#myrtle beech

The theory was simple but not without potential consequences for Loren's mortality, so he asked Virginia and Gabriella to help him test it safely. Gabriella was a naturally strong swimmer and had recently done a lifeguard internship, in which she 'saved' a few swimmers feigning floundering about while training, so she volunteered to retrieve Loren if anything went wrong. Virginia had a fully charged phone in her bum bag ready to call for help, too.

Now for Loren's part to play. He sprinted from the beach house to the waves, his skin smoking as he flew across the sand. The waves were coming in gently today but he hit them with a clumsy crash before finally getting shoulder deep. He turned and gave the girls a thumbs up.

"There he goes. I don't see any smoke. Do you, Gab?"

"No." Gabriella was still watching her uncle bob around, determined to be ready for anything, just in case. But the fact remained: the telltale sign of the sun singing Loren's skin was gone. It was the middle of the day, in the full heat of the middle of summer, and he wasn't holed up under the sunlamp in his shed with the blinds drawn. Whether it was the salt of the sea protecting him, or Virginia's half-joking theory that he was a merman, he could now join his family in the sun.

Rocky blinked and both his daughters were nearly as tall as we was. Overnight, Myrtle had started rapid firing at the dinner table about the boy she liked at school; he was super cute and nice and they were partners for the science project and got an A, and could he come over to swim in the pool sometime, please? Of course, Rocky agreed, as long as she didn't think it was too uncool if he and Daisy swam as well. Why should the elders miss out on a sunny afternoon?

There were things she didn't want to acknowledge. She didn't want to know if she was seriously sick, because then she would have to know for sure that her immune system had become weaker in old age. She was going to stifle this cough, that was surely just a little throat tickle, nothing more, and keep on trucking. She had to, for her daughters.

An entirely separate matter that Daisy wilfully turned a blind eye to was her teenagers being teenagers and doing things like sneaking out to hang in random fields with friends at midnight. Myrtle and Venice were awesome kids, truly - both took after their dad's natural smarts, did well in school, and even put their hands up for clubs and student leadership roles. The latest development was Venice joining the spirit team and advocating for cheerleading as a brand new initiative. However, they were still kids. Daisy slipped water bottles with slices of lemon into their backpacks and assured Rocky they would be fine, in spite of his frowning. Someone in the village would let them know if something was amiss. Besides, weren't they both young too, once?

Viola and Sebastian used the term 'golden' with a great deal of warmth in their voices, of course. They were from a generation that knew the power of an heir in the face of adversity - specifically, the cutting countenances of the Capp clan. Clashes crossing the family lines had caused their mother to be lost to them far too young; knowing the Monty family could always leap above the cackling flames of the village rumour mill and be awash in the waves of a new generation was a comfort to them. It was difficult to explain to Leonato or Gallagher or any of the fresh faces who turned up these days, who'd never known just how vicious the heat of battle could be. "Osric Monty & Lilita Furley invite you to join their wedding celebration" - that was all that mattered.

The ceremony was held at Nightingale Chapel with a reception hosted by the twin elders. Gallagher was used to the house feeling alive all on its own, especially around the games table in the drawing room - his best friends Angelo (another Monty) and Myrtle (also his girlfriend) were over most nights, declaring his place to be The Fun House of Riverblossom Hills. The wedding party was another level - Osric threw his money at champagne fountains, chocolate fountains, and of course, the cheese fountain with fresh grilled bread for a reflection of Monterey's famous menu. Thank the party gods he threw money at a cleanup crew over the course of the night too, so nobody woke up to a disaster.

The couple were paying mind to their nutrition in the quest for making baby number two. Not to say that baby number one wasn't enough! - Myrtle most definitely provided many hours of getting up in the night and playtime and grizzles and giggles. It was just that, they were experiencing all of that, and wanting more!

Rocky knew that Daisy's non-sleep requirement within her faerie physiology was very likely a big factor in just how much fun they were having with parenting. If it wasn't just him with bags under his eyes, they might be reconsidering their health kick and making plans to sell Myrtle's newborn onesies. However, when it came to the hunger in Daisy's eyes when she happened upon him in the bathtub, the gentleman clad only in bubbles... subsequently dragging him to bed, still sodden and all... there was nothing like it. Biology lead the way and they were going to keep trying for another; it might as well be a bit of fun, too.

In the meantime, family rallied around Myrtle as the baby. Uncle Basil travelled out from Land Grant University to visit and the two got on like a greenhouse doused in sunlight and water, babbling away to each other in Myrtle's own brand of developing language. She reached up to his hat and pinched the lavender and lime waves of crochet and he smiled and asked her if she would like the colours. Yes, yes she did!