Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are out on a date in Newcrest to celebrate their wedding anniversary late. Their actual anniversary is May 2nd but they were both busy with work and the twins had a doctor's appointment that day. They decided to celebrate tonight and get a hotel room in Newcrest. Paris will be taking care of the twins while they are away.
They sit down to dine at the restaurant in town. Talking about how things were when they were dating and sneaking around in Vera's house when she was at the vet clinic in Brindleton Bay. How August proposed to Aubree in Vera's living room. Their wedding in Sulani. All great memories.
Until Aubree's phone rings. She silences it once, seeing it isn't Paris. But it keeps ringing. It's her workplace. August wants her to silence it. Paris can call him if there's something going on with the twins.
Instead Aubree answers it, wanting it to stop ringing.
"You're seriously going to go there?" August asks after their dessert arrives. He had sat through Aubree trying to get things worked out over the phone.
"I'm the editor-in-chief, August." Aubree states in a clipped tone. "They lost everything for our biggest edition of the of the year. Everything."
"That's their fault for not backing it up better, not yours." August comments, stabbing at his dessert. "You took today and tomorrow off. Vacation time and all. This is supposed to be our time."
"I still have to fix it or we won't have anything to publish." Aubree tells him. She feels bad but she can't just not fix things. Not having this edition could get some people in the company fired. She gives her husband an apologetic tight smile and kiss on the cheek and gets up.
August stops her. "Don't go. It's rare we get time together like this. Just the two of us. Surely they can remember stuff they wrote?"
"It's not that simple." Aubree tries to explain. "There's more than just words. There's images. Quotes..."
"I love you." August says, feeling frustrated and a bit hurt. He knows she has responsibilities but he's feeling a bit like he and their marriage take the back seat to all of it.
Aubree sighs "I love you too and I'm so sorry, but I have to do this. I'll try to make it back tomorrow and we can do something then."
August growls softly in frustration and let's go of her face, which ignites Aubree's temper at how he's acting.
"You knew this was my dream when you proposed to me, August. I never hid that from you." Aubree reminds him.
"I know but we have kids now. We're married. I'd never ask you to leave your dream job but what about us?" August asks her, trying not calm himself.
Aubree frowns and her phone rings again. Work. She sighs and apologises to August before sprinting towards the door.
Caleb and I met up with Aubree and August at a new restaurant in Newcrest. Hopefully it's better than the one that gave me food poisoning.
My best friend is so pretty!
We spent time catching up, which mostly meant we talked about our kids. Times have changed. We're getting older - well Caleb doesn't age but I digress. Still, time has changed things. We're all married now with kids and careers. Gone are the days when Aubree, August and I were most concerned with getting through high school.
The food was actually pretty good and no one dropped anything on the floor. Huge improvement from the other place.
After eating, Aubree wanted to go to a club - Caleb suggested the vampire nightclub, since it's nearby. Aubree excitedly said yes, since she's never been to a vampire nightclub. August didn't look as excited as her but usually goes with what his wife wants to do.
Aubree and I sent the men off to get our drinks, so we could talk by ourselves. Some things you don't want say in front of your husband.
No kids - time for actual romance.
"Where are we going?" Aubree asked August, who was hauling her quickly off the dance floor.
"I heard mention of a spacious bathroom in this club during one of your and Vera's gab sessions." August stated.
He wasn't supposed to hear that!
"You told Aubree about our encounter in the bathroom here?" Caleb asked me, amused.
"Yes but August wasn't supposed to hear that....now I'm a bit embarrassed." I admitted, pulling him close. I guess at least the two of them got to have some fun due to my big mouth.
"Hmm, maybe we should repeat that night a bit later?" Caleb suggested, smirking slightly.
It's shortly after dinner in at the Lewis Household in Brindleton Bay. The twins, Edgar Allan and Emily have been laid down for their after dinner naps. Aubree is working late at the office once again, leaving August and their nanny, Paris to tend to the infants.
It is Paris' job after all and she's grateful she has one that she loves. But tonight, she is feeling blue.
"You've been really quite all evening, what's wrong?" August asks, tentatively placing a hands on her shoulder.
