#frl gen4

[belsasim]

Inside, Penny took a deep breath while she watched her father walk through the front door. She knew that Kit would have ended up punching Malcolm in the face if he refused to leave and she didn't want her daughter to somehow witness aggression, nor did she want an aggressive encounter to stain their plea to keep custody over Aska if they ever really had to go to court.

But she also didn't really want to see her father. She held onto Aska a little tighter.

Malcolm (seeing Penny carrying an infant): "What the plumbo... Tell me you're babysitting someone else's brood?" Penny (biting her lip to stay calm): "Malcom Landgraab, meet Aska Dreamer, daughter of Kit Dreamer and Penny Starr." Malcolm (caught off guard, but quickly recovering): "You're joking, Penelope, you must be. You were dumb enough to marry this... nobody... But you also got knocked up? Seriously? Do you realise how messy this will make the divorce?"

Penny felt Aska tense up. The infant couldn't understand what was being said, but she clearly felt the tense and hostile energy. She grabbed onto her mother a little tighter, instinctively looking for protection. Penny's gaze went past Malcolm, searching for Kit. Their eyes met and Kit nodded. Gently taking Aska over from Penny, he softly said: "I'll take her to our room, don't worry. Do you... I can..."

Penny (a tense smile): "I know, but I can handle him. Just make sure Aska is ok..." Kit (nodding): "Sure. But if you need me, just call, ok? He's not gonna..." Penny (gently squeezing his arm): "He won't."

[belsasim]

It took a lot of work, a lot of searching the interwebs for nice second hand stuff and some time, but eventually the house renovations were finished.

There was still room for more stuff and personal touches, but Kit and Penny were at least relieved that the old wood and shoddy kitchen had been replaced and everything was safe and looked fresh.

Aska got her own room and felt like the biggest little girl ever.

[belsasim]

Mealtimes with Aska could be kind of a challenge. She didn't really fuss and always enthusiastically dove in to have her first bite, but most of the foods Kit and Penny tried with her, were not to Aska's taste at all. Once she had tasted something she didn't like, she simply stopped eating and started playing with her food, spitting it out and making a mess.

Most meals ended with Penny breastfeeding her daughter or Kit giving her a bottle. But eventually, they hit the jackpot when Aska liked oatmeal cereal. Something at least :-)

[belsasim]

With the assurance that Aska didn't have to be in the same room for this showdown and that Kit would be back the moment she'd need him, Penny took another deep breath. She was ready to face her father.

Penny: "It's Penny now and you're not going to force me to divorce Kit and leave my daughter behind." Malcolm (angered by his daughter's disobedience): "You stupid girl. You are just a way for that nobody to come after our fortune and name. I don't know what big promises he made to you, but wake up to reality now: you're just a means to an end." Penny (clenching her fists): "Not everyone is as cold as you are, Dad. You have always seen me as a means to an end, only good enough to be married off to some interesting business partner, only just another investment in our family's wealth and power. Well, you wake up now! Kit and I don't care about the Landgraab name and we don't care about your money. If anything, I married out of your wretched family!" Malcolm (fuming): "You don't know what you're talking about! You will regret this!" Penny (shaking her head): "Go on, disown me. There's nothing I want more. I'm already changing my name, surely you saw those documents too? I bet your lawyers can take care of it in no time, they have already done this before, right? With uncle Jonathan?"

Malcolm's eyes briefly widened, she almost missed it. But she knew she was right.

He had never been mentioned in the family, but Penny knew her father had an older brother once. Sarah's hacker friends had sent her several documents. A certain Jonathan Landgraab had tragically passed away when he was barely a young adult. But weirdly, everything relating to him within the Landgraab documents had been erased or redacted. But the hackers had uncovered records of regular transactions from an obscure account of Geoffrey Landgraab, her grandfather, to a then struggling comedian, Johnny Zest. That Johnny Zest later went on to become the last protégé of none other than the legendary Baako Jang and was now a world-famous superstar.

Before Malcolm could say anything, Penny continued: "Look, I've never really been part of the Landgraab family, let's be honest about that. I don't want to be part of the Landgraab family. Hermes can have everything, really. I don't give a plumbob."

She slightly turned her head towards the bedroom door behind her. Her voice slightly softened.

"I am richer and happier now than I ever have been. Here, with Kit by my side and Aska in my arms. I don't expect you to understand. But I'm telling you: I don't want to cause you any trouble. I just don't care about you, don't you see that?"

She shook her head: "Think about it: what kind of poor investment would it be to drag us to court, where we will fight you with everything we have, backed up by the Dreamers, who are not nobodies, by the way?"

Narrowing her eyes, she continued: "I'll even drag Mr. Johnny Zest into that whole mess too, if I have to." She felt disgusted that she would even consider exposing Johnny Zest for her own benefit, such a horribly Landgraab thing to do. But to protect her daughter's happiness...

She looked her father intensely in the eye. "You know it's not worth it."

Malcolm stared at Penny for a long moment. She imagined him making the calculations in his head. He let out a sigh and she saw his jaw tighten. Then he walked past her, out of the door. And, hopefully, out of her life.

[belsasim]

Cake eating done, Penny hastily cleared the table. She didn't want to be late at the courthouse, but she also didn't want to leave dirty dishes on her table.

