And oh we are like dominoes

[Melodie Lowe]

It had been almost a year since the attack, since her sons had been taken from her, since her memory had been erased. Melodie had made it out, been victorious, triumphed over evil you could say. But no matter how you said it, everything boiled down to this day, the day a mother would be reunited with her children. She had given birth to the twins as a naiive and unprepared nineteen year old girl, but today she would be taking them back as a mature and strong twenty one year old woman. A party had been planned and a cake had been baked, it would be a celebration for some, a birthday for others, but a new beginning for all. As Melodie entered the cave she took a deep breath and squeesed her hand against a large canvas bag. In it were presents for her sons, things she hadn't the heart to return as she had kept alive in her the hope that oneday she would have her sons back again.

Melodie hugged Abathyn upon arrival in the main living area and smiled sweetly, something her relatives and friends had missed seeing during her long and laboured recovery. "So where are my boys?" she asked her cousin excitedly, feeling so amazing as the words 'my boys' rolled off the tip of her tongue with ease. Melodie had waited so long for this, it seemed stupid that she barely thought she could wait five minutes to take Aiden and Lucas back to Bondi with her. She had at least an hour to spend at the cave until Izaak came back to take them all home anyway. As Abathyn came back with two boys in her arms Melodie smiled, she wanted to take them and hold them, never let them go again. Despite the fact that the twins shared half their DNA with father and half with her, Mel only thought of them as her own ans she couldn't bear the thought that oneday they would have to meet their father. She would try to protect them from that for as long as she could. Melodie wouldn't be alone, she had Abby and Izaak to back her up and help her in every way possible.

 

[Abathyn Dalmoir]

Abathyn sighed, gazing at Melodie's boys. They were so sweet, mewing away on the little sheepskin rug. Such little angels, Abby mused, blocking out thoughts of er own little girls. She stood and left their room, the one that used to be Melodie's, to stand momentarily in the cool, dark hallway. Time ticked away as the brunette woman brooded miserably. For two, sweet months, she had the company of her favourite boys in the whole wide world. She saw the clock and gently moved back to the bedroom, swooping up the twins and putting them in the playpen in the lounge, the one inappropriately filled to the brim with dolls and nurse sets. She heard a faint crack and grinned. Spinning around so abruptly that her neck clicked. Lucas gave a cheeky giggle as AIden seemed absorbed in undressing a barbie doll. But Abathyn didn't see, and instead ran wildly into the hallway. "MEL!" she squeaked, so excited to see her cousin sister. This was going to be an interesting visit, Abby could see that. Having been bored out of her mind alone in the cave, Abby had done a little bit of a family tree. And some of th estuff she'd found out along the way-- well it'd definately be a shock to Melodie.

"Right through here," Abby said faintly, her voice catching in slight humour as she knew what was happening. She led Melodie to the playpen and stifled a laugh at the little toddlers. Something.. wasn't quite right there.

 

[Lucas Lowe]

Gurgling on the sheepskin rug, Lucas gazed at the dark figure on the bed. He didn't quite get it. Was 'black-mummy' his mummy? Or was 'crazy-mummy' his mummy? And where did the fish-man fit into all this? Lucas had seen him in the big giant bathtub outside his old house. He would dive into the yucky-tasting bath and chase other people who were yelling, and the put them on his vrooom-brooom boat and take them away. After seeing that, Lucas was terrified of taking a bath, or even being in the bathroom, refusing to go near it incase fish-man caught him and ate him for din-dins. Of course, fish-man was different when he wasn't in the bath, and Lucas loved him to bits then.

Lucas stopped ponering as 'black-mummy' left the room, and he settled into a slight snooze, only to be swooped down on and whisked away to his play pen. He gave an uncertain giggle and began watching Aiden, before deciding that the half-dressed barbie doll was his. "Me want!" he burbled furiously in baby language at his twin. "My pwetty lady!" He didn't notice crazy-mummy and black-mummy enter, and was quite absorbed in working out how to remove the doll's top.

 

[Aiden Lowe]

Aiden poked his tongue out at other Aiden and held onto the pretty lady tightly. "Mine!" he shrieked pulling it from Lucas' grasp. He noticed crazy-mummy come in and he looked at her sideways, somewhere in his small mind he just couldn't understand why he had two mummys and he didn't know who fish man was either, but he rather liked him because he had the best toys and sometimes drove them in the broom vroom car. And then there was old-mummy and old-daddy. This was all too confusing for him and he began to wail loudly, unimpressed that other Aiden had fallen asleep During his outburst. "Want fish man!" he wailed, becoming confused as he was faced with black-mummy and crazy-mummy. He soon became placid as he discovered his thumb and began to suck on it.

Aiden watched other Aiden contently as they were scooped up by black-mummy. The one year old shot a grin towards his brother, they were constantly plotting against anyone who dared come near them. Aiden tugged black-mummy's hair with his chubby hands and didn't let go, he laughed bit as his brother got in on the act he shouted "No!" and pressed his soggy palm into Lucas' face.