Paris sighs loudly, surprised Mr. August is touching her shoulder but it's comforting. "I'm trying to get my birth Mom to visit Brindleton Bay. I really want her to see the life I'm building here but she's very resistant to it."
August nods in understanding. Family issues are hard. He briefly thinks of his sister Olivia. It's been odd having her back in his life after not seeing her for so long but he's glad they've made some peace with each other.
"I've visited her in Oasis Springs, why can't she come see me here?" Paris asks August but more so herself. She doesn't understand it.So far they had been connecting really well until it came to her asking her Mother to come see her in Brindleton Bay.
August gently pats her back, making sure to stay within her upper back. He's trying to be comforting not perverted. "Maybe she doesn't like cold weather?"
Paris shrugs slightly, taking comfort in Mr. August even talking to her about it. He's always been very kind towards her - as has Miss. Aubree though she's a bit more distant. "She lived in Henford-on-Bagley for years...but maybe since she's older, she doesn't want to return to the cold weather."
August surprises himself and Paris by taking her hand in his, to him it's a comforting gesture. He also makes sure not to grasp her hand so she can pull away anytime she wants to. "Then maybe once it's warm again, she'll visit?"
"Mmm, maybe." Paris says, her heart did this weird flip in her chest the moment Mr. August touched her hand. Suddenly her mind isn't on her Mother at all. She feels her cheeks to start to heat up so she slowly removes her hand and offers the man beside her a small smile and her thanks for talking to her about what's bothering her. Paris makes her exit analyzing the strange feeling coursing through her body.
August sits on the couch after she leaves, feeling like he may have overstepped a boundary though he really was just trying to help.
Paris finally blinks back to reality, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She feels herself being raised off the floor and soon finds herself looking at one of her employers, August Lewis. She can't bare to hold his gaze so she looks down at her hands.
August is silent for a few moments, something had really upset the young woman. "Is it your birth mother?"
Paris nods silently, fiddling with her fingers. Her head felt as heavy as her heart in that moment. She feels tears slipping down her cheeks but doesn't move to wipe them away, she just keeps focused on her fingers and hands.
August breathes in slowly and exhales. He almost thinks that they had another fight about the woman coming to Brindleton Bay but he studies Paris and decides that it's something worse. "I know it doesn't help...I lost my parents along time ago but I still miss them....I'm sorry."
Paris slowly looks up at him, thankful he didn't make her say it out loud. "I'm really..an orphan now." it comes out in a broken whisper.
August doesn't even think, he grasps Paris' shoulders firmly but not hard enough to hurt her. He hates to see anyone hurting."You still have family. You have a cousin...and you're not alone. The twins adore you and Aubree and I are happy to have you here. You also have that dance class you've been going to and you made friends there, right?"
Paris knows August is trying to get her to focus on the good. On what she does have going for her but all she can feel is the gaping hole in her heart that had started when Mama Penny passed away and now Florence passing away had made it bigger. "Yeah." She barely says. She starts sniffling and knows she's going to breakdown. Normally she'd run and hide herself away to cry in private but this time she clings to the closest person available.
To her surprise and August's, he lets her. He hugs her back, patting her hair softly. A small voice is telling him he shouldn't allow it but most of him just wants to help someone out that is in so much pain.
In Sulani at the Grant home, AJ is doing his homework with one of his best pals Alora Prescott.
His other best pal, Mew Mew, is "helping" them with their math problems.
Apollo and Naya are spending time together on the beach. They built a sandcastle together before watching a bonfire Apollo lit. While the couple still have tension between them at times due to Naya's work schedule, things have been calmer between them. They've agreed to put it all aside and just enjoy each other's company.
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August Lewis surprises his wife, Aubree, at her job in the city at lunch time. Aubree takes a long lunch and they go to a poetry reading at the Stargazer Lounge in San Myshuno.
It's bit brisk, to put it mildly, for the couple to be out and about but they enjoy themselves nonetheless. August surprising Aubree at her job reminds her of one of the reasons she loves her husband. He used to surprise her with romantic gestures all the time but things change a bit when you have twins at home.
