was just around the corner. They put on brave faces at their mother's encouragements, he knew they were determined to soak up as much time as they could, but there was no denying that sense of dread all the same.

And he understood, honestly, for it had been a wonderful experience, meeting his grandparents and his uncles. All his life (and much of his afterlife now), he'd heard so many stories from his parents about them, these being the only connection he had to his kin. When he was younger, he often found himself wishing he could've known them, feeling it was so unfair to not have been afforded a chance to meet them, but as he grew older, he had sort of resigned himself to the fact that he never would know them.

(In some ways, he found solace in that fact...given his fears that he would be a disappointment to his relatives, perhaps it was for the best...)

But now that he had met them, and had been resoundingly embraced by them all, no less, he felt a little hollow at the prospect of them leaving. He had loved dancing with his uncles, learning Irish jigs and favorite songs (best enjoyed with a drink in your hand, alcoholic or not), hearing all about Colin and Callahan's wives (his aunts!) and children (his cousins!), and more stories about the Pace family he'd never heard before. He had loved sitting with his grandmother, enthusing over different styles of fabric and the colors they came in, swapping stories about the things they made, their process, and the funny little things that happened while they were working on them. He had loved enjoying a cup of coffee with his grandfather, reminiscing about the happier days in their mortal lives, little memories unencumbered by grief and sorrow, that put a mutual smile on their faces.

To think all of that would become few and far between for a while, on account of the distance put between them...it was disappointing and disheartening, knowing they really only had a month together, and it was unknown for now when they'd meet again...

But he did his best to swallow back that disappointment and put on a brave face as they all headed downstairs, the swinging wake about to begin: Just as Emily had encouraged Lon and Erika, Randall too would make the most of the night, and enjoy the time afforded to him and his family.

@beatingheart-bride

"You got breakfast in bed, Mama?" Lon asked in surprise (he thought you only got to eat in bed when you were sick!), to which Randall replied, "She sure did. See, Grandpa Wil used to make Grandma June breakfast in bed for her birthday and Mother's Day, and she used to make him breakfast in bed for his birthday and Father's Day, so I thought it'd be nice to do the same."

Thinking about it, he realized he had a couple of very fuzzy memories when it came to these breakfasts; remembering vaguely helping his parents when he was very small, in particular his father...he couldn't remember if it was June's birthday or Mother's Day, he just recalled, however hazily, toddling around with a little vase in his hands, trailing after his father as they entered the bedroom, and his mother kissing his cheek when he presented her with the flower...

Leaving this hazy memory behind, he smiled as he recalled, "I got better at baking after that incident-we used to make little king cakes together for Mardi Gras; we never had anything hidden in them, of course, but they were still lots of fun to make and decorate."

Knowing all about the delights of king cake and other Mardi Gras cuisine (especially since Mardi Gras was such a major holiday at the Mansion; Uncle Dori and Aunt Lizzie wouldn't have it any other way), the twins lit up at this, only for Erika to then falter, asking, "Will...will Grandpa August and Grandma Josie come back for Mardi Gras?"

"And what about Christmas? And Thanksgiving?" Lon asked, their gleeful smiles having been replaced by a sense of uncertainty, an uncertainty Randall could see plain as day, and it made him sigh: In some ways, it seemed so unfair that these new families only have so little time to spend with the children before they went home...he understood, of course, but he hated to see the little ones so disappointed at the prospect of these new faces disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.

Still, Randall tried to put on a brave face for the pair, reassuring them, "I'm sure that they will. I don't think they'd miss it for the world."