"Pen, you don't have to do dishes on your birthday," Kit smiled, "leave them to me, I'll do them later." Penny shook her head and replied: "I'll worry about the dishes while you change into your suit, Kit, I don't want to be late."

Kit felt butterflies in his stomach. They were getting married. Not with a big party and a lot of family and friends, but still. Married. It was exciting and a little scary.

Then he made his move. Penny had only just placed the dirty dishes on the counter as he took her by the hand and gently pulled her away from the counters. While Penny gave him a questioning look ("Kit, what are you doing?"), he took in the sight this young woman, the love of his life. Then he sank down to one knee.

Kit (trembling voice): "Pen, I wanted this to be different and better. Not rushing into marriage because we need the papers to protect you and Aska... But it is what it is now and I want to do this right." Penny (taking a deep breath, placing her hand on her chest): "Kit, it's ok..." Kit (pulling out the ring, the real one): "Pen, I love you so much. You're smart, you're beautiful, you're kind, you're such a wonderful mother to Aska. I'm so lucky to be with you... Do you want to marry me?" Penny (fighting tears in her eyes): "Of course I do, you silly. I love you, Kit, I love you."

They sealed the deal with a kiss and Kit just knew: he would be Loyal to Penny forever.

[belsasim]

Kit and Penny were counting down the days to Penny's birthday. Once she was a young adult, Penny would be able to officially denounce her Landgraab name. And by getting married, they would also be able to keep the Landgraabs away from Aska, at least for a while, as trying to get custody over her would mean they'd have to take the young couple to court.

Of course, the Landgraabs had an army of lawyers, so if they really wanted to, they would find a way. But Kit and Penny were prepared to fight with everything they legally had and could complicate the Landgraabs' efforts.

In between working on her first book and taking care of Aska, Penny was gathering all possible documents she could use to give her parents a nightmare in court, should she need it.

Meanwhile, Kit was working hard in the military, not just to advance in his career and earn a better living for his girls, but also to use his exemplary work performance to convince a judge that he is a good and able father, should he need it.

His efforts paid off at least in the form of his first promotion. Glowing with pride and relief, he made a little detour before going home to tell Penny the news. He had been setting some money aside and now was the time to go and buy a real engagement ring. It would be simple one, but he hoped Penny would like it nonetheless.

[belsasim]

Speaking of the arrival of a baby... The first trimester was pretty much a nightmare for Penny (yup, she has denounced her Landgraab name and fully embraced her cover name 'Penny Starr' now. Also, if she writes books, they will have the right author's name), with nausea, lightheadedness and extreme fatigue.

But the rest of her pregnancy went surprisingly well. They had settled into the house and she worried less about how she would give this little baby a good start in life. Jess brought her in contact with an obstetrician, who confirmed everything was going very well and she was doing a great job.

Kit, who was at first overwhelmed by the idea of having a baby as a teen (I mean, very understandable) , absolutely fell in love with his future child. He often caressed Penny's belly, talked to the baby and felt if he could feel some movement, looking up to Penny with big, happy eyes.

Of course, the bigger and heavier the baby got, the harder it became for Penny's body. She was often exhausted and her back hurt more often than not, not to mention the high frequency of toilet visits. But both of them couldn't wait to meet their daughter...

[belsasim]

Moving in was as easy as checking out of the motel, grabbing their backpacks and walking over to the house. It felt a little surreal.

Penelope (looking around, a smile on her face): "Our own place. Weird isn't it?" Kit (nodded in agreement): "Everything's been weird." Penelope (moving closer to him and giving him a hug): "Not everything, Kit. Thank you. I..." (letting out a sigh) "I really don't know how I would've done this without you." Kit (placing a soft kiss behind her ear): "You would've done great, I'm sure. But I would never forgive myself for letting you go and be all alone through this." Penelope (hugging him a little bit tighter): "I'm really happy you're here with me."

Suddenly, Kit ended the hug, looking at her with a serious expression on his face. Penelope noticed him putting his hand in his back pocket, feeling for something and then taking something small out of his pocket. He held his hand behind his back though.

"Pen, I've been thinking." Trying to break the sudden serious vibe, Penelope giggled: "Hope you didn't hurt brain." Kit gave her a polite chuckle, but didn't really seem to get or care for her little joke.

"We can't hide forever. And once the baby is born, your family won't be able to force you into abortion, but they still can try to take the baby away or you or I don't know. And I hate the thought of losing you or our child..." Penelope saw Kit's eyes tearing up and bit her lip. She didn't want to think about those possibilities either.

"So, I thought, maybe, when we're of age and if you want to... ehm... we can make it a little harder for them to take you and/or Baby away... by... ehm..." He slowly brought his hidden hand forwards, revealing a shiny little ring. Penelope looked at the ring and then at Kit, unable to utter a word, but nodding. She looked on as Kit, with trembling hands, gently took her hand and slid the ring on her finger.

He looked at her apologetically: "I borrowed it from Dylan. So we'll eventually have to give this one back to him. But, well... As soon as you aged up... we can go to the courthouse." He dropped his gaze. "I hope by that time, my family can come too, maybe. But even if it's just us..."

Penelope touched his cheek, gently making him look up again, look her in the eye. "I love you, Kit, and I'l happily marry you as soon as we can."