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Rahmi Watson is out tending her chickens in Henford-on-Bagley when she hears a familiar voice call her name. Her heart skips a beat as she turns and sees him.
Ukanipo has been missing her since she left Sulani and their, in his mind, date. He knows this is Rahmi's first Love Day as a single woman and he wanted to do something special for her so she isn't feeling down. Before he gave it much thought, he was booking his flight to go see her. He has no regrets on his choice.
Rahmi is overjoyed to see him. She's been worried that things would be awkward between them once they saw each other again after what happened in Sulani, but her worries had been for nothing. The two spend the day watching movies together and talking since all her kids, even Rashidah, had agreed to go visit Thomas in Chestnut Ridge for a few days since her youngest two are on a small break from school.
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At times, being married as long as Garrett and Denise Ambrose have been can make it hard to come up with something romantic for a day such as Love Day.
Garrett's surprise of cooking dinner and presenting his wife with chocolates and wine has done the trick. After a day of work Denise is more than ready to unwind with her husband and enjoy his company.
Olivia had given herself a day to think about what she witnessed in Forgotten Hollow between Lilith and the male vampire. She had promised she wouldn't say anything about what happened for the sake of her life and she planned to keep that promise.
Mostly.
Olivia invited her little brother out to a bar with her and August agreed. He just isn't thrilled that the bar happens to be a vampire nightclub and that he's finding out that his sister caught Caleb's sister about to get it on with a male vampire that isn't Jackson.
"I just have to figure out how to get Jackson to catch those two in the act." Olivia conspires openly to August. August for his part feels a headache coming on and stares his older sister down.
"You do know that I know Lilith's brother, right? Caleb. He's married to Vera who has been my wife's best friend since high school." August reminds his sister. He should have stayed home with the twins and watched reruns of Barney with them.
"August. I didn't create this situation. Lilith and that vampire guy did. Don't you think Jackson has a right to know about this?" Olivia asks him. She thinks she does. Jackson doesn't deserve to be kept in the dark about his girlfriend being off with another man.
August sighs and nods. "But you can't say anything to him, remember? You were threatened by a very angry vampire." He reminds her "We just reconnected, I really don't want you to have to say goodbye to you again and for good this time."
"I'm not going to say anything to him or anyone else either. But you have to keep this quiet too." Olivia realizes she's put her baby brother in a tight spot and she feels a bit bad about it but she also had to talk to someone. He's the only one she feels she can trust.
August narrows his eyes at her and lets out a long breath through his nose. "Fine. But you really need to stay out of this, Olivia. Jackson will find out eventually. You just need to be patient and stay out of it. No good can come from this situation."
August isn't happy about agreeing to keep this to himself. He likes Caleb. They get along pretty well but family comes first. He can't risk his sister's life by saying anything.
Word of Jackson Kumar's passing traveled quickly. Vera called Aubree, knowing that August's sister, Olivia, used to date him and had recently re-connected with him.
August had to break the news to Olivia. While he didn't like her getting mixed up with vampires, he didn't enjoy telling his sister about Jackson being gone.
Olivia couldn't believe it. She sat there in stunned silence, blinking in shock. She had just seen him yesterday.
"How?" Olivia asks in a whisper. It doesn't make sense. Vampires aren't supposed to cease to exist. Humans do that. It was her only comfort about Jackson being a vampire.
August shakes his head. "They aren't sure yet."
August offered to stay but Olivia wants to be alone. Jackon's face swims through her head as her heart somehow breaks even more. Yesterday seemed full of possibility. Today is full of despair. Why is he gone? How can be gone? Is it her fault somehow? Jackson's last words to her ring in her ears.
"I'll call you later."
Now, she'd never hear his voice again.
In Forgotten Hollow, Lilith Vatore has cried her tears and now she is on a mission. She asks Bella Goth, vampire and secret agent, to investigate Jackson's case.
Lilith had explained everything she knew to Bella on the phone before sending her over to look around where Caleb found Jackson's body - on the Straud estate grounds.
"There was two sets of footprints. Caleb's and another's." Bella begins to explain and while this may seem to most that Jackson simply walked himself there and let himself burn, Bella has more to share. "While it's snowy and snow doesn't hold good shoe prints, the other set of footprints are bigger than Jackson's shoe size."