 

[Melodie Lowe]

Looking down at her two boys Melodie smiled and almost felt a tear prick at her eye. She reached for Abby's hand as she stared at her twins playing with what looked like an undressed barbie doll. The Professor had to let out a chuckle at what they were doing, they seemed like a mischievous little pair. Melodie turned to Abathyn and her smile faded ever so slightly. "So, which one is which?" she asked, rather embarrassed that she had to ask that question about her own children. But afterall she hadn't seen them for eight months, the last time she had seen them she had kissed them goodnight before setting out on a journey she would never forget. The young woman was somewhat aprehensive about taking her sons home later on, she could barely look after herself let alone two other human beings. Watching them play it became more apparent that most of the things in her cousins house were rather girly. But Melodie couldn't think why. She was sure that Abathyn didn't have any children.

It didn't seem like the time to ask though, as Abby had provided a home for her children. One that was much better than what anyone else could have under the circumstances. As she stood in the cave the young woman already felt a flood of memories crashing down on her, memories she wouldn't trade for the world. "What does he want?" Melodie asked, she was going to have to get used to knowing nothing about her children, she had no idea what they meant by 'fish man' hopefully her cousin would be able to provide her some insight. Melodie waited for Abathyn to pick the boys up, almost afraid that if she did one of them would break. They looked so fragile though by the way they treated eachother they obviously weren't.

 

[Abathyn Dalmoir]

Abathyn took her sister's hand, the gesture giving her strength in a time of misery. She watched the twins in silence. She was definately going to miss the little things. "That," (Abby pointed at Lucas) "..is Aiden, he's in the darker clothes. Lucas wears the lighter ones." Abathyn figured that Mel would be worried, maybe, about looking after her boys again. But she figured that the younger woman would manage fine. The Death Eater side in Abathyn was making her tougher than normal in a time like this, even though her heart still melted when she saw the twins. Just like they did with Jaimee and Laani. But she wasn't going to think about her kids anymore.

Fish man.. a bemused Abathyn thought, mind echoing Lucas' words. Melodie asked the same as Abathyn was asking, but she spoke it. "I dunno. A toy or something?" Abby's voice was matter-of-fact, showing the difference from before. Abathyn had been through a lot in the past year, probably too much in any psychologist's opinion. Enough to drive her down the path, following the Dark Lord.

"Uh, Mel. Come sit down." The time had come, Abathyn needed to hurry up and tell Melodie the unknown truth. Her voice was strong, with a hint of ice behind it. She didn't like this anymore than Melodie did. Accio, Abathyn thought, pointing her wand which seemed to appear out of nowhere, at the papers on the desk. She sat at the kitchen table, spreading the family tree out before her.

[family tree been edited a little for future.. my mistake]

 

[Melodie Lowe]

"Oh OK" Melodie said, trying to commit each baby to memory, hopefully it would get easier as they grew up to tell them apart, because right now they looked identical. Abby didn't have a better idea as to what the twins were trying to say do the Professor decided she would learn in time what their baby speak meant. Melodie reluctantly sat down at the table with Abby, wondering what this was all about, another tragedy probably. As if the family hadn't had enough of those. But as her cousin got out the family tree Melodie got a little more confused, what exactly did she have that out for? And where on earth did she find it? Melodie looked at it, rather puzzled by all of the lines and names. "What is it Abby?" she asked, looking her cousin right in the eyes. "Where did you find this?" she asked suspiciously, had Antoinette had something to do with this? That menacing ghost was still bugging Melodie, but she thought she was the only one who could see her.

 

[Abathyn Dalmoir]

"The family tree-- I put it together a few months ago. I had found ad old one and just added in the details, and now with a bit of magic..." Abathyn's voice faltered and she sat back, watching her sister look over the family tree. Realising that Melodie mightn't understand how cryptic she was, Abathyn pointed at a spot on the parchment. "See that? We aren't cousins, we're.. sisters."

 

[Melodie Lowe]

Melodie watched her cousin with such intent as the family tree revealed something she could never have comprehended. The words that exited Abathyn's mouth rang out through Melodie's ears and confused her beyond belief. "No." she said very simply as she pointed to the clear line connecting their names on the piece of worn parchment. "How can this be?" she questioned. Wouldn't she know if she had another sister? Although Abby was five years older than her, how could their parents keep such a secret? Of course the young woman wouldn't put it past them. They had done so many other things to hurt her, the secrets they had kept in the past were huge, this was so minor compared with them.

Melodie sat down and held her head. All of this was so confusing, it was giving her a headache. Just a few years ago she had no family, her grandmother had died and she had been all alone, but now with every turn she took there was another family member staring her in the face, accusing her of not being there, wanting to just step into her life and be one big happy family. Fortunately Melodie's head wasn't in the clouds, she knew that they couldn't all be happy, and that they would never be a proper family.

blah. that was crap. sorry.