“We’re going to be grandparents,” Faron said joyfully as he bent to kiss away some of Saige’s tears.
“You’re going to be grandparents?” Iffon asked, flying into the kitchen in his preferred blue and red form. He landed on a perch in the corner and bent his head to take a drink from the water dish there.
Faron looked questioningly at Bean, who shook her head, then tipped her chin enough for him to know he was welcome to break the news if he wanted to. Faron grinned. “Yes, Iffon, we’re going to be grandparents.”
“Congratulations,” Iffon said, still drinking thirstily. “Is it Vari or Ria?”
“No,” Faron said, matter of factly.
Iffon raised his head. “Your sons aren’t old enough…,” he trailed off and looked over at Bean. “I’m sure that if Bean were pregnant she would’ve told me.”
“You’re absolutely right, Iffon,” Bean said stoutly. “If I were to learn such news oh…say…during an early morning flight with my Rami, and if you were awake and available to tell, I certainly would do so.”
“Bean, don’t mess with me on this. Tell me truly, are you going to have babies?” He spoke so everyone could hear, leaving all of them uncertain as to his feelings on the subject.
“Yes, Iffon, we’re going to have babies,” Bean said, still smiling.
“Girl babies?”
“Yes, girl babies.”
Iffon tilted his head back, spread his wings, opened his beak, and crowed like a rooster, shocking everyone into silence. Then laughter filled the room as he flew to Bean’s shoulder and rubbed his head against her jaw.
“I’m so happy for you, Bean,” he said. “I can hardly wait. How long will it be? Can I be Uncle Iffon? I promise to never say anything stronger than crumpet jam in front of them, and I won’t tell them too many embarrassing stories about your childhood.”
“Of course you’ll be Uncle Iffon,” Bean said, stroking his feathers with one finger. “I do have one question though.”
“Which is?”
“You crowed. Does that mean you’ve decided you like chickens?”
“Not in the least,” he replied. “I just like the sound roosters make. It seemed appropriate.”
Bean intended to tease him more, but the doorbell went off just then. “I’ll get it, love,” Zain said, leaning down to kiss her on top of the head.
Saige watched as Bean looked up at Zain, her eyes shining with love and real, true happiness, and had to blink away tears.
***
A couple of hours later Bean, Vari, and Ria sat on the back lawn watching their men hovering around the barbecue, arguing good-naturedly about how much sauce to baste the meat with, and how often to turn it. Their parents sat at a table nearby listening and laughing. Not far away Star laid on the grass dozing while the cubs raced around in the near distance, chasing butterflies and each other with endless energy.
“Pregnant,” Ria said with a wistful sigh. “You’re lucky, Bean.”
“I didn’t know you guys were trying,” Bean said.
“We’re not trying, exactly, but we’re not not trying, either, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I know,” Bean said. “We weren’t trying either. To be honest, I had no idea in the good great galaxy that I’d be so happy about this.”
“Why wouldn’t you be?” Vari asked.
“For the same reason you aren’t trying, unless I miss my guess,” Bean replied.
“You’re right,” Vari admitted. “Things are better than they were before Weeble was removed from the picture, that’s for sure. But there are still a lot of insane Doftles out there, and we don’t even know how many millions of Nomen and hybrid creatures. They still have the technology, the weapons, the ships, the planets.”
“That’s true,” Bean said. “But we have the Colony on our side now. They’re healing, and growing stronger every day. Plus, according to the Basulor, the crazy Doftles are no longer one cohesive group.”
Vari lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “Yes, but is it better to have a large number of smaller enemies, or one big enemy?”
“What difference does it make either way?” Ria asked. “It is what it is.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Vari said, smiling. “I have a better subject anyway.”
“Good. What is it?”
“Bean promised us a couple of months ago that when the house was complete, she’d tell us why she picked this spot, specifically, instead of one by the river.”
“That’s right, Bean, you did promise,” Ria agreed. “Out with it.”
Bean smiled, then stood up and brushed off her dress. “Come on, I’ll show you,” she said, then paused as Iffon flew over from where he’d been on Zander’s shoulder to hers.
Vari and Ria rose and followed Bean around to the far side of the house to a low rise covered in wildflowers that Bean had planted. At the top of the rise was a single, weathered oak tree which Bean lead them to. A square paving stone covered with a bit of canvas, held down with a couple of small rocks lay at the base of the tree.
“What’s this?” Ria asked, pointing at it.
“I’ll show you in a moment,” Bean said. She cleared her throat, then smiled a little. “This might be a little difficult to get through, so bear with me.”
“Maybe this’ll help,” Vari said, moving closer to take one of Bean’s hands. Ria moved to take the other hand so that they all stood facing the tree, and the stone.