Lilith almost shouts but holds it in. This feeds her theory that Jackson didn't expire by his own hand.
"Which also means Jackson was transported to the Straud estate somehow. That is not where he died." Bella finishes, unfortunately an autopsy can't really be performed on a vampire but Lilith has let her have access to the body to look for clues.
On a gloomy day in Ravenwood, Jackson Kumar's memorial service is being held in his hometown. Despite not having his body released by Lilith, his friends Olivia and Lurch went ahead with a service for him, wanting not only some kind of closure for themselves but to pay respect to their loved one.
Annalise was going to accompany Lurch today but got called into the Hospital on an emergency. Lurch understands, it's her job and passion - it's one of the things he loves about her.
"I'll go first, you take some time to try to collect yourself." Lurch tells Olivia, trying to comfort her. The poor thing hasn't stopped crying since the moment they stepped into the funeral home. Both of them are supposed to speak at the service then it's open to anyone else who wants to say something.
Mourners arrive and the staff of the funeral home thankfully greet them while Lurch goes over what he wants to say and Olivia tries to calm herself. All she can think about today is her last meeting with Jackson. She had felt such hope when they parted. Now it's dead along with Jackson. She feels guilt. She wonders if her telling him about seeing Lilith with Vladislaus Straud led to his demise. Maybe if she hadn't set him on that path he'd still be alive? Or what passes for alive for a vampire, but he'd still be here. She'd still get to hear him call her Livvie.
"Jackson and I didn't set out to be friends but I'm glad it happened. He put up with me asking him endless questions about when he became a vampire. Listened to my romantic woes. We used to play chess for hours. I listened to his college stories and helped him get better at making plasma janes. He's one of the few good friends I've ever had in my life. I wanted..." Lurch pauses and takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly. The fact that Jackson is gone truly hitting him. "I had planned to ask him to be my best man when I get married someday."
Lurch turns to the urn he and Olivia had selected for their friend, though it's empty. He folds his hands and gives a nod to the urn before looking across the room to the collection of photos Olivia had pieced together for the memory board. All of them from Jackson's younger years. "See you later, friend." Lurch whispers before stepping down from the podium.
The trip up to the podium feels like years to Olivia. She sees her brother August and it helps her feel slightly better. Most of the people in the building she hasn't seen since college, outside of Joey Gates. Joey wasn't close to her or Jackson during college but she appreciates him showing up to honor Jackson.
"A moment of silence for the departed." Olivia says quietly. Moments slowly pass by before she lifts her head and tries to breathe. "I'm not really sure how to sum up everything. Because I can't. I don't know how I would have made it through college without him. Not only was he my boyfriend then but he was my best friend." Olivia pauses and sniffles back some tears that threaten to fall. "We went our separate ways but recently found each other again. Even though this hurts like hell I'm thankful we did. I'm glad I got to see him again. We both had changed a bit but deep down we were still the same souls." At that point she stops because her words are coming out more like cries than anything. She steps down and goes directly to August who wraps her up in his arms and comforts her while she cries.
The others come forwards and pay their respects.
After that Olvia doesn't remember much, there's some food she doesn't eat. Chats she don't recall and a drive home to Willow Creek that she don't remember because she falls asleep with her head against the car window. Thankfully August is the one driving and not her. He's agreed to stay the night at her house. Not only will he not have to drive back to Brindleton Bay in the dark but she won't be alone.
For some reason stepping into her house makes her break. She doesn't know why. Maybe because it's finally done? Though it's not. Not until Lilith let's Jackson's body be buried. Maybe that's what is upsetting her. That he can't lay at rest yet. Or maybe it's the fact that she feels like so much was ripped away from her.
August does his best to comfort his sister. He doesn't feel like he's doing the best job of it. Between Olivia losing Jackson and Paris losing her birth mother, he feels like a cloud of grief and sadness is hanging over the lives of the people around him.
The siblings talk. Mostly it's Olivia and August listens. He's fine with that, his sister needs to let it out and not keep it bottled up inside. At least one good thing has come from the situation, it's brought the Lewis siblings closer together.