“The day I arrived home from Sheara 3 in the spring, Mom and the Dads showed me the vids that both of you had sent them. You know the ones I mean?”
“Yes, we know,” Vari said, while Ria squeezed her hand gently and nodded.
“After seeing them, I left the house and started running. I didn’t even pick a direction really. I just ran as fast as I could, as though I could escape not just what I’d seen and heard, but my own guilt.”
“Guilt?” Ria asked.
“I felt like I’d betrayed you, Ria, over and over again beginning when we were five years old. I never saw the truth, never felt your pain, never stopped to wonder if what I believed was actually real or not. I felt like I should have known. I should have figured it out.”
“I understand, Bean,” Vari said. “I felt the same way. Still do.”
“I understand too,” Ria said. “I didn’t see the truth of what was happening to you, either, Bean. I never felt your pain, never wondered if what I believed was real even though I knew that what everyone thought of me was wrong. I should have figured it out.”
Bean smiled sadly. “See, this is my point.”
Vari and Ria both looked at her in confusion. “Sorry?” Vari asked.
“Chaos knew we three would one day have the power to stop it,” Bean said. “From the moment of our conception, it knew. How that’s possible, I don’t know. But I do know that it did everything it could to prevent us from fulfilling our destiny, which turned out to be quite a lot.
“Chaos isn’t dead yet, but it has a powerful enemy now in the Armonia, thanks to us. And yet here we are, the three of us, still harboring guilt and self-blame for things we’re not now, nor ever were responsible for.”
“You’re right, Bean,” Vari said. “But it’s not that easy to just…let go.”
“You’re right, it’s not. But we have to start somewhere. And this is where I started.”
“I don’t understand,” Ria said.
“The day I ran out of the house, I ended up here, in this spot. I sat here, and I went over every single incident of our lives that I could remember, and saw them without the blinders Chaos had put over my eyes. I felt guilty, and sad, but I also got angry.
“That’s when I decided to take back my life. I didn’t know about the messengers, or the expedition, or any of that yet. I just knew that Chaos had messed with our lives without opposition for the last time.”
“If you hadn’t made that decision, we never would have done what we were intended to do,” Vari said.
<
br /> “We all had important roles to play, and that was the most important one for me. So, I thought it worth marking.” Bean released her sister’s hands and knelt down in the grass to remove the covering from the paving stone. Then she stood up and stepped back.
On this spot began the beginning of the end of Chaos, brought down at the height of its power by unconditional love.
The power of the heart can never truly be conquered.
Dedicated to
Vari, Ria, and Bean Lobo
and their beloved companions
Pandora, Star, and Iffon.
“This is wonderful, Bean,” Ria said, tears in her eyes.
“I agree,” Vari said, kneeling in the grass in front of the paving stone and brushing her fingers over the lettering. She looked up at Bean, her eyes glossy with unshed tears.
“Any time the guilt starts to get me, I’ll remember this.”
“Good,” Bean said. “That’s what I do, and it helps me.”
“It’s like a headstone,” Ria said. “Like all of the confusion and hurt and fear of those years has a burial spot now, and we don’t need to carry it around with us any more.”
“Exactly,” Vari said, rising to her feet. “Thank you for thinking of this, Ausreba. It’s perfect.” Vari kissed Bean’s cheek, then hugged her and Ria.
“Can we eat now?” Iffon said once they broke apart. “There’s something over there that smells very good to me and I want very much to find out what it is.”
“Iffon, do you ever stop worrying about your stomach?” Bean asked as they turned to head back to the yard.
“Occasionally, yes, but not today.”
Ria, Bean and Vari all laughed as they stepped around the corner of the house just as Pandora reached it from the other direction. She settled on Vari’s shoulder. “They asked me to come get you because it’s time to eat.” She eyed the women. “What did I miss?”
“I’ll show you later,” Vari said. “It’s really fantastic and I think you’ll like it.”
“Right after we eat?” Vari nodded.
“Food’s ready,” Saige called, smiling happily at her daughters. She knew where they’d been because Bean had shown her the stone a few days earlier. She noted a slight change in their smiles, maybe a bit less tension around their eyes, and sensed that it had done exactly what Bean had intended it to do.
“They’re going to be fine, Amada,” Faron said, placing one arm around her shoulders.
“Yes, they really are,” Saige agreed. “Bless the Creators.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Jo lives in the Arizona desert with her loving husband, their two children, one very large dog and two interesting cats. Laura Jo loves to hear from her readers.
Visit her facebook page facebook.com/laurajophillipsauthor to see when the next installment in the Hearts of ICARUS series is coming.
Bean's Heart (Hearts of ICARUS Book 7) Page 45